Book Review: Entwined

Entwined
Entwined by Heather Dixon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, I love this book so much! Based on the cover, I thought it was going to be this sweety cutesy teen romance, but it was so much more and had so many levels to the story. Blew me away! Plus, I always love fairytale retellings, and this one is the ‘Twelve Dancing Princesses’.

Azalea is the eldest of the princesses, who have just lost their mother. Since their grieving father is so distant and cold, the girls turn to dancing to remind them of their mother and comfort them in their grief. But the strict rules of Mourning won’t allow dancing, and the girls have to search the castle for a secret place to dance. Continue reading

Book Review: Ship of Destiny

Ship of Destiny
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Usually I love Robin Hobb’s books, but there are so many things that annoyed me about this one. It’s entirely too long and repetitive. It could have been about 200 pages shorter. There are too many POVs flip-flopping all over the place in every chapter. I HATE it when a POV changes in the middle of a orscene! And there are about 10 or 11 different POV characters in the book. Too many! Continue reading

Novella Review: Among the Nameless Stars

Among the Nameless Stars
Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this prequel showing how Kai managed to run away from the North Estate, and his disappointment that Elliot didn’t join him. All while I was reading For Darkness Shows the Stars, I kept wondering, How did Kai make his fortune? What was he doing all those years out on the ocean? How did he meet the Innovation family and become such a brilliant mechanic/inventor? And this little story answers most of those questions.

For a novella, there is a really good story-arc, with some depth and complexity, but I wish there were more seafaring in the story. I’ve always loves Kai’s character, and seeing these experiences that made him so serious-minded helped me understand him better.

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Series Review: Pottermore Presents 1-3

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Minerva McGonagall is my favorite of all the teachers at Hogwarts, and I loved reading about her backstory, her quiet heroism, and her moral fortitude. Even after having read most of it on Pottermore.com, I enjoyed reading it a second time!

Remus Lupin is my second favorite character Continue reading

Book Review: The Anybodies

The Anybodies
The Anybodies by N.E. Bode

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fern is a magical girl with a secret parentage, and when she meets her true father, The Bone, and leaves her extremely dull adoptive parents, she is swept into adventure and danger. The Bone’s archnemesis, The Miser, is lurking in the shadows and plotting evil, and it’s up to Fern to discover the secrets of her parents’ murky past in order to puzzle through the future and find her true identity. Continue reading

Comic Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m loving the continuing story of Team Avatar in these graphic novels! In this one, there is political unrest in the Fire Nation as a band of traitorous rebels try to put the evil Ozai back on the throne. Zuko must fight to protect his newly-found family, but there are spies and enemies around every corner, and Zuko will have to call on Avatar Aang to help.

I love the artwork, and you can really feel the action moving the story forward. It’s easy to imagine it playing in your head like a movie, because the dialogue and facial expressions and fight scenes all flow so well. Continue reading

Book Review: Mad Ship

Mad Ship
Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story continues with Althea desperate to prove herself as an able-bodied seaman so that she can hopefully regain control of the Liveship Vivacia. But unbeknownst to her, Vivacia has been captured by pirates, and Wintrow is forced to bargain with the evil Kennit to save his own life and his father’s.
Malta is caught up in a flurry of courtship that could mean the forgiveness of the Vestrit family’s crushing debts, or it could spell ruin for her reputation. Brashen is striving to simply make a living on board a ship anywhere, but the mad ship Paragon might change his plans. And the mysterious Amber begins to have more influence on events as she has a finger in every pie in Bingtown. Continue reading