Review: Eight Cousins

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet story, though definitely not my favorite of Alcott's. Rose was lovely, although actually too lovely to be realistic. I mostly read it because I was far more interested in reading Rose in Bloom, the second installment in the series. I hope I like it a bit more than this one. It wasn't bad, but it didn't hold my attention very well. It was probably actually more like 2.5 stars, but I'll round up since I enjoy Alcott's writing style even if the story didn't draw me in. Oh well. Maybe next time!

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Review: Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another great science fiction this month. I read Dark Matter a couple of weeks ago, which really put me in the mood for some more sci-fi, so I picked this up. This was much different, but I enjoyed it almost as much. It was more grounded in reality than Dark Matter, but I do think that I liked that one a tiny bit more. Still a solid 4-star read though.

It was short and read especially fast because it was told in interviews. The most fascinating and surprising thing to me was that the interviewer was by far the most interesting character. I can't wait to find out more about him hopefully in the second book. I hope he continues to play a large part because trying to figure out more about him ((view spoiler)[ is he a good guy? or a bad guy? or somewhere in between? Who is he? Why does he have some much power - sometimes? (hide spoiler)] SO many questions!!).

There were also several times throughout the story that I was genuinely shocked by the turn of the events. It's rare that I really feel that much surprise as I read, but this one managed to multiple times. Also, (view spoiler)[ that ending??!!?!?!? What the heck???!!? (hide spoiler)]. As soon as I finished, I ordered the second one from the library. I hope I don't have to wait long to get it! I really enjoyed the first installment of the Themis Files and I can't wait to see where the story will go!

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Review: Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.25-4.5 stars. This was awesome! This is exactly what I want out of a science fiction. It was very fast-paced and exciting. It messed with your mind without being too confusing. I connected well with the narrator and enjoyed the writing style. I already gave my copy to my dad to read because I just know he'd love it. I also think it would make a great movie. I don't want to say too much more because talking about it much will give away the plot, but it hooked me from the first few pages. Anyone who enjoyed a good science fiction would enjoy this!

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Review: Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very, very good. I definitely liked the 1st one better, but McGuire is an excellent writer and I think I'd enjoy anything she writes. I'm impressed by the depth of her writing in such a short number of pages. I loved how she explored gender roles. I guess I didn't really like any of the characters that much though, which was what kept me from loving the story as much as the first. Still, I cannot wait for the third one to come out! Seanan McGuire has made herself a "must-read" author for me.

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Review: Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very, very good. I definitely liked the 1st one better, but McGuire is an excellent writer and I think I'd enjoy anything she writes. I'm impressed by the depth of her writing in such a short number of pages. I guess I didn't really like any of the characters that much, which was what kept me from loving the story as much as the first. Still, I cannot wait for the third one to come out! Seanan McGuire has made herself a "must-read" author for me.

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Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.25 stars. This was great! I liked it better than the Throne of Glass series for sure (while I do like the Throne of Glass books overall, this was better). I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I read it quickly because I really wanted to find out what would happen next, and I bought the second in the series when I was about 3/4 of the way through because I knew I'd want to read the rest of the series soon after.

I liked the characters in general, although they definitely fit typical tropes found in YA. Still, they were compelling and interesting to read about. I liked the subtle nods to the Beauty and the Beast story we are familiar with, although it was a very unique story on its own. I'm curious to see if the second is still tied at all to any familiar fairy tales or if it branches off altogether. The world it takes place in is interesting and I hope to learn more about it in future books. I'm not sure how I feel about Rhysand's character. I guess I'll just have read the next one to learn more and figure that out.

Overall I thought it was an exciting first novel in a new series and I look forward to continuing with the rest of the series soon!


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Review: When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I was smiling the whole time I read this book. I loved Dimple's character. She was entirely herself 100% of the time and she doesn't pull any punches, so I really admired her for that. I also loved Rishi for his sweetness and his unapologetic love for his parents and tradition in general. It was a happy book that I read very quickly. I really enjoyed it!

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Review: Geekerella

Geekerella by Ashley Poston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this light, fun, predictable celebration of geek fandom and rehash of the Cinderella story. It's been told hundreds of times, and I was surprised by how closely this story stuck to the one everyone is familiar with. There were plenty of tropes and cliches throughout, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story. Many of the characters were not very believable, but most people don't read Cinderella stories for their believability. It was comforting in the way that all familiar and well-loved stories are, and approaching it from a geek/fandom angle made it much more fun and interesting. There was nothing deep here and the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief as much as I did made my rating lower, but if you love a good fairytale retelling and especially if you are into any fandom, this one is for you.

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Review: Every Heart a Doorway

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.75 stars. For such a short book, this packs a powerful punch. Charlaine Harris got it right on her blurb on the cover that read "We know this story isn't true, but it is truth." Right from the first few pages I could tell that I was going to like this book. I've always loved a good portal story where a character goes to other worlds, but I've never really thought much about what happened when they returned. This story explores that and has a very compelling and surprisingly dark narrative all its own. I also really liked the main character and connected to her more than I expected to. Some of the other characters were fairly creepy, but in the best possible way.

It was one of the rare times that I wished the story was longer (although it didn't need to be - McGuire did an incredible job telling a big story in few pages). I cannot wait to read the next book! I ordered it from the library immediately upon finishing this one. This was definitely one of my favorites for the year!

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