Series Review: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Call the Midwife: a Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth
Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication date: Originally 2002, 2005, 2009
Source: Library
For: Love the PBS series!
Series: Midwife Trilogy (three memoirs)

 

Summary:
These are three volumes of Jennifer Lee Worth, who as a very young girl left her pretty cushy life to become a midwife and work in one of the poorest parts of London during the 1950s and 1960s.

Things I Liked:
These stories are incredible! I wish I'd read the books before watching the series, but I was still blown away! It is absolutely amazing and awful and beautiful the kinds of conditions these women who were giving birth lived in. The midwives are incredible as well, but I read some of these stories and just felt almost embarrassed at how much I have and how whiny I can be about it. A wonderful look at a specific time and place and the women who played such a vital role. The first book was the most interesting to me, being more of a general collection of stories from Worth's experiences. The second and third were more general and had fewer stories of midwifery and the interesting people she met. Still, all of them were worth every minute reading. Can't recommend it enough and I adore the series as well (though not as much with Nurse Lee gone from the scene).

Things I Didn't Like:
It's been quite some time since I read these, and I don't remember anything in particular I disliked. It is pretty frank about sex and childbirth, so not exactly light reading. Also, abuse and other awful circumstances.

Read-alikes:
Nothing I can think of!

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
yep

mrg-factor: XXX
not gratuitous, also not surprising considering the topic

v-factor: ->->
some of the stories are simply appalling

Overall rating: *****

Mini Reviews 21

When in doubt, just chuck them all in at once! Here's some stuff I read a while ago, so nothing is fresh in my mind. Bleh.

Dearest by Alethea Kontis
This follows Friday as she becomes embroiled in an enchantment where seven brothers are all turned into swans by day. Can she find a way to break the curse with just a needle and her wits?

I really enjoy this series and I like how seamlessly the many different fairy tales are woven together into a fun story. I liked Friday and the brothers as well. A good, well-written fairy tale retelling. Definitely want more from this author!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
When Kady and Ezra's planet is invaded and they must escape or die, they had to put aside the petty problem of just having broken up. But far from being safe on the escape ships, they are surrounded by lies, half-truths, and a whole different set of problems. Will they come out alive?

This story gripped me from the very start. I love the format, the fun files and emails and schematics that fit like pieces of a puzzle together into a strange and unexpected whole. This is definitely a story that will get your heart pounding and have you questioning everyone's motives throughout. The ending threw me for a big loop. Definitely need to get my hands on the next book.

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
Things are looking bleak for David and his broken team, after Prof gave in to his epic powers. It would seem that nothing can stop him in his desires for power. But David refuses to give up and will go wherever and do whatever is necessary to save his friend.

I have really loved this series. It's fast-paced and exciting and funny. It has surprises around every corner and I definitely didn't expect the ending. I think I felt a little let down after all the build up, but perhaps I expected it to be, well, epic. Anyway, enjoyed the series, I would definitely read more about this world.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
In 1945, there was an epic tragedy involving the Wilhelm Gustloff - a ship full of people hoping to escape the advancing Soviet army. This book tells the story of this disaster from the viewpoints of four very different young people.

This was a very painful story to read. It's hard to read about stories that you know are about disaster or tragedy, especially of this scale. I had absolutely no idea about this piece of history, as I think most people don't. It's surprising and sad how lost their stories are. I am glad to have learned more about it, would like to read historical accounts of these people. I did find that the one Nazi was kind of a caricature of badness. Just an all-around rotten person. Mind you, he didn't seem to notice he was evil, but I found him hard to believe. Anyway, I recommend it, just to get a taste of what happened in this very much ignored historical event.

Book Review: The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
Publisher: Several (I read Kindle edition)
Publication date: first published 1921
Source: Free on Kindle
For: Fun
Series: The Forsyte Chronicles #1-3

Summary (if that's even possible) (from goodreads):

The three novels which make up The Forsyte Saga chronicle the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family between 1886 and 1920. Galsworthy's masterly narrative examines not only their fortunes but also the wider developments within society, particularly the changing position of women.

My Thoughts:
Crazy, epic story. Impossible to summarize and just so broad that I don't even know where to start. I love the real characters, you get into everyone's head and you see what makes them tick. I love to love the "good" characters and love to hate the "bad" ones, even though you can see that there are neither kind, really. Just everyone mixed up with good and bad. I especially loved the family gossip sessions, that sounded so real and just what a lot of family gatherings tend to be like. I thought it was interesting and I did like watching generations of the same family struggle to understand each other and change. I also found that I was terribly bored during vast amounts of the book. Sometimes, characters went off on enormous tangents and I lost interest. It took me months and months (possibly a year?) to finish this epic. Now what I really need is to watch the mini-series (or whatever it is), so I can see it all at once, succinctly.

Read-alikes:
Uh, I have no idea

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
a handful here and there

mrg-factor: X
implied stuff, of course

v-factor: ->
a little bit

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 2015
Source: e-book from the library
For: Recommended by ?

Summary (from goodreads):

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My Thoughts:
Thank you for a great recommendation, whoever it was that recommended this (oh, my poor memory)! I really enjoyed this book. Not only do we have a unique character with very unique circumstances, but she's interesting too! I loved all the things she says, does, and experiences from her Rapunzel-like tower. I kind of figured this would be predictable. But I was quite surprised by the twists and turns that it took. Definitely one that kept my attention and intrigued me from beginning to end.

Read-alikes:
I really can't think of anything!

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
I don't remember, but I imagine there was a bit of cussing

mrg-factor: X
there was a bit of implied stuff

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

Book Review: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Hello again, blogging world! Sorry for the radio silence - life gets in a way a lot lately. Plus, I pretty much single handedly planned girls camp (a youth camp for my church for girls aged 12-18). It was crazy times. And blogging is really falling by the wayside. But here! Have a random book review!

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: March 2015
Pages: 368
Source: e-book from library
For: I heard good things and those shiny award stickers didn't hurt

Summary (from goodreads):

Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

My thoughts:
I got really sucked into this story - right from the start. It's amazingly written, with gorgeous lyrical writing and there's some serious suspense going on. It also has a lot of surprising elements, though I did go in knowing there was an element of magical realism/fantasy. I liked figuring things out one little bit at a time and wondering if I'd been imagining it wrong all along. And I liked it. Worth the read, I think, despite some rather disturbing and adult-ish things.

Read-alikes:
Uh, drawing a blank here

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
there is some in there (no f-bombs, that I recall)

mrg-factor: X
some stuff

v-factor: ->->
it's been a while, but I think some intense stuff happens :)

Overall rating: ****

Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: December 2013
Pages: 374
Source: e-book from the library
For: At Suey's suggestion
Series: Starbound, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive – alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth. 

I enjoyed this a LOT more than I expected to. Generally, I've found a lot of YA space books to be kind of lacking in good solid science. Not that this is super good with science (there's a lot of stuff that you kind of have to roll with), but I found that those things didn't bother me. I was intrigued enough by the plot and the characters that I kind of forgot to be bothered. I found the ending to be surprising and I'm wanting to read the next books. Glad I listened to Suey and got my hands on this. I needed a good YA space book that entertained me enough to ignore the bad science :)

Read-alikes:
Reminded me a bit of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: X
some implied stuff

v-factor: ->->
a bit of fighting gore

Overall rating: ****

Mini Reviews 20

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
Summary: *spoilers for The Kiss of Deception*
Lia and Rafe are being held captive in the kingdom of Venda with no chance of escape. While trying to navigate the horrors of being prisoners, they are also trying to learn all they can about their captors and are surprised to find much to praise in them. But their situation becomes more dire as the Komizar is determined to use Lia and her gift for unknown purposes.

My Thoughts:
Honestly, I can't remember what happens. I read it a few months ago now and I did like it. It was interesting how nothing they did was easy and no way out seemed plausible. Although I thought a few things seemed mighty convenient. Pearson managed to get all the characters into some seriously dire straits and I just didn't know what was going to happen to Lia. Now I need to read up on what actually went on.

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
Summary:
This is not the Robin Hood you remember from those sweet, sly foxes in the Disney film. Robin an his band of grim and tired outlaws are nearly forced into hiding and inundated with those who also loathe sheriff of Nottingham and all he does to his people. But will things work out for them in the end or is there no happy ending in sight?

My Thoughts:
I love how it was messy and not what you expect. I loved Robin and I loved how very realistically it was portrayed that, yeah, they lived in the forest: no roofs, rain, dirt, etc. They didn't have an easy or terribly envious lifestyle. Things were not idealized, and I loved how Marian rocked the bow. Rather sad to read at times, but so glad I finally did it (thank you, Angie).

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
Summary:
When her father is brutally murdered, Kate is drawn into a world full of revenge, secrets, and hidden gold. She follows the trail of those who killed him, determined to take them on single-handed, but ends up in an alliance with some unlikely characters, soon to be friends.

My Thoughts:
This one was kind of good and bad for me. I think I was most interested in it for the local factor - a lot of it takes place right here in Arizona and even some of it near to where I am. That made it more interesting to me. Otherwise, I was kind of meh about the story and the characters. Her whole motivation for chasing folks down and being insane and doing stuff she shouldn't, at times was a bit unbelievable. I did, however, enjoy the story. For a wild west flavor, check it out.

Winter by Marissa Meyer
Summary: *Spoilers for the first three books*
Winter has been stuck under the thumb of her stepmother for years, but despite her delicate appearance and wandering mind, she's got more power than anyone knows. Cinder is ready to take on Queen Levana and determined to incite the Lunars to rise with her. With the help of her friends and some new allies, they are ready for an uprising, until everything seems to go wrong.

My Thoughts:
A nice finish for a series I adore. I loved how things worked out in the end, I loved seeing how hard it was for Cinder and all the characters. Winter was a really unique kind of person and I often had a hard time figuring out what to think of her and what she was thinking. All together, I think this is a fabulous and unique fairy tale retelling series that I just plain enjoy.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
Summary:
Lee has a gift, an unusual power that her family has tried to hide for years: she can sense gold. Her life seems ordinary enough, until all she has and loves is suddenly taken from her unexpectedly. Now Lee must make her way across the country, hoping to escape her past and make a future, but how can she when everyone around her would do anything for gold?

My Thoughts:
Interesting, unique, a bit strange. Reminded me a bit of Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel. I loved Lee and the things she was determined to do. She had a difficult life and I thought her reactions to things was realistic. I didn't like how everything seemed to be put off for a later book, but I guess they had plenty of troubles along the way. A different kind of story, you don't often read about people going west and the difficulties that must have been.Though, two westerns in one mini review post!

Book Review: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Publication date: March 2015
Pages: 402
Source: e-book from the library
For: Love the series!
Series: Winner's Trilogy, Book 2

Summary (from goodreads): *Spoilers are inevitable for The Winner's Curse*

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Things I Liked:
Yes! Love this second book in the series.  More complicated and painful twists and turns and strategy and you don't know what Kestrel can do to get out of her difficulties.  It feels very constricting, just as it was for Kestrel.  I loved this one, felt like it didn't lack or lag in the second book department.  World is still fascinating, writing still very strong, characters still very real. 

Things I Didn't Like:
And love story still leaving me a bit meh.  Still, I'm really invested in the other aspects of Kestrel's story.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me a little of Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
one or two

mrg-factor: X
some implied stuff

v-factor: ->->
a few scenes

Overall rating: *****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Publication date: March 2014
Pages: 355
Source: e-book from Library
For: Fun
Series: Winner's Trilogy, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Things I Liked:
Ooh, I enjoyed this one.  It was both what I was expecting and completely not - more! I loved the characters and especially the world - I seriously want to play bite and sting, but know I have very poor strategizing skills.  I just love how she thinks and how she knows what to say and not say, but also makes mistakes.  I don't know what exactly it was that drew me in, but I fell hard for this story.  I'm not even that big a fan of the romance, but I love how very impossible it feels and then how it isn't easy and nothing happens conveniently.  Very realistic world and very well drawn.

Things I Didn't Like:
Can't remember anything.

Read-alikes:
A bit like An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a very few

mrg-factor: X
mostly talk

v-factor: ->
a little

Overall rating: *****

Book Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: 2002
Pages: 322
Source: purchased e-book
For: Fun
Series: Little Blue Envelope, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.

In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

Things I Liked:
I do rather like the premise of this book - Aunt dies abroad and leaves letters for her niece to follow.  I often wondered how that premise actually could work out, though.  It is kind of a stretch at times and the reasons behind it are a bit vague even by the end.  I did like seeing Ginny sort of wade through a new culture and become acclimated by jumping right in. 

Things I Didn't Like:
Yeah, I guess I missed the point of the book, cause I can't seem to recall there being one.  It could be, however, that I read this one months ago and I just forgot.  Either way, that's not exactly an endorsement, right?

Read-alikes:
Um, can't think of anything...

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
that I recall :)
mrg-factor: none
 
v-factor: none

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: January 2015
Pages: 392
Source: e-book from library
For: Flavia!
Series: Flavia de Luce, Book 7

 
Summary (from goodreads): *Spoilers are inevitable for the first 7 books*

Hard on the heels of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas, Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide.

No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.

Things I Liked:
More Flavia! It was different, what with being in a completely different setting.  It was kind of fun to see her try to figure things out in her school.  I got rather confused a number of times, since I could never tell which student or teacher to rely on.  At least at home she could depend on certain people to be good, but here everyone was a suspect.  It was a boarding school romp for Flavia and such fun for me to read.

Things I Didn't Like:
The ending left me a bit confused - why did she go there in the first place? I'm trying not to spoil it, though I doubt it would ruin the story, but it seemed like everything was negated by the ending.  I'm hoping for more, just so I can read more Flavia.

Read-alikes:
Start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
there's a bit of the macabre

Overall rating: ****

Book Review: Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: April 2015
Pages: 304
Source: e-book ARC from Netgalley
For: Review
Series: Companion to Rump

Summary (from goodreads):

Jack has always been told that giants are not real. But if that’s the case, how do you explain the huge, foot shaped pond in the yard, or the occurrence of strange and sudden storms in which the earth quakes and dirt rains from the sky? When his father is carried away in such a storm, Jack gives chase in the only logical way: by trading the family cow for some magic beans that will give him access to a land beyond the clouds. He arrives to find that the giants themselves have giant-sized troubles. With the help of an overachieving little sister, a magic goose and a chatty cook (who is not interested in grinding human bones into bread, thank you very much!) Jack sets out to save his dad and save the day.

Things I Liked:
I've really enjoyed these twisted fairy tale retellings of Shurtliff's.  I'm not a big fan of the Jack and the Beanstalk story, but this made it more interesting and more understandable.  I liked how it showed reasons for the giants raiding and how a giant world was just normal for them and the little people were more like "elves" that we would think of in our world.  I thought it was clever, though the ending seemed a bit convenient.

Things I Didn't Like:
This one dragged just a bit in places for me, but I still was interested enough to keep going.

Read-alikes:
A bit like the League of Princes by Christopher Healy

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee

Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: March 2015
Pages: 304
Source: e-book from library
For: Fun
Series: The Agency, Book 4

Summary (from goodreads):*Spoilers are inevitable for the first three books*

Mary Quinn has a lot on her mind. James Easton, her longtime love interest, wants to marry her; but despite her feelings, independent-minded Mary hesitates. Meanwhile, the Agency has asked Mary to take on a dangerous case: convicted fraudster Henry Thorold is dying in prison, and Mary must watch for the return of his estranged wife, an accomplished criminal herself who has a potentially deadly grudge against James. Finally, a Chinese prizefighter has arrived in town, and Mary can’t shake a feeling that he is somehow familiar. With the stakes higher than ever, can Mary balance family secrets, conflicting loyalties, and professional expertise to bring a criminal to justice and find her own happiness?

Things I Liked:
I feel like this one wasn't as good to me as the previous three, possibly because I'd forgotten much of what went on in those books.  I liked the dynamic between Mary and James and how she wanted to be independent and to be loved as well.  She was definitely not like many women of her time.  The mystery was pretty good too, though I'm kind of slow at picking up things, so it's quite possible it was easy to guess from the first.  I enjoy the books mostly for Mary.

Things I Didn't Like:
I thought there were some tangents and other things that kind of distracted from the main plot and characters, but still enjoyed it.

Read-alikes:
Start with A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
that I recall

mrg-factor: none
some kissing

v-factor: ->
some intense parts

Overall rating: ***

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: May 2015
Pages: 368
Source: e-book ARC from Edelweiss
For: Review

Summary (from goodreads):

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path.

Things I Liked:
This had a really unique idea and concept and I thought the world building was really awesome.  I loved how mind-bending it got near the end.  The characters weren't amazing, but I think they took a back seat to the story and it's unique intriguing ideas.  It was a complex story and I felt like I never quite grasped it all.

Things I Didn't Like:
As I said, characters were a bit flat and it felt like she took on something really big and didn't quite know what to do with it.  It felt really long in places as well.

Read-alikes:
Nothing comes to mind...

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
some fighting, no gore really

Overall rating: ***

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: April 2013
Pages: 272
Source: e-book from library
For: Fun!

Summary (from goodreads):

In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.
To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.

Things I Liked:
Yes! This is everything a fractured fairy tale should be. I will never look at Rumpelstiltskin another way.  This is the best retelling of that crazy weird story I've ever heard.  I loved Rump and found his struggle with the way things were and his own weaknesses quite good.  It was interesting how he was both good and bad and who the "villains" were and just everything. The trolls! The aunties! Pretty much the whole thing. Red! Need more of her.

Things I Didn't Like:
Um, can't think of anything

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of the League of Princes series by Christopher Healy

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: May 2014
Pages: 240
Source: e-book from library
For: Fun

Summary (from goodreads):

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Things I Liked:
It is very readable, I pretty much pounded through this fast.  I was sucked into the story and completely compelled to read and find out just what happened to make Cady so changed.  I loved hearing about the summers with her cousins - it reminds me of my own family.  But I also loved seeing the depths and watching them start to grow up and see the world a little more realistically (if obviously not completely).  An interesting and intriguing look at a privileged family.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was annoyed that the Liars title never really seemed to make any sense. Also, I found that I was not too surprised at the ending, despite having been told and expecting some serious gasping and stuff at the end. I don't know. I guess I just found it sad. So much wasted in these youth!

Read-alikes:
Hm, can't think of anything

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$
not tons in number, but like 10 f-bombs

mrg-factor: none
some kissing

v-factor: ->
a bit of intense action

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: February 2014
Pages: 240
Source: e-book from Library
For: Fun
Series: Mind Games, Book 2

Summary (from goodreads): *Spoilers from the first book are inevitable*

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

Things I Liked:
I'm pretty sure I started this book previously and only read half of it, because it was really familiar in the beginning.  This is an intense and really strange book.  I love the way the characters seem to be inevitable in the choices they make, but they aren't really.  Fia is such a crazy and difficult to understand person.  I don't know how to describe this book or how I felt while reading.  It was intense and even though I had a hard time getting into it at first, I thought it was good. 

Things I Didn't Like:
Yeah, second time through and I still thought it was hard to get into.  There were times when I was just tired of them going around and around the same things.  The jumping back and forth in time and perspective was also annoying at times, but quite clever too.  I figured out the ending before it happened, which made me feel all kinds of awesome. 

Read-alikes:
Well, I recommend more Kiersten White books, but they are all SO different!

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
a few

mrg-factor: X
some rather intense emotions

v-factor: ->->
definitely some crazy stuff happening

Overall rating: ***

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Publisher: originally George M. Hill company
Publication date: originally 1900
Pages: 78
Source: free e-book
For: a classic double pair
Series: Oz Series, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

Follow the yellow brick road!
Dorothy thinks she's lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival - will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?

Things I Liked:
It felt so lovely and old fashioned! It definitely had a timeless quality to it, despite it feeling so different from modern-day tales. I thought it was weird how very indifferent sometimes the characters were to tragedy or difficult things happening to them or their friends. Oh, I shall cry for them. Oh well. Having based my entire knowledge of the book on the movie, I was quite surprised to find things very different - why did they make her shoes red? Plus, a huge part of the book comes after the witch is dead. They have lots of further adventures. And it is quite obvious along the way how each of Dorothy's companions get what they are asking Oz for, and rather humorous how he gives it to them. I'm glad to have read this one finally and hope to share it with my daughter when she's ready.

Things I Didn't Like:
Some of the same things above detracted from my enjoyment, most notably the way the characters would respond to certain situations. Well, nothing we can do for them, let's just leave them or cry about it and move on. Some of the things they said felt a little strange too, like Dorothy talking about how cowardly the lion is, on a regular basis. Sometimes she didn't feel like such a "sweet" little girl.

Read-alikes:
can't think of anything :)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: January 2015
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun!

Summary (from goodreads):

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Things I Liked:
Holly Black has serious skills in writing. I got sucked into this gorgeous tale right from the start.  I enjoyed seeing Ben and Hazel.  The story was very complicated and I felt at times I lost my grasp on what was happening.  I did really love the presence of the fey throughout the story and I loved Hazel's story.  The romance was kind of meh for me, like it took second stage to the action and the fairy world.

Things I Didn't Like:
As I mentioned the romance was not so great for me.  Also, some of the action near the end was a bit too confusing to understand.  It almost felt like the whole story (before the end) took its sweet time, but then the end rushed past.

Read-alikes:
The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
some, a few f-bombs

mrg-factor: X
a few scenes that made me uncomfortable

v-factor: ->->
rather a lot

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Mini Reviews 19

Here are a couple of mini reviews; I didn't have much to say about these ones (or forgot what I wanted to say).


Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George
This is second in the Castle Glower series, first one was Tuesdays at the Castle, which I really enjoyed.  This one was sweet and rollicky good fun. I like the griffin most of all. The book did, however, seem to kind of lose its way a bit in the middle. I felt like it didn't move us forward a lot in the series until much later and lots of things happen right near the end that aren't entirely clear. But I might read more in the series later.


Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
This is book 3 of the Finishing School Series by Carriger.  Honestly, I wish it was the last.  I tire of the series. I'm ready for it to be over (and expected it to be the last, what with trilogies being the Thing), but there's another book.  Some stuff actually happened in this one, though I can't seem to remember much of it. It's definitely as quirky and weird as the others, if that's your thing.


Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
This book is super weird, but in a good way.  It is a crazy interesting story of reincarnation and enduring love. I was very much swept away in its atmospheric feeling and the beautiful writing. I did spend a lot of time wondering what was going on. I think that was on purpose.  I read this for the Printz award, and can see why it was chosen.  Still, very strange.  It reminded me of the strange in Chime by Franny Billingsley, which I also really liked.


Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
I read this because, Neil Gaiman.  Also, I got a review copy in the mail.  Yes!  This is such a fun book.  What a great read-aloud this would be with your kids or in school.  I loved how funny and cheeky and just downright wacky it got.  Will definitely get laughs out of your grade school kids (and older). I only wished there was more when it ended.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage