Lauren Reviews A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry
Published: April 2016 by Algonquin Young Readers
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3 Stars

Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl -- Isabel, the one the señoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers -- and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.

The Caribbean island setting of this book was the first thing to catch my eye... then add a mysterious local folklore involving a cursed girl and I just snatched this one up. A girl with green skin and green hair that sustains herself by eating poisonous plants in Puerto Rico is the local legend that keeps everyone away from the house she supposedly lived in. A house surrounded by walls, full of plants. Who was she? Or better yet... who is she? 

Lucas has always been drawn to the story of the cursed girl. After he starts getting notes from her, he can't resist and climbs the wall to her house. This is the start of a whirlwind journey to very unexpected places, and to meet the cursed girl.

I enjoyed the atmosphere and culture this book offered. The descriptions of the island, the weather, the buildings... it all really drew me into the book. The plot was a little off for me unfortunately. It was predictable, but the author still kept me reading. I honestly think it was the ending that got me. I feel like it could have went so many ways, but instead it felt hurried and was tied neatly with a bow. However, I do think if you're looking for something fresh and full of rich culture that is short and sweet... you will not be disappointed.

Lauren Reviews The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melissa Salisbury

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melissa Salisbury
Published: February 2015 by Scholastic Press 
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 Stars

I am the perfect weapon.
I kill with a single touch.

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it's price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla's fatal touch.

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla's chilling role to the girls she truly is. Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen's, some truths should not be told... 


Twylla is the appointed reincarnation of the Daunen Embodied, who is the goddess worshipped in the kingdom of Lormere. This goddess is feared for many reasons. The queen of the kingdom chose Twylla (or recognized her) as the reincarnation of the goddess because legend says the Daunen Embodied will have fiery red hair and will sing beautifully. 


Twylla lives her life inside the castle walls, feared by all the servants and guards. Her skin is poison. With a simple touch, she can kill a full grown man. Such as, she is tasked with doling out punishment to all traitors, for which the consequence is death. Twylla despises killing, but she knows this is her calling and that it must be done. Then one day her childhood friend is sentenced to die. Twylla does her job once again, but she is a child no more. 

The queen is fierce and violent. She really just needs a swift slap to the face, but this book is not set in my time period unfortunately. The queen is the kind of person that you don't even look at for fear she'll take your expression the wrong way and have you killed. The prince, whom Twylla is betrothed to, travelled for most of his younger years only to come back to witness the corruption his mother has bestowed. He glimpses Twylla's distaste for the kingdom's queen and for the death penalties she is forced to perform. Twylla's long-time guard becomes ill and is replaced by Lief, an expert swordsman from a different kingdom, where their society and politics are quite different. Twylla slowly warms up to her new guard and actually has conversations with him, which is something unheard of in the castle. Lief causes Twylla to take a step back and look around her... to see the things she should have noticed before. Twylla and Lief eventually become romantically involved, but its not so annoying as it is at least not insta-love. 

This book was definitely an interesting read. The fantasy element wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be, but that was made up for with the folklore. The author basically conjured up a new religion so... kudos.

Jamie Talks About The Last 3 Books She Read

Hey all! September was an awful reading month for me as I've mentioned on here earlier in the month (great month otherwise!). I only read 2 books and, while that's great compared to probably the rest of the world, it's so bizarre to have read so few books for me. But October is here and I've already read one book so hopefully I'll get back into the swing of reading!

Let's talk about the last 3 books I did read though!

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman: 

This was such an adventurous romp through the Wild West! Definitely digging the Western setting -- gold mining, shootouts, lots of horse riding, gangs, etc. I enjoyed this book but it didn't quite make me LOVE it because I just didn't feel much for the characters. The main character is someone I felt badly for -- she lost her mother early on in life and now her dad just got murdered by a notoriously awful gang and she is driven by revenge to go find them and settle the score. But the problem was I didn't feel like she ever became more to me than a girl who was hellbent on exacting revenge. You see hints of other aspects of her character but I never felt anything except this revenge. There were some surprises in this book and I thought as far as the action and adventure went it was compelling but it was lacking in the character department for me.
I received this book for review consideration and this did not affect my opinion in any way.

Rating -- 3/5 stars

 

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: 

 This book was soooo hyped so I added myself to the library request list and waited until like literally 500 other people read it before me. FINALLY I received it! And guess what? It was JUST AS GOOD AS EVERYONE SAID. I loved it so much! I'm always a sucker for a WWII setting (probably one of my favorite settings for historical fiction) and I loved both POVs so much. I love the way it flipped timeframes and how that allowed their stories to unravel as we awaited how their path's would cross. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Worthy of the praise!

Rating -- 4.5/5 stars

 

 

 

The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Liz Steinke: 

This was a quick and enjoyable read! It's about a woman whose marriage-to-be has fallen apart and she gets the chance to go back and change things. It had a supernatural sort of method like Landline by Rainbow Rowell for how she gets to go back and change things to make it better between she and her fiance though I found Landline to be more impactful and thoughtful for me. I also really enjoyed the conversation about social media and how it can be good but also how it can be deceiving. 

Rating -- 3/5 stars

 

 

Have you read any of these books? Thoughts? Tell me the last 3 books YOU read!!

 

 

Lauren Reviews The Escape by Hannah Jayne + Giveaway

The Escape by Hannah Jayne
Published: July 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 Stars

When two boys walk into the woods, and one comes out covered in blood, what would you believe?

Fletcher and Adam venture into the woods for an afternoon hike, but when day turns into night and neither boy returns, their town is thrown into turmoil. Avery, the detective's daughter, is the one to find Fletcher - dishelved, disoriented, and covered in blood. He has no memory of what happened, but Avery can't shake the feeling that something's off. When Adam's body is finally found, Avery is determined to uncover the truth. But if she stands by her gut, and Fletcher, is she standing by a friend, or a murderer? The answer might cost her her life.

This was a nice psychological thriller that I read in about two sittings. Fletcher is the weird kid in school that most people just ignore, Adam is the jock that every adores, and Avery is the smart girl that people just label as the police chief's daughter. Adam is one of Fletcher's only friends and they go on a hike that ends up in tragedy. The day after the hike, Fletcher is found close to death by Avery, while Adam was still missing.

Fletcher tries so hard to remember what exactly happened to him. You can almost feel his agony with himself, his anger at not being able to remember to help Adam. Adam's body is found and Fletcher's life is thrown into a hellfire. Now his classmates say he killed Adam, instead of previously speculating that there was a killer on the loose. 

This has the small town feel that reminding me of the Salem Witch Trials. I felt like the townsfolk where scared, and looking for someone to blame. All the while Avery takes up a place beside Fletcher to help him remember.. to remember anything and to also just be his friend. Avery takes after her dad and tries to do a little detective work. She thinks of everyone's safety at all times and always has her sights set on finding Adam's killer. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I guessed who the killer was midway through the book, but to be fair.. I do that quite frequently and it is annoying. I run books and movies for myself. I'd recommend this book if you are looking for some mystery, detailed/in-depth characters, and a completely mind-bending reading experience.

About the Author
Hannah Jayne is possibly the only person living in Silicon Valley who has never worked in high tech. When she’s not writing, she’s obsessively watching HGTV or shopping at Target.. also obsessively. Find out more about Hannah’s urban fantasy, young adult thrillers, and latest obsessions at hannah-jayne.com.

Now on to the giveaway! Giveaway ends July 31st. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Must be 13 or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cross-posted at The Tattooed Biblio

Lauren Reviews Insylum by Z. Rider

Insylum by Z. Rider
Published: June 2015 by Dark Ride Publishing
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 Stars

The Last Ones In... Never Come Out

A.J. changed in boot camp, coming out all straight-backed and short-haired. His best friend Nate hardly recognizes him anymore, especially when it comes to the way he acts. His priorities. Now he’s about to ship out to Afghanistan, and despite the rift growing between them, the two decide to have one last hurrah—at Insylum, the extreme traveling funhouse they’ve been waiting for a chance at for years.

They're last in line on the last night of the show. They are the last two to go in. And they may never come back out. Warning: Some tentacular activity. (Also body horror. And maggots.)


A.J. and Nate are out for their last hurrah before A.J. is deployed to Afghanistan. To celebrate, they go to a new scare funhouse that they've waited years to attend. The online reviews say they can do anything to you in there and that the last people in don't come back out. They are, of course, the last two people to go in. My immediate reaction..

They have to change their clothes and get into well worn hospital shirts, pants, and paper slippers. Then the fun begins. There are some crazy real looking asylum rooms with crazy real looking people in them. The guys are semi scared, but mask it by acting tough and laughing. They truly panic when they are soon separated and each suffer their own fates. 

This novel is very fast-paced and takes place in one night. I read the first chapter and set it aside. Tonight, I picked it up and read the rest in one sitting. I was on the edge of my seat and I annoyed the hell out of the boyfriend during several scenes when I haphazardly tossed my glasses off. 

This novel is NOT for anyone squeamish. And I don't mean there's a little violence and gore. I mean one part literally made me nervous and I dealt with some lingering anxiety after putting the novel down. Remember that I warned you.

Cross-posted at The Tattooed Biblio

Julia Reviews Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

Title/Author: Never Judge a Lady By Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

Publisher/Year Published: November 2014 by Avon
How I got this book: Library
Why I read this book: It's the final book in a series
Rating: 3 stars

Spoilers from her on out for the first books in this series and the identity of Chase. 

Summary:

She is the most powerful woman in Britain, 
A queen of the London Underworld ...
But no one can ever know.

He is the only man smart enough to uncover the truth, 
Putting all she has at risk . . .
Including her heart.

The fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s incredible Rule of Scoundrels/Fallen Angels series. These four dark heroes will steal the hearts of their heroines and the readers alike! This is the last in the Rules of Scoundrels series—Chase’s story

By day, she is Lady Georgiana, sister to a Duke, ruined before her first season in the worst kind of scandal. But the truth is far more shocking—in London’s darkest corners, she is Chase, the mysterious, unknown founder of the city’s most legendary gaming hell. For years, her double identity has gone undiscovered . . . until now.

Brilliant, driven, handsome-as-sin Duncan West is intrigued by the beautiful, ruined woman who is somehow connected to a world of darkness and sin. He knows she is more than she seems and he vows to uncover all of Georgiana’s secrets, laying bare her past, threatening her present, and risking all she holds dear . . . including her heart.

Review:

I really like Sarah MacLean. I really do. I loved the first two books in this series, the third I loathed, and this one sort of fell between that. I liked the setup from the other books, but honestly it has been so long since I have read the other three that I felt like I missed some nuance. So if I take this book on it's own, it sort of falls flat. Chase is super impressive the other three books, actually living up to the machinations that she is claimed to wield. But this one, all I see is a women trying desperately to fit back into society, the same one which she has been trying to ruin for almost a decade. 

The writing I noticed really quickly is pretty damn repetitive. If I had to hear one more freaking monologue about motivations I was going to flip to any other book in my nook. I pressed on despite all of this. The romance itself was fine. Nothing special though. The characters were again, just fine. Nothing really stood out to me in this. 

The setup was outstanding, but unfortunately the execution fell a little flat for me. I am glad I read it to finish the series. I would recommend it only if you read the other books as I think it would be even less entertaining if I didn't have all the background.

Also? Avon, please. PLEASE stop with the pun covers. This one isn't as horrid as some of them, but urgh! 

Note: I didn't super hate this, I read it on one airplane ride. I am sorry I can't get more verbose, but I have been sick all day :( Happy New Year everyone!

Jen Reviews Leap of Faith by Jaime Blair

Leap of Faith by Jaime Blair

Published: September 2013, Simon & Schuster

Source: Library

Rating: 3 stars

Thoughts:

This is the first book in a really, really long time that I read in one sitting (disclosure: I did get up a for a snack and a few times for a bathroom break). I was hooked from the first page.

Faith doesn't have the best family life. Her mom is a drunk, a drug addict, and a sleeps with men for money. Her current scheme is getting paid $10,000 to carry another couple's baby (but they're gross and also drug addicts). Faith doesn't want the baby growing up in the same kind of environment she did, so once the baby is born she kidnaps her.

This was my favorite part of the book, her journey from Ohio to Florida. Faith is sixteen years old and you can tell she has no idea how to take care of a baby (even though she prepared reading books and buying diapers, formula, etc), she has no first hand experience with a newborn. She's petrified every time a police car drives by her, certain she's been caught. Once Faith and baby Addy are in Florida she realizes how difficult things are going to be for her. She tells everyone her name is Leah and that she's a couple years older than she really is. Getting a job is going to be almost impossible, no one to watch the Addy and how will Faith/Leah fill out all of the paperwork without potentially getting caught? Interesting...but it seemed like everything came too easy for her, she caught too many breaks.

Plus, the relationship with Chris moved too fast, it didn't feel realistic to me. Too fast, too serious, too quick. Two teenagers met two months ago and are already bringing up marriage? And the whole thing with Chris's mom and sister seemed out of place.

The ending. One of the most frustrating endings, especially because I don't think there is a sequel planned. When I finish a book I like it to end...not wonder who is on the other side of the door or what the reactions from your fake Florida family are. I felt like the whole book was building up to something and then it faltered at the end.

I enjoyed the overall concept of the book...it just did not live up to my expectations.

Bridget Reviews Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

Title: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Author: Allie Brosh

Published: 2013

Rating: 3 stars

I am a huge fan of Hyperbole and a Half. So much so, in fact, that a friend of mine once made me a set of coasters based on the “This Is Why I’ll Never Be An Adult” post (which, if you didn't know, is also where the "[Verb] ALL the [nouns]!!" meme comes from). She’s so casual in her writing but at the same time, so skilled at storytelling that I don’t know how anyone could not enjoy her blog.

This is the first book I’ve ever bought that’s based on a blog. I’ve seen the FML book, the Stuff White People Like book, the NotAlways Right book—but I was never interested in buying them, because I mean, the websites are being constantly updated so what do I need a book for when I can read it online for free? But Allie of Hyperbole and a Half hasn’t been updating much in the past few years, due to bouts of depression, so both my fiancé and I get ridiculously excited when we see she’s added something new. While we knew the book had come out, though, we weren’t going to go out of our way to buy it.

Last weekend, we were in New York City to see Billy Joel (side note: BEST CONCERT EVER). The next day, we met up with a few friends to wander the city, and ended up at Strand Books, the biggest bookstore I have ever been in and a place I have literally had dreams about. (18 miles of books—wouldn’t YOU have dreams about it??) On our way to the cash register, our arms full of books, Andrew and I saw the Hyperbole and a Half book on a table and decided we might as well buy it.

I was a little skeptical about reading a book based on a blog—the styles are just so different! And I will say that the pictures-and-text format was definitely a little odd in a book when you’re so used to consuming it through a screen. Other than that, though, I definitely enjoyed the book. She put in a bunch of my favorite stories (I love the ones about her dogs) and the new material was good as well, if a little dark—a lot of it seemed to be about how terrible of a person she was, but how she was able to hide it from herself through a variety of coping mechanisms (one of which, no doubt, is drawing silly comics about how terrible of a person she is). But they were relatable in that everybody knows what it’s like to restrain oneself from saying what’s really on our minds, or to pat oneself on the back for the mere thought of doing something nice/heroic. Brosh’s example was that she wants to think she’d be the type of person to donate a kidney to a family member, but in reality, she would try to think of literally anything else she could do other than donating a kidney—just like the rest of us would.

In the end, I wouldn’t say the Hyperbole and a Half book was a bad purchase, but I don’t think my life would have been significantly impacted had we decided not to buy it. That’s not to say you shouldn’t, though, if you want to read some stories you haven’t seen online, and it’s always good to support people you feel deserve it (and I believe Brosh deserves all the support she can get, considering the light she’s been able to shed—in a humorous but also deadly serious way—on the issue of clinical depression). Also keep in mind that this book is 300+ pages long, but it took me probably only 2ish cumulative hours to read, due to all the pictures. Just don’t expect it to keep you occupied for very long, because it won’t. But you'll still have fun :)

Jen Reviews The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Published: Viking Juvenile, 2013
Source: Purchased myself
Rating: 3 stars

Thoughts:

Meh. That was my overall feeling while reading The Moon and More. No push to keep going but didn't want to put it down either. To me this book was average, nothing to dazzle me. Which was such a disappointment because I love Sarah Dessen novels.

The book takes place in Colby, the fictional North Carolina town Dessen fans know well. Emaline has just graduated high school and is enjoying the summer before starting college in the fall. Her and her boyfriend break up in I believe one of the first few chapters. Emaline's father who hasn't been around her whole life is suddenly in Colby for the summer. So maybe "enjoying the summer" isn't the right phrase. But she gets through it and as with all Dessen books there's a mini lesson or realization in the last few pages.

Question: do you love every book written by one of your favorite authors?

I feel kind of bad not being a fan of this book. But I couldn't connect to it like I can with her other novels.

 

 

Julia Reviews The Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas

As everyone at this blog most likely knows by now, I read historical romance as if it sustains my life, but there are a few series' that I have heard about but just have not got around to reading. If the whole series hasn't received laudatory reviews, there is usually one book that people are gushing over, and since I am the type of person who must read in order and these omg!amazing books are usually like book 4, I go back and start the series over.

That is what happened with The Hathaway's. I had read one other Lisa Kleypas series, The Wallflowers, about the time I started cataloging on Goodreads. I thought there were some ups and downs to that one, but nothing that made me rush out and read this next series. Over time I heard some rumblings and I felt I should start reading it. 

This series which is about a family of five siblings, is like watching a chick flick and eating popcorn. I know I am not going to get some of the oh so great twists and turns as some of the other romances I have read, but in general the books are entertaining and engaging. The characters themselves are actually some of the most well rounded and consistent across the series as I have seen in a romance novel series. 

The thing with romance novel series' is that you have one main couple who are finding their happily ever after and after they find it.. well they can get rather dull. Why is this? Well part of the happily ever after is losing your personalities apparently, or so I've been taught by many (not all) romance series. The other thing I see a lot are characters who were outstanding secondary characters become people completely different from the characterization we have been shown to a lackluster effect when they are the star of their own novel. I HATE that! It happens so often! But neither of these things happened in this series, even across all five books.

The series really flows really well from one book to the other with each book focusing on one of the siblings and their love. The problems that didn't make it stand out for me is that everything is kind of predictable. And each book has a really long anticlimactic part at the end. The formula was really noticeable after awhile. But the beginnings of each book were unique(ish) and good. But once the love was wrapped up with a nice bow, there was always something that just wasn't wrapped up that I didn't care about.

Overall though it was a really fun series that I enjoyed and if you like some unique humor with historical flavor, I would check them out. I think the latter ones (especially the forth book) are really better when you have the background and the full story arc for Leo.

It's worth a looking into if you like historicals and are sick of the ton. Overall every book was a 3/5 from me (which is good :) ).

Julia's Romance Roundup - Thus far 2013

As you all are probably aware, I am an avid reader of romance. I usually get into a nice groove and read a ton in a row. Sometimes I feel like I inundate you guys with romance reviews, so occasionally I try to review a ton of them at one time in mini-paragraph format. So as I sit and sway to the seventies-esque sounds of "Get Lucky", I will regale you with my woes and wins. Let's start with the woes and work up to the wins.

Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey 
Published: 1987 by Avon
Rating: 1 start

I went on a little back-track into back lists of some of my favorite authors when I first started reading romance. Some turned out good, one turned out awful. That was this book. I finished it, but only because I wanted to see how she would try to redeem characters I thought irredeemable. It was a like a wreck that you know you shouldn't slow down for, but end up slowing down to look anyway.

My review on GR captures my full, just finished feminist rage, and the first sentence sums it up pretty well. "This book is the most frustrating, rapetastic, victim blaming schlock I have had the pleasure of reading" 



Let's move on to something marginally better, shall we? Earlier this year I had a SWATH of 2-star romance reads. They were all best classified as "meh". Here is one.  

Jake by R.C. Ryan
Published: February 2013 by Forever 
Series: Wyoming Sky #3
Rating: 2 stars

Mostly I read historical romance, and most of that set in England, but I have always had a soft spot for westerns. This was my first contemporary western, and it was just okay for me. It was pretty predictable and continued for about 100 pages after the climax, but that may have been due to it being the last in a series and having a lot of story to wrap up. Since I didn't read the others, I was just bored. Saying that makes me a bit unsure if I could recommend this (also due to my inexperience in this particular genre), but it was something I did finish because the plot was a little bit entertaining in a secret mystery sort of way. In a completely unrelated note, I have a question for anyone in other parts of the English speaking world (aka not Ohio): Are jeans really called denims? 

The others of my two star reads were honestly so 'meh' for me I was reading the summary trying to remember what they were about, and if I have to do that I might as well move on to the more awesome three and four star reads!* 

Assassin's Gambit by Amy Raby
Published: April 2013 by Signet
Series: Hearts and Thrones #1
Rating: 3 Stars

Assassin's Gambit was a pleasant surprise. I stumbled on a review somewhere that didn't really like it. I find two and three star reviews on Goodreads the most useful because when people give me a critical analysis of what didn't work for them, I can decide if it would work for me. Well, I saw it at the library and decided to give it a go. And honestly, this book was a sweet Fantasy-spy romantic suspense type of book. I really enjoyed it and devoured it! I look forward to the next in the series. A few things about the heroine bothered me a bit and the romance sometimes took a backseat to the overall plot, but it was entertaining. And the way that sex plays into the society of this world, or at least into this spy organization amused the hell out of me.

The Pirate Next Door by Jennifer Ashley
Published: 2012 by Ms. Ashley, originally out in 2003
Series: Regency Pirates #1
Rating: 3 stars

Remember how I mentioned a soft spot of cowboys? Well I have a soft spot for pirates, too. This was a delight to read. A mysterious neighbor moves into a townhouse in London and the widow next door hears some shit going down. She rushes over to help and finds out he is a pirate and is sucked into his crazy world. 

The characters are dynamic and the story engrossing. I'd recommend this one as well :) Who doesn't dream of the moment when a reformed pirate moves in next door? Disney, if you are listening sign me up for that Pirates of the Caribbean reboot!

Defiant by Pamela Clare
Published: July 2012 by Berkley Sensation
Series: MacKinnon's Rangers #3
Rating: 4 stars

Oh, this book. I read it as part of the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books RITA Reader Challenge. This challenge tries to get reviews from the readers to cover every book nominated for a RITA (romantic times version of the Oscar I guess). I looked through the historical romance category and chose this for the fact that it was NOT set in England, but in America during the French and Indian War (which to my embarrassment I had to wrack my brain to remember who came out on top in that war (the English/colonies)). Anyway, I wrote a nice big full length review over there if you are interested in checking it out. But I will also quote the final paragraph. 

Overall, Defiant is historically (as far as I can tell) accurate, well written, gripping, and page turning in the beginning. It slows down in the latter half, but I was still crazy enough involved with it to put off my day and keep reading. Despite some flaws, I highly enjoyed Defiant. It was a refreshing look into a different part of history with an engaging plot and interesting characters. I would recommend it for someone looking for something new in the historical genre."

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
Published: May 2013 by Avon
Series: Spindle Cove #4
Rating: 4 Stars

This was another book that I read without reading the other books in the series, and it didn't matter at all (I love that). This book was hilariously, bark laughter funny. It reminded me of the earlier Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, which says a lot about it's lightness content -- great book if you like Bridgerton!

The poignant parts are poignant, the funny parts are funny, and the sexytimes are hot. What more can you ask for? I would highly recommend this to the lovers of the historical romance genre. It is worth your time even if you have not read the first three, and it wont ruin the first three for you either (I hate it when that happens!)



*A Note about my star ratings in this post. I am going by the way I rank on Goodreads, not so much what it says in our sidebar. Most of the books I read and rate are three stars. To me that means they were good, enjoyable in the moment but not super memorable or amazing. Four stars are a big deal because the resonated in some way. Five stars for me are like life changed moments of amazing. Out of the 500ish ratings I have, only about five are 5 stars. When I write full reviews here, I usually round up a bit to match more of what we have in the side bar. So if these seem strict that is why :)

On a Re-reading of Animal Farm

Title: Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Published: 1945

Summary

From Goodreads: Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and form their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” An incredibly spot-on satire of the Russian Revolution under Stalin, Animal Farm has certainly endured through the years since its original publication in 1945.

Review

As someone who knows very little and cares even less about history, I probably didn’t get as much of this novel as I should have. However, it’s safe to say I understood it quite a bit better than I did the first time I read it, back in eighth grade. Since we hadn’t done much world history at that time, Animal Farm and all its references went straight over all our heads. (At least, I know it went straight over mine.) All I really understood about Animal Farm at that point was that a novel about talking animals becomes vaguely unsettling when it’s not a fairy tale. I know at least one of my friends was substantially freaked out by it.

Ten years later, I understood that it was supposed to be a satire of the Russian Revolution, that Napoleon represented Stalin, Snowball was Trotsky, etc. etc. 

This has absolutely nothing to do with Animal Farm, but I can never think of Trotsky without thinking of this.

It also reminded me quite a bit of 1984 (I wonder why), especially at the points where the pigs would manipulate the “charts and data” to show that the animals were eating more, working less, and were generally happier than they had been before the rebellion. It was really easy to see how poisonous leadership like that can really take hold--both of the leaders and of the followers.

It’s also a really quick read--it’s only a little more than 100 pages, and I think it was originally written for children, so it uses pretty simple, didactic language and not a lot of dialogue.

Now, I can’t really say I like this book as much as I appreciate its literary and satiric value. I can’t really say I’d want to read this multiple times, as I’ve done with 1984, but I’m glad I did reread it at least once, when I was much older, to really understand what was actually going on.

Bottom Line: This is great satire, but I don’t really care enough about history to make an effort to really delve deeper into it, so I’d say I’m probably not the best audience for this book.

Favorite Characters: It was hard to find any of the animals truly likeable--they were either conniving and manipulative or just stone dumb. But I did like Benjamin, the donkey who refused to learn how to read and always stuck to his principles of “everything sucks, everything always has sucked, and everything always will suck.”

I’d recommend this book for: Those who enjoy and know at least a little about the Russian Revolution.

Rating: 3 stars