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Henry M. Jackson: A Life in Politics
Book
Henry M. Jackson ranks as one of the great legislators in American history. With a Congressional...
Toni: My Story: The Rags-to-Riches Story of Toni & Guy, 'Hairdresser to the World'
Book
TONI MASCOLO was a happy one-year-old toddler in the sleepy Italian town of Scafati, near Pompeii,...
Time's Convert
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From the Sunday Times Number One bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, soon to be a major...
The St Ives Artists: A Biography of Place and Time
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St Ives is unique in the story of modern art in Britain - and perhaps anywhere in the world. No...
Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost its Edge in Computing
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In 1944, Britain led the world in electronic computing. By 1974, the British computer industry was...
Going Solo
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In Going Solo, the world's favourite storyteller, Roald Dahl, tells of life as a fighter pilot in...
She's the One Who Thinks Too Much is the first book in the War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters series and we are introduced to a family of nine - two parents and seven sisters (obviously).
Ryalgar is the eldest of the seven and has helped her father on their farm until she becomes a Prince's 'girlfriend' and later mistress. The situation is so that he has to get married for political reasons and both him and his wife-to-be keep their current partners too. Of course, this will change but this is how it is for now. Add into that the threat of a Mongol invasion and you get an intricately woven story that gives great descriptions of both the time and (imaginary) place with the plans and defences they have to work with.
This fantasy is about the sisters and the situations they find themselves in. The romance takes a definite second place. The world-building is excellent, providing a clear insight into how the characters fit into the world. Each sister is brought into the story carefully and methodically whilst still leaving plenty to come in their own books.
The ending did feel quite abrupt even though I knew this would be an ongoing story. I look forward to it continuing in Coral's book and have no hesitation in recommending this for all who enjoy a historical fantasy.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ryalgar is the eldest of the seven and has helped her father on their farm until she becomes a Prince's 'girlfriend' and later mistress. The situation is so that he has to get married for political reasons and both him and his wife-to-be keep their current partners too. Of course, this will change but this is how it is for now. Add into that the threat of a Mongol invasion and you get an intricately woven story that gives great descriptions of both the time and (imaginary) place with the plans and defences they have to work with.
This fantasy is about the sisters and the situations they find themselves in. The romance takes a definite second place. The world-building is excellent, providing a clear insight into how the characters fit into the world. Each sister is brought into the story carefully and methodically whilst still leaving plenty to come in their own books.
The ending did feel quite abrupt even though I knew this would be an ongoing story. I look forward to it continuing in Coral's book and have no hesitation in recommending this for all who enjoy a historical fantasy.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ark of War
Games and Entertainment
App
- Enter your country's guild and vie with players from all over the globe to become the ruler of the...
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Expeditionary Force: Book 1 - Columbus Day in Books
Aug 10, 2020
Witty narrative of when Earth picked the wrong side of the war to join
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Martian by Andy Weir, and the movie Independence Day all have one important aspect in common - humor. Without the levity, all three would be boring and forgotten works left in a drawer somewhere. Reading the humorous description of the first book in Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series, Columbus Day, I knew I had to read it and wondered why I had not read it before now.
The Ruhar attacks the world on, you guessed it, Columbus Day. We thought we were saved when the Kristang flew in and attacked the Ruhar. We else were we to do but pick the side of the guys who saved us. As we quickly learn, we made the wrong move.
Having the narrator of The Maritan, R.C. Bray, narrate Columbus Day was a stroke of genius. He again proves he can skillfully deliver snarky, "American" humor while making the end of the world as we know no laughing matter.
To date, there are ten books in the series, but Alanson ended it at a point in the story Columbus Day could work as a stand-alone novel, although readers would be remiss in not continuing,
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/10/20.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Martian by Andy Weir, and the movie Independence Day all have one important aspect in common - humor. Without the levity, all three would be boring and forgotten works left in a drawer somewhere. Reading the humorous description of the first book in Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series, Columbus Day, I knew I had to read it and wondered why I had not read it before now.
The Ruhar attacks the world on, you guessed it, Columbus Day. We thought we were saved when the Kristang flew in and attacked the Ruhar. We else were we to do but pick the side of the guys who saved us. As we quickly learn, we made the wrong move.
Having the narrator of The Maritan, R.C. Bray, narrate Columbus Day was a stroke of genius. He again proves he can skillfully deliver snarky, "American" humor while making the end of the world as we know no laughing matter.
To date, there are ten books in the series, but Alanson ended it at a point in the story Columbus Day could work as a stand-alone novel, although readers would be remiss in not continuing,
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/10/20.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Among the Red Stars in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The Plot (2 more)
The History
The Characters
A lot of Russian names make it hard to keep up with who's who (1 more)
Lack of mention of parents
A Great Historical Read!
When I was offered the chance to review Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz, I jumped at the chance. After reading the great reviews, I knew it was going to be a great book. Luckily, I was not disappointed.
I though the plot and world building were excellent! The story for Among the Red Stars is mostly told through letters written by Valka, the main character, and her childhood friend, Pasha. Set in Russia during World War II, Pasha was drafted and had no choice but to join, and Valka voluntarily joined because she had been wanting to be a pilot since she was young. The all female bomber regiment isn't taken seriously at first since they are all young and female, but soon enough, it because apparent that these female pilots are the real deal and just as good as their male counterparts. Among the Red Stars is also based in some fact too which made the book that much more interesting. My emotions were all over the place reading this book. I kept on hoping the outcome of the story would be a good one. Among the Red Stars answered all the questions I had, and I would suggest reading the Author's Note at the end of the book because it will give you more insight into the all female Russian bomber regiment. I found it very interesting. The only thing that bothered me was that Valka's parents weren't really mentioned throughout the book. I would have thought that Valka's parents would have written to their daughter during the war. If they didn't want to, it would have been nice to have an explanation as to why they didn't want to write to their daughter. I just found it a bit strange that Valka's parents weren't mentioned at all during the book except for briefly towards the end.
The characters were written very well in Among the Red Stars. It was interesting to learn that many of the characters mentioned in Among the Red Stars were based on actual people who served in World War II. As I've said before, a lot of the story is based on fact which made this book that much more enjoyable. I loved seeing Pasha and Valka grow throughout their letters. I was always hoping they'd be reunited soon because it was obvious how much they really cared about each other. I also loved the relationship between Valka and her cousin Iskra. It was refreshing to read about the love between them. I admired Galya's and Lilya's spirit throughout the war, and I loved how awesome Vera and Tanya were. All the females in Among the Red Stars were amazing, and I admired each and every one of them. I loved the camaraderie between all the girls. I will admit that sometimes it was hard to keep up with who was who during the book due to the Russian names, but I still thoroughly enjoyed every character. If you read the Author's Note at the end of the book, you can learn more about each character that was actually a real person. I loved that Gwen C. Katz added all that information.
The pacing for Among the Red Stars grabs you by the hand and never lets go! Never once did I grow bored of the story. The story never got too fast paced for me where I was confused with what was happening. The pacing was fantastic!
Trigger warnings for Among the Red Stars include violence, death, injuries, war, and sexism.
All in all, Among the Red Stars was a fantastic, thrilling read. I never wanted to put it down. This book had everything from a great group of characters to a fantastic plot. I would definitely recommend Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz to everyone aged 14+. It's such an interesting book as well as an interesting way to learn about a piece of important history.
--
(A special thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of Among the Red Stars in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
I though the plot and world building were excellent! The story for Among the Red Stars is mostly told through letters written by Valka, the main character, and her childhood friend, Pasha. Set in Russia during World War II, Pasha was drafted and had no choice but to join, and Valka voluntarily joined because she had been wanting to be a pilot since she was young. The all female bomber regiment isn't taken seriously at first since they are all young and female, but soon enough, it because apparent that these female pilots are the real deal and just as good as their male counterparts. Among the Red Stars is also based in some fact too which made the book that much more interesting. My emotions were all over the place reading this book. I kept on hoping the outcome of the story would be a good one. Among the Red Stars answered all the questions I had, and I would suggest reading the Author's Note at the end of the book because it will give you more insight into the all female Russian bomber regiment. I found it very interesting. The only thing that bothered me was that Valka's parents weren't really mentioned throughout the book. I would have thought that Valka's parents would have written to their daughter during the war. If they didn't want to, it would have been nice to have an explanation as to why they didn't want to write to their daughter. I just found it a bit strange that Valka's parents weren't mentioned at all during the book except for briefly towards the end.
The characters were written very well in Among the Red Stars. It was interesting to learn that many of the characters mentioned in Among the Red Stars were based on actual people who served in World War II. As I've said before, a lot of the story is based on fact which made this book that much more enjoyable. I loved seeing Pasha and Valka grow throughout their letters. I was always hoping they'd be reunited soon because it was obvious how much they really cared about each other. I also loved the relationship between Valka and her cousin Iskra. It was refreshing to read about the love between them. I admired Galya's and Lilya's spirit throughout the war, and I loved how awesome Vera and Tanya were. All the females in Among the Red Stars were amazing, and I admired each and every one of them. I loved the camaraderie between all the girls. I will admit that sometimes it was hard to keep up with who was who during the book due to the Russian names, but I still thoroughly enjoyed every character. If you read the Author's Note at the end of the book, you can learn more about each character that was actually a real person. I loved that Gwen C. Katz added all that information.
The pacing for Among the Red Stars grabs you by the hand and never lets go! Never once did I grow bored of the story. The story never got too fast paced for me where I was confused with what was happening. The pacing was fantastic!
Trigger warnings for Among the Red Stars include violence, death, injuries, war, and sexism.
All in all, Among the Red Stars was a fantastic, thrilling read. I never wanted to put it down. This book had everything from a great group of characters to a fantastic plot. I would definitely recommend Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz to everyone aged 14+. It's such an interesting book as well as an interesting way to learn about a piece of important history.
--
(A special thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of Among the Red Stars in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)