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Rachel King (13 KP) rated Danny The Dragon "Meets Jimmy" in Books
Feb 11, 2019
The first thing I noticed about the book when I picked it up was the gold sticker on the cover that stated "Best Books AWARD FINALIST- USA Book News," and my first thoughts were, "Wow, this book must be really something." The picture on the cover featured a detailed illustration of a dragon, a boy, and smaller creature that looked vaguely like a frog. The illustration of the dragon is quite unique in that it is covered in multi-colored spots and mismatched stripes and wears a yellow-and-blue backpack and red tennis shoes. One of the opening pages shows two quotes, one from the author and one from the illustrator, discussing briefly how they both came to put together this book. The illustrations for the story itself are large, colorful, and fill the wide two-page spread, providing plenty for my two-year-old daughter to stare at and study. I did find it strange that there was no actual title page, but I suppose that would have been redundant.
The boy's name is Jimmy, and his sister's name is Sally, and both children and the dragon are polite and well-mannered throughout the story, using "Please" and "Thankyou" and helping Mom and Dad clean up both the beach supplies at the beginning of the story and the dishes after supper. The smaller green creature from the cover pops out of the green and white seashell with Danny the Dragon, and we are informed his name is Skipper and that he is Danny's navigator, but not what kind of creature he is. Danny explains that water will make him shrink back to fit inside the shell, and a lack of water causes him to come out of the shell as he grows big, which brings to mind the small toys that expand when placed in water (only opposite). All of the characters in the story are articulate and kind to each other, and there is nothing about the story that would be considered scary or bad, which is quite appropriate for the 4 to 8 year-old age group that the book is intended for. The story even promotes healthy eating, as the family has homemade vegetable soup for supper. The book is quite obviously set up for at least one sequel, as at the ending when Jimmy asks Danny where he came from and where has he been, Danny politely answers, "I will tell you some other time. For now it is bedtime. Goodnight - pleasant dreams."
The boy's name is Jimmy, and his sister's name is Sally, and both children and the dragon are polite and well-mannered throughout the story, using "Please" and "Thankyou" and helping Mom and Dad clean up both the beach supplies at the beginning of the story and the dishes after supper. The smaller green creature from the cover pops out of the green and white seashell with Danny the Dragon, and we are informed his name is Skipper and that he is Danny's navigator, but not what kind of creature he is. Danny explains that water will make him shrink back to fit inside the shell, and a lack of water causes him to come out of the shell as he grows big, which brings to mind the small toys that expand when placed in water (only opposite). All of the characters in the story are articulate and kind to each other, and there is nothing about the story that would be considered scary or bad, which is quite appropriate for the 4 to 8 year-old age group that the book is intended for. The story even promotes healthy eating, as the family has homemade vegetable soup for supper. The book is quite obviously set up for at least one sequel, as at the ending when Jimmy asks Danny where he came from and where has he been, Danny politely answers, "I will tell you some other time. For now it is bedtime. Goodnight - pleasant dreams."
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Cleopatra's Moon in Books
Feb 15, 2019
<i>Cleopatra's Moon</i> tells the childhood story of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius) and the most famous Cleopatra (VII) in history. The story covers her life from ages six to sixteen, from her parents' fall from power to the capture of Cleopatra Selene and her brothers to their lives living in Rome.
Catered to the young adult market, <i>Cleopatra's Moon</i> has a lot to offer older readers as well. While there may not be as much meat on the bones as many adult historical fiction novels have, the history is plentiful and smoothly incorporated into the story. Aside from a few, minor instances, not much Cleopatra Selene said or did stood out as odd and the history seemed sound (though I am far from an expert). The author's writing style is easy to read, has a nice flow, and the descriptions are well-done; I could easily picture the surroundings, so the scenes came alive for me. She doesn't shy away from suggestive scenes, making the story feel more realistic, though nothing is described explicitly either. The author is up front about what is and is not fact in the six-page section at the end of book entitled "The Facts Within the Fiction," which gives the reader more information about the people mentioned within the book. If anyone goes into this book expecting more love story than historical fiction, they will be sadly disappointed. Any love story takes a back seat to Cleopatra Selene's struggle with both herself and her circumstances in life.
If I had one quibble with the book, it was the children's and Cleopatra Selene's voices. The children sounded a bit too mature at times, including Cleopatra Selene when young. Although in her case, it was more her voice didn't change much throughout the ten years the book covered and it was too familiar. I've come across other young adult protagonists that sounded very similar to her, both historical and contemporary, so I was hoping hers would be a bit more distinctive from the rest. Still, it's a very small thing and I did like Cleo Selene; she wasn't passive, but she wasn't aggressive either, she fell somewhere in between the two, which worked well for the book.
After all has been said, <i>Cleopatra's Moon</i> does what any (good) historical fiction novel should aspire to, it made me want to know more about the time, people, and places.
Catered to the young adult market, <i>Cleopatra's Moon</i> has a lot to offer older readers as well. While there may not be as much meat on the bones as many adult historical fiction novels have, the history is plentiful and smoothly incorporated into the story. Aside from a few, minor instances, not much Cleopatra Selene said or did stood out as odd and the history seemed sound (though I am far from an expert). The author's writing style is easy to read, has a nice flow, and the descriptions are well-done; I could easily picture the surroundings, so the scenes came alive for me. She doesn't shy away from suggestive scenes, making the story feel more realistic, though nothing is described explicitly either. The author is up front about what is and is not fact in the six-page section at the end of book entitled "The Facts Within the Fiction," which gives the reader more information about the people mentioned within the book. If anyone goes into this book expecting more love story than historical fiction, they will be sadly disappointed. Any love story takes a back seat to Cleopatra Selene's struggle with both herself and her circumstances in life.
If I had one quibble with the book, it was the children's and Cleopatra Selene's voices. The children sounded a bit too mature at times, including Cleopatra Selene when young. Although in her case, it was more her voice didn't change much throughout the ten years the book covered and it was too familiar. I've come across other young adult protagonists that sounded very similar to her, both historical and contemporary, so I was hoping hers would be a bit more distinctive from the rest. Still, it's a very small thing and I did like Cleo Selene; she wasn't passive, but she wasn't aggressive either, she fell somewhere in between the two, which worked well for the book.
After all has been said, <i>Cleopatra's Moon</i> does what any (good) historical fiction novel should aspire to, it made me want to know more about the time, people, and places.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Raven Boys in Books
Jan 31, 2018
It took a long time for this book to draw me in and even then I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. I am not the type of person to put down a book if I'm not enjoying it, I always try to finish it so that I have a complete picture. I don't know if my lack of engagement was solely due to the story or the fact that I decided to listen to this as an audiobook.
The two main characters are Blue and Gansey, although they are joined by a supporting cast of about eight others. Blue is the daughter of a psychic, but the only ability she has is to amplify her surroundings. She has always known that if she kisses her true love, he will die. Gansey is the rich boy who goes to private school and has a lot of problems. His school friends also had a lot of struggles. Honestly, that's about as deep as the characterization and development felt for me, most of the times. There were a few scenes that we got to see below the surface, but in general, it felt very superficial to me.
Although the book is set in Henrietta, Virginia it takes aspects from Welsh folklore and weaves them into the narrative. As I am not familiar with Welsh folklore, I cannot speak to how accurately it is done. Personally, I didn't feel like the world or magic system was well explained. The mundane was adequately described, but the supernatural was left with a permeating air of mystery.
While the book followed an overarching plot, it also had myriad side plots and points of view thrown in which was also off-putting. They seemed incredibly irrelevant at the same and didn't contribute much to the story. Some of them ended up tying into the story in the very last chapters, leading me to say oh so that's why I've been bothering to listen to this character complain and grouse for the first three-quarters of the book. But others it seems still had no true relevance to the plot, they just added pages to the novel.
I wasn't even going to consider continuing the series until I reached those final few chapters. I still don't love the book, but I'm curious. The ending intrigued me enough that I will take a chance. I have hopes that it will improve, as so many people are in love with this series.
The two main characters are Blue and Gansey, although they are joined by a supporting cast of about eight others. Blue is the daughter of a psychic, but the only ability she has is to amplify her surroundings. She has always known that if she kisses her true love, he will die. Gansey is the rich boy who goes to private school and has a lot of problems. His school friends also had a lot of struggles. Honestly, that's about as deep as the characterization and development felt for me, most of the times. There were a few scenes that we got to see below the surface, but in general, it felt very superficial to me.
Although the book is set in Henrietta, Virginia it takes aspects from Welsh folklore and weaves them into the narrative. As I am not familiar with Welsh folklore, I cannot speak to how accurately it is done. Personally, I didn't feel like the world or magic system was well explained. The mundane was adequately described, but the supernatural was left with a permeating air of mystery.
While the book followed an overarching plot, it also had myriad side plots and points of view thrown in which was also off-putting. They seemed incredibly irrelevant at the same and didn't contribute much to the story. Some of them ended up tying into the story in the very last chapters, leading me to say oh so that's why I've been bothering to listen to this character complain and grouse for the first three-quarters of the book. But others it seems still had no true relevance to the plot, they just added pages to the novel.
I wasn't even going to consider continuing the series until I reached those final few chapters. I still don't love the book, but I'm curious. The ending intrigued me enough that I will take a chance. I have hopes that it will improve, as so many people are in love with this series.
BI
Breast Imaging Companion
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A pragmatic, common sense approach to the detection, evaluation and management of breast diseases...
Kristin (149 KP) rated Concealed in the Shadows in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sydney's been waiting for her 18th birthday for a long time. It's a special day for her, as it's the day she can apply for guardianship of her sister. The world's different from how we know it after Congress separated the nation and laid down the law on population growth, and all Sydney wants is to reunite with her sister and hopefully escape from Miles County. However, as always happens, there's a kink in the plan, and things go awry fairly quickly for poor Sydney. How will she handle all the new information being thrown at her? What will become of her and her sister? And what is she to do about these strange new feelings for a man she barely knows?
First things first: This cover just grabbed me from the very start. I felt like her eyes were seeing right through me, and I couldn't wait to read about the person depicted in the picture. Sydney's a strong young woman, having been through more in her 18 years than most people see and endure in a couple lifetimes. However, she's done it all to help her sister Evvie survive in this world, and now she's fighting to be her sole guardian. The relationship between the two, and the way the bond is described that Sydney has for Evvie, was a very palpable thing. I could just sit back and picture the two going through life, Sydney always a couple steps ahead, checking to make sure everything was perfect for her little sister. But, the world is a much different place, and Sydney soon learns that things aren't always what they seem. I might consider this book somewhat dystopian, rather similar to Hunger Games, in that it's a futuristic setting (although not too distant) where the government has seized control and divided the nation into much smaller, easier-to-manage portions. It's a very intriguing premise, and I'm anxious to see what happens next for Sydney and Evvie.
4 1/2 stars
Sydney's been waiting for her 18th birthday for a long time. It's a special day for her, as it's the day she can apply for guardianship of her sister. The world's different from how we know it after Congress separated the nation and laid down the law on population growth, and all Sydney wants is to reunite with her sister and hopefully escape from Miles County. However, as always happens, there's a kink in the plan, and things go awry fairly quickly for poor Sydney. How will she handle all the new information being thrown at her? What will become of her and her sister? And what is she to do about these strange new feelings for a man she barely knows?
First things first: This cover just grabbed me from the very start. I felt like her eyes were seeing right through me, and I couldn't wait to read about the person depicted in the picture. Sydney's a strong young woman, having been through more in her 18 years than most people see and endure in a couple lifetimes. However, she's done it all to help her sister Evvie survive in this world, and now she's fighting to be her sole guardian. The relationship between the two, and the way the bond is described that Sydney has for Evvie, was a very palpable thing. I could just sit back and picture the two going through life, Sydney always a couple steps ahead, checking to make sure everything was perfect for her little sister. But, the world is a much different place, and Sydney soon learns that things aren't always what they seem. I might consider this book somewhat dystopian, rather similar to Hunger Games, in that it's a futuristic setting (although not too distant) where the government has seized control and divided the nation into much smaller, easier-to-manage portions. It's a very intriguing premise, and I'm anxious to see what happens next for Sydney and Evvie.
4 1/2 stars
readwithg (6 KP) rated Bad Girls with Perfect Faces in Books
Mar 20, 2018
plot (3 more)
sentence structure
storyline
plot twists
My eyes were physically glued to Weingarten's work.
If you're stuck in a book rut like I was, I'm going to need you to stop what you're doing immediately and listen the hell up, 'cause you're about to sprint to the nearest Target to scoop this bad boy, do you understand? my LAWDY-LAWD, Lynn Weingarten is a creepy little angel baby and I wanna take a little look-see inside dat braaiinnn, ya dig? Not only did she write this mindblowing little gem, but she's the author of one of my top reads of 2016, Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls (see my review here). She's back with a vengeance and besides this fantastic cover art, this story is going to rock your socks off, and then on, and then back off again once more.
This was my first book purchase of 2016, and because I was wasting my fucking TIME reading the Red Crown series I never had a chance to start it. I immediately sent a picture of the book to my fellow Lynn Weingarten lovers, and had yet to hear anything about it. That is, until I received I text from a friend at 3 AM, filled with expletives regarding the pure love she now had for the book.
That was the precise moment I knew I was royally fucking my shit up by continuing to force-read a bullshit dystopian series. I immediately stopped Red Crown and scrambled into the next room to my library, desperately searching through books for Weingarten's newest gem. and HONEYS, KATIE WAS RIGHT. I shit you not, I started that book at 10:00 PM, went to bed, woke up before work to read some more, and finished it during an "extended" lunch break. And by that, I mean I refused to do any more work until I finished the goddamn book. I read this baby in 16 hours, and that's including 8 hours of sleep and half a work day. I. could. not. stop. Here's a little synopsis for you, boo boos:
"When Sasha's best friend, Xavier, gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.
But Sasha's plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soons learns to be careful of who you pretend to be or you might be suprised by who you become...
Told in multiple points of view, Bad Girls with Perfect Faces is sexy and twisted, with shocks at every turn."
I haven't experienced a book like this in a damn long time. You know the kind: you physically cannot do anything productive unless it involves your eyeballs on the novel. Lynn Weingarten, the inside of your mind is a beautifully frightful place. I will read every single book you put out into the universe.
The book is available on Amazon. If you're currently halfway out the door on your way to grab a copy ASAP, I got mine at Target so head straight there. And when you're finished, come back here and let's chat the fuck UP about it cause MY MIND IS STILL BLOWN AND IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS.
♥ G
This was my first book purchase of 2016, and because I was wasting my fucking TIME reading the Red Crown series I never had a chance to start it. I immediately sent a picture of the book to my fellow Lynn Weingarten lovers, and had yet to hear anything about it. That is, until I received I text from a friend at 3 AM, filled with expletives regarding the pure love she now had for the book.
That was the precise moment I knew I was royally fucking my shit up by continuing to force-read a bullshit dystopian series. I immediately stopped Red Crown and scrambled into the next room to my library, desperately searching through books for Weingarten's newest gem. and HONEYS, KATIE WAS RIGHT. I shit you not, I started that book at 10:00 PM, went to bed, woke up before work to read some more, and finished it during an "extended" lunch break. And by that, I mean I refused to do any more work until I finished the goddamn book. I read this baby in 16 hours, and that's including 8 hours of sleep and half a work day. I. could. not. stop. Here's a little synopsis for you, boo boos:
"When Sasha's best friend, Xavier, gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.
But Sasha's plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soons learns to be careful of who you pretend to be or you might be suprised by who you become...
Told in multiple points of view, Bad Girls with Perfect Faces is sexy and twisted, with shocks at every turn."
I haven't experienced a book like this in a damn long time. You know the kind: you physically cannot do anything productive unless it involves your eyeballs on the novel. Lynn Weingarten, the inside of your mind is a beautifully frightful place. I will read every single book you put out into the universe.
The book is available on Amazon. If you're currently halfway out the door on your way to grab a copy ASAP, I got mine at Target so head straight there. And when you're finished, come back here and let's chat the fuck UP about it cause MY MIND IS STILL BLOWN AND IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS.
♥ G
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant (V, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
I had been wanting to read this book since I saw it advertised on another blog. It has a creepy boarding school which definitely piqued my interest. Luckily, this turned out to be an interesting read!
I like the title of this book. It sounds super ominous. I think the title definitely suits the story as, well, the plot does kind of involve Anne's education.
I love the cover! How creepy does it look!?! I love the way the boarding school on the cover looks really foreboding.
I enjoyed the world building. I'm not going to lie. While I was reading, I kept thinking that never would a poor girl get into a rich school, but the author does a fantastic job of explaining why and how towards the end of the book. I did have a lot of questions about the world building, but Wiebe does an awesome job at answering every single one. World events are mentioned in this book and how a character in this book relates to them. That was the scariest bit of world building for me because it's so easy to picture this scenario being responsible.
The pacing is a bit slow for the first two-thirds of the book, I'd say. I was thinking this would be one of those disappointing reads that I was really looking forward to. However, the last third or so of the book picks up the pace, and before I knew it, I couldn't put the book down. The only thing that would hurt this book is that a lot of readers might give up on it simply because the pacing is so slow throughout a huge chunk of the book.
The plot was really intriguing. A poor girl, Anne, is invited to study at a prestigious boarding school where only the super rich send their kids. Not to mention, it's also a secret boarding school. When Anne arrives at the school, everyone seems to know her story. Anne discovers that not all is as it seems at Cania Christy, and she embarks on a dangerous mission to find out the truth about her secretive boarding school. I really wish I could elaborate more on the plot, but if I did, it would give away spoilers and a major plot twist. The plot twist is what really pulled me in! Also, just when you think the book is going to end, it starts back up again with another plot twist! As this is part of a series, there is a cliff hanger at the end.
I thought the characters were all written very well. I especially liked the main character of Anne. I found her to be just an average teenage girl trying to find her place in the world. I found myself always feeling the same exact feelings she was experiencing during different points in the book. I also really enjoyed the character of Pilot. I loved his care free attitude about everything and how he didn't really let anything get to him. I also thought he was really good at what he did. I didn't really know what to make of Ben at first, but I eventually warmed to him. He seemed like a really sweet guy. The one character that annoyed me was Harper simply because I hated the way the author stereotyped her as she was from Texas. I hate how a lot of authors think Texans are all rich hillbillies which is what Harper seemed to be. The stereotypes that Harper embodied just really angered me. I wish Joanna Wiebe would've done some research on people from Texas before she wrote the character of Harper because it seemed obvious to me, as a Texan, that she didn't.
I thought the dialogue felt very realistic and flowed very well for the most part. The only dialogue that annoyed me was Harper's since the author made her sound like a stereotypical Texan. A lot of the "Texan" dialogue Harper used were words I'd never even heard (and I was born and raised in Texas). I'm thinking the author just made up a lot of those phrases. I'm just hoping that people who read this book don't actually believe that's how we talk in Texas. Other then that, I enjoyed the dialogue, and it felt like a real high school setting. There is some sexual talk, some violence, and some swear words, but I felt like none of that was over the top.
Overall, The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe is an interesting read. I feel that if the first two thirds of the book would've had a bit more action and there wasn't any stereotyping going on that this could've been a fantastic book. However, I'm looking forward to and will be reading the next book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to immerse themselves in a brilliant paranormal world.
<b>I'd give <i>The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant</i> by Joanna Wiebe a 3.75 out of 5.</b>
I had been wanting to read this book since I saw it advertised on another blog. It has a creepy boarding school which definitely piqued my interest. Luckily, this turned out to be an interesting read!
I like the title of this book. It sounds super ominous. I think the title definitely suits the story as, well, the plot does kind of involve Anne's education.
I love the cover! How creepy does it look!?! I love the way the boarding school on the cover looks really foreboding.
I enjoyed the world building. I'm not going to lie. While I was reading, I kept thinking that never would a poor girl get into a rich school, but the author does a fantastic job of explaining why and how towards the end of the book. I did have a lot of questions about the world building, but Wiebe does an awesome job at answering every single one. World events are mentioned in this book and how a character in this book relates to them. That was the scariest bit of world building for me because it's so easy to picture this scenario being responsible.
The pacing is a bit slow for the first two-thirds of the book, I'd say. I was thinking this would be one of those disappointing reads that I was really looking forward to. However, the last third or so of the book picks up the pace, and before I knew it, I couldn't put the book down. The only thing that would hurt this book is that a lot of readers might give up on it simply because the pacing is so slow throughout a huge chunk of the book.
The plot was really intriguing. A poor girl, Anne, is invited to study at a prestigious boarding school where only the super rich send their kids. Not to mention, it's also a secret boarding school. When Anne arrives at the school, everyone seems to know her story. Anne discovers that not all is as it seems at Cania Christy, and she embarks on a dangerous mission to find out the truth about her secretive boarding school. I really wish I could elaborate more on the plot, but if I did, it would give away spoilers and a major plot twist. The plot twist is what really pulled me in! Also, just when you think the book is going to end, it starts back up again with another plot twist! As this is part of a series, there is a cliff hanger at the end.
I thought the characters were all written very well. I especially liked the main character of Anne. I found her to be just an average teenage girl trying to find her place in the world. I found myself always feeling the same exact feelings she was experiencing during different points in the book. I also really enjoyed the character of Pilot. I loved his care free attitude about everything and how he didn't really let anything get to him. I also thought he was really good at what he did. I didn't really know what to make of Ben at first, but I eventually warmed to him. He seemed like a really sweet guy. The one character that annoyed me was Harper simply because I hated the way the author stereotyped her as she was from Texas. I hate how a lot of authors think Texans are all rich hillbillies which is what Harper seemed to be. The stereotypes that Harper embodied just really angered me. I wish Joanna Wiebe would've done some research on people from Texas before she wrote the character of Harper because it seemed obvious to me, as a Texan, that she didn't.
I thought the dialogue felt very realistic and flowed very well for the most part. The only dialogue that annoyed me was Harper's since the author made her sound like a stereotypical Texan. A lot of the "Texan" dialogue Harper used were words I'd never even heard (and I was born and raised in Texas). I'm thinking the author just made up a lot of those phrases. I'm just hoping that people who read this book don't actually believe that's how we talk in Texas. Other then that, I enjoyed the dialogue, and it felt like a real high school setting. There is some sexual talk, some violence, and some swear words, but I felt like none of that was over the top.
Overall, The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe is an interesting read. I feel that if the first two thirds of the book would've had a bit more action and there wasn't any stereotyping going on that this could've been a fantastic book. However, I'm looking forward to and will be reading the next book.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to immerse themselves in a brilliant paranormal world.
<b>I'd give <i>The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant</i> by Joanna Wiebe a 3.75 out of 5.</b>
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