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Dare to Dream
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>Dare to Dream</i> isn't so much as horrifying as to a novel aimed at a younger audience rather than the upper teens running amok from book to book behind Bookwyrming Thoughts (and of course, their own blogs). Simply put: Ella will butcher this, Lupe will make this sprout unicorns, Rundus will dissect this in a manner as seriously as possible, and Sophia might do a combination of blandly blunt dissection while trying to sprout at least one unicorn so no one (hopefully) will get a headache in the process.

But of course, the very last reviewer might be exaggerating a little. She may also be hitting the truth button at the exact same time she decided to press the "write a review in the third person" button.

In this ever so "blandly blunt dissection" of a mini-review, <i>Dare to Dream</i> is essentially divided into two parts: the first part is before the apocalypse, and the second part is the aftermath. It is really just a book that has a main character with a broken family, cries often (well, she is fourteen), and finding her place in the world – all while receiving dreams of the end of the world in the same way nightly and finding out it's in connection to the demise of Stonehenge. Oh, and it is also a day by day play of events that feels more proper in a sleeptastic documentary.

Basically, it's just tales of family drama from a fourteen-year-old British schoolgirl. The whole apocalypse thing? It might as well be a subplot until you get to the second part, where the primary purpose is surviving it day by day. But the point is, middle school Sophia might like this better than high school senior Sophia, who actually likes the whole Stonehenge aspect.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/chibi-views-dare-to-dream-by-carys-jones-and-red-queen-by-victoria-aveyard/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
OA
On a Clear Day
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've never been so confused with an audiobook. I don't really know why, either.

<b>There's not much of a plot going on – just a group of teenagers from random parts of the world (I think) banding together to take down a major company while figuring out how a terrorist fits in with it all.</b> If you want a shorter version, it's a group of teenagers coming together to take down a monopolizer.

<i>On a Clear Day</i> is probably <b>better to listen to than actually reading the book</b>. There are some parts that are read rapid fast, but Rebecca Soler is an amazing narrator. Like Amanda Dolan in <i>Red Queen</i>, <b>the story is narrated realistically and it was just far more enjoyable to listen to.</b> I felt like I was listening to a recording of a conversation (that might actually be very accurate).

The narration might have been why I even completed the book. Maybe the heat is getting to me (not likely), but I feel like <b>I'm just chugging along and nodding without interpreting anything going on. I don't feel like I know much about any of the group of teenagers aside from what they're well-known for</b> – chess prodigy, math/computer whiz, athlete, musician, etc.

<b>I feel like I'm reading the middle of a stand alone series</b> where I'm supposed to know all the major characters really well and Myers can just focus on developing the plot. The points to the point disappeared somewhere. <b>The end feels like a pause that Myers will never get around to. It's a happily ever after with loose ends and an unknown future.</b>
<blockquote>C-8 had backed off from acquiring another company. For now.</blockquote>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-on-a-clear-day-by-walter-dean-myers/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)
Holly Black | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
<h2><strong>It's no secret I disliked <a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-cruel-prince-by-holly-black/"><em>The Cruel Prince</em></a>.</strong></h2>
And I mean, I disliked <em>The Cruel Prince</em> A LOT. I didn't give a single fuck for the romances involved, and very much hated the whole Jude/Cardan ship. But I still liked some parts of <em>The Cruel Prince</em> and that's what got me into <em>The Wicked King</em>. I loved Jude and her stabby, human self, and I <em>really</em> enjoyed the world Holly Black built so.

<h2><em><strong>The Wicked King</strong></em><strong> is amazing.</strong></h2>
Okay, I said it. If you're in the minority like me who didn't like <em>The Cruel Prince</em> for:
~ being slow in pacing
~ the main ship
~ the other romances
You'll be happy to know <em>The Wicked King</em> is much, much better than the first book.

<h3><strong>The pacing picks up!</strong></h3>
I didn't <em>want</em> to put down the second book in <em>The Folk of the Air</em> trilogy down. I wanted to know what happened next all the way until the last page of the book. <strong>There are so many twists and turns throughout </strong>and now I want to know what happens in <em>The Queen of Nothing</em> when it comes out. But if there's any advice I should give anyone who hasn't read <em>The Wicked King</em> yet, trust no one at all. NO ONE. I'm just saying.

<h3><strong>I still don't care for the main ship in <em>The Wicked King</em> but...</strong></h3>
We get more behind the scenes in the court, resulting in more Jude and Cardan together. There's no avoiding it this time - they kind of have to deal with each other.
  
The Best Thing
The Best Thing
Mariana Zapata | 2019 | Contemporary, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review and more can be found at my blog https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com

This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.

I feel like I have to start by singing Mariana Zapata's praises. She is the Queen of slow-burn romances. I do believe that I have read everything she's ever written so far and this is her latest. I'm not the biggest fan of long books but I've found that with this author, I don't care how long they are because I'm so drawn in I just keep reading until I finish.

This one is no different. We meet Elena - Lenny - who runs a gym with her grandfather that helps fighters get ready for their next fights - MMA, boxing, etc - when her ex turns up who she hasn't seen for the last 17 months wanting to see her. I'm not going to go into much detail as that would ruin in but Lenny has an amazing personality and I love her thoughts in regards to him coming back - it includes various imaginative swear words and scenarios.

I love Lenny. As mentioned above she has a great personality and a great outlook on life. Pretty much every sentence she spoke (or thought) had me grinning like an idiot. In my eyes, she's such a great character. I also really liked Jonah. He was this mix of shy and sweet and just plain amazing. There are also some other characters that I loved liked Grandpa Gus. Some of the interaction between him and Lenny was hilarious. Then there was Peter and Mo, too.

I also like how she includes previous characters in her current ones. Lenny is Luna's - the main character of her last book, Luna and the Lie - best friend and appears quite a lot in this one offering her support.

It's really hard to write a fitting review of this book without spoilers, I'll just say that I thought it was pretty awesome.
  
Coliseum Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #3)
Coliseum Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #3)
Shami Stovall | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, so this book has the capability to break me! Coliseum Arcanist is the third book in the Frith Chronicles and we return once more to Volke, Illia, and the rest.

Gille is working hard to find a cure for the plague and is accompanied by the Frith Guild to see the queen. Only, they get more excitement than they bargained for when they find out there will be a tournament for a new sovereign dragon arcanist. Illia is still dead set on revenge on Calisto but the others are excited to participate.

Wow, so much happens here! This is a long book but not a single word is wasted. So many new characters to meet and old ones to reacquaint with. Volke is, of course, the star of the show but he doesn't hog all the limelight. Through his eyes, you see the others and how they change and grow. Zaxis is still obnoxious but I'm also hoping he will calm down and become a better man. He is still young after all.

The ending of this book, the last few chapters, are absolutely action-packed. There is never a dull moment and I will admit to my eyes leaking too. I had a suspicion about the outcome of the last match when I read the description given in Volke's book but how it was written was just amazing. The rest of it came as a surprise and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what happened next.

With a cliffhanger you have to read to believe, I seriously can NOT wait for the next book in the series. You definitely have to read all of them in order to get the full experience but what an experience it is. I really can't recommend this series, or this book, highly enough.

* 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!