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b.Young (97 KP) rated Butterfly Islands (Chronicles of the Twenty-One Butterflies Book 1) in Books
May 8, 2018
Girl pirates (4 more)
Magic
Quests
Amazing setting
Action & Adventure
Girl Pirates, Treasure, Sword Fights, and Adventure! Yes, please!!!
I read this book because the Kindle version was offered for free on Amazon.
I didn't know what to expect and I honestly thought it was going to be a failed version of some of my most loved pirate stories. But because it featured female pirates, I knew I HAD to read it! And, girl, am I glad I did!
This is the first of a series of 5 books and it did not disappoint! This book had action, adventure, life changing decisions, sword fights, a treasure hunt, pirate ships, and even a couple villains that I ended up truly hating.
The story begins with 15-year-old Casey fleeing her marriage to a much older, very cruel man, which was arranged by her abusive step-father. Casey struggles with leaving because she knows what horrible fate awaits her mother at the hands of her step-father.
As Casey makes her escape, in her wedding dress, she is easily trailed by the very sadists that insist she make good on her step-father's arrangement. Casey runs deeper into the jungle and is rescued by the Twenty-One Butterflies just as the dogs are loosed on her.
Once she observes the ways and learns the values of the group of women that are the Twenty-One Butterflies, Casey makes yet another life-altering decision to join them.
Adventure, danger, training, sword fights, and sisterhood ensue as Casey embarks on her journey to become a Twenty-One Butterfly.
I fully intend to continue the series and discover Casey's fate as well as the fates of the rest of the Twenty-One Butterflies!
I didn't know what to expect and I honestly thought it was going to be a failed version of some of my most loved pirate stories. But because it featured female pirates, I knew I HAD to read it! And, girl, am I glad I did!
This is the first of a series of 5 books and it did not disappoint! This book had action, adventure, life changing decisions, sword fights, a treasure hunt, pirate ships, and even a couple villains that I ended up truly hating.
The story begins with 15-year-old Casey fleeing her marriage to a much older, very cruel man, which was arranged by her abusive step-father. Casey struggles with leaving because she knows what horrible fate awaits her mother at the hands of her step-father.
As Casey makes her escape, in her wedding dress, she is easily trailed by the very sadists that insist she make good on her step-father's arrangement. Casey runs deeper into the jungle and is rescued by the Twenty-One Butterflies just as the dogs are loosed on her.
Once she observes the ways and learns the values of the group of women that are the Twenty-One Butterflies, Casey makes yet another life-altering decision to join them.
Adventure, danger, training, sword fights, and sisterhood ensue as Casey embarks on her journey to become a Twenty-One Butterfly.
I fully intend to continue the series and discover Casey's fate as well as the fates of the rest of the Twenty-One Butterflies!
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated The War Nurses in Books
Apr 5, 2018
“... a flying ambulance corps made up of a naturist, a pianist, a journalist, a lady and a widowed mother...and a non smoking schoolgirl.” This is the description of the ambulance corp of Elsie Knockers and Mairi Chisholm during World War I. Will these brave ladies' friendship and sisterhood survive the war as they live in close quarters and dodge bullets as front line nurses in a cellar?
I started this book without much hope. To me, the cover is cheap-looking, and I admit this colored my judgement. How wrong I was!!! The War Nurses ended up being a very good read. Mairi is shown in such a real light. I was amazed at what both women did during the war. To see the human side of such a brave woman was interesting. I didn't personally like Elsie, but her character was amusing and kept surprising me.
While it didn't particularly bother me, some people will not like the amount of gore and yucky stuff in this book. While I know you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover to this book is very cheap looking.
The War Nurses by Lizzie Page is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Bookouture.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It ending up being a very pleasant surprise, as I judged this book by the cover and wasn't expecting much from it. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book. I recommend to anyone who loves powerful women, coming of age stories, WWI, medical stories, and/or historical fiction.
I was given a free copy from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.
I started this book without much hope. To me, the cover is cheap-looking, and I admit this colored my judgement. How wrong I was!!! The War Nurses ended up being a very good read. Mairi is shown in such a real light. I was amazed at what both women did during the war. To see the human side of such a brave woman was interesting. I didn't personally like Elsie, but her character was amusing and kept surprising me.
While it didn't particularly bother me, some people will not like the amount of gore and yucky stuff in this book. While I know you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover to this book is very cheap looking.
The War Nurses by Lizzie Page is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Bookouture.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It ending up being a very pleasant surprise, as I judged this book by the cover and wasn't expecting much from it. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book. I recommend to anyone who loves powerful women, coming of age stories, WWI, medical stories, and/or historical fiction.
I was given a free copy from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Meg and Jo in Books
Mar 19, 2020
A modern retelling of Little Women, MEG AND JO looks at the four March sisters in present day. We have Meg, a mom of twins, married to a man who works at a car dealership. Jo, an aspiring writer, who works in New York City at a restaurant and writes a food blog. Their sisters, Beth and Amy, flit in the background--Beth is pursuing her musical dreams and Amy is chasing fashion in Paris. But when the girls' stalwart mom gets sick, they must come home for the holidays to help at the family farm. There they will learn lessons about family, sisterhood, and following their dreams.
This one grew on me. It's not as jarring as I expected to see the girls in real time--I actually enjoyed that aspect. What's odd is that while the modern setting exists, there are a lot of outdated gender norms. Meg has to be the perfect mom who refuses help from everyone; the girls' father is basically worthless, etc. It's hard to overcome at first.
But I eventually took to Meg and Jo. I liked Jo's feisty nature, even if some of the problem/distance with her chef/boyfriend seemed a bit contrived. And I could identify with Meg, who felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders (twin moms unite).
Overall, this is a sweet and funny story. It's silly at times, but also heartwarming. I enjoyed seeing where Kantra tweaked the plot (there's a piece with the March patriarch that I particularly enjoyed). It's no Eligible--perhaps my favorite modern retelling of all--but it's a fun read. I've heard there may be a second book featuring Beth and Amy, and I would certainly read it. 3.5 stars.
This one grew on me. It's not as jarring as I expected to see the girls in real time--I actually enjoyed that aspect. What's odd is that while the modern setting exists, there are a lot of outdated gender norms. Meg has to be the perfect mom who refuses help from everyone; the girls' father is basically worthless, etc. It's hard to overcome at first.
But I eventually took to Meg and Jo. I liked Jo's feisty nature, even if some of the problem/distance with her chef/boyfriend seemed a bit contrived. And I could identify with Meg, who felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders (twin moms unite).
Overall, this is a sweet and funny story. It's silly at times, but also heartwarming. I enjoyed seeing where Kantra tweaked the plot (there's a piece with the March patriarch that I particularly enjoyed). It's no Eligible--perhaps my favorite modern retelling of all--but it's a fun read. I've heard there may be a second book featuring Beth and Amy, and I would certainly read it. 3.5 stars.
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Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated The Giver of Stars in Books
Nov 3, 2019
A quietly emotional story
I should know…know that when I read a Jojo Moyes book that it’s going to pack an emotional punch but with this blurb, I just didn’t see it coming. THE GIVER OF STARS had me invested quickly and feeling like a family member to the librarian sisterhood, so that when things happened, I felt devastated and scared to read on. The themes of misogyny, racism and feminism made this both emotional and empowering.
The context of reading, teaching poor and downtrodden women, children and men to read through the distrubution of books was in the background but it also powerful to observe. These women on their riding rounds also comforted the sick, grieving and took on the role of friends, confidantes and substitute mother figures.
I didn’t expect this book to be unputdownable, but it was as Moyes made the mundane work of Alice, Margery, Izzy and Beth’s lives totally readable and absorbing. Alice was the main protagonist, an English newly-wed, a little prissy but a genuinely sweet woman. The life she found in Kentucky was not at all what she expected and I tore my hair out over her and Bennett’s relationship. There were some revolting men in this book but then there were also some fantastic characters in Fred and Sven, they were the light in my reading and this book.
There was a second supporting protagonist in Margery and she really captured my heart. I loved her rebelliousness, her unconventional ways and willingness to be different. Her later storyline had me distraught, sad and prone to weeping. I just did not know where this book was going to end, there were so many possibilities.
I have come away from this read inspired. Jojo Moyes took me on a journey with this story and I am all the richer for it. This is historical women’s fiction at it’s best and I will remember this book for years, I am sure.
The context of reading, teaching poor and downtrodden women, children and men to read through the distrubution of books was in the background but it also powerful to observe. These women on their riding rounds also comforted the sick, grieving and took on the role of friends, confidantes and substitute mother figures.
I didn’t expect this book to be unputdownable, but it was as Moyes made the mundane work of Alice, Margery, Izzy and Beth’s lives totally readable and absorbing. Alice was the main protagonist, an English newly-wed, a little prissy but a genuinely sweet woman. The life she found in Kentucky was not at all what she expected and I tore my hair out over her and Bennett’s relationship. There were some revolting men in this book but then there were also some fantastic characters in Fred and Sven, they were the light in my reading and this book.
There was a second supporting protagonist in Margery and she really captured my heart. I loved her rebelliousness, her unconventional ways and willingness to be different. Her later storyline had me distraught, sad and prone to weeping. I just did not know where this book was going to end, there were so many possibilities.
I have come away from this read inspired. Jojo Moyes took me on a journey with this story and I am all the richer for it. This is historical women’s fiction at it’s best and I will remember this book for years, I am sure.
The Most Fun We Ever Had
10.0
Rate It
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"A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory." --Madeline Miller A...
Merissa (14028 KP) rated Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1) in Books
Sep 22, 2017
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1) by Jordan Ford
Curveball is the first book in a new series called Barlow Sisters. As you might gather, this trilogy involves three sisters - not triplets like they get mistaken for. Instead, Max and Maddie are twins, with Chloe being a bit younger. They have been uprooted and driven across the country, but they are still there for each other. Their relationship is as close as you could want - sisters before misters. However, a spanner gets thrown in the works in the shape of Holden Carter. Not only does Chloe fall instantly in love with him, but he infuriates Maddie to the nth degree. She has a few words to say to him, which hurt him. So he decides to show her he isn't what she accused him of being. Throw in some robberies, a bit of sport, friendship, sisterhood, and you've got yourself another winner by Jordan Ford.
I love reading Jordan Ford books because I am always surprised by something that is going on within those pages. The characters, and situations, leap off the page before you, drawing you into their world, so you feel all their pain, their heartache, their joy. One part that really got me, was when Holden took Maddie to Cresthill, and she spent time with his grandpa. Lump, meet throat - you're going to become very acquainted with each other right now. I thought I had the bad guy figured out, and I did (yey me!), but somehow I still ended up feeling sorry for him. Every character in this book was believable, and therefore relate-able.
With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this book flowed from start to finish. It was completely engrossing, and I can't wait to read the other sisters' stories, especially as I have them paired up already! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I love reading Jordan Ford books because I am always surprised by something that is going on within those pages. The characters, and situations, leap off the page before you, drawing you into their world, so you feel all their pain, their heartache, their joy. One part that really got me, was when Holden took Maddie to Cresthill, and she spent time with his grandpa. Lump, meet throat - you're going to become very acquainted with each other right now. I thought I had the bad guy figured out, and I did (yey me!), but somehow I still ended up feeling sorry for him. Every character in this book was believable, and therefore relate-able.
With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this book flowed from start to finish. It was completely engrossing, and I can't wait to read the other sisters' stories, especially as I have them paired up already! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!