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Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter
Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter
Faith Justice | 2017 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a good kids fantasy read
Contains spoilers, click to show
Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter is a middle grade fantasy novel inspired by The Tale of the Oki Islands. It is a swift read that flows like the water that has so large of a presence in it. It was an enjoyable story featuring a young woman who has to be extremely brave and save her father.

I loved that Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter was all about Tokoyo. Her abilities and determination were what carried her through. There was no male figures that interceded to provide help to get her through the difficult parts. She did it all herself, with only the caring, mental support and encouragement of the Ama. Though there has definitely been a surge of girls being front and center on action and adventure tales lately, it’s still not enough. This book was a welcome addition.

Now, I don’t know anything about Japanese culture, but the representation in here felt respectful and real. (The notes in the back indicate that the author has done plenty of research!) There was nothing about it that was included for laughs. Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter will hopefully provide young readers of Japanese descent another role model they can look up to situated in the history of their country.

Overall, the pace of the novel is fantastic, the prose is near perfect, and the story was an engaging one. Faith L. Justice has done a great job with Tokoyo, the Samurai’s Daughter. And Kayla Gilliam provides simple illustrations that spice up the text every few chapters and provide a treat for the eyes.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the author for review consideration as part of Rosie's Book Review Team
  
The World That We Knew
The World That We Knew
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thanks to Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio for letting me listen and review this wonderful book. This wasn't what I expected. For some reason, I was thinking this was going to be a story about something else that I was hesitant to read but after I started reading/listening I realized this story was not at all what I had thought it would be and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This was a bit of a different spin on things with Hanni wanting to save her 12 yr old daughter from the Nazis by sending her away to keep her safe. After something almost happens one night with her daughter, Hanni goes to find help by seeking out aid from a Rabbi and when she asks for help from the Rabbi's wife, the wife turns Hanni away and it ends up that Hanni finds the help she needs from the Rabbi's daughter, Ettie, instead. Hanni and Ettie make a deal and so Ettie makes a golem that is made to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea.
The golem that Ettie makes is named Ava and Ava, Ettie and Lea become linked together, their paths always connected in a way with their paths crossing from time to time from then on. Ava guards and accompanies Lea to Paris to find safety and there Lea meets the boy she loves and Ettie ends up going into hiding for a time.
This story takes you on a journey as they travel looking for safety while growing up, learning and figuring who and what they are in this world and what they want out of life. It will take you apart and put you back together again causing you to reflect and think about the world, life, yourself, and so much more.
  
    Little Girl Magic

    Little Girl Magic

    Games, Entertainment and Stickers

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    Little Girl Magic is a nursery, child care and dress up game for people who love to babysit. Adopt...

I Am Mother (2019)
I Am Mother (2019)
2019 | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Humans have become extinct. All that's left behind are thousands of human embryos and a robot. This robot defrost an embryo and the only human left to exist is born. The robot raises the child as if its her own, and is known only as daughter which believe me gets annoying to hear mother says it practically every sentence.
Anyway fast forward a few years and daughter is a teenager and becoming very inquisitive about the outside world. This starts when a mouse gets into the facility, upon this mouse being destroyed by mother, daughter explores the facility one evening whilst mother is powered down and she hears a voice from outside shouting for help, it turns out to be another human, what!?! She let's her in and after an argument with mother for doing so, mother agrees to help the stranger but the woman - seing and experiencing the outside world refuses help, she doesn't trust mother at all. You see it turns out there are other droids identical to mother, but they are evil and tear people away from their families. It's little wonder she doesn't trust mother but is she right to be suspicious? You'll have to watch and see.
Now I'm not usually a Sci fi fan but this movie isn't actually all that bad, the fact that mother sounds more human than android you do feel like there's a real connection between mother and daughter, even right at the end.
Throughout the movie I kept feeling torn between trusting mother or the stranger, I did lean more towards the stranger but I did feel for mother too. It was a complete mind bender and messed with you right to the very end.
  
A Child for the Reich
A Child for the Reich
Andie Newton | 2022 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Inspired by a true story, this book is absolutely gripping and full of tension, heartbreak and the story of one woman's quest to find and rescue her daughter from the Nazi's Lebensborn programme.

Anna Dankova and her family live in Nazi-occupied Prague. Her husband and brother-in-law have joined the Czech Resistance leaving them to try and raise their children with the ever present danger of the Nazi soldiers, the Gestapo and the much feared Brown Sisters; female nurses who were dedicated to the Nazi cause. They worked for the Nazi Welfare Organization and searched through villages and towns for Aryan-looking children.

Anna and her sister's children are blonde-haired and blue-eyed and their fears are only too real but they are powerless against the might of the Nazi regime and one day, Anna's daughter, Ema is literally ripped from her arms in broad daylight leaving Anna, understandably, distraught and determined to get her back whatever the risks before she is lost forever.

Anna uses all her skills, courage and guile to find her daughter, infiltrate the children's home where she has been placed to be indoctrinated into the German way and to figure out a way to get her out of there whilst under the ever present threat of exposure and certain death.

This is a story full of tension and heartbreak and one mother's determination to find her daughter no matter what and it was absolutely gripping and I have no hesitation recommending it to those of you who 'enjoy' reading historical fiction based on true stories and events.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of A Child for the Reich.
  
Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens
2015 | Animals, Card Game, Comic Book / Strip, Humor
Fun Game
My daughter is in love with this bonkers game! Exploding Kittens is a russian roulette style game featuring amusing art from The Oatmeal. Simple to learn, but with some quirky little rules that I have to keep looking up again and again (usually when my daughter uses them on me to full effect!). It's one of those games that isn't that exciting at the beginning of a new game, but as you near the end of the pack and you know that the exploding kitten card is coming soon, the tension and enjoyment really grows. I'm not sure of the longevity of the game though, and that's the only downside to this really. There are expansion packs available, to enhance the gameplay and increase the potential number of players, which I'd be interested to try out some time.