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Merissa (12822 KP) rated Crystal Shard (Paladins of Crystal. #1) in Books

Jul 26, 2022 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)  
Crystal Shard (Paladins of Crystal. #1)
Crystal Shard (Paladins of Crystal. #1)
Nicola M. Cameron | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
10
9.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
CRYSTAL SHARD is the first book in the Paladins of Crystal series, a new reverse harem series that promises to be a blast! In a nutshell, Crystal is living with her brother and s-i-l, in a dead-end job. One bad day later and she's hiding in a garden when her muse, whom she didn't know she had, decides to take matters into her own hands. Crystal is transported to a new world and ends up meeting five royal Paladins (Buff Lords). There you go.

Of course, there's more to it than that. I am hoping there will be a book for each of the Paladins but this one was Anton's. Crystal feels attracted to all of them but Anton is the one she spends the most time with. The sparks fly but Anton can't act on his wants and needs, not if he wants his mother to live.

The world-building here is exceptional, just what I've come to expect from this author. The characters are multi-dimensional and, in Crystal's case, snarky and headstrong. This leads to some fantastic situations that you can see clearly.

This book ended way too soon for me. I feel it's going to be a series to read one after the other! Absolutely fantastic. I loved every word and can't wait to read more. Highly recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Jul 20, 2022
  
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tapestry100 (306 KP) rated The Girl with the Ghost Machine in Books

Aug 2, 2017  
The Girl with the Ghost Machine
The Girl with the Ghost Machine
Lauren DeStefano | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Originally reviewed on http://www.frommybookshelf.com

Emmaline Beaumont's mother has passed away. Unfortunately, Emmaline's father has become fixated with building a machine that will bring Emmaline's mother's ghost back, and in doing so, he himself has forgotten about the living in his obsession with the dead, so in many ways Emmaline has lost both of her parents. The only people she can confide in are twins Gully and Oliver, her best friends in school. Yet for of their understanding and patience, Gully and Oliver are unable to fully understand Emmaline's loss as they have never lost someone so close to them as Emmaline's mother was to her. Her father's machine, however, may actually work, and it is then that Emmaline must decide whether the cost of operating the machine is worth the price paid, and will the twins help her in her decision, regardless of what that decision is?

Lauren DeStefano has created a beautiful and poignant story that I feel would be an important book for anyone to read who has recently (or not so recently) lost someone very close to them. DeStefano has a keen ability to cut to the quick of the emotions of loss and what that can feel like, especially for someone too young to have have lost a loved one. Her characters are not cliché and their feelings are quite real, and the story she has created feels honest and important. That's the best way I can describe it. A fan of her YA series The Chemical Garden Trilogy and The Interment Chronicles, I have not yet read her other two middle grade books, The Curious Tale of the In-Between and The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart, and I think I'll be needing to rectify that soon.
  
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Edible Front Yard in Books

Sep 8, 2017  
The Edible Front Yard
The Edible Front Yard
Ivette Soler | 2011 | Home & Garden
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Full-color beautiful photographs (0 more)
A gorgeous book about growing edibles while maintaining a beautiful appearance
I would definitely give this book the full five stars. It’s filled with gorgeous, full-color, glossy photographs that really show off the concepts illustrated in the book. Soler describes both some common vegetables (corn and beans, for example) as well as some things I didn’t even know were edible, like daylilies and nasturtiums! She includes a lot of unusual edibles, like artichokes and bananas, the latter of which I can’t grow outside here in Maryland. She lives in LA, though, and I completely understand how it must be complicated to write a book applicable to the entire United States!

Her chapters range from “Curb Appeal” – WHY should we care what our yard looks like, and what actually looks good? – to “The New Front Yard Plant Palette” which is all about classic edibles that also look great. Another chapter is about helper plants – plants that aren’t necessarily edible (though some of them are), but that serve other purposes in the garden, such as pest repellant or predatory bug attractants. Both of these chapters list a TON of plants, with short descriptions about why they’re on the list, how to take care of them, and what to use them for. EXTREMELY useful.

Soler has her own blog – The Germinatrix – but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s been updated since 2012. Her Twitter seems to have died about the same time, and her Facebook hasn’t seen a post since early 2013. I’m still hoping to find her presence online, as I love her writing style and would love to find more of her work.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
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Rachel King (13 KP) rated Summer of Secrets (Seasons of the Heart, #1) in Books

Feb 11, 2019  
SO
Summer of Secrets (Seasons of the Heart, #1)
Charlotte Hubbard | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I know very little about the Amish lifestyle, though there is a similar community near where I live. This book was a good introduction to their beliefs and practices without the details getting in the way of the plot. Tidbits of the Dutch language are also interspersed throughout the dialogue to make it more realistic. Food plays a prominent role in the plot, with several of the main characters running a restaurant together called "Sweet Season." Many of the recipes featured in the back of the book were served up in the restaurant, and many descriptions of the food sparked my appetite, such as the cinnamon rolls and orange knots. So many of the Amish ways focus on Plain living, such as an old-fashioned washing machine and garden-grown fruits and vegetables. While some aspects could be considered inconvenient, such as no telephones except for businesses, other practices make for a healthier lifestyle. "Modern" society could certainly learn a few things from the Amish.
The characters were easily relate-able, even with such polar opposites as Rachel - high-maintenance and emotional - and her long-lost sister, Tiffany/ Rebecca - withdrawn and goth. I also rather liked Micah, Rachel's fiance, for his desires to help others and be responsible while also being honest with himself. Rebecca is the perfect dichotomy to the Amish faith, as she questions everything and behaves and dresses nothing like the Plain people, though she was born in the community. Miriam, the triplet's widowed mother, is also a subtle example of how even the women can gain independence and self-sufficiency by operating her own restaurant with the aid of her daughters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially for its conservative approach to romance and drama, and I know that I will be delving into more Amish literature.