Category: book review

Book review: Greed Box by Molly Garcia

3 out of 5 stars

Greed Box by Molly Garcia is a horror novella that builds on the “Be careful what you wish for” trope. The character descriptions are well done; however some of the setting descriptions could be filled out a little more. The reader can relate to the main characters’ (Jack and Meg) emotions as they find themselves in various predicaments seemingly brought on by bad luck. Who among us hasn’t made a wish or two in our lifetime? Also, would you give everything back if what you wished for brought more than you can handle? This story goes on to answer the question, “What would you do to ensure the success of your wish completion?”

Jack and Meg are out and about in town one day and come across a shop with an interesting store front. After entering the shop, Jack spies an intriguing and well-made wooden box. The shop curator soon tells the couple of the story and warning behind the box. In spite of the warning, Jack purchases the box almost as if bidden to do so by an unnatural force.

After having the box displayed in their home for a short while, Jack wonders if there was any truth behind the shop curator’s story. Jack contemplates what he should do as he and Meg suffer some setbacks. He picks up the box, opens it, and whispers his wish. What happens afterward is a bit predictable at times, but nonetheless keeps the reader cheering for Jack and Meg to overcome the new obstacles in their lives. Garcia’s thorough character descriptions keep the reader going until the end.

There are a few unresolved questions at the end (that might bother some readers), and various grammatical and punctuation errors throughout that detract a little from the story. However, this quick horror read is an interesting take on “Be careful what you wish for.”

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Book review: The Crafter: The Mysterious Game: A kid’s LitRPG/Gamelit adventure by Dan Sugralinov

If you’re looking for a holiday present for a middle schooler who is interested in learning about gaming, this newer release might be just the book for you.

4 out of 5 stars

The Crafter: The Mysterious Game: A Kid’s LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure by Dan Sugralinov is a wonderful read for middle schoolers who want an introduction to the gaming world. In this first installation of a series, Sugralinov spends time describing and developing the characters and building their world. He does so with age-appropriate colloquial language to provide a basis for what may be new gaming vocabulary for some young readers.

As every adventurer knows, you need a good sidekick and a group of people who will help you make decisions along the way. The main character, Kenny, has Whiskers the cat as his furry sidekick. Kenny and his mother are going through a lot of life changes, and Whiskers is a comforting constant that provides reassurance and wisdom. As Kenny and his mother move to a new town, Kenny meets a group of kids around his age who live near him. They each have a unique importance to help Kenny navigate a new school, town, and home base and suddenly, life without an active father figure. As Kenny spends time with his companions, he learns their strengths and weaknesses and how to help them overcome fears as well as accomplish tasks.

Sugralinov effortlessly combines game play lessons and real life lessons to provide a logic framework for young readers. Through the characters’ experiences, Sugralinov introduces readers to the basic game play rules in this first installment. While the book closes on a bit of a cliffhanger, the novel is the right size to capture and keep readers’ attention. The explanations of how Kenny arrives at his decision making are a bit slow for more experienced gamers; however, the less experienced will appreciate the descriptions of logical thinking and processes.

I received an advanced reader copy, and this review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review: Anxiety in the Wilderness by Kathleen Patrick

5 out of 5 stars

Anxiety in the Wilderness by Kathleen Patrick is a collection of 17 short stories bookended by a pair of poems. The stories vary in length from six to 14 pages and are written from various points of view. While all the stories can be read independently and in the order they are presented in the book, a few tie together with common characters at various times throughout their lives. The poetic language of the stories lends a warmth to the storytelling that helps to bring the characters to life. Each story describes a different human worry or anxiety that we all may have experienced at some point in our lives; therefore, each story is relatable in its own way. Since this book is a collection of worries and anxieties, it may not be for everyone. There are mentions of death, dying, and possible abuse.

Short stories are a disappearing art form, and Patrick demonstrates why we should keep them around. There is no grandiosity of language that detracts from the storyline or from the artful character descriptions. Characters navigate their way through their predicaments one day at a time. The poignant vignettes showcase the rawness of various human emotions, much like a snapshot of an expert photographer.

My favorite story, Madam Heart, describes the distinct seasons of life through the eyes of the main character, Maddie Heart. The reader travels with Mrs. Heart as she finds love, marries, supports her restauranteur husband, moves with him to a small town in Iowa, and takes over caring for the lovely Victorian home they shared. While worry and anxiety are the two main emotions demonstrated, the reader connects with Mrs. Heart as she lives, learns, and loves. At the end of the story, I wanted to hug the main character and tell her to keep being the amazing and strong woman that she is.

I recommend this collection of heartfelt stories for the readers who might need to take a story at a time, taking breaks in their days to discover a fascinating collection of characters and settings. Though you might find yourself so pulled into the descriptions, you keep on reading.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary. 

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Book review: The First Wordweaver by Rachael Waldburger

5 out of 5 stars

The First Wordweaver by Rachael Waldburger is a Viking-inspired YA fantasy novella that keeps the reader intrigued. The character depth and world development are detailed and add to the storyline in a wonderful manner. Waldburger also includes a pronunciation guide/dictionary at the beginning to aide understanding and to help delve deeper into the novella.

Vilden, Erlendr, Brann, Grye, and a group of Andreveien people arrive at the shore of a new land after traveling by sea for a fortnight. Upon landing, Grye has a vision that has a possibility of forever changing the future of the landing party. Vilden, Brann, and Grye work together to explore all that the new land offers and to unravel the mystery of Grye’s vision. Vilden is the arrogant son of the chief (Erlendr) who has serious misgivings about his role in the new Andreveien community. Brann is the stalwart companion who seems to do everything right at exactly the right time. Grye’s visions have helped her people and have helped shape her cutting wit and the strength of her willpower. All three adventurers mature and become better people throughout their short travels.

Waldburger creates a wonderful entry point for this world for YA and adult readers alike. This is just the beginning for Vilden and his people. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this group of intrepid adventurers.

I received an ARC from the author, and this review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review: Scribbles, Rhymes, and Lima Beans: Poems that grow on you by Rachael Waldburger

5 out of 5 stars

Scribbles, Rhymes, and Lima Beans by Rachael Waldburger is a poignant poetry collection that is divided into three parts. Per the author’s note at the beginning, Scribbles is about life and love; Rhymes is about writing, art, and inspiration; and Lima Beans is about growth and renewal. However, there is so much more to be found and recognized throughout this collection.

The poetry of Scribbles describes a nostalgic love the author has for her grandparents and a past crush, and the act of falling in love. In what becomes a theme tying together all three collections, Waldburger also gives us the first hint of divisiveness and dichotomy. Her first poem, The Wall, gives us a stark, yet short, literal description of the purpose of all walls—to bear the weight of division. The next few poems, “Lying on My Back in October,” “Raspberries,” “Running,” and “Old Crush,” seem to represent life and the wonder of love in its different forms and the hope it carries within. The following poems, “Argument,” “Realization,” “Wild-Grown,” and “Wolf” describe life and the lack of love and all that comes along with that emptiness. The rest of this section rotates between this dichotomy of what happens when love is present (and the idea of growth is introduced) and when love is absent due to ineptitude or just losing the very people we love dearly. Two of my favorite poems describing finding love in this section are “Knight Errant” and “Tilting at Windmills.”

The poetry of the second section, Rhymes, takes the themes Waldburger has introduced us to in Scribbles and expands on those while exploring writing, art, and inspiration. She deftly explores learning the rules of poetry and breaking them, rhyming (though most of the poems in this section do not adhere to conventional rhyming schemes), and the art of writing poetry. She tells (naming art pieces, constellations, and poets) and shows us what inspires her words and how those words find their way to the page. One of the most nostalgic poems for me in this section, “Poetry Purrs,” appears to show inspiration from E. E. Cummings and Carl Sandburg. This poem reminded me of the eighth grade when I began to fall in love with poetry. Carl Sandburg was my introduction, and suddenly I felt transported back to little cat feet.

Honestly, before reading the last section, I wasn’t sure about lima beans being about growth and renewal, other than I had to grow to like them as an adult. However, Waldburger, being the descriptive writer she is, shows us how to connect lima beans and growth in a comforting way. She transports us through the seasons of life, the plans we make while filled with uncertainty and hope, and plans realized as she becomes a mother. The poems in this section are longer and filled with more contemplative language than the previous two sections. She also continues the dichotomy of love that is present and love that is absent. And in the penultimate poem from which this collection is named, we find how lima beans and growth are connected. I will leave this discovery for you.

Overall, this poetry collection is well thought out. The overall theme that brings the collection together is not only evident in the poems themselves; my paperback edition has poems of differing points of view facing one other across the binding. There is a natural ebb and flow of life, love, and loss throughout that begs me to pick it up once again to see what I missed in the first read-through.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review: Glik’s Fables Vol. 1: The Isle of the Charred Maiden by H.D. Scott

4 out of 5 stars

Glik’s Fables Vol 1: Isle of the Charred Maiden by H.D. Scott is a page turner. There’s action, humor, adventure, humor, a fantasy setting, storytelling, and oh—did I mention humor? At times I had to stop my husband from doing whatever mundane task he was working on just to read him my newest favorite passage.

Glik’s Fables follows a type of antihero storyteller, a goblin. Unlike most goblins, Glik is fluent in multiple languages, has a quick mind and can learn quickly, knows how to communicate with different personality types, and has a pet rat named Tinky.

We follow along the adventures and misadventures of Glik and Tinky as they travel by sea and by land and meet humans, other goblins, orcs, a gnome, and a sundry of other folk who add to the fantasy setting. Honestly, I kept thinking, “What are they going to get into next?”

Scott’s character and setting developments are wonderful and help bring the novel to life. I would like to see a little more scene development in a couple of instances toward the end. That being said, I hope there is a Vol 2 very soon.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review: Airmail: A Story of War in Poems by Kathleen Patrick

4 out of 5 stars

Airmail: A Story of War in Poems by Kathleen Patrick is a heart-wrenching collection of poems that is split into three essential parts: Leaving, Airmail, and Surviving. Patrick has managed to bring together stories of her seven uncles and other family members during a time that split families and a nation. These are stories of memories and experiences of those who went to war and those who stayed behind and the frustrations that both groups felt.

The first and third parts are collections of poems of varying lengths and topics, all filled with real emotion. The second part, Airmail, is a collage of voices from different times and places. This part has a different informational flow while remaining integral to the telling of Patrick’s story.

I recommend this collection of poetry for those who had someone close to them fight in the Vietnam War. Not everyone had seven uncles, sons, brothers who fought during the same time period. The collection brings together varying viewpoints of the seven men and their family members who supported them by sending letters full of questions, hope, and hometown news.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review (extra post for spooky season!): The Hidden Secrets of NOLA by: Laura Daleo, Rhonda Bobbitt, Fern Miller, Preston Allen, and Savanna Loy

This is a wonderfully spirited collection of short stories that highlight different aspects of New Orleans and the different populations which are drawn to the city’s mysteries. Each story is a tribute each author’s imagination. I received an ARC and am so glad I did!

My Name is Death by Laura Daleo
What does Death do on a vacation? In this supernatural story, he visits his favorite places in New Orleans—a city known for its joie de vivre—and encounters a young soul who needs the help and understanding only Death can provide. Annalise, a 17-year-old girl who has been sick her whole life escapes the hospital from where she is staying and searches out life’s experiences that she has been unable to take part in up to this point. Death’s and Annalise’s serious conversations and interactions are imaginatively woven with the more vivacious aspects of modern-day New Orleans.

The Ghost of Toulouse Street by Rhonda Bobbitt
As Rose’s 25th birthday arrives, she has the feeling that she is being watched. Rose reaches out to her sister Lydia and tries to convince her that she has seen the same man in various places throughout the city. Lydia remains dubious while Rose explains the strange happenings that have occurred at her work and other locales. Merrick has his own mystery to solve and a curse to vanquish and believes he has found the answer with Rose. Rose, Merrick, and the supporting cast of intriguing characters weave in and around 1969 New Orleans in this paranormal thriller.

Bidding Up Knox by Fern Miller
This page turner of a second-chance romance takes place in modern-day New Orleans and showcases Kara and Knox. Kara’s caring personality drives her to work for a non-profit organization, and Knox’s father presses him to work in the family industry and to make as much money as possible. Kara and Knox once had a budding romance that left Kara with more questions than answers. When they meet again at an auction that Kara’s organization puts together, Kara wonders if she’ll ever receive the answers that have eluded her for years. Will Kara and Knox be able to reconcile their obvious differences to try again at love? Or will the same issues drive them apart once again? Read along as the descriptions of love and the hustle-and-bustle of New Orleans keep you reading.

Crossed at the Cafe by Preston Allen
Modeste’s life is one of intrigue, voodoo, and witchcraft. She is a voodoo priestess who helps her father with the family store. While ordering a coffee in an unassuming cafe, she has a chance encounter with someone who will greatly influence her life. Modeste, her father, and a family friend try to unravel the mystery of the woman from the cafe, and the readers are taken on an adventure that lends itself well to the magical-realism setting. The characters leap off the page and entwine the reader in a wonderful description of the magical side of New Orleans.

Borrowed Bayou by Savanna Loy
Estelle’s story is one that traces back throughout the ages and evolutions of New Orleans. This sci-fi romance tells of a cursed family who runs a cafe and airboat tour business in the bayou country. Estelle and her close-knit family have sacrificed to ensure the safety of New Orleans over the course of 100 years. Their sacrifices have been many, and each family member has grown weary of their role. One day, handsome Thiago walks into the cafe and catches Estelle’s eye, heart, and soul. But how will Thiago react when the terrible secrets that the Dupont family have managed to keep hidden away all this time are revealed? This story is full of rich descriptions and engaging characters that have the reader engrossed until the very end.

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Book review: Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted by Alicia Curry

4 out of 5 stars

Mother. Educator. Counselor. Daughter. Sister. Aunt. Friend. Coworker. All of these help define Alicia Curry. But they do not tell her complete story. While she is one or more of these to each person in her life, the most important description in Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted is survivor. Curry bravely tells her story of enduring workplace harassment and toxic workplace behavior and the years it took to fight back against a system that protects the abuser.

Curry starts the memoir describing the toll the loss of two of her brothers and other family members had begun to take on her. What Curry does well throughout is describe how not only one aspect of self is affected by loss, but many if not all are affected. The loss of Curry’s brothers affected her as a sister, daughter, aunt, friend, mother, etc. Grief affects even someone who can compartmentalize most things and move on with their plans.

Curry carefully planned what career path she wanted to take and how it would take her to an administrative position within the school district. She worked hard for her career to provide for her daughter, to help serve the student population, to be a supportive family member. Then Curry starts receiving abusive behavior from someone she once trusted and from multiple people who would shape the course of her career.

Exposed is more than a simple retelling of a fight against an abuser, the systems that protected him (in multiple states), and the compounded affect it has on someone who was already fighting to find new routines after familial loss. Curry draws in the reader with her beautiful descriptions of the people who supported her throughout and with the description of her faith journey. Exposed is a story of strength and inspiration.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.

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Book review: Olawu by P.J. Leigh

5 out of 5 stars

Olawu by P.J. Leigh is a powerful story of growth, bravery, courage, love, and healing in pre-colonial Africa. This historical fiction follows titular character Olawu’s life as she travels through three cities: Kanakam, where girls and women are not allowed to learn to read or write or trade at the square; Borimbe, where girls and women are allowed a little more freedom to wander about within the city and are allowed to learn to read and write, but are not allowed to leave the city without a male escort without fear of being beaten; and Oloko Ekhaya, where women and men are treated as equals in every way.

As Olawu travels through these three cities, we are also introduced to two tribes: the Dikebe and the Oloko. Olawu’s experiences and discoveries as a healer help educate her and those around her throughout her interactions with both tribes. We follow as Olawu works to better her understanding of what healing can truly mean in every sense of the word as she navigates a time of war, hardship, and hatred.

For all those who ask, “Can one person really make a change in the world around them?”, this novel delivers a resounding yes. Leigh takes us on a journey of emotions through her descriptive language and fantastic character development. This inspirational novel should be a part of recommended reading for young adults and adults alike.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.

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