Brooke's Reviews and Sweeps

Book Characters I’d Love to Be Besties With (TTT)

By Brookelorren on August 12, 2019October 5, 201934 Comments

Another Tuesday, another edition of Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl!). Today we’re going to talk about book characters I’d love to be besties with. For the purposes of this little thought experiment, I’m just going to pretend that I’m the same age as any of the other characters. That’s part of the fun of reading, anyway, to pretend that you are living someone else’s life!

Alina Starkov – Shadow and Bone

Alina seems to have a good heart. She just wanted to live a simple life, maybe with her childhood friend, Mal, but that’s not how things were for a while. I think she’d make a good friend who wasn’t arrogant or pretentious or anything.

Clary Fray – The Mortal Instruments

I wouldn’t want to detract from her friendship with Simon, of course, but Clary would probably make a pretty good friend. Certainly life wouldn’t be boring! Maybe she’d sketch pictures of some of my book characters. I don’t know if she plays D&D or not, but if she doesn’t, Simon and I might be able to drag her into joining a campaign.

Violetta Amouteru – The Young Elites

Much as I have sympathy for her sister Adelina, I don’t think she’d make a very good best friend. However, Violetta deserves a million points for loyalty for sticking by her sister even when she’s not exactly being the nicest person. Loyalty is always a good thing to have in a friend.

Scarlett Dragna – Caraval

Part of me thinks that maybe Scarlett’s sister Tella would be the more interesting friend, but she might present more drama than it would be worth. But Scarlett would be a good friend, and like Violetta, she’s likely to be loyal. Then again, if Scarlett was my best friend, Tella would probably end up dragging us both on adventures, giving us the best of both worlds.

Cyra Noavek – Carve the Mark

While I certainly wouldn’t want to deal with Cyra’s brother, Cyra could probably have used a friend. She’s thoughtful, and if you ever got into trouble, she could kick your enemy’s butt.

Dimple Shah – When Dimple Met Rishi

Today’s list seems to have a lot in common with last May’s Top Ten Tuesday “Characters that Remind Me of Myself” but I guess that can’t be helped. Dimple Shah would make a good friend though. We could talk about computer code and study for all those computer science tests together.

Taylor Nicholson – Start Here

Taylor would probably make a very interesting friend: after all, she’s willing to take a sailboat from Ohio all the way to the tip of the Florida Keys! I don’t know a lot about sailing (although I had to learn in college) but I’m sure that going on an adventure like this would be a lot of fun. She probably would want to get out and explore other places as well.

Free – Into the Hollow

It just says something good about your character when your dad isn’t really that responsible but you’re willing to do what you need to in order to take care of your younger brother. Despite the difficult circumstances Free grew up with, she still turned out to be a pretty good person. I bet she’d make a pretty good friend as well.

Camille Durbonne – Enchantée

Camille is another person who you can tell would make a good friend because of the way she cares about her family (we’ll just forget about her dirt-bag brother). She’s also curious and is interested in the latest technology, like hot air balloons. If I was transported to pre-revolutionary France and ran into a hot air balloon, I’d probably think they were fascinating as well.

Gin – Crow Flight

Gin from Crow Flight would make an interesting friend. First, she’s into computer programming, so we’d have something to talk about. She’s also pretty smart to have figured out the whole thing with the crows (no spoilers here). Anyway, you couldn’t do worse than to have a friend who’s smart and into computers.

So there are some book characters that I think would make good friends. Who did you put this week? Next week we’re going to talk about my favorite tropes.

Crown of Coral and Pearl

By Brookelorren on August 12, 2019August 12, 2019Leave a Comment

I recently had the opportunity to read Mara Rutherford’s debut, Crown of Coral and Pearl. Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity! This is a book with a unique setting and an interesting premise. Although, for me, it started out a little slow, the last 2/3rds of the book kept me enthralled and I wanted to read more! I definitely want to read the sequel when it comes out.

Nor and Zadie are born at sea to a people who live their entire lives at sea: at gunpoint. The only way they’ll ever be able to set foot on land is if they are deemed to be the most beautiful girl in a generation and are sent to land to marry the prince. As a child, Nor dreamed of going, but a scar that she received on her cheek dashed those hopes.

Her identical twin sister, on the other hand… doesn’t have that scar… but she’d rather stay at sea and marry her boyfriend. We have a mess on our hands here!

Eventually, Nor actually does got (impersonating Zadie), but once she gets to the palace and meets Ceren, her husband-to-be, things aren’t exactly as she’d hope them to be. Not only is Ceren a jerk, there’s also some political intrigue going on, that we find out more about as the story progresses.

The Setting

One of the things that stand out to me the most in Crown of Coral and Pearl is the setting. I don’t know if I’ve read any book before where the main characters live at sea their whole lives, never to set foot on land. It makes a completely different culture than I’m used to. This is different than a story that takes place on a ship, because they swim or take a boat between houseboats, and frequently jump in the water to dive for oysters. The setting of the palace, once we get there, is also fairly unique, but I won’t describe it here and ruin the surprise.

The Story

I also enjoyed the story, although it started out slow for me. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the isolation of the community itself, and the silly mindset that came with the people there, that beauty was really the only thing that mattered in a girl. The book picked up considerably when Nor, disguised as Zadie, reaches the palace. I enjoyed her interactions with the people there more than I did at sea. And the end! It was incredible. I already added the next book, Kingdom of Sea and Stone, to my Goodreads TBR.

Conclusion

With its unique setting and premise, Mara Rutherford’s debut, Crown of Coral and Pearl, is worth checking out. Even though the beginning started off a little slow, the last part of the book was exciting, and the next book should be just as good!

ABC Book Challenge – F

By Brookelorren on August 11, 2019August 12, 20192 Comments

Hello again! It’s another week, and time for another letter of the alphabet. Today’s edition of the ABC Book Challenge is brought to you by the letter F! I originally found this challenge over at Me, Myself, and Books, but it was originally started (as far as I can tell) by the Thrifty Bibliophile! There are actually a lot of books that I love or want to read starting with the letter F. Here are some of them:

With the start of school just around the corner, now’s a good time to read Fangirl, if you haven’t already. Cath is a fanfiction writer who, at the beginning of the book, is starting her first year at the university.

I absolutely loved Flame in the Mist! The sequel wasn’t quite as good, but I enjoyed that one as well. This one deserves a reread at some point (although with so many books, so little time, who knows when).

I’m looking forward to reading The Fountains of Silence, which is a book set in Franco’s Spain! I ended up using my points over at Bookish First in order to get a copy of the ARC. This is one of the six books I want to read that come out on October 1st, so I’m glad I’ll get to read it early!

One of the wonderful things about reading a lot of books is… you read a lot of books. One of the downsides is… you start to forget that you read some of these amazing books. I read Four Dead Queens as soon as it came out, and I loved it. I don’t talk about it as much any more, but it came out earlier this year and it was really good.

I haven’t read as many nonfiction books recently, but Freakonomics was a book I read quite a long time ago, and it was really interesting.

Frequency by Christopher Krovatin is a book that I really enjoyed, but it never got a lot of marketing dollars, so I think a lot of people haven’t heard about it. Sadly, there are a lot of books like this.

So those are some of the F books that I either really liked or are on my TBR and I really want to read. There aren’t very many G books on my list, so next week might be a little sparse.

The Netflix Book Tag

By Brookelorren on August 10, 2019August 9, 20194 Comments

Hello! I was tagged by Sioban’s Novelties to do the Netflix book tag! I don’t watch a lot of movies, but this is all about books, and the questions are really interesting. As far as I can tell, it was created by A Darker Shade of Whitney over on YouTube. So here are my answers:

Recently Watched | The Last Book You Finished

I just finished A Court of Wings and Ruin last night! I would have liked to have taken a couple more days (I got it on Audiobook and it was due back at the library). I was tired as anything but had to finish it, so I put it on 2x speed. I really need to only request one audiobook from the library at a time, because I had two that came in at the same time and it was just too much. But I did finish this book, and it was pretty good.

Top Picks | A Book That Has Been Recommended to You Based on What You’ve Previously Read

Naughts and Crosses was a Goodreads recommendation based on the fact that I liked The Midnight Star. It’s on my summer TBR, so we’ll see if Goodreads was accurate in this one.

Recently Added | The Last Book You Purchased

I had to check my Amazon.com account for this one. I thought it might be Veronica Roth’s The Chosen Ones (which doesn’t come out until next May but I just pre-ordered) but it just happens to be Kim Chance’s Keeper, which went on sale for $.99. It was still on sale yesterday; it might still be on sale today, but I don’t know.

Popular on Netflix | Books That Everyone Knows (Two You’ve Read, and Two You Have No Interest in Reading)

These are currently two books that are at the top of Goodreads’ YA Novels of 2019 list, and I’ve read them both.

Again, I checked the Goodreads’ lists for books that have been popular in the last couple of years. Children of Blood and Bone was just okay for me (although it was well written), and I’m not really a big fan of superheroes, even though I love Leigh Bardugo’s books.

Comedies | A Funny Book

This category was difficult for me, because although I read a lot of books that have some funny moments in them, I don’t really read books that are supposed to be funny. But Sandhya Menon’s books do tend to have some comedy in them, so I’ll go with There’s Something About Sweetie for this category.

Dramas | A Character Who Is a Drama Queen/King

I guess you could say that there’s a lot of drama going on around The Thousandth Floor. Although I’m not sure you could pick one character for that nomination. Avery: “Oh, I’m in love with my stepbrother and my best friend seems to have a thing for him!” Leda: “I need to spy on Atlas because I need to find out if he’s seeing someone else!” Drama is this book’s middle name.

Animated | A Book with Cartoons on the Cover

Does a book count as a book if it’s only available on Audiobook? I don’t know, but I’m going to put it here anyway. Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World was the last book I read (listened to) with an obviously cartoonish cover. My boy and I listened to it when we had car rides together.

Watch It Again | A Book or Series You Want to Reread

I adored Sky Without Stars and I hope to read it again, probably before the next book in the series comes out.

Documentaries | A Nonfiction Book You’d Recommend to Everyone

This one is another tricky category. We all have different interests, so how could I recommend one book? I absolutely adored The Fourth Turning, but does that mean that everybody will? Probably not. I went with Glenn Beck’s Addicted to Outrage because it’s one of those books that people should read. There’s such animosity towards each other these days, and I think if we could find things to agree with each other on rather than try to provoke “the other side” then maybe we could get stuff done? A lot of people have problems with Glenn Beck as a person but just because someone doesn’t like the messenger doesn’t mean the message isn’t good.

Action and Adventure | An Action-Packed Book or Series

The Mortal Instruments series has a lot of action within.

New Releases | A Book That Just Came Out or Will Be Coming Out Soon That You Can’t Wait to Read

October 1st is a huge release date for me. I’m getting three pre-orders on that day, including Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. There’s also Rebel (which I normally feature but I wanted some variety today) and The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth. Oh, and I also have three ARCs to read that are releasing on the same date (at least I get to read those earlier, but it’s making my reviews difficult to schedule).

Tag, You’re It!

If you liked this tag and would like to do it yourself, consider yourself tagged! If you decide to do it, would you send a link to me so I can see what you have to say?

The Priory of the Orange Tree

By Brookelorren on August 8, 2019August 7, 2019Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, I read Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree. In case you didn’t know, this is a brick of a book, at 846 pages. Despite its length, I don’t really think there were many wasted words. This has an intricate plot to rival Game of Thrones, although, as a stand-alone, you won’t have to wait over 20 years to find out what finally happened.

The Queendom of Berethnet needs an heir. For some magical reason, the Berethnet queens always have one child, and it is always a daughter. Queen Sabran the Ninth hasn’t married yet and doesn’t really want to. Still, she must have a child. There’s a prophecy that as long as there’s a Berethnet Queen on the throne, the queendom will be safe.

Meanwhile, evil forces are waking up, and in other places people are training to be heroes. All of the stories weave together until the final confrontation, where a different world will arise.

A Complex Story

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a long story with a lot of complexity. It’s one of those stories that might be better on a reread. There are so many characters, I wasn’t able to keep them all straight all the time. For me, it was the same with Game of Thrones. By the fourth book, I was starting to forget what plot line happened with which character, but I think a reread would be helpful with that too. For quite a while, I was getting confused between the West and the East. They both have vastly different politics. Towards the middle I was able to sort everything out.

Other Thoughts

The book had a lot of beautiful writing, and you could tell that the worldbuilding was well thought out. While I was reading it, I highlighted quite a few passages that I thought were beautiful.

The Priory of the Orange Tree uses a ton of archaic vocabulary. While it does add authenticity to the world, you might want to have a dictionary handy. Most of the archaic words deal with clothing, weapons, and other items in the universe.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. However, it did run a little long and I had a little bit of difficulty keeping all the storylines and characters straight, at least at first. Still it might be good for a reread. Someday.

All About Covers! (Top Ten Tuesday)

By Brookelorren on August 6, 2019August 4, 201924 Comments

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl)! Today’s topic is supposed to be “Cover Redesigns I Loved/Hated,” but to be honest, I can’t even think of ten cover redesigns, so we’re just going to list a few cover redesigns and then talk about covers that I love or hate. So here we go!

I do like the redesigned covers for The Mortal Instruments better than I like the original covers (although I really like the original cover to The Shadowhunter’s Codex). The first ones weren’t really all that pleasing to me.

I like the new cover to Flame in the Mist better than the original as well. I think the colors are more aesthetically pleasing, and I’m not sure what the bird from the original cover has to do with the story.

I love the cover to Wicked Fox! It hasn’t been redesigned or anything, but it was the cover that drew me into this book to begin with. The title was just okay for me, but once I saw this cover, I knew I had to read it!

I’m probably alone here, but I think the Shatter Me covers are creepy. I’m not a big fan of the eyes. Sorry. I wouldn’t mind a redesign of these covers with something other than eyes.

They redesigned the American Panda cover for paperback… and I’m just not feeling it. I like the original hardback cover pictured here. I like the model’s angle with her holding the frothy beverage… it makes me think of winter, so maybe that’s why they redid it, but I like this one better.

I’m not a big fan of the Divergent movie tie-in covers either. I prefer the original covers with the flame.

I guess I’m talking about redesigns more than I thought I would today. I really like the original US version of The Kiss Quotient. I don’t really care for the UK cover with the heart. “You had me at math” was why I decided to give this book a try, and the whole division sign on the front added to my love for this cover.

I really like the cover to Rebel with the butterfly and the riot of chalk dust. I don’t know how I’d feel if they re-designed the original trilogy to match this one, but this one is nice the way it is.

There is a redesigned cover for Blood Heir going around, and I’m not sure if they’re planning on using the original cover (pictured here) or the other cover, but I prefer this cover. The publishers and author decided to push back the release date after there was a little bit of controversy, but I don’t see why it would have warranted a new cover, IMO.

I love the cover for Of Curses and Kisses as well. It’s a little hard to see at this size, but I absolutely love the detail on Jaya’s shoes and the detail in the lettering. This is supposed to be a trilogy so I’m looking forward to three of these adorable illustrated covers!

So that’s my Top Ten Tuesday about book covers! What covers do you love or hate? I’m looking forward to seeing what everybody else has to say!

Start Here

By Brookelorren on August 5, 2019August 1, 20191 Comment

I recently read Start Here by Trish Doller. It is a beautiful story about a trio of friends: Willa, Taylor, and Finley. Years ago, when Finley was healthy, they made a pact to sail from their home in Ohio to Key West, Florida after graduation. Only problem is, Finley, the glue that held their relationship together, died. Willa and Finley decide to take the trip anyway, but it’s not the same. I have to thank Netgalley and Simon Pulse for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy.

As they leave for their journey, Willa and Taylor are skeptical that they’ll have a good time. Without Finley, they don’t really have a lot in common. Taylor doesn’t enjoy sailing, and Willa still remembers hurtful comments that Taylor made years ago. The only thing that binds them together is their mutual grief. Somehow, they have to make this work.

This was a really sweet book. Along the journey, the two young ladies grow as people and discover things about themselves. They learn how to live in a world without their friend, and discover the next steps they want to take with their lives. The journey is challenging — but they come out better people on the other end. And it was a delight to read about.

Even though this story deals with the death of a loved one, it’s not a sad book. I did cry — when I read the first chapter and the last page of the book. Although Willa and Taylor went through a wide range of experiences on their journey, they didn’t leave me ugly crying.

The background to this book was amazing. I enjoyed virtually traveling with the two as they sailed down the coast and stopped to enjoy the sights along the way. Although I have sailed (in a frigate) from San Diego to places like Hawaii and Portland and the Caribbean and back, I’ve never sailed the route they took, and I enjoyed experiencing it with them.

Although there is a little bit of romance along the way, it isn’t the focal point in the story. The book leaves it fairly open-ended as to how those stories end.

I won’t tell you how the story ends, only that it does end towards the end of the summer, when the responsibilities of life after graduation tend to beckon. In that small sliver of life between high school and college, our futures are ambiguous. I will say that it left me in tears, but not because it left me disappointed. This book is a great book for reading during the summer, or at other times of the year if you just need a book that brings you summer vibes.

ABC Book Challenge – E

By Brookelorren on August 4, 2019August 3, 20192 Comments

Hello, and welcome to the fifth week of the ABC Book Challenge, where I point out books I liked and books I’m looking forward to that begin with a certain letter of the alphabet. I found this over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by Thrifty Bibliophile. There are actually more E books than I thought there would be.

It’s been a while since I talked about Echoes by Alice Reeds, but I really loved it and couldn’t put it down. She has said that there should be another book in this series, called Fissures, which I think is supposed to come out in 2020? I don’t know for sure because there’s no information on Goodreads. I do know that I definitely would want to read it.

I really liked The End series (which started with Edge of Apocalypse) by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall. I don’t know if I ever read the last book though. The Left Behind series might have been Tim LaHaye’s most famous book series, but I think these were written better.

I haven’t read Eliza and Her Monsters yet, but every time I hear about it I want to. Eliza reminds me a little bit of Cath from Fangirl, and I loved that book. Being a writer myself (and one that has a hard time talking to people in person) I think I can relate to a creative type who has an easier time with her online creations than in the real world.

I haven’t read An Ember in the Ashes since A Reaper at the Gates came out last summer. I read all three of the already-released books in one week. And now… I have to wait even longer for book four. This is a series that I’ll definitely want to reread before the next book comes out.

I absolutely LOVED Enchantée by Gita Trelease! It was my favorite book that I read last year (I was lucky enough to get an ARC). For me, the writing had a sort of magic to it. I almost called in late to work so I could finish it.

So this is the third week that I’ve featured one of Veronica Roth’s books, but I’m excited about October 1st coming up. That’s less than two months away now!!! I have three books pre-ordered for that date: The End and Other Beginnings, Rebel, and Ninth House. Then there’s two other books that come out that day that I intend to read, Shadow Frost, and Fountains of Silence, but I’ll be reading those as ARCs.

There are a couple other E books that I’m leaving out today, but for a book that I don’t use at the beginning of words a lot, E is sure a popular letter for book titles! At least the ones I’m interested in. Looking ahead, there are actually quite a few F books too, but I’ll save them for next week.

Why I’m Weird Book Tag

By Brookelorren on August 3, 2019August 3, 20198 Comments

Today I’m doing the Why I’m Weird book tag. I spotted it over at Feed Your Fiction Addiction, but it was started by Dellybird. All you have to do for this tag is name ten weird things about yourself.

“Why I am Weird” Tag rules

List ten weird things about yourself, your life or silly habits that you wouldn’t normally share.
Tag up to ten people so you can get to know them better.
Link back to the person who tagged you & the creator
Comment on the posts of people you tagged!

1. I almost never watch television or movies. I probably haven’t watched anything that my husband or kids haven’t dragged me to since the Olympics in Pyeongchang two years ago. I really love the Olympics though. We don’t have cable anymore because we never watch TV, but I do subscribe to live TV for one month every other year to watch the Olympics.

2. I met my husband over the internet. That might not be weird now, but it was pretty much unheard of back in the day. We met before Google was founded. I’m really thankful for the internet, because guys were never really interested in me. I’ve only gone out with one guy that I didn’t meet on the internet.

3. My boy and I have our own language, called the ooo language. There are a few rules and exceptions to it, but I call him “Tanoo” and I’m “Mamoo”. And then you can say “I love ooo”.

4. I love languages in general, and have a lot of flags behind my name in Duolingo. I’m only literate in a few, but I don’t even know how many languages I can say a few things in. I sometimes sprinkle in words from other languages in conversations with my kids. Everyone in my family speaks multiple languages. My boy speaks some Japanese and can count to 59 in Korean.

5. I don’t drink coffee. I tried it once and thought it was disgusting, and didn’t see the point afterwards. I do drink unsweetened tea though.

6. I don’t like most condiments, like ketchup or mustard, either. The same holds true for relish, pickles, and tomatoes (although I’m cool with tomato sauce). Unless it’s a barbecue burger or something like that, I usually get my burgers plain.

7. I’m triggered by doorbells and babies. The doorbell thing stems from a year ago, when we had a police visit due to a family issue. Now unless I’m expecting it, a part of me is afraid they might be stopping by. The baby thing is due to secondary infertility. If I ignore babies, I’m usually okay though.

8. I hate shopping. Unless it’s books. When I do have to buy something, I usually know exactly what I’m looking for and will come home empty-handed if I don’t find it. Even with books, I know exactly what I want.

9. I get anxious talking on the phone. Especially with strangers or people I don’t know very well. The other day I drove a half hour to ask a question in person rather than making a phone call.

10. I get cold really easily. When we were in Arizona last month, I realized that if I had magical powers I’d be a fire mage, because “the heat never bothered me anyway.” Either that, or a water mage, because I love swimming. Maybe a fire/water mage.

So there’s some weird things about me. What about you? What makes you weird? If you’d like to do this tag, I pick you! I guess my reluctance to tag is another thing that makes me weird. I’m always fearful of leaving someone out or annoying someone else. So, if you do this tag, let me know so I can see it!

A Court of Mist and Fury

By Brookelorren on August 1, 2019August 1, 20196 Comments

I recently read A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. It’s the second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, and I think I enjoyed it better than the first book. Since this is the second book in a series, it may include a few spoilers.

Feyre has survived her ordeal under the mountain, and is now learning how to live as one of the Fey. But now that she’s an immortal, something seems… off. She gets to be with Tamlin, but he seems possessive and controlling. Maybe Feyre doesn’t want to return to the life she once had, where she has to hunt for survival, but she also doesn’t want to be shut away in manor like some fragile doll. Tamlin swears that things will get better, but will they really? She’s about to marry him, the mating bond hasn’t kicked in, and things seem wrong.

On the day of Feyre’s wedding, things seem to fall apart.

There’s a lot that happens in this book. We already knew that Feyre was a strong human, but in A Court of Mist and Fury she learns how to be strong as one of the fey. We get to see more of the world beyond the wall. There are new threats… and new friends. And Feyre’s life is turned upside down yet again.

If you read a lot of book blogs or hang out on book Twitter, it’s hard to avoid all spoilers for this series, but even though I knew of something that was going to happen in this book, I didn’t know how it was going to happen, and I really enjoyed it. I was also quite surprised at other things that occurred in A Court of Mist and Fury. Especially the end.

Even though they are marketed as YA, SJM books are definitely more adult than young. This series is not an exception. But if you are on the adult end of young adult and enjoy fantasy books with fey, I recommend this series and this book.