The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman! Any book with the word library in the title is going to catch my attention, so I began reading with anticipation of awesomeness. Irene is part of a group of librarians who save literary works from everywhere – even alternate realms. The librarians search for library books and steal them to take to the Invisible Library. The books Irene searches for are important to language in some way and must be preserved. She is searching for Grimm’s Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm in this book. Invisible library workers travel throughout the world, throughout history and as I already mentioned, to alternate realities. The story shows true creative imagination through its details. A fantasy fiction with a bit of steampunk, this world contains dragons, vampires, library magic, much intrigue and (eww) skin in a jar – 4 stars for uniqueness!

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley, Disney Book Group and Marvel Press for the opportunity to read and review Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl. This first book in the Black Widow series by Margaret Stohl brings to light Natasha Romanoff’s background, which was a lot darker than I would have guessed. Many surprises await as the story unfolds with heroines and heroes. I enjoyed the Russian dialogue and translations, as well as the humor that goes along with Marvel Avengers. A fun read for anyone wanting adventure with a touch of super hero added – 4 stars!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Marina dies after giving birth to Vasya, who is supposed to be special and mysterious in the same way Marina’s mother was. Years later, when Vasya is a young girl, she wanders into the forest and gets lost. She meets two strangers. The first one is told to sleep by the second man. Vasya bolts and is found by her brother, Sasha. Vasya’s father decides to find a new wife so Vasya can have a mother to raise her. Pyotr returns from Moscow with his new wife, Anna. Anna sees strangers just as Vasya does, but she treats Vasya cruelly even though they have this in common. Vasya’s nurse, Dunya, loves Vasya unconditionally. When Dunya dies, Vasya asks for the help of her brother Alyosha. Alyosha truly believes Vasya and helps her to rid the village of evil. After Vasya was threatened with being sent to a convent, Anna bargains with her. If Vasya will venture into the frozen woods and gather snowdrop flowers for Anna’s daughter, Irina, then Anna will let Vasya stay home. While Vasya is in the woods, she’s saved and taken by the stranger, Morozko the Frost Demon, on the white horse. Set in the Russian wilderness and based on Russian history and folklore, this debut novel is beautifully written and imagined. I give it 5 stars because this is the perfect book to read in the middle of a snowy winter.

A Bend in the Willow by Susan Clayton-Goldner

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to the author’s request for me to read and review A Bend in the Willow by Susan Clayton-Goldner! Maya Angelou opens the story with her quote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Robin Lee changed her name to Catherine years ago to escape her painful past, but her husband knows nothing about her past experiences. She fabricated a life story. Their son Michael is in an accident on his fifth birthday and while assessing his health, the doctor finds leukemia. The only hope he has for recovery is a bone marrow transplant from a matching relative. Catherine goes to her hometown and faces her past head on. She meets her brother Kyle and he doesn’t believe that she’s Robin Lee. She approached him too abruptly about her son instead of first trying to ease the pain from their past. The past keeps blowing up in her face and she struggles, and so do her family members, with trying to take care of Michael. The innocence of children brought tears to my eyes and this story is tragic and beautiful at the same time – 5 stars – for this adult realistic fiction novel with kudos to perseverance and unconditional love and compassion!

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett! Hawthorn’s personality makes the story comical, despite the dreary undertone. She’s blunt and practical and sometimes she can’t understand people’s reactions and the circumstances. Other times, Hawthorn feels like people are just ridiculous when all she is trying to do is understand the situation. Hawthorn loves to analyze logically and that is how she looks at the world. Hawthorn matures as the story unfolds and she has many different experiences and meets and gets acquainted with new people. The story has an overall depressing feeling, but as the reader I am supposed to learn from it. I did learn to not make assumptions and to keep my chin up because today doesn’t mean the end. I give this very unique book a 4 star rating!

Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley! Myra travels to a health clinic in Haiti with her mother and a group of Americans. Myra is of Pakistani heritage and her mother is a doctor. Her mother expects Myra to become a doctor also, but she wants to be a photographer instead. Myra’s looking for the perfect photo to submit to a scholarship contest. With the help of the Haitian translator, Elias, Myra discovers the beauty of Haiti and learns more about herself and her mother than she could have ever realized on her own. The author’s personal connections with the Haiti setting and the Haitian culture and language make the story an interesting and unique realistic fiction – 4 stars!

Journey to the Rift by Cathi Shaw

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours and Ink Smith Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Journey to the Rift by Cathi Shaw! Brijit attends an all girl school and her two best friends accidentally overhear a mysterious and dangerous conversation involving her. Brijit and Weylon, from an all boy school, will travel to the Rift and fulfill a prophecy. None of the three friends know anything about the Rift or the prophecy, but they do know that Brijit has something to do with both. Brijit and Weylon both learn that the adults they have most trusted are hiding things from them and some of the adults may not be trustworthy at all. The story is great and I love the whole plot! As the story progresses, the characters develop and the plot comes together more smoothly. This is the first book in the Coimirceoiri: Guardians of the Marked Ones series and it alludes to much more adventure and intrigue in the books to come. 4 stars!

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and All Night Reads for the opportunity to read and review Anathema by Megg Jensen! Reychel is a slave turning fifteen, the birthday when slaves are branded. Her friend Ivy was gone before Reychel woke up and in Ivy’s place was an Anathema token. The Anathema supposedly kidnap slaves, but no one is sure why. Reychel is rescued and reunited with Ivy. She discovers that some people are gifted and learns much more about her world than she could have ever imagined. The characters are a bit choppy but the storyline is interesting and unique – 3.5 stars! I want to read the next two books in the Cloud Prophet trilogy to see if the writing becomes smoother.

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley! The book opens with an excerpt from “The Fight with the Dragon” by Friedrich von Schiller, translated by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton 1852. I found the excerpt and its implications to the story interesting. The area has been attacked by hostiles, as the warning siren is telling the city. The students and teachers at the school are heading to the shelter. Maia sees a terrified young girl under a jeep. Maia feels the need to save her, since she is now an effigy and has been for forty-eight hours. That’s when an Effigy mentor died and Maia took her place. There can only be four effigies at a time. Earth, fire, ice and wind are the four effigies at a time. When Maia meets Saul, I was instantly intrigued by his silver hair and mysterious ring. There’s more to Saul and his ring than Maia realizes. The Effigies are a type of super hero with flaws and attributes just like regular people. The mystery goes beyond someone just being a villain. The plot is intense, interesting and full of twists. I give 4 stars for this science fiction adventure!