Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I started this book, then got sidetracked with some e-books and finally came back to this.  Once I got going again, I really enjoyed the story.  This is my first Leigh Bardugo book and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and her next two books, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.  

The world building was amazing and I was immediately sucked in by the beautiful descriptions.

I was especially drawn to the Darkling.  Is he a good guy? Bad guy?  I looked forward to every chapter he was in.  

I wasn't sure where the story was going to go with Mal and Alina but I was pleasantly surprised by their story.  Mal seemed a bit boring through a lot of the book to me but I grew to like him the more I read.  

Alina's story went through many changes.  I especially liked how she came to see herself as beautiful, which is a struggle so many women deal with.  

I've heard a lot of people say they didn't care for this trilogy.  I am new to young adult fantasy and I'm surprised to say I enjoyed it as much as I did and definitely recommend it.

Review: More Happy Than Not

More Happy Than Not is a book everyone must read. It was wonderfully written by Adam Silvera, who I am eagerly awaiting another novel from. 

I went into this book pretty much blindly, because I had heard it hyped so much on booktube. I knew it was one I had to read. So glad that I did! I thought all of the characters were well fleshed out and I had differing opinions of each one. Their personalities were each unique and and highlighted the best and the worst in them all. I loved the story and felt a wide range of emotions through the book; from sadness, shock, heart wrenching heartbreak to happiness. 

The lasting lesson here is we are all born the beautiful unique way we are. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to read this book 10 times over!

~Lisa~

Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I'm not sure if I can even form words to describe what I feel about this book.

First, I am typically not a sci-fi reader.  I've just never been 'into it' and the genre didn't hold my attention.  Evidently, I wasn't reading the right books.

I saw this book originally all over booktube and loved the format of the book itself.  It's made up of emails, IM's, pictures, drawings, charts, etc.  Just seemed intriguing to me.  So I went ahead and bought it.  I started it a month or two ago, then put it down because I was struggling to concentrate on it.  Whether that was from my own mind wandering about the stresses of daily life, or that the book was not reeling me in right away, I'm not sure, but I'm glad I picked it back up.

Characters:  I loved Kady and her bold personality won me over.  Ezra could be a bit annoying at times but he quickly grew on me.  If I must surrender to using OTP, well...Kady and Ezra are it.  I even began to enjoy AIDAN as the story went on.

Plot: It took me a bit to get into everything going on, what with the technical names and different worlds, etc but once I got it all down..there was nothing about the plot of this book I didn't like.  Also, just when I thought they couldn't go anywhere else with the story they hadn't already been...they did..and never disappointed me for a minute.

World Building: While there didn't seem to be a massive amount of world building at the beginning where the story begins, there was plenty of it later in the book on the 'ships' themselves.  There are several charts and drawings showing the different ships and where certain areas and people are located which helps to envision everything better.

This book will be a reread and have a permanent home on my shelves.

I have Gemina, the sequel, preordered and it is due to come out October 18th.  Can't wait to get it!

Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Lisa~

The Reader Confession Tag

I saw this tag on mybookishdream and although I wasn't tagged, I thought I would do it. 😊
Have you ever damaged a book?
I always try to take care of my books.  I think the only time I have damaged a book is when a glass of water was spilled on one.  I don't remember what the name of the book was because it happened so long ago.  I frequently buy used books and have noticed many books with rain/water damage but it never stops me from getting them.  It adds to the charm. 😋

Have you ever damaged a borrowed book?
Rarely do I borrow books, but never have I damaged any that I have borrowed.

How long does it take you to read a book?
This really depends on how into the book I am.  If I'm struggling thru it obviously it will take me longer but lately I've been flying through them, atleast for me!  Lately I've been reading one book every 2-3 days.

Books that I haven't finished?
There's been several over my lifetime, I'm sure, but lately it's been Ripple by Heather Smith Maloche.

Hyped/Popular books you didn't like?
This is going to be hard to find an answer for because I have bought so many hyped books lately, but haven't gotten around to reading them yet.  One series I can think of is Divergent...

Is there a book you wouldn't tell anyone you were reading?
No, not really..maybe if I was reading a Harlequin romance but I'm not into those so....

How many books do you own?
Well over 1000.  I'm a bit of a book hoarder.  I want to read them all, it's just finding the time! I will do it though!

Are you a fast reader or a slow reader?
It depends on what's going on.  If I can get somewhere where it's quiet and no distractions, I can get a book of about 200-300 pages read in a night but with a 10 year old and a household to take care of, that usually doesn't happen.

Do you like to buddy read?
I've never done it!  I would think it would be fun as long as it was laid back.

Do you read better in your head or out loud?
In my head.

If you were only allowed to own one book, what would it be and why?
This is a new find... A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  This book has helped me with healing after my father's death.

I won't tag anyone because I am new to this but anyone who would like to, feel free!
Thanks for reading!
~Lisa~

What I Love...

...is READING!  I've been an avid reader since I was a child. I love books, being around them, real f them, buying them, talking about them and even the smell of them! 😊 I've had lots of life changes since I was here last and reading has always been a calm in the storm. I look forward to discussing what I'm reading, reviewing books and anything else that pertains to my live of reading.

If you happen to be reading this, thank you for taking the time and I look forward to starting this new journey!

Lisa~