Book Reviews

  • Long Live Evil

    Long Live Evil

    Author:
    Sarah Rees Brennan
    Rating:
    4.75
    / 5
    Formats:

    Favorite Quote
    “An anti-hero was just a villain with good PR”

    My thoughts
    I really enjoyed this, but it so long! I did like being able to read an isekai that was a little different than the norm. I really liked the characters, and the story was a very easy read. I would be interested in reading a sequel if there is one in the future. And if it’s as long as this one, I’ll definitely be prepared. I’d recommend this to anyone that likes isekai anime or manga and would like to see something similar but set in contemporary Europe with a jump to a fantasy novel setting.  

  • Man Goat & the Bunnyman

    Man Goat & the Bunnyman

    Author:
    Joe Brusha
    Rating:
    5
    / 5
    Formats: ,

    Favorite Quote
    “What I said about not crapping pellets…I lied.”

    My thoughts
    It’s the story of two cryptids that take care of all the evil stuff for us humans so we can have a normal life. It’s like Vemon, but instead of a human / symbiote relationship, it’s a buddy comedy with a Man Goat and a Bunnyman. Really glad I backed the Kickstarter cause I’m looking forward to book 2.

  • Undiscovered Country Vol. 5: Bounty

    Undiscovered Country Vol. 5: Bounty

    Author:
    Scott Snyder
    Rating:
    5
    / 5
    Formats: ,

    Favorite Quote
    “You’ve seen the other zones. Each is a disaster of its own making. This experiment, this America, it’s a failure.”

    My thoughts
    I’ve been waiting for this one! We’re now in Zone Bounty of the United States in Undiscovered Country Vol 5. But this land of plenty, much like the other zones in America, holds a dark secret behind the happiness of its citizens. I really enjoyed this volume. Like the others, it shows how one person sought to “fix” the world, but learned it’s unfixable with their path. I honestly can’t wait for Vol 6. Not sure if it will be the final volume, but it will definitely be well worth the wait!

  • A Haunting on the Hill

    A Haunting on the Hill

    Author:
    Elizabeth Hand
    Rating:
    3.5
    / 5
    Formats:

    Favorite Quote
    “Some call me witch, and through their hatred they’ve taught me how to be one…”

    My thoughts
    More like 3.5 stars. This was a really good book, but I felt it was super long! I enjoyed the buildup for the characters and the callbacks to Shirley Jackson’s book. It was just a little too long for me. I would recommend this book to anyone that’s a fan of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. There are a lot of references to the original and I think fans will like the call backs this official sequel has as part of the plot.

  • Northanger Abbey

    Northanger Abbey

    Author:
    Jane Austen (ebook), Nancy Butler (graphic novel)
    Rating:
    4
    / 5
    Formats: ,

    Favorite Quote
    “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

    My thoughts
    I had this book assigned as one of my required readings for a Fairy Tales and Folklore online course. I asked before I read it if this would be okay to read in place of the print book – sadly the answer was no. But I read so fast, that I ended up reading both with plenty of time to spare, so I’m going to do this as a double review. I did enjoy the book, but I felt the lead in to get all the character to the actual Northanger Abbey took SO LONG! I know it’s Jane Austen and it was the style of the time to focus on good manners in society, but WOW did it take a while to get to the good stuff! I did like how both books emphasized the main character’s habit of using her wild imagination to jump to conclusions about what was going on at Northanger Abbey. And I really loved how the graphic novel showed her annoyance at some of the other character’s behavior while still trying to be polite. Overall, both books were great reads and were very enjoyable. I just had to give it 4 stars because the lead-in was so long. I would recommend this to any Jane Austen fan or fans or classic retellings in graphic novel format.

  • We Sold Our Souls

    We Sold Our Souls

    Author:
    Grady Hendrix
    Rating:
    4
    / 5
    Formats: ,

    Favorite Quote
    “A girl with a guitar never has to apologize for anything.”

    My thoughts
    I was really excited to get a hold of this book! I’ve been trying to find and buy all of Grady Hendrix’s books ever since I read Horrorstor and fell in love with his work. And I really wanted to give this one 5 stars, but the pacing of it just felt off compared to his other works that I had to drop it down to 4 stars. I think the flash-back scenes sometimes felt like they were shoehorned into the story at points. And the addition of the waitress character, that wasn’t a main character but ended up being important to the story later on, felt a little off. I guess it was good to have her backstory in there, so you knew why she was at the end of the story, but I didn’t feel like it was totally needed. I still enjoyed reading this like just like I enjoyed Grady’s other works. I’d recommend this to fans of 1980s and 1990s rock and metal music as well as fans of Grady Hendrix’s other books.

  • Dynasty of Evil – Book 3 of The Darth Bane Series 

    Dynasty of Evil – Book 3 of The Darth Bane Series 

    Author:
    Drew Karpyshyn
    Rating:
    5
    / 5
    Formats:

    Favorite Quote
    “Materialism—an attachment to physical goods beyond their practical value—was a trap; a chain to ensnare the foolish with their own greed.” 

    My thoughts
    It all comes to a close in Book 3! I have to say the action sequences in this one were some of the best ones I’ve read in a long time. I know I wouldn’t be able to easily describe the action needed for a light saber battle so much respect to the author for being able to capture this well. I enjoyed reading the dynamic between the Darth Bane and Darth Zannah, along with a few newcomers in this volume, and how things turned out in the end for everyone. I’d have to say I was very satisfied with the ending and disappointed there were no more books to read in the series! I know the author mentioned he would like to return to writing this story. I’m really hoping he was serious because I would love to see this story continued. Definite recommend for any fan of Star Wars and space operas. 

  • Moonbound

    Moonbound

    Author:
    Robin Sloan
    Rating:
    4
    / 5
    Formats:

    Favorite Quote
    “Inside, crushed in an icy tomb, there was a package of the fuel most favored by the space armies of the Anth, their great delicacy: the pizza roll.” 

    My thoughts
    This wasn’t my favorite Robin Sloan book, but it’s not the worst one either. It’s a sci-fi that takes places in a post-apolyptic world with talking animals, wizards, and a space princess. The pacing was good but didn’t keep my attention like his other works that take place in this time period. But it is a good change up from his regular work. I would give this a try if you’re a fan of dystopian or futuristic novels with a little bit of sci-fi and fantasy mixed together.