Books and Writing - Book Reviews #3: Opinions are valued - Page 15

**BehrItAll** · 05-13-2022, 09:03 PM

Oh no! Not what James wants to hear

**LilMouse** · 05-14-2022, 12:20 PM

He can cry into his millions.

**LilMouse** · 06-02-2022, 09:53 AM

goodreads

I decided not to finish this one at chapter 2 / page 45.

I started it on May 17th and now it's June 2nd and to be in only chapter 2 / page 45...I consider that terrible progress. I was trudging along, sometimes feeling like reading a simple 5 pages was a chore. It's chapter 2 and the party still has not started. I feel like there's been no progress made in the story and everything is still being set up.

The prose is fine and there is some witty humor, but it's not enough for me to keep going.

I read spoilers on goodreads that the book ends up switching genres. One person said the uninvited guests equal zombies. Another one said it's ghosts. Either option could be interesting. I am not opposed to fantastical/horror creatures, and yet I don't care enough to keep slogging through the beginning to get to the party. Plus, the reviewers say the uninvited guests barely get featured. The book is more about how horrible the family is and that's not appealing to me

The only other thing I'd be interested in is how the family saves their manor house, but again I don't care enough to slog.

**BehrItAll** · 06-04-2022, 07:15 PM

Good decision.

Good thing for Goodreads so you get some spoilers and know it's not worth going on.

**LilMouse** · 06-05-2022, 01:40 PM

and it reminded me of when I took that creative writing class in college and everyone wrote a zombie story

**BehrItAll** · 06-05-2022, 07:15 PM

Oh no! That isn't good.

The Deepest Blue
(The Queens of Renthia)
by Sarah Beth Durst

Quote:

The natural magic of the classic The Island of the Blue Dolphins meets the danger and courage of The Hunger Games in this dazzling, intricate stand-alone fantasy novel set in award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst’s beloved world of Renthia.

Life is precious and precarious on the islands of Belene. Besieged by a capricious ocean full of malicious spirits, the people of the islands seek joy where they can. Mayara, one of the island’s fearless oyster divers, has found happiness in love. But on the day of her wedding to the artist Kelo, a spirit-driven storm hits the island with deadly force.

To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits. When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen’s soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her.

They vary in age and social status, but to many they are heroes who will aide the country or witches that will sacrifice themselves trying. No matter who they are, the women are sent to a terrifying place—an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.

Since I just finished the Queens of Renthia trilogy I thought I would waste no time and just jump into this side story. It was great to see how others in Renthia live and to see Belene's different culture, politics and how they handle the spirits of the realm.

I really can't say if you can just jump into this story without reading the Queens of Renthia trilogy first. I would really recommend it though, because there's a lot of world building established in the trilogy and I felt there was little explanation of the world and the history between the humans and the spirits in The Deepest Blue.

There is a bit of a Hunger Games aspect, but with a twist and turn. It's definitely it's own story and I feel the comparison is very weak.

I really appreciated that Mayara is a young woman and already married. Instead of ending with a wedding, it starts with one.

I also liked the sisterly dynamic of the women working together instead of cattiness. Not to say that there aren't villains and antagonists that the heroines are up against. I just liked the message that working together was better than going at it alone. It's also a good underdog story. Mayara is not the most powerful one to control the spirits but she and Roe find what they are good at, they build those skills and work as a team to survive.

The subplot between the Queen and the Families was also interesting. I liked the plan that Queen Asana, Lady Garnahna and Kelo enacted to shift the power structure. Kelo and Lady Garnah (Garnah entertained the reader in the trilogy) break the tension with some dark humor. I enjoyed their shenanigans.

The ending was bittersweet but I also liked that it tied things up. It was a good standalone and I wouldn't mind reading more stand-alone stories in this realm.

Favorite Quotes:
Page 282: Behind them, in the distance, the island of Olaku looked as if it had been swallowed in mist and foam. It was the spirits, she knew, churning up the sea, but it felt as if her island had been erased, smudged out of existence like a smear of paint on a canvas. (What I love about that quote, besides the imagery, is that it fits perfectly since Mayara's husband, Kelo, is an artist.)

Page 173: "No amount of careful would have been enough. We have to focus on what we can do, not what we wish we could."

Page 217: Have it your way. I'm happy to hear it's not just about your 'artistic integrity.'"
"That's important too," Kelo said. "If I betray my art, I betray my soul."
"You really spew a lot of bull**** for one so handsome."

4.5 out of 5 Leviathans

**LilMouse** · 06-06-2022, 10:24 AM

I love standalones /side stories

**BehrItAll** · 06-08-2022, 09:26 PM

Yea, because sometimes a whole new series is just too much to invest in.

**LilMouse** · 06-09-2022, 10:26 AM

It would be a good Tuesday freebie to list series you want to have standalone side stories

**BehrItAll** · 06-09-2022, 08:41 PM

That is... I do read many series.

I have to search for this week's TTT.

**LilMouse** · 06-10-2022, 01:48 PM

I should make a note so I don't forget the topic

I'll do that this weekend

**BehrItAll** · 06-11-2022, 07:21 PM

Herbie
By: Rich Cohen
Narrated by: Rich Cohen
Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
Original Recording Audiobook

Quote:

Every life reaches that crucial intersection, the place where you must choose your fate, or have it chosen for you. For best-selling author Rich Cohen (The Fish That Ate the Whale, The Last Pirate of New York), it came in a writing workshop senior year in college, when, at 17, he had to knuckle under to a ruthless professor or make a righteous, self-defeating stand.

The story of that decision and the resulting struggle takes us from the winter streets of Chicago to the candy-colored bars of New Orleans to the glory of late 20th century Manhattan, while raising certain fundamental questions: What’s the difference between constructive and destructive criticism? What can a father do to help his child and when has he gone too far? Is it worth telling a bully to f--k off even if it may determine the direction of the rest of your life?

You will meet indelible characters along the way, especially Herbie, the author’s father (author of the classic business book You Can Negotiate Anything) who wears two watches, one on each wrist, because, as he says, "A man with one watch thinks he knows the time, while a man with two watches can never be sure."

At once funny and serious, this story is perfect for any parent wanting to help their kids find their way in the world, or for any kid who just wants to be free.

©2019 Rich Cohen (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

This was free on Audible and I’m just making my way through the short audiobooks in my library.

I had never heard of this author or his dad. I do know who Larry King is.

It was funny and an entertaining short listen.

But I don’t think the professor was wrong. His method was. He was a bully. But culling bad writers who are too sensitive to take criticism is kind of his job. Just be more constructive and less of an a-hole.

His dad though, that’s the kind of obsession we need at school board meetings.

3 out of 5 Essays.

**BehrItAll** · 06-12-2022, 07:44 AM

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Quote:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

I remember this being heavily promoted at one of the Book Cons I went to. It had to have been in 2014. But I didn't purchase it until July 2018. And it's been on my TBR ever since.

I recently took a weekend trip to Massachusetts and thought to keep a theme with my reading so I finally read it.

I loved that it had short chapters. It's a really fast read. A mysterious page turner. It can be very, very cryptic. Sometimes I would get frustrated with how cryptic and manipulative all the characters were behaving. BUT, it all makes sense in the end. I am still annoyed by their manipulations.

At many points I was getting so suspicious of everyone and didn't trust anything. I thought everyone was an unreliable narrator. And then I suspected that something supernatural was going on, but I wasn't sure what it was. I totally liked the twist. And when it was revealed I went back to reread parts that were strange and then it all made sense.

The prose is a bit unusual too with the short, repetitive, fragmented sentences. However it works because it sets the tone for Cadence's memory loss.

I loved the bonus material from the author. We got to see Lockhart's notes, her book proposal and a mini epilogue. Although, I have to say, as bittersweet as it was, the epilogue I would have liked would show us what happened to the family after the grandfather’s death. Just a minor critique.

I really enjoyed this story. It made me think, made me sad, and sometimes it made me laugh.

4.5 out of 5 Chocolate Fudge

**LilMouse** · 06-12-2022, 11:35 AM

I shouldn't read that until after I read it.

**BehrItAll** · 06-12-2022, 01:31 PM

Yea, I tried to keep it spoiler free. But maybe it gives hints?

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