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Soul of the Crow: #bookreview

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Soul of the Crow (Reapers of Veltuur, #1)
Soul of the Crow

In Soul of the Crow: Reapers of Veltuur by Jessaca Willis, the King of Oakfall requests that a reaper execute his own daughter, Gem. It is easy to imagine that the underworld in the book is the stuff of nightmares. I picture it as something similar to the underworld of Greek mythology – everything is on fire, darkness for eternity, and creepy trees.

The Prince of Oakfall, Acari, finds out about the his father’s plan to murder Gem. So he takes Gem on the run in order to keep her safe.

The reaper, Sinisa, is not pleased with having the execution thwarted. She sees the execution as business. Sinisa wants to do this one last contract and move on to the next level.

Somewhere while on the run, Acari and Sinisa become friends. Initially, she was going to befriend him and then complete her contract. The contract and the friendship would be done.

Photo by Tom Swinnen on Pexels.com

The crow is interesting. I thought that the crow was Sinisa’s familiar. However, it seems to always be angry with Sinisa and not especially helpful. You will find out why the crow doesn’t like her. It’s a pretty good twist.

If you are interested in beings besides human beings and adventure, then you might enjoy this book. I’m ready for the second volume -book two on Amazon.

If you have a fear of birds, then you might not be crazy about this book. Or you could face your fear head on and read about a grumpy crow. FYI: Fear of birds is also called Ornithophobia.

*I was asked to read this book by the author. She did send me the ebook but I bought it anyway. There were many errors on my part. Everything is fine now.

Book review, Books

10 Books on the #AlreadyRead List. Part 11

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Goodreads

  1. Heart of the Matter.
  2. Heavy Tales.
  3. The Help. Definitely worth reading. Is it better than the movie? I haven’t seen the movie. I do love Viola Davis.
  4. Her Dear & Loving Husband.
  5. Here on Earth. I liked the book at the time of reading. However, I’m not sure if I could read it again after being through a toxic relationship.
  6. Hidden.
  7. Princess of the Infinite.
  8. The Hobbit. How did this get on the list? I am positive that I have never read this book. I could never make it through the first chapter. Never. Love the movie. If you have read the book and seen the movie, what are your opinions?
  9. How Not to Die Alone.
  10. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Book review, Books

White Like Her: #bookreview

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White Like Her

Has anyone been surprised by their DNA results?

In White Like Her, Gail Lukasik, Ph.D. learned that her mother was not who she seemed to be. For many years, her mother had been passing as a Caucasian although she was an African American.

What would you do? Would you choose a life with better options even if you had to stay away from your family?

The mother did not want to discuss they why or hows of the situation. Lukasik promised to not reveal the secret. After her mother died, Lukasik had the opportunity to go on the Genealogy Roadshow and learn more about her mother’s family.

Even after the show aired, Lukasik and a few other people kept up with the research. They didn’t solve every mystery but they did learn quite a bit.

The author does get to meet cousins from her mother’s side of the family. She does feel conflicted about revealing her mother’s secret but in the end I think she was glad to have the secrets out in the open.

Proud Boys and other white supremacists will not enjoy this book. You can’t buy good taste though. So keep reading books that will open your mind and that you can learn something from.

In the foreword by Kenyatta Berry, JD writes “These are the questions that White Like Her raises that will help us as a nation continue the discussion about racial identity. “

If you are interested in genealogy or racial identity, then you will find this book to be especially fascinating. There are also a few videos about the story on YouTube. I will never regret telling everyone to read White Like Her.

Book review, Books

The Inheritance Games: #bookreview

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The Inheritance Games

Imagine being relatively poor and struggling to get ahead in life and in the next breath you’ve inherited a sizeable fortune from the Rockefeller family.

One day Avery Grambs was living with her sister, Libby, and the sister’s abusive boyfriend, Drake. Then practically the next day, Avery has inherited a palatial estate and the fortune of Tobias Hawthorne, who is a stranger to her. The only stipulation is that she has to live in the mansion for one year. Of course, Avery will be sharing the house with all of the people that did not get what the fortune that they wanted. All of them are the enemy for the next year.

Avery is very bright but unaccustomed to having wealth or the whole world following her every move. She doesn’t have that many people in her life that are trustworthy.

The most interesting character, Emily, is already deceased by the time Avery moves to the Hawthorne estate. She was dating two of the Hawthorne grandsons and was a bit of a risk-taker. We don’t know if Emily was killed or died of natural causes until the end.

Avery spends a lot of time trying to figure out the mysteries of Hawthorne House. How does Tobias Hawthorne know her? Why did he leave her an interitance?

I thought that this book would be predictable. However, there’s enough mystery and a puzzle around every corner to keep it interesting.

If you like mystery, drama, and puzzles then you will probably enjoy The Inheritance Games.

If you would rather read a boring book about boring people, then this might not be the book for you.

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  • I received this ebook from the author and NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. This blog is part of The Write Reads Blog Tour.
Book review, Books

The Harpy: #bookreview

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The Harpy

The Harpy by Megan Hunter is set in a pretty typical town. Lucy and Jake live in a nice home with their two sons. Lucy is a stay-at-home mom while Jake works at an office. Their life is nice and comfortable. It could be wrapped up in a nice gift box with a lovely bow.

Then one day Lucy receives the news that her husband is having an affair with a co-worker. She doesn’t know what to do except cry and be angry. Finally, Lucy decides to give Jake another chance.

They come up with this deal that she is allowed to hurt him three times in whatever way that she wants. People say that sort of thing during in an argument. What are the statistics on following through with inflicting pain on someone that has caused you pain? I guess that why there are so many shows like Snapped and Forensic Files.

So things are going alright for awhile. Definitely not perfect but they are trying to make the relationship work.

In between thinking about the relationship and taking care of her kids, Lucy remembers her fascination with Harpies. A Harpy is a half-bird, half-human creature. The most accurate description of them is that they are agents of punishment.

Anyway, Lucy discovers that Jake cannot be trusted. So she may have turned into Harpy – either in her mind or in a physical way. Lucy seems happy in this form. Maybe she feels free because this is her true nature – an evil, vicious bird. It may not work for everyone but maybe it will work for her. I hope she finds someone to take care of her kids while she’s off finding her true Harpyness.

If you are looking for a good book with plenty of drama and Harpies, then The Harpy should be the next book on your list.

If you are a cheater or have a fear of birds, also known as ornithophobia, then you have other problems that you should attend to first.

  • I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Book review, Books, lgbtqia, Social Issues

The Less than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch: #bookreview

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51886460-the-less-than-spectacular-times-of-henry-milch
Amazon

The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton is set in Wyandot County in Michgan. There used to be a Wyandot County but it became Cheboygan County in 1853. It seems funny to hear the author refer to the area as the Northern Lower Michigan. It’s accurate. People always forget about the Upper Peninsula.

Henry Milch has recently moved to Michigan from Hollywood, California in order to live with his grandma. Henry had a choice between living with Nana Cole or going to rehab after an overdose. He’s still a drug addict and not always completely honest with anyone. He wants everyone to call him “Mooch” but it doesn’t stick. It’s a horrible nickname. Who really wants to be called “Mooch?”

Henry finds the body of Sammy Hart while working for a local land conservancy. There’s a reward offered for information about Sammy’s death. Henry’s motivation for finding Sammy’s killer is greed. He wants the money so he can move back to Hollywood.

Sammy was an interesting person while he was alive. He was an openly gay man living in a conservative area of Michigan. Unfortunately for Henry, the first gay person in the area that he meets is also deceased. Henry is also gay. He has only told a handful of people in Michigan.

Henry finds out everything he can about Sammy. Who would want to kill him? Was it because he was gay or was there another reason? Henry is really hoping that he solves the case before anyone else. Nothing is more important to Henry than getting out of Michigan.

If you are looking for an interesting LGBTQIA murder mystery, then The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch is a good match.

If you’re close-minded about everything LGBTQIA, then you should start reading articles or books about how to not be a bigot. Come back to the book at a later time.

Links for Tolerance articles:

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/59nz5z/how-to-deal-with-friends-family-who-are-racist-sexist-or-bigoted

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/speak-up/six-steps-to-speak-up

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/07/how-not-to-be-a-bigot/

  • I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Book review, Books

Shamus Dust: #bookreview

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https://www.amazon.com/Shamus-Dust-Hard-Winter-Murder-ebook/dp/B07VV4SLHP

Shamus Dust by Janet Rogers is set in London during Christmas of 1947. The people of London were still rebuilding after World War II.

The main character’s name is not Shamus Dust. Shamus is a term for a private investigator. Mr. Newman has been hired by Councilor Drake to look into the murder of Raymond Jarrett. It’s not too long before the body count starts to rise. Trust me when I say, it’s all connected. I think that there is even a line in the book about everything in life being connected.

There was a possible witness to the first murder. Nurse Greer was the one who found the first body and called the police. Newman seems to find her intriguing. Maybe that’s why I thought she was interesting. She was hiding at least one secret. Mystery is very often alluring.

Newman has quite a journey to discover the truth. If I had been smarter, I would have written a chart so I could keep track of who was responsible for what crime.

I did enjoy the book but sometimes it was difficult to keep track of the characters. Don’t hold it against the author or the book – it’s probably a personal problem of my own. The problem is probably that I need a nap. Newman hardly ever sleeps so I want to sleep on his behalf.

If you are a fan of mysteries or crime noir, then you will more than likely enjoy Shamus Dust.

If you don’t need more mystery in your life, then shelve this book until you do.

Book review, Books

The Body Double: #bookreview

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The Body Double

The Body Double by Emily Beyda begins in an unnamed small town movie theater but mostly takes place in Hollywood, California.

The narrator doesn’t have a name. She’s been brought to Hollywood in order to be a body double for a famous movie star – both on and off-screen. She spends her time learning everything about Rosanna Feld so that she can become Rosanna. Her only job is to be Rosanna. She’s paid a lot of money to forget her former life.

Max is the man who hires her to be the body double. He’s a sleazeball but the narrator seems to like him. She’s suspicious of him but she overlooks quite a bit to keep him happy.

She does spend some time trying to figure out what happened to the real Rosanna. In the end, her questions are answered. I won’t give away the ending but it was not what I expected.

If you’re interested in stories about Hollywood and movie stars – the glamour and also the seedy parts- then you will probably enjoy “The Body Double.” The book has been compared to the movie “Vertigo.” I cannot believe that I haven’t seen the movie.

If you aren’t a fan of Hollywood or crime fiction, then this book might be too fancy for you.

  • I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Book review, Books

The Antique: #bookreview

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The Antique

The book starts out in China approximately two thousand years ago. A tiger has killed a young boy, the son of a warlord. A witch, Zi-Ling, was wrongfully accused of killing the boy. She vowed revenge upon those responsible for her impending death. Her ashes were separated by a monk and sent to different areas of the world in order to keep her from reconstructing herself and avenging her death.

Zi-Lin needs her descendants and the ashes to become powerful again. She uses people and insects to gather her power and find the descendants, also known as the Blood Children. Zi-Ling’s sister, Maylan, turns the monk into a worm and then called Lao Chong. From then on the worm does the bidding of Maylan. They use the worm and spells to control people.

There is also a golden box called Gu, which contain part of Zin-Lin’s ashes. Apparently, Gu has her own power and calls herself The Queen.

At this point, I’m confused. Why does Gu have her own personality? Why isn’t the witch the focus instead of the queen? There are so many characters and it’s still the beginning of the book.

Most of the book takes place during the present time in San Francisco. The Queen and her minions have tracked two of the Blood Children.

There’s at least one chapter devoted to understanding why and how the insects and other creatures run things for the Queen. I could have done without knowing understanding the insects point of view. Maybe it’s just my personal distaste for bugs.

Part of me wants the witch to avenge her death but I think that sympathy for her gets lost in the story. The book needs a bit of streamlining to make it easier to follow. Sometimes I’m not sure if the witch and the Queen are the same entity.

There are some good parts of the book. I like the section about the witch and the tiger. The parts with the current blood children are good. The premise of the book is good but it gets a bit off track in some places.

If you are seeking to avenge your ancestor’s death, then you might appreciate this book.

If you are an exterminator, then you won’t appreciate this book or the treatment of exterminators. Plus, there are so many bugs and spiders with an incredible amount of intelligence.

Will the witch be able to reconstruct herself or will the Blood Children destroy the boxes? Will the Orkin Man or Woman ever be successful against the power of the insects and spiders?

  • I received the ebook from Reedsy in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Book review, Books

Kingshold: #bookreview

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Kingshold

Kingshold by D.P. Woolliscroft is set in the city of Kingshold, which is on the island of Edland. There’s not a specified year but I would say it probably takes place during medieval times. In this book, magic is a real thing that people accept.

There’s not one main character. It’s told from the point of view of a bard, a sorcerer, the sorcerer’s adopted daughter and a servant at the palace.

The last king and queen have been dispatched by the sorcerer due to their greed and ineptitude at running the kingdom. The sorcerer, Jyuth, has proclaimed that there will not be any other kings and the people must choose a different way of doing things. The privy council decides that there will be an election. Whoever pays the price can have a vote.

Mareth, the bard, has taken a job from a wealthy candidate. His main job is to write songs about what’s happening with the election. The sorcerer’s daughter, Neenahwi, is a powerful sorceress in her own right. When her father retires, she will be taking his place and she isn’t looking forward to it. Alana, the servant girl, is responsible for taking care of Jyuth. He sees that she’s smart and includes her in his plans.

It took until I was at about the 20 % point before things started to click for me. So I would recommend sticking it out because the story really gets pretty good by the 45% mark.

If you are a fan of stories with magic and intrigue, then you will probably enjoy Kingshold.

If you are a troll, orc or a greedy politician, then this book is too complicated for you anyway.

  • I received this book for participating in The Write Reads Blog Tour. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
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