Review: All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting novel in that it melded fantasy and science fiction. Most novels pick one and stay firmly in that genre. I liked that this brought them together. The world is similar to the current world but there is magic. Natural magic that is in the service of nature, and then there is science that is far advance from our own. The planet has been damaged by humans and two forces, science and magic, are looking for a solution to this problem. Their approaches are different though and that leads to conflict between the groups.
Patricia and Laurence start out as rejects at their school. This brings them together until an assassin who saw the future appears and begins pushing them apart. The novel is divided into four books. The books give us time to know the history of the two characters and I think that really made the story engaging. Also, both characters were enjoyable at young and older ages.
I have been reading darker fiction recently and this was a lighter read. It wasn't all light but the negative was limited in scope. When I finished this novel I didn't despair for the human race.
I recommend this book. It was an easy read and the story was enjoyable from start to finish.

View all my reviews

Review: Royal Assassin

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was the strongest book of the series so far. In the last we see Fitz grow into a young man. In this we see him taking charge of his life even if it goes against what others believe is best. I could see how he was making changes to the world around him in this book. In the previous book we was being acted through.
Even though the Wit is consider Beast magic and unclean, Fitz uses it. He bonds with a wolf, Nighteyes, and uses it to protect himself from the white ship and those who wish to harm. He does his best to hide his use of Wit magic and keep people from discovering he has it.
At the start of this book Fitz is ready to give up on life but he quickly changes his mind when he thinks about his childhood friend Molly and what may have happened to her. Once he thinks of her he has the courage to leave he Mountain Kingdom and return to Buckkeep. He is still recovering from being poisoned when he gets back and having the maintain his appearance is at first hard for him. However, he finds solace in Molly who is now at the castle.
This book covers a lot of ground in a short about of time. I'm looking forward to the next book, and seeing how Fitz grows into himslef. He is an interesting character whom I enjoy spending time with.

View all my reviews

Review: The Governess Game

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*I won a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway.*
Alexandra Mountbatten shows up to make sure the clocks are on time and comes face to face with the man she has been fantasizing about since she collided with him in the book store. Chase thinks she has showed up as the new governess and hires her after an argument where she puts him in his place. This story was fast paced and the chemistry between our two main characters was believable and I was glad to see that the fantasies were not what brought them together but their interactions in the present. I really liked the children that Chase has inherited with the title as well. The girls were very sweet and the morning ritual of the funeral for the doll was one of my favorite parts of the novel.

View all my reviews

Review: Commonwealth

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This books follows two families that are joined through marriage after an affair. The children from the first marriages are dealing with the repercussions of the events that happened after the second marriage. I found the story to be engaging but it was not a page turner. I liked how we changed perspective as we went through the story and the children each had a chance to tell a little of what happened. I would recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Review: Three Sisters

Three Sisters by Susan Mallery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second Susan Mallery book and it was as good if not better than the first novel. Andi, Denna, and Boston are neighbors all dealing with pain and loose in different ways. I liked that the novel didn't say there was one way to grieve, deal with past trauma, or move on. The characters were not what you would think of as a normal group of friends, but they were able to find something in friendship that gave them courage to move forward. Yes, there was romance, but the romance was not center stage. This is really a book about friends, and it was a very good one. I'd recommend it.

View all my reviews

Review: Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I waited for the moments of grace, but all I found were moments of anger and self-pity.

View all my reviews

Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a really hard time with this novel. I didn't find anything to connect with, sympathize with, or connect to in the characters. The characters should have been ones I cared about, but the author didn't write them in a way I felt anything for the. Then we have the vomit. So much of it. I really would rather not read about it. I should note here that I have a phobia of vomit and this book should have come with a warning. Then there were the ghosts. The story started out going one way and then the ghosts came and took over. I spent most of the time I was reading the book hoping the pace would pick up and it would end . I strongly disliked the novel, and then the ending came and I thought okay finally I connected with a character. The ending is the only reason this got a two stars rating instead of one. I wish I could say this novel was good, I wish I could recommend it, but I really can't. It just didn't work for me, and I thought it was missing something.

View all my reviews