Review and My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Heroine's Journey

Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Evie, Aveda, Bea and associates make for a truly awesome team.  I really adore this series and the way all the relationships have evolved so far.

There's a little bit of a time jump in this one (I don't remember how old Bea was in the last book and Scott and Aveda are already married (something I hope we see a short story of or something someday.))

Bea's character is definitely a lot messier than Evie or Aveda but that's also what I love about her. She makes bad decisions sure but if you really think about it though who wouldn't make some of these choices. She has quite the heroine's journey as the title suggests.

All the relationships are done really well. The familial ones are great especially that sister bond where one second you hate their guts but you would still do anything for them.

Bea's romantic relationship was a lot of fun too and very steamy. Especially a certain shower scene.

The porcelain unicorn scene as depicted on the cover and Pancake the one eyed dog are more awesome additions to this story.

The story is full of surprises and great super heroics. Plus the end of the story hints at an interesting future too. I was thrilled to learn this wasn't the last book in the series and that there will more to look forward to.

P.S. now I really do want to read the books that Bea and Leah described especially the dragon one and the wereporcupine books.

_____________________________________

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Do not insult the wereporcupine shifters, you condescending, misogynist, genre-snob garbage can.”

“…nothing says pizzazz like a shit-ton of glitter.”

"Other times, I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of dysfunctional weirdos who couldn’t figure out their own lives but had no problem telling me how to live mine."

“But let the record show I firmly believe that the most obvious route is not always the correct route.”

“I feel like we’re having a moderately tense silence here. Are we having a moderately tense silence? This is a social cue I should be picking up on, yes?” Without waiting for a response, she rose from the table and flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said. “Social cue understood.”

“Nate’s the weak link!” I called out after her as she headed for the door. “Total not-so-secret softie.”

“I don’t know exactly what I’m doing. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be. But I do know this. I choose joy. I choose love. I choose hope. And I can be anything I want.”

Lively Libations aka My Review of Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Feelings after reading - pumped up and thirsty (gotta try some of the drinks that were mentioned. :) )

This book was one wild ride. I adore the whole magic system that’s in play here. Cocktails for magic and a surprising other drink that heals makes for a truly fun read.

All the drink recipes and history are great additions that make the book shine too.

Bailey and the other characters are well done and have great chemistry. My favorite characters (besides the awesome Bailey) have to be Vincent and Bucket. I like that these characters definitely aren’t perfect but find their way as they go along.

Also great is the surprising big bad and just how far they will go to get what they want.

Overall, fighting evil with booze leads to plenty of surprises/twists/and a surprising amount of heart.

Review - Heroine Worship

Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This is one of my favorite series out there. I love the characters and world building. Plus these books have such cool covers too.

It’s awesome to once again read about these butt kicking Asian American superheroines. Love seeing Aveda/Annie's point of view for this book. Her and Evie continue to grow as superheroes and friends.  Their relationship is dysfunctional at times but they're striving to improve it.

It really gets to the heart of who Aveda Jupiter/Annie is and lets you see her more down to earth side. After reading this you realize just why her and Evie are such close friends. I think it works so well because their relationship is definitely not perfect but they’re trying.

The relationships are really well done and I adore where the romantic relationships went. It was unexpected yet works so well. There were a lot of great surprises and twists in this book. Especially loved the happy ever afters for possibly two couples.

I can’t wait to read the next book that’s going to be all about Evie’s sister Bea, I just know it’s going to have some great drama. Plus I’m looking forwarding to seeing how this great story ends.

Stellar Catchphrase Forever

Waste of Space by Gina Damico

Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Meanwhile, the middle of the New Mexican desert is witnessing an altogether different type of erection.”

“According to the laws of astrophysics, everyone has to shut the hell up.”

“KISS MY ASTRONAUT, BITCHAZ!”

“Emily Dickinson says that hope is the thing with feathers. But I think hope is the thing with a doorway.”

“Catchphrase forever!”

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book took a little bit to sync with me but when it did, I couldn’t stop reading, it just kind of draws you into its orbit.  Gina Damico’s books are a must read for me because they are often bizarre but brilliant in a uniquely unexpected way.

The setup and style of the book reminded me a lot of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (another awesome book that takes a look at tropes/satirizes the reality TV shows and politics of the world.)  

Throughout the book you know something really big/really bad happened. You just don’t know what exactly. This book very entertainingly shows you how they all got to this point and how this crazy reality stunt idea imploded. I know it’s a satire of reality shows/culture but parts of it do feel pretty darn believable especially in the world we live in today. I mean just look at the memes and catchphrases like “catchphrase forever” something like that could totally happen.  

These ten contestants check off all the reality show cliche boxes and are a blast to read about. The whole casting process is insane I mean just look at Matt and Kaoru and how everyone is cast one way or another. Nico and Bacardi are my favorite personality wise and because of how the book ends.

Their adventures aboard the Laika ship make for really great reality TV. Plus you will be kept guessing about what’s real and what exactly is happening. Just when you think nothing Science Fiction-y is going to happen then WAM you’re in for quite the intriguing surprise.

The ending is stupendous and will make you wonder what would happen to these characters and their futures.

Review - Everything, Everything

Everthing, Everything by Nicola Yoon

* Read via NetGalley

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Wow, just wow, what a book. I couldn’t put it down, and finished reading in less than a day. I definitely wasn’t expecting the twist. You will have all of the emotions while reading this book from happiness to WTF did I just read.

Maddy has never gone outside because of her disease and then things get really interesting when Olly moves in next door.

The use of a rather unfortunate bundt cake was both inventive and hilarious. I really liked the small bits of humor found in this book along with the other crazy happenings.

Maddy is an awesome character who just wants more from the world but is hindered by being sick/unable to leave the house. She is creative and has plenty of dreams.

Olly is a parkour loving guy with a troubled home life. He and Maddy make quite a pair and their chemistry is crazy good.

The use of handwritten notes and illustrations really adds some nice dimensions to what you’re reading.

Overall, an unexpectedly unique and well done book.

Review - The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book was so so good. The characters and story were really surprising. I definitely didn’t guess what Sage’s secret/past was.

Why You Should Read This Book ASAP:

Sage and Shane’s relationship is so well done. In a great twist on the usual, she’s the one trying to save him a lot of the time.

Sage leaving post it notes to people having a bad day is a great character trait/quirk. It really makes you think about how small things could really change people’s day/lives.

Her aunt, the only parental figure in her life was awesome. Their relationship is something that I wish a lot more books would portray.

I really loved the friends Sage made and the whole solution at the end with a particular bully. 

By the end you will be hoping that these two will always be in each other’s lives.

Review - The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

The Gargoyle Gets His Girl by Kristen Painter

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Gargoyle-tastic aka I really love gargoyles.

This series continues to be a blast to read. I adore how much mythology is crammed into each book. This book shows you fae, gargoyles, and a little more about the vampires and the inner workings of the town.

It’s great learning more about Nick and gargoyles in general. His backstory really makes you feel for him. I’m glad he’s becoming more involved with the town.

Willa too had a rather surprising backstory of her own. She is one very interesting fae. It was cool learning more about her magic and how she makes the jewelry she sells.

Once again though you think you have the mystery figured out, then a twist gets thrown in. This twist was truly entertaining and went places I wasn’t expecting.

I can’t wait to see what’s next from this series.

Review - The Vampire's Mail Order Bride

The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book is just one of those that will definitely make you smile while you read it. I was first drawn in by the title and cheese-tastic cover. I knew I was either going to love it or hate it (spoiler alert: I loved it.)

It is a really fun book. There is the great concept of having the town of Nocturne Falls celebrate Halloween all year long (to hide some supernatural secrets.) It sounds like it would be one heck of an interesting place to live. I hope to find out even more about the town and its residents in the next book.

It’s great how Delaney resourcefully finds a way into town. Her and Hugh are a very interesting match. If you read the title you know he’s a vampire, his family is also full of some unique characters.

What I liked best about this book was that the secrets weren’t dragged out, they were discovered early. I think that really made the book shine because then you get to see all the effects those secrets had.

The ending was a little bit expected but still awesome in how it was pulled off. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Review - Nowhere But Here

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

* Read via NetGalley

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

So much drama, I love it all I really do. McGarry’s writing style and characters are like a really good TV show, you just get sucked right into the story. This book will draw you in right from the first page.

The dual point of view is on point like usual. It really makes the story zip along too as you go back and forth between these two.

Oz and Emily are two very surprising characters. They both had very interesting childhoods. Emily has some severe phobias and doesn’t like talking about her biological father/letting people know who he is. Oz grew up in the whole motorcycle club culture so he doesn’t really want to be anywhere else.

Behind the scenes of a motor cycle club is a great setting. There are plenty of surprises in how things are run with the whole legit club versus gang clubs and all the misconceptions out there.

It’s also awesome how involved yet crazy all the parents are. I like how it shows many kinds of families.

Once again I can’t wait for the next book because these books make you care about all the characters. I’m really curious to read Razor’s story next.

I like how you never know what’s going to happen next and how your expectations get subverted. I for one did not foresee the major surprises in this book. The ending is ultimately sad but hopeful.

Review - Superheroes Anonymous

Superheroes Anonymous by Lexie Dunne

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Hi, my name’s Becky and I love superheroes. If you count superheroes as a genre than I’m definitely a fan. So trust me I love when a story has a twist like this one.

Gail is an interesting protagonist who starts out as Hostage Girl because she’s always getting kidnapped by supervillains. This has led to her life being more than a little weird and always expecting bad things to happen.

There’s a great intrigue to it all as you wonder if everybody can be trusted and how exactly she’ll be able to adjust to all the monumental changes. The story flies by and the whole superhero system is well done.

That ending was such a surprise, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Review - How to Fight Presidents

How to Fight Presidents by Daniel O'Brien

* Book provided for review by Blogging for Books

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Wow this book is freaking hilarious. I love the whole premise of thinking about what you would have to do to fight these presidents of the United States. The illustrations in the book are also pretty great too and go along with the chapters very well.

This book will definitely make you look at the job of being president in a new light. It lets you see the craziness of the country and what the job entailed. Be prepared to actually LOL a lot.

This book actually makes history fun and at the very least you might know the names of a lot more presidents than you did before. This book is a quick read that will keep you laughing and I don’t know about you but those are some major pluses to me. If you’re a fan of interesting history and also happen to have a sense of humor that doesn’t mind cursing then be sure to check out this book ASAP.

Magic, murder, mayhem = this book has it all

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

* Book read via the publisher for review.

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book is one heck of a great fractured fairy tale. I can see the tagline for the hopefully future movie now, “Not your Mama’s Wizard of Oz.” I loved this book but I highly recommend reading the prequel first so you can ease yourself into this crazy world.

I like the Wizard of Oz movie but I loved the books by L. Frank Baum about Ozma and all the other characters in Oz (I don’t think I’ve read all of them but it has been a while.) If you too read the old Oz books about Oz like then you’ll definitely figure out one of the twists. This author is a master at mixing characters from the Oz books and movie and twisting everything into something new.

In this Oz don’t be surprised by the f-bombs getting dropped and other assorted curse words, it’s a much darker place but it’s also intriguing to see how much everything has changed. Also, beware if you are prone to getting very attached to all the characters in the story.

Amy’s story starts off showing how her life isn’t exactly easy and how she gets to Oz is fitting to the original story. She’s a strong character who needs to get even stronger if she’s going to survive in this warped version of Oz. Amy is quick at making friends and enemies and you can’t help but hope for the best for her.

Through the story you’ll have no doubt that Dorothy does indeed need to die. Dorothy is one evil witchy woman. She’s not the only witch out there though which makes things extremely interesting.

Be prepared to look at Good and Wicked in a new way in this book that’s kind of like what I imagine would happen if The Wizard of Oz and Kill Bill had a baby. I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.

Fantastic Fix

Quick Fix by Linda Grimes

* Provided by the publisher for review

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This was a really fun sequel.  I’m growing to really like all of these characters.  There are tons of complications in this book and you get a better look at the adaptor community. There is a lot of problems all brought on when Billy's sister has a simian related problem.

I thought the love triangle was taken care of in the last book but it’s still here for a little bit in this book.  She has some quite intriguing guys to choose from and when the book ended I was happy with what choice it looks like she made.

I loved getting to meet more of Ciel’s family.  Her family has a plethora of personalities and their interactions are always interesting.  Her brothers James and Brian were a good addition and I hope they’re in future books.

Besides Ciel, my favorite character is Billy.  He’s a troublemaker but also a charmer.  He and Ciel have a wicked chemistry when they’re together. Let's just say I'm really rooting for these two.

The last part of the book filled with plenty of twists and turns.  I love the surprise of who the bad guys are and why they are doing/did what they did.  It’s also great that the book ends on a really funny note.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to Ciel next.

Monumental Monument

Monument 14 Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourne

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This series is so freaking good because it has an edge of your seat plot and a plethora of characters that you will find yourself actually caring about. None of the characters feel underused, I really want to know how all of their lives are going to turn out.

The point of view in the book is split up between Dean and his brother Alex.  At first you might think that one group’s going to have it a lot easier than the other but there are plenty of surprises in store for both groups.

The book has a great range of emotions. There’s plenty of scary moments but also some really touching moments too.  It’s not all doom and gloom though there’s some funny too.  Max has got to be the funniest little kid character that I’ve read in quite a while.  The stories he tells are hilarious.

There were some scary moments where I thought the book was going to go a lot darker in tone than it actually did especially with Niko’s group. I’m already suspicious of the government in this story so I think there was good reason to be worried.  I was pretty sure that they were all about to die at more than one point in the story.

There are no easy relationships in this book.  I think Astrid is definitely in for a bumpy ride with her future but I really hope that it works out.  This story is really about a large diverse group finding a way to become a family even in horrible conditions.

The teamwork that leads to the conclusion really made me want to cheer, talk about your close timing, that really was a heck of a save.  The end of the book made me extremely happy that there’s going to be another book in this series.  It ends on a somewhat hopeful note and the future looks very intriguing.  There are so many questions about what exactly happened to create the nightmare scenario that this future world is going through.  I can’t wait to see how this trilogy ends and where all the characters end up.

Moonset Mysteries

Moonset by Scott Tracey

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

* Read ARC via NetGalley

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

There have been probably millions of stories about witches but the author of Moonset, Scott Tracey, really makes his witches stand out.  The little one or two sentences at the start of each chapter about the Moonset Coven and what they did, really helps frame the story/give you a glimpse into this society.  This book introduces a really interesting world and characters that I can’t wait to read more about.

Having a coven of witches be terrorists isn’t of course all the way new (Death Eaters anyone?) but here we get to see the aftermath of their actions and it’s fascinating.  These five kids are all haunted by their parent’s actions and the way that most people now look at them.  It’s can be hard growing up in the shadow of your parents, especially if they were horrible people.  The kids for the most part have accepted their fate but with this story they start to have questions about what’s true and what’s just you know history being written by the victors.

This story draws on the themes of being outcasts and gets a little bit into a class system.  There are definitely politics at play here and these characters are thrown right into the middle of everything.

I love all the humor mixed into the story because it stops the story from being bogged down in too much of the seriousness of the world.  The personalities of the group really make the book fun to read.  Malcolm, Cole, Bailey, Justin, and Jenna have very different personalities and attitudes about magic.  Justin even though he’s not the oldest is kind of the de-facto leader of the group.  He’s the one that knows how to calm everybody down and pretty much how everyone will react.

I loved this story and can’t wait to see where these characters end up.  If you like your witches to be both intriguing and funny, than this is definitely the right book for you.

Pirate Pizzazz

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles of Egg by Geoff Rodkey

* Book received from the publisher for review

 4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book is full of piratey goodness.  It has murder, mayhem, and mystery which makes for an intense yet funny read.  

I just love the tone of this book, there is a real wry sense of humor throughout.  It is a middle grade book but it can definitely be accessible/enjoyable to anyone.  Things always look a bit grim for Egg since his family doesn’t really seem to like him much, he has an antagonistic relationship with his siblings and father.  He’s kind of the scapegoat of the family.  His family does treat him horrible but some of their interactions are pretty darn funny too.  Things change forever though when his dad starts acting weird and then wants to take them all on an unexpected trip to Sunrise Island.  

All the islands in this book seem like real characters too.  Deadweather, Egg’s home, is not the most picturesque place and happens to be full of pirates.  His father runs an ugly fruit plantation and is working all the time.  Everything on the island is kind of rotten and there’s an actual volcano that nobody has bothered to name.  Though the weather is uncomfortable and his family isn’t very loving, this is still Egg’s home and he doesn’t plan to give that up easily.

Sunrise seems like a utopia compared to Egg’s home but you do get the feeling that everything might not be as great as it seems.  At first Egg forgets all his troubles and just goes along for the ride.  Then things get rather complicated.  

Egg and Millicent are a very intriguing pair.  She is by far the outspoken alpha in their friendship.  Millicent is a fierce person and doesn’t take guff from anyone.  She loves to talk, is quick witted, and has some interesting views on the world.

The pirates are the other stars of this novel.  They are indeed a cast of colorful characters.  The house pirate Quint and Burn Healy are my favorite pirates of the lot.  They show the wide spectrum of pirates in the story from the one’s that are on Egg’s sides all the way to the scariest pirates that he meets.  

Egg goes on a crazy journey, makes some friends, and really grows as the book progresses.  I love the solution at the end and can’t wait to see what happens on Egg’s next adventure.

Astute Asunder

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

* ARC won from the awesome people at Epic Reads 

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Ana continues to be a strong character with a lot to prove.  Also I continue to find the whole act of reincarnating in this society to be really intriguing.  Some people in Heart have known each other since the beginning (almost 5,000 years).

There is plenty of new insanity in this installment of the story.  More is learned about newsouls and why everyone reincarnates over and over. Getting these answers though is not easy.  

Sam and Ana have quite the relationship.  He’s technically a heck of a lot older than her so there are some age issues he has to get over.  Ana is not the best at relationships either because she didn’t really have a loving childhood.  They take everything slowly but do really seem to grow as a couple.

The danger level is ramped up even more in this book, lets just say that you haven't seen the last of Janan.  There is violence and intrigue aplenty and of course plenty of mysterious behavior.  Ana has even more to care for and more to protect than she ever has before.

This book has an intense ending and is full of surprises.  I can’t wait to read the conclusion to see if Ana can figure everything out and know once and for all what’s going on.  I hope this series has a happy conclusion but I have a bad feeling that there’s going to be a lot of death in the future.


My Favorite Quote:
“People don’t want a lot of things, but they get them any-way.”  Such as newsouls, or roses of indeterminate color.  “I liked the roses for what they were.”