Audiobook Review - On the Come Up

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Audiobook of On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

Phenomenal Flow 

Overall: 5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Performance: 5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Story: 5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Angie Thomas has written another fantastic book. The story works extremely well as an audiobook, especially the rap parts. The whole story and characters feel very timely. You’ll definitely feel yourself drawn in and wanting to know what happens next.

Turpin the narrator really excels here too at bringing all these characters to life. I mostly listened while driving and it really makes the commute fly by. I even found myself talking back to it at parts saying things like oh no or don’t do it and of course laughing at some very funny parts.

Bri’s character and all her family and friends are really well done. The side characters along with the main all fell fully fleshed out. Her aspirations to become a star and take care of her family seem like they might just happen at the end of the book.

Story takes a look at how going viral can be good but also plenty of bad. Shines while reading/listening to Bri’s journey and her figuring out who she is and who she wants to be.

Overall really make sure to check out On the Come Up because it’s brilliant. J

Review/My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Kill the Farm Boy

Kill the Farm Boy (The Tales of Pell) by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

5 out of 5 gnomes

So chock full of punny goodness and funny wordplay. I for one was snort laughing my way through a good portion of this book. Plus now I'm contemplating how awesome bread/cracker based magic powers would be.

Before you know it you'll both be laughing at yet actually caring about all these characters. Toby especially really grew on me. All these characters have some great shining moments in the stories and a lot of funny ones too. Then there's Gustave, I never thought I would be so invested in the antics of a goat.

The chosen one of this story is very entertaining and they meet a heck of a motley crew along the way.

This story is full of surprises and multiple points of view. You'll find yourself questing for knowledge right along with this party trying to figure out what could happen next.

This funny punny book will have you looking at fantasy and all its usual tropes in a new way.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“I AM THE ALL-POWERFUL DARK LORD, AND I WILL HAVE CRACKERS!”

“Hope it ain’t chickens,” she said. “Never trust ’em, what with their poky beaks. And their buttfruit. I tell you, sire, it’s unnatural, eggs is.”

“The healing potion, a cheap brand called NyeQuell, tasted of licorice and unconsciousness, but Fia had to stay awake.”

“…none of them had ever beheld the magical elven Morningwood before, home to the proudest stands of timber anywhere.”

“Taming the challenges of stately Morningwood would no doubt require two ready hands.”

“Pfauggh! Bran, and it’s dry. What’s the point of Morningwood if it can’t even make a muffin moist?”

“I’d rather see the gentle slopes of the Honeymelon Hills,” Argabella confessed. “All these towers and trees…Well, they do insist upon themselves, don’t they?”

“So, how was everyone’s night?” he asked, supposing that if he was going to be uncomfortable, they should very well do the polite thing and join him.”

“Unlike wizards, who boasted of the height and sturdiness of their towers, witches prided themselves on exhibiting only the perkiest cones.”

“He was simply one of the most dangerous creatures in the world: a person of small talent and large purse who was thoroughly certain that he deserved more.”

“He, too, pronounced it “deh-mez-nee,” but Fia knew that those who learned from books frequently mispronounced words that weren’t spoken often. She herself had thought picturesque was pronounced “picture-squee” until she was sixteen.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll try to keep it down. Marmosets are tragically lactose-intolerant, and I missed the mouthfeel of a nice Styffy.”

“Magic is powerful. You can’t just go around eating everything that sparkles!”

“Perhaps that was the way of people: they just needed to matter.” 

Review - The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

5 out of 5 gnomes

Oh, this book really made me fall in love with it. Fantasy + Dragons + a plethora of chocolate = a book you should read ASAP. The voice, the setting, it was just a lot of fun to read. The illustrations before each chapter draw you into the story too. This is one of those books that just makes you smile while you read it. Plus you’ll most likely develop a large craving for chocolate.

This fantastic fantasy’s main character is Aventurine, a dragon, who’s tired of being told what to do and always staying in the cave. She sneaks out one day and is transformed into a human thanks to some magical hot chocolate. This is of course a big surprise to her and she has quite the learning curve when it comes to being a human.

This one taste of chocolate starts her journey and leads her on a quest to find and learn everything she can about chocolate and the world she now has to live in.

The conflict mostly is from a dragon not understanding the human world. She’s a bit more bold than most people are used to. Her view on things though is usually pretty enlightening.

The characters are all really well done from her dragon family to her group of friends that become like a new family. There are plenty of misunderstandings to get through but this is just one heck of an entertaining read.

If you’re like me you’ll look forward to reading whatever Burgis writes next.

Review - Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

5 out of 5 gnomes

Wow wow wow, talk about short but sweet. This story isn't very long but it draws you right in. I adore the whole mythology of it all, very fairy tale plus. It's like if Alice in Wonderland opened up a school for every other child who has ever gone down a rabbit hole/opened a door to a mysterious world.

This school tries to help them with the fact that they might never go back to these worlds that feel so much like home.

The drama comes from many of these worlds being so different which means some of the students just intrinsically don't get along.

It's intriguing hearing about all these worlds and their many different rules. Then it turns into a straight up horror/murder mystery. Some of the worlds were a lot more happy than others.

The characters are all so well written. One of the victims stories is especially heartbreaking with so few words. You'll find yourself caring so much about these characters and wanting to know more about the worlds they've seen.

Check out this story ASAP if you love fantastic fantasy.

Review - The Upside of Unrequited

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

5 out of 5 gnomes

I zipped right through this book in just a day. It caught me hook, line and sinker, Molly’s character was just so relatable. There were plenty of quirky situations, yes but they felt charming and not forced or cliche like some contemporary books do.

Molly’s inner monologue and feelings will hit you right in the heart and might remind you a lot of your teenage self. I mean this first line really shows a lot of what to expect humor wise: “I’M ON THE TOILET AT the 9: 30 Club, and I’m wondering how mermaids pee.” Then this quote really got to me too, “I wish I were the kind of person who knows how to fill a silence.”

I love how close Molly and her family are. The dynamic between her and her twin sister, moms, and little brother are really well done.

Then there’s Molly’s love life. It gets interesting really fast. There’s a bit of a love triangle but it’s much more tolerable than they usually are. It’s not a surprise who she chooses really but oh is it a fun ride getting there.

Overall, well worth reading for the characters and really quotable quotes.

Review - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale

* Read via NetGalley for review

5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Heart + Fun + Nuts + a plethora of squirrels = The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World. Doreen Green aka Squirrel Girl is such a fun character. This book is pure Middle Grade Marvelous. This story made me once again realize just how awesome it would be for Squirrel Girl to have a movie or a TV show.

Having multiple points of view including a squirrel’s makes for an extremely entertaining read. Seeing where she gets her start is enlightening and shows your where her great attitude came from. I really like all the footnotes too so you can really get into the whys and hows of how Doreen thinks.

I love how close she is to her parents and how supportive they are of everything. Her parent’s are very good at turning a negative into a positive especially at the Parent Teacher conference. I also love Doreen’s best friends both squirrel and human.

The squirrel viewpoint of the world and the view into squirrel society really makes the book shine. All the squirrel’s names are pretty darn hilarious too. I adore all the superhero cameos that occurred too.

If you’re looking for a book that is a burst of superhero sunshine and knows how to bring the funny then check this book out ASAP.

Review - Long Way Home

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

5 out of 5 gnomes

Such an awesome book and chock full of surprises. Violet and Chevy have always been complicated but this book brings everything to a head. Things get intense fast and you'll really be scared for the characters after they're put in a very bad situation.

Trust is vital and you'll definitely be wondering who the characters should trust/yelling at them to please talk it out. All the relationships continue to evolve and it’s great to see these characters change and grow.

Should have seen it in retrospect but I love how McGarry links the two book series together in this story. I'm just sad that the story ended before the big meeting. Here's hoping whatever book is next lets us learn even more about all the characters and concludes some dangling threads (aka I really want Addison to have a story.)

I don’t want to spoil anything but I just want to say that the ending was great and all the twists and turns to get to it were so well done.

Review - Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood

Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Discovery. New races, new kingdoms, new magics. I loved that when I opened a fantasy book or found a new author, I knew I was in for a tour through someone’s imagination.”

“My fantasy is less about the whips and the PVC, more about self-actualization and hope. And you know what? That’s just as sexy to me.”

“You never choose to be the Chosen One. You just are.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Tang didn’t raise no dumbass. Smartass, yes, but not dumb.”

“What’s with the rattling?” she yelled, distracting herself from her fear by complaining— a tactic she borrowed from pre-K kids everywhere.”

Review:

5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Now, this, this is a fun series. Talk about story-tastic if that's a word. The world building is awesome and you get immersed right away. This diverse set of characters makes for a fantastic read. Jumping into different genres is fascinating and the Western world was a good intro to this whole concept. Seeing things from the viewpoint of a new recruit is great too.

Review - Learning to Swear in America

Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy

5 out of 5 gnomes

This book made me smile so much, even though it’s about a possible world ending event. The characters are just so strong and likable. Plus with a title like this, aren’t you at least a tiny bit curious about what it’s all about.

It might just be the end of the world as we know it if an asteroid hits the Earth. That’s where Yuri becomes part of the story at 17 he’s a prodigy from Russia who knows all about physics. The whole culture clash and how young he is leads to some very interesting situations.

Dovie and her brother Lennon are also quite the dynamic duo. Their dynamic is where a lot of the funny happens and then when you throw Yuri into the mix that’s when real hilarity ensues.

It’s not all humor though there are plenty of other emotional moments mixed in but not any that bog down the story.  All the other emotional beats just give the story more depth.

My favorite part had to be Yuri’s day spent at a high school. As you read you can just picture this all playing out as a movie or TV show.

Oh, when Yuri finally does learn to swear it’s pretty entertaining. Plus the intense ending will leave you wanting to know what happens in the future for these characters.

Review - Fifty Feet of Trouble

Fifty Feet of Trouble by Justin Robinson

* Received from the publisher for review

5 out of 5 gnomes

I adore this whole insane noir monster ruled world. Once again it’s great to see the story from the point of view of the only human private investigator left, Nick Moss.

This author is great at naming his characters especially if you like punny or funny names. One of my favorite names has to be the terrifying clown Reverend Bobo Gigglesworth. If you’re not already scared of clowns, you just might be after you read about this clown...

After seeing more of Nick’s secretary Ser, Serendipity Sargasso I want to know all about her. She is one interesting siren and seems to really care for Nick even though he’s a human.

The best new character has to be Gelatin Keyes. This pink all consuming blob is really more funny then he has a right to be. You’ll find yourself laughing just about every time he’s in a scene.

The problems and cases just keep piling up and the whole scope of the story gets even more epic with some truly gigantic monsters this go around. I love how all the pieces of the mystery fit together and just how many different monsters the story shows.

The twists are really well done and just when you think everything is solved and all hunky dory WAM one heck of a very very bad thing happens.

Expect the unexpected and a whole lot more when you read this awesome story.

Review - The Leopard King

The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre

5 out of 5 gnomes

Awesome world and characters. Great start to the series. It feels like there’s an epic scope to this fantasy world. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to know everything about the world that it’s set in.

There’s kind of a complicated love square in this story instead of a triangle. It’s all extremely complicated but makes for an intense read.

I like how complex Pru and Dom’s relationship is. Their chemistry is great even when you’re not sure they even like each other. When things get steamy though, they get very steamy. They both have a lot to work through and get over but when they do, wow.

All the different Animari are exciting to read about. From bears, felines, wolves, and more there are a lot of interesting combos going around. I for one can't wait to learn more about the bear religious order.

There are plenty of surprises in this story and a myriad of intriguing characters to fall in love with. Overall, a story well worth reading with characters and a setting that really pops.

This story left me eagerly looking forward to whatever this series brings next.

Blog Tour: Review - Furthermore

I’m very excited to be part of the blog tour for Furthermore. This book is so full of life and the world just jumps off the page.

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

* Book received from the publisher for review.

5 out of 5 gnomes

Middle Grade Magic, that’s what this book is when it comes down to it. It’s filled with color and life and a truly epic fairy tale. It has a real Alice in Wonderland-ish vibe mixed with magic and a plethora of weirdness.

I love the narrator/voice of the story and some of the notes included before chapters like “More Chapters This Way” and “!!!!!!!!” because they really make you get into the story even more.

Alice is plenty unique as the only person in her town that isn’t bursting at the seams with color. Her whole world is full of magic but everyone thinks that she doesn’t have any. She’s very in tune with nature and does indeed have a magical skill though it takes awhile in the story for the reader to discover what it is.

This story is truly a journey for all of the characters and they discover much about themselves along the way. Alice wants to do anything to find her father and finds out that finding him is going to be anything but easy.

Alice and Oliver make a really interesting team. I think the word frenemies fits them very well for most of the story. Their antagonistic relationship gets them in a lot of trouble but well it’s entertaining as heck to read.

The only thing I wanted more of was more information on how they do what they do with magic. Though I do like the wide range of magic shown. I also would like to know more about the whole Surrender ceremony.

When they go to Furthermore the story really takes off and you’ll never know what’s going to happen next. There’s danger and whimsy in equal measure along with some pretty frightening situations.

The writing is wonderful and the whole story will just have you speeding along looking forward to what happens next.

Review - Wax

Wax by Gina Damico

5 out of 5 gnomes

I love how this author’s mind works. All of her books are weird squared with a side of wonder, whimsy, a pinch of horror and more than a touch of dark humor. I mean just look at the cover of the book, I love it. You may never look at or smell a candle the same way again after finishing this book.

This story is great, the humor and tone of it all hits all the right buttons. Everything is written so it’s easy to visualize all of the insanity going on. I think this book would make for one heck of an interesting movie.

Poppy’s character might seem a bit to perpetually perky at first but she really did grow on me. Once you find out why she’s this way you’ll root for her a lot more. I liked her view of the world and how positive she was even when things started going completely bonkers.

Her and Dud together are so funny. Dud is a very quick learner and unintentionally hilarious for most of the book.

This story went to a lot of unexpected places and I loved the whole mythology/fantasy of it all. I mean just look at the tagline on the front of the book. “EVIL HAS MET ITS MATCH.”

That ending was perfect and really made me smile.

Review - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

5/5 magically delicious gnomes

Holy carp, wowsers wow plus a whole lot more incoherent rambling thoughts and random screeching...

It felt absolutely amazing to be immersed in the world of Harry Potter again. I thought the whole script/play structure would throw me off but nope it is epic to be in this story. I just hope they film a production of the play and release it worldwide ASAP.

There are a myriad of surprises in this story. The characterizations continue to ring true and the atmosphere achieved while just reading it is intense, I can only imagine seeing it in person.

Characters are shown in new and surprising ways. Plus Albus and Scorpius are amazing and I feel they show a very different spin on how we usually see Hogwarts.

The relationships shown are intriguing and you'll find yourself really feeling all the emotions while reading. I have a feeling the play might leave me a blathering mess if I saw it in person.

If you adore HARRY POTTER, then I recommend you read this play and get absorbed into this magical world once again.

Marvelously Made

Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron

* Read via the Shelf Awareness Pro Newsletter

5 out of 5 gnomes

This story is insane but in a really good way. It turns out that a lot of the old school monsters are real and a large group of them all live in one place (under a theater in Times Square.) They put on a show most nights and many of them haven’t been out of the theater in years because they can’t blend in with humans.

The story is told by Boy the son of Frankenstein’s Monster and The Bride. He’s grown up around the show and at the beginning of the book has never even been outside. Boy is a hacker and really knows his way around computers he has a project that will change the world, if only he can finish it.

His parents unlike some YA are in the picture and a big part of his world. He sees what they’ve been doing all these years and starts to question how they all live. They have an intriguing background of course and are kind of looked down at the show because they are more science versus magic based.

There are plenty of scary times and an epic road trip once Boy is out in the real world. This book has Boy in some rather complicated relationships. Love isn't exactly easy for him to find but it is fun to read about.

There are complications aplenty and the plot goes in plenty of unexpected directions. This mix of horror and humor works tremendously well. I especially love the end of the book.