kiwiria (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kiwiria) wrote2026-05-04 10:48 am
kiwiria) wrote2026-05-04 10:48 am
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Books for April
Heartless Hunter - Kristen Ciccarelli, 4/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
Definitely one of the better fantasy books I've read recently. Good use of world-building, and the main characters were nicely fleshed out. However, it ends on a huge cliff-hanger, meaning it's more half of one book, than a book in its own right.
Fortunately I knew that going into it, so made sure to have the next book readily available as well.
I didn't always fully understand the friendship between Alex and Rune ... or rather, his motivations for helping her, but the relationship between Gideon and Rune totally worked for me. I'm very interested to see how that's explored further in the next book.
But that ending! Gah!
Bad Blood - Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 3/5, 509 pages
I mostly liked it, but man, it jumped the shark around the half-way point.
One thing I've enjoyed about this series is that it was believable within its own universe. Sure, IRL teenagers would never be allowed to play agents, but they were kept at a distance, and in the first few books at least, the crimes were realistic.
In this one? Not so much :-P So I definitely had to suspend my disbelief a lot more than I had had for the earlier books in the series.
It was still well-written and easily read, but I think I'm ready to leave the series behind by now.
Home - Penny Parkes, 4/5, 464 pages
Slow to start, and in the beginning I didn't care much for the flash backs, but once I got into it (and figured out what Penny Parkes was trying to do with the flashbacks), I fell completely in love. Sweet and poignant. I ended up absolutely adoring it.
I loved Kate and how her friendship with Anna was depicted - LOVED that the entire family took her in. I have a friend like that, and they are just amazing. I adored Callie, and was happy that she found somebody who could understand her.
I was somewhat annoyed that we didn't get a resolution regarding Andrew, but guess it was unfortunately all too realistic that we wouldn't.
The ending was perhaps a bit too tidy, and thus not quite as satisfying as I had hoped, but that's a minor nitpick. A bit too prickly to be called a comfort read, but all in all, a very heartwarming book.
The Name Game - Beth O'Leary, 2.5/5, 384 pages
This is definitely not one of Beth O'Leary's better books.
I liked the beginning - love reading about small communities, and Ormer was just perfect in that regard. I also loved the idea of Charlie and Jones having to compete for the role of manager ... even if they did accept the idea of co-managing a bit too quickly. I didn't even mind that there didn't seem to be much of a plot at all. Character-driven plots can be super cozy, and this one was shaping up to be just that.
But the hostility of the committee annoyed me, and the constant secrecy got to me ... especially when those secrets led to miscommunications. At that point I started recalling the ridiculous twist at the end of "Swept Away" and started to worry ...
And unfortunately I was right to do so. The twist here came very late and was a lot more unrealistic and contrived than could be handwaved away by suspension of disbelief. The only thing the ending really did have going for it, was that there was no third act breakup to complicate matters even further.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky*, 4/5, 228 pages
Had to downgrade my rating a bit. I still enjoyed it, but it took me much longer to get attached to the characters than I had expected.
The Physician - Noah Gordon*, 5/5, 720 pages
I still absolutely love this book and picked it up at every chance I got. I do think there are some parts of it that are unnecessary for the telling of the main storyline (the trek to India for one), but it never felt drawn out or dull, so I enjoyed it all the same.
This time around I did wonder if Cole could ever be content with his life in Scotland though. Must seem rather drab after the splendor and excitement of Persia.
Pope Joan - Donna W. Cross, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~19hrs
Still find the story fascinating, but it grated a bit how two-dimensional many of the characters were. If they were evil, there were absolutely no redeeming qualities about them. Joan's father is a perfect example.
A captivating book all the same, and I'm curious about how historically accurate it is - when push comes to shove.
Half Moon Investigations - Eoin Colfer, 4/5, 311 pages
A childrens' book that's fun for adults too :-D
Imagine "Bugsy Malone" as a book. The writing style is noir ... and the detective is a 12-year-old kid. Absolutely brilliant and really well executed.
The plot is pretty much what you'd expect from a childrens' whodunnit, but Eoin Colfer has a way with words and made this a very entertaining and enjoyable read.
The Consumption of Magic - T.J. Klune*, 4/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
A Wish Upon the Stars - TJ. Klune*, 5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
Finishing off my re-read of this series once again. I love these books!!!!
Books Read: 44
Pages Read: 8,945
Hours Listened To: 196
Book of the Month: Heartless Hunter, will definitely pick up the next book ASAP.
Biggest Disappointment: The Name Game. A shame, since I know Beth O'Leary can do SO much better.
Definitely one of the better fantasy books I've read recently. Good use of world-building, and the main characters were nicely fleshed out. However, it ends on a huge cliff-hanger, meaning it's more half of one book, than a book in its own right.
Fortunately I knew that going into it, so made sure to have the next book readily available as well.
I didn't always fully understand the friendship between Alex and Rune ... or rather, his motivations for helping her, but the relationship between Gideon and Rune totally worked for me. I'm very interested to see how that's explored further in the next book.
But that ending! Gah!
Bad Blood - Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 3/5, 509 pages
I mostly liked it, but man, it jumped the shark around the half-way point.
One thing I've enjoyed about this series is that it was believable within its own universe. Sure, IRL teenagers would never be allowed to play agents, but they were kept at a distance, and in the first few books at least, the crimes were realistic.
In this one? Not so much :-P So I definitely had to suspend my disbelief a lot more than I had had for the earlier books in the series.
It was still well-written and easily read, but I think I'm ready to leave the series behind by now.
Home - Penny Parkes, 4/5, 464 pages
Slow to start, and in the beginning I didn't care much for the flash backs, but once I got into it (and figured out what Penny Parkes was trying to do with the flashbacks), I fell completely in love. Sweet and poignant. I ended up absolutely adoring it.
I loved Kate and how her friendship with Anna was depicted - LOVED that the entire family took her in. I have a friend like that, and they are just amazing. I adored Callie, and was happy that she found somebody who could understand her.
I was somewhat annoyed that we didn't get a resolution regarding Andrew, but guess it was unfortunately all too realistic that we wouldn't.
The ending was perhaps a bit too tidy, and thus not quite as satisfying as I had hoped, but that's a minor nitpick. A bit too prickly to be called a comfort read, but all in all, a very heartwarming book.
The Name Game - Beth O'Leary, 2.5/5, 384 pages
This is definitely not one of Beth O'Leary's better books.
I liked the beginning - love reading about small communities, and Ormer was just perfect in that regard. I also loved the idea of Charlie and Jones having to compete for the role of manager ... even if they did accept the idea of co-managing a bit too quickly. I didn't even mind that there didn't seem to be much of a plot at all. Character-driven plots can be super cozy, and this one was shaping up to be just that.
But the hostility of the committee annoyed me, and the constant secrecy got to me ... especially when those secrets led to miscommunications. At that point I started recalling the ridiculous twist at the end of "Swept Away" and started to worry ...
And unfortunately I was right to do so. The twist here came very late and was a lot more unrealistic and contrived than could be handwaved away by suspension of disbelief. The only thing the ending really did have going for it, was that there was no third act breakup to complicate matters even further.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky*, 4/5, 228 pages
Had to downgrade my rating a bit. I still enjoyed it, but it took me much longer to get attached to the characters than I had expected.
The Physician - Noah Gordon*, 5/5, 720 pages
I still absolutely love this book and picked it up at every chance I got. I do think there are some parts of it that are unnecessary for the telling of the main storyline (the trek to India for one), but it never felt drawn out or dull, so I enjoyed it all the same.
This time around I did wonder if Cole could ever be content with his life in Scotland though. Must seem rather drab after the splendor and excitement of Persia.
Pope Joan - Donna W. Cross, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~19hrs
Still find the story fascinating, but it grated a bit how two-dimensional many of the characters were. If they were evil, there were absolutely no redeeming qualities about them. Joan's father is a perfect example.
A captivating book all the same, and I'm curious about how historically accurate it is - when push comes to shove.
Half Moon Investigations - Eoin Colfer, 4/5, 311 pages
A childrens' book that's fun for adults too :-D
Imagine "Bugsy Malone" as a book. The writing style is noir ... and the detective is a 12-year-old kid. Absolutely brilliant and really well executed.
The plot is pretty much what you'd expect from a childrens' whodunnit, but Eoin Colfer has a way with words and made this a very entertaining and enjoyable read.
The Consumption of Magic - T.J. Klune*, 4/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
A Wish Upon the Stars - TJ. Klune*, 5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
Finishing off my re-read of this series once again. I love these books!!!!
Books Read: 44
Pages Read: 8,945
Hours Listened To: 196
Book of the Month: Heartless Hunter, will definitely pick up the next book ASAP.
Biggest Disappointment: The Name Game. A shame, since I know Beth O'Leary can do SO much better.
