Fiction

The Last She

By H. J. Nelson

(5 / 5)

Post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres of books, and The Last She did not disappoint. The book follows the perspectives of Ara (19) and Kaden (21) in a world that was decimated by a disease 3 years prior. I found myself drawn into the story quickly, and it kept my interest through the end. It’s packed with action and adventure, along with romance and an air of mystery. While it doesn’t necessarily end on a cliffhanger, there’s definitely setup for the next book in the series. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Love & Panic

By Raina Ash

(5 / 5)

TW: mental illness, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts

This book pulled me in almost as soon as I started reading it, and I found it very hard to put down. It follows 2 main characters, Natalie and Dean, who are each struggling with mental health and trauma from their past. As someone who has anxiety and has experienced panic attacks, I thought the descriptions were spot-on and realistic. Natalie and Dean end up meeting in an unconventional way, but I loved how they each accepted the other for who they were and didn’t judge. The story was interesting with a lot of ups and downs that kept me invested in the story. I was glad to see a lot of growth in both of the main characters over the course of the story while also being realistic about how these things take a lot of work, time, and sometimes you fall backwards in the process, but that’s okay. The book left me with a feeling of hope and a positive outlook about a topic that often holds a lot of stigma. I really enjoyed the romance aspects of the story as well and found that it came to a satisfying conclusion. There’s a couple steamy scenes, but it’s not excessive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A special thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of the book and the opportunity to provide my honest feedback!

February 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

How You Grow Wings

By Rimma Onoseta

(4 / 5)

TW: Multiple instances of abuse

How You Grow Wings follows 2 sisters, Cheta (17) and Zam (16), who have grown up in an abusive household. Throughout the story both sisters are learning how to live life outside of their parents’ home, but in very different ways: Zam is taken in by her rich aunt and uncle, while Cheta is poor and trying to live on her own. The story mostly takes place in Nigeria, and the book immerses you in the languages, culture and obstacles in that country. The book really dives into and explores a lot of difficult topics, such as abuse, sexism, classism, and colonial influences on culture.

A central theme in this book was exploring relationships between people, often relationships that were strained or difficult. It was interesting to watch as multiple characters grew and gained a better understanding of those around them. Zam especially showed a lot of growth over the course of the book.

I’m rating this book 3.5 stars since it didn’t hold my interest as much as I hoped it would, but I think it was just a matter of personal preference – I tend to enjoy faster-paced books with more action. The writing is good so it earns being rounded up to 4 stars.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. All opinions are my own.

February 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

Sugaring Off

By Gillian French

(4 / 5)

Possible TW: Characters in the book recall abuse that happened in their past.

Sugaring Off is a young adult book about a girl named Owl and follows her through her family’s maple syrup season. The book is split into 4 parts, each represented by a different grade of syrup. The book turned out to be far more complex than I expected it to be, exploring a large range of topics that really gave the story depth and some things to learn along the way:

making maple syrup

being hard of hearing/deaf

living in a very rural place

people with Native American heritage

woodland wildlife, in particular a family of foxes

history of abuse

learning to stand up for yourself

The book has a bit of a slow feel to it, which I felt matched the rural setting it was in, and it still kept me engaged and reading for long periods. I ended up reading the whole book over the course of two days. I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions, especially about nature. Along the course of story there’s romance, action and drama, so it was a nice blend.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the author tends to drop the pronouns at the beginnings of sentences, so it affected the flow of the book at times for me. This might just be the author’s writing style, and it certainly didn’t keep me from wanting to continue the book, but some people may be put off by this.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and glad I gave it a chance. I thought Owl was an interesting character and enjoyed seeing her grow over the course of the story.

I received a free copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program, but all opinions I have provided are my own.

December 4, 2022 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

The Serpent in Heaven

By Charlaine Harris

(5 / 5)

The Serpent in Heaven is the 4th book in the Gunnie Rose series, which takes place in an alternate history where the United States has fallen and been replaced by multiple smaller countries. While it probably can be read without reading the previous books, I highly recommend reading them first. I really love the mixing of genres in this series: fantasy/magic, western, alternate history, action, mystery, and romance.

Unlike the first 3 books that are from Lizbeth’s perspective, this book follows Felicia, Lizbeth’s younger half-sister. While I initially missed following Lizbeth and Eli, I enjoyed this new perspective, which gave us a lot more insight into Felicia and her background. Since Felicia is around 15 years old, this book has a “younger” feel to it than the previous books, but I don’t think it took away from the story at all. The book is engaging with plenty of action and good flow that kept it hard to put down. I’m hoping this series will continue since I have really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

November 29, 2022 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0