Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See (Book Review)

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Library Binding
Pages: 254
Publication Date: 6/28/2004
Publisher: Random House

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

Lily is haunted by memories–of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women’s writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

My friend and I saw the trailer for the movie version of this book, and I instantly said to myself "I want to read that" while she said at the same time "I want to see that." 

Ironically, she read the book first, after checking it out from the library, and I borrowed it from her to read once she was finished. We still haven't watched the movie yet.

The book did not, for me, live up to the promise of the movie trailer. I have the sense, after having skimmed some reviews of the movie, that this could be because the movie itself doesn't live up to the promise of the book, or even of its own trailer.

I wanted to love this book. In the end, I think that I did love this book. It's just that it took me a long time to get to that point. I'm not a fan of books that take me a long time to finish them. 

My experience with this book was unusual. When I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I was entirely immersed in the world of nineteenth-century China. When I wasn't reading it, I wasn't compelled to pick it up. There just wasn't enough movement in the story to make me interested.

I admit that this could be a side effect of reading a lot of young adult fiction for a long time. This is precisely the sort of book I ought to love.

February Wrap Up (2017)

February was an amazing month for me this year. I read a whopping eight books during the shortest month of the year (probably a new record for me). If one of those books hadn't taken a total of six days to complete, I might have gotten even further.

This wrap up is my opportunity to tell you what I loved, what I didn't love, and what I recommend to you. I might even try to give you an idea of what I'll be reading in March!

I read a total of 2,949 pages in February. That's roughly 105 pages every day, which meets my daily reading quota of 100 pages daily.

Of those eight books that I read, three were 5* books (big month for five-star books!), 2 were 4* books, and three were 3* books.

First up in February (and continuing from January) was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters. I enjoyed this book and gave it a 5* rating based on my enjoyment of the story and in particular the fact that it is very different from the movie of the same title.

I continued reading the Percy Jackson series (because I had the boxed set) with Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Titan's Curse. This one was easily my favorite of the series, earning it a 5* rating from me.

The series sort of lost me after that. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Battle of the Labyrinth was slow and long, and in the end I could only give it a 3* rating. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian also received a 3* rating, but in the end the entire series is definitely one that I'd read again, meaning that it wound up netting five stars in spite of a few flops in the individual books.

In a strange twist of irony, I wound up following my stepson's Freshman reading list by following Percy Jackson with Rot & Ruin, which frankly blew me away. I gave the book a 4* rating, but I'm not sure that's altogether fair. This is a book that I'll definitely read again, and I have the rest of the series on order from Barnes& Noble right now.

I was in the mood for zombies, so I re-read my favorite book of the 21st century, Warm Bodies. The sequel was released this month and I'm waiting for it to be available from my local library so that I can read it. Maybe I'll cave and buy it (though it's expensive).

The next book that I read was Beautiful Creatures. I'd read it before, and I didn't enjoy it the first time, when it took me about five weeks to finish reading. The book is impossibly, ridiculously long. This time I managed to finish in six days and enjoyed the book more, but it held onto its 3* rating.

A trip to the library resulted in the final read of February: The Selection, by Kiera Cass. I wasn't expecting much, but this one I definitely enjoyed, and in spite of this book's many shortcomings, I ultimately chose to rate it 4* and purchased the rest of the series online. Looking forward to reading them!

February has been an excellent reading month and I am now 5 books ahead of schedule for my 2017 goal of 50 books. I'm currently reading Snowflower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See, the first book of March, and will be following that up with Jurassic Park and then (possibly) Mists of Avalon.

You can follow my full list of reviews here.

The Selection, by Kiera Cass (Book Review)

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 339
Publication Date: 4/24/2012
Publisher: Harper Teen

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

The first book in the captivating, #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series! Discover a breathless fairy-tale romance with swoon-worthy characters, glittering gowns, fierce intrigue, and a dystopian world that will captivate readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Ally Condie’s Matched, and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.

Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

There's a formula for these sorts of books. Take one part inexperienced author, add a dash of cloudy* female protagonist, combine together with a "dystopian" setting, and voila! You have a young adult "dystopian" story.

I'd like to say that I'm not being fair, especially considering how much I enjoyed this book and how much effort I'm putting into not being influenced by the opinions of others, but that's how I feel about this book.

It's how I feel about a lot of these young adult fantasies.

I need to take a moment to explain why I use "dystopian" in quotes in this case. The setting of The Selection is futuristic and set in a time when the people of North America no longer have the privileges that we currently enjoy.

It rides on the coattails of stories such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Delirium. I honestly can't blame the author for wanting to take advantage of the popularity of these stories. Considering how much I love dystopian settings, I read this book precisely for that reason.

I'm a sucker for a good dystopia. 

There's two problems with The Selection, if you're a fan of dystopian stories. 

The first is that the setting isn't believable. As with most of these teen dystopias, this is not a story that could happen. I'm not going to discuss my personal political views, but I will establish that there are some wonderful dystopian stories written for adults that are believable, things that could actually happen. 

Most of the popular teen dystopian stories would never happen in the real world. It does not, in my opinion, mean that they are not dystopias, only that they exist within the realm of pure fantasy.

The other problem with calling The Selection a dystopia is that it lacks some of the necessary components. Dividing the people by caste lacks the "oomph" of the oppression demonstrated in other books in its category.

What I'm trying to say is that the society of The Selection just isn't that bad, and the story takes place outside of it for the majority of the story.

You need to know this if you're selecting a story based on its genre. Readers who are looking for good dystopian stories may want to give this one a pass.

Or maybe not, because I was looking for a good dystopian story.

What The Selection is is a good story, period. There are a lot of things wrong with this book. More things wrong than right, if I'm honest with you. But the story captivated me in spite of those things.

There's not a lot to say about what I loved about this book. Suffice it to say that the story pulled me through the novel from start to finish in a single day. That means something, at least to me.

If you love a good story and you can overlook a lot of flaws, I think that you'll probably like this book. 

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Book Review)

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 563
Publication Date: 12/9/2009
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★☆☆

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. WhenLena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I'll cut right to the chase. This book is okay, but it's not brilliant.

This is my second time reading it. I did this because I got a wild hare and decided that I had to review the entire Caster Chronicles series if I was going to maintain a decent blog reviewing YA fiction. That impulse resulted in the impulsive purchase of the entire series as a boxed set.

I did the same with Delirium, another book I disliked.

If Delirium works out the way that  Beautiful Creatures did, it will be a lucky mistake.

Here's how it goes: This book is a solid three-star rating. That's the same rating I gave it the first time that I read it, and I stand by that rating even though it surprises me. Maybe the first time around I should have given the book two stars.

The difference between then and now is that the first time around, I didn't enjoy this book. Not even a little bit. I found it insufferably long and it took me nearly two months to finish reading the book because I couldn't stay with the story. According to my current rating system, that warrants a two-star rating.

Maybe this is why I chose to revise that system, yeah?

Having read this book twice now, I can attest that this is an enjoyable story and that I would recommend it to readers who enjoy atmospheric teen romances.

Thing is, that's not really me. 

Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion (Book Review)

Title: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 12/25/2012
Publisher: Astria/Emily Bestler Books

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★★

R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization. 

And then he meets a girl. 

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

Full disclosure: This is my favorite book of the twenty-first century. 

I guess that's kind of corny. Certainly there must be better books written during the past seventeen years, and yet this is the book that has called to me the most over the past four years since the first time that I read it.

Another note of disclosure: This is the second time I've read this book.

And it's only the second time I've read this book, which seems strange when I consider how much the language comforts me. Reading this book feels like wrapping myself in the warmth of grandmother's favorite quilt and snuggling down for a long winter's nap. Or maybe just a good read.

Let me start this review by stating this: This book is corny. It's humorous and it's implausible and it's cheesy and it's sappy and it's just a weird genre.

I want you to read this book. What I don't want is for you to read this book and groan, because it does bear its similarities to Twilight (which, by the way, I thoroughly loved but which does not make my top 10 books of the twenty-first century by a long shot).

You're here to read about this book though, and that's what I want to tell you about.

How about we start out by talking about what this book is not?

Rot & Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry (Book Review)

Title: Rot & Ruin
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Genres: Horror, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 458
Publication Date: 5/3/2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Well this one was definitely not what I was expecting. I don't read reviews prior to reading a book due to concerns that I'll spoil the book for myself, and the synopses of this book didn't begin to do it justice.

I'm tempted to type up the text on the back cover for you, but that seems somehow silly. 

So let me emphasize: This book was not what I expected it to be.

I've discovered recently that I love zombie fiction. What's wonderful about it, for me, is that every zombie book (or series) that I've read has been different than the books that I read before it.

Everybody has a different take on zombies, and that's pretty cool, if you ask me. Sorry, I shouldn't use that word. Benny Imura would cringe. How about I say it's pretty fascinating?

Jonathan Maberry's take on zombies is that they were people once, too. Or at least that's Tom Imura's take on zombies. For me, this perspective was life-changing and not at all in the least bit what I expected to get from this book.

Okay, maybe life changing is strong wording for how this book affected me. The point is that it did affect me.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series), by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: ---
Publication Date: 2010-2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★★

All five books in the blockbuster Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in paperback, have been collected in a boxed set fit for demigods. Now with glorious new cover art and packaged with a special poster, this value-priced set includes the best-selling The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. Whether it is for readers who are experiencing Percy's thrilling adventures with Greek gods and monsters for the first time, or for fans who want to devour the saga again, this gift will be prized by young and old.

When I initially decided to review this series as a whole series, I'd thought I would do so as a general discussion of the merits of the story, its similarities to Harry Potter, and open up discussion of the characters. 

I still want to do that. However, the further I got into this series, the more that I realized that any similarities to any other series were meaningless, because Percy Jackson is the best mid-grade series I've read to date.

Yes, that means I liked it better than Harry Potter. 

(But do note that I also separate middle-grade fiction from young adult fiction.)

The main thing that I have to address about this series is that the series as a whole is better than the sum of its parts. I could not average my individual ratings of each book and achieve an accurate star-rating for the entire series that reflected my feelings about the series.

So I didn't. I assigned a five-star rating to the series as a whole because it deserves it. This is a series that I will read again. And again. And one that I will recommend.

There you have it. That's the simple part. But there's a lot more I have to say about this, so let's keep going, shall we?

There may be spoilers beyond this point!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 381 Pages
Publication Date: 01/25/2011
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★☆☆

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds are against them. Kronos is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, his power only grows. 

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

This book was unnecessarily long.

Let me jump right in and tell you why I don't feel like this book deserved more than three stars. It's highly rated on both Goodreads and Amazon and it distresses me to mark this book so low when it ordinarily rates so high. 

But here it is: The book was too long, and during the entire middle portion of the book (roughly one half, but potentially as much as two thirds of the middle section of the novel), nothing happened.

Okay, okay. Before readers who've read this ahead argue with me that there's plenty of action in this book, allow me to clarify that there most certainly is action throughout The Last Olympian. It's one battle scene after another after another and I'd say that certainly qualifies as being "action" in a book of this nature.

If that's your thing, and you like action regardless of plot, you're going to do great with this book. For me, this sort of reading drops a book almost instantly to a two-star status for me. And if it wasn't part of a series, a one-star status.

Yep. I'm telling you I almost couldn't finish the final book in a series. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 361 Pages
Publication Date: 4/7/2009
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★☆☆

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical. 

In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

Ugh. This book was incredibly difficult to rate. It was tough to pin down a specific star rating, and that brings to light the fact that Lightning Thief wasn't difficult to review because it was the first in the series; It was difficult to review because it was so disappointing.

If I had to characterize the fourth book in this series with a single word, that word would be disappointing.

I've read some reviews of this book, and many readers say that this was their favorite in the series so far. For me, I found that many characters that I had previously loved fell flat, that the relationships lacked texture, and that ultimately a book or series nearly always loses me when it introduces the (spoiler alert!) love triangle.

So let's talk about the things that made this book such a let down for me.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse, by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 312 Pages
Publication Date: 5/9/2009
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★★

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical. 

In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

Six stars. Is that a thing?

I'm starting to feel like I did a wrong thing by rating Lightning Thief four stars. At the rate that these books are getting better and better, I'm going to run out of stars. Or maybe I already did, because six stars is not, in fact, a thing.

But it should be. Because Titan's Curse.

So here's the thing about this book. I'm jumping to the middle, but I want to tell you about this thing. Maybe it's more like "the end" but so what? I promise I won't spoil this for you.

This book made me cry. For real, it made me cry. 

Not pretty crying, either. I'm talking about big, ugly tears, rolling down my cheeks, sobbing so hard that my family members remarked on it later.

Yes, Percy Jackson made me cry.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 279 Pages
Publication Date: 3/20/2007
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★★

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson-a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia-only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends-Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson-must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family-one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to finish reading this one. It's been an incredibly difficult two weeks and I haven't had a lot of time to read.

Which is disappointing considering how much I loved this book.

I'm going to be honest with you, my dear readers: I wasn't expecting too much after finishing Lightning Thief. The first book was okay but it wasn't amazing. Sea of Monsters made up for that in a way that I didn't anticipate.

It's hard to explain how I could love Lightning Thief without being transfixed by it. In the end, it just didn't quite cut muster for me. Sea of Monsters made up for that, so if you're reading (or have read) Lightning Thief and aren't sure whether you should continue with the series, my advice is do.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (Book Review)

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 375 Pages
Publication Date: 02/02/2010
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. Book #1 in the NYT best-selling series, with cover art from the feature film, The Lightning Thief.

I'm having difficulty reviewing this book, and here's why: It's the first book in a series that I have never read before. I plan to read every book in this series in succession, and to review each book that i read. Because this is a series, I do not anticipate the characters or the writing to change a lot. 

The only thing that changes, then, is the story.

This is a challenge for me as a reviewer, because I like to review books as a whole. I'd love to review the characters, the story, the writing, and the ties to Harry Potter, but I feel that this ought to be saved for a final review of the series as a whole.

And I do intend to write that. I'm making notes for that review. Seriously, I am.

But right now I'm sitting here staring blankly at a screen that I've erased three times in an effort to find the right approach to this book. How do I tell you, as the reader, whether or not this is a book worth reading without reviewing the series as a whole?

Well, maybe for you the jury will be out on that until I've reached the conclusion. We'll see.

Here's what I can tell you.

This book is nothing like the movie. Apart from the general sense of the characters (and I do mean general, as neither Annabeth nor Percy are like their actor portrayals in the movies) and the basic outline of the plot, the events in the book are altogether different than those in the movie.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, by Stephanie Oakes (Book Review)

Title: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Genres: Suspense, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400 Pages
Publication Date: 11/01/2016
Publisher: Speak

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself. Finalist for the Morris Award.

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch's If You Find Me and Nova Ren Suma's The Walls Around Us, as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.

This book was so good. 

It has all of the components of a book that I ought to be slapping straight onto my immediate "favorites." 

I'll start by telling you what those things are, then I'll get a bit more personal.

But first, a trigger warning. If you plan on purchasing this book, please note that it contains a lot of potential triggers. It probably stands out as having that potential, as the book is religious in nature to begin with, but I also want my readers to be aware that this book contains graphic depictions of horrific physical violence and terrible, awful racism.

This book also has many excellent qualities that will have me recommending it for the next year. I'm quite sure that this is going to be on my list of best books that I've read in 2017.

The Job of the Book Reviewer

I've been giving this a lot of thought since Monday Night (when I had a chat with the Facebook group 10 Minute Novelists). 

What exactly is the job of the book reviewer?

We reviewers do a service just by publishing book reviews. Reviews benefit the author in a number of ways.

• Reviews on Amazon boost the visibility of an author's work, regardless of whether the rating is high or low.
• Reviewers provide valuable feedback to the author, indicating areas that need improvement or encouraging the author in his or her strong areas.
• Book reviews increase the visibility of books, particularly where those reviews are shared to social media.

They also benefit readers by helping readers to choose books which they are most likely to enjoy reading (and to finish). This also helps authors in a secondary way (by promoting their books).

Engaged in Danger, by Barbara Venkataraman (Book Review)

Title: Engaged in Danger
Author: Barbara Ventkataraman
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Format: Kindle Edition
Pages: 263 (Print)
Publication Date: 09/11/2015
Publisher: Amazon Digital Servies

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?

Let me start by saying that not that long back, I reviewed the Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection. You need to know before I say anything else, that I absolutely love this series. I've been in communication with the author and feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to get to know this series.

This book hit for me in a time when cozy mysteries have been falling flat. I've read a number of them in the past two years where the events of the story don't follow a logical pattern, the mystery is either impossible or too easy for the reader to solve, and the characters are flat rather than fun.

Jamie Quinn brings us back to a time when cozy mysteries were everything they were supposed to be. So let me talk about the things that are great about this book, since I can't find fault with this novel at all, really (seriously, it's a 4.5 star book for me but I always round down on those so that the 5-star books really stand out).

The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco (Book Review)

Title: The Bone Witch
Author: Rin Chupeco
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Amish
Format: Protected PDF via Netgalley
Pages: 432 (in print)
Publication Date: 03/7/2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads | Amazon

★★☆☆☆

In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price...

Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!

Well. Where do I start? 

This is going to be a tough review, in a number of ways.

I want to start out by being as fair as I possibly can about this review, so I'll start out with telling you the most important thing: I didn't like this book. You need to know that going forward, because it's important to me to be as constructive as possible and to provide my readers with information about the reasons that I did and did not enjoy a novel.

So out of fairness to the author, I want to say this: I have not been a fan of fantasy novels for quite a number of years, and this book might actually have changed that. 

Surprising, considering that I didn't like the book.

Let me give you a few other positives about this book (for me, anyway). The leading character (a witch-come-geisha known [called an asha] known as Tea) is a woman of color. Excellent representation in a fantasy novel. One of her friends, who works in one of the shops, is a cross-dressing adolescent whose story I won't spoil for you.

So in terms of representation, this book has done an excellent job of providing adequate representation of these marginalized groups. I like that. It felt good, and it wasn't forced. I like it even more that it was noticeable without being forced.

These are good things that I think might appeal to a young adult audience. 

Unfortunately, for me there were just too many things I hated about this book.