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Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Reece is a human on Earth who is attached by people from another dimension, and saved by yet another group of people from somewhere else. Her life was not as it seemed, even before her visitors arrived. Category : Fantasy, YA Why I chose this book : Don't recall My personal opinion : I tried really hard to like this book. Firstly, it features something like magic, and I am a sucker for that. Secondly, the trilogy was sold as a set, so I have books 2 and 3, and was hoping to read them all. And thirdly, the description made it sound very compelling. Unfortunately, it was slow, and the author maintained a white-knuckled control of every detail. I am positive that there will be absolutely zero "loose ends" at the end of the story. They will all have been double-knotted way before then. There is no scope for imagination in the story. Every detail is laid out explicitly. The story was positively boring, because I never had to imagine anything- I j...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Ingrid and Bjornar live with their 3 daughters in Norway, in a house that's too small for them. They are doing their best to raise their children and provide a nice living for them, but life just keeps getting in the way. Especially work life. Category : Fiction Why I chose this book : Amazon First Reads My personal opinion : I thought the story was charming and funny. I really enjoyed it- until I got about one third of the way through the book. Then there is a horrendous rash of terrible language, and I couldn't continue. I don't recommend this to anyone. It's too bad, because it looked like it was going to be a fun read. Not much of a plot, up to that point, but funny nonetheless. In all fairness to the author, this was translated to English, so the use of vulgarity may not have been her choice. Warnings Language: Yes, there are 5 f-words in just a page or two. There may be more after that point, as well, but I stopped there. Violence: No...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Yerin and Lindon are enlisted with the Skysworn, and are tasked by the Empire to secure something called a "pocket world", which contains treasures from a Monarch-level person. Eithan is also being kept busy, fighting against Underlord-level enemies from the Bleeding Phoenix. Mercy is along for the ride. Category Fantasy, maybe Sci-Fi Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) Fantastic book- fits right with the rest of the series. I love that the story line continues to be clean, gripping, and fun. I definitely recommend this series. There's a fair amount of fighting, blood, and gross creatures, so my wife won't like it, but I think my two teenagers will. Warnings Language: None Violence: Fighting, but not graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Lindon's growing by leaps and bounds Point of view of story Third p...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): All US children from 10 to 18 are affected. Either they die instantly, or they gain powers. Some can move things, some can create fire, some can read minds, some become geniuses, etc. The majority die. The rest of the world is horrified and afraid it will spread to them. The US descends into chaos, and the President tries his best to maintain order by becoming virtually a dictator. Other factions form, fighting against the government and either for or against the kids themselves. The kids are rounded up into concentration camps, and many are killed. It's a bleak story, for sure. Category : Fiction, almost post-apocalyptic Why I chose this book : Recommended by the library My personal opinion : It started out gripping. I really had a hard time putting it down. And then it started to drag. And then it got a little dirty (language, adult situations). So I really had to force myself through the last 10% or so. I don't recommend it. Maybe check out the ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): 100 people are sent to Mars to colonize it- build shelters, raise crops, and create a sustainable way for humans to live on the planet. Turns out there's a lot of drama in that endeavor. Category : Fiction, sorta sci-fi Why I chose this book : Sounded interesting, sounded sci-fi (it's not) My personal opinion : This book felt very similar to The Martian, but with less science and more drama about science. Like, fighting about which actions count as being scientific. I didn't really enjoy it- I couldn't really get into it, but I couldn't put my finger on the exact reason. And then, one third of the way through, the language got bad (not to the same degree as The Martian, but using the same bad word), so I'm done. I didn't finish it, and I don't recommend that anyone start it. Warnings Language: Yes, f-bombs Violence: The opening chapter includes a series of arguments and fights "Adult" situations: Fairly common, but...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Xander is an Official of the Society, and also a rebel in the Rising. He becomes an essential pillar of the medical community, fighting the plague. Cassia returns to Society as an infiltrator, continuing her job as a Sorter. She also works closely with the Archivists, because her treasure trove from the Carving library is invaluable. Ky is a talented pilot for the Rising, and works closely with Indie. Even though the three of them are completely separate for much of the book, they are growing closer to each other. Category : YA, dystopian, fiction Why I chose this book : Next in the series My personal opinion : The story was great and clean. It wasn't my favorite ending to a series, because the last few chapters felt like they were both rushed (to tie off loose ends) and grandiose (to end the epic story). But before that last bit, I really enjoyed the book and the series. Thank you, author, for the good, clean fun. That seems to be rare these days. W...

Brief synopsis  (no spoilers): Cassia relocated to one of the border regions, in hopes of making it to the Outer Provinces to find Ky. Xander continues to help her. Ky is in the Outer Provinces, and is constantly in mortal peril. Things out there are not how the Society has portrayed. Category : YA, dystopian, fiction Why I chose this book : Next in the series My personal opinion : Sometimes, the second book in a series struggles with its identity, and the story kinda goes sideways. This is not the case with this book. The flow from the story of the first book, into the second book is natural and credible. I appreciate the author continuing to keep the story clean! Warnings Language: None Violence: None "Adult" situations: Attraction and kissing Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent : PG, maybe PG-13 Protagonist description : Cassia and Ky are still deeply in love, but they are becoming aware of the differences in their goals Point of view of stor...