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Brief synopsis (no spoilers) The second half of the Uncrowned King Tournament. Lindon is out, but the rest are now eligible for not only the grand prize, but also an extra prize from the Abidan - an arrow that can kill any one being on the planet. Category Fantasy, maybe Sci-Fi Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) The rest of the books in the series have felt like they were rushing everyone toward advancement. This one had more advancement than any other, but its focus was much more on character development. The characters and their personalities feel more real now (they face embarrassment, defeat, ghosts from their pasts, and even the most powerful ones show weakness). It's outstanding. Will is taking a well-deserved break, and I'll wait patiently for the next book in the series. Warnings Language: None Violence: Frequent fighting "Adult" situations: None Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagoni...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Loch and her crew are trying to hunt down an Elven book and deliver it to the Empire, to avoid an all-encompassing war. But then, just to make things fun, yet another ancient group of people tries to take over the world. Category : YA fiction Why I chose this book : Next in series My personal opinion : Far less confusing than the previous book in the series, so that's a step up. But the crew got out of trouble too easily. They're basically unbeatable, so there's not much suspense. The "good guys" are going to win, no matter how powerful the "bad guy" is. Meh. Warnings Language: not really Violence: frequent, but not graphic "Adult" situations: many mentions of intimacy; many mentions of attraction; if homosexual attraction is a trigger for you, pick a different book Death: Several, including major characters Movie rating equivalent : PG-13 Protagonist description : Loch is powerful and capable, almost flawless Poi...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Loch is a escaped convict who is trying desperately to finish one last job. She picks up a very capable, but very motley crew. Category : YA fiction Why I chose this book : Recommended by Amazon My personal opinion : When I first started reading, I felt like I had accidentally picked up the third book in a series. The characters meshed like they knew each other, the populations (mythical and humanoid) had names that were gibberish, with no context or relation to reach other. And there were language fragments thrown around with essentially no translation. So I checked, to make SURE this was the first novel in the series. It was, so I kept reading, and was still lost. So I checked again! It's really, truly the beginning of the series, but it feels like we're missing a whole novel of back-story. It feels like the story started mid-stream, around a campfire, but the story is a familiar one, so the teller is skipping a ton of parts so she can get to the...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : Arden and Dade continue their relationship, which requires them to abandon both of their families and livelihoods. They want to be together, but they aren't really "working" together, coordinating, or communicating very well. Tsk, tsk. Category : YA Fiction, Sci-Fi Why I chose this book : Next in series My personal opinion : The "pretty good" continues. There's a LOT more attention spent on the physical attraction between Arden and Dade, so that got a little too close to the line for me. But the language is clean, the action is decent, and the story line got a little less predictable, so it was pretty good. Warnings Language: Not really Violence: Frequent, but not graphic "Adult" situations: Lots of reference to attraction Death: Some, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent : PG-13 Protagonist description : Arden is strong and independent. Dade is maturing. Point of view of story : Third person, focused ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): MG has an unusual name (Michael-Grace), an unusual best friend (drag queen), an unusual hair color (purple), and an unusual job (only female writer at a graphic novel shop). So when there's an unusual crime in town, she's a great match! Category : Crime fiction Why I chose this book : Amazon First My personal opinion : I really enjoyed this book. It was relatively clean (no language or sex), but it was edgy (showcasing people who are "loud and proud" about their lifestyles). I liked the nerd culture references, and I enjoyed the "girl power" angle. I also appreciate that most of the action in the crime solving part did not involve murder. Nicely done! I don't recommend it to teenagers, but I would recommend it to adults that do not have homosexuality as a trigger. Warnings Language: None Violence: Some fighting, some references to drug lord violence "Adult" situations: Lots of references to sexual interest, but no ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : Lizzy Moon is the youngest in a long line of women with special abilities. Quiet ones, that focus on healing and wellness. But her "kind" are not welcome in her home town, so she moved away to the big city and got a big job. And then her grandmother died, so she inherited Moon Girl Farm, so she had no choice but to return and manage the estate. Her plans for a quick drop-in and getaway are ruined by the state of the farm, an old rumor that has persisted, and some unfinished business. Throughout the story, her grandmother gently speaks to her (figuratively) through a Book of Remembrance that she made and left for Lizzy. Category : Fiction, mystery Why I chose this book : Amazon First My personal opinion : The setting was nice (I grew up in that area, so it was cool to hear location names I recognized), the story-telling was superb, the flow of the story was excellent, and the interaction of the characters was endearing. I wish there were more mys...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : They completed their work in Newcago and Babylar, but at what cost!? They must now travel to Ildithia (formerly Atlanta), but without help from Prof. They will never be able to defeat the reigning Epic there, without some serious help. And while all that is happening, our hero David has another goal in mind, and it's a big one, but he's keeping it all to himself! Category : Sci-Fi Why I chose this book :  Next in the series My personal opinion : Excellent execution! The third book of the series does not disappoint. It doesn't just hurriedly tie up all of the loose ends, and it isn't lame. The challenge and conflict are relatable. David is still a nerd, and all of the characters are reachable. I recommend it to anyone. Warnings Language: Very minor Violence: Fighting and guns, but no gore "Adult" situations: Kissing, physical closeness Death: Some Movie rating equivalent :  PG-13 Protagonist description :  David Charleston is regu...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : The Reckoners freed Newcago, but now they have another task: free Babylon Restored, or Babylar, formerly New York City. It is ruled by an epic named Regalia. They have Prof to stand toe-to-toe with Regalia, but will they get any help from Megan? And will David ever learn to create a decent metaphor? Category : Sci-Fi Why I chose this book :  Next in the series My personal opinion : Excellent story. Good, clean fun. And an excellent premise. I'm glad I bought the series! Warnings Language: Very minor Violence: Fighting and guns, but no gore "Adult" situations: Physical attraction Death: Some Movie rating equivalent :  PG, maybe PG-13 Protagonist description :  David Charleston is regular mortal, but he has a superhero-sized drive to kill an Epic Point of view of story :  First person, focused on David Book length :  Medium Story flow :  Excellent Grammar and spelling issues :  None Character connection (no spoilers) :...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : People gain superhuman powers, but instead of becoming superheroes, they are all corrupt. The US government is completely unable to control them, so they simply don't. Each Epic (superhuman) fights for the territory they want to own, and the regular humans do their best to stay out of the way. But there are some who believe that heroes will emerge, and save humanity from despotic Epics. Category : Sci-Fi Why I chose this book : I'm a big fan of the author My personal opinion : Great book. Fun to read, and it's a story well-told. Not too long, not too short. Clean, good humor, no language or sexuality. I highly recommend it Warnings Language: None that I recall Violence: Fighting and guns, but no gore "Adult" situations: Physical attraction Death: Some Movie rating equivalent : PG, maybe PG-13 Protagonist description : David Charleston is regular mortal, but he has a superhero-sized drive to kill an Epic Point of view of story : Fi...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  This is a collection of six short stories, each very different and taking place in their own worlds.  Category: YA  Why I chose this book: Liked the Divergent Series, also by Roth   My personal opinion:  I definitely liked some of these stories better than others. Hearkeners was my favorite. The last two stories are part of another series that Roth has written (Carve the Mark), which I have not read. I think these stories may have made more sense if I knew the other series better. Overall, I probably don't recommend because of the language and homosexuality. But the technology and the way Roth creates each world is cool.   Warnings Language: Several, spread throughout  Violence: Some, spread throughout  "Adult" situations: There is a homosexual couple that kiss in one story.  Death: Not to main characters Movie rating equivalent: Pg-13 / R  Protagonist description:  Each story has different c...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  " Amelia Jones has always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic. But then she botches her audition and her dream comes to an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn't. ​ Between a teacher who really dislikes her and a roommate who wants to see her expelled, life at Mystwick is harder than Amelia thought it would be. And that’s not even counting the mysterious something that’s starting to make the teachers worry. When supernatural powers threaten the school, can Amelia find the courage to be true to her herself, save Mystwick, and prove once and for all where she belongs?" Author's webpage Category: Middle Grades/J Fic. Why I chose this book: Free on Audible My personal ...

Brief synopsis  (no spoilers): Blalock continues to attack Endar, in an attempt to wipe out the race and free himself from the spell that was cast on him and his city. Lord Rafel and his family continue to defend themselves from Jorthain and his magic wielders and army. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book :  Next in the series My personal opinion : Very good continuation of the series. I like that this book does not end in a cliffhanger, or tying into the next novel with loose ends. The language is clean, the action is exciting, the characters are relatable. I do recommend this book and series. Warnings Language: none Violence: frequent fighting, with quite a bit of detail "Adult" situations: minor and infrequent Death: yes, and of main characters Movie rating equivalent :  PG, maybe PG-13 for fighting Protagonist description :  Arn appears to be a bad guy, but he extremely loyal to the people he likes. Carol is a powerful magic-wielder, an...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Lord Rafel's people make it to a secluded valley that they can fortify and live in. Carol grows in her powers and is reunited with Arn. Arn gives Carol a spell book that might be too much for Carol to handle. Category : Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA Why I chose this book : Next in the series My personal opinion : Excellent book in an excellent series. It ends a bit abruptly, and it is clearly incomplete without the next book, but that's typical. I recommend the book to anyone. Warnings Language: none Violence: fairly frequent fighting "Adult" situations: no details, but there are two couples Death: yes, and of main characters Movie rating equivalent : PG, maybe PG-13 for fighting Protagonist description : Arn appears to be a bad guy, but he extremely loyal to the people he likes. Carol is a powerful magic-wielder, and growing Point of view of story : Third, focused alternately on Carol and Arn Book length : Medium-long Story flow : Excell...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): There's a giant ship that is built on the base of an asteroid. Its purpose is to carry the last members of the human race throughout the galaxy and find habitable planets. Zax is a young trainee, learning to be one of the main Crew members of the ship. He makes friends with another genius named Kalare, and the two of them make a great team. As Zax learns more about the ship and about its mission, he finds more reasons for doubt. Category : YA fiction, Sci-Fi Why I chose this book :  Amazon First My personal opinion : This book was excellent! It's clean, it's fun, it sparks imagination. I love it. I definitely recommend it for anyone, and particularly young people that like sci-fi, and want something wholesome to read. Warnings Language: None Violence: Mild "Adult" situations: None Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent :  PG Protagonist description :    Zax is clever and ambitious Poin...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): The world is overpopulated, so there are many laws in place to enforce the Rule of One: one child per household. Ava is the daughter of the highest-ranking member of the medical wing of the Rule of One initiative, Darren. But Ava has a secret: she and Mira are twins, and they are each living half a life, to avoid detection. Category : YA Fiction, maybe sci-fi Why I chose this book : Amazon First My personal opinion : The story was superb! I like the premise, the action was believable, the characters were credible. I liked just about everything about it, except for the f-word stuck right in the middle. I guess I do recommend it, because the rest of it is really good. Warnings Language: One f-word, repeated once Violence: Some, but not frequent "Adult" situations: None Death: Yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent : PG-16. I won't let my 13-year olds read it, but it's not R Protagonist description : Ava and Mira are jus...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): 9 stories that take place in the Star Wars Universe Category: Teen/Adult Science Fiction Why I chose this book: Myths and fables are one of my favorite genres to read and I also enjoy Star Wars My personal opinion: Overall I was somewhat disappointed. Other than a few names and types of characters that came from the Star Wars Universe I didn't feel like there was anything that really made the stories stand out as "Star Wars-y." I enjoyed the stories themselves and would read them again, I just didn't feel like they were what was promised by the title. They could have been written about any universe and still have worked.  Warnings Language: None   Violence: Some "Adult" situations: None   Death: Some Movie rating equivalent: PG-13  Protagonist description: Different for each story Point of view of story:  M ostly 3rd person.  Book length: Each story can be read within about 10 minutes  Story flow: Fluid throug...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): There are 7 Mages and 1 Magemother that keep the world in balance. The Magemother and a couple of the Mages have gone missing, so things are starting to get weird. A 14-year old girl from Earth gets pulled into the situation by a magical summoning bell, and she'll never be the same again. Category : YA Fiction Why I chose this book :  Recommended by a family member My personal opinion : This story was excellent. I agree with the author that this is a quick, fun read. It won't reach the top of my favorites list, but it is good enough that I have already recommended it to every YA reader I know. Warnings Language: none Violence: mild "Adult" situations: none Death: yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent :  PG Protagonist description :    Brinley mostly wants to be invisible, but she learns to be strong Point of view of story :   Third person, focused on Brinley Book length :  Me...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): The end of the world has arrived. About 99 percent of the world dropped dead in one instant, and the only people left alive are a small number of misfits who are all young, and all have something in common. But beyond that one thing, they couldn't be much more different. Category : YA Fiction, I believe Why I chose this book : Amazon First My personal opinion : This story is pretty good. I really like the premise (End of the world, what do the survivors do?), and I really like that the story addresses all kinds of things that most post-apocalyptic stories don't: cadavers, food chains, supplies, utilities going out slowly. I wish there were less "romance" (not really romantic, it's just teens "doing it") because it got to be a bit overwhelming/too frequent. I like that someone non-neurotypical was in a featured position, and a hero. Warnings Language: Mild and infrequent Violence: Not exactly "Adult" situations: Man...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Harmony House is a "special place for special people", and it's also a secret government think tank, where the genius of the residents is exploited. Eddie Parks has been trying to create a device which would allow him to hear the voice of his mother, who died in childbirth. If that device works, the entire world would be changed forever - no more lies could ever go undetected. Category : Fiction, maybe Sci-Fi Why I chose this book :  Amazon First My personal opinion : The story line is excellent. The narration is flawless. There was the issue of language, but I was willing to overlook it. I loved that a non-neurotypical person was the star of the show. It's not perfect, but I am glad I read it. Warnings Language: 2 instances of the f-word (one quote, repeated) Violence: yes "Adult" situations: romantic scenarios, but nothing graphic Death: yes, including major character(s) Movie rating equivalent :  PG-13 Pr...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): From Amazon: Charlotte Rowe spent the first seven years of her life in the hands of the only parents she knew—a pair of serial killers who murdered her mother and tried to shape Charlotte in their own twisted image. If only the nightmare had ended when she was rescued. Instead, her real father exploited her tabloid-ready story for fame and profit—until Charlotte finally broke free from her ghoulish past and fled. That's all of the intro I'm going to include, because that's about as far as I got. Category : Fiction, Thriller Why I chose this book :  Amazon First Reads My personal opinion : There were 3 f-words in the first 15 percent of the book. I didn't read past that. The style of writing was excellent, the premise seemed gripping, but I don't like books about serial killers, because they treat murder so casually (by design). I don't recommend this book to anyone. Or the series Warnings Language: bad Violence: frequ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): 11 year-old Tilly Pages lives with her Grandparents at their Pages and Co. bookshop. She has lived with the mystery of not knowing what really happened to her parents when she was little. However, things start change when her favorite book characters come to life within the bookshop.  Category: J Fic. Why I chose this book: Saw it advertised several times and it looked interesting My personal opinion: T his book was really fun and a super easy read. And isn't it the dream of most readers to be able to meet their favorite characters and travel into the worlds they come from? I'm excited to read further stories in this series.   Warnings Language: None Violence: None "Adult" situations: None   Death: Eh...kinda...but before the book started. Movie rating equivalent: PG   Protagonist description: Tilly is somewhat shy girl dealing with the mystery of her parents. She is desperate to know more about her Mom in particular...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Fifty thousand people are on board a massive star ship, when it is ripped out of hyperspace and experiences a catastrophic failure. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen make it to the surface of a nearby planet in an escape pod, where they watch the rest of the ship crash to the surface. They hope they aren't the only survivors. Lilac is the daughter of the most powerful man in the galaxy, and Tarver is a soldier and hero, but socially a nobody. And something is very wrong with the planet where they landed Category : YA, sci-fi Why I chose this book :  Rated highly by Amazon My personal opinion : I liked the book. It's not going to go on my "Top 10" list, but it was enjoyable, mostly clean, and a fun concept. Warnings Language: infrequent and mild Violence: infrequent, and mild "Adult" situations: many romantic situations, some of them steamy, but none explicit Death: yes, including major character(s)  Movie ratin...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): From Amazon (normally I like to make my own, but this one was perfect): Matrona lives in an isolated village, where her life is centered on pleasing her parents. She’s diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life. Entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a strange collection of painted nesting dolls—one for every villager. Fascinated, she can’t resist the urge to open the doll with her father’s face. But when her father begins acting strangely, she realizes Slava’s dolls are much more than they seem. When he learns what she’s done, Slava seizes the opportunity to give Matrona stewardship over the dolls—whether she wants it or not. Forced to open one of her own dolls every three days, she falls deeper into the grim power of Slava’s creations. But nothing can prepare her for the profound secret hiding inside the fifth doll. Category : Fiction, may...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): It's post-apocalypse. People live in an underground bunker shaped like a silo. People fill all jobs that are essential to survival: farmers, doctors, technicians, a mayor, a sheriff, and even an IT department. When people break the law, they are banished to the outside world, to clean the sensors and cameras (the world is dead and dusty, but it's visible using that equipment), and then to perish due to exposure. But there's always more to the story... Category : Fiction, maybe Sci-Fi Why I chose this book :  Recommended on Amazon My personal opinion : The story line was fantastic. Normally, when I hit a cluster of bad language, I abandon the book immediately. But it was such a gripping story that I held on and finished the book. I will not continue the series, though. And I don't recommend this book to anyone that doesn't like bad language. One character in particular has a filthy mouth! Warnings Language: None. But then in...

Note: This review includes the following novels: "Ender's Game", "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", "Children of the Mind", and "Ender in Exile" (in publishing order). It is possible that my review may have some of the events out of order or in the wrong book. My apologies if that is the case, but I wanted to review them all together. Brief synopsis: Ender's Game - An alien species commonly known as the Formics (Buggers) tried to invade Earth. Humanity was saved by a brilliant military commander named Mazer Rackham. Later, the leaders of Earth feared the Formics would return, so they raised a child that would one day command their fleet and fight the Buggers on their home world. Ender and other children are the result of that program, and they fight brilliantly. Ender in Exile - Ender, the child prodigy and hero, cannot return to Earth, so he is sent to govern one of the colony worlds. There, he is able to connect with t...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Here's as far as I got: Earthlings decided to explore space, terraform other planets, and then settle them. But then Armageddon happened, and the planet colonists were marooned. So, thousands of years passed. After some time, more reasonable humans decided to explore space to find a habitable planet, since theirs was ruined by the wars. During those years (in parallel to the human recovery), the terraformed planet was evolving in ways that the original designers didn't anticipate. Unintended consequences vs post-apocalyptic world. Sounds fun! Category: Science Fiction Why I chose this book:  Highly recommended by Amazon My personal opinion: The story line seemed like it was going to be a good one! I was enjoying the humans-in-space story, with the meanwhile-on-the-planet story. But I cannot recommend this to anyone, because of the language. Warnings Language: Bad language was very infrequent at first, but then it picked up about 15% in...