Reviews – Page 5 – Books Dani Likes

Haze by Rebecca Crunden

Hello Kittens! For the first time in the short life of this blog, I’m recommending an independently published title for you. It’s promoted as a paranormal mystery romance, so it hits several genres in one go. It’s pretty short but it packs a lot of story into those pages. It’s different from most of what I’ve read lately and I really liked that about it. For some reason I’ve been on a YA fantasy kick and while I love those books, I just needed something different. This was the kind of story that made me wonder why I don’t seek out more Indie author titles. There are so many great stories out there that don’t go through “traditional” publishing channels. Give it a try if you’re looking for something different!

Title: Haze Haze

Author: Rebecca Crunden

Author website: https://rebeccacrunden.com/

Publisher: Independently Published

Publish date: August 6, 2018

ISBN: 9781985364288

Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary

This book opens with 2 young boys named Erik and Miles attempting a magical ritual in Latin so that Erik can try to talk to his recently deceased mother. They are both disappointed, but not necessarily surprised, when it doesn’t work. Little do these boys know, this seemingly innocent act will change their adult lives forever.

When we flash forward in time to nine years later we learn that Erik has fallen in love with a girl named Eliza and they are planning to get married. Shortly after they make these plans, Eliza gets a strange phone call from a girl named Paige who claims to be Erik’s ex-girlfriend and says she has something important to tell Eliza in person. The only problem? Erik tells Eliza that Paige committed suicide years ago. So who is calling and what message are they trying to give Eliza?

This story is a pretty wild ride from there. It’s a relatively short novel that I finished in a day, but the pacing is fast. We make a couple of leaps in time that help with that, first going 9 years into the future, then 5 years later, and so on. You get a good picture of Erik, Eliza, and Miles’ lives at each stage. The characters aren’t always likeable (except for Miles, who is excellent comedic relief throughout), but their stories are complex and they have emotional depth.

Why I liked it:

The story kept me guessing and for a lot of the book I wasn’t sure how heavily the paranormal was going to influence the outcome. I really like a story that keeps me on my toes. Also, I really loved Eliza and Erik’s romance. It was sweet and felt very real and I felt invested in what happened to them.

I also loved that the paranormal was introduced without a ton of backdrop world building. There’s a time and a place for that, but this story didn’t need it. When paranormal elements were introduced, I just accepted them and moved on. I liked that I didn’t have to get some intense history lesson of magic to understand what was going on.

What I would like to change:

Several people on Goodreads listed this story as a mystery. I’m going to have to agree to disagree with them on this. As a mystery, it isn’t as strong, but if you think of it as a romance with paranormal elements: we’ve got a winner.

When I thought it was a mystery I was expecting the traditional elements of mystery, but once I changed my thinking to view this as a romance, it was fantastic. It had everything that I was looking for in a romance. The characters had difficult backstories and impediments to their love, but their feelings for each other remained strong throughout. The characters were flawed but a good match for each other.

There needs to be a follow up that is just Miles. Seriously. That character is gold.

Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My library rating: From a library perspective, I would say you would need to know your audience for this one before recommending it. The book includes past self-harm, a fair amount of cursing, and frequent drug use. Any of those things alone might have made this a 2 glasses of lemonade book, but because it’s got so many potentially tricky elements, I had to put it at:

1 glass of lemonade= a book that can only be recommended to someone whose reading taste you know well, like a best friend. There may be a fair amount of curse words, spicy sex scenes, or potentially morally repugnant behavior. This does not mean that the book is bad, just that the audience might be a little more limited.

My personal preference rating: I gave this title 3.5 stars (I round down on Goodreads). It took me about 30% of the book to get really invested in the characters, but I really liked the ending and I liked the book overall.

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

Hello Kittens! If you need a break from the awfulness of the world right now, I’ve found a recommendation for you. This book isn’t deep or dark. It doesn’t have violence or harsh language. It’s just a story of regular people going about regular lives. They have hardships and hope. They help each other but also cause each other pain. If you just need a book to float your way through the week, then I think this will be a good option. I hope it brings you a measure of comfort if that’s what you’re looking for right now. It also might make you crave a warm beverage (made at home or purchased via safe methods from a local coffee shop). Enjoy!

Title: Of Literature and Lattes

Author: Katherine Reay

Author website: https://katherinereay.com/

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publish date: May 12, 2020

ISBN: 9780785222040

Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

More Info: Goodreads

Summary:

Picking up in the same town from one of her previous novels (The Printed Letter Bookshop), Reay returns readers to Winsome, Illinois. You do not need to read the first book in this series to enjoy Of Literature and Lattes, but there are allusions to story lines that I assume were introduced in more depth in the first book. In this book we are following two parallel story lines that eventually merge.

First we meet Alyssa, who is returning home to Winsome nearly three years after she left to go work for a Silicon Valley start-up. In the years since, that start-up has been closed down by the FBI for fraud and others illegal acts. Alyssa is technically still under investigation but has been allowed to move back home, which is good because her association with that start-up has made her persona non grata in her industry. With her bank account dwindling, she hopes that returning home will give her a few months to get back on her feet. Home is exactly the solace she needs right now, as long as she can avoid run-ins with her mother. They had a falling out that drove her away three years ago and Alyssa is not ready to make amends yet.

Then we meet Jeremy, who has recently moved to Winsome from Seattle to purchase and renovate a local coffee house. Turning the Daily Brew into the new and refreshed Andante (a musical term that means ‘a walking pace’) has been easier and more difficult than Jeremy could ever have imagined. Owning a place like this has always been his dream, but the locals aren’t warming up to the changes he has made as quickly as he had hoped. Add to that the troubles that he is having with his friend and employee, Ryan, and there’s a lot on his plate. One thing that is going right though, is the fact that this move has allowed him to be much closer to his daughter, Becca.

Jeremy and Alyssa have kind of a rough first meeting. Alyssa, who shows herself to be quick with her words, criticizes Andante and Jeremy isn’t in a receptive mood to hear that kind of criticism. This isn’t an enemies-to-lovers story by any means though. The two make up pretty quickly and they become good friends before the sparks start showing up. Their relationship is very chaste and respectful and their story together really pales in comparison to their separate stories of personal growth.

Both of their plans to move back to Winsome and have easier lives go awry. Their friendships and other relationships are tested, but they will both discover strength and maturity that they didn’t know they had. They help each other to get through these times and they both come out of it for the better. Along with the other townspeople, their stories deal with found families, guilt, redemption, and forgiveness. There’s something here for almost every type of reader. The story isn’t going to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it’s so sweet that you’ll glide right along reading it without realizing that an hour has gone by.

Why I liked it:

The characters had complex backstories and had lived in big cities, but they cherished the small town life rather than bringing it down. So many stories like this have characters that treat small towns as “less-than” and then have the characters awaken to the town’s charms. I appreciated that we didn’t have to deal with that trope with this story.

I also liked the fact that the characters are dealing with raw emotional issues but that the author doesn’t draw the reader too deeply into those. Some of the scenes really read more like therapy sessions but the reader doesn’t get drawn in as the therapist or the patient. I am grateful, especially right now, for a read that does not insist on emotionally destroying me.

I was also really nervous about the religious aspects of this book. When I first checked it out, I didn’t know much about it, but when I scrolled down through the description it listed it as a “Christian Romance.” I would argue that it is not overwhelmingly Christian nor is it super heavy on the romance. Both elements are there, but they are presented in a non-threatening manner that I think would welcome many different types of readers.

I also appreciate that the title was explained in the final chapters. I really like it when titles tie in to the story.

What I would like to change:

In the digital edition that I was reading there was no transition from one character to the next. We would be following one character, getting their inner thoughts and dialogue and then they would come into contact with another person and we would switch to that person’s inner thoughts and dialogue without any visible transition. That was confusing for me as a reader to adjust to. I don’t know if it is that way in the printed version (perhaps there’s extra spacing or something that makes it more clear).

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed. I borrowed this title using Hoopla from my library.

My library rating: This was a no-brainer. I won’t automatically give Christian Fiction a 5 glasses rating just for being Christian Fiction. In the past, I’ve found plenty of objectionable material in those types of books. This one earned it’s rating because of it’s treatment of relationships and it’s light-Christian messages. It’s a fluffy read that still offers value for lots of readers.

lemonade_icon 5 glasses of lemonade= you could recommend this book to anyone. There is nothing in here that is going to upset anyone and you could start handing it out on street corners. This kind of book is a Librarian’s dream. As much as we love good literature, suggesting a book for someone can be nerve-wracking work that can backfire BIG TIME.

My personal preference rating: I gave this title 3 stars. I liked it. It’s outside of what I normally read, but I appreciated the fact that it was an incredibly pleasant, uncomplicated read. I tend to read more dramatic, dark stories, but even I need a break from those every now and again.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

Hello Kittens! I’ve got a courtroom thriller for you today. Even as I write it I can’t believe that this is what I’m offering you right now. Can I tell you a secret? Courtroom thrillers are some of my least favorite books of all time. I had a few unfortunate Grisham and Turow experiences and I’ve never fully recovered. This book, however, may just have turned things around. Not for Grisham or Turow. Nope. That is never going to happen again. But Graham Moore has redeemed this category for me. He’s given us pleasant but flawed characters and a story where you want to root for everyone and no one all at the same time. Everyone’s a winner and everyone’s a loser with this one. It’s complex but deeply satisfying. It seems like everyone has been talking about this one so I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did.

Title: The Holdout

Author: Graham Moore

Author website: https://mrgrahammoore.com/

Publisher: Random House

Publish date: February 18, 2020

ISBN: 9780399591778

Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary:

It has been 10 years since Maya Seale sat on the jury that handed down the fate of Bobby Nock. In the years since, Maya has been vilified by the court of public opinion and has been publicly blamed by other members of the jury for the outcome of the case. As far as the general public is concerned, that jury let a guilty man go free, and they did it because of Maya.

In the years since, Maya has built a good life. She’s a lawyer, fighting legal battles with the perspective that she gained from her time as a juror. She believes that their verdict was the right one, even with everything that has happened since. But when she is approached in the courthouse by another one of the jurors from that trial, one who quickly and vehemently threw her under the bus after the trial, she is forced to confront what she has spent years trying to move on from.

A podcast turned Netflix-special called Murder Town is reuniting the original jurors to look at the case on its 10-year anniversary. Maya is reluctant to participate. The trial is done and laid to rest and no significant new evidence has ever appeared, or so she thinks. This other juror swears to her that he has found new evidence that proves their verdict was wrong beyond the shadow of a doubt. He won’t tell her what he knows yet, but his belief in this new evidence is absolute.

Against her better judgment, and with outside pressure guiding her decisions, Maya ultimately joins the other jurors for the reunion. Unfortunately, that decision will lead to serious consequences for Maya when a juror ends up dead and Maya is the prime suspect. Now she will have to face the justice system in yet another new role. Will she get the kind of juror that she was? Does she want to?

Why I liked it:

This story is a fascinating look at the justice system that we think we know. As these jurors discover: the lawyers are there to tell a story, the judge is there to make sure everyone plays by the rules, and the jury is there to make sure that justice is served. Can you ever be truly sure about something like this? Aren’t they all guilty of something?

I like how Moore handled the racial tension throughout the story. We got some really powerful monologues about identity and the role it plays in decision making. I also really enjoyed that all of the characters were changed so deeply by their participation on the jury, some for better and some for worse.

I also loved all of the twists. At one point or another I suspected nearly everyone throughout the course of this novel. While some of my guesses turned out to be correct, and I did guess a major plot twist, there was still plenty that I didn’t see coming.

Favorite quotes:

“Out here, maybe somebody goes to jail. Maybe somebody doesn’t. But we never know the truth. The real, whole, definite truth. It’s impossible.” pg. 112

“Their punishment for being people who demanded answers was that they would be forced to go on in perpetuity with their doubts.” pg. 183-184

“It wasn’t that any of them made Carolina nervous. It was that once you combined them all…well, somehow it felt like these people were going to collide against each other like marbles. They were going to send each other in directions none of them saw coming.”

What I would like to change:

This is such a small thing…but there are spoilers for 3 Agatha Christie books included, and I don’t feel like it was necessary. I haven’t read much Agatha Christie, and maybe these were well-known plot twists, but they weren’t known to me and I was a little miffed.

Disclaimer: No disclaimer necessary. I chose this book for one of my Book of the Month subscriptions.

My library rating: I wish this could have been a completely unobjectionable recommendation, but there is a sexual assault (it mostly takes place off the page) and a sex addiction and there are a few scenes involving drugs. It’s really not that bad and I still think it would be a great book club selection for talking about the criminal justice system.

lemonade_icon 4 glasses of lemonade= a book you could recommend to a book group or anybody who reads. You might find controversial subject matter, but it is handled delicately.

My personal preference rating: I gave this title 5 stars. I’m not a fan of courtroom thrillers usually, but this one was fast-paced, had entirely believable characters, more red herrings than you can shake a stick at, and still managed to expound upon some deep issues. It was a joy to read.

Additional Info:

Investigation Discovery started a book club recently and they picked this as one of their selections. You can find more information about the ID Book Club here.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenage by Ben Philippe

Hello Kittens! It’s been a while since I went in blind to read a book, but I saw this title recommended a few times on BookTube and I decided to just take a shot. I’m taking you back to high school with this read. In the middle of reading this story, I was feeling the nostalgia. I was a nerdy semi-jock with a close-knit but utterly weird and unpopular group of friends. While the main character in this book falls into decidedly different categories than I did, his experience still rings true. This book is full of witty teenage sarcasm and drama. You may be thanking your lucky stars that this wasn’t your high school experience, but this fish-out-of-water story is thought-provoking and I hope it takes your mind off of everything else right now.

Title: The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Author: Ben Philippe

Author website: http://benphilippe.com/

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins imprint)

Publish date: January 8, 2019

ISBN: 9780062524134

Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary:

Norris curses Texas and Stephen Fuller Austin the very first day he and his mother land in Austin, TX. He’s a black French Canadian kid from Montreal and he can tell before they even finish their airport layovers that he is a spectacle for the American people. They don’t get his hockey jersey, they openly stare, and they are resistant to his efforts to educate them. Thus begins our introduction to the sassy teen who is the focus of this YA novel. Norris is less than enthused to be starting over midway through his high school career. The only thing worse than his first impressions of his new classmates and teachers are their first impressions of him.

With a mouth that speaks long before his brain fully engages sometimes, Norris is perfectly happy to wait out the next few years in exile, not interacting with the natives. He takes to jotting down his observations in a diary given to him by an overenthusiastic guidance counselor on his first day of school. Considering how his writings revolve around examinations of the Texan-American species, with entries about “jocks and cheerleaders”, “Male bonding”, and “The American Prom”, the diary can be considered a minor character in the story.

As time goes on, Norris makes a few connections with the locals, trying out several new experiences. With a cheerleader named Madison acting as an unofficial guide to romance and a girl named Aarti acting as his unofficial guide to living, Norris is in better hands than he realizes. He even manages to form a hockey team with the help of a persistent new “friend” named Liam. Texas may not be as horrible as he first imagined (except for the relentless heat). Just when things start looking up, everything comes crashing down in typical teenage drama fashion.

While the book comes off as light reading, the truth is it examines several hot button topics in American culture. In particular, we get looks into the immigrant experience, pervasive racism, homophobia, mental health, and the continual threat that everyday life holds for young black men. None of these get a particularly deep examination, but the everyday nature of how Phillipe treats them in the story is almost more damning than any intense scrutiny would have provided. Norris and his friends are all encountering different aspects of these subjects and they all handle them in different fashions, not all of which are completely healthy. The story is not without consequences for typical teenage decision-making, and the inherent lessons are clear for any reader.

Why I liked it:
A lot of YA treats relationships at an accelerated pace, and I really appreciate that Phillipe didn’t artificially speed those up in here. The friendships and the romances develop at a reasonable pace. Old slights aren’t completely forgotten even once they are forgiven. That lines up a lot more closely with the teenage experience that I remember than a lot of YA does. (Seriously though. Pay attention to the timeline in the next couple of YA romances you pick up and see how unnaturally fast the relationships develop.)

I also really enjoyed finding out in the Acknowledgments section that some of the characters are based off of people in the authors life. In particular, I really like knowing that there is a real Aarti out there somewhere, hopefully taking over the world.

What I would like to change:

I know it’s more realistic this way, but I was hoping for a less ambiguous ending. I can’t say too much without spoilers, but there were some things I was hoping for a resolution on.

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed. I borrowed a digital version of this title from my library.

My library rating: There were a fair number of curse words in here, including sexual and racial slurs, so I’m going to limit the recommendable audience just slightly.

lemonade_icon 4 glasses of lemonade= a book you could recommend to a book group or anybody who reads. You might find controversial subject matter, but it is handled delicately.

My personal preference rating: I gave this one 3 stars. I liked it but didn’t love it. That won’t stop me from recommending it to most people who are looking for a good contemporary YA story.

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

Huzzah huzzah, Kittens! A library near me (not mine yet) is opening for curbside this week and I might get a few books! Also, (for shame) I put in an order for 9 books that should be coming in soon. After 8 weeks of being good and only ordering 1 book from Amazon, I finally cracked under the pressure. Being home so much has given me too much time to peruse the internet looking for recommendations and since I have now discovered BookTube, my TBR is doomed. But in a round of kudos for me, today I am sharing a book that I already had on my shelves and had been meaning to get to for a few months! Go me! It’s a fantasy book that features a guy who’s not-your-average-hero/not-really-a-hero-at-all. It’s funny, beautifully written, and the start of a series. Give it a try if you thought you’d like Game of Thrones but were put off by all of the blood, gore, and general horrid nature of those characters.

Title: Fate of the Fallen Fate of the Fallen (The Shroud of Prophecy, #1)

Author: Kel Kade

Author website: https://kelkade.com/

Publisher: Tor

Publish date: November 5, 2019

ISBN: 9781250293794

Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary:

This was a great re-imagining of the typical “prophesied hero saves the world” story. What do you do when the only “chosen one” dies and prophecy says no one else can save the world? You try anyway.

Aaslo is a Forester, literally a person whose job it is to care for and manage the forest in the land of Aldrea. His best friend is a multi-talented golden boy named Mathias. Aaslo and Mathias have been friends since they were children and do everything together as, “brothers in all things”. When Mathias is struck down before his time, Aaslo begins to learn that his friend was more than just an average man. Mathias had a destiny that has been disrupted and Aaslo cannot let his friend’s quest fail.

They are brothers in all things, so if Mathias cannot complete the quest, then Aaslo reasons that he’ll have to do it himself. He leaves the forest for the first time in his life and heads out on an adventure to save Aldrea from seemingly insurmountable odds. He’ll begin unintentionally building a band of followers as he goes about his business. For reasons he doesn’t understand, many of the people Aaslo meets believe in him and what he is trying to do and they won’t abandon him no matter how many times he tells them to go.

Fate of the Fallen is the beginning of a fantasy book series set in Aldrea, so don’t expect to have everything tied up in a nice pretty bow by the time you get to the end of this 344 page novel. Think of this novel as The Lord of the Rings, but told from Sam’s perspective. While Aaslo is way more than a sidekick, he’s constantly underestimated by the people around him and by himself. He didn’t ask for any of this, but he pursues this mission like his life depends on it, even while frequently lamenting the fact that doing all of this is probably going to get him killed.

At times Aaslo thinks he’s losing his mind, and not everyone he meets disagrees. He travels all over Aldrea seeking assistance, but finds defeated mindsets wherever he goes. The one prophecy that allowed for their continued survival has been destroyed, but Aaslo doesn’t think that’s any reason to give up without a fight. If they’re all going to die anyway, why not go down swinging?

I think readers will like the plucky hero/not-a-hero and the world that Kade has built. In terms of fantasy elements there is magic, prophecies, gods, multiple lands and kingdoms, and all manner of strange creatures (including at least one dragon so far). Fantasy readers should really enjoy this book, but I think it’s just compelling enough to attract non-fantasy readers as well. It’s fast-paced with plenty of twists brought about by bored, power-hungry, and occasionally well-meaning Gods.

Why I liked it:
I really love seeing characters in fantasy series who are facing incredible odds, but don’t necessarily have “underdog” status. The main character in this book wasn’t even on anyone’s radar, but he still commanded respect where he went because his profession comes with status. He’s the unexpected hero and he doesn’t seek glory. He’s completely put upon for the entire novel and I love it.

Also, for some reason the meaning behind the title didn’t hit me until after I finished reading the book, but oh man did it give me some goosebumps. It’s packed with meaning and a really great title in retrospect. Sorry! I can’t tell you more than that without spoilers.

Plus, this book is written by a woman and fantasy in general is a very male-dominated genre. So…you know…girl power!

Favorite quote: “Our weakness is merely the vessel that holds our strength. If you choose not to look into the vessel, all that you will see is your weakness.” pg. 168

What I struggled with:
There are a lot of characters so far! There’s a “Cast of Characters” listed in the back of the book and it has 71 names on it. This does make things a little confusing for the reader. I’m pretty sure there were a few times in the story where a name came up that had surfaced before, but there were so many names that I couldn’t keep them all properly connected.

Disclaimer: None needed. I picked this book back in October for my Book of the Month selection, and finally buckled down to read it.

My library rating: Fantasy isn’t always everyone’s glass of tea, but I think that’s the worst that someone would say if you recommended this one to them. I don’t recall any major objectionable scenes and the storyline is complex without going over the reader’s head. There are humorous moments to balance the gravity of the story. I’ll be recommending this one pretty widely once I’m back in the land of the socially distanced library.

My personal preference rating: I gave this one 4 stars on Goodreads, but honestly it’s 4.5 stars for me. I really loved it and eagerly await the next title in the series which is supposedly coming out this year!