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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 2

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 2
written by Walter Simonson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I enjoyed reading the conclusion to the story set up in volume 1, with some epic moments and things that I remember from playing the related questline back in the day. Anduin shines in this story and shows the beginnings of what makes him a wise prince/king when he’s older. Valeera’s magic addiction issues got a little repetitive to me, but overall, I liked this installment. I have to say, though, (spoiler alert) I don’t remember any of these people being there when I killed Onyxia…any of the times. I’m not sure where the story is going to go from here, since it’s clear that the Lo’Gosh storyline, which is what I read this for, is over, but I’ll continue on and see how I feel.

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August in Review

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I read 12 books last month, still staying around my average of books in a month, though with a higher page count than the last couple of months.

Here are the books I read in August:

Carpenter 5
S
ND4
39 2
Rise of Nine
Monster
Someday
Flowers Bones
Poirot 5
Invitation
Sugar Plum
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Dead Center by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
S. by J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst (3 / 5)
The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (3 / 5)
One False Note by Gordon Korman (4 / 5)
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (4 / 5)
Monster by Frank E. Peretti (4 / 5)
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (3.5 / 5)
Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou (4 / 5)
The Big Four by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
An Invitation to Murder by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams (2 / 5)
Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor by Roseanna M. White (5 / 5)
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham (4 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 2 re-reads. My favorite book from August was Dead Center. I started 1 series, continued 5 series, and finished (or caught up on) 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: An Invitation to Murder

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An Invitation to Murder
by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Historical mystery

Lady Katherine has a deal with her detective father that she can solve a murder case before her 25th birthday, but she’s running out of time and her investigation into 2 recent murders is hampered by the premature shut-down of the season in Town, due to those same murders. Fortunately, her success matching her sisters with loving husbands, Katherine is asked by a desperate mother to help her daughter find a match with an earl whose mother is brave enough to throw a house party, thus giving Katherine an invitation to that party as the young woman’s chaperone.

The note from the authors at the beginning of the book set the tone for me, and it wasn’t in a good way. They explain that they have intentionally gone against historical accuracy to make their heroine less “ladylike” and “acceptable” to society simply because the authors don’t like that women were expected to act demure and leave certain things to men in that time period. Maybe they shouldn’t be writing about that time period, then, but I also tend to think there are ways to write “strong” female characters in the Regency period (give or take) in England without having them talk and act completely anachronistically, intentional or not. To be fair, though, I did still choose to read the book, knowing this in advance. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about the book, though, or I’m sure I would have given it more than 2 stars.

My main issue is actually Katherine herself as a character and as an investigator. She accepts the matchmaking job but completely ignores her charge most of the time, even at times forgetting all about the woman she’s supposed to be chaperoning. And ultimately, I don’t believe she has any idea what she’s doing as an investigator. She has terrible (and obvious) investigative techniques and no foundation for any theory. It all just sounds like complete guesswork. Even by halfway through the story, none of her theories seemed any more plausible than any of them did from the start. Each time she tried to advance a theory with new information, it would ultimately end with, “or maybe not…”

With a main character I don’t care for, an obnoxiously dogged rival detective, and some major coincidences, this book is definitely not for me. I’m not sure I can really recommend this for anyone, though if you’re a fan of the genre(s) and wouldn’t be bothered by the things I mentioned, considering checking out the other reviews at the link below.

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Book Review: Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor

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Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor
by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

Though marriage to Cyril Lightbourne, a very distant relation that Mariah Lyons’s father’s estate will pass to someday, would be convenient, Mariah has to face the fact that he’s not the same kid she played with years in the past when he first visited Plumford. Their letters became strained over the years, and she’s heard that he’s set his sights on the flirtatious, malicious Lady Pearl, which lowers Cyril in her own esteem anyway. Still, she’s glad that their old friendship is rekindled when he comes to Plumford at Christmastime, and she has enough to deal with anyway, since a Danish lord is visiting Plumford at the same time, set on winning Mariah’s hand.

I’m always wary of romances set at Christmastime, since they’re often much more sappy and devoid of plot than other romances, but I recently fell in love with some of Roseanna M. White’s other works, so I was excited to receive an ARC of this novella. And it did not disappoint. It’s short enough that there aren’t any major surprises, but there are some lovely minor surprises, and I actually found myself cheering at some moments near the end of the story. I was confused at first when a 3rd POV popped up, that of the Danish Lord, Søren Gyldenkrone, but it really paid off in the end.

I’m a complete novice when it comes to what this book is based on—The Nutcracker—but that by no means lowered my enjoyment of it. The Christian element is mostly related to the characters clearly being Christ-followers themselves and some allowing their faith to change their thinking (for the better). The only downside to getting an ARC of a Christmas book in August is that I don’t get to read it while ensconced in a colorful, wintery environment myself (technically, I could have, but I don’t like putting off ARCs like that). I may have to re-read this one next December (only because this December would be too soon), just for the full effect. In case it’s not clear, I highly recommend this sweet, well-themed Christmas romance.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Publication date: September 3, 2024

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Book Review: The Big Four

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The Big Four
Hercule Poirot #5
 by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

In some ways, it seems like this story would have been better suited to a different protagonist. The grand crime syndicate spanning continents is bigger than anything I’ve seen so far in Poirot books. That being said, though I can see that this isn’t a favorite of many other readers, I found myself intrigued by the connections throughout the book. It still felt like it went on a little long, with some minor crimes being thrown in that I don’t think were strictly necessary. The climax and sections leading up to it are, again, pretty grand and dramatic for this series, but since I’m not a Poirot purist, I enjoyed it. Hugh Fraser continues to be a great narrator, so I hope to be able to continue to listen to him going forward.

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Book Review: The Rise of Nine

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The Rise of Nine
Lorien Legacies #3
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with I Am Number Four.

The Garde are starting to connect in small groups and want to take the fight to the Mogadorians. But there is still a lot about their powers and their inheritance they don’t know, and not all of them are sure that they are prepared to face Setrakus Ra, the strongest Mogadorian, who has now come to Earth.

Though the plot still feels a little meandering, I enjoyed this book more than I did the previous. Number Nine is, in turns, kind of a jerk but also helpful. I don’t really know why the book is named for him, since he doesn’t do anymore than anyone else and none of the narrative is from his POV. I suppose it’s just a way to continue the streak of numbers in the titles. I appreciate that, though there’s no specific explanation about limitations in the characters’ powers, they clearly do have some. Part of it goes back to the fact that they’re still learning how to use them and even learning what they are. They have chests full of toys that they have no idea how to control, or even if some of them might be bad.

It’s really a shame that wise adults don’t tend to last too long with these teens, not that it’s a surprise, since the Cepan don’t have any abilities, plus the books aren’t really about them. I tend to skim the fighting scenes, because I’ve never been a big fan of pure fight scenes, and they come up a lot in these books. But overall, I’m still enjoying the series and intrigued about what will happen to keep going, though not enough to have any interest in the side stories.

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Book Review: Between Flowers and Bones

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Between Flowers and Bones
The Restorationists #2
by Carolyn Leiloglou

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian middle grade fantasy

Now that she’s not the only Restorationist kid that needs training, Georgia finds herself in the shadow of Vincent, her 2nd cousin, whose Gift is much flashier than hers. Her own parents spend more time with him than they do with her, and she begins to doubt the usefulness of her Gift. But she tries to remember that they need to work as a team to defeat the Distortionists and Vincent’s rogue aunt, who wants Georgia and Vincent to help her steal a painting.

I greatly enjoy the world Leiloglou has set up in this series and had a lot of fun returning to it. This book brings some cheer-worthy moments regarding peripheral characters and sets up a time-sensitive future danger. If the protagonist had been a bit different, this would have definitely been another 5-star read. As I read, I felt more and more like her issues with Vincent were being sort of trumped up to give us a moment of clarity and change, which all felt a little too much like Georgia was too wise for her age (even with the help from an older gentleman). It’s not that her issues with feeling overlooked and unneeded are unrealistic for her age (or any age, really), but the way she overcomes them seems a bit unlikely.

The plot, though, and the worldbuilding of this fantasy story are engaging and simple to follow. The ending feels just a smidge unresolved and/or rushed, but overall, I am so excited for the continuation of this series. I recommend this book to anyone (young and old) interested in fantasy fiction with a Christian worldview.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: September 10, 2024

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Book Review: The Mystery at Lilac Inn

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The Mystery at Lilac Inn
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #4
by Carolyn Keene
read by Laura Linney

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

This installment in the series was a bit disjointed and bloated. I feel like too many sub-plots were thrown in, or maybe they were trails meant to throw us off the mystery. Not terrible, but I definitely wasn’t as engaged as I was while listening to the previous books.  Laura Linney still does a great job bringing Nancy to life, but I hope to enjoy the next one more.

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Book Review: Dead Center

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Dead Center
Andy Carpenter #5
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When defense attorney Andy Carpenter’s ex-girlfriend asks him to come to Wisconsin and defend a young man that she, as chief of police, had no choice but to arrest, he does so even more reluctantly than usual. And finds himself at odds with an entire town of cultist fanatics.

Another solid addition to the series, this book takes a unique turn when the mystery isn’t about proving the innocence of Andy’s client anymore. It’s maybe a minor spoiler, but still early enough in the book—when Andy’s client is released, he has to decide whether to pursue the truth or return home. The weird cult that lets a carnival wheel decide the members’ every actions isn’t just ridiculed and passed off as mindless zealots by the MC/author, but instead there are real discussions about why people choose to follow something that to the rest of us is clearly ridiculous. The body count is high in this book (though I haven’t been keeping track, so it may be normal for the series), but the deaths aren’t just glossed over as a means to an end. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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July in Review

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I read 12 books last month, about average for me. Though there were quite a few short books, so my actual amount of reading is on the low side, with the 2nd-lowest page count so far this year (even lower than last month, when running VBS caused me to read less than normal). I have no explanation for this, except perhaps the higher workload I’ve had this month.

Here are the books I read in July:

Mole
ND3
Elizabeth
Poirot 3
Last girl breathing
Eleonore
Groundworld
Locked rooms
Anne 3
Starter Villain
39 11
McGee 10

Reflections of the Mole by Bill McDaniel (5 / 5)
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Elizabeth’s Playground by Dana Romanin (2 / 5)
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens (3.5 / 5)
Eléonore by Faith Rivens (3 / 5)
The Groundworld Heroes by Adrian So (4 / 5)
The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (2.5 / 5)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (4 / 5)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (3 / 5)
Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson (4 / 5)
In the Nick of Time by Bill Myers & Robert West (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 1 re-read. My favorite book from July was Reflections of the Mole. I started 0 series, continued 4 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.