fiction

Book Review: Mandie and the Ghost Bandits

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Mandie and the Ghost Bandits
Mandie #3
by Lois Gladys Leppard

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian historical fiction

I read a lot of this series when I was a kid/pre-teen, and I read some of them to my now-teen daughter when she was younger. Nostalgia definitely affects my reviews for this series, and I’m okay with that. Though I am also willing to admit the flaws in the books. Fortunately, this one was less aggravating than the previous. As a parent now, I was particularly interested in Mandie’s mom’s difficulty in parenting her. With the gap in their relationship between the time Mandie was a baby and when they found each other again over a decade later, Elizabeth doesn’t really know how to be a mom and isn’t very good at standing up to her very willful daughter. It also gives Mandie an actual dimension beyond just coming across as perfect all the time, though it’s fairly subtle. On the other hand, Mandie definitely displays a personality shortcoming in this book, so there’s another flaw. It was a little difficult to understand why Tsa’ni was suddenly so kind and friendly at the end of the previous book, then here was rude again, though he never got quite as bad as he had been before again.

One of my biggest overall issues with this series so far is the theology. In my review of the first book, I mentioned that there seemed to be a salvation-by-works message. Here, I was bothered when Mandie tells the wife of a dear friend that they had to trust God to heal that dear friend who was badly injured, and there doesn’t seem to be any allowance for the possibility that God wouldn’t heal him. And then when he takes a turn for the worst, very soon after Mandie’s insight, Mandie herself falls to pieces and loses all semblance of trusting in God. She is supposed to come across as wise and full of faith, but she doesn’t follow her own advice, which is a bit lacking in understanding anyway. I can’t help but wonder what kind of impact this might have on kids who don’t have a full understanding of God yet. So keep that in mind if your kids might read these books. Outside of that, the story was good overall.

Find out more about Mandie and the Ghost Bandits

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Animal Instinct

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Animal Instinct
The K-Team #2
by David Rosenfelt
read by Fred Berman

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a woman dies that Corey Douglas feels like he failed to help when he was a cop, he gets his investigative team involved in trying to track down her killer. Corey had been called in on a domestic dispute in the past, but the woman refused to press charges against her boyfriend. Now Corey wants to prove that the boyfriend killed her, but his bias might get in the way of the truth.

I’m still not really excited about this spin-off series. This one was a little better than the previous, but I think that’s mostly because I’ve gotten used to the narration from Corey’s POV. I still feel like he doesn’t have much personality, other than his short fuse. He’s quick to threaten the safety or even the life of anyone who remotely threatens his K-9 partner, and in this book, that extends to threatening the boyfriend mentioned in the synopsis, which gets him into some trouble in this story. Similarly, I guess it’s supposed to be a big deal that this character I barely knows has a steady girlfriend, but she doesn’t really have much of a personality to me either. She’s kind of a shadow of Laurie, Andy’s wife, and is even similarly presented to the reader as a little too perfect through Corey’s eyes, just like Laurie through Andy’s eyes.

I think Rosenfelt needed to spend a little more time developing a personality and overall life further removed from Andy’s for this spin-off to work very well. Especially since, on top of all of that, I thought the purpose of the spin-off was to focus more on the investigative side, where the main series includes the courtroom scenes along with the investigation, but this book ended up having both as well. So…I’m not understanding in general why Rosenfelt decided to make this spin-off series. It’s just not different enough or different in any way that I personally care about, though I’ll read the last two, because I don’t want to possibly miss any developments that might affect the main series (see my review of The K-Team). But if you’re a fan of the Andy Carpenter series and wonder if you should read this, I’d say this particular book could be passed on (though Andy is in it more than the previous, so there’s that). If you haven’t read any of the main series, don’t start here. But definitely do start on the Andy Carpenter series if you’re interested.

Find out more about Animal Instinct

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Activist

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Activist
Theodore Boone #4
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas


My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When the powers that be discuss building a bypass around the city of Strattenburg, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone finds himself in the middle of the politics from both sides of the issue. A friend whose family’s home is threatened by the bypass thinks Theo can somehow help, but Theo knows he’s in over his head. Even his own dad is for the bypass. What’s a kid lawyer to do?

Whew, this book took a lot of turns and kept me invested all throughout. The issue of the bypass, though it could easily be dry and make the plot slow, is handled well by Grisham. Both sides of the issue are represented well, and though Theo does probably pick his side pretty quickly, he recognizes that there’s really nothing a 13-year-old can do. Meanwhile, there’s an unrelated subplot in which Theo’s leadership abilities are questioned during a camping trip with his fellow scouts, and as weird as it might sound, I really appreciated the way Theo handles it (which is not well), because it keeps him from being too mature or even “perfect” for his age. As much as I’ve been enjoying these books, Theo can get a little unrealistic, so his immaturity on the scout trip brings him back to earth a bit. In the end, this book has quite a different feel than the rest of the series, yet it’s just as good. Maybe my favorite, though it’s difficult to pick between this and the previous.

Richard Thomas continues to do a great job with the narration. It’s probably not super important to read the books in order, though I’d recommend it. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them.

Find out more about The Activist

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: An Accidental Death

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

An Accidental Death
DC Smith #1
by Peter Grainger
read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Detective procedural, mystery

When DC Smith returns to work after being away following a case that went badly, he has to dodge the hints that it might be time for him to retire, because he isn’t ready to give up policework yet. He’s eased back in with busy work, which includes being asked to sign off on an accidental death report that his superior isn’t sure is quite as open and shut as it seems. So Smith begins to investigate, with the aid of a younger detective named Waters, and it turns out there is indeed more going on than meets the eye.

I came across this series when I discovered that it’s narrated by Gildart Jackson, who narrates as series called Fireside Readings that I’ve enjoyed a few of so far. I like his narration style and I like mysteries and police procedurals, so I decided to give this a try. And though I have to admit to being confused or lost here or there in the cultural differences that I didn’t understand, I enjoyed the story overall. DC Smith (DC are his initials, not his rank) is experienced and wise, and his teaming up with the young Waters provides a great dynamic. Smith has recently lost his wife, which gives the story some heart that I appreciated. Smith is a pretty rounded character and not just a procedural-detective cliche. So overall, I enjoyed the story quite a bit, and Gildart Jackson unsurprisingly does a great job as narrator. I’ll definitely be continuing this series and recommend it for fans of procedural crime dramas, especially with a seasoned detective and set in a small-town area of England.

Find out more about An Accidental Death

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Chasing Echoes

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Chasing Echoes
by Jodi Perkins

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: YA fantasy romance

Topaz “Taz” Aevos and her sisters each have powers that they can’t explain. Taz’s seem to be the most useless, though, since all she can do is make things fall. But when her youngest sister becomes the victim of a cruel prank during a school dance, she’s not the only one who wants to use a supernatural power to punish the prankster, Stryder Black. He also gets cursed into a time loop by someone who didn’t appreciate his prank, and when his path crosses further with Taz, the curse could become fatal.

The premise and at least some of the fantasy aspects in this book are interesting. I get what the author was going for with the reveal regarding Taz and her sisters’ powers, and there’s even a villainous aspect that will spill over into future books without feeling too much like a contrived cliffhanger. However, the time loop aspect of the story could have been done better. Stryder starts to fall apart after only 3 loops, which seems fairly quick for a “tough guy,” especially one who’s been warned he’s in a loop rather than being completely in the dark and wondering if he’s just going crazy. And his theories about how the loop works, both for him and for those “outside” the loop vary wildly and don’t always make sense to me.

There are also several cliches in the story that bugged me, including what turned out to be the change Stryder needed to make in order to break the curse. It was always my least favorite aspect of Groundhog Day and just made me roll my eyes here. (This is already semi-spoilery, so I won’t be more specific to avoid full-on spoilers.) I also had a difficult time buying that Stryder’s prank, brutal as it was, was worth the curse put on him, and the curse-giver, when confronted, was far too casual about the whole thing.

Overall, the book isn’t bad (especially for one that’s self-published, since it’s not full of errors, though it could have used a little more proofreading). But I think it’s more suited to an audience of people who like more contemporary romance or romantasy. I’m okay with both of these but prefer that the romance be a little more substantial than what I found here, and I might have liked a little more explanation about some of the fantasy elements. But if you’re interested in time loop stories and contemporary romance with fantasy elements, you might just enjoy this book.

Find out more about Chasing Echoes

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons
How to Train Your Dragon #6
by Cressida Cowell
read by David Tennant

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

In order to prove that his group of Vikings are better burglars than another group, Hiccup and his friends sneak into a Viking library to steal a book. Things go wrong, of course, in fairly predictable ways by this point in the series. Unfortunately, there’s not enough new here to make it particularly enjoyable. Hiccup is ridiculed, as always, but manages to pull off the unexpected, as always. This book feels more like the author is trying to get a not terribly subtle message across—books are important. Libraries are important. Banning books is bad. And alongside that message, she feels the need to talk about a woman’s breasts more than I’d be comfortable with in adult book, and this book is for kids! The leader of a mostly friendly rival tribe is named Big-Boobied Bertha, and she’s been in several of the previous books as well. I was a bit taken aback by the name before, but she had a pretty small role in the past and I guess I passed it off as a British quirk. In this book, not only is she involved a lot more, her “gigantic” breasts are described and referenced several times. It is absolutely unnecessary and just plan ridiculous in a book meant for 10-12 year olds. So though I’m probably in the minority of being bothered by this, let this be a warning for those who are like me. Maybe skip this one.

Find out more about A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Silent Bite

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Silent Bite
Andy Carpenter #22
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When semi-retired defense attorney Andy Carpenter’s friend Willie Miller brings him a defendant in need, it’s hard for Andy to say no. But an ex-con who is accused of murdering some old enemies won’t make for a simple case.

This book has some differences compared to other books in the series. The case seems a little weaker to me (from the prosecution’s side), yet the mystery itself was involved and interesting. It’s most common for Andy’s cases to end up involving grand conspiracies, often reaching across the nation or even to other countries, so it’s nice to have a divergence from that, in some form.

A large part of why I enjoy this series is due to Andy’s team, and in this book, there is a change-up in the team. However, it happens in an amusing way, and it means the series gets a fresh addition, which can be nice this far in. So far, though, at least to me, the new guy doesn’t have quite as good of a “shtick” as the one we’re losing, but I’ll reserve judgement for now (I’ve listened to later books in the series and recognize the name from them, but I don’t really remember anything about him, which might be telling in itself). Listening to this book with Grover Gardner as the narrator is like slipping back into a comfortable pair of shoes after wearing dress shoes all day. It may be a strange analogy, but it’s just so nice. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, as well as the books that precede it in the series (and probably all that follow it, but I’m still working my way through).

Find out more about Silent Bite

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Accused

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Accused
Theodore Boone #3
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas


My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone begins to be harassed by an unknown person, he becomes a suspect in a crime himself.

The first thing I want to say is that, by this point, Theo’s uncle Ike Boone should really not still be described the way he is—as a somewhat sad, pathetic divorcee ex-con that Theo just visits out of obligation. He’s been such a help to Theo in all three books so far—someone that Theo can come to when his parents are too busy (which seems to be always), instrumental in both of the previous books in different ways. I’ve really come to like him, though I don’t envy some of the decisions he had to make in this book, so it’s kind of jarring for the author to still treat him as less than.

That being said, this was probably my favorite book in the series so far, though I’ve liked them all quite a bit. Theo gets a chance to find out what “innocent until proven guilty” is really supposed to mean, and what happens when the general public convicts a suspect before the trial. It’s an interesting parallel to what’s going on with the murder suspect first introduced in the first book, who is involved in this book a little bit too. I actually kept expecting Grisham to bring that up, for one of the adults in Theo’s life to point this out to him, but either he was keeping it subtle or it wasn’t an intentional parallel.

Richard Thomas continues to do a great job with the narration. At this point, it’s still probably not super important to read the books in order, though I do think it would be helpful to have at least read the first book in the series, since there are connections back to it in this book. Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them.

Find out more about The Accused

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Brother Odd

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Brother Odd
Odd Thomas #3
by Dean Koontz
Read by David Aaron Baker

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Paranormal thriller

While living in a guest house at a monastery in order to simplify his life, Odd comes across something completely new, even with his penchant for seeing ghosts and other paranormal connections. The bizarre creature seemingly made of bones, combined with the Bodachs that have appeared around the area, leads Odd to believe something bad is about to happen.

This was my favorite book in the series so far. There are a lot of amusing moments in the book, from Odd’s interactions with Elvis to his banter with the suspicious Russian man also staying at the monastery. I continue to enjoy Odd as a character—kind and modest almost to a fault with a strong desire to protect those who are weak. The mystery kept me engaged, though I have to admit that the reveal was a little confusing, even convoluted. But that was really my only issue with the book. I was sad about a chapter that closed at the end of the book, but I look forward to seeing where the series goes. Sadly, I’ll have to fit the rest into my normal reading schedule, because the rest of the audiobooks don’t seem to be available from any of the library services available to me. But I enjoyed this third book enough to be willing to continue on my own.

Find out more about Brother Odd

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Disappearances

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Disappearances
by Emily Bain Murphy

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA historical fantasy

When Aila’s dad is drafted to fight in WWII not long after her mom’s death, she and her little brother Miles are sent to live with an old friend of their mom’s in the small town where their mom grew up. The siblings quickly begin to notice some strange things about their new home, like the lack of mirrors in the entire house. And how the flowers in the backyard don’t have any smell. As it turns out, every seven years, the people in the town lose something, like the ability to smell or dream. It’s been happening for 35 years and no one knows what made it start or what might make it stop. And the next Disappearance is only days away.

This is one of those books that leaves me struggling to figure out where to start with my review. I was so caught up in the story that I had a really hard time putting the book down and ended up staying up an hour later than normal to finish it. The Disappearances, the way the town reacts to them, their attempts to counter them—all of it comes together in an intriguing story. Add to that Aila’s and Miles’s grief over their recent loss, worry for their endangered dad, and difficulty in settling into a new town, which is all really well done and feels authentic. 

As the main story is unfolding, we get glimpses of another plot that seems to have connections to the main story, though it isn’t immediately clear what those connections are. But as the story goes on, more and more hints are dropped. I actually looked something up online based on a clue from the book and made a connection before the book brought it up. I had no idea why it was significant, but the excitement I felt at my realization was just further proof of how invested I was in the book. I can’t say a lot due to not wanting to spoil anything, but I already mentioned how caught up I was in the last quarter or so of the book. There are some details that aren’t explained in the end, but nothing that was left unexplained bothered me. I don’t need to know how the “magic” worked. I just loved the way the author worked everything out. It actually reminded me of Holes, which is not really touted as fantasy, yet has a curse-related overall arc that is similar to this book. I also have to admit that the book doesn’t feel particularly historical, even though it’s set in 1942, but I just didn’t care enough to be bothered by it. I don’t give 5 stars easily, but I haven’t enjoyed a book of this genre this much in a while. If the book interests you at all, I strongly urge you to give it a read!

Find out more about The Disappearances

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!