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Book Review: As Good As Dead

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As Good As Dead
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3
by Holly Jackson

My rating: 1.5 / 5
Genre: YA mystery, suspense

Well…I’ve put off writing this review as long as I could. I don’t know how much I can say without giving spoilers, but I’ll try. I’m really disappointed by the turn this book took from the series before it. Not only does Pip cross some major ethical/moral lines (which she also did in the previous book, but not nearly to the same extent), the mystery is nearly non-existent, is not solved by Pip at all, and is wrapped up halfway through the book. The second half is given over to the stuff I can’t talk about without spoiling it.

During that first half, while the not-very-mysterious mystery is unfolding, Pip is suffering some severe PTSD from what happened at the end of the previous book. While I can’t really say that her trauma is unrealistic or too extreme, since I’ve never gone through what she did, it definitely feels overdone. It’s certainly a preference thing, but my preference is to not have a book like this so bogged down by a main character who is falling apart and dealing with it in all the worst ways. 

As for the spoilers, I don’t want share them here and risk anyone accidentally seeing something they wish they hadn’t. If you want to read the spoiler part of my review, follow this link to my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6243264646 (Once there, click on the spoiler tag midway through the text.)

Not only did I not enjoy this book, but it also seems likely to me that the author planned this ending from the start. Though I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, I don’t know that I’ll ever want to re-read them, and I also don’t think I’ll be able to trust another book/series by this author. As for a recommendation, it’s difficult to recommend any of this series, knowing how it ends, and knowing that the books are connected enough that stopping at #2 might feel incomplete. Plenty of others weren’t bothered by what I was, both the spoiler and the non-spoiler parts, so maybe you won’t be either.

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Book Review: Cranford

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Cranford
by Elizabeth Gaskell
read by Nadia May

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Classic Victorian literature

Having greatly enjoyed Wives and Daughters and North and South by the same author, and seeing this billed in some places as Gaskell’s best-loved work, I went into this expecting something very different. Maybe this is just another example of classic writing that I simply don’t get, but I spent at least half of the time listening to this wondering what I was missing. It wasn’t completely uninteresting, but there isn’t much of a plot—at least not one that is discernible until far into the book. Even then, it’s thin.

On the other hand, some of the vignettes are amusing or interesting, and when a somewhat more involved plot emerged near the end, I was invested enough to really like it. I just think that there weren’t as many solid, distinct characters around which this book was written. I realized partway through that I probably should have approached this book the same way I did the other two (though it was not intentional with those two). I watched the BBC mini-series for both of them before I ever read the books, and maybe that allowed me to stay more interested as the plot meandered its way to the end (especially in Wives and Daughters). My husband bought me the mini-series of Cranford recently, so I’ll watch that soon, and who knows, maybe it will inspire me to listen to the audiobook again in the future with a different mindset going in.

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May in Review

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I read 13 books last month, a comeback from last month’s low number. I don’t feel like I’m reading much, especially with Vacation Bible School, for which I’m the director, starting in a week and lots of work being done for it in May, but then, that’s where audiobooks come in, and I did finish 4 of those during May.

Here are the books I read in May:

carpenter-3
captains-daughter
nd2
boy-who-loved
regency
dragonback-6
poirot-4
Last Man
minor
romcom
masterminds-3
Cranford
tidemagic
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Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
The Captain’s Daughter by Jennifer Delamere (3 / 5)
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman (3 / 5)
The Regency Brides Collection by various authors (3.5 / 5)
Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn (4.5 / 5)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (3 / 5)
The Last Man by Thomas Goodman (3.5 / 5)
The Minor Miracle by Meredith Davis (4 / 5)
Seeking Real Life Irish RomCom by Katie Nelson (2.5 / 5)
Payback by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (review pending)
Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 0 re-reads. My favorite book from May was Payback. I started 0 series, continued 3 series, and finished 2 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: Payback

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Payback
Masterminds #3
by Gordon Korman

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure, suspense

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series,  starting with Masterminds.

Split up and suffering the sting of betrayal, the four teens from Serenity, New Mexico, the happiest town on earth, have to decide whether their own freedom is worth risking to try to save their fellow clones from Serenity.

This is an exciting and satisfying conclusion to a trilogy that I have enjoyed all the way through. Though nothing can quite match the reveal in the first book, there were still some surprises in this one. It was maybe a tiny bit anti-climactic, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing in a book like this, especially one written for pre-teens. Like the previous books, each teen’s perspective is shown at different times, all in 1st person, and by now they’re all familiar voices. I especially appreciated Malik’s arc, which I was really starting to think was going to go a different way. I highly recommend this book, and the entire series, for teens and even adults who enjoy suspenseful teen books (though definitely start at the beginning).

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Book Review: Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit

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Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit
by Clare Harlow

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy, mystery

Ista Flit has traveled to Shelwich to find her father, one of many who have gone missing recently. The disappearances are attributed to monsters that come with the mist and seem connected to the rising and falling of magic that comes with the tides—magic that has given Ista the ability to “borrow” someone’s looks. With the help of some new friends, Ista won’t stop until she finds out what happened to her dad.

I’m going to do things a little out of order for this review and give my recommendations up front. I struggled a lot with writing this review and assigning a rating, but in the end, I rated it based on what I thought of the story, world-building, and characters. However, I don’t really know that I could recommend it to anyone in the age group it’s meant for, due to the subtle inclusion of LGBT elements. The attempt to normalize these things for kids is a major issue for me, and I am certain that there are others who will want to be aware of this in advance. At the very least, if have the same concerns at all, I would recommend reading the book before allowing your child to read it, to evaluate for yourself whether you feel it’s okay for them to read.

That being said, I do think that Clare Harlow is a talented author and world builder. The fantasy elements are interesting, and the mystery surrounding the monsters and disappearances is engaging. It ends with a cliffhanger and a clear opening for future books, though it takes such a turn from the rest of the book that I am not sure it did it’s job, for me, in making me want to come back and read more, especially when coupled with what I mentioned above. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Seeking Real Life Irish RomCom

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Seeking Real Life Irish RomCom
by Katie Nelson

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Contemporary romance

Victoria is surprised to find her interest in Irish exchange student Michael returned, but Michael returns to Ireland as their relationship is getting started. When Victoria decides to visit Michael in Ireland, she finds out that their relationship isn’t quite rom-com material.

This short read is a clean romance with a brief tour of some notable sights of Ireland. The premise is interesting, if a bit outlandish, considering that Victoria travels all the way to Ireland for a man she doesn’t really know that well, and not because she wants to have a physical relationship with him (not that I’m saying she should have, but I have to admit I made assumptions that led me to be a bit lost early in her trip). I suppose the author does a decent job of crafting her personality to be the kind that would travel all the way to Ireland, hoping for a rom-com moment, but it’s definitely not a personality I can relate to. Characterization overall leaves a lot to be desired, especially on the male characters’ side of things. And the story is told almost exclusively from Victoria’s perspective, then suddenly changes to someone else’s well past halfway through the story, for a few short bits.

When I read a self-published book, it is my intention not to let things that a professional editor would help with affect my view too much. I’m not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it’s harder for self-published authors. So while it did not affect my rating, I will at least mention that the grammar gets fairly bad as the book goes on. It can detract from the book for some, so let that be a warning. In the end, I wish I liked the book more, but I think it’s just a bit too quick and shallow for me. Perhaps I’m the wrong audience for a story like this anyway, since contemporary romance is pretty hit-or-miss with me. If you have any interest in the book, please still consider reading it for yourself.

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Book Review: The Last Man

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The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery
by Thomas Goodman

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Crime fiction

Based on a real crime and its aftermath in 1927, this is the story of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong and the consequences faced by those responsible. I was careful not to look up the robbery that the book is based on in advance so I could let the story unfold the way the author intended. In the end, though, I did find myself wondering what the real intention and plot of this story were meant to be. The robbery happens, there’s a shootout, and an attempted escape by the robbers, and then the rest of the story follows these men through the rest of their lives, however short they may be. The bulk of the story seems to be about the trials and imprisonments of the criminals, with a long stretch of one man living on death row and watching prisoner after prisoner go through the door to the death chamber and not come back out. There are more trials, prison escapes, and then in the last third of the book, the story of a second chance that is touted in the official synopsis finally begins. 

I don’t think I can really say that the book isn’t what it claims to be, minus the truncated “second chance” aspect, but I think I was just expecting a bit more variety in the story. The redemption story near the end, had it been expanded on more, might have made for an overall better book. However, I don’t meant to say that the book is bad. The story is well written and seems to be very well researched. I did find myself somewhat invested in the fates of these men, though it was difficult to get past the brutality that they were involved with to be sympathetic to them. So in the end, I’m probably not the right audience for this kind of true crime fiction, but I can confidently say that if you’re interested in the story, you should consider giving it a try.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Book Review: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Hercule Poirot #4
 by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

All my life, I’ve heard of Agatha Christie and her most famous character, Hercule Poirot. As a reader of mystery novels all the way back to my school days, I always thought I was missing out on something by not reading any Christie, yet for whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Now that I have read 3 of her novels, and now one of the most loved of the Poirot stories, I find they’re a bit of a letdown. It seems to be a common theme for me when I read highly acclaimed classics, but it often seems like I’m missing what others are seeing. With each of these books, I realize more and more that there’s just way more story than I feel is necessary. I tend to zone out while I’m listening and then realize I don’t really know what’s going on. That’s my own fault, I know, but I think it’s mostly due to me not connecting well with the prose.

I do understand why this book is one of the most acclaimed Poirot story, and I’m not going to pretend I figured out the ending before we got there, but it was just a little too late to make the rest of the story more interesting. I’m also not sure how I feel about the blatant trickery Christie used throughout this book (blatant after the fact, not during). I do still think that Hugh Fraser does a great job narrating. I’m not giving up on the series yet, but I have a feeling it won’t be long.

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Book Review: The Minor Miracle

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The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor
by Meredith Davis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

When he was a baby, Noah Miracle survived a sixteen-story fall with no explanation. Fast forward to twelve-year-old Noah, who is an average kid wishing he was as extraordinary as his miraculous fall made him seem. Then he is contacted by a secret government group called Gravitas and told that he does have abilities, if he can only learn how to use them. But they also tell him that the man who dropped him from a balcony as a baby, his uncle Saul, is a villain with powers of his own, and that they need Noah’s help to stop him.

This was a fairly quick read with characters that may start out a bit stereotypical, but I think the author took some interesting turns with them. The powers possessed by Noah and other gravitars were a bit deeper than your average super hero or magical powers, especially at this age group, but I liked the way the author explained the gravity-controlling powers. It’s really more sci-fi than fantasy in that way. I also appreciated that Noah, though possessing stronger-than-average powers, still struggles a lot to learn to use and control them. And that his stronger powers aren’t just a coincidence because he’s the MC or a “chosen one,” but rather were caused by something specific.

Though I understood Noah’s difficulty in basically having to choose between Gravitas and Uncle Saul, certain aspects of the plot were fairly predictable (though would probably be less so to the younger audience this book is meant for). It was no surprise to me that Noah couldn’t keep a secret and used his powers in public, though I’ll admit I was a little surprised that there seemed to barely be any consequences. I also think there was a lot that could have been expanded upon and some things that could definitely continue on into another book. I see no signs that there will be more to follow this book, but if there is, I’ll definitely be reading it. I would recommend this book for pre-teens or young teens, especially those interested in fantasy, sci-fi, or super heroes.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Dragon and Liberator

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Dragon and Liberator
Dragonback #6
by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for previous books in the series, which starts with Dragon and Thief.

Jack and Draycos race to stop those who are intent on wiping out Draycos’s people, and are now being aided in their quest by Alison Kayna and Taneem. When their plans go awry, both pairs of human and K’da must improvise and decide what it’s worth to them to stop the genocide of two races.

I’ve been anticipating an exciting end to this series, and it didn’t disappoint. It seems clear to me that Zahn had at least the skeleton of this entire story planned out from the beginning, as different pieces fall into place in this final book in ways that thrilled me. I even cheered at one point, which caused my husband to give me a funny look. The friendship between Jack and Draycos has been one of my favorite things about this series, and though the action squeezes the characterization out a bit in this book, I still appreciate the way it all comes together in the end.

I’m not generally interested in heavy sci-fi, but the fact that it’s written for teens probably helps make it more accessible for someone like me. I really enjoyed this series overall and recommend it for any fans of this kind of sci-fi, young or old.

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