Birthday Hiatus

I haven't really been reading during my actual vacation but I have read a few books since my last post. It's not that I don't want to read or have nothing to read. I've been busy with other things, mostly going to the movies.

Y: The Last Man Volume 2: Cycles by Brian K. Vaughan
4 STAR RATING


The reunion of Yorick and Hero happened quicker than I expected. It was tense, to say the least. She has completely gone psycho with the Daughter of Amazons group. Apocalypses tend to bring out the worst in people and this group is really bad. I'm glad Yorick, Doc and 355 were able to get out of there with no one dying. The last panel with the astronauts made me excited. So whatever is happening on Earth didn't happen in space.














Fierce Moon by Kira Lerner
OWNED COPY
REREAD
4 STAR RATING


I received this book years ago as a present. I loved it the first time I read it but never wrote a review for the actual book. I just finished it and it was just as fun to read. I chuckled every time I saw my own name as the heroine. My friends are also in the book, one of them as my cat. It's hard to get lost in the fantasy when you keep seeing yourself in the time period. I don't know if it's an option but I'd love of the character could be portrayed as a person of color. The descriptions are left ambiguous and I'm thankful for that.











Afterschool Charisma Volume 2 by Kumiko Suekane
3 STAR RATING


I don't have a clear idea of what's going on but I like it. Shiro is such a likable character. You can't help but root for him, even though you don't know what exactly you want him to overcome. I need more back story or a reveal of who's planning on killing the clones. Otherwise, I'm calling quits on this series.

















Gangsta Volume 5 by Kohske
3 STAR RATING


Despite the Cristiano family getting hit hard by the Destroyers,this was a slow volume to read. I'm still having a hard time deciphering the action scenes. It's difficult to tell who's getting hurt and who's doing the hurting. At this point in the story, I'm just waiting for Alex and Emilio to reunite. It'll either be heart warming or gut wrenching.
















Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
BOOK CLUB READ
3 STAR RATING


I'm a week late on finishing this for book club but I wasn't the only one who didn't finish it in time so I don't feel bad about it. It took a really long time for me to get interested in the story, way too long. I couldn't care less about who was murdered and who did it. I didn't even bother to try and figure it out. It's not until more than halfway through the book that I became intrigued. Then I was invested. A plus is that I really liked the characters Jane, Celeste, and Madeline. They had great chemistry and I hope the HBO show portrays that dynamic truthfully from the source material. 

Above Average

There was only one book this week that I didn't really like. Of course it was the book I chose from EpicReads monthly book roulette. I liked/loved all the other reads though. Since this is my birthday month, I'd be happy to keep the momentum going.

Assassination Classroom Vol 13 by Yusei Matsui
4  STAR RATING

This series has two extremes, a life or death situation or lighthearted fun. There is no in between with Class E. The first half of the book is spent trying to defeat the Grim Reaper assassin who's set on killing everyone to get to Koro Sensei. The second half is the school prepping for a fundraiser festival that puts Class E up against Class A again. I am hoping to see the underdogs win and keep their streak over the top class.














Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill
4 STAR RATING

This book could have been a little longer to make the romance more believable but I'll take what I can get. I didn't know this book existed until a patron returned it to the library where I work. Just from the cover, I was wondering if this was a queer love story for kids and I wasn't disappointed when I opened the book to confirm. Not only are they queer but the couple is interracial as well. Be still, my beating heart. I'd love to have a continuation of their adventures after the wedding. Amira would get Sadie into all kinds of entertaining trouble.












Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
2 STAR RATING
JANUARY BOOK ROULETTE 

I didn't even realize this was a Rapunzel retelling until I read other reviews. The comparisons are paper thin. The story is very boring, unfortunately. I was able to finish it in a day because nothing really happens. I did enjoy Fowler's POV chapters though. I liked him a lot and warmed up to him just like he did with Luna. Their romance didn't feel truly authentic but I enjoyed it. However, I won't be reading the sequel to this novel. I'm utterly uninterested in continuing with Luna and Fowler's journey.













Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
4 STAR RATING


I read other 1-2 star rated reviews for this book and it made be nervous and enthused to read it myself. The word that kept popping up was disappointed and I didn't want that same feeling. Luckily, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am even willing to read the second one. The plot was thin and the overabundance of characters did leave little room for proper characters development of the sisters. I feel like I didn't get to know them, therefore leaving me without a heroine to root for. I guess my favorite would be Arsinoe. She was the only one I could relate to. And she wasn't washed out by boring love interests. Mirabella and Katherine were just okay. That cliff hanger from Katherine (inside joke) made me take notice of her and eager to see where her story will go. Ditto with Arsinoe.

Children books count

I always hear from other avid readers that books for young children shouldn't count towards my overall goal of books read. I say bullshit to that. A book is a book. I don't care if it has lots of words or only pictures. If I read it, listened to it, interpreted pictures, it all counts. But to appease the haters, I also read a Stephen King e-book. I had a little thriller with my children's books.


My Best Friend is Invisible by R.L. Stine
57th Goosebumps book
1 STAR RATING

I felt like this book was just lazy writing. Maybe Stine was on a deadline and had to just squeeze out a semblance of an engaging book. The twist was boring. I couldn't even fake laugh at it. The invisible best friend was obnoxious and annoying, even by Goosebumps standards. I hope the next book is better than this mess.










They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
4 STAR RATING

I was processing this book at the library and I just had to read it. I'm a bit of a cat lady, even have the tattoo to prove it. I don't know exactly what I was expecting form the title but what I got was a creative book on perspective. This concept will most likely go over the heads of the children reading the book but it's an important topic for them to know. A person or thing may look one way to you but completely different to another person. The drawings are cute and funny, especially for how the mouse sees the cat. I'd recommend this book for story time, kids around 4-6. 




The Dead Zone by Stephen King
3 STAR RATING

When I hear the name Stephen King, I think horror. I think scary. This was mild. It was more of a thriller than anything. A very good thriller but not as compelling as I hoped it would be. John Smith is the protagonist. He wakes up from a four year coma to discover he has the power to see into people's past or futures. He always had a special gift about him since an accident he had as a child. Now it's not something he can ignore. I'll be honest. I heavily skimmed the story towards the end. It got confusing with the writing style; switching between letters, regular narration, and court manuscripts. My favorite parts were the interactions with John and Sarah. I was rooting for them until the very end.