Book Review: The Bone Witch

pic from NetGalley

The Bone Witch
By Rin Chupeco

My Edition:
ARC ebook, 432 pages
2017, Sourcebooks Fire
ISBN: 9781492635826 (hardcover)

Tea discovers she has the power to raise the dead when her older brother crawls out of his grave during his funeral. While many people of her land have magic, including some of her sisters, few have Tea’s abilities as a bone witch (or dark asha) and the people of her town are both awed and scornful. Tea leaves home with her reanimated brother in tow to join an academy for asha and starts on the rough road to mastering her powers.

Let it be known that despite the fact that young adult books disappoint me more often than they impress me, I continue to give them a chance (and will continue to do so, because I’m a sucker for punishment). Unfortunately, this book fell into the former category and I stopped reading at about 75%. I wanted to post my thoughts on why I stopped reading because I did actually request the book.

Book Review: Gemina

Gemina
By Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

My Edition:
Hardcover, 659 pages
2016, Knopf
ISBN: 9780553499155

Gemina’s plot overlaps some of Illuminae, but now we’re introduced to the residents of the Jump Station Heimdall and the difficulties they face as the Hypatia makes its way towards them, still fleeing BiTech Industries. Hanna is the station captain’s daughter and her dealings with Nik have been primarily to score dust for her and her friends. But BiTech Industries isn’t finished with their recent attack on Kerenza and now they’ve arrived at Heimdall to finish the cleanup and Hanna and Nik must team up to try to save their home and everyone in it.

I won’t say much about the plot here, as this book is relatively newer and I’m likely not the last person on Earth to have read Gemina (or Gemima as I keep writing and saying aloud), as I was with Illuminae.

Book Review: Risuko

Risuko
By David Kudler

My Edition:
ARC e-book, 230 pages (paperback)
2016, Stillpoint Digital Press
ISBN: 9781938808340 (paperback)
Expected Publication Date: June 15, 2016

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Murasaki, called Risuko (Squirrel) because of her talented climbing skills, finds herself tied to a rich woman’s litter and walking through war-torn lands to her new home after her mother sold her. Confused, upset, alone, and unable to say goodbye to her mother and sister, Risuko has no clue what awaits her at the end of the journey. Along with a few other teenagers, she’s brought to a strange school where no one will speak about what everyone is training for. Risuko has no choice but to adjust to her new surroundings and uncover the mystery of her new benefactor.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, especially because I enjoy Asian historical fiction and I haven’t read many young adult books in this setting.

Nostalgia Reads: Blood and Chocolate

nos·tal·gia [no-stal-juh] – noun:

A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause is a book I’ve been reading since middle school when I stumbled upon it in the teen section of my local library. I remember being pulled in first by the title, then by the alluring (and somewhat sexy) cover, and then finally hooked by the blurb – teen werewolves?! I’m in! I’ve always been more of a weregirl than a vampgirl. I loved the story when I was younger and I still love it today!

Book Review: Armada

Armada
By Ernest Cline

Not My Edition:
Hardcover, 349 pages
2015, Crown Publishers
ISBN: 9780804137256

Zack Lightman is a hardcore gamer and “nerd” who wishes his life was a bit more like the games he plays. He gets his wish when a flying saucer straight out of his favorite game flies past his high school window. Shortly after Zack is recruited by the EDA (Earth Defense Alliance) – a secret government organization that has known about the existence of alien life for generations. Zack begins to actually live the life he’s dreamed of, but he begins to think it feels a bit too much like a video game.

Fans of Ernest Cline will enjoy more of his pop culture and video game references, this time with a heavier influence of 80’s rock and space-related games. I love this aspect of Ready Player One and was happy to see he delivered once more. I have a feeling all his books will have this same flair and that’s one of things I enjoy most about his writing.  He even made a Jack Burton reference!

Book Review: Lumiere

Lumiere
By Jacqueline Garlick

My Edition:
ARC e-book, 400 pages (paperback)
2015, Skyscape
ISBN: 9781503944558 (paperback)

I received this book for free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions in this post are my own.

From Amazon: Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: finding her late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator. It’s been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out forever over England. But living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. And after her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine that was created with the sole purpose of being her cure. Alone and on the run, she finally discovers the Illuminator—only to see a young man hauling it off. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

Book Review: Uprooted

Uprooted
By Naomi Novik

My Edition:
ARC e-book,  448 pages (hardcover)
2015, Del Rey
ISBN: 9780804179034 (hardcover)

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions in this post are my own.

From NetGalley: Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

Book Review: The Paper Magician

The Paper Magician
By Charlie N. Holmberg

Not My Edition:
Paperback, 214 pages
2014, 47North
ISBN: 9781477823835

From the back of the book: Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever. Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic. An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

Book Review: American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
By Gene Luen Yang

My Edition:
Paperback, 233 pages
2006, Square Fish
ISBN: 9780312384487

“Three very different characters. One simple goal: to fit in.” Jin moves with his family and attends a new middle school where he’s the only Chinese-American student. He makes a few friends along the way, but just wants to be the All-American boy so he can date his dream girl. Danny is the All-American boy who struggles to fit in once his overly-stereotyped Chinese cousin, Chin-kee, comes to visit. The Monkey King has worked hard to master the art of kung fu, only to be laughed out of a party by all the other gods because he’s a monkey. Each character must find a way to work with the others to fix what their lives have become. 

I was very impressed with Boxers & Saints, so when I saw American Born Chinese at a used bookstore (last night) for only $5.00, I couldn’t pass it up!