When I saw that Max Brooks had a new book out, I had to jump out and request it from NetGalley! World War Z is one of the top books I have read and one that I always recommend, so I couldn't wait to get started on Devolution! Unfortunately, life happened, and I couldn't seem to focus enough to pick this book up. Luckily, Libro.FM came swooping in with this audiobook as an option for their influencer program.
Black Tangled Heart lives up to its title. Each character is tangled up with pain to the point where I questioned if some of the characters were redeemable. In the first half of the book, we got to see Jane and Jamie grow up, and I loved watching their relationship flourish. Both characters were well written, and I enjoyed seeing them grow up. With that said, I have to say that I struggled to read some of the sexual scenes.
The Happy Ever After Playlist is the first Abby Jimenez book that I have read. It can be read as a standalone, which made me happy seeing as Libro.fm gave me this one as part of their influencer program. Luckily for me, I didn't look at the narrators. Look, so many people LOVE Erin Mallon, but I don't. Her narrations of female characters tend to grate on my nerves. I tend to avoid any of the books she narrates, which makes me sad because she narrates some fantastic books. With all that said, I found that if I speed up her narrations, she isn't terrible. Zachary Weber, as always, was fantastic.
It's April, and that means it's time to update you all on my Clearing The Hoard - Bookwyrm Challenge! I ended up reading The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, and I have to admit that I wasn't a fan. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as amazing as everyone has made it out to be. Maybe it's because I'm 30 or that I'm not a massive fan of the Christmas season, but this one was a dud to me. In the end, I gave it three caffeinated stars. It was just a meh to me. I decided that I was going to give away my copy, and my sister claimed my autographed copy! She will be the proud owner of The Polar Express, and I'll have a bit of free space to add another autographed book! Here are the books I've given away in March*:
Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson will stick with you. It's poignant, well written, and engaging. This book was nothing that I expected but something that may hit home. This book deals with some extremely serious events, so be warned and ready to have that discussion with your child if/when they pick this book up.
When I was approached about this book tour, I knew I needed to jump in. Magic Unleashed is right up my alley, and I couldn't wait to get started. I ended up low on time, so I snagged the audiobook so that I could read it while reading a few other books in between. The narrator did a good job of portraying the characters, though, at times, his voice bordered on monotone.
As some of you know, I've wanted to learn how to for quite some time. It's always been that crazy dream of mine, but I never got off my butt to do it. This year, I've decided to do something that scares me, which means I'm going to try to learn how to draw. I'm not good, but with the help of some books, I'm slowing getting better. When I saw this book offered up on Netgalley, I knew I needed to take a chance on it. I've wanted to learn how to draw, and the Chibi style is one of my favorites. I LOVE anything chibi, so I figured this one would be great to help me explore if this is a style I would enjoy drawing in.
It's March, and that means it's time to update you all on my Clearing The Hoard - Bookwyrm Challenge! I ended up reading Royal Elves by Misty D. Billman. I ran out of time, and I knew that there was no way I would be able to finish Persepolis while babysitting, so during nap time, I read Royal Elves. Unfortunately, I wasn't that impressed. I didn't feel connected to the characters, found some spelling errors, and almost DNF'd it in the first 20 pages. I ended up giving it two caffeinated stars because I enjoyed the plot.
Kiss of Vengeance is the second book in the True Immortality series by S. Young. As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of Samantha Young & I thoroughly enjoyed War of Hearts. When I received this book, I was extremely excited to dive into it, but it just wasn't my favorite. It had many of the elements I love, but at times it fell flat. This book was a slow burn with an enemy to lover trope feel.