Review: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. Agatha Christie books are so comforting! I had trouble keeping track of all of the characters, but by the end I got most of them. And I loved the ending! It was so satisfying and fun to listen to!

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Review: The Great Good Thing

The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A sweet book, but I didn't finish it because it just wasn't interesting enough. I probably would have absolutely loved this book at age 10, but it is clearly meant for that age. I'd probably even enjoy reading it to a kid, but I just skipped to the end after I read the first half because I didn't really care what happened. Oh well! It's been on my to read shelf for years, so at least I finally read it!

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Review: Waking Gods

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.25 stars. AHH I love this series!! It's so suspenseful and surprising! I loved this first one in the series and this was just as good. I kept telling my husband what happened because I had to discuss it with somebody (hopefully he doesn't mind if he ever reads it!). I like the characters and the unique format. Occasionally it is difficult to keep track of who is talking, but overall it was very readable. I cannot wait until the next one comes out . . . Hopefully we don't have to wait too long!!

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Review: Saga, Vol. 2

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just binged on this entire series. I devoured it. I read all the volumes available to read from Hoopla and then went to our local comic book store and bought all of the ones that are currently out but not yet bound in a book and read those too.

I am not going to write a review for each one because they all blend together for me now. I'll just rate them each, but oh man. . . These were amazing!

I don't know if every one was a 5-star read. Maybe I should give it a 4.5 overall. However, I really loved this story and connected to the characters. I don't usually read graphic novels, but this was just SO good. I still don't love the mature content, but it's like Game of Thrones. You can overlook some of that because the story is so amazing. That said, if that kind of mature content really bothers you, this series isn't for you. I can look past it, but I recognize that everyone has a different level of tolerance for that sort of thing. I just thought that the diverse cast of characters and the overall messages sent are ones that I can get behind. I can't wait until the next issue is released!! I plan to buy all of them!!

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Review: Saga, Vol. 2

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just binged on this entire series. I devoured it. I read all the volumes available to read from Hoopla and then went to our local comic book store and bought all of the ones that are currently out but not yet bound in a book and read those too.

I am not going to write a review for each one because they all blend together for me now. I'll just rate them each, but oh man. . . These were amazing!

I don't know if every one was a 5-star read. Maybe I should give it a 4.5 overall. However, I really loved this story and connected to the characters. I don't usually read graphic novels, but this was just SO good. I still don't love the explicit sex scenes, but it's like Game of Thrones. You can overlook them because the story is so amazing. I can't wait until the next issue is released!! I plan to buy all of them!!

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Review: The Iron Trial

The Iron Trial by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't decide if I should give this 3.75 or 4 stars, but it was really fun! It had some VERY obvious parallels to Harry Potter, but I love Harry Potter, so I liked that! I can't wait for the next one!

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Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed it! After watching so many amazing booktube reviews, I thought it would probably be one of the best books I ever read. It was not that, but it was incredibly engaging and exciting. I loved how she brought some real-world problems into this fantasy land. I appreciated how she dealt with PTSD and abusive relationships. I liked how (view spoiler)[ Rhys allowed Feyre to be herself and loved her more for who she truly was (hide spoiler)]. I thought it was well-paced and had just enough action. Maas really got you to care for the characters and the things they are trying to get through. All of the characters and friendships are developed and deepened, which I loved because I love character-driven stories. If I don't care about the characters, I won't care about the book. That wasn't the case here. I came to care deeply about Feyre, which made the book much more enjoyable.

There were some frustrating parts. The sex scenes were definitely annoying, although easy to skip over. I also got annoyed with Feyre constantly calling Rhys "pig" and other names, even if she was joking. I still don't know how I feel about Rhys's behavior toward her in the first book or how he wants his court to be seen even with his explanations.

Despite possible flaws (or at least things I found annoying), I enjoyed it enough to buy the next one while I was reading it. I am very excited to read book three!!

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Review: Saga, Vol. 1

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd heard so much about this, but I was a little nervous about reading it after reading some of the reviews. Much like the TV show Game of Thrones, there was a lot of unnecessary nudity and sex. However, also like Game of Thrones, the story makes up for it and was interesting enough for me to want to keep reading. Parts were violent and disturbing, but they were important to the story as a whole. I really liked the two main characters. I am really rooting for them and I can't wait to see what happens next! I already got the next one out on Hoopla!

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Review: Can You Keep a Secret?

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. This is a light, fun, fluffy book that was exactly what I expected and what I needed. There were several times that I laughed out loud. I enjoyed the main character thoroughly and appreciated her tenacity and ability to be forthright with her love interest. I liked that she didn't let him push her around, although I was a little frustrated as she started falling for him despite the fact that he was trying to control too much. Still, she didn't put up with his shenanigans (I don't think I've ever used that word in a review!) and was very direct about what she wanted and needed. I loved that.

This book didn't make a huge impression on me and I probably won't remember much about it down the road, but I enjoyed it for what it was. I will likely continue reading more Sophie Kinsella in the future!

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