Friday, December 22, 2017

Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun book! A funny and entertaining read, with some surprising depth. It tackles some serious topics, but overall has a very lighthearted tone. I can't wait to read the next one (The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy)! I loved Felicity especially, so I am sure I'll enjoy reading entirely from her perspective.

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Sunday, December 3, 2017

Review: The Dark Prophecy

The Dark Prophecy The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.25 stars. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first one. This one was a more typical Rick Riordan - entertaining, but not memorable since it is exactly like all of the others.

The things Riordan does really well are important. He creates wonderfully diverse characters that other authors should emulate. His characters come from a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities and preferences, and he does a fantastic job of making sure their differences are celebrated. He also poked fun of his own writing style in this one, which was funny. One of his characters made a comment about there "always being a deadline," which made me laugh because it was like Riordan was acknowledging the formula he always uses in his writing.

Unfortunately, although these were two great strengths, acknowledging his formula didn't seem like quite enough. The story still followed the formula too closely and lacked something that the first one had. I certainly plan to read the third when it comes out, but I hope it has some of what this one lacked.

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Review: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Trevor Noah, but his story about him growing up at the end of the Apartheid in South Africa would be fascinating to anyone - whether you know who he is or not. There were some very funny parts, but overall I was surprised by how difficult his life was growing up. He approaches it with the same humor you see from him on The Daily Show, but there are some things you just can't make funny. I like him even more now that I know a lot of what he has been through. I also really appreciated his honesty about himself and his bad (and sometime illegal) choices he made as a kid and teenager. I'd love to read more about him and how he became the comedian he is today. I hope he writes a second memoir!

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