March 2022 Book Review
Hello dear readers! I have received more responses about our book reviews than anything else. If you are interested in having us read your book and leave a review on this blog let me know and I will do it. In the mean time enjoy Tayler’s and my list of books we read in March of 2022!
Bennion
1 The Lies of Locke Lomora by Scott Lynch
Summary: A young boy is raised in a den of thieves and sold to a church that is also run by thieves. He grows and builds his own crime syndicate and pulls off some truly amazing and elaborate heists. Of course, he bites off more than he can chew and ends up in a fight to save the city.
What I didn’t like: The author jumped around the time line a little bit. I am not against doing that, but at times I found my self a little lost.
What I liked: A wonderfully creative world, elaborate political systems, and plenty of action. This is the first book in a trilogy and I do plan on reading the rest. This would probably be rated 18+ as a movie or Tv show, mostly for violence and language, but I did not feel that the edginess was over the top. The author found a good balance of writing a realistically grim criminal underworld without shoving crude images down the readers throat.
2 Lock In by John Scalzi
Summary: In the not too distant future a plague grips humanity that causes some people to become locked into their own minds, paralyzing their bodies. Those individuals are able to experience the world through human like robots they are able to control, getting permission to temporarily inhabit another humans body, or living life in a virtual world. As humanity adjusts to life around this disease society is torn in how much people should cater to those locked in. In that political environment a series of murders sets a new agent, the first agent that is a ‘threep’ (what they call the robots humans in robots, yes after C3P0), on a long and dangerous investigation.
What I didn’t like: At times the dialogue felt a little stiff, like the author was trying too hard to make the conversation sound natural. Part of the problem, for me, was the amount of expository dialogue. It usually pulls me out of the story when the author uses a conversation between characters to explain something they both already know. Also, all the major events take place in the main characters first week as an FBI agent, which felt a little on the nose.
What I liked: For a story written in 2014 it is absolutely relevant today, and not intentionally so. I loved reading an authors thoughts on a pandemic before COVID because it felt honest, not bogged down by a message they are trying to send. Also, a major challenge in Sci-fi is being able to explain the differences in the story’s society to present day, and Scalzi did a great job at that. He found a good balance between moving the story along and elaborating on the world so it never felt slow (even if he did rely a bit too much on dialogue).
3 The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Summary: This is the book that connects the Ender’s Shadow series to Ender’s story. We are about 10 books in at this point. Humanity might be threatened by a killer virus, called the descolada, that might have been sent by a new sentient life force. Bean’s grand children and Ender’s adopted family and clones all try and find the source of the virus. They find crows, other birds, and monkey type humans that did not create the virus and a group of mean humans that also did not create the virus. They find a cure to the disease.
What I didn’t like: A lot. The story, the climax, the least creative type of aliens Card has invented. This was the most disappointing finale I have read in a long time. The series ends at the same place Children of the Mind did.
What I liked: Card is fantastic at writing the human psyche. You really get to know and understand his characters. I read that he does not like to write villains, so everyone in his stories are ‘good’. I get what he is saying, and normally that works. In this story it felt like there was no conflict, or like Card was avoiding writing conflict.
4 Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by JK Rowling
Summary: (Really? Who needs this?) Harry finds out he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic. There he must stop the dreaded he-who-must-not-be-named from achieving immortality through the sorcerers stone.
What I didn’t like: The novel is pretty short, a problem Rowling remedies in later novels.
What I liked: Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this series. It is literally one of the reasons my wife and I got married. This is a fantastic, albeit safe, opening to an epic series. Rowling captures the difficulty of going to school, the majesty of magic, and the adventure of a greater world in a very limited amount of pages.
5 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
Summary: Harry goes to his second year at Hogwarts. He tries to find the culprit who is attacking a marginalized group of students using a monster that lives in the Chamber of Secrets.
What I didn’t like: I don’t know how Dumbledore never asked Moaning Myrtle about how she died. It seems like he should have known that and been able to help Harry much earlier.
What I liked: Rowling is a master of including details that make sense without explaining them later. This makes it so easy to re-read her books and find fun nuggets that you missed the first time around. This book also sets up major plot points later on, but in a way that the reader does not realize what is happening.
6 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Summary: The author is tasked with writing a movie about his life. He walks through the awkwardness of deciding what parts of his life are the most important and reflects on what he wishes could be different. Using the metaphor of story telling, Miller gives some amazing life advice that really hits home as a writer.
What I didn’t like: Miller jumps around a bit with his thoughts. Especially at the beginning he hits home with an idea and immediately moves on to the next.
What I liked: This is a candidate for book of the year. I loved the way he was able to tell his story in such an honest and heartfelt way. A fantastic combination of funny, sad, heartfelt, and spiritual. Being a writer I really appreciated not only his experiences, but how he uses the craft of writing to teach life lessons. After finishing the book I felt inspired to be a better person and change my life’s story.
Tayler
1 The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Summary: This is the first book in the “Folk of the Air” series. The reader follows Jude, a human girl living among faeries. She wants to fit in, but she stands out to those in the royal family because of her human nature. She wants to become a knight in the royal court but due to some brutal twists and turns, her path plays out differently.
What I didn't like: The story reads young, but I knew that going into it so that didn't really bother me. When the characters leave faerie it doesn’t fit the tone for the rest of the story. The switch between assassins, sword fights, and magic to sitting at the mall is a bit jarring.
What I liked: It is fun to get carried away in this land. Everything is magical and the faeries are tricky with their words and spells. It keeps you on your toes trying to guess what will happen next and I love a good cliff hanger and this book delivered on that.
2 The Wicked King By: Holly Black
Summary: This is the second book in the “Folk of the Air” series. Jude is in control in an unexpected way and it is her turn to call the shots in the land of Faerie. You continue to learn more about the royal family as well as members of her own family. There is more action, romance, and thrill in this book.
What I didn't like: I really enjoyed this book more than the first! I wish the love story would have progressed a more but the author is doing a good job with the low burn. It still reads young but this book definitely upped the ante and I am here for it.
What I liked: Loved all the action in this book. It felt grittier compared to the first book. Jude is so cleaver and cunning that it is fun to watch her story unfold. The bits of romance you get are steamy, but not so much that you would feel embarrassed to read it. I really enjoyed the speed and tone of book two and it makes me very excited to continue with book three in the series. Several plot twists and the ending left me staring at the page wanting more.
3 The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Summary: The story is about a woman named Hannah who believes she has found the love of her life. All is going well until one day he disappears without a trace, leaving behind one note to protect his teenage daughter. Hannah and the daughter follow the clues trying to put the pieces of the story together to reunite their family.
What I didn't like: The ending just tears out my heart! All I will say is that my tender heart has a hard time handling stories that don’t wrap up in a pretty pink bow. I know that is personal preference, but I was sad the ending wasn’t what I was expecting. It is a great ending that I did not see coming.
What I liked: I enjoyed reading a mystery book! This was stepping outside of my normal book preferences that I only turned to because of my book club. It was really fun to try to solve the case alongside the characters in the books and the plot twists just kept coming that I failed to solve the case! I was left impressed and satisfied when everything played out.
4 The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Summary: The reader follows the story of Hollis, a young woman who has caught the eye of the king. With the arrival of someone new everything changes, including Hollis’s heart. You follow her journey to be true to herself no matter the cost with a sweet love story.
What I didn't like: The last page. I mentioned before that I need my stories to end in a nice happy spot. I don’t know how to say more, except I was sure I was missing another chapter. My jaw was on the floor.
What I liked: I enjoy Kiera Cass and I have read other books by her so I knew what to expect. She does it again with another sweet love story. I enjoyed when everything you thought was happening just was flipped upside down. It left me flipping through those last few chapters like a mad woman. It was an awesome blend of reading a familiar author and experiencing something completely new.
5 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Summary: See what my husband wrote in his section. ;)
What I didn't like: I don’t have many complaints on this one! It was recommended by my mother in law and it didn’t disappoint. It could be read as a guide to writing and storytelling so I am sure it would mean more to those in that field but it has great insight and life advise for everyone.
What I liked: I love the life lessons in this book. It was an interesting read and his stories held my attention. The voice of his story read like you are living in this mans head or walking his path with him. When a chapter would end I would sit back and think, ‘wow, what a cool idea’ or ‘what a great way to get more out of life’. This book has lead to many deep discussions with my husband and I feel better overall after reading this book.