Review: Dear World: A Syrian Girl's Story of War and Plea for Peace

Dear World: A Syrian Girl's Story of War and Plea for Peace by Bana Alabed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bana may be seven years old, but due to the war in Syria she has needed to grow up quickly. Her family has been devastated by loss and she has been exposed to truths that most seven year olds are never aware of. She is encouraged to express her concerns to the world on Twitter and she quickly has a large following. Dear World is told in Bana’s own words with some additional chapters written by her mother. This woman and child wanted to tell their story in the hopes that the world would not underestimate the atrocities that are taking place. This is a short non-fiction book that will inform readers about a very timely topic in the world today

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Review: Rosemarked

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zivah has just passed her exams to become a healer when the rose plague hits her village. She was infected and lived but is now a carrier of this disease and it is only a matter of time before it will finally kill her. Her life can be lonely or she can choose to use her gifts to help her people overcome the Amparan Empire. Dineas has also survived the rose plague, but his healing was complete. As these two unlikely people work together to infiltrate the capital, they must weigh the cost of spying alongside the chance that their hearts may be broken.

Rosemarked is the first book in the Rosemarked series. The story is told in the alternating voices of Zivah and Dineas, yet Blackburne has created a story that moves along smoothly as the reader unravels new information. It is hard to put this into any one genre. It is obviously not our world, but there isn’t a lot of magic or non-human creatures that would lend it to a fantasy classification. It still gives off a fantasy vibe and readers of that genre will be excited to delve into this world’s issues. A great read with just a little bit of romance along the edges.


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Review: Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe by Stacy King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe is a manga adaptation of many famous works of Poe. The stories included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Mask of the Red Death and The Raven. Each story is masterfully penned with the artist exploring what Poe may have wanted readers to experience in each story. I didn’t compare the dialogue word for word, but most of the stories stayed true to the original text and readers new to Poe will experience his dark works and probably go looking for the original afterward. The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe was a great read and I am glad I revisited these stories.

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Review: The Midnight Line

The Midnight Line by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reacher is doing nothing different. He is taking a walk during a break on his long bus ride when he notices a West Point class ring from 2005 sitting in a pawn shop window. Although this is several years after his time there, he feels the need to look into the reason a fellow officer would have to give it up (or lose it). He doesn’t get back on the bus and decides to try and discover why this ring is no longer with its owner. Can he find the woman and return her ring? What secrets will he uncover in these small Midwestern towns?

The Midnight Line is the twenty-second book in the Jack Reacher series. All of these books are good, but this book is great. It is hard to believe that Child can take a character with so much history and create a unique story that keeps the reader turning the pages. I won’t say this is my favorite Jack Reacher novel (since I’ve been reading them over many years), but I can honestly say it is in my top five. A high adventure that will keep readers engaged until the very end.


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Review: Tool of War

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tool may have been designed as a perfect killing machine, yet he has become more than the scientists could have planned. He has shattered his programming and he now has a new pack. This pack consists of human soldiers and they are willing to follow him anywhere. Tool may be able to ignore his feelings of loyalty toward the gods from the sky, but he is still aware that someone is still after him. Will Tool be able to take down the people who genetically enslaved him? Is he all animal or is there a piece of humanity in him?

Tool of War is the third book in the Ship Breaker series. Bacigalupi continues his saga of a world gone wrong and takes his characters to new depths with insights that are unexpected. Since this is a continuation, it would not be as enjoyable without the backstory that comes with the first two books. The story spirals toward a climax, yet the adventure is not over. Tool of War is a page turner and will be a welcome read for most science fiction fans.


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Review: Wolves and Roses

Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bryar Rose is supposed to be a Magicorum, a descendant of one of the three magical races and that means her life should follow that of Sleeping Beauty. Unfortunately, she could care less for birds and other animals, she definitely can’t sing and she does not want to marry Prince Philpot, the man her fairy godmothers have selected for her. If Bry can keep from marrying Philpot until after her eighteenth birthday, then the spell will be broken and she can begin to live a normal life.

Wolves and Roses is the first book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. Bryar is surrounded by secrets, many of which lead her down faulty paths. As she uncovers her hidden truths, she discovers not only what she is capable of, but who she can truly trust. Bauer has created a captivating storyline that kept me hooked the entire time. Wolves and Roses is a perfect read for everyone who enjoys fairy tale re-tellings or just a simple urban fantasy.

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Review: The Delphi Resistance

The Delphi Resistance by Rysa Walker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna is on the run from the leader of the Delphi Project who wants to capture her and the other Delphi adepts in order to use them as weapons. These troubled teens barley know how to control their own powers and now they are expected to help younger people who are just now learning. Gifted children are continuing to vanish and information about the secret Delphi Project is beginning to go public. Will Anna and her friends be able to outsmart these government killers? Who can they trust as their world is turned inside out?

The Delphi Resistance is the second book in The Delphi Trilogy. The events portrayed occur in the near future and readers will find themselves wondering if these conditions are already available to be exploited. The manhunt is intense and Walker has weaved a more complex storyline into her already complicated world. This is a second book and it assumes the reader has finished the original story. Although this account has some elements that are wrapped up, there are many unanswered questions that will need to wait for the final installment.


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