Review: Clockwork Igni

Clockwork Igni by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Myla is the Queen of Antrum, yet she still doesn’t like to do queenly things.  She sits through meetings and performances, but she would prefer to be in the action.  She has been told about a discovery in a cavern but it is just background noise to everything else she is thinking about.  That is until the Forbidden Tombs become a part of Purgatory and Myla’s igni rush away from her.  Through all this chaos, Myla and Lincoln are also dealing with their son, Maxon, trying to assert his independence.  How will they handle it all?

 

Clockwork Igni is the ninth book in the Angelbound Origins series.  Most of these origin books have been about other characters with Myla and Lincoln having brief appearances.  I enjoyed learning more about this crazy couple and their firstborn.  This is a very short book that can easily be read in one sitting, yet the ending is extremely satisfying without leaving the reader breathless.  I love the world-building that Bauer has completed and can’t wait for more novels in this universe.

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Review: Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ari and Dante know they are in love, but as of now, only their families know about it.  Ari is used to staying invisible, even when others try and be his friend.  He thought his senior year would be the same, but now that he has experienced love, he can’t go back to being the quiet guy.  Not only is he making friends, he is standing up for what he believes in.  What will Aristotle and Dante learn about themselves and the world?  Will they be able to keep their relationship strong with all the turmoil around them?

 

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is the second book in the Aristotle and Dante series.  Although there are nine years between the books, there is only a minimum of time that passed in the storyline.  We’ve all heard that hindsight is 20/20 and this book takes that phrase to a new level.  The events that happened in the LGBTQ+ community and AIDS understanding during the late 1980s are still surrounding us today, although differently.   I don’t feel the first book is needed to enjoy the second book, but if you read them out of order you spoil many secrets.

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Review: The Book of Magic

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It has been three hundred years since a love curse was placed on the Owens family.  Some women have accepted the curse and loved anyways, while others have tried to not love.  Jet Owens knows she is about to die and that she isn’t the only one at risk.  Three generations of the Owens family are working hard to break this curse.  They must travel widely and solicit help from unlikely sources.  The newest generation is learning about close-kept secrets and all of them will uncover hidden knowledge.  Can they break this curse?  What will need to be sacrificed along the way to open the path?

 

The Book of Magic is the fourth book in the Practical Magic series.  These books were not written in order and it doesn’t matter if readers tackle them in publication order or storyline order, this is the final book.  Hoffman has created a generational story that weaves mothers, daughters, children, and all love relationships.  This series shows that love is not only needed but necessary for us as humans.  A great ending, but please read the other books first.

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Review: Last Girl Ghosted

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She wasn’t looking for a relationship when she selected him in her dating app.  It was supposed to be a one-night hookup and then move on, but she likes him.  Sometimes you just can’t help yourself so she decided to tell him her secret … and then he ghosted her.  She doesn’t know if it was something she did, her secret, or something else.  She quickly learns that she isn’t the first girl who fell for him, but the others disappeared.  Who was this man?  Will she be able to find him and get the answers she wants?

 

Last Girl Ghosted is a stand-alone mystery with mini-mysteries interspersed.  Readers will enjoy the flashbacks weaved throughout that slowly reveal events that shaped her life.  We have all heard of dates gone wrong, online predators, and the like, but watching the story play out gave me new insight into how it could happen.  Unger did a wonderful job giving just enough clues to keep me interested with a twisted ending that made everything fall together.  A must-read, especially for those who enjoyed her previous novels.

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Review: Steelstriker

Steelstriker by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The nation Mara is no longer free and Talin is learning that loyalty is not guaranteed.  After the Premier captured her mother, she is forced to betray those she once called friends … she is now a Skyhunter.  Red still has a link to Talin and he firmly believes that Mara still has a chance.  Will Red be able to get Talin’s help to rescue their country?  Will the Strikers be able to reunite and win against the Skyhunters?

 

Steelstriker is the second book in the Skyhunter duology.  Since the entire story was being told in only two books, the pages are packed with action and intrigue.  Lu has brought in a new twist that makes this world seem more like a future version of ours and that connection made the storyline even more appealing.  I was turning pages to the end and felt breathless as I finished.

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Review: Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System

Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System by Jarrett Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jarrett Adams was seventeen years old when he went to a college party in Wisconsin. He was with friends and they all had fun. They even had sex with the same girl. Afterward, they continued to hang out and then returned to their homes in Chicago. That pivotal moment defined the rest of Jarrett’s life. Through a series of events, Adams is sentenced to 28 years for rape. He tries to get help for his case, but it turns out he must help himself by learning about his rights. This process leads him to the Wisconsin Innocence Project and his conviction being overturned … ten years later.

Redeeming Justice is a non-fiction memoir that is a must-read for all people no matter their age, race, or gender. The issues discussed within the pages will shine a spotlight on flaws in our criminal justice system as well as our country in general. I am the first to admit that I am a middle-aged white woman, but I work in a minority-majority high school and see many students who could easily fall into the criminal justice system without a way out. I highly recommend Redeeming Justice to all teens and adults.


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Review: Duplex

Duplex by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ryan’s life has been turned on its head.  His dad has moved out and he also divided their house into a duplex so that they could rent out part of it.  He now sleeps on the couch and dreams about the girl next door, Bizzy.  Ryan works up the courage to ask to walk her home from school and during one of these trips he pulls a bee out of Bizzy’s hair so quickly she didn’t know what happened.  Unfortunately, someone did notice this action and he learns that what he can do is considered a micropower.  Bizzy and her mother also have powers, though theirs are different.  They are on the run from witch hunters who have been after them for a while.  Will Ryan be able to protect Bizzy and her mother?  How can a group of people with micropowers that seem uninteresting stop these people?

 

Duplex is a stand-alone fantasy that fell far short of the mark.  Card has written many fantasy and science fiction stories that are wonderfully complex, yet this novel felt forced and written by a new author.  The majority of the story is about teenagers coming to terms with supernatural powers and an organized group whose mission is to stop them, but most of the action seems contrived.  Young readers don’t need simple books and this book could have used more complexity and more pages.  Duplex was an easy read that was also not satisfying.

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