Book Review: The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass

**Book Cover Photo here**

The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass

**This book was provided for review through NetGalley**

What it's about:

      One lovely summer night lit with fairy lights and filled with the sounds of laughter and children's games, Nikki Bramley visits a psychic, who tells him he's going to die.

     A year later, Nikki's family and Kitty, the girl who loved him, are reeling with the bizarre and traumatic circumstances surrounding his death.  When Kitty goes looking for answers, she finds much more than she bargained for in the Life and Death Parade, a group of psychics who pray to a myriad of saints and may or may not be all that they seem.

What I thought:

      Ok, so real talk: This book sounded so interesting and cool.  Psychics? Creepy portents that come true? REVEALING THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE AND DEATH AND WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO NIKKI BROMLEY?! Yes. It all sounded so good.

     HOWever, in my opinion, this book was a bit of a letdown.  The first half of the book seemed like a bit of a hot mess.  The characters felt like miserable cardboard cutouts, and I didn't really care about what happened to them, because all this dramatic stuff goes down right off the bat, and I felt no connection to them.  I feel like, in order to feel something for the characters in a book, you should know them and be connected with them first. Throughout the first part of the book I just felt vaguely annoyed with everyone, because nothing had really been explained or described character-wise.  Another thing I noticed was that the characters often said something, then two pages later, completely changed their minds and said the exact opposite thing.  It was like none of them could keep their story straight and everyone was either lying or just confused about how they felt.  

     The story itself feels kind of like it's being summarized by someone who read an actual book--sort of like a rambling sparknotes version.  There's a LOT of descriptive language about the scenery and the actions of the characters, but no really solid storyline that tells the reader where we've been and where we're headed.  Every time we come to some new information, it's like one step forward, two steps back.  Instead of becoming clearer, the story just gets weirder and more confusing.  At one point when I checked to see how far I was, expecting to be about 10% through, I discovered that I was 30% done with the book, but nothing really had happened yet.

     The back and forth between the present and the flashback scenes is not very well executed.  The flashbacks seemed to be out of order and don't actually explain anything, they just make Nikki (which, tbh, totally seems like the female version of this name to me) look crazy and psychotic, which is sort of an established fact, since they keep referencing how he went nuts after the psychic foretelling his death.  Also, you know, he's now dead via mysterious circumstances surrounding a creepy psychic visit.

That being said, things did definitely pick up for the better during the second half of the book. There were some big twists that I totally was not expecting, and I'm glad I didn't DNF the book, like I saw that some people had done on the goodreads page for the book.  One of my favorite parts was the actual Life and Death Parade scene. I feel like it was vivid and beautiful; one part psychic fair, one part foresty Burning Man.  Once we got more information from that scene, the story did really start to come together and make more sense and get much more interesting! I enjoyed how the mystery of Nikki's life and death was revealed, and the ending was unexpected, but in a good way!

Overall, I think the first part of this book didn't grab me and pull me in the way I would have wanted, but the second half of the book was interesting and mystical and just a tad bit creepy, but in a good way!

Rating: 3 stars.

Book Review: Fatal Throne by Candace Fleming & More

Fatal Throne by Candace Fleming, M.T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Linda Sue Park, and Lisa Ann Sandell

**This e-ARC was provided to me for review purposes through NetGalley!**

What it's about:

     In this book, a collection of authors tell-all from the point of view of Henry VIII and his Six Wives.  Though fictional, the stories of each woman are steeped in history and well-researched. 

What I thought:
      I enjoyed this book, though is not my usual type of read.  However, being a pretty big Anglophile (can't help it, I grew up with an English Nana--it's in my blood, literally), I find myself always having been very interested in the lives of Henry VIII and his many wives (and actually, in real life, I've been in the cathedral in which Henry VIII is buried!).  I've read a few other books on the subject, though most of them have been from the pov of Mary or Elizabeth (Henry's daughters, for those not in The Know), so it was quite different for me to see povs directly of Henry and the Wives.

No lie, I actually own this mug.

     I also very much enjoyed seeing how the lives of the wives intermingled before Henry was involved.  Most texts, I find, rely on either the narrative of Catherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn, so it was refreshing and interesting to to see/learn more about the other 4 wives.

     We additionally get to see a bit about each wife from Henry's pov, which, though interesting, gave me an even lowered opinion of him. Guy was a douchebro. And his "motto"? "Sir Loyal Heart"?! Don't even get me started about how *not* true it is.

Yeah yeah yeah, Henry, you're, like, soooo great. Except when you have your wives killed mostly because you found a new hot girl to marry. NOT.

     I think my favorite section of the book was that of Anne of Cleves.  She was one of the few wives/ex wives that survived Henry, and her section was told through memories/hallucinations as her cancer kills her.  Morbid, yes, but also very vivid and imaginative, which broke up the other wives' more monotonous, "Here's what's happening/ what happened" storylines. 
     There's also a really cool bit at the end from Elizabeth's pov, which really "sticks it to the man", since Henry's last dying entry in the book mentions how glad he is to have a son who will be a great King, and that neither of his daughters will ever be on the throne.

Take THAT, you misogynist!

     I also liked Catherine Parr's section.  Since she survived Henry while still married to him, it was interesting to see how exactly she managed to *stay* his wife, even though he tried to do away with her.

     Overall, I really liked seeing the process of a not necessarily powerful woman suddenly being thrust into the Top Female Spot and seeing how each woman dealt with it, as well as dealing with Henry and his terrible conduct and eventually failing health.  There's definitely something regal and yet sort of sad about this book, much like the queens themselves.  It's a modern-day obituary that brings to light the feelings, hopes, and dreams of the deceased.  

Rating:  3.5 stars.  

Book Review: My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

**This book was provided to me through NetGalley for review purposes!**

What it's about:

     This story follows our main character, Winnie Mehta, through a break-up with the guy she *thought* was supposed to be her soulmate--as in Raj, the guy with an "R" name who she would meet before her 18th birthday and who gave her the prophesied silver bangle bracelet that would prove his love and devotion.  Yes, I said PROPHESIED. 

You can't fight a prophecy, right?!?

    But when things go south in their "perfect" relationship, it starts to bleed over to the rest of their lives, including the film club that she and Raj "co-president", and which runs a film festival every year.  A film festival that Winne NEEDS to be part of if she wants to fulfill her dream of attending the NYU Film School.  

    Well, as you can imagine, interesting and....unexpected things begin to happen from there on out.

What I thought:

     Firstly, a disclaimer: if I relate closely to anyone in this book, it'd be Winnie's bff, Bridget.  I am a blonde-haired, blue eyed girl of Scandinavian ancestry--pretty much as far as you can get from any of the cultures of India or its geographical neighbors.

     But man, do I like...*really* love Bollywood movies.  I don't even remember the first one I saw, but I was in middle school, and after that, I was instantly a fan. I get that a lot of them are super cheesy, and like...nobody in real life breaks out into perfectly choreographed song and dance numbers, but they span a *ton* of themes and can be both super entertaining and also very powerful, sometimes all at once.

(Side note: this is from Lagaan, one of my all-time FAVORITES. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend! Sure, it's 3 hours long, but it's got history and drama and romance and it will give you ALL THE FEELS.)

    

    A second disclaimer: the setting of this book ABSOLUTELY affected the way I read it.  My grandparents lived in Princeton, NJ for almost my entire childhood and I spent a LOT of time there during holidays and summer breaks.  Being able to recognize landmarks and places in a book, even though their names were changed? Weird for me, but also super fun.  Like...the theater Rose Theater is based on? I probably walked by that place like 5738 times as a kid.  And the ice cream place, Robert's Sweets? Totally not the real place, but it *is* very close in name.

     Strangely enough, Princeton is also the place where I first saw a movie mentioned in this book: Bend It Like Beckham, directed by someone who shows up in this story: Gurinder Chadha.  The previously mentioned Nana brought me to the movies to see it, then I promptly went to the bookstore (again, in Princeton) to buy the soundtrack, which I still listen to to this day.

     But I digress.  Back to the actual reason you may be here: the book! (Though if you're enjoying my trip down memory lane, yay! And thanks for putting up with me.)

     This book is a contemporary YA romance mixed with a bit of a "finding your true self" story all wrapped up in a package filled with Bollywood references and dreams of Shah Rukh Khan (which *totally* makes me want to have a dream with him in it. It'd be so amusing).

This is Shah Rukh Khan. He is an absolute GEM.

       Since there's a prophecy involved, and we know its contents pretty much right off the bat, it's kind of easy to assume that the plot would take one of two directions.  The headstrong but straight-laced heroine wants to control her own destiny and succeeds, thus disproving the prophecy, or.....the headstrong but straight-laced heroine wants and tries to control her own destiny, but in doing so, ends up with a self-fulfilling prophecy instead.

      However, it's how we go through Winnie's journey with her that's the fun part.  All at once, you're both hoping she finds the true soulmate of the prophecy by the end of the book and also rooting her on for wanting to just ignore silly superstitions and make her own way in the world.  

     The secondary characters were well-thought out and likeable, though my pet-peeve of adult characters not JUST LISTENING to younger people in important situations did show up (I don't know about you, but the adults I grew up around didn't write off EVERYTHING I SAID as nonsense or teen drama. I'm not sure if I was just lucky, or if this is just really not realistic).  Even the Ex, Raj, was a fairly enjoyable character by the end.  Also, I'm not going to go into particulars, but...Dev.

     I also found Winnie's struggles with the expectations surrounding her to be pretty realistic.  I mean, if my entire family was obsessed with some random prophecy about my love life, I'd get a bit annoyed/stressed out about it as well. Then when things go wrong with the guy you thought was "the One" since childhood, I mean--no wonder she's got kind of a complex about this whole bit of divination.  

     Overall, I don't think you need to be a fan of/knowledgeable about Bollywood in order to read this book (It does add to the enjoyment, but I don't think it's necessary).  It's a solid story that I think will satisfy many types of readers!

Rating:  4 stars.

Book Review: The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

**This e-ARC was provided for review purposes through NetGalley!**

What It's About:

         Anathema Island has been the home of the Blackburn daughters for 8 generations, ever since Rona Blackburn traveled there to make a new home for herself.  The thing is, Rona didn't get along so well with the original settlers of the island, who feared her strange ways and uncanny powers.  When they tried to burn her home down--with her inside of it--she cast a spell that bound their bloodlines to the well-being of the island and her own family.

        Generations later, the youngest Blackburn daughter, Nor, hopes the "gifts" that come with her lineage leave her with an uneventful life.  However, when a strange book shows up promising spells that could only be successfully completed by someone possessing Rona Blackburn's full abilities, Nor senses something bad is coming--and she suspects it comes in the form of her estranged, powerful mother. 

What I thought:

         Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  Mostly it was the wonderfully witchy ambiance that was captured so well in the story and setting.  If Anathema Island was a real place, I'd definitely want to visit. Probably wouldn't like to live there, since crazy stuff happens to people who live on the island, but I'd probably want to check out the lake and shops and sweet nature trails, at least.  

The moody setting paired with the actually witchy characters was hitting all of the buttons for me.  This would be a great one to read on a crisp fall evening close to Halloween.  The Blackburn women are so compelling and I really want to know more about the women between Rona, Judd, Fern, & Nor.  I just really adore a cast of characters made up mostly of a long line of generational witches.  

Another thing I liked about this book was that it had the perfect combo of intrigue, magic, & mystery mixed with this super intense underlying feeling of foreboding and dread.  You will, when reading this book, definitely get a true bit of stomach-clenching stress while waiting for the ball to drop (and by the ball dropping, I mean Fern showing up on the island).  We keep getting snippets and bits of information both about what she's up to in the present intermingled with Nor's memories of the past, so you slowly learn how terrifying and BAD it is that she's up to her old tricks in a big way.  

I also really enjoyed that the focus in the story was on the relationships between Nor and literally everyone else on the island.  Spoiler Alert! She's related to every original settling family, which provides for a very interesting dynamic, especially considering the reason for those relationships and shared blood is caused by the curse Rona Blackburn put on them back in the day.  I loved her relationships with Judd and Madge and her grandfather, because they were so diverse and that made the story feel more realistic.  

And lest I go through this whole review without mentioning the conflict and antagonist of the story, I'm gonna talk about it: Fern.  Fern, the Blackburn daughter with a super creepy power who realizes that she can use it to gain a semblance of the full Blackburn powers she's always wanted.  Let me tell you, Fern is an awesome character, solely because she's terrifying.  I don't want to spoil a whole lot, but the way she gains her influence in the world is *so* creepy.  Like....a "the body snatchers took away my mom and dad and nobody will believe me because the cops are also body snatchers" kind of creepy, which just adds to the panic and feeling of doom that resonates throughout this story.  

So listen, if moody, witchy vibes and a great antagonist sound like your kind of read, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.  Alternately, you could pick it up then put it down until October to further immerse yourself in a spooky and thematic setting for your reading!

Rating: 4 stars.  

Book Review: The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

**This e-ARC was provided through NetGalley for reviewing purposes!**

What it's about:

          Lady Amalia Cornaro never expected to come home from a book-buying run as a newly-minted Falconer, an elite branch of the military trained to control the magical abilities of mage-marked "Falcons", but she has suddenly found herself the unwanted warden of Zaira, a powerful fire mage.  When her ambitious mother decides to use this newfound power to the advantage of the Cornaro family, Amalia is suddenly thrown into much more of the court intrigue than she would have been as "just the Cornaro heir."  Rumors have been spreading in the nearby city of Ardence of a Shadow Gentry, and when a group of mage-marked aristocratic children are kidnapped, it's up to Amalia, an unwilling Zaira, and Marcello, a Falcon officer, to discover what game is afoot and unmask the harbingers of war between the two kingdoms!

What I thought:

         I'm not going to lie...the first half of this book dragged a little for me.  I liked the characters right away, but during the first half of the book there were a LOT of little details that didn't always seem necessary for the reader to know all at once.  This did aid in the worldbuilding and the character development, as well as prepared the reader for all of the stuff going on behind the scenes, but for me it was just a bit of information overload.

I totally loved the three main characters, Amalia, Zaira, and Marcello.  The character development in this book was fantastic, and we got to see the characters grow and change throughout the story.  Amalia and Marcello had some great chemistry, and Amalia's relationship with Zaira was great as well.

The magic system was so cool (albeit not necessarily fair to the characters), and I loved how it was treated differently in the two drastically different societies we glimpsed in this story. 

The politics in the story were also surprisingly interesting to me! Normally I'm not all about the "political court intrigue" heavy novels, but I enjoyed everything happening here.  Prince Ruven was a great character, and the politicians dealing with Ardence and Raverra were really interesting, including the members of Amalia's own family.

The ending wrapped up nicely for this part of the story while also hinting at more to come, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next to these characters!

If you like well-done worldbuilding and lots of court intrigue, definitely give this one a try!

Rating: 3.75 stars.  

Book Review: Halayda by Sarah Delena White.

Halayda by Sarah Delena White

*This e-ARC was provided through NetGalley for review purposes!*

What it's about:

              Sylvie lives on the edges of a society in which mages are the ruling force, and anything fae-touches is scorned or used for its magical properties.  Once a student of alchemy, she now provides for a rag tag group of half-fae children by selling her alchemical creations. Once a year, the human and fae worlds come together--and so do Sophie and the Fae King Taylan, in hopes of maintaining the fragile balance between their two worlds.  When disasters strikes in the form of an alchemical attack, Sophie and Taylan must travel through the Fae kingdom in order to save it and the human world from the clutches of an evil Star Fae long thought dead.

What I thought:

          So, to be honest, I didn't *super* love this book.  I enjoyed the fae/human relationship story, and the fact that one world cannot quite be well without the other, but I don't think it hit the right buttons for me.

Firstly, I felt as though there was a whole chunk of backstory/character development that went on before the story started that we didn't get to see at all.  It was like the reader was supposed to automatically be invested in these characters when we weren't really given a whole lot of information about them.  I just felt like something was missing in the beginning that we should have been told in order to aid in our understanding of the world and characters. 

Secondly, I felt as though the first half of the book dragged a bit.  I knew there was some big reveal coming, but I just felt like I was waiting....and waiting...and waiting to finally get the big reveal about the whole Dragonfly thing.  Plus, it was kind of predictable, what with the "half-human, half-fae alchemist Chosen One" thing going on.  Once we heard about the mysterious, elusive, and rarer-than-rare "Dragonfly", it was pretty clear that the story was heading toward a "SOPHIE IS THE DRAGONFLY" billboard.

Other than that, I did like the dynamic between the different races of Fae.  I loved the Banshee general and the mysterious and dangerous qualities of Taylan, and even, yes, the abilities and idea of the Dragonfly.  Once the story got moving and something of consequence actually happened, I enjoyed the rest of the read!

This is one that I'm not sure I'll continue on with.  The book really dragged for me--it took me almost a month to get through because I wasn't feeling any real motivation to finish it.  I liked some concepts, so I may read the inevitable sequel, but I'm not quite decided on it yet.

Rating:  3.5 stars.

Book Review: These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

**This E-ARC was provided through NetGalley for review purposes!**

What it's about:

         This sequel takes place soon after the events of These Vicious Masks, and follows the continued adventures of Evelyn and her friends in the high society of 1880's England.  Despite the previous untrustworthy connections of the mysterious Society, Evelyn joins forces with them in order to put herself in the position to aid others with powers like hers.  When a recon mission in India goes awry, Evelyn and her friends discover more sinister things about the Society--and vow to discover who is the driving force behind the terrible deeds.

What I thought:

         This was a very solid sequel.  It picked up a few weeks after the events of the first book, and we got into the intrigue right away.  I don't want to get too carried away with details, since this is the second book in the series, but I loved all the new characters we got to meet and was glad that we were able to still see the old characters we loved from the first book (some more..ahem...surprising than others).  

This part of the story takes the Society from something intrinsically evil to something that could be used for good--as long as the right people are in charge.  However, that's part of the mystery--who is in control, and why are they making the choices they are? Are they here to help powered people, or use the powered for their own gains?

Oh man, though. Just when you think everything is going according to our protagonists' plans, SHIT. GOES. DOWN. That ending, O.M.G.

(Actual footage of me reading the ending of this book)

Like...I cannot and do not want to give away ANY spoilers for that ending because holy Moses, it's CRAZY, in a terrible but also so unexpected and just--wow. These authors are evil geniuses, I think.  

So listen, go do yourself a favor.  Go read These Vicious Masks, then read this one, then cry because we don't have the third book yet and WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!?!?!

Rating: 4 stars.

Book Review: Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

This e-ARC was provided through NetGalley in return for a free and honest review!

What it's about:

     

     Cameron is an amazing budding cosplayer who dreams of getting into the CalTech costume department in order to one day design costumes for all of the nerdy things.  However, when she and her friends end up winning a cosplay contest based on a game that she doesn't play, a storm of angry internet trolls is activated.

When a nerdbro totally gate keeps her on her first visit to the ONLY comic store in the town she's just moved to, she decides to see how the other half lives (and shops for comics) and borrows some of her twin brother's clothing to become: Boy-Cameron!

When she accidentally on purpose makes friends with one of the other comic store employees and gets invited to play in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, things get a little more complicated than she had ever expected them to.  She then has a predicament: stay Boy-Cameron and continue the charade, or return to being her normal self and risk being abandoned by her brand-new friends?

What I thought:

       This made my nerdy, D&D obsessed, cosplay n00b heart so very happy.  This was probably my most anticipated read of the year because it aligns with just about *everything* I am currently obsessed with, and it *mostly* did not disappoint.  

Despite being a pretty nerdy individual myself, and being a girl, I've don't know that I've ever really had that lovely experience of male gatekeeping (I have strong opinions about ANYONE who gate keeps, but that's a tale for another time), so I couldn't relate directly to Cameron's experiences there.  However, I know it's a thing that happens, and it's something I'd totally word murder someone for doing to me.  

Cameron and the other characters were really solid and believable.  I loved Why and loved to hate Brody--his comments were just such a thing that I could see an angry troll saying, it was almost like the author hung out on 4chan before writing (for research purposes, of course). I loved that all of the characters had fully fleshed-out backstory--it made the story feel really full and made you get attached to them.  

The idea that a girl would have to dress as a boy in order to enjoy something as widely-spread as comic books or superheroes or video games both makes me sad and angry--something that was portrayed very well in this book and gave me the Strong Emotions.  I think Nerd-dom is a place for all, and should be open to new people.  We're members of the best club, and I am ALWAYS happy when I find someone who is even a little bit interested in something I also love!

My favorite part of this book, I'd have to say, were the bits that talked about D&D.  I may be a little biased, since I've just entered this community myself, but OH BOY did I find myself highlighting all the quotes about the discovery and confusion that is getting ready for/playing your first game of D&D. The little comics that went along with the game sessions in the book were hilarious, and made me wish I wasn't reading the book on the tiny screen of my phone so I could better see all of the details.  

I enjoyed this book immensely--don't get me wrong--but there were just a few things that knocked it down from that ever-coveted 5 stars.  Firstly, there was a bit of a lack of communication in many parts of the story. I feel like if the truth about the horrible things happening to Cameron online had been shared with the important people in her life earlier on, things could have been dealt with in a much less messy fashion.  Instead she just internalized everything and then froze up when people got mad at her.  I know, I know, if everyone communicated well there'd be none of the drama that created half of the story, but still, it bugged me a little, especially with her family.  Like...they're your family, they're not going to judge you for flack you're getting for posting your amazing creations. 

Another thing that bothered me was that the ending of the story felt a bit rushed.  I was left wanting more explanation, more reaction to the truth coming out, and what I got wasn't that. It felt as though everyone got SUPER ANGRY that she didn't tell them she was actually a girl, then got over it offscreen and suddenly everyone was happy again.  

Beyond that, this story was mostly about a nerdy girl who just wanted be be a nerd, and make beautiful outfits based on nerdy things, and NOT GET BOTHERED WHILE DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.  It was full of nerdy references and D&D and cosplay and captured both the horrors and the joys that can be experienced as a girl in the nerd community.  

Rating:  4 stars.

Quote Post: Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

This is a very spoiler-filled post featuring some of my favorite quotes from Chaotic Good, by Whitney Gardner!

"Dungeons and Dragons has always seemed like the geek game I don't actually have enough cred to play.  I tried to look up the rules online once, and it went way over my head.  I don't think there is any one true way to play, and that's intimidating." 

           

 "I read about mages and bards. About rangers, clerics, and fighters.  And the more I read, the more desperately I wanted to play.  To have a group of friends gathered around a table telling a story.  Creating and cracking inside jokes."

"'Jade! After the battle of the three orcs, you find a vest in a trunk.  It's the most beautiful piece of fabric you've ever seen in your life.  Intricate and delicate.  It weighs almost nothing but feels substantial when you pick it up.'  Lincoln starts to smile as Cooper listens to him from from his place in my arms. I feel his breathing slow.  We're both entranced. 'You put it on, and you can instantly feel its protection.  Its button fastens perfectly, like it was tailor-made for you.  It feels like another limb.  Like something you've been searching for your whole life has now made its way back to you and you dare not part with it.  It gives you plus four to your constitution, plus three charisma, and plus motherfucking eighteen against asshole exes.'"

The Year I Met Critical Role; or: How I Fell in Love with D&D and Why My TBR Hated Me In 2017.

So I haven't properly reviewed anything in a loooong time.  2017 was *not* a great reading year for me, and here's why.

Last February, I discovered something that absolutely decimated my 2017 TBR before it even got off the ground. It's a "little bitty" web series in which a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons...and I spent the rest of February through early October binging 115+ episodes averaging about 3 and a half hours in length...and loving every minute of it.

(Fair warning. This post will be completely full of CR and other nerdy gifs. I'm sorry not sorry in advance).

Since this group has been streaming their game for about 3 years now, I had a LOT to catch up on.  But this also means that I watched over 400 hours of a group of people I don't know playing D&D in less than a year, which not only cemented my eternal love for and undying loyalty to the fandom and community, but also made me want to play ALL OF THE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS.

I sometimes feel awkward with certain aspects of my geekery.  For the most part I let my nerd flag fly and often, but secretly I've held in my heart a desire for more, and always considered D&D to be one of those *super* geeky things that only the *REALLY* hard-core peeps go in for, but also one of those things that I always kind of wanted to learn how to play (MtG being another, and also LARP. I WANT TO FREAKING LARP, OK?!).  

So when I clicked on Episode 82 of Critical Role when it popped up on my YouTube subscription list one night when I had run out of videos on my "Watch Later" playlist, I didn't really know what to expect.  I think that the typical person's expectation of Dungeons and Dragons is the stereotypical Stranger Things-style scene: basement-inhabiting pre-pubescent boys who are so socially awkward that they choose to pretend they're in another world fighting monsters instead of going to the Snow Ball.

This wasn't like that at all. This was grown-ass ADULTS (in my age range and older) letting the world see what they had so far only been doing at home--imagining and acting out existence in another world, fighting monsters and becoming heroes.  I mean, they were (spoilers) FIGHTING A FREAKING DRAGON (end spoilers) for goodness' sake!  There were miniatures, and little stands to show depth (because some of the characters were FLYING),  and players who not only clearly loved their characters but were passionate about the story (and are some pretty amazing actors, to boot).  I realized about an hour and a half in that it had started 82 episodes ago, and I 100% needed to stop watching this episode RIGHT NOW and go right back to the beginning.

Now, to those who aren't into things like this, the idea of D&D (and rpgs in general) may seem a little strange or escapist, but for a reader like me who intakes approximately 85% fantasy literature (and let's be honest here, it's probably closer to 95%), this was like taking my favorite books one huge step further.

Have you ever read a book and wanted to be a character in the world or story? (I know for a fact if you're into Harry Potter, you TOTALLY want this. The Wizarding World? Your Hogwarts House, wand core, and Patronus? I mean, COME ON, RIGHT!?)  DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CAN DO THAT FOR YOU, MAN.  I literally just straight-up ripped off the character Elora Danan from the 80's movie Willow, and created a character based on what I think she would have been like grown up (Human Warlock with a Fae Pact, just like in the movie, amiright?)

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Critical Role looks a little like this:

When I tried to explain to my befuddled sister what I was watching, I described it like this: Critical Role is like a really amazing and detailed audiobook that comes with a different voice for every character and also real-time reactions of those involved in the story.  Basically, if you combined an audio book and a live-action movie, just with fewer visual sets and more going on in your imagination.  From the outside, it's watching people sitting at a table, occasionally using props and minis, but mostly just talking.  From the outside, it seems like it could be fairly boring if you just walked by someone else watching. But oh, man.  It really is so much better than that. It makes me feel ALL OF THE FEELS--everything ranging from stress and sadness (so much sadness) to hilarity and elation (so much hilarity--both in story and out).  

So for me, the natural progression here (which I reached about halfway through my year-long binge) was to try and find some way--ANY way, really--to play D&D myself.  When searching through some online venues led to nothing I felt super comfortable with as a new player, I enlisted my sister and some friends who seemed willing to play.  Since I had the most "experience" with the game, it sort of fell to me to step into the roll of DM (dungeon master, or dungeon mistress, if you want, I guess). We play Sunday evenings and after a few different random one-off adventures, I think we're ready to start an actual campaign (which I am STOKED about!).  

But seriously, after watching the amazing adventures of the Vox Machina crew, how could I not want to play? I mean, there's:

and

and

Pretty much all girl could ever want, basically.

As of January 8th, they've started a new campaign, with all new characters (which I adore so far), a new setting, and new intriguing storyline created by Matt Mercer, who is probably one of the world's most fantastic DMs.

In the meantime, while I was going on an adventure or two, my 2017 Goodreads goal--initially at a low-for-me 80 books, had to be pared down to 60, which I only *just* managed to squeeze in right before the ball dropped on New Year's Eve.

The good news is that since I'm now caught up to the livestreamed episodes, I can take my viewing time down to 1 episode a week, and catch up on all of the books I *haven't* been reading, and all the reviews I most definitely have NOT been writing.  

That being said, I am going to try to make it my goal to write at least one review a week.  This may not work out super well, as I tend to read at pretty erratic paces (for example: I had read 3 books by the 7th of January and then have been reading the book I started after that for WEEKS now), and so I may not have a book newly finished to review, but I will certainly try to stay consistent with posting.

*That* being said, 

Book Review: Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean

Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean

**I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley for review**

What it's about: 

     Soon after Maren Hamilton is orphaned and sent to live with her maternal grandparents in Scotland, she receives a strange journal that reveals a secret about her parents--they were part of a mysterious international organization that now wants to recruit her.  When strange things begin happening to the animals and then the people in the small Scottish town, she and a strange warrior called Gavin work together to uncover the mystery and fight to find a cure to the strange ailment that is running rampant across the countryside.

What I thought:

     Firstly, I think this story did have a LOT of potential, and toward the end of the book, I was a little more involved in the story and what was happening.  The landscape and the place where Gavin lives is such a neat idea, and the whole connection thing was also really cool. 

     However, one thing that put a wrench in my enjoyment was that it felt like the characters were more concerned with the romance of the story than the actual problem in the story.  Like...creepy zombie demon people are coming after you, and you're worried about whether or not you're falling in love with this dude who clearly knows more about this situation than he is letting on!?! GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF, WOMAN!  It felt rushed and kind of fake, and a little Edward Cullen-esque with the whole "Let me watch over you while you sleep, girl. But I have to be on your roof, because we can't fall in love and CLEARLY if I'm in the room while you sleep, that means we're gonna fall in love?"

     Don't get me wrong. Once the actual action started and more of the mystery unraveled, I got more invested and involved with the story.  The ending was probably my favorite part, because it set up some really interesting events to come in the next book.

Overall, I didn't love this book, but I thought there were some decent parts and I will probably read the next one to see what happens next!

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Book Review: A Million Junes by Emily Henry

A Million Junes by Emily Henry

What it's about:

     Ever since Jack O'Donnell IV can remember, her parents have warned her to stay away from the Angerts.  Their families are linked from way back, and when members of each clan cross paths, bad things happen.  Like her father's mysterious and sudden death.

     When Jack (known also as June, Junior, JuneBug, etc) runs into Saul, the youngest member of the Angert family (who has been gone from town for years), she expects the worst--but nothing bad seems to happen.

     As the two grow closer, the magic of the O'Donnell's family farm and the mystery surrounding the curse shared by their families is slowly revealed--changing what they thought they knew about their entire lives.

What I thought:

     I ADORED this book.  The first thing I thought when I started reading about June's dad and his stories was the movie Big Fish--a dad who tells these really crazy magical stories like they actually happened--and maybe they did, maybe they didn't happen the way he says.  This book is what you would get if you took Big Fish, Romeo and Juliet, and the Hatfields and McCoys, stuck them in a blender, poured them into a glass, and sprinkled them with a bit more magic. And I couldn't be more pleased with this strange combination.

     The writing in this book is poetic and beautiful and very dreamlike--while also staying true to the story of June in the present. It kept me completely riveted and wanting to know more. I read Emily Henry's previous book, "The Love That Split The World", which I liked, but I really loved this one so much more.

     The entire first half of the book--as I fell in love with the characters and the strange circumstances surrounding this big DO NOT GO NEAR THE ANGERTS mystery--I kept waiting for something truly awful to happen.  That feeling of dread *almost* hindered my capacity to become entirely smitten with Saul (kudos to the author, by the way, for making the name Saul seem super attractive in this day and age), but I was able to overcome and totally got into the romance that blooms between the children of the warring families.

     Once the mystery begins to be solved, the story takes a real turn emotionally.  From a sweet forbidden romance, it becomes something much deeper in both depth and meaning, leading the characters through the grief they've felt for a decade, and that which has followed both of their families for generations. The writing is *so* poignant and touching, I found myself not sobbing with sadness, but consistently finding tears leaking from my eyes.  My heart ached along with June and Saul as they uncovered more about their family histories in both the present and in the past.

     I don't want to give too much away, because I really think this is one that's better when you go into it not knowing a whole lot of details. I loved trying to guess what was going on and found that a lot of my hunches were correct, which sort of added to the entertainment of reading it!  I will say that this is definitely a book I'm going to be grabbing a hard copy of to take its rightful place on my bookshelf!

Rating: 5 stars.

Book Review: Four Kings by M.D. Elster

Four Kings by M.D. Elster
**This book was provided to me for review through NetGalley**

What it's about:

     Anaïs Reynard wakes up in a 1940's New Orleans sanitorium with no recollection of how she arrived there.  Her doctors tell her she was a witness to the shooting of her stepfather, but she doesn't remember anything from that night.  A young black man has been arrested for the crime and Anaïs is the star witness for the trial, though through the fog of her mind, something tells her he is *not* the shooter.

     One night, a strange encounter with a bizarre fox-like man leads Anaïs to an adventure in another world--one that seems similar to the events occurring in her own.  

What I thought:

     So....it took me a while to start reading this book.  It took me a little bit less time to get into the story, but oh man, once I did: 

This story is just so....magical. Magical in a very serious and intense way, a la Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  The different stories (The Land of the Four Kings, Anaïs' past leading up to now, and Anaïs' current amnesia-riddled story) blend together surprisingly well, and I found myself unable to decide which part I was looking most forward to.

The mystery surrounding the stepfather's shooting was fun to try to work out based on the clues Anaïs remembered.  Getting to understand the dynamic between Anaïs and the people in her life based on the memories of her past was really interesting and showed the reader more connections than originally let on.  I enjoy reading about the WWII era so the fact that her early life took place in Europe during this time period was of bonus interest to me.

I think my favorite parts of the story were the scenes that took place in the Land of the Four Kings.  While this story does seem to be akin to stories like Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz, it definitely has its own flavor, characters, and world.  All of these seem to correspond to the events in Anaïs' own world, but I do think that the Land of the Four Kings could be a place that could stand on its own, and I would love the possibly seeing more of the stories that are still laying in wait in that setting.  

Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this book a read if you enjoy any of the aforementioned stories. It's got a Alice/Dorothy feel set in a strange and sometimes creepy world, but it's definitely worth the reading time!

Rating:   4 stars.

Book Review: Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

What it's about:

     To cope with the death of her mother, Juliet writes letters and leaves them at the cemetery.  When someone (spoiler: it's Declan) finds one of them and writes BACK, she's at first angry, then intrigued.  Thus begins an anonymous correspondence in which the person writing to her may have more in common with Juliet than she thought. Being able to bare all in such a personal yet impersonal way seems to have a strong impact on both parties, but reality has a way of impeding even the most private of exchanges, and secrets start to seep through the cracks and into their real lives.

What I thought:

     I picked this book up at a publisher's booth during BookCon on a whim.  I was with a friend, and when we read the inside cover, it seemed like something we'd like. It also came *highly* praised by the girl who rang us each out a copy.  The plan was to read it together (we do buddy reads all the time).  It had been sitting on my TBR shelf for almost 2 months when the other day my friend texted me, asking if I wanted to start the read. I wasn't super into any of the other books I was reading at the time, and said "Yeah, sure!" 

That was yesterday.  My friend hasn't even started it yet (Sorry, Court. Please forgive me.)

I've been going through a bit of a YA Contemporary Romance phase (yes, it's waaay out of my comfort zone--the proof is in my "Read" list).  So when I grabbed this one off my shelf last night and reread the jacket info, it was like...fate.  I had just run out of the few YACR books that were in my radar, and suddenly, without even knowing it, my past self went and bought my present self a...present.

That's exactly what this book was for me.  Don't get me wrong--this book is pretty emotionally rough to get through most of the time--the main characters are heartbroken and hurt and hiding that fact from most of the people in their lives.  When they get a chance to anonymously open up and spill each of their secrets, it feels a little like a hand reaching into your chest and squeezing really hard.  The emotions come through vividly and feel very very real.  

I'm not going to lie--this book overall probably won't make you feel very good.  Parts of it are cute, and feel pretty good, but it's decidedly *not* your typical cutesy YACR.  But the growth that Juliet and Declan go through to get to the ending is raw and authentic and gripping.  If I hadn't had to do life things like...sleep and work, I would have downed this thing in one sitting.

I'm not saying it didn't have a few downfalls. The characters themselves can get a bit cliched and some of the scenarios were a tad dramatic, but when they're stuck into the story and given these huge impactful backstories and really great secondary characters (my complete and utter favorite being Rev, Declan's best friend), all that cliche and drama seems a bit *less* cliche and more on the "Oh ow, that hurts. This isn't even happening to ME, why do I feel this pain?" side of things.  

Honestly, my biggest problem with this book will be deciding how to reorganize my "favorites" shelf to fit this one in.  

AND OMG, WE'RE GETTING MORE. REV IS GETTING HIS OWN BOOK, COMING OUT SPRING OF 2018. I CANNOT WAIT.

Rating:  5 stars.

Book Review: Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

What it's about:

     The fifth and final book in the Others series, this book follows the paring down of human civilization and the small factors that help the Elders decide how much human they really want to keep in Thaisia.  Meg, Simon, and the beloved cast of terra indigene and human packs in and around the Lakeside Courtyard must deal with a threat much closer to hearth and home than they ever have before--and how they react will impact the entire world.

What I thought:

     I completely and utterly adore this series, and this last book was no exception.  The Others of the Lakeside Courtyard have become some of my favorite characters of all time, and the way they learn to deal with and adapt for the "good" humans just makes me so happy.  The characters have evolved in more ways than one and they and the story are just written *so well* that it feels like this could be a real world with real consequences.

I don't want to go too far without a spoiler warning, but if you are at all interested in reading a fantastic urban fantasy of the shifter vein, give this series a try. It has become one of my favorites and now holds a prized spot on my bookshelves!

Spoilers follow, because I can't help but mention some of my favorite parts.

• Meg yells at the Elders in the Courtyard for being rude puppies and demanding wolf cookies.
• The Wolves catching a giant turkey for the human pack, and delivering it still warm, resulting in:
• The Human/Wolf potluck dinner and:
• SKIPPY CHANGING TO PARTIAL HUMAN FORM SO HE CAN GO AND MISS TWYLA ACTING LIKE IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL SO HE CAN BE INCLUDED AND HAVE DINNER AT THE TABLE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

I have to stop reading on the train.

Rating: 5 stars.

Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Posten

Geekerella by Ashley Posten

**This ARC was provided through NetGalley for an honest review--Thanks NetGalley!**

What it's about:

     Geekerella is a modern-day retelling of the classic Cinderella fairytale, but with a massively geeky twist.  Elle Wittimer is a super fan of  Starfield, the show her dad introduced her to as a kid. Her fandom is thrown into chaos when teen heartthrob Darien Freeman is cast in the lead male role in the film reboot of the beloved show.  When a cosplay contest is announced at the Starfield convention, Elle sees it as her chance to get away from the horrible stepmother and bratty stepsisters who have ruined her life.

What I thought:

     This book made my geek heart happy.  If at least part of it takes place at a convention, I'm sold.  Even better, when the show is made up but sounds like something I'd DEFINITELY be into (think Star Wars/Star Trek/Battlestar Galactica vein), and the fandom sounds like the fandoms I'm in? Done and done!

One of my favorite parts of this book was that even though it's clearly a retelling when you stop to think about it, the story was so engaging and really delved so deep into the lore and obsessions of the Starfield fandom that I often found myself forgetting that it was also Cinderella.  

Don't get me wrong--if retellings are your thing, this doesn't disappoint.  Downtrodden but still hopeful main character, dreamy prince, a few different characters that could be considered "fairy godmothers", and an evil, awful stepmother who, to be honest, rivals the OG stepmother, Lady Tremaine.  

Throw in a few mysterious text conversations, some of the prince's POV, and a cosplay ball to end all cosplay balls, this book was an imaginative and unique retelling that is sure to grab readers of retellings, convention-goers, and good old fashioned fairy tale lovers.

Rating: 4.5 stars (Reach for the stars...aim...IGNITE!)