Author: megs14malloy

Review: King of Fools (Shadow Game #2) by Amanda Foody

~ megs14malloy

King of Fools (The Shadow Game, #2)King of Fools by Amanda Foody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amanda Foody.

Amanda Foody.
I will never be the same again.

Respect.

Picking up directly after the final events of Ace of Shades, this book, the second in the Shadow Game Trilogy, is so full of action and political intrigue it left my head spinning!

We see the return of our favorite characters from the first book, Enne, Levi, Lola and Jac, and get to meet some great new characters as well.

Welcome, Tock, my sweet little bomber. ((who I picture as Michelle Rodriguez…you’re welcome.))

New deals, alliances and deceptions are made, with the final scenes shaking New Reynes to its foundation.

I was really impressed with the maturation of Foody’s writing for this one. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the first book but ultimately ended up having some issues with the magic system and world building. All of those slight criticisms are completely absent with this book.

The plotting in this is seamless, the world lush and bold; the magic system didn’t feel as prevalent in this one and I never felt confused by what was there. I look at this as a fairly evident improvement over the first novel and I hope other people feel the same way.

In addition to the growth I feel I have witnessed for the author, the growth in these characters was tremendous as well. Enne and Levi both have strong character arcs, Enne most of all. The strategies and ambitions they both show, man, so good.

If you are a Slytherin like me, this series is not to be missed. Also, if you were just okay with the first book, I really hope you continue on. I do not see how this second book could disappoint!

Now, the question of how the heck am I going to survive until the third book is released!?

Thank you so much to the publisher, Harlequin TEEN/Inkyard Press, for providing me with an early copy of this to read and review. You know I will be knocking on your door as soon as I know there are review copies of Book 3!

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Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed

~ megs14malloy

InternmentInternment by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

This hurts my heart.
I wanted so much to love this. It was one of my most anticipated reads for the first part of the year.

I did not like this.
I’m crushed.

One reason I was so excited for this book was the exploration of topics and perspectives that I think are so important and need to be included more often.

This book did touch on many issues that are salient in today’s culture, such as: Islamophobia, xenophobia, ‘us vs. them’ mentality, the politics of fear, the importance of resistance movements to initiating change, black op sites, disappeared peoples, the illegal detainment of individuals and the abuse/neglect and torture of detainees.

All of this stuff.
Yes. Let’s see more of it, particularly from those peoples or populations most affected.

My issue with this was purely in execution. The first 20% was so gripping. The circumstances were terrifying. I was hooked.

Then it just lost me. Layla, the main character’s, fixation on her boyfriend, the storyline involving the guard, Jake, the dialogue.

Don’t get me started on the dialogue.

In summation, this was a disappointment for me. I still think the content is important and I hope people continue to read this and discuss it. Maybe I am in the minority here with this opinion. As I always say, there is a reader for every book! Sadly, this one just didn’t work for me.

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Review: The Last by Hanna Jameson

~ megs14malloy

The LastThe Last by Hanna Jameson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Jon Keller is attending an academic conference at the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland on the day the bombs fall. Nuclear war has broken out and cities all over the world have been decimated. Through early news alerts he learns hundreds of thousands of people have been killed.

Jon’s wife and two children are home in San Francisco but he can’t really worry about that now, he needs to focus on his own survival. Jon and twenty other survivors hunker down in the relative safety of the hotel and that’s truly where our story begins.

A historian by trade, Jon takes it upon himself to begin writing the account of the survivors and that is how the narrative is told. For me, this worked so well as a way to tell this story. I loved the feel of it and how we were able to learn not just what was going on currently but also a bit of the survivor’s back stories, as well as some of the history of the hotel itself.

While opening up the top of some water tanks in an effort to start catching rain water, they find the body of a dead girl. It is clear she ended up in the tank by nefarious circumstances and Jon becomes obsessed with finding out who killed her. He starts a legit investigation and that is how he focuses most of his energy.

Tensions are running high and the survivors begin to form alliances and develop a social system unto themselves. When supplies begin to dwindle and winter is approaching the survivors start to send out mini-expeditions in search of food and other supplies. As you can imagine, these are dangerous undertakings and add quite a bit of tension to the plot.

I had a great time reading this book. I was absolutely entertained the whole time. I felt there was just the right level of tension the whole way through to keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the exploration of people pushed to their limits and how they would organize themselves in order to function with some baseline of decency.

The last little bit seemed a little rushed to me but I wasn’t disappointed with how it ultimately turned out. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic stories. This is nice and modern and fitting for our times. Very well done!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to reading more by Jameson in the future!

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Review: Hurricane Season by Nicole Melleby

~ megs14malloy

Hurricane SeasonHurricane Season by Nicole Melleby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fig may look like any other 6th grader but she is struggling to stay afloat. She lives alone with her father, a once renowned pianist, who is living with bipolar disorder. As a consequence of this, Fig’s role is often more one of parent than child.

Regardless of daily struggles, Fig loves her father with her whole heart and she knows that he loves her too. He is trying his hardest, he really is, but without any sort of outside assistance or treatment, they are barely getting by.

After an embarrassing incident at school, one of Fig’s concerned teachers ends up contacting Child Protective Services. Now being watched by a social worker, Fig feels even more pressure to maintain their household, projecting as much normalcy as she can.

During an art class, she learns a bit about Vincent Van Gogh and his mental health issues. She can see similarities between Van Gogh’s personality and her father’s so she decides to find out all she can about him in an effort to better understand how her father’s mind works.

Through all of this, Fig is also going through things any 6th grader would go through. Feeling out of place at school, tension with some friends and discovering her own sexuality.

This book is so beautiful and pure. I adore Fig with my whole heart. She was such a precious little bean who is wise beyond her years. Her relationship with her best friend, Danny, was just so precious, as was her crush on Hannah, the girl who works at her local library.

I was very impressed with the writing and feel that Melleby does a seamless job of inserting important topics into the narrative without them seeming forced. The story felt very organic and real.

I was a legit emotional mess upon finishing this. It was just gorgeous. The strength of the bond between Fig and her father. His will to overcome and work through his illness any way he could, it was…ugh…no words. My heart is full.

I would recommend this to anyone. Even though this is a Middle Grade story, I think this can absolutely be enjoyed by readers of all ages!

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Review: Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

~ megs14malloy

Anger Is a GiftAnger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an absolutely engrossing story.

I don’t think I will ever ‘review’ this.
I don’t think it is my place to review this.

This is a hard story to read but one that needed to be told and heard.

This one will be going on my ‘books everyone should read in a lifetime’ list.

Taken from the synopsis on Goodreads: “A story of resilience and loss, love and family, Mark Oshiro’s Anger is a Gift testifies to the vulnerability and strength of a community living within a system of oppression.”

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Review: Second Lives by P.D. Cacek

~ megs14malloy

Second LivesSecond Lives by P.D. Cacek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

My exact thoughts upon completing this:

Eight people die.
Four come back but not as they were before. Or should I say WHO they were before.

Intriguing premise, right?
It certainly is and I think Cacek did a wonderful job of weaving this highly detailed tale together.

The writing was very solid. You can definitely tell that Cacek is an experienced author.
Each chapter was like a short story unto itself. It was quite impressive. For those of you who enjoy short story collections, I feel like this book could really work for you.

Creative and unique, this story made me really sad. I feel like it is suppose to be a story about hope, love, relationships and sacrifice for others but honesty, it bummed me out. Some of the characters end up in fairly hopeless circumstances and are forced to begin again with no choice.

I thought going into this that it was a horror novel but after reading it, I wouldn’t personally classify it as such. It seemed more speculative fiction to me. There were a few chilling moments, mostly due to the thought of imagining something like this actually happening to you or a loved one.

We get a couple of hints throughout that the events of this story are a phenomenon occurring around the world but this book focuses on patients in one hospital. They are all strangers but through various doctors have their cases ultimately connected. The book seemed to be broken up into three distinct parts: learning about each character, the soul shuffle and the aftermath. I liked the format a lot and thought it was an agreeable way to present the story.

Other than that, I can really not say too much more without giving anything away. I think if you like eccentric stories that explore life’s darker side, you should give this one a shot. I definitely am interested in chatting about this with some other bookworms, so if you ever read it, message me!

A big thank you to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity!

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Review: The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2) by Maureen Johnson

~ megs14malloy

The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious, #2)The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Dear Maureen Johnson,

How dare you?

Truly devious of you to slay me with yet ANOTHER cliffhanger ending!

I had many thoughts whilst reading this, the second installment of the Truly Devious trilogy. There was this:

Followed by this:

Wrapped up like this:

Okay. I still love you but you hurt me.

Kindest Regards,

Meg

Okay, y’all, let’s try an actual review.
That ending!?!?

I really wasn’t expecting that, even though Ms. Johnson has played me like that before.

I was totally invested in this. I loved being back with Stevie and the rest of the cast at Ellingham Academy. We got to meet some new folks and have a few puzzle pieces filled in as far as the Ellingham cold case went.

I really enjoyed that aspect of the story again. Alternating timelines between past and present is an aspect I always seem to enjoy in a story. I feel like it keeps me more engaged than sometimes a single, linear storyline will.

If you enjoyed the first book, I think you will continue to do so with this. Honestly though, I did not love this quite as much as the first book.

I think part of my swooning over book 1 was being new to Ellingham Academy and learning about the place, the history and all of the people. We had less of that excitement in this one, at least for me.

Does this book suffer from the dreaded ‘middle book syndrome’?
Maybe a little.

Calm down.
Not much, just a teeny-tiny bit.

I can tell you that I am completely stoked for the conclusion to this trilogy and will definitely be ordering it to add it to my bookshelves!

Side Note: Really hoping the cover is a nice, deep green.
That would make my Slytherin heart so damn happy.

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April Wrap-Up!!!

~ megs14malloy

Hey bookworms! Another month come and gone.

April was a strange month for me. It felt like I barely read at all but somehow, I still ended up completing 12-books; the last of which I finished up last night. This brings me to 61-books for the year!

In other news, I actually just got back from Nashville. I had a Girls Weekend there with some friends. What a blast! We ran in a road race but it was also the NFL Draft so a lot was going on. I highly recommend it if you have never been. Fantastic music all the time!

But y’all don’t care about that. Let’s get into the books I completed this month:

  1. Part of Your World: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell – YA Fantasy Retelling of The Little Mermaid, 2.5-stars.
  2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – Adult Psychological Thriller, absolutely fantastic, great reveals, easily 5-stars.
  3. We Set The Dark On Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia – YA Dystopian with a great LatinX setting and characters, definitely will be picking up the sequel, 4-stars.
  4. In Another Life: A Novel by C.C. Hunter – YA Contemporary with two kids that were either adopted or part of the foster care system, a bit of a mystery as well, 3.5-stars.
  5. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire – YA Fantasy, prequel to Every Heart a Doorway, wonderfully rich and dark setting, 5-stars.
  6. Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan – YA Fantasy debut, amazing world, absolutely loved this, cannot wait for the next book, 5-stars.
  7. Ivon by Michael Aylwin – Adult Dystopian where society is divided up based on individual’s propensity for sport, highly unique, 4-stars.
  8. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa – Japanese-inspired YA Fantasy, my favorite YA book of the month, bloody fantastic, 5-stars.
  9. The Lies We Told by Camilla Way – Adult Psychological Thriller that I received as an ARC last year and am now kicking myself for not picking up sooner, 5-stars.
  10. The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2) by Maureen Johnson – YA Mystery, one of my preorders for earlier this year, really enjoyed the continuation of the mystery, 4-stars.
  11. Second Lives by P.D. Cacek – Adult Horror, although I would consider it more speculative fiction, very well written, different than anything I have ever read, 4-stars.
  12. The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz – Adult Horror, not my favorite from him but a pretty fun story, 3.5-stars.
  13. Blood & Sand by C.V. Wyk – YA Historical Fiction Retelling of the legend of Spartacus, gender-flipped, surprise of the month, super under-hyped, 4-stars.

If you are interested in finding out more about any of these books, click on the covers above! My favorite YA books for the month were Shadow of the Fox and Wicked Saints. Now I need to wait for the second books in both of those series. The wait begins…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite Adult books for the month were definitely The Silent Patient and The Lies We Told. Both very solid psychological thrillers. My most disappointing read of the month was hands down Part of Your World. (SMH)

For my monthly TBR challenge, I didn’t do great. I think this is the first time this year that I didn’t complete two of the challenges. I completed the following: read a new release from 2018, read a new release from the current month, read a sequel. The challenges I failed to complete were: read a new release from next month (ARC) and my TBR Jar pick. I am in the middle of a May release right now, King of Fools, that I was hoping to complete in time but with my Nashville trip, I just couldn’t pull it together. I am hoping to complete all five of my challenges this month!

What were your favorite reads of April? What was your most disappointing book? Are you participating in any readalongs/readathons in May? I want to know! Leave a comment below or contact me through any of my social media links!

Cheers & Happy May!

 

Review: Blood & Sand by C.V. Wyk

~ megs14malloy

Blood and Sand (Blood and Sand, #1)Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

HOLY UNDERRATED BOOK!!

This one took me by surprise.
Gender flipped Spartacus retelling?
I am so here for that!

When Attia, a warrior princess who has lost all of her people to slaughter by the Romans, finds herself handed over as a gift to a champion gladiator, all she can think of is escape. Escape and revenge.

Trained from a young age to fight in hand-to-hand combat, Attia is a force to be reckoned with from the very first pages.

This girl is badass and not afraid to show it. Navigating her captivity, Attia begins to feel out who she can consider an ally and who is an enemy.

Xanthus, the man to whom Attia is gifted, is a prized Gladiator. Known as the best of his kin, he ruthlessly slays down all who come before him. Things are often not as they appear however and overtime you learn Xanthus may not be as ruthless as they would have you believe.

As is often the case, it turns out the rock of a man has a heart of gold, and that’s just how I like them.

Attia and Xanthus become attached to one another in a deep and meaningful way over an admittedly short amount of time. Did I care? No.

If you loathe an instalove trope, you may have some issue with this. Honestly though, the way this is told, you may be too busy dodging the blood and guts to even care.

Ancient Rome was brutal, y’all, and I like that Wyk doesn’t shy away from that. Sure, this is a romance, but it is wrapped in a historical cloak that makes it so much more than that. I found the atmosphere of this vivid and visceral.

There were scenes set in Pompeii that made you feel like you were there. I mean, really the whole book made you feel that way, but I have always been intrigued by the volcano. Fascinating, right!?

Overall, I was really impressed with this. There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending that has left me chomping at the bit. Let’s hope the release happens in 2019!!!

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Review: The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz

~ megs14malloy

The Dark GameThe Dark Game by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

This is the story…
…of 10 writers…
…picked to live in a mansion…
…and compete against each other…
…for one prize.

Find out what happens when people stop being polite…
…and start getting KILLED.

This was a fun little read!
I could definitely picture this as a movie and I actually think it may have worked better for me in that format.

As you may know from reading the synopsis for the book, 10 writers are selected to attend a summer-long writing retreat at a private estate property. Their host, Roderick Wells, is a renowned author himself who is eccentric and creepy AF.

We meet the 10 writers fairly rapidly at the beginning of the book and for me, I had a hard time distinguishing between some of the characters throughout; particularly the male characters.

We learn a bit about each of their pasts with particular focus on the personal demons haunting them. Some of these past reflections were definitely cringe-worthy. Something about the estate brings these pasts back to life to each character in vivid detail and with often horrific consequences.

The gruesome scenes were definitely that and well done in my opinion.
But again, I just had a hard time keeping track of the who and the what; it was a lot to take in.

The general story line was interesting AF. I loved the premise. I wanted a bit more from the atmosphere. I think it was so large in scope, as far as the estate and its grounds went, that it lost a bit in translation.

This is my second Janz novel and I would say I enjoyed my first, The Nightmare Girl more. This being said, I will absolutely continue to read his works.

If the premise of this one sounds interesting to you at all, pick it up! I would be interested to hear what other readers think of this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity!

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