Devin Madson: We Ride the Storm

 Hi everyone

This is my review for Devin Madson's We Ride the Storm, this is book one in The Reborn Empire series.
I got my book from Bol.com, it has a nice cover and an interesting blurb on the back.

"War built the Kisian Empire and war will tear it down.
Fifteen years after rebels stormed the streets, Kisia is still divided. Only the firm hand of the god-emperor holds the kingdom together. But when a shocking betrayal destroys a tense alliance with neighbouring Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down.
In Kisia, Princess Miko T'sai is a prisoner in her own castle. She dreams of claiming her empire, but the path to power could rip it, and her family, asunder.
In Chiltae, assassin Cassandra Marius is plagued by the voices of the dead. Desperate, she accepts a contract that promises to reward her with a cure if she helps an empire fall.
And on the border between nations, Captain Rah e'Torin and his warriors are exiles forced to fight in a foreign war or die."

I really didn’t enjoy this one.

The characters were very one-dimensional, and some existed only to further the plot. Characterization is really important to me, and the lack of depth made me not care about a single character, so I lost interest halfway through.
The story was predictable and very cliché, and the worldbuilding was almost non-existent. The dialogue and actions of the characters had me sighing and rolling my eyes at their stupidity.
Also, completely unnecessary rape scenes never sit well with me, and that cost the book a star right then and there.

At least the writing was good.

Have you read We Ride the Storm? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading.
Helena

Travis Baldree: Bookshops & Bonedust

 Hi everyone

I finished Travis Baldrees Bookshops & Bonedust. This is the prequel to Legends & Lattes (the first book in the Legends & Lattes series). 

"First loves. Second-hand books. Epic adventures.
Viv’s career with the renowned mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk – so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it. What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a struggling bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted. Even though it may be exactly what she needs. Still, adventure isn’t far away. A suspicious traveller in grey, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
Sometimes, right things happen at the wrong time. Sometimes, what we need isn’t what we seek. And sometimes, we find ourselves in the stories we experience together.
Set twenty years before the events of Legends & Lattes , Bookshops & Bonedust is a standalone cosy fantasy by BookTok sensation Travis Baldree about the power of good bookshops, great friends and the unexpected choices along the way."

I honestly really enjoyed this. Since I’ve already read Legends & Lattes, I knew what to expect, and this book delivered exactly that.

This is a cozy, wholesome, and cute story about people bonding, working together, friendship, baked goods, and books. It’s a light and slow story, with not much worldbuilding or great depth to the characters. But that’s not what it’s trying to be; it’s a nice, easy, warming, and comforting escape.

If you’re looking for something light, heartwarming, and full of charm, Bookshops & Bonedust is perfect. It’s not deep or complex, but it’s exactly the kind of book you want when you need a break from heavier reads.

Have you read Bookshops & Bonedust? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Alice Hoffman: The Museum of Extraordinary Things

 Hi everyone

I finished reading Alice Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things. It was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I'm not sure I'll try anything else.
The book has a gorgeous cover and that totally sucked me in. I read it on my e-reader.

"Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River. The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie."

This was a "meh" book. It didn’t stay with me, and I couldn’t care less about the story or the characters.

The characters were very one-dimensional and dull. And ugly; so many ugly things happen in this book. The love story didn’t add anything interesting to the plot. The romantic connection between Coralie and Eddie was weak or nonexistent. I couldn’t detect anything strong or rebellious in the two main characters, even though they talk about it a lot.

Hoffman’s writing was uninspired and repetitive. This is a boring, tragic, ugly story in which she tried to show how much she knows about New York’s history and not because it fits the story, but just because she can.

It’s sad that this beautiful cover holds such a mediocre story.

Have you read The Museum of Extraordinary Things? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy reading.
Helena

Gretchen Rubin: Better Than Before

 Hi everyone

Better Than Before is the third book by Gretchen Rubin I have read so I knew what to expect. I knew it would be more pseudo-science, anecdotal and personal than scientific. I read this on my e-reader.

"The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change?
Gretchen Rubin's answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.
So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?
Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Before explains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.
Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:
• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?
• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why?
• How quickly can I change a habit?
• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit?
• How can I help someone else change a habit?
• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me?
Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book."

This was okay.

I had hoped for more real research to be mentioned, but it’s all very anecdotal. Gretchen Rubin did the research, but she doesn’t talk much about it. Instead, she mostly talks about how she implemented these ideas herself or how she talked others into doing what she thinks is best for them.
She really is full of herself, and this tone is so tiring.
That said, she does have some good tips, ideas, and insights into understanding habits so I'm not mad I finished it.

Better Than Before is worth reading if you’re looking for practical advice on habits, but don’t expect deep scientific insights.

Have you read Better Than Before? Did you find it helpful, or did you feel the same way I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

 Hi everyone

I’ve been hearing and reading a lot about Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and the blurb seemed silly but sweet, so I wanted to give it a try. I read it on my e-reader. 

"After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late."

It was indeed rather silly and sweet. Nothing special, nothing memorable or remarkable. It’s light, easy to read, and feel-good, but also predictable.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a nice, cozy book to pass the time, but it won’t leave a lasting impression.

Have you read Remarkably Bright Creatures? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading.
Helena

Wrap Up: September 2024

 Hi everyone

Another month has flown by! Autumn is really here in Belgium; rain, cold, wind, perfect weather for reading.

Here's the list of the books I finished in September:

- Stephen King: Pet Sematary

- Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens

- Lucy Holland: Sistersong 

- N. K. Jemisin: The Killing Moon 

- Richard K. Morgan: Altered Carbon 

- Sequoia Nagamatsu's How High We Go in the Dark

How was your September in books? Did you discover any new favorites or revisit old ones? Anything you’d like to recommend?

Happy reading in October!
Helena