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a_phoenix_bookcorner's Reviews (58)

A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

K.W. Foster

3.5

adventurous medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

3.5 stars!!!

A Favorite Quote: ““I’m glad I could be a port in the storm that was your life.” His heart ached for her. “You saved me more than you know,” she whispered.”

Self-written Blurb: We are back again in the world of Elyria for the second installment of the Mind Breaker series. With Aelia finally reunited with her sister, Baylis, she should be able to relax a little and enjoy her time with Tharan. But there is no time to rest. Gideon and Erissa are still out there… scheming… planning, even from the shadows in which they lurk in. The team will each have a vital role in locating and putting a stop to the villains of this story. But all may not be as it seems. Secrets, lies, betrayals will threaten Aelia’s resolve and quest to save all of Elyria from the rise of an evil who was only ever interested in power. Can Aelia, Tharan, Baylis, Caiden, Roderick, and Amolie get to the Trinity Wells before it is too late?

What I enjoyed: This book was enjoyable. I found myself wishing that Caiden would get his memories back and come rushing back to Amolie and steal her away from Tharan. There was a lot going on in the book so there was hardly ever a dull moment. The twist at the end did get me. Was NOT expecting that!

Any struggles?: I’m personally not the greatest fan of Tharan as their relationship really only seems at surface level for Amolie. So this book was a little harder for me to stick with than the first book. There are a lot of characters and a lot going on and so that made it difficult for me to really connect and be completely invested with the characters.

Tropes:
Women kicking butt
Toy play
Yearning
Forced proximity
Epic quests
Everyone is morally gray
Trust no one

Will I recommend and to who: I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a found family (aka: a bunch of friends and allies working together for a common goal) and a plan to save the kingdom with many moving parts (each of which could go wrong at any moment).

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Gail Honeyman

4.5

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

4.5 stars! “There are scars on my heart, just as thick, as disfiguring as those on my face. I know they’re there. I hope some undamaged tissue remains, a patch through which love can come in and flow out. I hope.”

Are you ok? How are you doing? What’s going on? What’s up? How are you? These are all questions you probably get asked in some capacity at least once a day. We… Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Just like me. Just like you. We are all fine. At least that’s what we are supposed to say, to hide the grief and trauma and other negative but basic human emotions that make others uncomfortable. Two lighters both work just fine. Soak one lighter in childhood trauma and grief, the spark goes out. All is lost. But all it takes is for the second lighter to offer some help, and slowly, the spark will reignite. Eleanor must learn how to open her mind, open her eyes, open her heart to see and feel the wonderful things this world has to offer as all she had ever known was its cruelties.

This novel was very compelling. Eleanor is extremely quirky and over time you learn how she gained this persona. Touching on loneliness, grief, trauma and social norms, and mental health stigmas all in one, well put together, thought provoking novel, Gail Honeyman has an immersive way of telling a story. I felt like I was right there with Eleanor through all of her experiences as she hits rock bottom and discovers she cannot ignore her grief and trauma and she cannot move forward without some help. A tale of realism. I loved almost everything about this book.

This book is slow-paced and I wasn’t sure what the point was until about half way through. For that reason- I feel as thought this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I would recommend reading when you are in a good mental health space as there are some triggers.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literary fiction and who can connect quirky and broken characters. Cause aren’t we all just a little bit quirky and broken?

In an Instant

Suzanne Redfearn

4.0

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

"Are we born with our strength? If so, then should we condemn those who don't have it?"

A family trip gone wrong. An awful accident in a blizzard. The fight for survival is put to the test in this moral pushing thriller. Told by a unique point of view of someone who is a fly on the wall, Finn, misses nothing as she watches her family struggle with surviving, grief, anger, betrayal, love, and jealousy.

This story was not what I expected going into it. I will say that I did not read the synopsis so one of the plot 'twists' for me wasn't really a plot twist. This novel had an interesting perspective of the aftermath of a tragedy. It isn't very often that a thriller makes me tear up but this one certainly did. The story is medium paced and written clearly and concise. At the same time, it is also thought-provoking.

I would recommend this novel for anyone who loves survival stories and can appreciate character growth. I think this novel was very well written and I will read more book by the author.

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

5.0

adventurous challenging funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

"“Computer! Painkillers!” “Additional dose available in three hours and four minutes.” I frown. “Computer: What is the current time?” “Seven-fifteen p.m., Moscow Standard Time.” “Computer: Set time to eleven p.m. Moscow Standard Time.” “Clock set complete.” “Computer: painkillers.”"

Imagine waking up and not knowing where you are or how you got there. Imagine not even knowing your name. As your memories begin to come through little by little, you slowly figure out that somehow, Earth has entrusted YOU, a career drop-out, now teacher, to save the planet and all of humanity. Imagine being in space on mission lightyears away and you can't remember how you got there or why you were chosen? The why and how doesn't really matter though does it? What matters is you are Earth's last chance. This is Dr. Rylands Grace's new reality.

This book was a phenomenal read! Science fiction is not my go-to genre but this was my book clubs current pick. I will say that the audiobook enhanced the experience a lot and would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audio, even if you have already read it. The narrator does an impeccable job. Project Hail Mary was everything you would want in a book. There is a tale of friendship, there is a heart-wrenching twist, and just absolute realistic comedy. The way this author threads together complicated astrophysics and other science with a practical yet enthralling narrative is nothing short of pure genius. I never once got bored, even while the characters were discussing very complex science. I devoured this book and I will be reading more from the author.

If you liked the read or seen the movie the Martian, Project Hail Mary is written by the same author. Project Hail Mary is also set to be a major motion picture, staring Ryan Gosling and is to be released in 2026. If you like sci-fi and space and alien life THIS is the book for you. And if you don't... I STILL recommend it because it is that good!