books_baking_brews's reviews
229 reviews

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

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3.0

Very fast read, the murderer (so to speak), is predictable but that's some of the fun there. I wanted to read the book before watching the movie.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

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3.0

I'd really say 3.5 stars. This book opens with a death and a woman dragged back to a town, Beckford, she seemed desperate to escape. Beckford has a history of troubled women, all of whom meet their fate in a river that snakes in and around the town both constricting and defining it. I haven’t read Hawkins first book, The Girl on the Train, but her sophomore effort was a pretty easy read; easy except for the plethora of narrators and points of view. I often found myself asking, “Which one is Nickie/Erin/Louise?” But it gets easier as you move through and the multiple twists that reveal themselves at the end are worth the price. I would have to say none of the characters are particularly lovable, but I was intrigued enough by the whodunit mystery of it all to see this through.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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5.0

Did I finish this book in one day, go rent the movie Love, Simon, and then go shop for the follow-up book Leah on the Offbeat? Yes. Yes, I did. This book was so deliciously cute, I just couldn't help myself. Really it was just candy for the soul. Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda tells the story of high school students Simon and Blue as they deal with falling in love and coming out to their parents/friends/community, and I recommend. The movie differs slightly from the book but both are worth it!
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

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5.0

I read the first page of this novel and knew it was going to be one of those consuming reads. I tried to pace myself but yesterday half way through the book, I knew I would just power through until I finished. I got sucked deep into this one. Great fantasy debut from Tomi Adeyami. I hear tales of multi-movie/picture deals, and I can certainly see why. There has long been a spot for more diverse fantasy reads and this one helps fill that void. Literally black girl magic, the hype surrounding this novel is deserved. Children of Blood and Bone is the first of a trilogy of books exploring the war torn world of Orisha, a kingdom now divided as the monarchy has been trying to stamp out all remnants of magic. Told from the point of view of three different protagonists, this is the story of two warrior women one a princess (Amari) and one a maji (Zelie) who are tasked with restoring magic to the kingdom and overthrowing the old way of life. The only thing that sometimes felt out of place in the novel was a romance between two characters, but I am hoping it gets resolved in some way in the next book. However, this is not just a story of a quest with romance sprinkled in, it is also an allegory for race, class, colorism, female empowerment, the control men exercise over women's bodies, and so much more. This is certainly not a perfect book, however, I definitely recommend, and I cannot wait for Adeyami's follow-ups to this wonderful debut. (4.5 Stars)
P.S. That cover art tho (so beautiful)!
The Outsider by Stephen King

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4.0

I should preface this by saying The Outsider is my first Stephen King novel! Also, if you are like me and have not read the Bill Hodges trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch) read those books first, as this book contains spoilers! Now that that’s out of the way.

This book opens with the brutal murder and attack of a boy in Flint City, with all the forensic and eye witness evidence pointing directly at the city’s little league coach. The only problem is as soon as they arrest Terry Maitland for the murder things begin to unravel, as new evidence makes it clear that Coach T was in a completely different city at the time of the boy’s murder. But, how is that possible?! Dun. Dun. Dun. This book gripped me right away, the first 100 pages made me so anxious about which way Coach T.’s arrest would go and for the first 300 pages or so I did not want to put it down. It got a bit slower in the last portion, but I found it still worth the read. I am now wondering if there will be more to this story in the future because I would be happy to see another story featuring Ralph (and Ralph’s wife), Yune, and Holly again. There are a couple of twists and turns in this one, and fair warning the subject matter is a bit graphic, but if you like a whodunit with a bit of supernatural thrown in then this is for you! And despite the spoilers, I will still probably go back and read the Hodges trilogy because Bill sounds like a fantastic protagonist.