Scan barcode
cbarcenam's reviews
204 reviews
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Daughters of the Fatherland by Jericho J Johnson
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I don't even know how to start this review. I guess I'm still trying to process everything that happened. In all fairness, I just finished the book.
Let's begin at the start. It is the beginning of World War II, and we follow 10-year-old Rosa and her family, who are Romani trying to get out of Germany. Unfortunately, when the war starts, they are captured in Köln and sent to prisoner camps. Rosa and her mother are sent to a women's prisoner camp in Austria, while her father is sent to Berlin. Early in the book, we learn that Rosa was adopted by the couple who found her mother dead during Germany’s Great Depression. To conceal her German appearance, she is forced to dye her hair black. Rosa is emotionally driven, and this trait often leads to a lack of self-control that gets her into trouble.
After facing particularly severe consequences for her actions, she decides to escape the camp to find her father. But before she can escape, she is recruited by Leni Riefenstahl to participate in the filming of her movie "Tiefland". And that is where her adventure begins.
The development of Rosa’s character is quite impressive; she grows and learns a great deal throughout the story. It's hard not to, in such challenging circumstances. Rosa is determined, and she tries to move heaven and earth to find her parents. It is important to note that she is also entering puberty, which makes her journey more complicated.
I’m not sure how to describe it, but this book broke my heart. It does show how resilient children can be, especially stubborn ones. It breaks my heart because we see the perspective of Rosa, a child who was persecuted during the war. At the same time, we have the perspective of younger German boys who were thrown into combat at the end of the war. And by younger I don't mean to teenagers I mean the 10-year-olds.
I have to say this is probably one of the best books I have read this year, if not the best so far. I would give it five stars. The author did a lot of research, which you can see, and has a way with words. There is a beautiful message about fairy tales and storytelling in the book that I believe is going to stay with me. We are all children at heart, especially when we are sad or crying. In the end, this is a story of survival.
I had the opportunity to listen to this book narrated by Alyona Popova, who nails every character. This is a personal preference, but I appreciate when an audiobook is easy to listen to, letting me multitask. And the way she did it, just nailed it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Interactive Publications for letting me listen to this audiobook, I enjoyed it immensely.
Let's begin at the start. It is the beginning of World War II, and we follow 10-year-old Rosa and her family, who are Romani trying to get out of Germany. Unfortunately, when the war starts, they are captured in Köln and sent to prisoner camps. Rosa and her mother are sent to a women's prisoner camp in Austria, while her father is sent to Berlin. Early in the book, we learn that Rosa was adopted by the couple who found her mother dead during Germany’s Great Depression. To conceal her German appearance, she is forced to dye her hair black. Rosa is emotionally driven, and this trait often leads to a lack of self-control that gets her into trouble.
After facing particularly severe consequences for her actions, she decides to escape the camp to find her father. But before she can escape, she is recruited by Leni Riefenstahl to participate in the filming of her movie "Tiefland". And that is where her adventure begins.
The development of Rosa’s character is quite impressive; she grows and learns a great deal throughout the story. It's hard not to, in such challenging circumstances. Rosa is determined, and she tries to move heaven and earth to find her parents. It is important to note that she is also entering puberty, which makes her journey more complicated.
I’m not sure how to describe it, but this book broke my heart. It does show how resilient children can be, especially stubborn ones. It breaks my heart because we see the perspective of Rosa, a child who was persecuted during the war. At the same time, we have the perspective of younger German boys who were thrown into combat at the end of the war. And by younger I don't mean to teenagers I mean the 10-year-olds.
I have to say this is probably one of the best books I have read this year, if not the best so far. I would give it five stars. The author did a lot of research, which you can see, and has a way with words. There is a beautiful message about fairy tales and storytelling in the book that I believe is going to stay with me. We are all children at heart, especially when we are sad or crying. In the end, this is a story of survival.
I had the opportunity to listen to this book narrated by Alyona Popova, who nails every character. This is a personal preference, but I appreciate when an audiobook is easy to listen to, letting me multitask. And the way she did it, just nailed it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Interactive Publications for letting me listen to this audiobook, I enjoyed it immensely.
The Lost Apprentice by Tara O’Toole
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I got a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here we go.
I want to start by telling you what this book is about. We follow Fiadh, our lovely main character, and yes, she is Irish (which is why I cannot pronounce her name—sorry). She has just taken a job as an apprentice solicitor in a fancy law firm in Dublin, Heron Early. But there is a catch—she is there to investigate the disappearance of her cousin Muriel, who went missing six months ago.
Soon after starting, she and some of her colleagues are invited to take part in a test to become members of the SOS, a secret society of solicitors. She believes they might be the key to finding her cousin.
I guess that's the skeleton of it without giving spoilers. Hopefully, this review is free of them.
First of all, I would like to address the love story. Let’s not kid ourselves—there obviously is one. You can see it coming in the first chapter, and you can even tell who it is. I did like the fact that the book could go without it; in reallity it is not important to the plot, but it is kind of nice to have it there, and it adds some depth to the characters involved.
Fiadh is joined on her adventure by O'Keefe, Peadar, and Brigid, who all have their own motives for being there, and they start working on the same project. That's when weird things start to happen. All these random events make them think that someone is messing with them—and that person is likely a member of the SOS.
Things get very interesting around the halfway mark when the author introduces a magic system that is quite unique—and law-inclined? It felt very niche, but I liked it. It's different, and it makes it seem like there is some accountability in the acquisition of power and, of course, its use.
Even though we have one main character, the author takes a deep dive into the friendship dynamics, and the group grows closer under the pressure of working together and trying to figure out what’s really going on with the SOS.
Maybe a bit of a spoiler, but I wouldn’t consider it one—Fiadh has not told her friends why she is there. So while all of this is happening, she has her suspicions about who is involved in her cousin’s disappearance and who is entangled in this whole mess. And yes, she keeps it all to herself because she doesn’t trust anyone.
You would expect that keeping quiet would blow up in her face—but you’ll see if it does. I understood her reasoning, but I also found it a bit annoying because it puts blinders on her. She can’t see beyond what she wants to see.
Overall i is a good story, I ate the book up, I cannot complain at all. Having said that I would give it 4 star because I found Fiadh a bit annoying and the author tries to tick way to many boxes, but it does keep you engaged and it is a very original magic system.
I want to start by telling you what this book is about. We follow Fiadh, our lovely main character, and yes, she is Irish (which is why I cannot pronounce her name—sorry). She has just taken a job as an apprentice solicitor in a fancy law firm in Dublin, Heron Early. But there is a catch—she is there to investigate the disappearance of her cousin Muriel, who went missing six months ago.
Soon after starting, she and some of her colleagues are invited to take part in a test to become members of the SOS, a secret society of solicitors. She believes they might be the key to finding her cousin.
I guess that's the skeleton of it without giving spoilers. Hopefully, this review is free of them.
First of all, I would like to address the love story. Let’s not kid ourselves—there obviously is one. You can see it coming in the first chapter, and you can even tell who it is. I did like the fact that the book could go without it; in reallity it is not important to the plot, but it is kind of nice to have it there, and it adds some depth to the characters involved.
Fiadh is joined on her adventure by O'Keefe, Peadar, and Brigid, who all have their own motives for being there, and they start working on the same project. That's when weird things start to happen. All these random events make them think that someone is messing with them—and that person is likely a member of the SOS.
Things get very interesting around the halfway mark when the author introduces a magic system that is quite unique—and law-inclined? It felt very niche, but I liked it. It's different, and it makes it seem like there is some accountability in the acquisition of power and, of course, its use.
Even though we have one main character, the author takes a deep dive into the friendship dynamics, and the group grows closer under the pressure of working together and trying to figure out what’s really going on with the SOS.
Maybe a bit of a spoiler, but I wouldn’t consider it one—Fiadh has not told her friends why she is there. So while all of this is happening, she has her suspicions about who is involved in her cousin’s disappearance and who is entangled in this whole mess. And yes, she keeps it all to herself because she doesn’t trust anyone.
You would expect that keeping quiet would blow up in her face—but you’ll see if it does. I understood her reasoning, but I also found it a bit annoying because it puts blinders on her. She can’t see beyond what she wants to see.
Overall i is a good story, I ate the book up, I cannot complain at all. Having said that I would give it 4 star because I found Fiadh a bit annoying and the author tries to tick way to many boxes, but it does keep you engaged and it is a very original magic system.
The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The author makes it very difficult to pick a side because the whole situation with the revolution is not quite as black and white as they make it up to be at the beginning. I had a great time being in Rune's head and seeing the world as she does, one face to society but who is really underneath is not anything anybody would expect.
Gideon is a good love interest but very tortured and maybe not as strong as you want him to be but still he is pretty great.
Without spoilers the twist at the end was awesome and I cannot wait to read what is going to happen next.
Gideon is a good love interest but very tortured and maybe not as strong as you want him to be but still he is pretty great.
Without spoilers the twist at the end was awesome and I cannot wait to read what is going to happen next.
A Colorful Beginning by Raven Howell
3.0
I liked the illustrations at the beginning. It is a cute story about different animals getting ready to go to school. So this is great for little kids who are just starting school or are going back to school. The only thing I was not a fan of was the change in pace in the middle. It goes from a small amount of text-to-illustration ratio to a lot of text. But other than that it is really cute.
The Concierge by Abby Corson
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0