keepcalmblogon's reviews
177 reviews

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn

funny lighthearted fast-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? No

5.0

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King was a Macmillan Audio pick, and I loved every second of this teen contemporary romance with a gay MMC. This book felt like the perfect teen romcom with friendship, enemies, first love, and, of course, drama! Patch is an excellent balance of over the top and completely genuine. Sometimes he’s absolutely clueless, and it’s hilarious. This book had me laughing out loud over and over again. There was zero lag in the plot, and each character was a colorful delight. 

I loved that Patch figures out what is really important in interpersonal relationships and that he mends some along the way. I also love the mild love triangle he finds himself in and how he resolves it. This book honestly had no faults imo, definitely five stars!

Harry Trevaldwyn narrates it himself, and actually I already knew him from his acting career, so of course he was the perfect choice to narrate his own book!

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wisteria was meant to be the final installment to Belladonna, but the underlying mystery to the entire series still wasn’t answered, and I discovered a novella is being released this fall! Aside from teasing my brain for three books now, Blythe’s story conclusion was wildly satisfactory! I adored Fate, honestly. Death is smoldering and all, but Fate was the perfect enemy-to-lover. Blythe is such a force as well! I absolutely cannot wait for the novella—please let me find out the answers!!

The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Scorpion Queen was a Macmillan Audio pick and I was immediately drawn in. It takes place in historical Timbuktu of the Mali Empire, but the sorcery the emperor outlawed is not as extinct as everyone thought. Amie is cast down by the betrayal of her sister, but her new position as a maid to the princess sparks friendship between the two—a friendship that is maybe something more. But Amie is still determined to find a way to be with her former love. With the help of the princess, Amie and her two new friends, also maids to the princess, set off with a magical map and Kader, Amie’s love, to find a god’s treasure and all escape their lives of servitude.

This story actually reads like a fairytale in the way the plot moves and the trials the characters go through. Amie does her best to outwit a god at every turn. In the end, we’ll have to find out if she will end up on top in book two! I gave this book four stars, and I’ll impatiently wait for the conclusion!

I loved the narration by Sandra Okuboyejo, this is the second book I’ve heard her narrate!

Fledgling by S.K. Ali

emotional reflective tense 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? No

5.0

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the e-ARC of Fledgling, The Keeper’s Records of Revolution book one, by S.K. Ali. Unfortunately, I was unable to read this ARC before it’s on sale date, but that wasn’t due to any fault of the book! This allegorical future dystopia was one of the more unique books I’ve read in the past year as it’s told through a collection of records the characters recorded with some fictional prose interspersed–because of the varied storytelling, it actually has POV switches as well. While this might sound confusing or disorienting, it wasn’t at all. Ali’s story comes through very naturally.

As the title suggests, this book is the story of a revolution–not the first for this world, but the characters are fighting for it to hopefully be the last. The story is replete with sociopaths, underground groups, political intrigue, and betrayal. Of course there is also found family, family bonds, friendship, and romance. All of these things set the stakes super high, and Ali holds nothing back.

Loads can be said of the allegorical nature of the book, I loved every single drop of commentary; books are political, always have been and always will be. I highly recommend this book, it was absolutely five stars, and I can’t wait for the conclusion!

Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America by Rita Omokha

emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America by Rita Omokha was a Macmillan Audio pick, and there’s no way I can review this book. It would be like reviewing history; one cannot rate facts. But let me tell you about it. Rita Omokha is a Nigerian immigrant who came to America at a very young age with her mother and brothers. Rita describes discovering her Blackness throughout her life–she says, “my identity has been defined by this uniquely American construct of race.” Rita received a degree in journalism shortly before the murder of George Floyd and she felt “jolted into action” when she saw the video of his slaying. She road-tripped and researched in order to gather better understanding of the current state of American culture and injustice, “Because the more we learn about each other and society, the further we move from the oblivion and hate that stems from ignorance. And the quicker we can move to the acceptance that comes from education and understanding.”

Rita begins the history she discusses throughout the book with The HBCU Revolts and Ella Baker–the former of which I wasn’t taught in school history (go figure) and the latter who was essentially a footnote in the history I learned. As for the rest of the activists and events throughout this book, most I had not heard of before, so I was really glad to be learning about people and events that were passed over in my education. Needless to say, my eyes were further opened; a decolonization of my mind has been happening since the killing of George Floyd, and this book was a huge help to me and my knowledge and understanding, and I really appreciate the work Rita put into this book for people who need this information. Because information is a need, education is essential, as Rita also professed throughout the book. 

We must address our biases. I loved the story that Rita shared at the end of the book about having an open and constructive conversation with an elderly, white couple during which she and they came together to discuss differing ideas in a way that was not filled with hate and asked each other to consider varied points of view. In the end, Rita says, “unity is not about putting aside our differences or pretending they don’t exist. If it were, there would be no need to be unified in the first place. My conversation with Bev and Harry taught me that unity is coming together with our differences and recognizing that our dissimilarities enriches our collective experience. It requires open communication and a willingness to actively listen to understand. That kind of unity becomes a testament to our shared humanity and our ability to transcend barriers to create a more harmonious world that American democracy, the Constitution, aspires to.” 

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

5.0

Not for the Faint of Heart was a Macmillan Audio pick. It is a gender-swapped, sapphic, Robinhood “reboot”! I had a good time with this story about Mariel, Robinhood’s granddaughter, and Clem, her “accidental” captive, and their Merry “Men”---which Clem points out as a bit of a misnomer as they’re not all men, nor do they follow binary gender norms! The cast of characters is diverse and inclusive, and I really enjoyed the way Croucher wrote that into a historical fiction—I also laughed out loud at their author's note about the anachronistic use of potatoes throughout the story!

Not for the Faint of Heart was filled with action and comedy and a sweet discovery of romance between the two FMCs. I also really enjoyed the subplot of Jack Hartley going sour with power and Mariel discovering what it actually means to fight for the people of Sherwood Forest, and not the other way around. The found family and overcoming generational animosity tropes were perfectly done. In the end, I gave this book 5 stars, which is unusual for me with a romance, but I think this story had nothing wrong with it and did a lot right!

I think the narration was well-done by Kit Griffiths and Olivia Dowd as well, two new-to-me narrators.

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre by Aaron Mahnke, Harry Marks

adventurous informative lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre was a Macmillan Audio pick, and it was curious, to say the least! This book was put together by podcaster Aaron Mahnke (who some might recognize from Prime’s Lore) and read by him with discussions and the end of each chapter with author Dana Schwartz (Anatomy: A Love Story).

The stories in this book were all entertaining, whether they were eerie coincidences or fantastic beyond imagining, as only life can be! There was a whole chapter on literature/authors—and I had a great time testing my knowledge; there were only two I didn’t know! I did find the opening chapter, “Curious Americana,” to have romanticised some parts of American history that had to do with colonization and didn’t like a few of the ways it handled Native Americans. They were essentially told through the lens of that time, rather than this time. I also wish there had been more stories from around the globe, as the book is predominantly stories from Western Civilization. Overall though, I did give this book 5 stars for its entertainment factor and easy to digest storytelling and narration—despite some of Aaron’s “dad jokes” that end most chapters!

Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human by Dr. Guy Leschziner

informative medium-paced

5.0

Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human was a Macmillan Audio pick, and it was super fascinating! The idea that the sins arise from biology or mental health instead of moral failings and/or human nature melded science and christianity uniquely! As an atheist, I had “no skin in the game” and was simply intrigued by the notion that moral behaviors/lack thereof had less to do with choice than biology. While this book had a focus on the “seven deadly sins,” I found most appealing the science behind certain drives that can “lead to sin,” i.e. hunger, reproduction, rest. When we think about Maslow’s human needs: food, sleep, shelter, belonging, it’s not hard to see how these basic needs/drives when overdone lead to problems for the individual, and larger society, so therefore were translated by the religion of the culture into a “sin,” or what not to do to survive and benefit the society.

While one would think this kind of book would be dry, Leschziner uses anecdotes from his own work and clients to back up his hypotheses. When not hypothesising, he uses established scientific data to inform the reader. This was a very-well researched book with interesting theories and data throughout. It was definitely a 5 star read!

Leschziner narrates the audiobook himself and I appreciate that when it comes to nonfiction and science!

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A New Lease on Death was a murder mystery and that is not my usual genre, but something about it made me grab it, and I’m glad I did. Tbf, it had the supernatural aspect of ghosts, and a ghost and her roommate were the mystery solving duo. Cordelia Graves died in her apartment which Ruby Young then rents, excited to find it’s fully furnished, and not at all scared of the ghost she discovers!

This book had great gal pal vibes as well as comedy! The mystery wasn’t overwhelming and the investigation was realistic. The characters were silly caricatures of Boston townies, which I thought was fun. 

In the end, this book that I wouldn’t have normally picked up was 4 stars, and I’m excited to see how the next book plays out because this one very clearly set up a bigger mystery about Cordelia’s own death!

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

adventurous emotional tense fast-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? No

4.0

Children of Anguish and Anarchy was a surprise book from Macmillan Audio, and I was so excited to receive it! I listened to books one and two as rereads in anticipation! What’s wild is Cynthia Erivo voiced this book and omg!! 

While I did ultimately love how this concluded, this book felt more rushed than one and two, which I think makes sense based on its size alone. And yet, while rushed, I wouldn’t say not fleshed out or not providing of closure. But everything did happen quite fast without the running and chasing and slow moments of tentative peace I was used to books one and two having. But, I loved how the world of Orïsha was expanded! In the end, this was another four stars. I need to know though, what about Roën?!