maryemmasivils's reviews
632 reviews

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with this book, but the silliness of the story didn’t click with me, and it’s too long for me to force myself to read all the way to the end.

The Last Days of Lady Cordelia by Kyle Robert Shultz

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a fun little adventure in the Beaumont and Beasley world! (Or rather, NOT in that world?😆) I missed seeing much of Nick and Crispin, but Cordelia’s interactions with a certain someone in the strange city of London were very interesting!
Also, it was kind of refreshing to go back to a point in the story where everything is just a little less complicated.

(If you know, you know.😭)

The Queen and the Shadow Witch by Leanna Rapier

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

What a quirky adventure! Being a writer myself, I loved seeing Michelle’s reactions to being in the fictional world she created. I also appreciated the fact that the story focused on a mom. There aren’t nearly enough fantasy novels out there that revolve around mothers. (Or even HAVE mothers—but I’m getting off track…)

The worldbuilding was so hilariously random! (Which is very fitting, given the context.) And the themes of family, faith, and hope were nicely woven in without ever being too heavy. I didn’t always relate to Michelle, but her struggles were understandable and made me sympathize with her all the same.

The ending felt a bit rushed, but all in all, The Queen and the Shadow Witch was good, wholesome fun!

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

This story was definitely interesting, but I think it was also supposed to be creepy, and instead…I just couldn’t take the random stuff on any of those rides seriously. 😅
I did enjoy the way it explored the theme of survivor’s guilt. Shusterman always does a good job with topics like that.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 10 by Hiromu Arakawa

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

A lot of action in this one! The violence was a little gory, but it kind of felt necessary in order to prove just how hard it is to take down these bad guys.
I was so happy that Lieutenant Ross ended up being alive! Colonel Mustang just went up a notch on my list. (I don’t actually have a list, but if I did, he’d be one spot higher than he was in the last volume.😆)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 11 by Hiromu Arakawa

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Man, things are getting interesting! But Ed and Al have already gone through so much. Just let these boys be kids! 😢
And their father is such a jerk, but I was intrigued by him showing up, and I can’t help wondering if he knows something he’s not telling…

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Exiles by Jaye L. Knight

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Sooo…to be honest, I really struggled getting into this one. I think a big part of the problem was that the main storyline with most of the characters going to visit the cretes and the giants just dragged on for me. I kept wishing I could go back to Anne’s or Daniel’s POV because there was a lot more conflict in their scenes. (I was especially hooked on Daniel’s scenes! I wish we’d had more of them earlier in the series.)

In the second half of the book, there was a lot more excitement, and by the end, I felt like it had made up for the slow beginning!

(One nitpick—if there are so many ryriks following Elom, would it really be realistic for the humans to think they’re all just brutes? I know the peaceful ryriks keep more to themselves, but I feel like word would spread at least a little bit.)

Now, let’s talk about those deaths. 😳 It was absolutely horrible that Trask’s father was executed, but it also seemed realistic. As for the emperor? I did NOT see that coming! It has the potential to make things very interesting in the next book, though!

Memory Prime by Judith Reeves-Stevens, Garfield Reeves-Stevens

adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really enjoyed the plot and the characterization in this one! (There was one moment with Kirk that almost gave me chills, it was so on point.)
Unfortunately, my reading experience was bogged down by a bunch of confusing terminology regarding the technology. I have no idea how realistic some of that was because I didn’t even get what they were talking about. 😆

Shadowcast by Crystal D. Grant

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A promising start to a trilogy!
Going into the book, I think I was expecting something with a little more action, so the slow pace of the plot took some getting used to. Around halfway, it started to pick up, but the characters conflicts that developed in the last 25% were what really sold me. I’m curious where the series will go from here!

Baptism By Fire by

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I loved the concept for this book! A phoenix cursed to remain in human form who investigates crime AND believes in God? Yes, please!
I tend to stay away from most paranormal fiction because of all the icky, anti-Biblical stuff that tends to pop up in genre, so the Christian aspect here was just refreshing in general.
The main characters were a blast(especially Dante), and I really enjoyed the dynamic of their partnership.
(Dante’s, um…predicament with his clothes burning up. Oh, goodness! 😅I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide my face in embarrassment—or both.)
Now, maybe they seemed to grow protective of said partnership a little too quickly, and maybe Rick got over his disbelief in the paranormal a little too easily, but those were only minor nitpicks for me. I would have also liked more time spent fleshing out Rick’s background, but maybe that will come in the next installment.
This was a fun, fast-paced story with some gripping action! I’m definitely keeping an eye out for book 2!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence