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nixwolfwood's reviews
1920 reviews
Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger
4.0
I've been excited about this book for a little while, so I had to get it from Amazon the day it was released. Sara had already listed it as one of her favorite reads for the year, thus far, so I knew I was going to enjoy it. (She's got good taste)
From the beginning I was pulled in to the story. I had no problem adjusting to this new world, and it was quite easy to visualize everything happening. This was wonderfully written and the story itself was fantastic.
My one real issue is there are a few times where a word was used inappropriately. One word, in specific, was used twice. The word "nubile", which means sexual awakening in a young girl. But it was used to explain a newly lit fire that had been just extinguished and a family immigrating to a new town.
I was quite impressed with the take of werewolves in this story. It wasn't something I had read before and I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series.
4.5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/wolves-of-the-northern-rift-by-jon-messenger
From the beginning I was pulled in to the story. I had no problem adjusting to this new world, and it was quite easy to visualize everything happening. This was wonderfully written and the story itself was fantastic.
My one real issue is there are a few times where a word was used inappropriately. One word, in specific, was used twice. The word "nubile", which means sexual awakening in a young girl. But it was used to explain a newly lit fire that had been just extinguished and a family immigrating to a new town.
I was quite impressed with the take of werewolves in this story. It wasn't something I had read before and I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series.
4.5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/wolves-of-the-northern-rift-by-jon-messenger
Blades of Magic by Terah Edun
4.0
I bought an ecopy of this book last year, when it was released, and it's been on my TBR shelf for a while. When I found out I won an audible copy of it, I decided to download it to my kindle. Maybe it's the kid in me, but I enjoy reading along with someone. So this is both the audible and ebook review.
Seeing a women, Sara, taking the roll of protector was something I enjoyed. Not only was she strong, but she was also quite smart. With this being a YA story, I felt she was a good influence on young women. I'd also like it known that Ezekiel is already my favorite, and I'd be very upset if anything were to happen to him.
I really liked the narrator of the audiobook, Sylvia Roldn Dohi. I felt she did a great job getting into each of the characters. I was quite impressed with her performance and would be interested in listening to more stories narrated by her.
I look forward to reading the next book!
4/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/blades-of-magic-by-terah-edun
Seeing a women, Sara, taking the roll of protector was something I enjoyed. Not only was she strong, but she was also quite smart. With this being a YA story, I felt she was a good influence on young women. I'd also like it known that Ezekiel is already my favorite, and I'd be very upset if anything were to happen to him.
I really liked the narrator of the audiobook, Sylvia Roldn Dohi. I felt she did a great job getting into each of the characters. I was quite impressed with her performance and would be interested in listening to more stories narrated by her.
I look forward to reading the next book!
4/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/blades-of-magic-by-terah-edun
The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet by Charity Tahmaseb
5.0
I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd think of this book. I recently subscribed to an audiobook list that sends out audible review requests once a week. There was nothing else on the list I was really interested in, so I applied on a whim. The next day I found out I had been given an audible code in exchange for the review.
A week or so goes by, and I decide it's time to actually give it a listen. I really have no expectations for it. I've never heard of the author and there aren't many reviews on either amazon or goodreads.
To say this story surprised me would be an understatement.
The entire time I'm listening to it, I'm either yelling at it for someone's insolence, laughing because of some hilarity, or face palming because of how often something huge was not dealt with properly as the characters thought they could handle it on their own.
I finished this one in a day. Instead of sleeping. I had to go find headphones so I could listen to it after everyone was asleep. ... I hate headphones. That's how much I NEEDED to finish this one.
Also, and this is a very important thing. The author is totally a Whovian. She mentions it several times! The first time, Jolia is wearing a Doctor Who shirt with pajama pants. Which happens to be EXACTLY what I was wearing at the time.
I plan on checking out more stories from Charity Tahmaseb after this one.I really enjoyed how real this story was. Also, it made me miss speech class. Which I only took for one summer semester back when I was 13 or so... but I loved it! (I spent the entire summer talking in an accent and managed to convince the entire class that I was from England...)
Ah, and Ashley Klanac, the narrator, I was pleased with her as well. Quite interested in checking out more of her narrations. She's done a few other books that I'm interested in.
Highly recommend The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. Read it immediately!
5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-fine-art-of-keeping-quiet-by-charity-tahmaseb
To be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd think of this book. I recently subscribed to an audiobook list that sends out audible review requests once a week. There was nothing else on the list I was really interested in, so I applied on a whim. The next day I found out I had been given an audible code in exchange for the review.
A week or so goes by, and I decide it's time to actually give it a listen. I really have no expectations for it. I've never heard of the author and there aren't many reviews on either amazon or goodreads.
To say this story surprised me would be an understatement.
The entire time I'm listening to it, I'm either yelling at it for someone's insolence, laughing because of some hilarity, or face palming because of how often something huge was not dealt with properly as the characters thought they could handle it on their own.
I finished this one in a day. Instead of sleeping. I had to go find headphones so I could listen to it after everyone was asleep. ... I hate headphones. That's how much I NEEDED to finish this one.
Also, and this is a very important thing. The author is totally a Whovian. She mentions it several times! The first time, Jolia is wearing a Doctor Who shirt with pajama pants. Which happens to be EXACTLY what I was wearing at the time.
I plan on checking out more stories from Charity Tahmaseb after this one.I really enjoyed how real this story was. Also, it made me miss speech class. Which I only took for one summer semester back when I was 13 or so... but I loved it! (I spent the entire summer talking in an accent and managed to convince the entire class that I was from England...)
Ah, and Ashley Klanac, the narrator, I was pleased with her as well. Quite interested in checking out more of her narrations. She's done a few other books that I'm interested in.
Highly recommend The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. Read it immediately!
5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-fine-art-of-keeping-quiet-by-charity-tahmaseb
Contagious by Emily Goodwin
4.0
Son of a bitch...
Can I start a review that way? Because I totally just did.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review from the author. It was also highly recommended by a blog I follow/stalk, Contagious Reads.
Anyway, I haven't really found a zombie book I've enjoyed in a while. They're all the same, pretty much. So I put off reading this one for a while.
Big mistake.
This book was awesome!
A few times a felt a bit put off because of something in the story, but it wasn't a big deal because I can't remember details on those issues. Also, the story quickly picked up every time I found something that bothered me, so it never lasted more than half a page at a time.
Highly recommend this to lovers of zombie books, and anyone who has grown tired of the genre. Because it is freaking great!
I cannot wait to start the next book. Because, holy shit... that ending!
4/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/contagious
Can I start a review that way? Because I totally just did.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review from the author. It was also highly recommended by a blog I follow/stalk, Contagious Reads.
Anyway, I haven't really found a zombie book I've enjoyed in a while. They're all the same, pretty much. So I put off reading this one for a while.
Big mistake.
This book was awesome!
A few times a felt a bit put off because of something in the story, but it wasn't a big deal because I can't remember details on those issues. Also, the story quickly picked up every time I found something that bothered me, so it never lasted more than half a page at a time.
Highly recommend this to lovers of zombie books, and anyone who has grown tired of the genre. Because it is freaking great!
I cannot wait to start the next book. Because, holy shit... that ending!
4/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/contagious
The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak
4.0
I was given a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I had purchased a copy of the ebook last year, so I figured it was time for another audible/ebook comparison.
Narration-wise, I liked Kristin James. I think she did a good job with the accents and I was able to easily dissern between the voiced characteres. I do believe she helped, making it easy to stay interested.
As for the story itself, a zombie apacolypse mixed with folklore was pretty awesome. Definately nothing like I'd ever read (and heard, in this case) before. I'm a big fan of mythology and folklore, so it was quite welcome.
About halfway in, another element was added. I was put off for maybe a moment before I let it sink in and was more like, "Why the hell not?"
There was a bit of a love triangle aspect in this story. One character in specific, his complete lack of emotions toward an important situation is alarming.
Having not one, but two major threats made this basically two stories wrapped up in one. It definately kept the suspense going.
4/5 Platypire for naration
4/5 Platypires for story
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-harvesting-by-melanie-karsak
I had purchased a copy of the ebook last year, so I figured it was time for another audible/ebook comparison.
Narration-wise, I liked Kristin James. I think she did a good job with the accents and I was able to easily dissern between the voiced characteres. I do believe she helped, making it easy to stay interested.
As for the story itself, a zombie apacolypse mixed with folklore was pretty awesome. Definately nothing like I'd ever read (and heard, in this case) before. I'm a big fan of mythology and folklore, so it was quite welcome.
About halfway in, another element was added. I was put off for maybe a moment before I let it sink in and was more like, "Why the hell not?"
There was a bit of a love triangle aspect in this story. One character in specific, his complete lack of emotions toward an important situation is alarming.
Having not one, but two major threats made this basically two stories wrapped up in one. It definately kept the suspense going.
4/5 Platypire for naration
4/5 Platypires for story
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-harvesting-by-melanie-karsak
Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol
3.0
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/sea-of-stars-by-amy-a-bartol
There's so much more to the story added in this one. You thought Under Different Stars was a lot of crap happening to Kricket... ha! The poor girl definitely needs a giant tub of ice cream after everything that's gone on in this one.
This book had a lot more fighting going on than the first one, although much of it felt a little too filler for me. I'd compare it to DBZ, but to a lesser extent. There were some points where I had a hard time focusing on what was going on, and ended up having to back track. Basically, the entire first half.
Things changed for me in second half, which was more "holy crap what is going on?!" It was fantastic and I couldn't stop reading/listening.
And then there's the end. Gawd freaking dammit... Urg! I have to wait for book 3.
There's so much more to the story added in this one. You thought Under Different Stars was a lot of crap happening to Kricket... ha! The poor girl definitely needs a giant tub of ice cream after everything that's gone on in this one.
This book had a lot more fighting going on than the first one, although much of it felt a little too filler for me. I'd compare it to DBZ, but to a lesser extent. There were some points where I had a hard time focusing on what was going on, and ended up having to back track. Basically, the entire first half.
Things changed for me in second half, which was more "holy crap what is going on?!" It was fantastic and I couldn't stop reading/listening.
And then there's the end. Gawd freaking dammit... Urg! I have to wait for book 3.
Sojasoße für Anfänger by Kirstin Chen
4.0
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/soy-sauce-for-beginners-by-kirstin-chen
I picked this as one of my monthly choices as a Prime member last December, and I decided to finally give it a go when I saw it was a Whispersync option on KU. (Knowing that I can press play on a book I'm reading when I'm busy cleaning or driving is a fabulous thing, especially because I hate stopping a good book.)
Before I get into the review of the book, I want to say that I felt Nancy Wu did a wonderful job as a narrator, and I plan on listening to more of her work (seriously, I already have the other two of her works available on KU downloaded into my phone).
As someone who has been through divorce, similar to Gretchen's, in that there were no assets or children involved, so I could easily relate to how she was feeling. I do enjoy when I can form an emotional connection to a character. I remember the confusion and how much I struggled during those times.
My favorite part would have to be getting to experience the culture of the privileged of Singapore. I found it fascinating, and the setting was done so vividly that I could easily picture it as I read/listened.
I now have a deeper appreciation for soy sauce after reading this. I was never a big fan of it before, as it is too salty for my taste, but I'd like to experience the flavors talked about in this story. Especially with the Sprite.
The end, although I noticed it bothered many people, didn't upset me. I like open endings. It means I can reflect on the multiple possibilities.
I picked this as one of my monthly choices as a Prime member last December, and I decided to finally give it a go when I saw it was a Whispersync option on KU. (Knowing that I can press play on a book I'm reading when I'm busy cleaning or driving is a fabulous thing, especially because I hate stopping a good book.)
Before I get into the review of the book, I want to say that I felt Nancy Wu did a wonderful job as a narrator, and I plan on listening to more of her work (seriously, I already have the other two of her works available on KU downloaded into my phone).
As someone who has been through divorce, similar to Gretchen's, in that there were no assets or children involved, so I could easily relate to how she was feeling. I do enjoy when I can form an emotional connection to a character. I remember the confusion and how much I struggled during those times.
My favorite part would have to be getting to experience the culture of the privileged of Singapore. I found it fascinating, and the setting was done so vividly that I could easily picture it as I read/listened.
I now have a deeper appreciation for soy sauce after reading this. I was never a big fan of it before, as it is too salty for my taste, but I'd like to experience the flavors talked about in this story. Especially with the Sprite.
The end, although I noticed it bothered many people, didn't upset me. I like open endings. It means I can reflect on the multiple possibilities.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4.0
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-fault-in-our-stars-by-john-green
My sister, Jessalyn, has been talking about this book since basically the beginning of time. I once borrowed it from her, but I was bad and never actually read it. I'm horrible at reading print books, it turns out.
So, when I saw it was on Amazon for only 99¢, I bought it. ...but I never got around to reading it - because I had this thing where I was only reading what was expected of me and not what I wanted to read (it's one of my goals for this year)
Finally, about a month ago, I'm given a giftcard to audible. I see it's one of the whisper sync deals, and I buy the audio version. I am going to freaking finish this book if it kills me!
And I absolutely love reading along with audiobooks, so that totally happened. And it was fabulous.
It's a pretty good book, I don't disagree. But I think I was built up too much, and it was a bit of a disappointment in some aspects. I did really like how it was able to show that it is okay for characters to not be perfect/healthy/happy people. For that, I totally appreciated this story. There are much too many books about that are afraid to use anyone outside of what society views as the norm, and I found this story a sort of relief away from all of that.
Also, I totally cried. I was sitting in my living room listening/reading while my husband was playing Minecraft and my spawn was eating his dinner... and I'm trying hard to hide the fact that there was a large quantity of liquid falling from my eyes. I failed. My cats even noticed, and they came over to give me pity cuddles.
This is a good book. I did really enjoy it. I do someday plan on watching the movie to do a sort of comparison.
My sister, Jessalyn, has been talking about this book since basically the beginning of time. I once borrowed it from her, but I was bad and never actually read it. I'm horrible at reading print books, it turns out.
So, when I saw it was on Amazon for only 99¢, I bought it. ...but I never got around to reading it - because I had this thing where I was only reading what was expected of me and not what I wanted to read (it's one of my goals for this year)
Finally, about a month ago, I'm given a giftcard to audible. I see it's one of the whisper sync deals, and I buy the audio version. I am going to freaking finish this book if it kills me!
And I absolutely love reading along with audiobooks, so that totally happened. And it was fabulous.
It's a pretty good book, I don't disagree. But I think I was built up too much, and it was a bit of a disappointment in some aspects. I did really like how it was able to show that it is okay for characters to not be perfect/healthy/happy people. For that, I totally appreciated this story. There are much too many books about that are afraid to use anyone outside of what society views as the norm, and I found this story a sort of relief away from all of that.
Also, I totally cried. I was sitting in my living room listening/reading while my husband was playing Minecraft and my spawn was eating his dinner... and I'm trying hard to hide the fact that there was a large quantity of liquid falling from my eyes. I failed. My cats even noticed, and they came over to give me pity cuddles.
This is a good book. I did really enjoy it. I do someday plan on watching the movie to do a sort of comparison.
The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei
4.0
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-secret-piano-by-zhu-xiao-mei
I picked this book to read because I saw it was a Kindle Unlimited whispersync available that was narrated by Nancy Wu. I had recently enjoyed a story she narrated, so I picked this one up without hardly reading the synopsis. I had no idea she was a real person and this wasn't a work of fiction. I have since listened to her playing, and she really is a beautiful player.
It is hard to put in to words my thoughts on what I read, especially about her first hand experience of China's Cultural Revolution. I had never heard of it told in this way, and it makes it more real. There's a certain level of disconnect just reading a text book, but hearing a personal account changes that.
Writing-wise, it was not one of my favorites. In many areas it just dragged on. Honestly, I liked this more as an audiobook. Nancy Wu really helped bring out the story. I plan on listening to more of her narrations after this.
I learned a lot reading this, both about China and music. This has created more of an interest in listening to more classical music, especially Bach's Goldberg Variations (of which I didn't know existed). I would recommend this to those who have an interest in Chinese history and music.
I picked this book to read because I saw it was a Kindle Unlimited whispersync available that was narrated by Nancy Wu. I had recently enjoyed a story she narrated, so I picked this one up without hardly reading the synopsis. I had no idea she was a real person and this wasn't a work of fiction. I have since listened to her playing, and she really is a beautiful player.
It is hard to put in to words my thoughts on what I read, especially about her first hand experience of China's Cultural Revolution. I had never heard of it told in this way, and it makes it more real. There's a certain level of disconnect just reading a text book, but hearing a personal account changes that.
Writing-wise, it was not one of my favorites. In many areas it just dragged on. Honestly, I liked this more as an audiobook. Nancy Wu really helped bring out the story. I plan on listening to more of her narrations after this.
I learned a lot reading this, both about China and music. This has created more of an interest in listening to more classical music, especially Bach's Goldberg Variations (of which I didn't know existed). I would recommend this to those who have an interest in Chinese history and music.