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rjsetserauthor's reviews
866 reviews
Bleached Reminders: A Gothic Anthology About Bones, Magic, and Grief by Effie Joe Stock, Effie Joe Stock
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This took me back to being 12 years old on my farm. The first story hit me so hard...I had expected the emotions associated with losing pets because of the premise of the anthology, but I wasn't fully prepared for how much I'd see myself in those opening pages.
Bleached Reminders is a treasure of a book. It could've just been a short story and a good one at that, but instead, the author has a unique skill-set to work outside the obvious and she setup a beautifully styled anthology that I feel was far more impactful than a singular short story would've been (even at only 66 pages). I saw myself in Sacrifice Rock, I was inspired by the poem (Bleached Reminders), and then I was pulled into the life of Espie and taken on an adventure that perfectly summed up the first two. I've read a few of Effie Joe Stock's writings now and I have to say, her talent for packing a punch in very few words astounds me. Her prose is exquisite and her poetry is powerful. I really loved reading this anthology!
As far as content goes: No cursing or romance. This is a gothic, autumnal collection so, as the blurb clearly states, there darker themes and magic contained within, but no gore or anything spooky.
Bleached Reminders is a treasure of a book. It could've just been a short story and a good one at that, but instead, the author has a unique skill-set to work outside the obvious and she setup a beautifully styled anthology that I feel was far more impactful than a singular short story would've been (even at only 66 pages). I saw myself in Sacrifice Rock, I was inspired by the poem (Bleached Reminders), and then I was pulled into the life of Espie and taken on an adventure that perfectly summed up the first two. I've read a few of Effie Joe Stock's writings now and I have to say, her talent for packing a punch in very few words astounds me. Her prose is exquisite and her poetry is powerful. I really loved reading this anthology!
As far as content goes: No cursing or romance. This is a gothic, autumnal collection so, as the blurb clearly states, there darker themes and magic contained within, but no gore or anything spooky.
A Sky of Tragic Moons by Amber Kirkpatrick, Nathaniel Luscombe, Nathaniel Luscombe, Effie Stock
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Anthologies are difficult for me to rate because you always have those stories that rip your heart out and claim it as their own, and the stories that just don't resonate with you as much.
A Sky of Tragic Moons, however, is such a brilliant roller coaster ride of emotions. Some stories are funny, but the underlying theme is very on par with the title: "Tragic". It's a collection of powerful emotions at war with powerful circumstances. You have selfless characters in overwhelming conundrums across the universe. The flow of the stories are so intentionally placed that it really feels as if they are each a tragic moon from the same sky. It's like looking at the stars and zooming in on only one at a time before zooming back out and looking at another one. This anthology feels like stargazing.
As far as content, the only thing worthy of mentioning were a couple of minor curse words. A few mentions of kisses, but nothing beyond that in the realm of romance. The characters do deal with tragedy, but I wouldn't call any of the stories "gory".
Overall, this is an anthology perfect for those who love sci-fi with a lot of heart and emotion. I look forward to reading more works by these authors.
A Sky of Tragic Moons, however, is such a brilliant roller coaster ride of emotions. Some stories are funny, but the underlying theme is very on par with the title: "Tragic". It's a collection of powerful emotions at war with powerful circumstances. You have selfless characters in overwhelming conundrums across the universe. The flow of the stories are so intentionally placed that it really feels as if they are each a tragic moon from the same sky. It's like looking at the stars and zooming in on only one at a time before zooming back out and looking at another one. This anthology feels like stargazing.
As far as content, the only thing worthy of mentioning were a couple of minor curse words. A few mentions of kisses, but nothing beyond that in the realm of romance. The characters do deal with tragedy, but I wouldn't call any of the stories "gory".
Overall, this is an anthology perfect for those who love sci-fi with a lot of heart and emotion. I look forward to reading more works by these authors.
Turklet, Squeaky, and the Seven Chicken Chicks: Love Overcomes All by Effie Joe Stock
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a charming story of love and overcoming the challenges of individuality within family circles. I had fun with the story and the illustrations are so cute!
It is a longer read than the average kid's book, so I'd recommend it to ages 4-6 just because the attention span of my younger nieces wasn't there. But it's a fun one to read aloud!
It is a longer read than the average kid's book, so I'd recommend it to ages 4-6 just because the attention span of my younger nieces wasn't there. But it's a fun one to read aloud!
The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Read for my book club. You might enjoy it if you like Hallmark :)
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a fun story that came highly recommended by a friend of mine and it was fun to binge the audiobook!
Gregor was precious and I loved his boldness and heart throughout the story. It's very much a middle grade fantasy meant to tug on the heartstrings while being exciting at the same time. With Gregor being 11, I was surprised by the amount of violence that happened in the book. There were a lot of morbid deaths that I would consider fairly descriptive for this age group, but I suppose that's to be expected from the author of The Hunger Games.
Overall, I think it was fun but I would caution young readers who might be sensitive to de@th to avoid the book. If you're a parent/guardian, feel free to message me if you'd like more details on the type of violence included. However, there was no cursing, nor romance of any kind in this book.
Gregor was precious and I loved his boldness and heart throughout the story. It's very much a middle grade fantasy meant to tug on the heartstrings while being exciting at the same time. With Gregor being 11, I was surprised by the amount of violence that happened in the book. There were a lot of morbid deaths that I would consider fairly descriptive for this age group, but I suppose that's to be expected from the author of The Hunger Games.
Overall, I think it was fun but I would caution young readers who might be sensitive to de@th to avoid the book. If you're a parent/guardian, feel free to message me if you'd like more details on the type of violence included. However, there was no cursing, nor romance of any kind in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Angel from the Rust by Jason Link
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"When you look for evil, that's all you end up seeing."
I devoured this book!
Angel From The Rust marked all the boxes for me: dragons, trolls, and goblins? Check. AI robots? Check. Father-daughter dynamic? Check. Mysterious helmeted bounty hunter? CHECK. VIOLINS? CHECK! And yes, I could keep going with the hype-building; there were so many things that made this book a blast to read!
This book is a brilliant imagination of what would happen if tech geniuses from the future invaded the primitive civilizations of the past. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, humanity is rebuilding from the ashes of nuclear weapons with new parameters in place that label all tech as "demonic". So what happens when these civilizations see someone wield electricity or fly a spacecraft? You guessed it, they'd call them a "god". Luckily for humanity, someone from the past saw this coming and had a plan. Corvala and her violin, "Sir William", are part of that plan.
"'I can make my own choices.' 'You better make them wise.'"
Angel From the Rust was such a refreshing book to read. It's full of action, twisting and turning around corners you'd never expect, all the while keeping the light of hope shining in the darkness present. The book is lined with faith-based characters, but Corvala herself struggles with the concept of a deity, especially once this false god appears. Her journey, though not hers alone, is more than just saving people, it's coming to terms with her faith and what it means to trust blindly. I'm typically not a fan of blatantly placing God or Christianity into fantasy/science fiction, just because it often feels out of place and a lot like preaching, but this felt so natural to the story and that it truly BELONGED in the story that I loved it!
This book is a little difficult to compare to others, all I could think of were movies, so I would say that aspects of it reminded me of WALL-E, Iron Man, and even Big Hero 6 (if you're a fan of Baymaxx, all I'm saying is you'll love Serapha). The closest comparison that I can think of, however, is actually my favorite video game: Horizon - Zero Dawn. So, if you enjoy wholesome, exciting science fiction that will have you biting your nails, Angel From the Rust should be on your TBR!
Content information: No cursing and no romance. Action and gore are decently present, but no jump scares or horror.
I received this book for free from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is entirely voluntary.
I devoured this book!
Angel From The Rust marked all the boxes for me: dragons, trolls, and goblins? Check. AI robots? Check. Father-daughter dynamic? Check. Mysterious helmeted bounty hunter? CHECK. VIOLINS? CHECK! And yes, I could keep going with the hype-building; there were so many things that made this book a blast to read!
This book is a brilliant imagination of what would happen if tech geniuses from the future invaded the primitive civilizations of the past. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, humanity is rebuilding from the ashes of nuclear weapons with new parameters in place that label all tech as "demonic". So what happens when these civilizations see someone wield electricity or fly a spacecraft? You guessed it, they'd call them a "god". Luckily for humanity, someone from the past saw this coming and had a plan. Corvala and her violin, "Sir William", are part of that plan.
"'I can make my own choices.' 'You better make them wise.'"
Angel From the Rust was such a refreshing book to read. It's full of action, twisting and turning around corners you'd never expect, all the while keeping the light of hope shining in the darkness present. The book is lined with faith-based characters, but Corvala herself struggles with the concept of a deity, especially once this false god appears. Her journey, though not hers alone, is more than just saving people, it's coming to terms with her faith and what it means to trust blindly. I'm typically not a fan of blatantly placing God or Christianity into fantasy/science fiction, just because it often feels out of place and a lot like preaching, but this felt so natural to the story and that it truly BELONGED in the story that I loved it!
This book is a little difficult to compare to others, all I could think of were movies, so I would say that aspects of it reminded me of WALL-E, Iron Man, and even Big Hero 6 (if you're a fan of Baymaxx, all I'm saying is you'll love Serapha). The closest comparison that I can think of, however, is actually my favorite video game: Horizon - Zero Dawn. So, if you enjoy wholesome, exciting science fiction that will have you biting your nails, Angel From the Rust should be on your TBR!
Content information: No cursing and no romance. Action and gore are decently present, but no jump scares or horror.
I received this book for free from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is entirely voluntary.
Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door: How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator by Martha Stout
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Very heavy read, but informative. It's difficult to rate the book because I didn't exactly "enjoy" the read, but I found some things helpful. Bottom line, to quote the author, the best course of action is "avoidance". I found the book helpful in recognizing sociopathic tendencies and appreciated the author's reiterance of how a persistent pattern is needed to identify a "sociopath" and not just one or two occurrences. The most beneficial chapter to me was recognizing the difference between a "narcissist" and a "sociopath", especially in today's society where every person's mistake seems to result in them being labeled a "narcissist".
Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A spring break holiday goes horribly wrong when a body shows up on the beach. Two friend groups collide in a battle of pointing fingers and attempting to discover who killed them...and why?
This book is ideal for Teen Readers and brought with it a realization that I am, unfortunately, no longer in that category. I struggled with the characters and the way they spoke to each other. It was a lot of teen drama and today's teen lingo that made me cringe. Looking at the story / mystery, it was okay, but I wasn't engaged. The storyline bounced all over the timeline and we almost spent more time in memories and flashbacks than we did in the mystery.
I had hoped for a fun and easy mystery to binge during the summer, but I spent most of the time cringing at the immaturity and annoyingness of the characters (I hope Piper was supposed to be annoying, because I eventually started skipping her chapters. I physically couldn't read it). It took me much longer to finish this book than it should have.
I don't really know if this book would be better suited in the hands of today's teens, or if they would find the characters just as annoying, so I'll close the review by saying that you should read it if you like big friend groups--unsupervised--navigating the drama of who's dating who and a little murder mystery thrown in.
Content: Typical YA; There is a higher amount of cursing and some mild romance (no spice).
I received this book from the author via NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
This book is ideal for Teen Readers and brought with it a realization that I am, unfortunately, no longer in that category. I struggled with the characters and the way they spoke to each other. It was a lot of teen drama and today's teen lingo that made me cringe. Looking at the story / mystery, it was okay, but I wasn't engaged. The storyline bounced all over the timeline and we almost spent more time in memories and flashbacks than we did in the mystery.
I had hoped for a fun and easy mystery to binge during the summer, but I spent most of the time cringing at the immaturity and annoyingness of the characters (I hope Piper was supposed to be annoying, because I eventually started skipping her chapters. I physically couldn't read it). It took me much longer to finish this book than it should have.
I don't really know if this book would be better suited in the hands of today's teens, or if they would find the characters just as annoying, so I'll close the review by saying that you should read it if you like big friend groups--unsupervised--navigating the drama of who's dating who and a little murder mystery thrown in.
Content: Typical YA; There is a higher amount of cursing and some mild romance (no spice).
I received this book from the author via NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
Belly of the Beast: Sorce Book 1 by Charles Armstrong
The major topic deals with child abduction / slavery and harvesting of bone marrow from the fauns' antlers. The scenes are not descriptive, you never see this happening, however, the realization scenes as Sera puts things together and tries to save the children are a little too heavy than what I would typically recommend for middle-graders.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Belly of the Beast was a delightful gem to stumble on! This audiobook is multi-voice narrated with soundtracks and music that were expertly produced. I listened to the majority of the book in one sitting and couldn't break my attention away from it! It's an immersive experience.
The ideal audience is somewhere between Middle Grade/ YA Fantasy lovers and D&D-obsessed adults. I really think it could go either way because the storyline is intricate enough to keep older readers interested, but the main characters are 14 and 15 years old, so it appeals to younger readers as well. The content isn't overly gory or heavy, either, so mature middle-grade readers would also enjoy it (at the discretion of parents / guardians... I will include a content disclaimer at the bottom of this review).
The story is a wild adventure, merging both fantasy and science fiction together in what feels like an epic D&D campaign. Sera is a faun that has tripped onto a family secret and, not one to be told to leave things alone, she begins a quest that not only reveals the answers that she seeks, but could change the way of life for all of faunkind. The world blends haunted forests with space battles and deep sea escapades on alien planets. It's the best of everything and because of how incredible the audiobook was produced, I feel as if I watched it on TV rather than just listened to it. The voice actors, sound effects, and music truly bring this audiobook to life and will have your heart racing right along with Sera! Also, we love audiobooks narrated by the author on this side of the internet *applause*.
As for the content that parents / guardians should be wary of: There is only one kiss, as far as romance goes, and it's not descriptive. There is no cursing or overly detailed gory scenes, however, the topics discussed are a bit heavy for younger readers, so I would advise readers to remain 14+ for the reasons below (they are spoilers, so I'll wrap them in spoiler tags): The major topic deals with child abduction / slavery and harvesting of bone marrow from the fauns' antlers. The scenes are not descriptive, you never see this happening, however, the realization scenes as Sera puts things together and tries to save the children are a little too heavy than what I would typically recommend for middle-graders.
Overall, this was a fun audiobook and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series! I received this book for free via NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
The ideal audience is somewhere between Middle Grade/ YA Fantasy lovers and D&D-obsessed adults. I really think it could go either way because the storyline is intricate enough to keep older readers interested, but the main characters are 14 and 15 years old, so it appeals to younger readers as well. The content isn't overly gory or heavy, either, so mature middle-grade readers would also enjoy it (at the discretion of parents / guardians... I will include a content disclaimer at the bottom of this review).
The story is a wild adventure, merging both fantasy and science fiction together in what feels like an epic D&D campaign. Sera is a faun that has tripped onto a family secret and, not one to be told to leave things alone, she begins a quest that not only reveals the answers that she seeks, but could change the way of life for all of faunkind. The world blends haunted forests with space battles and deep sea escapades on alien planets. It's the best of everything and because of how incredible the audiobook was produced, I feel as if I watched it on TV rather than just listened to it. The voice actors, sound effects, and music truly bring this audiobook to life and will have your heart racing right along with Sera! Also, we love audiobooks narrated by the author on this side of the internet *applause*.
As for the content that parents / guardians should be wary of: There is only one kiss, as far as romance goes, and it's not descriptive. There is no cursing or overly detailed gory scenes, however, the topics discussed are a bit heavy for younger readers, so I would advise readers to remain 14+ for the reasons below (they are spoilers, so I'll wrap them in spoiler tags):
Overall, this was a fun audiobook and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series! I received this book for free via NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Slavery, Trafficking, Grief