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mxhermit's reviews
949 reviews
Honey by David Ezra Stein
5.0
The followup to David Ezra Stein's book Leaves, Honey expands upon a young bear's life experiences. Whereas in the first book he saw autumn and leaves falling for the first time, now we get to see him looking forward to the ultimate tasty bear treat: honey!
The art style was very mellow and the colors very evocative of the time of year that Bear is waking up to. I loved the dreamy quality that the author had to each page's picture. The smudgy quality was sweet and had me smiling.
Story wise, this book is very simple, which fits the audience that it's marketed to. While this is a companion book, it wasn't wholly necessary to have read the previous book to pick up on the story line of this one. The language is simple enough that a child could read this for themselves or read along at bedtime. The ending was a bit nostalgic, which I'm not sure younger readers will pick up on, though it was nicely emotional for me.
Bear's personality and adventures in life would be great for more books and I hope to see them in the future. Until then, the rereadability is here and that's a great quality in a book.
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
The art style was very mellow and the colors very evocative of the time of year that Bear is waking up to. I loved the dreamy quality that the author had to each page's picture. The smudgy quality was sweet and had me smiling.
Story wise, this book is very simple, which fits the audience that it's marketed to. While this is a companion book, it wasn't wholly necessary to have read the previous book to pick up on the story line of this one. The language is simple enough that a child could read this for themselves or read along at bedtime. The ending was a bit nostalgic, which I'm not sure younger readers will pick up on, though it was nicely emotional for me.
Bear's personality and adventures in life would be great for more books and I hope to see them in the future. Until then, the rereadability is here and that's a great quality in a book.
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
Virgin Territory by Lia Riley
3.0
Steaminess Level: Mature
I requested this book for review based on a Twitter recommendation (thank you!). I didn't know much about it beforehand, so there weren't a lot of expectations going into it regarding content, steaminess, etc.
I'm not a sports enthusiast, so I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed the hockey content. To be fair there weren't actually a whole lot of scenes regarding the sport and what there was wasn't terribly detailed, so that might have had something to do with it. I think there was more information given to the yoga aspect of the story than any of the hockey playing, but that wasn't really a problem because neither the yoga nor the hockey was actually a big part of the story, more vehicles for the characters.
Margot and Patch are introduced when Patch, needing to deal with some anger issues following a lawsuit brought by a sleazy lawyer, makes an appointment with Margot, a yoga practitioner. This idea actually sounded really good to me, but I really think that the yogi/client relationship degenerated far too into "hockey player's girlfriend happens to be a yoga practitioner". While their relationship as a couple seemed nice, the development was full steam ahead from the time they met and love happened in the course of less than a week if my timeline is correct and they were engaged/business partners two months later.
Speedy plot aside, the difficulties that Patch and Margot faced in the book were resolved very quickly and easily, almost too much so. Stefan, Margot's ex who exhibits stalker behavior and commits minor vandalism, vanishes from the story in off page action and is dealt with in convenient terms (he happens to have been committing tax fraud, something that never came up during the rest of the book). Guy, the lawyer threatening Patch, conveniently threatens Patch in a hallway during a settlement meeting, laying out his sleaziness which Margot and Patch's friend/priest Sully catch on camera and audio.
Virgin Territory is a quick read that was decently fun and I think people that like well written intimate scenes would enjoy it a lot. There are two current companion novels that were previous published whose characters appear in this one, thought I wouldn't say they're required reading before picking this up.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book for review based on a Twitter recommendation (thank you!). I didn't know much about it beforehand, so there weren't a lot of expectations going into it regarding content, steaminess, etc.
I'm not a sports enthusiast, so I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed the hockey content. To be fair there weren't actually a whole lot of scenes regarding the sport and what there was wasn't terribly detailed, so that might have had something to do with it. I think there was more information given to the yoga aspect of the story than any of the hockey playing, but that wasn't really a problem because neither the yoga nor the hockey was actually a big part of the story, more vehicles for the characters.
Margot and Patch are introduced when Patch, needing to deal with some anger issues following a lawsuit brought by a sleazy lawyer, makes an appointment with Margot, a yoga practitioner. This idea actually sounded really good to me, but I really think that the yogi/client relationship degenerated far too into "hockey player's girlfriend happens to be a yoga practitioner". While their relationship as a couple seemed nice, the development was full steam ahead from the time they met and love happened in the course of less than a week if my timeline is correct and they were engaged/business partners two months later.
Speedy plot aside, the difficulties that Patch and Margot faced in the book were resolved very quickly and easily, almost too much so. Stefan, Margot's ex who exhibits stalker behavior and commits minor vandalism, vanishes from the story in off page action and is dealt with in convenient terms (he happens to have been committing tax fraud, something that never came up during the rest of the book). Guy, the lawyer threatening Patch, conveniently threatens Patch in a hallway during a settlement meeting, laying out his sleaziness which Margot and Patch's friend/priest Sully catch on camera and audio.
Virgin Territory is a quick read that was decently fun and I think people that like well written intimate scenes would enjoy it a lot. There are two current companion novels that were previous published whose characters appear in this one, thought I wouldn't say they're required reading before picking this up.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The Infinite Loop by Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
3.0
I fell into this series because of Comixology's Unlimited program and like it a lot. Time travel, a potential lady love interest on the horizon, all kinds of shenanigans hinted at, etc.? Let's go!
One criticism I have is that it feels like the reader gets dumped in to a story that's already started, like Teddy, the main character, has some kind of past that we should have known before she started going about in this first issue. Maybe we'll learn more about the alluded to alternate timeline Teddy that Ulysses, Teddy's techie backup, mentioned, and more about her job as a time anomaly rectifier in future issues.
One criticism I have is that it feels like the reader gets dumped in to a story that's already started, like Teddy, the main character, has some kind of past that we should have known before she started going about in this first issue. Maybe we'll learn more about the alluded to alternate timeline Teddy that Ulysses, Teddy's techie backup, mentioned, and more about her job as a time anomaly rectifier in future issues.
Bus! Stop! by James Yang
3.0
Always on the look out for a good picture book to share with my son, I accepted this one to review because he's been interested in vehicles lately. While the title of this book might lead you to believe that you'll only see buses, there are such a variety that the art is never boring.
I'm not sure the book achieves what the summary says it set out to do. Trying new things can be fun and I'm sure the child in this book might have had fun, but there's no indication of his experience on the bus he does eventually choose (which is not is). His getting on this bus by himself, after spending all day looking at the various bus-like vehicles that cross his path, was a bit worrisome because it seemed like a problem waiting to happen in some form or another.
The simplistic dialogue and the art work make the book a quick story for story or bedtime, though I'd hope that any person reading this to a young child would explain the bad idea that is getting into an unfamiliar vehicle by yourself late at night when you're a child.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not sure the book achieves what the summary says it set out to do. Trying new things can be fun and I'm sure the child in this book might have had fun, but there's no indication of his experience on the bus he does eventually choose (which is not is). His getting on this bus by himself, after spending all day looking at the various bus-like vehicles that cross his path, was a bit worrisome because it seemed like a problem waiting to happen in some form or another.
The simplistic dialogue and the art work make the book a quick story for story or bedtime, though I'd hope that any person reading this to a young child would explain the bad idea that is getting into an unfamiliar vehicle by yourself late at night when you're a child.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Fed-up Cow by Peta Lemon, Maria Todoric
3.0
Hilda isn't happy with being a cow, so she embarks on an adventure around the barnyard, looking for something to be that is more true to herself.
The story is funny and cute enough for a children's book. The animals we see, from sheep to chickens, are all familiar and the young audience will enjoy the sounds they make. I think a lot of participation will complement the book nicely. My own child like mimicking the barnyard sounds.
There were some moments when I thought the rhyme structure was a little clumsy, others where there was some force evident in trying to find the correct words to continue the pattern. The art style wasn't to my taste, but the colors are bright and the style simplistic enough that the target audience should find few faults with it.
Overall, this is a sweet book that would be good for bedtime or maybe story time in a class or library.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The story is funny and cute enough for a children's book. The animals we see, from sheep to chickens, are all familiar and the young audience will enjoy the sounds they make. I think a lot of participation will complement the book nicely. My own child like mimicking the barnyard sounds.
There were some moments when I thought the rhyme structure was a little clumsy, others where there was some force evident in trying to find the correct words to continue the pattern. The art style wasn't to my taste, but the colors are bright and the style simplistic enough that the target audience should find few faults with it.
Overall, this is a sweet book that would be good for bedtime or maybe story time in a class or library.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Dark Divide by D.K. Stone, Danika Stone
4.0
The Dark Divide picks up shortly after the end of Edge of Wild. The ramifications of the destruction of the hotel, the Whitewater, are rippling through town. Evidence is mounting against Rich, Lou is struggling to defend him against the charge as well as the townsfolk, and the town itself is facing trouble from more than one front. Will it be possible for anyone to find a satisfactory, if not happy, ending?
Danika drops a bombshell early on: there's evidence of an accomplice to Colton, the villain of Edge of Wild. What won't this person to protect their secret, not only in connection with the arson that killed a local girl, but of a decades old cold case murder that crosses the border of the U.S.?
The first third of the book reintroduces the reader to the main cast, Rich and Lou, as well as the other residents of Waterton and a few law enforcement related people, such as Rich's friend Stu, now his lawyer.
There's also Alistair, a documentarian looking into draft evaders that may have crossed the border into Waterton during the Vietnam War. The sheer annoyance I felt toward his character reminded me of Rich in the first book before things turned around. Alistair is pushy and nosy, bordering on mean to the residents and these are not people that take well to outsiders, much less inquisitive Hollywood filmmaker types. His presence, in addition to the legal proceedings against Rich, made for a tense, creepy atmosphere. Some of the creepiness stemmed from his overall despicable, forceful personality, but also from the fact that he has a connection with Lou that was completely unexpected.
Rich started out a bit of an ass in the last book and gained in personal standing by the end. In The Dark Divide, I feel like his personality was reset a bit. He was asking things of Lou that he knew she wasn't comfortable with, such as divulging a lot of her past or abandoning her job (which a lot of the locals depend on - gas/mechanic/supply runs) to accompany him to the nearby town for his arson trial. While I understand how that must have felt for him, he was not supportive of Lou and how important her life and routine were. There was some growth between them, but overall, I ended up caring less for Rich than when we left off the previous story and I don't think he really deserved Lou.
Lou had more than anyone to deal with since the conclusion of the first book. There's her mysterious, supernatural ability with future telling components as well as past life memories that she can barely explain to herself much less anyone else. There's the relationship she formed with Rich, one that developed quickly over the summer. Add to this what her role in Rich's trial might be and you'll realize how much pressure everything put into her life. How she is able to deal with even a tiny bit is a miracle.
The townsfolk were just as closeted as in Edge of Wild, keeping their secrets close to the vest and making it impossible to figure out who was on what side, who was hiding something potentially explosive, and so forth. It was a little annoying, but considering what they were protecting, I can't say that I blame them for being wary not only of Alistair and his "documentary", but of the consequences of the fire in the previous book that Rich is facing charges for.
Danika crafted another great mystery that may not have had as much of an excitement factor as it's predecessor, but was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Danika drops a bombshell early on: there's evidence of an accomplice to Colton, the villain of Edge of Wild. What won't this person to protect their secret, not only in connection with the arson that killed a local girl, but of a decades old cold case murder that crosses the border of the U.S.?
The first third of the book reintroduces the reader to the main cast, Rich and Lou, as well as the other residents of Waterton and a few law enforcement related people, such as Rich's friend Stu, now his lawyer.
There's also Alistair, a documentarian looking into draft evaders that may have crossed the border into Waterton during the Vietnam War. The sheer annoyance I felt toward his character reminded me of Rich in the first book before things turned around. Alistair is pushy and nosy, bordering on mean to the residents and these are not people that take well to outsiders, much less inquisitive Hollywood filmmaker types. His presence, in addition to the legal proceedings against Rich, made for a tense, creepy atmosphere. Some of the creepiness stemmed from his overall despicable, forceful personality, but also from the fact that he has a connection with Lou that was completely unexpected.
Rich started out a bit of an ass in the last book and gained in personal standing by the end. In The Dark Divide, I feel like his personality was reset a bit. He was asking things of Lou that he knew she wasn't comfortable with, such as divulging a lot of her past or abandoning her job (which a lot of the locals depend on - gas/mechanic/supply runs) to accompany him to the nearby town for his arson trial. While I understand how that must have felt for him, he was not supportive of Lou and how important her life and routine were. There was some growth between them, but overall, I ended up caring less for Rich than when we left off the previous story and I don't think he really deserved Lou.
Lou had more than anyone to deal with since the conclusion of the first book. There's her mysterious, supernatural ability with future telling components as well as past life memories that she can barely explain to herself much less anyone else. There's the relationship she formed with Rich, one that developed quickly over the summer. Add to this what her role in Rich's trial might be and you'll realize how much pressure everything put into her life. How she is able to deal with even a tiny bit is a miracle.
The townsfolk were just as closeted as in Edge of Wild, keeping their secrets close to the vest and making it impossible to figure out who was on what side, who was hiding something potentially explosive, and so forth. It was a little annoying, but considering what they were protecting, I can't say that I blame them for being wary not only of Alistair and his "documentary", but of the consequences of the fire in the previous book that Rich is facing charges for.
Danika crafted another great mystery that may not have had as much of an excitement factor as it's predecessor, but was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.