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mxhermit's reviews
949 reviews
Dragon Thief by Marc Secchia
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
This book started out a bit rough for me. I did not think I was going to like it because the way the opening chapters are written made me think it would have been more suited to a prose-y picture book than a 300 page novel. I could see myself reading this aloud to my son and it would have been fine. The Egyptian culture was evident and some aspects of it explained in simple and straightforward way (i.e. why Prahotep had to stay home for 70 days after his father died - embalming takes time).
As I read further in, though, things started to look up. I think the turning point was when Prahotep met Lady Hathor for the first time. I had never thought of dragons as something that related to Egypt in anyway. They seemed a more European story aspect. I liked the inclusion. It was unexpected and done well. I felt quite sad for Hathor here due to her situation (won't say more for fear of spoilers).
One thing that was a bit odd was that unless I had been told in the text that Prahotep was seventeen, I would have guessed twelve or thirteen. He comes across as a much younger person, similar to Percy Jackson in the Olympians series.
Prahotep, for all his bad luck, does end up with some good luck along the way. If he had not failed so spectacularly at learning a trade, he would never have met Hathor or Baki. I thought that reading about all the different ways that his bad luck cropped up (the different trades failing, the magician and Kenna finding them on the river, etc.) would become tired, but the writing kept it fresh enough that I was not rolling my eyes every time something new cropped up.
Overall, I'd say that there were a few moments when the plot dragged and the beginning read more like a fleshed out picture book, but I could see sharing this with a middle grader to read on their own or reading it aloud to a slightly younger child.
3.5 Stars
This book started out a bit rough for me. I did not think I was going to like it because the way the opening chapters are written made me think it would have been more suited to a prose-y picture book than a 300 page novel. I could see myself reading this aloud to my son and it would have been fine. The Egyptian culture was evident and some aspects of it explained in simple and straightforward way (i.e. why Prahotep had to stay home for 70 days after his father died - embalming takes time).
As I read further in, though, things started to look up. I think the turning point was when Prahotep met Lady Hathor for the first time. I had never thought of dragons as something that related to Egypt in anyway. They seemed a more European story aspect. I liked the inclusion. It was unexpected and done well. I felt quite sad for Hathor here due to her situation (won't say more for fear of spoilers).
One thing that was a bit odd was that unless I had been told in the text that Prahotep was seventeen, I would have guessed twelve or thirteen. He comes across as a much younger person, similar to Percy Jackson in the Olympians series.
Prahotep, for all his bad luck, does end up with some good luck along the way. If he had not failed so spectacularly at learning a trade, he would never have met Hathor or Baki. I thought that reading about all the different ways that his bad luck cropped up (the different trades failing, the magician and Kenna finding them on the river, etc.) would become tired, but the writing kept it fresh enough that I was not rolling my eyes every time something new cropped up.
Overall, I'd say that there were a few moments when the plot dragged and the beginning read more like a fleshed out picture book, but I could see sharing this with a middle grader to read on their own or reading it aloud to a slightly younger child.
Black Five by J. Lynn Bailey
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Every once in awhile I try to go into a story without reading too much about it. I saw the summary for this on NetGalley and thought it sounded interesting, so I went ahead and requested it without looking on Goodreads or any other sites. It isn't that these sites would have swayed my decision to read Black Five one way or the other, but I would have been prepared for this overwhelming sense of meh.
While I was reading the book, I kept waiting for something to happen that would blow me away, something that would set this story apart from any other YA book. A lot of YA books have similar plot or share tropes that make them sound really, really alike, but the good ones usually have something to make them special. Black Five didn't deliver on this.
The writing was fine; it was enough that I would consider reading another work by the author. As far as wanting to continue with the series, though, I doubt that any forthcoming books would rate high on my waiting-for list.
Penelope felt like a stereotypical heroine from a YA novel in that she discovers this hidden magic about herself after living a difficult life. Her mannerisms felt stiff, awkward. I'm not sure I believed in her as a character at any given point.
Like I said, the plot was decent, the writing allowable, but I don't think I'll be clamoring for any more Penelope adventures, though I wouldn't say no if the book crossed by my desk.
Every once in awhile I try to go into a story without reading too much about it. I saw the summary for this on NetGalley and thought it sounded interesting, so I went ahead and requested it without looking on Goodreads or any other sites. It isn't that these sites would have swayed my decision to read Black Five one way or the other, but I would have been prepared for this overwhelming sense of meh.
While I was reading the book, I kept waiting for something to happen that would blow me away, something that would set this story apart from any other YA book. A lot of YA books have similar plot or share tropes that make them sound really, really alike, but the good ones usually have something to make them special. Black Five didn't deliver on this.
The writing was fine; it was enough that I would consider reading another work by the author. As far as wanting to continue with the series, though, I doubt that any forthcoming books would rate high on my waiting-for list.
Penelope felt like a stereotypical heroine from a YA novel in that she discovers this hidden magic about herself after living a difficult life. Her mannerisms felt stiff, awkward. I'm not sure I believed in her as a character at any given point.
Like I said, the plot was decent, the writing allowable, but I don't think I'll be clamoring for any more Penelope adventures, though I wouldn't say no if the book crossed by my desk.
Surviving Haley by Brenda Baker
1.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
The premise of this book sounded good. Tragic, yes, but it was a compelling plot. It was a quick read, easily finished in a day.
However, this was an instance where, though it started out well enough, it spiraled and became something like a jumbled mess.
It is hard writing this review because there are so many things that I consider wrong with this story and I'm not sure where to start.
This book was incredibly sort, about 200 pages. I think that was a hindrance in and of itself. If the author had taken the time to flesh out some of the other problems that I'll mention in a moment, then I think this story would have been a lot more successful.
The first thing that comes to mind is that the entire plot of the story seems to happen within a week, maybe two if you're lucky. There's no concrete mention that I can find except when Lauren, the MC, talks about events and alludes to yesterday or the first/second day of school.
The fact that all of this happens so quickly is not believable in the least. Lauren herself changes entirely too much. She goes from not liking Jonas, the "love interest", and being uncomfortable with him praying in public to being totally in love with him the next day. That is not believable, that's not how that works. She defends him practically the next day to someone who mentions his "God thing". It's like a switch flipped regarding her personality.
It takes insta-love to a whole new level. The love triangle that develops is another trope that gets tied into the story for no other reason, it seems, than it's a somewhat popular aspect of YA fiction. Lauren, for all the teasing that she suffers and hates, is really mean to Eli, a kid who may be unconventional, but is never anything but nice to her. It's almost hard to call it a love triangle, but that's where it felt like it was heading.
There were plot points in the book that felt like they were introduced for no reason. They happened in the later half of the book and I was worried that there wouldn't be enough time to address them properly. I was right, but it was so much worse than I thought it would be. The issues were not addressed AT ALL. Tiffany, the mean girl of the book, is revealed to have bulimia, but after Lauren calling for the nurse and Tiffany's mother showing up, do you ever hear about her or her problem again? NO! When Eli, another part of the "love triangle", sees Lauren kissing Jonas and runs off to the art room to cut himself and "deal" with the situation, do you ever hear about him getting help other than the promise Lauren extracts for him to go see the school counselor? NO!
You cannot introduce topics like that, dealing with mental health issues of such severity, and then write them off. It's disrespectful to the people that suffer from those problems and it's disrespectful to the reader, asking them to believe that things are just so great because the main character talks to the troubled kids. You're expected to believe that the mean girl and her cronies are all of a sudden going to be nice because Lauren tattled on her to the nurse (as Tiffany herself puts it).
The last 50% of the book was the worst, when I felt like the author was changing the personalities of the characters on a dime so that she could wrap the story up. It made no sense and had me screaming at my Kindle.
Lauren's mother, the one who's helped make her daughter feel terrible because of her issues with food, is an alcoholic using her drug of choice to cope with the death of her younger daughter. You find out, all of a sudden, near the end that she feels partly responsible for the little girl's drowning death because she left the gate to the pool unlocked. Even after this, she states that she doesn't want to take to a therapist, even though she's so happy that Lauren found someone she can talk to (who, by the way, is the school therapist that she forced Lauren to see).
However, a chapter later, she's apparently checked herself into rehab. A week goes by from that point, Lauren and her dad go to visit, and guess what honey? Mom's doing so great we're going on a cruise in a month or so! Isn't everything rosy and grand now? And since Mom's reveal of forgetting to lock the gate, Lauren feels so much better, practically 100% because she has someone else to share the blame and it isn't all her fault anymore?
THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS!!!
The premise of this book sounded good. Tragic, yes, but it was a compelling plot. It was a quick read, easily finished in a day.
However, this was an instance where, though it started out well enough, it spiraled and became something like a jumbled mess.
It is hard writing this review because there are so many things that I consider wrong with this story and I'm not sure where to start.
This book was incredibly sort, about 200 pages. I think that was a hindrance in and of itself. If the author had taken the time to flesh out some of the other problems that I'll mention in a moment, then I think this story would have been a lot more successful.
The first thing that comes to mind is that the entire plot of the story seems to happen within a week, maybe two if you're lucky. There's no concrete mention that I can find except when Lauren, the MC, talks about events and alludes to yesterday or the first/second day of school.
The fact that all of this happens so quickly is not believable in the least. Lauren herself changes entirely too much. She goes from not liking Jonas, the "love interest", and being uncomfortable with him praying in public to being totally in love with him the next day. That is not believable, that's not how that works. She defends him practically the next day to someone who mentions his "God thing". It's like a switch flipped regarding her personality.
It takes insta-love to a whole new level. The love triangle that develops is another trope that gets tied into the story for no other reason, it seems, than it's a somewhat popular aspect of YA fiction. Lauren, for all the teasing that she suffers and hates, is really mean to Eli, a kid who may be unconventional, but is never anything but nice to her. It's almost hard to call it a love triangle, but that's where it felt like it was heading.
There were plot points in the book that felt like they were introduced for no reason. They happened in the later half of the book and I was worried that there wouldn't be enough time to address them properly. I was right, but it was so much worse than I thought it would be. The issues were not addressed AT ALL. Tiffany, the mean girl of the book, is revealed to have bulimia, but after Lauren calling for the nurse and Tiffany's mother showing up, do you ever hear about her or her problem again? NO! When Eli, another part of the "love triangle", sees Lauren kissing Jonas and runs off to the art room to cut himself and "deal" with the situation, do you ever hear about him getting help other than the promise Lauren extracts for him to go see the school counselor? NO!
You cannot introduce topics like that, dealing with mental health issues of such severity, and then write them off. It's disrespectful to the people that suffer from those problems and it's disrespectful to the reader, asking them to believe that things are just so great because the main character talks to the troubled kids. You're expected to believe that the mean girl and her cronies are all of a sudden going to be nice because Lauren tattled on her to the nurse (as Tiffany herself puts it).
The last 50% of the book was the worst, when I felt like the author was changing the personalities of the characters on a dime so that she could wrap the story up. It made no sense and had me screaming at my Kindle.
Lauren's mother, the one who's helped make her daughter feel terrible because of her issues with food, is an alcoholic using her drug of choice to cope with the death of her younger daughter. You find out, all of a sudden, near the end that she feels partly responsible for the little girl's drowning death because she left the gate to the pool unlocked. Even after this, she states that she doesn't want to take to a therapist, even though she's so happy that Lauren found someone she can talk to (who, by the way, is the school therapist that she forced Lauren to see).
However, a chapter later, she's apparently checked herself into rehab. A week goes by from that point, Lauren and her dad go to visit, and guess what honey? Mom's doing so great we're going on a cruise in a month or so! Isn't everything rosy and grand now? And since Mom's reveal of forgetting to lock the gate, Lauren feels so much better, practically 100% because she has someone else to share the blame and it isn't all her fault anymore?
THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS!!!
Ooko by Esmé Shapiro
4.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the art in this book. It was just quirky enough to keep my interested and just colored enough to be cool.
This book works both in black and white (how I initially read it on my Kindle) and in color (on my phone).
The story was good. It wasn't too heavy handed, the message was good, and very relateable. Ooko is a fox that is lonely, wants to make friends, and tries to fit in with the other "foxes" (dogs) and the "Debbies" (humans). The parallels between what we face in society today and Ooko's difficulties are easy enough for a young child to understand and interesting enough for the adult reading the story to their young.
I loved the art in this book. It was just quirky enough to keep my interested and just colored enough to be cool.
This book works both in black and white (how I initially read it on my Kindle) and in color (on my phone).
The story was good. It wasn't too heavy handed, the message was good, and very relateable. Ooko is a fox that is lonely, wants to make friends, and tries to fit in with the other "foxes" (dogs) and the "Debbies" (humans). The parallels between what we face in society today and Ooko's difficulties are easy enough for a young child to understand and interesting enough for the adult reading the story to their young.
Fuchsia Fierce by Kelly Canby, Christianne C. Jones
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The art really stood out with the colors. Kelly Canby did a good job of illustrating the different activities that Fuchsia was initially missing out on and what she learned to enjoy after her revelation.
The story was a simple one about finding your self confidence. I'm a little suspicious of how easy it was for Fuchsia to resolve her core problem so quickly, but it's also difficult to tell how much time passes at this camp, so what seems like a couple of days could actually be a few weeks which would be a bit more believable.
I think a lot of little girls will like this book and might aspire to be like Fuchsia: fierce and brave.
The art really stood out with the colors. Kelly Canby did a good job of illustrating the different activities that Fuchsia was initially missing out on and what she learned to enjoy after her revelation.
The story was a simple one about finding your self confidence. I'm a little suspicious of how easy it was for Fuchsia to resolve her core problem so quickly, but it's also difficult to tell how much time passes at this camp, so what seems like a couple of days could actually be a few weeks which would be a bit more believable.
I think a lot of little girls will like this book and might aspire to be like Fuchsia: fierce and brave.
Harvey Hippo Invites a New Friend to Lunch by Lisa Sankar-Zhu
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first Harvey Hippo book I've read, but I don't think it's necessary to read them in any sort of order. I didn't seem to be missing anything.
This is a simple story about a hippo (Harvey) who wants to bring over a new friend to his home for lunch. There's something different about this friend when compared to Harvey and it leads to a good lesson that is subtle enough to teach without being overbearing. That's always important, I find, when dealing with a children's book, as if it's overbearing, if the lesson smacks the kid upside the head, then it isn't likely to be a staying one.
Learning to make new friends and try new things. as Harvey's new friend does when sampling a new dish at the titular lunch, is an important skill for the target reading audience.
The reason I gave this a lower rating is more because of the art style. While it was alright for the most part and quite cute in others, there were several pages where the angles of objects were not in line with the background, making the setting have a wonky feel to it. I'm not sure whether a child would notice this, but I think it might bother the adult reading this to their son or daughter.
This is the first Harvey Hippo book I've read, but I don't think it's necessary to read them in any sort of order. I didn't seem to be missing anything.
This is a simple story about a hippo (Harvey) who wants to bring over a new friend to his home for lunch. There's something different about this friend when compared to Harvey and it leads to a good lesson that is subtle enough to teach without being overbearing. That's always important, I find, when dealing with a children's book, as if it's overbearing, if the lesson smacks the kid upside the head, then it isn't likely to be a staying one.
Learning to make new friends and try new things. as Harvey's new friend does when sampling a new dish at the titular lunch, is an important skill for the target reading audience.
The reason I gave this a lower rating is more because of the art style. While it was alright for the most part and quite cute in others, there were several pages where the angles of objects were not in line with the background, making the setting have a wonky feel to it. I'm not sure whether a child would notice this, but I think it might bother the adult reading this to their son or daughter.
Misty Copeland by Gregg Delman, Misty Copeland
4.0
Misty Copeland is a beautiful dancer, there's no denying that. I don't know much about her, though I have seen articles about her on occasion in the newspaper or online. I wish there were more opportunities for me to attend one of her shows because from the look of things in this photography collection, she is a stunning dancer whose range of motion is something that shouldn't be missed.
Gregg Delman, the photographer that worked with Misty for this collection, had a rather good eye for composition. He managed to capture some positions that I didn't think possible. I'm still not sure how they managed to get some of these shots at just the right moment. It takes a keen eye, or at least a fast shutter speed, to manage that.
Misty was an amazing subject. She's a beautiful woman to begin with and from what I gathered in her forward, she worked with Mr. Delman almost entirely on her on. She did her own makeup, wore her own costumes, etc. She doesn't seem to have had a diva attitude at all and I think her good nature came across in her facial expression in many of the portraits.
As lovely as many of these pictures were, the reason the book gets knocked down a star for me is that the order of the photos and the construction of the book itself leave something to be desired. There are several pictures that get cutoff in the middle because they're spread out across two pages, essentially cutting Misty's pose in two and taking away from the experience.
This was the first book I'd picked up regarding Misty Copeland and I'm curious to see what other books would have to say about her, especially if there was one that combined the artistic nature I saw here and a literary approach to the role she was embodying at the time.
Gregg Delman, the photographer that worked with Misty for this collection, had a rather good eye for composition. He managed to capture some positions that I didn't think possible. I'm still not sure how they managed to get some of these shots at just the right moment. It takes a keen eye, or at least a fast shutter speed, to manage that.
Misty was an amazing subject. She's a beautiful woman to begin with and from what I gathered in her forward, she worked with Mr. Delman almost entirely on her on. She did her own makeup, wore her own costumes, etc. She doesn't seem to have had a diva attitude at all and I think her good nature came across in her facial expression in many of the portraits.
As lovely as many of these pictures were, the reason the book gets knocked down a star for me is that the order of the photos and the construction of the book itself leave something to be desired. There are several pictures that get cutoff in the middle because they're spread out across two pages, essentially cutting Misty's pose in two and taking away from the experience.
This was the first book I'd picked up regarding Misty Copeland and I'm curious to see what other books would have to say about her, especially if there was one that combined the artistic nature I saw here and a literary approach to the role she was embodying at the time.