Eff This! Meditation | Liza Kindred | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review:

I'll admit, there was noticeably less cussing in this book than I thought there would be. But, given that that's my biggest complaint, I can honestly say this was a good read. I've been learning and reading up on meditation and mindfulness to help with my anxiety and depression. A number of things in this book are pretty well-known, but there were a few things that were new to me. I appreciated that Kindred ordered these by time. The first batch are things you can do quickly, the last are ones that take half a day or longer. If you're just getting into meditation, this might be a good fit for you. If you're looking for an irreverent take on meditation and its practices, you'll want to look elsewhere. 3 hoots!

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Radioactive Evolution | Richard Hummel

*Image and book provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Jared is a wanderer in the wastelands and, while not desperate for survival, he ain't living as easily as the rich people in the Floating Cities, high above the fallout. This changes when he finds an honest-to-god dragon and bonds with its baby. In bonding with the dragon, Scarlet, he uncovers a long lost plot from the cities, furthering the divide between those in the clouds and those on the ground. Between Scarlet's growing size and abilities and Jared's newfound powers, they have the means to bring justice for the long-lost dragon races as well as the civilians on the ground.

Review:

This was certainly an entertaining read. There was a lot of adventure, a lot of quick-thinking as well as strategy fights. There is a nice blend of action, comedy and even horror, and I'm not talking about the number to times Jared had to find new clothes because his were covered in giant rat guts.

If you're a fan of gaming, you'd probably enjoy several aspects of this book. If you're a Fallout fan, you'll definitely get some fun with this, as well as some of the horror. It gives some actual mechanics to a character's level-up and not needing to eat. It was actually pretty clever how Hummel set that up.

Unfortunately the editing appears incomplete. The telepathic conversations between Scarlet and Jared are identified with her voice in bold and his voice in italics. Throughout the book, or at least my copy of it, there were a lot of mishaps with this. The pacing of the book felt a little disjointed, but that could be Jared's need to sleep through his "power ups". The video game references and comparisons, while occasionally fun, did end up making it feel less genuine.

So, if you're a gamer looking for a foray into books or know of a gamer who's interested in trying some science fiction, this wouldn't be a bad book to start them out with. As for me, it was a nice book but I probably won't be picking up the sequel. 3 hoots!

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Animal Lore and Legend | Ruth Binney | Mini-Review

*Image and book received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

This book had a lot of what I expected: Old Wive's Tales about animals, animal roles in mythology, how some beliefs about animals may have formed. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting the information on the mythological animals (though I should've guessed from the unicorn on the cover). I did learn several things from this book that I didn't know before. Unfortunately, it was kinda boring and was very Western Culture oriented. There were references to Japanese and Chinese mythology and an entire chapter dedicated to the Chinese Astrology, but they weren't very informative. The entire Chinese Astrology chapter was almost painfully basic. I got more from the Western Astrology chapter. Ultimately, it was an okay book but there's a lot of room for improvement.

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ActivAmerica | Meagan Cass

*Image and book received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary (From Publisher):

Drawing from fairy tales, ghost stories, and science-fiction, the stories in ActivAmerica explore how we confront (and exert) power and re-imagine ourselves through sports and athletic activities. A group of girls starts an illicit hockey league in a conservative suburb. A recently separated woman must run a mile a day in order to maintain her new corporate health insurance. Children impacted by environmental disaster create a “mutant soccer team.” Two sisters are visited by an Olympic gymnast who demands increasingly dangerous moves from them. Sports allow the characters to form communities on soccer fields and hidden lakes, in overgrown backyards and across Ping-Pong tables. Throughout the collection, however, athletic risk also comes with unexpected, often unsettling results.

Review:

Let me start by saying, each of these stories were good. They were well written, interesting and I can see why they were included. There were a few stories where I sincerely hope the authors are continuing to practice their writing and honing their skills."Night Games" was an interesting story of learning to take control and learning your limits. "ActivAmerica" showed how getting even just one thing going right in your life can help the rest.

The problem I have with this book is that, after a while, the stories all kinda start sounding the same. Don't get me wrong, they're all different stories, clearly. Stories are told from different perspectives, have different main characters, take place in different dimensions. But the vast majority of the stories had a lot of common themes that were not part of the description. So many of the stories had parents divorced or on the brink of it. Families that would smile and pretend nothing was wrong. An alcoholic mother. A cheating spouse. A parent who genuinely tries to connect with their child and fails. Daughters becoming their mothers despite all attempts otherwise. Hawthorne, NY. I know, you'd think with this many different themes there'd be enough diversity of stories, but when so many of them have one or more of these elements, it gets kinda boring.

This is one of those situations where the contents are genuinely good, but you have to read something in between the stories. This gives each one the opportunity to be fresh and new to you so it can be the great story that it is. If you try to read it all at once, it'll get boring, depressing or both. And I'm not saying I need all stories to have happy endings. I'm just saying, in this anthology, with this many different voices and styles, I was able to predict just about every short story's progression.

So, I'm gonna give this book 3 hoots, but also warn you to read with caution.

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Shadow Ops: Control Point | Myke Cole

Summary:

Lieutenant Oscar Britton has just had his magical ability awaken. Unfortunately his magic is in a prohibited school meaning he is going to be sentenced to death. Naturally, he runs. After he is caught, however, he learns that he will not be put to death, provided he follows the rules and doesn't try to run again. Instead he's been recruited to a secret base in the home of magic, called The Source. Here he must learn to control his magic while trying to figure out just whose side he's on.

Review:

I've been a fan of Military Sci-Fi for a while now so I figured I'd give Military Fantasy a try. This, maybe wasn't the best book for the transition.

The world this takes place in is amazing. It's very easy to get into the swing of things, figure out the way things are, etc. Even the magical world of The Source was very well thought out and intriguing. The indigenous people, nicknamed Goblins, have entire histories and mannerisms that I would love to learn more about. The clear and blatant racism that the Goblins have to deal with daily was heart-wrenching.

Then there was the classism between those who agreed to use their magic to serve their country and the Selfers, people who refused to take the oath. Selfers were treated like dangerous criminals even after they'd learned to control their magic. They were not allowed to go home, by all accounts they were dead. Their only choice was to either be treated like a prisoner and watch propaganda videos or take the oath to serve those who had put them into this situation because of reasons beyond their control. No one can control if or when their magic will manifest, nor in what way it will manifest. But, if you show signs of magic, you're drafted, one way or another.

And these situations provide wonderful ethical debates about freedom and treatment of prisoners of wars and more!

The problem I have with this book is the characters. I repeatedly called Britton an idiot. And yes, he did most of his stupid things for good reasons (he didn't want to die, he didn't want his friend to die) but I still felt like he deserved every hit he took. And he takes a lot of hits. At the end of the book a lot of people are dead because of him. Whether they were the good guys or not, that doesn't justify their deaths, nor how they died. He, himself, points out a few times what his biggest flaw is, his pride. If he could've learned to just shut up once in a while, he might have been an okay main character.

The other characters in this book are rather one dimensional, their motivations defining who they are and what they do. Even the bad guys, on every side, are very straight forward. Almost comically so. Britton's motivations keep flip-flopping so it made it even more difficult to like him. Therese and Marty were the only characters that I actually care about what happened to them.

In the end, though, I have to give this book 3 hoots. At no point did I feel like I needed to stop reading it and, when all was said and done, I have to say I am tempted to buy the next book. It has a different main character and the author had more experience under his belt when he wrote it. If it goes on sale, I'll buy it. In the meantime, this first book of the series gets 3 hoots!

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Actually. Best. Jokes. Ever | Chantelle Grace

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

This was a cute little book of knock knock jokes, tongue twisters and puns, definitely meant for a younger audience. A lot of the jokes I had heard before, but I still got quite a few chuckles out of them, as well as several groans of annoyance from my husband when I read them out loud. I do wish the book had more illustration or more to it than just a long list of words, but that's a personal preference. If you're looking for a cute little joke book for a younger child, this is a nice choice. 3 hoots!

The Alchemy of Stone | Ekaterina Sedia

Summary:

Mattie, one of the very few automatons intelligent enough to warrant emancipation from her creator, Loharri, has been asked by the Gargoyles to user her alchemy to help them from turning to stone in the sunlight. At the same time, the city is feeling major unrest with the current political system. The peasants are being forced into mining work since The Mechanics replaced them with automatons in the fields. The Alchemists have worked hard to gain political favor, at the cost of the lower classes and immigrants.

Review:

I'm really not sure where to begin with this book. It is a good book, don't get me wrong. The city is interesting, though I do wish we could've gotten more information about the world. The characters were interesting, though I found it hard to empathize with any other than Mattie and the Soul-Smoker. 

I truly did feel for those characters. Mattie's relationship with Loharri was so abusive and controlling that I was truly disgusted. The lengths that man went through to make sure Mattie could never truly leave him was beyond creepy. He had essentially programmed her to always think of him when she needed help. He held onto the one key that she needed to keep herself wound. He literally held her life in his hands.

"You were ill," he said, "because you went went against your desire to see me. I told you that you always must do so. Didn't I?"

Then, Ilmarekh, the Soul-Smoker, cursed to carry the souls of the dead that refused to pass on. Forced to use opium to keep them all happy. Forced to always be listening to all of their stories and needs, never a moment alone, yet always alone because the living feared him so much. The only time he can quiet the dead is when he stops taking opium. Then he has to deal with the withdrawal which is made all the more difficult by living completely alone and being completely blind.

What little lore we got on the alchemy of this city, and even less the alchemy of the world, was interesting. I do wish we could've gotten more of it. Then again, I'm always a bit of a geek for the technical stuff. It was clear a lot of the technology of this world was steam based, but very little detail went into it. The book focused a lot more on the political unrest and drama-based relationships, which are not my favored books.

This was an engaging read. I had no problems reading through the whole thing rather quickly. Never felt I needed to put the book down. It was good, just not quite great. If you're interested in steampunk drama, by all means give this book a try. For me, I'm giving it 3 hoots.

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Paradox Bound | Peter Clines

*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Eli Teague is waiting for someone. He's met Harry twice, when Eli was in elementary school, then again when he was 13. Each time, Harry's never aged and has always shown up in a Model A with an engine that runs on water. Each time she's been followed by the Faceless Men. When Eli, all grown up, finds out Harry is in danger, he heads out to warn her and gets caught up in history traveling (not time traveling) quest for the American Dream.

Review:

This book is very different from other Clines books that I've read. He has a reference in it to the world of two of his other books (14 and The Fold) which I appreciated. But other than that, this is a very different book. I'll admit, it's not my kind of book, but I still enjoyed it. I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but this book was kind of like National Treasure but with history travel (again, not time travel). I appreciated that the ending was different enough from what I as predicting. There's also a strong sense of humor throughout and the two main characters don't fall in love by the end of the book. All things I enjoy reading. Overall, it was a nice step outside my usual genre. 3 hoots!

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Jam | Yahtzee Croshaw

Summary:

In Brisbane, Australia, Travis and one of his flatmates, Henry, start to head out of the apartment. As soon as they open the building door, however, Henry gets eaten by a flood of jam. Not covered in jam, literally dissolved into it. The week goes downhill from there. Travis, his other flatmate Tim, the and their neighbors Don and Angela, are faced with an apocalypse. Then they're faced with the other survivors, broken into two camps: the ironic Plastic People and the cubicle workers from Hibatsu. 

Review:

There were a lot of enjoyable elements to this book. An amiable main character. Realistic, and therefore hilarious, dialogue and character actions. A goliath birdeater spider. What's not to enjoy? 

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I'm used to Croshaw giving a different but better ending than the one I think I want, but in this case, the ending was disappointing. I get that, in apocalyptic situations people are going to break in different ways, but I did not like Tim's break. I was genuinely disappointed by that development. I also wasn't a fan of the Plastic People and their constant need to be ironic without fully comprehending what that meant. Then again, that could be a testament to Croshaw's writing that he made them so easy to dislike. 

I did get a number of laughs throughout the book. I found it absolutely hilarious that a character who said he had no fear doing something immediately responded to the situation with "OH JESUS MONSTER TRUCK DRIVING CHRIST THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEAAAAAAAAAAA". I also appreciated the references to Mogworld, Croshaw's previous book. Even Travis not being the brightest bulb in the box was kinda funny (though that did get old after a while). 

Overall it's an okay book. It had a lot of good moments, but it ended up leaving me feeling like there could've been more. Maybe it's just me. I still give 3 hoots for all the laughs.

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4th Rock From the Sun | Nicky Jenner

*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

This book takes a look at Mars mostly from a cultural perspective. "The story of Mars" shows just how much influence this one, tiny, red dot in the sky has had on humanity from some of the earliest writings to contemporary media. Jenner also gives us the scientific perspective of what Mars actually is and how it and its moons seem to be anomalies in space, based on what we know of astrophysics. 

Review:

I'll be honest, I did a lot of skimming in this book. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting learn that so many cultures, completely separate from each other, had similar interpretations of Mars and that life on Mars was, and still is, believed to be a thing. It was also interesting to learn that Mars and its moons should, according to all we know, be bigger than they are. Honestly, I love the fact that a planet we've known about for thousands of years still provides us with mysteries to solve. There were a couple of times I felt that he flow of the book was rather disjointed, that Jenner seemed to pole vault from one topic to another, but I still found the book informative and entertaining. 3 hoots!

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Hellboy: On Earth as it is in Hell | Brian Hodge

Summary:

When the Vatican archives are attacked by Seraphim looking to destroy a document that could cause a rift in the Church, the BPRD are called in. Hellboy, Abe and Liz seek to protect the document by taking it to BPRD headquarters, but get attacked and left for dead along the way. They soon find out that, not only are they working against demons who seek to release the document, but also an extreme sect of Christians who seek to destroy the document by, literally, any means.

Review:

I'll be honest, I'm generally the first person to praise the Hellboy novels, but this one kinda fell short for me. There were demons, ghosts, and the Leviathan, but I still found myself feeling bored for a lot of it. I'm not entirely sure why I felt bored, maybe I found the action-to-exposition ratio to be off. Maybe this just wasn't the book for me.

Hodge gets the world of BPRD right and keeps true to the heart of it. There are monsters in both human and demon form. There are pocket worlds where terrible things happen. None of it was particularly scary or mind bending for me. If it weren't for the actual inclusion of the demons and seraphim, this entire book could be an action thriller with an entirely human cast. Maybe that's what makes the book fall flat for me, the monsters and supernatural creatures feel secondary to the philosophy and human nature. And I like my monsters.

Still, if you're interested in thrillers and don't mind the supernatural aspects, you'd probably enjoy this book. As for me, I'm still gonna read Hellboy novels, but this one just doesn't work for me. 3 hoots!

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Action Hero's Handbook | David Borgenicht & Joe Borgenicht

Summary:

A collection of short How-To's written by experts in their various fields, compiled by David and Joe Borgenicht. Each section deals with all the everyday aspects of being an action hero from the mundane checking your hotel room for booby traps to the supernatural creating your own love potion. 

Review:

This was a fun, even informative, book to read. No, I don't think I'll ever need to know the proper procedure to make sure my hotel room isn't booby trapped, but I do think it helpful to know a couple self-defense basics. I also enjoyed the diversity of information in this book. I never thought about it, but action heroes really do need to know a lot of different things. This book even covers some basic dance moves! 

All of the information is provided by experts with years of experience. I greatly appreciated the authors including an "about" section at the end giving each contributor's credentials. The authors, themselves, take the information and make it applicable to the everyday life of an action hero. It makes for a fun and educational read. I know that I certainly learned some good techniques for getting away from potentially dangerous people and situations. 

If you're looking for a light, yet informative read, I do recommend this book. 3 hoots!

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Robota | Doug Chiang and Orson Scott Card

*This book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A 2016 re-release of Robota, a book about a world where robots seek to extinguish all forms of organic life and intelligence. Caps, a human with no memory, joins the resistance and seeks to destroy the leader of the robots, Font Prime.

Review:

I should've picked up this book when it was first published in 2003. It's really easy to see why this is such a popular world. Chiang's art is incredibly beautiful and detailed. The balance between art work and story reminded me of Dinotopia, another series I loved. As it is, I know I'm going to need to buy myself  a copy of this book because electronic just doesn't do the artwork justice. I want to hold the book in my hands so I can get the best look at the world of Robota.

There were a couple of times where I felt that the plot made some skips and jumps. A couple aspects of character development, especially for the villain, kinda just threw stuff at the reader that didn't make a lot of sense, seemingly just so they could surprise the reader. I'll admit, if this is a strong example of Card's writing, I'm not sure I want to read more of his work.

Truly the gem of this book is the world, Robota, and Chiang's artwork bringing it to life. The artwork is so breathtaking and the world so full and developed that I do want a copy for myself. 3 hoots!

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Rift | Lieke Arends

Summary:

Naran Stalwart is a Swedish born, Minnesota resident, scientist who gets invited to live among the Didelians, a nomadic group that performs shows throughout Europe and the United States and accomplish feats that make people question reality. No one has ever been invited to join the Didelians. In fact, very little is known about their culture or how they accomplish such incredible feats. Naran goes on a journey to learn about Didelians and herself.

Review:

There is a lot to like about this book. The characters and the Didelian culture in general are quite interesting. The guided meditations Naran is taken on are effective for readers as well. There is plenty of good natured humor and some cute animals. Most of all, there is a sense of wonder throughout almost every single chapter, especially those describing the Didelian shows. 

I always appreciate when magic and science can work together. While the Didelians use what we would call magic, Naran's training requires science terminology that the Didelians are able to expand on for her. 

My biggest problem with this book is that so much of it felt like an exposition dump. This is not a short book and I get that a lot of the concepts the author wants to discuss are not quickly or easily done. There were so many times, unfortunately, that I found myself skipping ahead a bit because it was just so much exposition., Honestly, there was enough of it that, by the time I had finished the first few chapters of the book, I had figured the two or three "surprises" revealed in the last few chapters. 

If you're interested in a fiction that creates an entire race dedicate to helping people expand their minds using physics-breaking techniques, this is a good story. For me, I won't be picking up more books in the series. I appreciate what the author was trying to do and the Didelians had so much charm about them, but for me, it fell a little flat. 3 hoots!

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Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers | Philip Stokes

*Book and Image provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

From the publisher: 

Philosophy will serve as an excellent guide for those interested in knowing about individual thinkers--such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau and Nietzsche, to name just a few--and the questions and observations that inspired them to write. By presenting individual thinkers, details of their lives and the concerns and circumstances that motivated them, this book makes philosophy come to life as a relevant and meaningful approach to thinking about the contemporary world.

Review:

This book is pretty much what you would expect it to be based on the title and the publisher's summary. It is a glimpse into the lives and philosophies of 100 western philosophers. As someone with a BA in Philosophy, I can tell you that this was a pretty pleasant refresher. If you are looking for a place to start in terms of studying philosophy, this is a good book.

I do wish that Stokes had either specified that it would be all western philosophers or that he would have included some alternate philosophies. In the US you don't normally get to study philosophers outside of western philosophy, and I had hoped that this book would introduce me to some new people. Also, while I applaud the idea that all the philosophers get the same number of pages, it was evident the author had problems with this. Sometimes the pages would be dense and you felt much was left out, other times they would be sparse and you could tell things were stretched.

If you're teaching or taking a Philosophy 101 course, this could be a good supplement. If you're wondering where to begin in your own personal philosophy readings, this is a good place to start. Overall, I give this book 3 hoots.

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Nessie | Nick Redfern

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Nick Redfern does not use this book to retell familiar stories about Nessie. Instead, he uses this book to connect Nessie to supernatural origins, while connecting the creature to others that have been recorded for centuries in Scotland. In doing so, he is able to raise questions about why the search for a single monster has been so unsuccessful and why the flesh-and-blood-creature theories may not be what is needed.

Review:

I've been a Loch Ness Monster fan since junior high. I would spend my lunches reading about Nessie's legends. So when I saw that a new book about Nessie was available, I requested a copy. I found the connections between Nessie and kelpies to be fascinating to think about. The idea that there isn't just one monster in Loch Ness, but an entire species was a lot of fun to think about.

I even got to read some new stories and see some new photos. As much as I love Nessie, I'm not much of a researcher on the topic. So Redfern's retelling of a lot of the stories of Nessie, as well as the legends of kelpies and wyrms, really kept my attention. I really do enjoy new takes on these kinds of legends and Redfern really delivers on that.

The last quarter of the book, or so, kinda lost me. It may be that I've been blessed to not have had many interactions with real magic or it may be that I felt Redfern was pushing me to his conclusions, but I found myself continuously thinking that many of the things he was talking about weren't that supportable. A number of the connections Redfern makes requires a belief in things that I don't subscribe to, so, naturally, I had problems keeping my interest up in the last parts of the book. I don't argue that Nessie could be a kelpie. I don't argue that Nessie could be supernatural. I even agree with Redfern that the plesiosaur theory is unsupportable. But, it seems to me, that the magical attempts to get a good look at Nessie are about as successful as the technological attempts. 

Overall, I loved reading all the new stories about Nessie and Scottish kelpies. Legends of heroes fighting wyrms and giant worms. But if you're not a full believer in all things supernatural (i.e. sorcerers, UFOs) you may find the ending of the book to be more frustrating than anything. 

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A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age | David J. Helfand

*Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

"From dissolving our fear of numbers and demystifying graphs, to elucidating the key concepts of probability and the use of precise language and logic, this book supplies an essential set of apps for the pre-frontal cortex while making science both accessible and entertaining." - NetGalley Summary


Review:

This is a book to be taken slowly. I have a relatively strong interest in math and science, but less than average ability, so reading large segments at a time proved quite difficult. My brain wandered significantly while reading.

I appreciate what the author is trying to do. He is using the first several chapters to try to train your brain for the final few where he presents science vs. pseudoscience. It's similar in structure to Portal where the first 13 levels are actually tutorial levels for the final 10% of the game. He's even given several sample problems in the appendix (and their answers) for further mental exercise.

So, if you're looking for a refresher in math, science and/or critical thinking, this is a good exercise. Be prepared to take it slow, though. Helfand says he understands that his audience probably hasn't doesn't these kinds of mental exercises in some time, but I still felt that he was overestimating my abilities. 3 Hoots!

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Dataclysm | Christian Rudder

*Book provided by Blogging for Books.

Summary:

Christian Rudder, one of co-founders of OkCupid, uses data from OkCupid, Google, Twitter, and others to show patterns of behavior. Some of these patterns relate to romantic interests, but there are also chapters on stereotypes, prejudices, privacy concerns and other information related to living in the digital age.

Review:

I initially requested this book because I actually met my husband on OkCupid and was interested in seeing if our relationship had fit the norms gathered from the OkCupid data. When I started reading it, however, I was happy to be shown a lot of data with Rudder's interpretations. Statistics was one of my favorite subjects and a good portion of the book plays to that. If you have trouble with statistics, this book will show you what kind of practical applications the subject can have.

The majority of the book, however, reads like a set of personal opinion essays. I know that's not what they are; Rudder has a lot of data and has done his research. The subjects he covered were certainly interesting and relevant. For some reason, though, the second half of the book (give or take) just kinda fell flat for me. I lost interest quickly and had a hard time getting through it. I almost think I'd have had more fun just reading a book of statistics. Then again, I've always had problems reading about anything that involves contemporary politics, social life, etc. 

I do encourage you to pick up a copy if you're interested in what the raw data from the Internet says about the United States culture. It's just not for me. 

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Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Brief Synopsis:

Red Queen takes place in a dystopian future where you are judged based on the color of your blood. The Red Bloods have nothing but hard work and poverty while the Silver Bloods have power. And not just economic power, but actual magic-like abilities. Mare Barrow is born Red but discovers, quite publicly, that she has her own ability. She is inducted into the Silver world where every action could give away her true blood and result in her death.

What I Think:

The book is well written and engaging. Aveyard does a wonderful job world building and doing it quickly. Red Queen is an easy read and the story is definitely interesting.

Unfortunately one of the book's greatest strengths is also, for me, its greatest downfall. Mare is constantly warned not to trust anyone. "Anyone can betray anyone". Aveyard does such a wonderful job of keeping you guessing who you can trust that, as a reader, it kept me at an emotional distance from everyone. I ended up feeling nothing for any of the characters because I didn't know who to trust. 

The book also has the problem of having a familiar formula. A teenage girl tries to change her dystopian world and ends up in over her head. The Queen can read and control minds, yet Mare acts as though she can have secrets. I wish I could be half as sure of my plans as teenage protagonists are of theirs. 

But, overall, Red Queen is a good read. It took me to another world and I never had a problem picking the book back up. It's quite likely that this book just isn't my genre. If this is your genre, by all means, pick up a copy! I give Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 3 Hoots!

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I've also started a YouTube channel recently and this is my first book review! Hope you enjoy!

Finding Jesus by Winston Rowntree

This is a cute, fun for a few minutes, kind of book. It's basically "Where's Waldo" but with Jesus instead. I definitely had a lot of fun looking through the pages, not just for the main character, but also for the jokes. There's a lot of silliness in this book and it's definitely fun for several minutes. 

Probably the most notable thing about this book for me is, sadly, the condition I received it in. Not sure if it was the fault of UPS or Blogging For Books* but it makes me sad to see a book so damaged so quickly.

But, book's condition aside, it is fun. I give it 3 hoots!

              Hoot!Hoot!

                 Hoot!

*The people who sent me this book in exchange for an honest review.