April 2018 – Page 5 – Jill's Book Blog

‘Waiting On’ Wednesday – April 4

New WoW

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Isle of Blood and Stone.

Here’s the synopsis:

Ulises asked, “How can I look at these maps, see this riddle, and do nothing? They are my brothers.”

Elias reached across the table and flicked aside two shells with a fingertip. The map curled into itself. “It’s bound to be a goose chase. You know that?”

“Or a treasure hunt,” Ulises countered, “and you’ve always been good at those.”

Nineteen-year-old Elias is a royal explorer, a skilled mapmaker, and the new king of del Mar’s oldest friend. Soon he will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, an expedition past the Strait of Cain and into uncharted waters. Nothing stands in his way…until a long-ago tragedy creeps back into the light, threatening all he holds dear.

The people of St. John del Mar have never recovered from the loss of their boy princes, kidnapped eighteen years ago, both presumed dead. But when two maps surface, each bearing the same hidden riddle, troubling questions arise. What really happened to the young heirs? And why do the maps appear to be drawn by Lord Antoni, Elias’s father, who vanished on that same fateful day? With the king’s beautiful cousin by his side—whether he wants her there or not—Elias will race to solve the riddle of the princes. He will have to use his wits and guard his back. Because some truths are better left buried…and an unknown enemy stalks his every turn.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour: Zombie Abbey

Title: Zombie Abbey
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: April 3, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

1920, England

And the three teenage Clarke sisters thought what they’d wear to dinner was their biggest problem…

Lady Kate, the entitled eldest.
Lady Grace, lost in the middle and wishing she were braver.
Lady Lizzy, so endlessly sunny, it’s easy to underestimate her.

Then there’s Will Harvey, the proud, to-die-for—and possibly die with!—stable boy; Daniel Murray, the resourceful second footman with a secret; Raymond Allen, the unfortunate-looking young duke; and Fanny Rogers, the unsinkable kitchen maid.

Upstairs! Downstairs! Toss in some farmers and villagers!

None of them ever expected to work together for any reason.

But none of them had ever seen anything like this.

Review:

I loved this book! I miss watching Downton Abbey so much, so this book filled that hole in my life!

This book is a young adult version of Downton Abbey, mixed with a lot of humour. I could recognize which character in Downton Abbey matched the ones in Zombie Abbey. Fanny was the ditzy kitchen maid, who had lots of opinions on the people upstairs. She reminded me of Daisy in Downton. Katherine was the oldest daughter and Benedict was her distant cousin, who is also her father’s heir. They reminded me of Mary and Matthew in Downton. Those are just a couple of the most obvious comparisons, but almost every character in this story has a match in Downton. These similarities were great because it made it easier to differentiate between the many characters in this ensemble cast.

The story was quite funny too. The Clarke family was very oblivious to the problems of the farmers and villagers. This was different from the Crawley family on Downton, who cared about the people on their land. The zombies that appeared were also funny, because they were so unexpected. When reading about an early 20th century English estate, you don’t expect to see Zombies pop up on their hunting trips. The zombie aspect of the story was a lot like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, because though we are familiar with the story, the zombies disrupt the narrative in a funny way.

I loved this story! This a must read for fans of Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

About the Author:

Amelia Brunskill was born in Melbourne, Australia, but she grew up mostly in Washington state where she picked a lot of blackberries, read a lot of books, and failed to properly appreciate the epic beauty of the mountains and the Pacific ocean.

She earned her bachelors degrees in psychology and art from the University of Washington and her master in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She now lives in Chicago, where she eats as much Thai food as possible and works as a librarian.

The Window is her debut novel.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Vicious

Title: Vicious
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Review:

V.E. Schwab is one of my favourite authors. She is an amazing writer. This book is a fabulous example.

Throughout the story, the setting switches between the present, two nights ago, ten years ago, and other time periods in between. In many stories, this is confusing, but it made sense in this book. In each chapter, the main character was introduced quickly, so I knew exactly where we were in the storyline.

The information in the story is unraveled slowly, but it made it so addicting to read. I had lots of questions right from the beginning, and the answers were slowly given. It was enough to keep me intrigued but I also didn’t have any idea where the story was going.

I loved the way that the disinction between good and evil are blurred in this story. It isn’t clear who is a villain or a hero, or even if there isn’t a hero or villain. Victor and Eli both have reasons for hunting out people, and they both think they’re right, but who are they to decide who lives or dies? I loved this philosophical layer to the story.

I’m glad I read this story now, because the long awaited sequel is coming out later this year. I loved this book!

Review: A Big Hand For The Doctor

Title: A Big Hand For The Doctor
Author: Eoin Colfer
Genre: Short Story, Science Fiction
Publisher: Puffin
Source: Purchased
Release Date: January 23, 2013
Rating: ★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children’s fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord.

London, 1900. The First Doctor is missing both his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding Soul Pirates intent on harvesting human limbs, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget…

Review:

I’m not very familiar with the first Doctor Who. I’ve watched a couple of episodes with him in them, but they are very different from the current episodes. He isn’t my favourite Doctor, but without him the show may not exist today. The actor who played the Doctor got dementia, so he could no longer act on the show. They had him “regenerate” into a new actor. It was a clever way to keep the story going for 50 years.

I didn’t like the way the Doctor was portrayed in this story. He spent a long time obsessing over his new strange claw hand thing. He looked for weapons to fight the bad guys, when the Doctor is supposed to be a peaceful figure. He didn’t seem like the character I know. He may have changed over time, but this version isn’t right for today’s audience.

The narrative was strange. It kept switching from the Doctor’s perspective to the perspective of other characters. It was all done in third person, but the narrator knew everyone’s thoughts. I don’t like this style, because it isn’t focused on one character. It is too broad.

I didn’t like this story, but I hope I like the others in the 50th anniversary short story collection.

1st Blogiversary And 600 Followers! Giveaway Time!

Today is my 1st Blogiversary!

I’ve written a book review everyday for the past year!

I’m so thankful for all of my followers! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my reviews everyday.

Also, as of today, I have 600 followers, which is just amazing!

As a thank you to everyone who has supported my blog and to celebrate my first year of blogging, I am doing a giveaway!

The winner will receive any book worth $20 or less from the Book Depository.
Open to residents of any country where the Book Depository ships.
Giveaway open until 11:59 PM, April 7, 2018

a Rafflecopter giveaway