Year: 2019

Review: The Castle in the Sea

Title: The Castle in the Sea
Author: Mardi McConnochie
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 14, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of the Sunfish continue as twins, Annalie and Will, inch closer to finding their missing father in this highly original nautical adventure story with a speculative fiction twist. This time, the twins face even more challenges, including terrifying pirates and a devastating storm that will test the strength of their small wooden boat and their friendship.

Once more, Annalie, Will, Essie and Pod set out on the Sunfish to look for Spinner – their only clue a coded list Spinner left behind, naming four scientists who were once his colleagues on a top-secret project.

When a terrible storm separates the crew and almost wrecks the boat, Will and Essie must use all their courage and ingenuity to try and make their way back to the others. Meanwhile, Pod and Annalie, travelling in the crippled Sunfish, are captured by pirates, who agree to fix the Sunfish – at a price.

Not all of Spinner’s former colleagues can be trusted. Worse still, their old nemesis Beckett is still on their trail. Can they follow the clues, track down the scientists, and find Spinner before Beckett does?

The second breathtaking adventure in the Quest of the Sunfish series. 

Review:

This was a great middle grade adventure story!

I didn’t read the first book in the series, but I understood this one. It began right in the middle of a storm, which ended up separating the kids. I was thrown right into the action. The story made sense, even without reading the previous story.

There was a lot of science in this book, but it was different from the typical science themed stories for kids. They didn’t do experiments or use technology. The kids had to solve their problems using the things they found in nature. Since they were on a boat, there were many nautical problems, such as sailing without any wind and navigating through a storm. This is a great way to teach kids how to solve their problems anywhere.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Skeleton Coast by Mardi McConnochie

Have you read The Castle in the Sea? What did you think of it?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – June 16

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Last Guest House

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading The Last Guest House by Megan Miranda.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Littleport, Maine is like two separate towns: a vacation paradise for wealthy holidaymakers and a simple harbour community for the residents who serve them. Friendships between locals and visitors are unheard of – but that’s just what happened with Avery Greer and Sadie Loman.

Each summer for a decade the girls are inseparable – until Sadie is found dead. When the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name before the facts get twisted against her.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Baddies Who Deserve Their Own Story

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Baddies Who Deserve Their Own Story. Here’s my list:

1. The Darkling (Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo)

2. Cersei (A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin)

3. Voldemort (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)

4. Anderson (Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi)

5. Cress (Ash Princess Trilogy by Laura Sebastian)

6. Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Baddies Who Deserve Their Own Story?

Review: Saint Anything

Title: Saint Anything
Author: Sarah Dessen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Peyton, Sydney’s charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion’s share of their parents’ attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton’s increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Review:

I’m in love with this book. It was an amazing rollercoaster of emotions.

I was fascinated with the premise of this book. It begins with Sydney’s brother being convicted for hitting a boy while driving drunk. This affected her, even more than just losing a brother, because she was suddenly restricted in what she was allowed to do. Her parents wanted to protect her from taking the same path as her brother, but it led to her being restricted so much, it was like she was being punished. Once, after Sydney made a small mistake, all of her privileges were taken away. I was so empathetic for Sydney, because she didn’t deserve her extreme punishments.

There was a character that was creepy right from page one. However, Sydney’s parents, in particular her mother, trusted him. It was sad to see her parents trust him, while he was being inappropriate in many ways. It was upsetting to read, but he ultimately got the justice he deserved.

I was craving so many different foods while reading this book! The food they ate was described in detail. Sydney’s friend, Layla, was a connoisseur of french fries. She had a routine of eating them with different ketchup mixtures. Layla’s family owned a pizza store which sold pizza and garlic knots, which sounded delicious! This is definitely not a book to read if you’re hungry!

I loved this story!

What to read next:

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Have you read Saint Anything? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – June 15

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Penguin Random House Canada:

The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Thomas Nelson:

Coral by Sara Ella

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Oni Press:

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, Thomas Nelson and Oni Press for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts

Title: Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts
Author: Esta Spalding
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Kim Fitzgerald-Trout took to driving with ease–as most children would if their parents would ever let them try. She had to. After all, she and her siblings live in a car. 

Meet the Fitzgerald-Trouts, a band of four loosely related children living together in a lush tropical island. They take care of themselves. They sleep in their car, bathe in the ocean, eat fish they catch and fruit they pick, and can drive anywhere they need to go–to the school, the laundromat, or the drive-in. If they put their minds to it, the Fitzgerald-Trouts can do anything. Even, they hope, find a real home. 

Award-winning poet and screenwriter Esta Spalding’s exciting middle grade debut establishes a marvelous place where children fend for themselves, and adults only seem to ruin everything. This extraordinary world is brought to vibrant life by Sydney Smith, the celebrated artist behind Sidewalk Flowers.

Review:

This was such a fun story. I started to read the latest book in this series, but I couldn’t understand it because of the complicated relationships. I’m so glad that I went back to the beginning of the series, because it is a great introduction to the characters.

This story reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Fitzgerald-Trout children live on their own, without their parents. The narrator is also a character in the same way as Lemony Snicket. However, the Fitzgerald-Trouts are not running away from a villain like Count Olaf.

I loved the unconventional family of the Fitzgerald-Trouts. All of the kids think of themselves as brothers and sisters, even though they aren’t all related. They have a mixture of four different parents, with some sharing a mother while others share a father. This family is complicated in an exaggerated way, but it is important to have these kinds of unconventional family structures in novels, especially kids books. Kids who read this story may see their own family reflected in some part of this family.

I loved this story! I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

What to read next:

Knock About with the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding

The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue

Have you read Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – June 14

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“No. No. No. Not the black. Not the choking dark. Not the plastic bag. Panic overwhelms her, forcing the air from her lungs. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. The metallic taste of fear rises in her throat.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… The Mister by E.L. James.

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Goodreads synopsis:

The passionate new romance from E L James, author of the phenomenal #1 bestselling Fifty Shades Trilogy

London, 2019. Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he’s never had to work and he’s rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family’s noble title, wealth, and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It’s a role he’s not prepared for and one that he struggles to face.

But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who’s recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past.  Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she’s an alluring mystery, and Maxim’s longing for her deepens into a passion that he’s never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? Can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he’s been hiding secrets of his own?

From the heart of London through wild, rural Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.

Have you read The Mister? What did you think of it?

Review: Fatal Inheritance

Title: Fatal Inheritance
Author: Rachel Rhys
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Get swept away to the enchanting South of France with this suspenseful historical novel, where perilous secrets lurk under the glitz and glam of seaside wealth. 

She didn’t have an enemy in the world…until she inherited a fortune.

London 1948: Eve Forrester is stuck in a loveless marriage, isolated in her gray and gloomy house when out of the blue, she receives a letter. A wealthy stranger has left her a mysterious inheritance but in order to find out more, she must travel to the glittering French Riviera.

There, Eve discovers she has been bequeathed an enchanting villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and suddenly, life could not be more glamorous. But while she rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, challengers to her unexplained fortune begin to emerge—challengers who would love to see Eve gone forever.

Alone in paradise, Eve must unlock the story behind her surprise bequest—before her unexpected twist of fate turns deadly…

Fatal Inheritance is an intoxicating story of dysfunctional families and long-hidden secrets, set against the decadence of the Côte d’Azur.

Review:

I was excited to read this new suspenseful, historical fiction novel. It didn’t disappoint.

This story was set in the South of France. I’ve never been there, but I would love to go after reading this book. The setting was incredibly descriptive. It was set in various villas along the coast. Though the story was tense, the setting was calming.

The tension of the story built slowly. The plot began immediately, when Eve was told that she had been given an inheritance by a mysterious man. There wasn’t much progression in that plot until the last third of the story. There were a couple of interesting subplots, that didn’t really have anything to do with Eve’s mystery. The ultimate resolution made sense, and I was happy with where Eve ended up.

This is a great historical read for the summer!

Thank you Simon and Schuster for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore

Have you read Fatal Inheritance? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – June 13

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is Into the Water by Paula Hawkins.

Goodreads Synopsis:

‘Julia, it’s me. I need you to call me back. Please, Julia, it’s important…’

In the last days before her death, Nel Abbott called her sister. 

Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. 

Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind.

But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool…

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now. 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?