Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book.

Review: Fort Solitude (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #2)

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Title: Fort Solitude (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #2)
Author: Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Release Date: December 27, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The follow-up to the bestselling hit Study Hall of Justice! Clark Kent is thrilled when he receives an invite to a spring break academic retreat. After taking down the villains of Ducard Academy the previous year, going back to life on the farm was a bit dull. Better yet, his friends Bruce and Diana have been invited there, too! What better way to spend spring break than with old friends (Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) and new ones like Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Barry Allen (the Flash), and Vic Stone (Cyborg)?

When Clark arrives at Camp Evergreen he makes new friends, reconnects with old ones, and nothing seems weird at all! Well, that is until kids start disappearing… One by one…  Plus, there’s a lake monster, bigfoot has been spotted, there are reports of a boogeyman, and there may or may not be a UFO crashed into the lake. Clark, Bruce, and Diana will have to re-assemble the Junior Detective – er- Criminal Investigation Unit, in an all-new, supernatural adventure!

Review:

I really like the concept of this story. The DC Super Hero kids get invited to a camp, and then kids mysteriously disappear.

I also liked the format. There are many different kinds of documents that tell the story, including chat messages between Clark, Diana, and Bruce, Clark’s scrapbooks, and flyers advertising events at the camp. I loved these kinds of books when I was a kid, so I’m sure lots of kids would like this format.

The images were all in black and white, which made it difficult to tell the difference between the characters. Most of the time, they were in their regular clothes, since they aren’t superheroes yet, so they looked the same. If it wasn’t for Clark’s glasses, him and Bruce would have looked the same. I also wasn’t sure who many of the new characters were because they went by their real names. I had to keep googling the names to figure out who they really were, such as Pamela and Arthur. When I learned who they were, it made the story funnier because they were behaving like their future superhero selves.

I’m interested in seeing how this story continues in the next volume.

What to read next:

  • Detention of Doom (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #3) by Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen

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  • Super Sons, Volume 1: When I Grow Up by Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez

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Have you read Fort Solitude? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – October 22

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

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This weekend I finished Fort Solitude (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #1) by Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen.

What I’m currently reading:

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I’m currently reading The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman.

What I’m reading next:

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Next I will be reading The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – October 21

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With…

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 Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Eon and Eona; a Regency adventure series starring a stylish and intrepid Buffy-esque demon-hunter

London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4)

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Title: The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Release Date: April 15, 2000
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Dear Reader,

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.

The pages of this book, I’m sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven’t, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Review:

I loved the beginning of this story. It starts with a few paragraphs about different first sentences and what they tell about the story. The “first sentence” of the story doesn’t come until the second page. I love how Lemony Snicket talks about stories in this way, and brings attention to the fact that it is a story.

There were some pretty gruesome parts at the end of the story. They weren’t described but the implied things that happened were gross. If you’re familiar with the story, you’ll know what I mean.

I enjoyed this story. There wasn’t much of Count Olaf in this story, so it wasn’t quite as tense as previous ones. I hope the next ones are more exciting.

What to read next:

  • The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) by Lemony Snicket

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  • The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

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Have you read The Miserable Mill? What did you think of it?

 

 

Stacking the Shelves – October 20

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 received a book from Thomas Allen & Son:

  • Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss

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I also received a book from Penguin Random House Canada:

  • The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

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Thank you Thomas Allen & Son and Penguin Random House Canada for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Jughead, Vol. 1

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Title: Jughead, Vol. 1
Author: Chip Zdarsky, Erica Henderson
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Archie Comics
Source: Library
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In the grand tradition of comic book reboots like ARCHIE VOL. 1, Archie Comics proudly presents… JUGHEAD VOL. 1–from the comics dream team of Chip Zdarsky (HOWARD THE DUCK) and Erica Henderson (THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL)!

Riverdale High provides a quality education and quality hot lunches, but when one of those is tampered with, JUGHEAD JONES swears vengeance! Well, I mean, he doesn’t “swear.” This is still Archie Comics after all.

Collects JUGHEAD issues #1-6, plus bonus features.

Review:

I’ve never read a book that was just about Jughead before. He was never my favourite character from Riverdale, but I enjoyed this graphic novel.

My favourite part in this graphic novel was the parodies. Each comic had a parody of a movie or TV series, which happened in Jughead’s dreams. My favourite one was the parody of Game of Thrones, where Moose was Hodor and Archie was Jon Snow. It was so clever, and it made me laugh out loud!

I didn’t like the images in this book. The faces were angular and pointy. Many of the characters didn’t look like themselves, so it was kind of confusing.

I still liked the stories in this series, so I’ll read the next one soon!

What to read next:

  • Jughead, Vol. 2 by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, and Derek Charm

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  • Archie, Vol. 1: The New Riverdale by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples

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Have you read Jughead, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – October 19

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:

“When a young lady of more fashion than means has the good sense to win the affection of an older gentleman, a widower of high estate and easy circumstances, it is generally observed that the match is an intelligent one on both sides.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor (Jane Austen Mysteries #1) by Stephanie Barron.

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Goodreads synopsis:

For everyone who loves Jane Austen…a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth! On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel’s husband–a gentleman of mature years–is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl’s death seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it’s only the beginning of her misfortune…as she receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl’s nephew of adultery–and murder. Desperately afraid that the letter will expose her to the worst sort of scandal, Isobel begs Jane for help. And Jane finds herself embroiled in a perilous investigation that will soon have her following a trail of clues that leads all the way to Newgate Prison and the House of Lords–a trail that may well place Jane’s own person in the gravest jeopardy.

Have you read Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor? What did you think of it?

Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

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Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

Review:

I liked this story.

I thought that 9/11 would play a bigger role in the story. The terrorist attack set the scene for the racism that Shirin experienced, but it wasn’t really part of the story.

I liked that being Muslim wasn’t the only part of Shirin that was prominent in the story. Though people around her only saw her hijab when they looked at her, she was just like any girl. She liked music and she fell in love. She fought with her brother and didn’t agree with her parents. These aspects of her personality are universal, and didn’t have anything to do with her being Muslim.

I loved the romance in the story. It was slow and apprehensive, but it was real. However, I didn’t like the ending. It was abrupt and it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I still liked the rest of the story.

What to read next:

  • Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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  • When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

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Have you read A Very Large Expanse of Sea? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – October 18

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 P.S. I Still Love You (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Timesbestseller To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

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