Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon #2)

Title: The Tea Dragon Festival
Author: Katie O’Neill
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s, Fantasy
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

Review:

This is another adorable story featuring the tea dragons.

This story has some of the same characters as The Tea Dragon Society, but it could be read as a stand-alone book. It has a different story. In this book, a dragon is woken up after sleeping for 80 years. This dragon is from a special clan, who was meant to look after the village. The characters try to reintroduce the dragon into their village.

One of the villagers was deaf, so the other people learned sign language. They would speak in sign language. This was demonstrated with the text in a different kind of text box, to show that it was being signed. I really liked this representation of sign language.

I love the illustrations in this series. The settings are beautiful, and remind me of fairy tales because of the flowers and plants. The dragons and tea dragons aren’t like typical dragons. These ones are cute and cuddly. They almost look like stuffed toys!

I really enjoyed this book!

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

Other Books in the Series:

The Tea Dragon Society

Have you read The Tea Dragon Festival? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – December 21

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 had a wish granted on NetGalley from Sourcebooks Kids:

Jinxed (Jinxed #1) by Amy McCulloch

I received a book on NetGalley from Harlequin:

The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick

I received a book from Simon and Schuster Canada:

The Secret Hours (Deverill Chronicles #4) by Santa Montefiore

Thank you Sourcebooks Kids, Harlequin, and Simon and Schuster Canada for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: One Week ‘Til Christmas

Title: One Week ‘Til Christmas
Author: Belinda Missen
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: HQ Digital
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.
Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.
Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…
When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.
It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.
There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?
For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss!

Review:

This was an adorable Christmas romance.

It was a short and sweet story. The whole story takes place in the week before Christmas. Tom and Isobel meet while she’s on a writing assignment to interview him. They end up having a whirlwind romance that has to come to an end when she leaves for Christmas. The question was, were they going to stay together even if she left to go to Australia for Christmas?

I loved all the references to London in this story. Isobel is originally from Australia but she’s on a holiday in London during the book. London is one of my favourite cities, and it’s so pretty when it’s decorated for the holidays. I loved all the locations mentioned in the book.

I really enjoyed this Christmas story!

Thank you HQ Digital for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First Lines Friday – December 20

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:

“‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
‘It’s so dreadful to be poor!’ sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Goodreads synopsis:

Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

Have you read Little Women? What did you think of it?

Review: The Fever King (Feverwake #1)

Title: The Fever King (Feverwake #1)
Author: Victoria Lee
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, LGBTQ
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.
The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.
Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

Review:

I had a hard time getting into this story at the beginning because it was very political. It takes place in the future, where the United States is divided up into separate countries. There were protests from the refugees who were being deported from the countries. There was also a virus going around that either killed people, or, for a few, gave them a magic power.

Once the story went from the broad political story to a plot about the main characters, I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t tell who was lying and what side people were on. It was especially tricky because some characters were telepathic, so they knew when others were lying to them.

This was an exciting story. I really enjoyed it!

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

TBR Thursday – December 19

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 The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Noah Shaw confesses all in this second novel of a chilling new companion series to Michelle Hodkin’s New York Timesbestselling Mara Dyer trilogy!
Noah Shaw doesn’t think he needs his father’s inheritance.
He does.
Noah believes there’s something off about the suicides in his visions.
There is.
Noah is convinced that he still knows the real Mara Dyer.
He does not.
Everyone thought the nightmare had ended with Mara Dyer’s memoirs, but it was only the beginning. As old skeletons are laid bare, alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one will be left unscarred.

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

Review: Grease Bats

Title: Grease Bats
Author: Archie Bongiovanni
Genre: Graphic Novel, LGBTQ
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

So, no one told you life was gonna be this gay! Grease Bats stars Andy, a trans genderqueer individual who is both tough and loving, and their BFF Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker.
Andy and Scout are best buds, roommates, and gay disasters. Along with their friends and plenty of beer, they’re just trying to make it through their 20s, survive late capitalism, and navigate the dating world. Tough and loving Andy is a genderqueer trans individual, who dates like there’s no tomorrow, while Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker, is still languishing over her ex-girlfriend…from like two years ago.
Created by Archie Bongiovanni (The Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns) and originally published on Autostraddle, this edition collects all the best misadventures, internet dates, and bad decisions in one place!

Review:

This book is a collection of comics about two best friends, Andy and Scout. They are both genderqueer. Throughout the comics, they go through a few years of adventures. These include, holidays such as Halloween, lots of partying, and even camping.

These characters were so funny. Andy was overdramatic a lot of the time, but also funny. They wore message tanks all the time, and were always drinking and looking for a party. Scout was more serious, which balanced out Andy’s personality.

They also had some other friends who made appearances throughout the comics. Each of the friends were so different, though they identified as genderqueer. It shows that just because they have similar gender identities, they had different ways of expressing their feelings. They all had different ideas of how they should behave, so they had to figure out what they wanted in life.

I really enjoyed these comics!

Thank you BOOM! Studios for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – December 18

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 A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison. The expected publication date is January 7, 2020

Goodreads Synopsis:

When they’re stuck under one roof, the house may not be big enough for their hate…or their love.
When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the wealthy coastal community of Pacific Hills, he’s ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.
Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames.
Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won’t be denied. Through time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that’s taken Trice’s heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce #7)

Title: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce #7)
Author: Alan Bradley
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Library
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Flavia de Luce—“part Harriet the Spy, part Violet Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” (The New York Times Book Review)—takes her remarkable sleuthing prowess to the unexpectedly unsavory world of Canadian boarding schools in the captivating new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Alan Bradley.

Banished! is how twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce laments her predicament, when her father and Aunt Felicity ship her off to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy, the boarding school that her mother, Harriet, once attended across the sea in Canada. The sun has not yet risen on Flavia’s first day in captivity when a gift lands at her feet. Flavia being Flavia, a budding chemist and sleuth, that gift is a charred and mummified body, which tumbles out of a bedroom chimney. Now, while attending classes, making friends (and enemies), and assessing the school’s stern headmistress and faculty (one of whom is an acquitted murderess), Flavia is on the hunt for the victim’s identity and time of death, as well as suspects, motives, and means. Rumors swirl that Miss Bodycote’s is haunted, and that several girls have disappeared without a trace. When it comes to solving multiple mysteries, Flavia is up to the task—but her true destiny has yet to be revealed.

Review:

I love the Flavia de Luce mysteries. She is a hilarious twelve year old girl in the 1950s, who loves chemistry. She stumbles upon mysteries wherever she goes. In this story, she travels to Toronto to attend her mother’s former school. She discovers a body stuffed in the fireplace of her room the first night she is there. She spends the rest of the book snooping to figure out what happened.

I loved this audiobook. The narrator, Jane Entwhistle, was amazing. She had the best voice for Flavia, and the voices she did for the Canadian characters were great too. I really liked how slowly she spoke. It gave me time to listen to the story and understand what was happening. Sometimes audiobook narrators speak so quickly that I have a hard time following the story, but her pacing was great.

I didn’t like the ending of the story. There wasn’t really any way for the reader to figure out what had happened. It felt rushed, with many of the mysteries being uncovered at once.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I’ll definitely have to listen to more Flavia de Luce audiobooks!

Top Ten Tuesday – Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Winter TBR. Here’s my list: