Review: The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3)

Title: The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3)
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Indigo Fall Preview
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes the thrilling conclusion to the Printz Honor–winning series Arc of a Scythe.

It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

Review:

This was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2019. I was beyond excited to get an ARC of it.

The story started out super slow. It follows the huge events of the last book, where some major characters were potentially killed. I don’t want to give too much away, in case anyone hasn’t read it yet. This story started out following some minor characters from the first two books. I kept waiting to hear from my favourite characters, Citra and Rowan.

I found that the story really picked up halfway through the book. Then, it was really hard to put down. The first half of the book was kind of an introduction to the story. There was necessary information in the first half that was needed to create the huge ending. However, it was very slow paced. I wish some of the events of the two halves of the books were woven together to make the pacing a little steadier.

The ending of the story was one of my favourite endings to a book series ever. I’m so happy with how it ended. The book took a little work to get through, but the ending was worth it!

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

What to read next:

Dry by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman

The Diabolic (The Diabolic #1) by S.J. Kincaid

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

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – November 4

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:

This weekend I finished The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live and Intentional Life by Neil Pasricha.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – November 3

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 Raven King

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 Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books With Snow/Ice in the Title

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 Books With Snow/Ice in the Title. Here’s my list:

1. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

2. The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

3. Cold as Ice (Whatever After #6) by Sarah Mlynowski

4. Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle

5. Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Books With Snow/Ice in the Title?

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Review: Black Canary: Ignite

Title: Black Canary: Ignite
Author: Meg Cabot, Cara McGee
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Zoom
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Meg Cabot’s first graphic novel!

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she’s going. First, she’ll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she’ll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock star group of friends may even save the world, but first they’ll need to agree on a band name.

When a mysterious figure keeps getting in the way of Dinah’s goals and threatens her friends and family, she’ll learn more about herself, her mother’s secret past, and navigating the various power chords of life.

Review:

I love that this is Meg Cabot’s first graphic novel! I love her writing, and I could really hear her voice in this story.

Dinah is a unique character. She has superpowers, which are kind of hard to figure out. She has a powerful voice that can break things, like glass. I loved the part where her parents are told she might have superpowers, and they are glad to hear it. Usually, parents are called in to speak to the principal because of a behavioural problem, but Dinah’s parents were excited that she had superpowers.

This book felt like an introduction to the character. I think Dinah’s story could have been longer. Her parents and friends played a very minor role in the story, which could be expanded into more stories. I don’t think this book is part of a series, but it should be. I wish there was going to be more to the story because I would love to read more.

I really enjoyed this new graphic novel!

What to read next:

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh

Have you read Black Canary: Ignite? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – November 2

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 two books from Pajama Press:

The Elephant by Peter Carnavas

The Skeleton Coast (Quest of the Sunfish #3) by Mardi McConnochie

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Blackstone Publishing:

The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel

I was approved for 3 books on NetGalley from Inkyard Press:

Runemaker (The Runebinder Chronicles #3) by Alex R. Kahler

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Thank you Pajama Press, Blackstone Publishing, and Inkyard Press for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Classic Munsch Moods

Title: Classic Munsch Moods
Author: Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Annick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

All the feels, Classic Munsch-style

Your favorite Classic Munsch characters are back, here to help young Munsch fans understand and articulate their feelings. Elizabeth and other familiar friends are joined by new faces to demonstrate the wonderful range of emotions we can experience in a day. With three new illustrations by Michael Martchenko, Classic Munsch Moods is the latest in the Classic Munsch board book series designed to help toddlers grasp important primary concepts in fun Munsch style.

Review:

This is an adorable Robert Munsch book!

In this book, there are a variety of illustrations of his famous characters. Each character illustration shows a different emotion that they were feeling at that time in their story. I recognized almost all of the illustrations from his famous stories.

I was surprised to see such a variety of emotions represented in all of his books. This book is very relevant today since there is a large focus on different emotions today, especially depression and anxiety. Children have these emotions as well, which is important to recognize.

I loved this story! It’s short, but great for young kids.

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

What to read next:

Classic Munsch ABC by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Classic Munsch 123 by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Have you read Classic Munsch Moods? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – November 1

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:

“‘Absolutely not. What an utterly hairbrained idea, Annabelle.’ Gilbert’s eyes had the rolling look of a hare that knew the hounds were upon him.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore.

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Goodreads synopsis:

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….

Have you read Bringing Down the Duke? What did you think of it?

Review: DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High

Title: DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High
Author: Amy Wolfram, Yancey Labat
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Zoom
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A new era of DC Super Hero Girls begins in DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High!

Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bumblebee, and Zatanna are continually late to class because of their crime-fighting, and Principal Chapin is tired of hearing their excuses. These girls need to show more school spirit…or else they’ll be suspended!

Principal Chapin’s demand that they each find an after-school club and stick with it for a whole week seems easy, until the girls get kicked out of the clubs they choose. Instead, they must think outside the box and step out of their comfort zones. As if having secret identities and balancing school with super-heroics didn’t offer enough challenges!

Review:

I love the DC Super Hero Girls graphic novels. It’s great to see these familiar characters interacting in their high school. 

This graphic novel was a little different from the other DC Super Hero Girls books I’ve read because the girls were divided into groups of super heroes versus villains. They are usually a big group of friends, not divided. This was part of the storyline, because the superhero girls were getting in trouble for being late at school, but the villain girls somehow always made it there on time, even when they were wrecking havoc. 

A funny part of this graphic novel was that the teachers were never shown. They weren’t even given dialogue. This reminded me of Charlie Brown, where the teachers and adults only make noises, but we never actually understand what they’re saying. This made the students the focus of the story, rather than what the teachers were telling them. 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel!

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

What to read next:

DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis by Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat

Have you read DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High? What did you think of it?