Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Center of the Universe

Title: The Center of the Universe
Author: Ria Voros
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: KCP Loft
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Grace Carter’s mother — the celebrity news anchor GG Carter — is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace — an aspiring astrophysicist — is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just … gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace’s family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG’s disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school’s golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother’s long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted … or did she leave? And if she left, why?

Review:

I loved this story! It had suspenseful elements, but it had a heartwarming ending.

The first half of the story was about the mystery of Grace’s missing mother. There were so many questions as to why she left or if she was taken. I enjoyed this mystery, because I couldn’t guess what would happen next. Even when that mystery was solved, there was still a lot more to the story.

Science was a major theme in this book. Grace is interested in astrophysics, and she has even been mentioned in an article as the founder of an exoplanet. There is an interview with the astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker at the end of the book, and she is featured as a character in the novel too. This is great representation for young adults who are interested in pursuing a career in science.

I also liked that this story was about more than just Grace’s missing mother. This story explored the mother/daughter relationship between Grace and her mother, as well as her mother and grandmother. I think this was actually the main point of the story. Grace had to look for a way to find her mother, both literally and figuratively.

This is a great new story!

Stacking the Shelves – May 11

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 5 books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

Your Life is Mine by Nathan Ripley

I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie

Temper by Layne Fargo

The Honeymooners by Christina Lauren

The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

Title: The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate
Author: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, LeUyen Pham (illustrations)
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Noseholes and elephants! A pet-eating monster interrupts a perfect playdate with Princess Sneezewort . . . but who is that new masked avenger?

Princess Magnolia and Princess Sneezewort have plans . . . mysterious plans, like a princess playdate! They dress-up slam! They karaoke jam! They playhouse romp and snack-time stomp! But then a shout from outside Princess Sneezewort’s castle interrupts their fun. It’s a monster trying to eat someone’s kitty! This is a job for the Princess in Black. Yet when the Princess in Black gets there, she finds only a masked stranger and no monster in sight . . . or is there? Action and humor abound in this ode to friendship that proves that when shape-shifting monsters intrude on your plans, two heroes are better than one.

Review:

The Princess in Black makes a new superhero friend in this story. The story begins after she has defeated a monster with the Goat Avenger. She has a play date with Princess Sneezewort, but it is interrupted by a monster in the park. Princess Sneezewort uses the list of steps she read in a magazine to transform into a hero, the Princess in Blankets. Together, the Princess in Black and the Princess in Blankets defeat the monster.

This is an adorable series! The story is funny and the pictures are beautiful. I love the vibrant colours of the characters and the setting.

Though these stories are short, the characters become more developed in each one. A couple of books ago, Princess Magnolia met Princess Sneezewort. In this book, Princess Sneezewort transformed into a hero just like the Princess in Black. I love the running joke that no one recognizes these heroes in their disguises, even though it still looks like them.

This is a great series for kids and their parents!

First Lines Friday – May 10

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:

“If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the Policeman at the crossroads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side, scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-gloved finger and say: ‘First to your right, second to your left, sharp right again, and you’re there. Good-morning.'”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1) by P.L. Travers.

Goodreads synopsis:

When Jane and Michael Banks draw up an advertisement for a nanny, Mary Poppins arrives on a gust of the East Wind and slides up the bannister, changing their lives forever.

Their wonderful new nanny is strict but fair, and full of surprises. Soon the Banks children are whisked off on the most exciting and magical adventures they have ever had. But Mary Poppins has only promised to stay until the wind changes…

Have you read Mary Poppins? What did you think of it?

Review: Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens

Title: Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens
Author: Tanya Boteju
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Perpetually awkward Nima Kumara-Clark is bored with her insular community of Bridgeton, in love with her straight girlfriend, and trying to move past her mother’s unexpected departure. After a bewildering encounter at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene on the other side of town.

Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies propel Nima both painfully and hilariously closer to a self she never knew she could be—one that can confidently express and accept love. But she’ll have to learn to accept lost love to get there.

Review:

This was a great story about finding your identity.

The story was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the scenes where Nami learned about drag queens and kings. I had never heard of drag kings before reading this novel. At first, Nami was unsure of the drag show, but she ended up loving it. She also befriended a king and a queen.

Some of the story was upsetting. Nami’s mother left her and her father without warning. When her reason is finally revealed, I didn’t like it. I didn’t think it was a good enough reason, because she was essentially running away from her problems. Nami was dealing with her own problems, so it wasn’t fair for her to see her mom run away like that.

Nami had some embarrassing moments in the story, including vomiting in a hot tub. I felt so sympathetic for her in those moments, because they were humiliating. However, when something embarrassing happened or she made a mistake, she always got back up and kept going.

I loved this book. It’s a great story about finding your gender identity.

TBR Thursday – May 9

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 People Like Us by Dana Tele.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple.

The dead girl has left Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt, which, as it unravels, begins to implicate suspect after suspect, until Kay herself is in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. But if Kay’s finally backed into a corner, she’ll do what it takes to survive. Because at Bates Academy, the truth is something you make…not something that happened.

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

Review: Nocturna (A Forgery of Magic #1)

Title: Nocturna (A Forgery of Magic #1)
Author: Maya Motayne
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in a Latinx-inspired world, a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed.

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.

As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.

Review:

This is the first book in an exciting new fantasy series.

The world in this novel is Latinx-inspired. I love the way that the culture was brought into the novel in the atmosphere and the language. There were Latinx-inspired words used for the magic spells in the world. I think there could have been even more Latin elements in the story, but hopefully that will come in the next book.

This story had an exciting heist-like plot, similar to Six of Crows. It was different from Six of Crows because it was only a group of two people on the quest. Because of that, it was a little easier to follow. It was a thrilling journey to read!

I loved this book! I’m excited to see what happens next! Also, Maya Motayne will be coming to the Toronto area on the weekend so I can’t wait to meet her!

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – May 8

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 Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. The release date is June 4, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Top 5 Wednesday – Mother Figures

This meme is hosted by Lainey from Thoughts on Tomes. The Goodreads Group for Top 5 Wednesday can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Mother Figures. These are some memorable literary mother figures, either for their great skills or lack of skills… Here’s my list:

1. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)

https://www.pottermore.com/features/mrs-weasleys-defining-moments-from-boggarts-to-bellatrix

2. Margot Covey (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han)

https://to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before.fandom.com/wiki/Margot_Covey

3. Mrs. Bennet (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/prideandprejudice/characters/mrs_bennet_person_page.shtml

4. Queen Clarisse (The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot)

https://d23.com/5-etiquette-rules-from-queen-clarisse-renaldi/

5. Queen Levana (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer)

https://lunarchronicles.fandom.com/wiki/Levana_Blackburn

Who do you think are the most memorable mother figures in books?

Review: The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Graphic Novels #2)

Title: The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Graphic Novels #2)
Author: Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventh grade has been surprisingly quiet for Percy Jackson. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get…well, ugly. And the unexpected arrival of his friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed.

In the follow-up to the wildly popular The Lightning Thief, The Graphic Novel, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family–one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Featuring a faithful adaptation by Robert Venditti, stunning artwork by Attila Futaki, and sumptuous colors by newcomer Tamas Gaspar, Rick Riordan’s blockbuster book comes to life in The Sea of Monsters, The Graphic Novel.

Review:

This was a fun graphic novel!

I loved the original novel, The Sea of Monsters. It mirrors the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. In the Odyssey, Odysseus faces many challenges on his way home from the Trojan war, including surviving encounters with the sorceress Circe and the cyclops Polyphemus. In this story, Percy goes on a quest with his friends to save his friend Grover and retrieve the Golden Fleece to save his camp. He also encounters Circe and Polyphemus on his journey.

This graphic novel was true to the novel. It has been a while since I read the novel, but this story was exactly the way I remembered it. The graphics were detailed as well. I loved seeing these characters come to life on the page.

I loved this graphic novel! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Your Life is Mine by Nathan Ripley

I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie

Temper by Layne Fargo

The Honeymooners by Christina Lauren

The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, LeUyen Pham (illustrator)

Goodreads synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Summer of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1) by Julie Murphy

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) by Roshani Chokshi

Goodreads Synopsis:

1. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)

2. Margot Covey (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han)

3. Mrs. Bennet (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

4. Queen Clarisse (The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot)

5. Queen Levana (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

The Titan’s Curse: The Graphic Novel (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Graphic Novels #3) by Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti