Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Princess in Black

Title: The Princess in Black
Author: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, LeUyen Pham
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

Review:

This is a girl power story about a princess who has a secret life as a superhero.

I’ve been interested in this series for years. I love the images on the covers. Princess Magnolia is a tough girl, who lives her everyday life as a princess. No one knows about her secret life as a superhero.

This story was very funny. Princess Magnolia was having tea when she heard her monster signal and she had to run way to change into her black costume to fight the dragon. This is unheard of because princesses don’t wear black.

Princess Magnolia is a strong character for kids to read about. She doesn’t follow silly, old-fashioned rules so she can make a difference in the world. I loved reading her story, and I can’t wait to read more.

First Lines Friday – November 23

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 Patricia was six years old, she found a wounded bird. The sparrow thrashed on top of a pile of wet red leaves in the crook of two roots, waving its crushed wing. Crying in a pitch almost too high for Patricia to hear. She looked into the sparrow’s eye, enveloped by a dark stripe, and she saw its fear.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.

Goodreads synopsis:

A novel about the end of the world–and the beginning of our future

Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn’t expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one’s peers and families.

But now they’re both adults, living in the hipster mecca of San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who’s working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world’s magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world’s ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together–to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

A deeply magical, darkly funny examination of life, love, and the apocalypse.

Have you read All the Birds in the Sky? What did you think of it?

Review: Doctor Who: Dead Air

Title: Doctor Who: Dead Air
Author: James Goss (narrated by David Tennant)
Genre: Science Fiction, Audiobook
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks
Source: Library
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

At the bottom of the sea, in the wreck of a floating radio station, a lost recording has been discovered. After careful restoration, it is played for the first time – to reveal something incredible. It is the voice of the Doctor, broadcasting from Radio Bravo in 1966. He has travelled to Earth in search of the Hush – a terrible weapon that kills, silences and devours anything that makes noise.

Review:

I loved this audiobook!

The book starts out with a disclaimer that the recording was found in the sea, so there may be problems with the audio. I love this introduction!

When the narrator started speaking, I thought he was doing a great impression of the Tenth Doctor. Then I realized it is David Tennant narrating! He was awesome! He’s my favourite Doctor. He also did great different voices for the other characters.

The story was spooky and exciting. It reminded me of the episode LIving Library. The creature, he Hush, is a lot like the vashtra neurada from that episode. It captured people and used their voices as a recording. It was very creepy.

I just loved this book! I highly recommend it for all Doctor Who fans.

TBR Thursday – November 22

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 Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1) by Signe Pike.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mists of Avalon meets Philippa Gregory in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin.

Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, and brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable heroine of The Lost Queen, a tale of conflicted loves and survival set against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, a magical land of myths and superstition inspired by the beauty of the natural world. One of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever.

Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings the hero Emrys Pendragon, to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch’s wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear.

The Lost Queen brings this remarkable woman to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of the most enduring legends of all time.

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

Review: Goldilocks and the Infinite Bears: A Pie Comics Collection

Title: Goldilocks and the Infinite Bears: A Pie Comics Collection
Author: John McNamee
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: ebook
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Pie Comics began as a college comic strip way back is the mid ’00s, when flip phones roamed the earth. But it wasn’t until a shoulder injury forced John to simplify his drawing style and improvise the comics instead of actually sitting down and writing them that Pie Comics became the beloved strip it is today! This collection showcases some of the funniest and most trenchant of Onion writer John McNamee’s online comic strips, found at piecomic.tumblr.com.

Review:

This is a hilarious collection of comics.

Each comic is about page long and has parodies of fairytales or popular characters. I loved them, and I laughed out loud many times. For example, Super Mario runs through tunnels, but he forgets that his actual job is to unclog drains. That makes fun of how the games have drifted so far from the original premise.

There were multiple stories from the story of Cinderella. In one, Cinderella goes to a pawn shop with her jewelry from the fairy godmother, and it turns into bugs after midnight. Another one makes fun of the fact that Prince Charming doesn’t actually know what her face looks like.

Though there are references to kids stories, it isn’t a collection for children. It is a laugh-out-loud collection of comics.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 21

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 Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone’s declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous–and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Love Letters to Jane’s World

Title: Love Letters to Jane’s World
Author: Paige Braddock
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: ebook
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This essential Jane’s World collection debuts twenty years after Jane Wyatt first appeared in Paige Braddock’s trailblazing comics strip about a young lesbian woman making her clumsy way in the world and the friends who help (or hinder) her along the journey. The Eisner-nominated Jane’s World was the first syndicated comic strip with a lesbian main character to appear in many major newspaper markets. This new volume collects the most quintessentially “Jane” storylines from the strip’s early, middle, and later years, and pairs them with “love letters” and notes of appreciation from notable fans.

Review:

This is a collection of the comics Jane’s World.

Jane is an ordinary girl. She goes through life experiencing every day things, that I think most people can relate to. I don’t think I’ve ever read a graphic novel where the main character steps in gum, but Jane does.

I loved the way the comics broke the fourth wall, and talked about creating the comics. The artists made an appearance in some of the stories. I love this technique because it brings the reader right into the story, by commenting on how it is created.

Another thing I loved about these stories was that being gay was the norm. The majority of the characters were gay. It was a world where being gay was the norm rather than being straight. This was a refreshingly modern take on a romantic story, where the female lead could date any of the women who walked into her life because they were also gay.

I really enjoyed this collection!

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I’m Thankful For

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 Books I’m Thankful For. These are the books that inspired my love of reading, from when I was a kid until now. Here’s my list:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

5. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

6. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) by Louise Rennison

7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

8. The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew #4) by Carolyn Keene

9. Into the Blue (Dolphin Diaries #1) by Ben M. Baglio

10. The Face on the Milk Carton (Janie Johnson #1) by Caroline B. Cooney

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: The Thief and the Sword (Cleopatra in Space #2)

Title: The Thief and the Sword (Cleopatra in Space #2)
Author: Mike Maihack
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cleopatra’s space adventure in the REALLY far future continues!

When a mysterious thief steals the ancient sword Cleo recovered in Cleopatra In Space, Book One: Target Practice, Cleo is determined to get it back, but her teachers at Yasiro Academy forbid her from risking her life. Stuck at school, Cleo is having a hard time adjusting to her newfound popularity and responsibility. And when she learns more about the prophecy that names her the savior of the galaxy and the time tablets that could decide her fate, she must go on a dangerous journey to find them before they can fall into the wrong hands.

Review:

There were loads of Egyptian references in this second book in the Cleopatra in Space series. I loved it when I recognized something from ancient Egypt. The way that the ancient figures appear in this futuristic story were great! There was even a new character who was very important to the real Cleopatra.

There was also lots of action. It was a quick read because many of the pages were taken up by chase scenes which filled multiple frames at once. I wish there had been more dialogue because that would have added more to the story than just the images.

I can’t wait to read the next book. This one ended with the possibility of Cleopatra returning to her time, so I’m not sure what will happen next.

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – November 19

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:

I recently finished Jughead, Vol. 2 by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, Derek Charm.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Shadow of the Fox by by Julie Kagawa.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, LeUyen Pham

Goodreads synopsis:

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Review:

What to read next:

Doctor Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides (narrated by David Tennant)

Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll by Simon Messingham (narrated by David Tennant)

Goodreads Synopsis:

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Review:

What to read next:

Book Learnin’: A Pie Comics Collection by John McNamee

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Jane’s World Collection Volume 1 by Paige Braddock

Jane’s World: The Case of the Mail Order Bride by Paige Braddock

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

5. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

6. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) by Louise Rennison

7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

8. The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew #4) by Carolyn Keene

9. Into the Blue (Dolphin Diaries #1) by Ben M. Baglio

10. The Face on the Milk Carton (Janie Johnson #1) by Caroline B. Cooney

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Secret of the Time Tablets (Cleopatra in Space #3) by Mike Maihack

Secret Coders (Secret Coders #1) by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

What I just finished:

What I’m currently reading:

What I’m reading next: