Jill's Book Blog

Review: Kindred Spirits

Title: Kindred Spirits
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Short Story, Young Adult
Publisher: Macmillan Childrens Books
Source: Purchased
Release Date: February 25, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

‘Everybody likes everything these days. The whole world is a nerd.’
‘Are you mad because other people like Star Wars? Are you mad because people like me like Star Wars?’
‘Maybe.’

If you broke Elena’s heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she’s expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does.

What she’s not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels.

Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On. Kindred Spirits has been specially produced for World Book Day.

Review:

This is a great short story about a Star Wars fangirl.

I don’t think I could ever camp outside for a movie like Elena does in this story. The irony is that they didn’t even need to camp outside since they had already bought their tickets online. But Elena, Troy, and Gabe did it for the ultimate fan experience.

I liked that they talked about different kinds of fans. Can you only be a real fan if you’ve seen all the movies? Or can you be a super fan when you’ve missed the prequels? I think if you love any kind of fandom, you’re a valid fan!

I loved this story! It had a great ending.

Have you read it? What did you think?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – June 6

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 Providence by Caroline Kepnes.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of YOU comes a novel that is part love story, part detective story, and part supernatural thriller.

Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other and their intense connection. But just when Jon is ready to confess the depth of his feelings, he’s kidnapped by his substitute teacher, a discredited scientist who is obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft and has a plot to save humanity.
After four years in captivity, Jon finally escapes, only to discover that he now has an uncontrollable power that endangers anyone he has intense feelings for. He runs away to Providence to protect Chloe while he searches for answers. Across town from Jon, Detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus is fascinated by a series of strange deaths–young, healthy people whose hearts just . . . stop. Convinced these deaths are a series of connected, vigilante killings, he jeopardizes his job and already strained marriage to uncover the truth.
With heart, insight, and a keen eye on human frailty, Kepnes whisks us on a journey through New England and crashes these characters’ lives together in the most unexpected ways, exploring the complex relationship between the powerful and the powerless, love and identity, self-preservation and self-destruction, and how the lines are often blurred between the two.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why

Title: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why
Author: G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Marvel
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who is the Inventor, and what does he want with the all-new Ms. Marvel and all her friends? Maybe Wolverine can help! If Kamala can stop fan-girling out about meeting her favorite super hero, that is. Then, Kamala crosses paths with Inhumanity — by meeting the royal dog, Lockjaw! But why is Lockjaw really with Kamala? As Ms. Marvel discovers more about her past, the Inventor continues to threaten her future. Kamala bands together with some unlikely heroes to stop the maniacal villain before he does real damage, but has she taken on more than she can handle? And how much longer can Ms. Marvel’s life take over Kamala Khan’s? Kamala Khan continues to prove why she’s the best (and most adorable) new super hero there is!

Collecting Ms. Marvel(2014) #6-11.

Review:

I loved this second volume of Ms. Marvel.

Since Kamala and her new powers were introduced in the first volume, this one jumped right into the story. There was less of a focus on her friends and family, and more time spent on her crime fighting.

Her search for the Inventor continues, and she runs into another familiar Marvel character, Wolverine. I loved how she turned into a fan girl when she met him. It was like she was meeting a celebrity.

I really like the way this story is continuing. Kamala is such a real teenage girl.

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

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I DNF (or Almost DNF)

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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 Did Not Finish (or almost DNF). I don’t usually DNF books, but there are a few that I wasn’t able to finish, or they were really hard to read until the end. Here’s my list:

1. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

2. The Night Watch

3. The Heirs

4. Wicked

5. The Giver

6. The Kite Runner

7. The Life of Pi

8. The Animators

9. Heart of Darkness

10. Longbourn

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Clara Voyant

Title: Clara Voyant
Author: Rachelle Delaney
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Clara can’t believe her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara and her mother on their own for the first time. This means her mother can finally “follow her bliss,” which involves moving to a tiny apartment in Kensington Market, working at a herbal remedy shop and trying to develop her so-called mystical powers. Clara tries to make the best of a bad situation by joining the newspaper staff at her new middle school, where she can sharpen her investigative journalistic skills and tell the kind of hard-news stories her grandmother appreciated. But the editor relegates her to boring news stories and worse . . . the horoscopes.

Worse yet, her horoscopes come true, and soon everyone at school is talking about Clara Voyant, the talented fortune-teller. Clara is horrified–horoscopes and clairvoyance aren’t real, she insists, just like her grandmother always told her. But when a mystery unfolds at school, she finds herself in a strange situation: having an opportunity to prove herself as an investigative journalist . . . with the help of her own mystical powers.

Review:

I really liked this middle grade novel!

This story is set in Toronto, in Kensington Market. It’s a quirky area of the city, so it is perfect for Clara’s mystical mother.

I liked the twist on the story when Clara had to write horoscopes. She didn’t want to write them because she didn’t want to be like her mother, and then she was shocked when they started coming true! She was given the nickname Clara Voyant, but she suspected it was probably just a coincidence that her horoscopes came true.

One thing I would have liked to see more of was Clara’s grandmother. Clara used to live with her grandmother, but she recently moved to Florida. Her grandmother was so busy having fun at her new home that she didn’t even answer Clara’s phone calls! I found that strange, and I wish she would have communicated with Clara or visited her.

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

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

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 My Name is Victoria by Lucy Worsley.

What I’m currently reading:

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I’m currently reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.

What I’m reading next:

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Next I will be reading Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – June 3

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

That Inevitable Victorian Thing ★★★★★
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal ★★★★
Doctor Who: Summer Falls ★★★★★
Small Things ★★★★★
Crooked Kingdom ★★★★★
Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy ★★★★★

I did 5 weekly blogging memes:

Last weekend I went to the first Montreal YA Festival. Here is my post about that:

Montreal YA Festival

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Kiss Quotient

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 reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan–from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

Title: Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
Author: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Faith Hicks, Brook A. Allen
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Source: Purchased
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together… And they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here.

Collects Lumberjanes No. 1-4.

Review:

This was my second time reading the Lumberjanes, Volume 1, and I enjoyed it much better than the first time.

The story is hilarious. Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types isn’t your typical summer camp. The girls in the Roanoke cabin encountered three-eyed foxes and living statues, as well as mysterious boy scouts! Their encounters get more and more outrageous as the story progresses!

I found it hard to differentiate between the girls when I first read this book. I would love it if there was a diagram at the beginning or end that gave a description of each girl with their pictures. I was able to tell them apart this time because I have read the recent novels based on the series. However, they may be confusing for new readers, so I recommend reading the stories over again.

I love the Lumberjanes! Have you read this series? What did you think?

Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

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Title: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Review:

This book is another amazing story from Leigh Bardugo!

Leigh’s writing is amazing. I felt immersed in the world immediately. And the story started right away. Kaz was in the middle of a heist when the story began. The end of the book returned to that first mission, so the story came right back around.

I love that the stories are complex. When things went wrong in Six of Crows, it seemed like a mistake, but Kaz had planned it. When I read these stories, I can’t imagine the planning Kaz would have had to make. And in reality, I can’t imagine how Leigh writes these complicated stories. I just love them!

Have you read Six of Crows or Crooked Kingdom? What did you think of them?