Book Reviews and a Little More…
As this second book in the trilogy opens, Alina has escaped the control of the Darkling, Mal still by her side. But the Darkling has come out of their battle with new, scarier powers, and this is a war Alina and Mal can’t fight on their own. The two unexpectedly end up partnered with Strumhond, a privateer with his own small army of Grishas, and
Read more
I had low expectations for this series, but ended up being pleasantly surprised! Alina is a mapmaker for the King’s army, and her childhood best friend Mal is a scout with unusual abilities. They grew up together in an orphanage, where they were both evaluated for powers by the Grisha when they were young. Since (it appeared) neither had Grisha abilities (such as the ability
Read more
I thought this was really great, which should be evident by how quickly I read it (3 days). It starts out with five students serving detention one evening, but then one of them dies in a way that can’t quite be accidental. The characters start out rooted in their stereotypes — the smart one, the pretty one, the bad boy, the jock, and the outcast.
Read more
Magical realism usually isn’t my thing, but I enjoyed this more than I expected to. This is mostly the story of the Soria family, who invite travelers to their Colorado desert compound and then perform miracles. These aren’t the traditional sort of miracles, because before one can be healed, they must work through their darkness, which often manifests itself in some strange physical abnormality. For
Read more