Daughter of Heaven

Book received from Netgalley and Endeavour Press in exchange for an honest review, thank you.


I wanted to like this book more than I did. The subject is fascinating: Wu Chao was a commoner in 7th century China and became the only female emperor China has ever had. This time in history was bloody with not only countries, but families were fighting for power and positions. Within the families there were power plays and hostilities; some committing suicide while others were sent into exile. With all of this being such an important and tumultuous time in history, I was excited where the author would take this. 

In truth, I had a difficult time getting through. There is a lack of organization throughout the book as it wanders from one topic to another, seemingly unaware of the main focus of the narrative for awhile before coming back to its senses and getting back on track. There are many tangents, and the author seems to have the need to follow every one of them. That being said however, it is quite obvious that the research for this book is extensive and includes a lot of outer history and is very detailed. The amount of outer history may be the reason the author became so sidetracked, and he could have very easily done without it. I feel as though the author relied too much on other people's sources (meaning I feel as that he took exactly what they said in a cut and paste fashion), so the story does not feel as though it is his own work. 

For being such a captivating topic, I feel the author could have done much better. This biography does not do the historical figure justice. I would not recommend this book, unless you are a history student that is in need of sources for a paper about Wu Chao.

2/5 stars

The Bone Witch

Book received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you. 


First and foremost: I love this author. I loved "The Girl From the Well" and devoured it in two days. It was so original that I could not tear myself away. "The Suffering", the sequel to "The Girl From the Well" was just as mesmerizing as its predecessor. Needless to say I was thrilled to have been chosen to review this book.

What I loved about "The Bone Witch" is the geisha element that was tied into it. I thought that was an interesting take and it worked in my opinion. It was creative and different enough to hold its own. I don't think there are any other books out there that have geishas (ashas in the book) that are amazing fighters with magical powers. If there are, I would like to know about them immediately. 

The main character is Tea who does not realize her potential to be an asha. Tea discovers her powers after accidentally resurrecting her brother at his funeral. As luck would have it there is a powerful bone witch that is in Tea's community when Tea conducts this feat, and becomes a teacher and mother figure to Tea while teaching her about the duties of a bone witch. This puts Tea on the path for herself to become a powerful asha. 

The bond between Tea and her brother is awesome to read. I hope in the next book the author expands on this and how they are both affected. 

This book is so wonderfully creative you forget everything else around you for the moment. The settings are gorgeous and although there is A LOT of descriptive writing, I definitely enjoyed it. I think the reason for so much description in this book is because it is setting the reader up for the book to follow. I don't know if this will be only a sequel or a trilogy, but I will for sure read whatever ones that come after this. 

This author has become one of my favorites. I love how she writes and how vivid she makes her settings and characters. I really enjoyed this book. 

5/5 stars

Long Black Veil

I received this book from Netgalley and Crown Publishing, Penguin Random House for exchange for an honest review.

When I began this, I wanted to put it in my DNF pile. The cast of characters is very large and is presented right away. It was a bit confusing, especially since gender wasn't evident by the names given. However, once I got past this and read on I couldn't put this book down. 

I loved it.

This is the story of a group of friends that first met in college. On a dark and stormy night (of course) the stumble into Philly's own Eastern State Penitentiary. It's old, abandoned, creepy, and the group is locked inside. During the night one of the friends, a recent bride, disappears and is not found for a long, long time. 

Years later a skeleton is found stuffed into a tunnel of the prison, prompting the case to be reopened. 

In a separate narrative, Judith Carrigan reveals that she has been keeping a secret from everyone she knows, one that she's terrified will cause her to lose all those that matter to her. She is the only one who can save the suspect in her friends murder from all those years ago in the Penitentiary, and is weighing whether or not to take the risk to do so.

The characters in this story are extremely complex and well drawn. It is written vividly and does not disappoint. The viewpoints go back and forth between the past and present, and Judith's secrets start to fall away one by one. 

This story is original and filled with twists and turns. I thought I had the ending figured out, and was very surprised when I was proved wrong. When I began reading I wasn't sure what I was going to be in for, and after my initial reluctance I'm so glad I kept going. This is one of the better books I've read in awhile. I absolutely would recommend this for anyone who likes a good mystery!

4/5 stars

The Trail of Ted Bundy

Book received from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

This was a companion book for author Kevin M. Sullivan's The Bundy Murders. I thought this was an excellent book and helped flesh out who Bundy was. If you are not familiar with Ted Bundy, his crimes, or his victims, it is highly recommended you pass on this until you read the previous book. This book is not a biography or a retelling of his crimes; it's additional information that adds layers to an already notorious killer.

The interviews with Bundy's friends I thought were especially good, because it made Bundy seem like a person that anyone could know. The author describes the places were Bundy lived and the places where he abducted his victims. It was interesting to hear how many of these places haven't changed, and what people have done to change some of the others. 

I do think the author should have left out the lines of "I covered this topic in my other book so I won't repeat it here" (not exact wording but close). I feel like he relied on that line a lot and it could have been left out completely. That being said that is really the only criticism I have about a companion book.

I highly recommend this. The research is impeccable and you know you're reading material from an author that has gone above and beyond to gather information about a subject that he's passionate about.

4/5 stars

Mischling

I was thrilled to read this book when I saw it had finally come out. Although there are so many Holocaust stories already, this one sounded as though it might have a different perspective and be told in a way that would be distinctive. 

Told from the viewpoint of twin sisters arriving in Auschwitz, they become part of the horrendous experimentation's performed by Mengele in Mengele's "zoo". I was prepared to be blown away by an emotional read that had so much hype behind it. 

Unfortunately, I was not. At all. Not only did I have a hard time getting into the story, I found that once I had sort of began to be interested in the characters, I was bored. I felt as though I was reading a story that was a high school creative writing assignment, and the words used were found by a thesaurus. I couldn't take the writing seriously. The characters are little girls, and although they are smart, no one talks like this. The writing had me feel somewhat disconnected: it wasn't believable.I felt as though there was no real story, just a lot of pretty words to fill up the pages.

I admit, I did not finish. It wasn't for me and I was too put off by the too flowery language and lack of a plot. Maybe if I had stuck with it the ending would have made up for what I felt I was missing, but I don't think so. I hardly ever stop reading a book.It's like a mission for me: once I start I cannot stop unless it's a dire circumstance. 

I felt this was the case.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. As far as I'm concerned it's not worth the praise it's been receiving. 

2/5 stars

So Little Time!

I'm reading 3 books right now....while attending law school. I don't know what I was thinking! But the books I'm reading provide an escape for awhile; it's just hard to read them as quickly as I would like.
My TBR pile is getting bigger as well if that's possible. I hope I make a dent in it someday!

Netgalley

I found Netgalley through Goodreads, and decided to sign up. I'm so glad I did!