Roll for Initiative

 Tell me a story... about finding where you belong

Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato

Publication date: September 27, 2022

Date read: July 24, 2023

Riley Henderson has never taken a bus to school in her entire life. Or made an afterschool snack, or finished her homework on her own, or—ewww—done her own laundry. That’s what her older brother Devin was for. But now Devin’s gone. He’s off in California attending a fancy college gaming program while Riley is stuck alone in Florida with her mom. That is, until a cool nerd named Lucy gives Riley no choice but to get over her shyness and fear of rejection and become friends. The best part is . . . both girls are into Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, playing D&D was something Riley and Devin used to do together, with Devin as the dungeon master, guiding Riley through his intricately planned campaigns. So, of course, Riley is more than a little nervous when Lucy suggests that she run a campaign for them. For the chance at a friend, though, she’s willing to give it a shot. Soon, their party grows and with the help of her new D&D friends, Riley discovers that not only can she function without Devin, she kind of likes it. But when Devin runs into trouble with his program and returns home, it's pretty clear, even to Riley, that since he can’t navigate his own life, he’s going to live Riley’s for her. Now she has to help Devin go back to college and prove to her mom that she can take care of herself . . . all before the upcoming Winter-Con.

First of all, in full disclosure, I must admit to being a big Dungeons & Dragons nerd, so this book was right up my alley. I wish that I had had friends like Riley when I was younger and could have gotten into the game at that age. (I didn't start playing D&D until just a few years ago). 

This book was adorable and had such a great character development for Riley. Even aside from the gaming aspect, she had to go from someone who had her older brother to do everything for her to someone who became fiercely independent and self-sufficient. I also loved that she actually had a hard time with it - her development showed that change and independence isn't easy and takes hard work, but can be worth it in the end. 

As for the D&D plot, I don't feel that it is necessary for readers to be familiar with the game in order to get the plot. Even Riley's campaigns don't completely follow strict D&D rules, and with the new kids joining her game, the mechanics are explained enough that a non-gamer shouldn't have any difficulty following along. 

I think this book also did a great job dealing with how games like this are not only for boys, addressing bullying and gatekeeping (even if it was mostly in the form of Riley's own brother and not other kids at school). Also just how hard it is to go up against someone when you want to be a part of something or disagree with what they are doing. And the gatekeeper in this case being Riley's brother also showed how difficult it can be when the person you're in disagreement with is also someone who you love. This book did an amazing job showing Riley's conflicting emotions and how she finally had to deal with the issue. 

Side note: Riley's brother, Devin, is the worst. Yes, he has his own redemptive arc and is also a good life lesson about how hard it is for a perfectionist to handle not being perfect, and how to get past that. And I know that his arc was also really important for Riley in order to become the person she needed to be. But, in the reading moment, I really wanted to hurt him. (But I also think that was the point.)

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Riley and her friends are the kids that I want my own children to grow up to be, and are the kids that I wish I knew when I was 12. I think this book will appeal to most middle grade readers, especially young girls or gamers of all genders. As said before, you don't have to be into D&D in order to enjoy this book, but I think those readers that do will really get some extra enjoyment out of the story. But this is a well-rounded story about gaining independence and finding yourself that I think is perfect for all middle grade readers. Highly recommended. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Content warning: feelings of abandonment

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Daughters of Oduma

 Tell me a story... about fighting for your family

Daughters of Oduma by Moses Ose Utomi 

Publication date: February 7, 2023

Date read: July 30, 2023

Eat. Dance. Fight. This is the life of the girls who compete in the Isle’s elite, all-female fighting sport of Bowing. But it isn’t really Dirt’s life anymore. At sixteen, she is old and has retired from competition. Instead, she spends her days coaching the younger sisters of the Mud Fam and dreading her fast-approaching birthday, when she’ll have to leave her sisters to fulfill whatever destiny the Gods choose for her. Dirt’s young sisters are coming along nicely, and the Mud Fam is sure to win the upcoming South God Bow tournament, which is the tiny Fam needs the new recruits that come with victory. Then an attack from a powerful rival leaves the Mud without their top Bower, and Dirt is the only one who can compete in the tournament. But Dirt is old, out of shape, and afraid. She has never wanted to be a leader. Victory seems impossible—yet defeat would mean the end of her beloved Fam. And no way is Dirt going to let that happen. 

I found this book difficult to get into at first. It throws the reader into a world with no context as to why it is the way it is, and the language - while English - is inflected in a way that does not flow very well at first when reading it on the page. (I think that this book would actually work really well as an audiobook, and I'm kind of sad that I didn't read it in that format). 

The setting is also very different from our world, but not in an apocalyptic way - just in an almost ancient tribal fashion. The Fams - Mud, Vine, Creek, Sand, and Rock - as well as those who don't fight in the tournaments, like the Butterfly girls and Flagga boys, all seem a normal way of life for them even though they don't resemble anything about our own. Because we were just thrown in to this world, it did feel a little odd for me at first, but it eventually begins to seem normal within the context of the story. 

I really loved that this society revolved around fighting in a way almost similar to Japanese Sumo - fights are performed for pride, honor, and ritual, and the most respect in each Fam is given to the best and oldest fighter. Also, only females can be fighters, and the word "fat" is used as a complement - almost an honorific - and only the fattest fighters were capable of being the best. It's a very unique way of looking at things and I think a really interesting world for teen girls to read about. 

This is not a book that I would recommend to everyone, simply because the world-building and unique speech patterns make for a difficult book to get into, but I think it's a really good story that teen girls especially would like. Plus, there is enough violence and fighting to interest some teen boys as well. 

Rating: 4 stars

Content warning: graphic injury/spinal injury

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

The Women

 Tell me a story... about the horrors of war

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Publication date: February 6, 2024

Date read: January 31, 2024

Audiobook read by Julia Whelan

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

I'm not going to be the first person on the internet to recommend The Women, and I know I won't be the last, but I'll start this review out by saying that this is one of the best books I've read so far this year. 

Books about war are nothing new, and books about women serving in war have been popular in the past decade, so it's not like this book is presenting anything unique... on the surface. The thing is, this book presents war in a way that I haven't really seen it portrayed very often, which is the day to day, mundane aspects of war. As a nurse during Vietnam, our main characters see the horrors of war from the sidelines, which means a lot of routine interspersed with horrible death and pain. It very much reminded me of M*A*S*H, one of my favorite television shows (despite being set in Vietnam rather than Korea, the vibe is very much the same). 

What this book then did - that I was not expecting - was to take our main character out of the war halfway through the book and send her home, only to deal with the horrible way that Vietnam veterans were treated once they got back to the United States. In many ways, at least for me, this half of the book was harder to stomach than the half set in a war zone. The way that veterans were treated, especially female veterans, was so heartbreaking. It's certainly not an easy book to read, but I can't recommend it enough.

Hannah did an incredible job with her characters as well. The main character was wonderful - she went through so many stages of believable character development throughout the story. I could have read another 200 pages about Frankie. The secondary characters were also very well-written. The likeable characters were deep, realistic, and fun to follow (Frankie's fellow nurses, a few of the doctors and other side characters). And the horrible characters were more than just two-dimensional villains - they had arcs and reasons for doing what they did, even if their reasons were unthinkable to the reader. (I'm not going to say who the unlikable characters are, but they are there, and they are immensely dislikable). 

Finally, I'm sure this book is wonderful in any format, but I can't say enough about the narration by Julia Whelan. I've listened to many audiobooks by Whelan, and the thing I love is how versatile she is. She can do everything from romantic comedies to war dramas and anything in between, and it's all believable. She's by far my favorite in the audiobook world.

Overall, this is one of the best - if not the best - books I've read so far this year. It is by no means an easy read, and I had a severe book hangover after I finished. (I also finished reading it just after midnight and had to sit up for about another hour before I relaxed enough to go to sleep.) So I always tell readers that they need to be in the right mindset for this one. But despite the difficult subject matter, it is an amazing read that I would recommend to everyone. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Content warnings (a lot): war, death of a loved one, gore, descriptive medical procedures, alcoholism, PTSD, sexism, negative treatment of veterans, miscarriage, addiction, drunk driving, suicidal ideation, forced incarceration

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

A House with Good Bones

 Tell me a story... about secrets better left buried

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Publication date: March 28, 2023

Date read: November 9, 2023

Audiobook read by Mary Robinette Kowal

Sam's excited for this rare extended visit with her mom, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them. But stepping inside the house, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

I'm fairly new to T. Kingfisher's books, but she is definitely an author I plan to read a lot of in the near future. This book had a lot to offer - especially for as short as it was (less than 300 pages) - and managed to be both incredibly creepy and laugh-out-loud funny throughout.

The type of horror in this book is almost entirely atmospheric - very little gore or even anything physical until the climax - which is probably my favorite type of horror. That unsettling feeling that comes over me as a reader, even when not all that much is happening in the story, is something I really appreciate.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Sam, although I don't think there was a poorly-written character in the bunch. Sam was very much out of her depths, and I enjoyed how real her responses felt to everything. I also highly recommend listening to the audiobook version, because Kowal did an amazing job bringing Sam to life and especially bringing the humor of the writing into her telling. I can't remember the last time a book scared me and made me (intentionally) laugh within the same chapter. 

It's hard to say a lot about this book without risking spoilers, but I loved how the story came together - it was unexpected, a bit messed up, but ultimately completely enjoyable and believable in context. I also believe that even non-horror fans can enjoy this book. It's definitely a horror, but the gore is very toned down, relying more on an unsettling environment and things "going bump in the night" than jump scares and blood. 

Overall, one of the best reads of 2023 for me. I highly recommend it to all horror/mystery fans, but will pretty much recommend it to anyone who can stomach a good "haunted house" story. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Content warning: language, bugs, fat shaming, psychological/emotional abuse, racism

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

The Fox Wife

 Tell me a story... about a mysterious stranger

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Publication date: February 13, 2024

Date read: February 13, 2024

Audiobook read by the author

A young woman is found frozen in the snow. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes involved, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until, perhaps, now. Meanwhile, a family that owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments, but not the curse that afflicts them―their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. Now the only grandson of the family is twenty-three. When a mysterious woman enters their household, their luck seems to change. Or does it? Is their new servant a simple young woman from the north or a fox spirit bent on her own revenge?

I enjoy Choo's style of storytelling and her take on magical realism. (I had read The Night Tiger previously and really liked it, and I've been wanting to read The Ghost Bride for awhile, but haven't yet). Her use of Chinese folklore is really intriguing but also - for a western reader - not written in a way that you need to know any backstory. 

This story is very much a slow-burn, with a lot of little plot points moving us through the story, but very few big exciting scenes. This type of writing is not for everyone, I know - and I don't say that in a condescending way. It's natural to want books to flow quickly through the plot, and slow-burn books are not everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy them as long as the writing is interesting and not too florid (I don't need three pages describing an item of clothing or someone's breakfast), and I think that Choo's style of writing is a good mix of beautiful and to the point.

Choo also narrates this book if you choose to listen to the audio, and I didn't have any issues with her narration, but neither is it the greatest narration I've listened to. I do like when an author reads their own work, since they know where to put emphasis when needed and I know I'm getting correct pronunciations, though. I think this book would be equally enjoyable as an audiobook or as a print book.

There were a lot of characters in this book, which did make some parts a tiny bit confusing, but the main storyline was easy to follow. And while many of the human characters were more or less average, the investigator - Bao - was very intriguing to me; I thought he was written very well and I enjoyed following his character during the chapters focusing on his life and investigation. And, of course, the fox characters were lovely and complex and I loved following their stories. 

Overall, this book is a nice, quiet magical realism story that I quite enjoyed but which is not for everyone. Readers who enjoy magical realism or folklore I believe will enjoy this story, and anyone who likes a little magic mixed in with their mysteries should like it as well. 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Content warning: foot binding, death of a child, talk of killing female babies

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Finding Gene Kelly

 Tell me a story... about finding love and balance

Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean

Publication date: September 20, 2022

Date read: April 3, 2023

When five-year-old Evie O'Shea married her next-door neighbor, Liam, in the wedding of the century, she had no idea she was swearing an oath to love the man who would grow into the bane of her existence until the end of time. Or that in ten years time, she'd start a long and winding journey to an eventual endometriosis diagnosis. Now, aged twenty-six, Evie O'Shea lives in Paris, balancing precariously close to her Charlotte Lucas birthday. A burden to her parents, with no prospects and no money, Evie's humdrum life needs a shake-up. But when a family announcement shakes up Evie's world weeks before her brother's wedding, Evie seeks Liam's help to get through the wedding with some semblance of sanity intact. 

This was a fairly cute Hallmark-romance-style story. Kind of cheesy, a little steamy, miscommunication, fake dating with a twist. I didn't love it, but I did like it. 

Positive thoughts: I thought the characters were well-written and really sweet. I liked their relationship and thought they paired really well together. I also loved the disability rep with having the character suffer from endometriosis. The author made it feel natural to the story (didn't try to shoehorn it in in an awkward way), but also made it integral to the story, rather than just a to say there was disability rep. The endometriosis affected the main character's life and it added an interesting aspect to the relationship. I've never read a character with endometriosis before and I thought that the author did a great job with it. 

Negative thoughts: At times the romance was a little too cheesy for my tastes (lots of swooning and Evie being obsessed with Liam's physical characteristics). Also, the 5 year old characters spoke in a way that didn't really seem like they were actually the age they were supposed to be, which took me out of that part of the story a bit. 

Overall, I thought that this was a decently good romance - liked it but didn't love it. I wouldn't suggest that people not read it, but it wouldn't be one of the books that I would recommend highly. Caveat to that, is that if someone has endometriosis or is curious about how this illness affects those who have it, it's a very good option. That was actually one of the best aspects of the book. 

Rating: 3/5 stars

Content warning: chronic illness

Note: language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Not Good for Maidens

 Tell me a story... about what you would do for family

Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Publication date: May 3, 2022

Date read: April 27, 2023

Audiobook narrated by Laura Knight Keating

Lou never believed in superstitions or magic--until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market. The market is a place Lou has only read about--twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything--from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves--is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in. Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin's defenses--but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever. If she isn't careful, the market might just end up claiming her too.

I’ve long been intrigued by the idea of a magical market, so this book caught my eye right away - first with the amazing cover art, and then with the goblin market. 

This book goes back and forth between Lou and her adventures and the trouble that her aunt May got into back when she was a teenager. I really enjoyed that we were finding out about the Wickett family right along with Lou - and their ties to the goblin market - so she was asking the questions that we wanted to know without it feeling too much like exposition. May's story of her past was really intriguing, and I also really liked Lou, so I was happy no matter which storyline the book was telling at the time. 

The audiobook was narrated by Laura Knight Keating, who I thought did a great job of transitioning between the York, England accent of the Wickett family to the American accent for Lou. It felt seamless and really helped position the story in each time period. 

This is marketed as a YA novel, but I feel that this book can appeal to all ages. The story mostly revolves around family and the lengths the characters will go to keep each other safe, which is a pretty universal theme. And aside from the main character being a teenager, nothing about the book seemed stuck in the YA genre. 

As far as the horror elements, there was a fair amount of gore and body horror, but it wasn't over the top or too descriptive. More an atmospheric horror novel than a blood and guts horror. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and found it just the right combination of creepy and fun. I would recommend this to horror readers, both teen and adult (but due to the content, I would not recommend it for younger readers than that). A really enjoyable horror novel set in a unique setting that I think many readers can enjoy.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Content warning: gore, body horror, murder

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

The Paris Network

 Tell me a story... about resisting tyranny

The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham

Publication date: February 15, 2022

Date read: June 23, 2024

When Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence. Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square, boarded up, and in complete disrepair. As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

It feels like every other historical fiction book written these days is about World War II, and it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth reading. This is one book that I haven't really seen talked about, but which I thought was an incredibly well-written and fascinating story.

While Jeanne's present-day chapters were fine, and I had no issues with her or her father as characters, the star of this book is Laurence, and I always found myself wanting to rush through Jeanne's occasional chapters in order to get to more of Laurence's story. 

There are aspects of other WWII spy thrillers here, and I'm not going to claim that this book is unique in that regard, but I found the way that Laurence was working in a more isolated area to be really engaging. She was part of something larger, but still working more or less on her own a lot of the time, and her determination to resist the Nazi rule in her little town was endearing. And, without giving anything away, the ending was powerful and really got me in the feels even though I more or less knew what was coming. 

It's not a perfect read and did feel a bit heavy-handed at times, even though the messages were good ones. (The power of books. Never give up. The importance of resistance, even in the smallest of ways.) A few things that were said had me rolling my eyes a little, but not enough to take me out of the story. 

Overall, this was a great read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII fiction or historical fiction featuring strong women. This one, especially the ending, will stick with me for a while. 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: suicide, war, execution, anti-Semitism and Nazism, hanging, death of a loved one, starvation

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

The Violin Conspiracy

 

Tell me a story… about the cutthroat world of classical music 

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

Publication date: February 1, 2022

Date read: March 2, 2023

Ray McMillan loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can’t afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. But when the violin is stolen right before a competition, the odds are stacked against him. Will he be able to get his violin back and prove he belongs among the best in the world?

This book had been recommended to me, but I kept putting it off and I'm not sure why. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. 

I thought that Slocumb did a great job of writing his characters. Ray was a very complex character. He wasn't unlikable, but this kind of hyper-obsessed artist can often be standoffish and hard to understand, and I liked the way he was written as that, but in a likable way. All of the characters were very well written, especially Ray and Nicole, and I found myself getting drawn into a story about the people even when the plot was light.

And despite this book being a mystery about a stolen violin, it's not a thriller, so don't pick it up if you're in the mood for mile-a-minute plot developments. But as much of a slow burn as it is, it's worth it to find out what really happened to the violin.

I think that if Slocumb can keep this up, he is going to become a writer to be reckoned with. Not an author for anyone looking for a quick read, but definitely one for those looking for a slow burn that will surprise you and stay with you. 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: racism and racial slurs, racial profiling by police and including threats of violence and false charges, slavery, torture

Note: language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster

 Tell me a story... about having to make a choice about your future

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda

Publication date: May 24, 2022

Date read: June 1, 2023

Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the that her feelings about her friends―and her future―aren’t as simple as she’d once believed.

This is a tough book for me to rate. There are some YA books that I think appeal to a wide audience and can be a good read for both teens and adults. Then there are some YA books that just scream YA. This is one of those books. 

First of all, the good. I loved the diversity and representation here. Multiple gay or bisexual characters, Hispanic main character, and a lot of diverse interests among the characters that I think teens would find interesting. I also adored the family dynamic in this story. If this book had been about Maggie's relationship with her sisters, I think it would have been lovely, and I would have enjoyed it a lot more. 

Unfortunately, the main plot of this book is the drama of Maggie having to choose between her ex-boyfriend, her best friend (who is straight, but maybe questioning), and the new girl in school. And I do mean drama. A lot of the thoughts from Maggie's point of view are very eye-rollingly cringy reading them as an adult, because the feelings are overly dramatic in a very teen way. But this is a book written for teens, so I can't completely throw it out. I think that many high schoolers wouldn't find it as cringy as I did and would enjoy the teen drama. 

My only real complaint is just how perfect the characters were, aside from their relationship dramatics. You had the amazing photographer and the amazing artist and the fashionista and the super sexy ex-boyfriend. No one has any flaws and are all way too perfect at their artistic endeavors that it just didn't seem realistic and often grated on my nerves. And unlike my previous complaint, this is an aspect that I don't think is great for teen readers either. 

Overall, I thought that this book had a lot of potential that it just couldn't live up to. I would still give it a light recommendation to teens, but I had so much hope for this book and I'm sad that it's not something that I think can appeal to a wide audience. Give me a book about Maggie's family next time, though, and I'll read it in a heartbeat. 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Content warning: slut-shaming, sexual assault, underage alcohol and drug use, police profiling and murder, death of a parent, homophobia

Note: language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.