booklistqueen's Reviews (634)

 In a sequel to the hit bestseller, The Maid, return to the five-star Regency Grand Hotel where Molly Gray is now the Head Maid. When famous author J. D. Grimthorpe drops dead in the hotel's tea room as he's about to admit to a long-held secret, the entire staff are suspects in his murder. Yet, Molly has her own secret. As a child, Molly worked with her grandmother cleaning Grimthorpe's mansion. Can Molly solve the mystery and save the hotel's reputation?

I adored Nita Prose's cozy mystery, The Maid, but was disappointed in the unoriginality of its sequel. The Mystery Guest was just plain boring. Constantly switching between the past and the present slowed down the current mystery to a crawl and didn't add as much development as I'd have liked. This time around, Molly's aphorisms seemed pithy and overused instead of cute and refreshing. Unless you are dying to know more about Molly, I'd skip this contrived repetitive mystery. 

 The battle for the Iron Throne continues in the third entry of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Of the five kings contending for the throne, one is dead and another is disgraced. King Joffrey still sits on the throne, but Robb, King of the North, is so far undefeated and bent on taking revenge on the Lannister family. But treachery abounds in this harsh world, full of threats from within as well as growing threats from without. For Daeneyrs Targaryen is slowly building up her army as her dragons grow and a looming force from behind the Wall is coming south.

I'm not sure if I can even describe how much I am loving this series. George R. R. Martin keeps the twists coming, unafraid to kill off beloved characters as much as hated ones. Yet, Martin also has a knack for making you like some characters you previously despised, building complex layers into his epic fantasy. Even better, my husband decided to reread A Storm of Swords with me, so I've been having fun talking about all the books as we watch the tv series together. 

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when Charlie goes missing, Tress must stowaway on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Can this fair maiden save the day?

Written for his wife Emily, Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea is a charming, beautifully illustrated fairy tale written for adults. Facetiously narrated as if a bedtime story, Tress of the Emerald Sea enchants with a simple whimsical adventure in a fantastically imaginative world. Although Brandon Sanderson fans will recognize the humorous narrator, Tress of the Emerald Sea can easily be read as a standalone novel without any knowledge of the Cosmere. 

Though her body was never found, everyone knows that, five years ago, popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh who then killed himself. Except Pip isn't so sure. For her senior project, Pip, the epitome of a good student, wants to prove Sal's innocence. With the help of Sal's brother Ravi, Pip uncovers secrets that someone wants to remain hidden.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a fun young adult read with excellent twists that keep the story moving. I found Pip an extremely relatable character - the essential good girl who is very much into her schoolwork. Her earnest nature and methodical investigation lets you feel like you are part of the story, making this a compelling whodunit perfect for teens. 

In a future where humanity is at war with an alien enemy determined to destroy life on Earth, Ender Wiggin is a third child in a family of extraordinarily gifted children. Sent off to battle school at only six years of age, Ender - with his perfect mix of compassion and ruthlessness - is forced to become the military genius humanity so desperately needs.

Ender's Game is probably the book I've reread more than any other. No matter how many times I read it, its fast-paced science fiction narrative hooks me every time. But it's the deeper themes that keep me coming back with thought-provoking messages on ethics, leadership, and compassion. 

 In Larry McMurtry's classic Western novel, carefree Gus McCrae and duty-driven Captain Woodrow Call, two retired Texas Rangers, embark on one last adventure - a crazy cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Far from the easy paycheck they expected, the journey turns dangerous time and again, weaving a tale that showcases the changing American West.

When I asked my Instagram followers what I should read next, I never expected that almost every single comment would rave about a massive old Western I picked up from the library for my reading challenge. Now I understand why. Though the pace is slow, the writing is excellent, and the great characters really drive the story, making it every bit deserving of its Pulitzer Prize. McMurty paints his characters better than almost any author I've ever read, bringing them to life with incredibly realistic complexity in a story that showcases the Wild West without glorifying it. 

Just as strait-laced Ava Wong's perfect life begins to crumble, her former roommate from mainland China appears with a scheme to make them both rich. Winnie has an audacious plan to import near-replica fakes of expensive luxury handbags from China, but she just needs someone with an American passport to pull it off. Yet when the enterprise goes south, Winnie disappears, leaving Ava to face the consequences.

Written as Ava's confession to police, Counterfeit details Ava's downward spiral as Ava explains how she slowly compromised her morals, sliding deeper and deeper into Winnie's scheme. Yet, a twist halfway through leaves you questioning how reliable a narrator Ava might be. Although a quick entertaining read, Counterfeit never fully captured my attention and seemed to be trying too hard to be clever. 

Following the success of her debut novel, Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid returns with another look at class and race. Agatha Paul arrives at the University of Arkansas as a visiting professor. Looking to interview women for her research about weddings, Agatha meets Millie Cousins, a resident advisor. But as Agatha interviews the residents in Millie's hall, she wonders how she can use what she finds about their views on class and race to her advantage.

There's no other way to say it. Come & Get It is a hot mess. Which is highly disappointing because Kiley Reid had all the right pieces to create a masterpiece. The opening chapter hooks you with fascinating characters and an implication that the story will collide into a powerful look at race and class. Instead, the novel goes nowhere, wandering into unnecessarily complicated backstories without any discernible plot. Yet, when a major event does finally happen at the 80% mark, the story just fizzles out, leaving you completely unsatisfied.

The author of the bestselling How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi has written the top book on the history of racist ideas in America. Covering from the Puritans and the Founding Fathers all the way to the civil rights movement and modern-day activists, Kendi shows that racist ideas and discriminatory practices have permeated American history since its inception.

If you are interested in understanding race relations in America, Stamped from the Beginning is a groundbreaking comprehensive study of the history of racist ideas in America. Showing step-by-step how racial progress is intertwined with the evolution of racist ideas, Kendi's book would be an excellent study for high school or college. "Study" being the operative word for Stamped from the Beginning is a dense read that begs for you to take notes. Some sections read like a history textbook, overflowing with names and dates, while much of the middle of the book settled into a narrative nonfiction style that was more accessible, though still taking a long time to get through. 

Rebecca Yarros took the bestseller list by storm this summer with her captivating fantasy romance Fourth Wing. In the highly anticipated sequel, Violet Sorrengail returns for her second year at Basgiath War College. No one expected her to survive this long, much less bond with one of the strongest dragons in existence and a second dragon as well. Now that she knows the secret the nation has been hiding, it will take all her wits to survive her second year, especially with the new vice commandant determined to make her betray the man she loves. 

The whole book world was aflame with anticipation at Iron Flame's release and Rebecca Yarros did not disappoint. In the second book of the Empyrean series, Violet starts back again at Basgiath War College. While keeping the steamy romance and the fast-paced plot of Fourth Wing, Yarros delivers a clever twist halfway through to keep Iron Flame from feeling like a retread of the first book. And the twists keep coming, culminating in a cliffhanger that will make you desperate to read the third book.