danadoesbooks's Reviews (954)

Thank you to Libro.FM for the audiobook of Black Birds in the Sky through their ALC program! All opinions in this post are my own.

Black Birds in the Sky should be required reading with Angel of Greenwood.  I like how far back Colbert goes in history to lead up to the Tulsa Race Riots and the Greenwood Massacre.  She does an excellent job of showing how the systemic racism in this country led up to these events.  At the end, she talks about how these events and practices still affect us as a country.  It puts the events discussed in Angel of Greenwood in historical context and explains why these historical events were buried for so long.  Plus, the audiobook is narrated by Colbert.

Thank you to Libro.FM for the audiobook of The Iron Widow through their ALC program! All opinions in this post are my own.

In Huaxia, the boys are paired with girls in order to power Chrysalises, giant fighting robots that can transform when the right pair is matched. One side-effect can be that the girls don't make it out of this pairing alive, but it is considered a huge honor to be chosen. Zetian volunteers to be a pilot in order to take revenge on her sister's co-pilot. However, when Zetian's male pilot is the one who doesn't make it out of the battle alive, she receives the title of Iron Widow and is paired with the strongest male pilot.

I love the blend of the historical with the science fiction/fantasy in this new YA series. Zetian is a force to be reckoned with and I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel!

In order to inherit the Hawthorne fortune, Avery must live in the mansion for a full year.  At least she knows she is not a Hawthorne so Avery doesn't have to worry about being related to Jameson and Grayson, but that may have made her decision easier.  As Avery struggles to fully trust the Hawthorne grandsons, more secrets come out about the family and it is up to them to piece everything together before it is too late.

I was a little concerned that I wouldn't remember enough of The Inheritance Games when I started The Hawthorne Legacy, but it does recap what you need to know.  I like that although The Hawthorne Legacy picks up where The Inheritance Games left off, the primary puzzle of the sequel is new.  While it still connects to the larger mystery, I like when books in a series have their own plots instead of feeling like it's just another part to the first one.  I'm really looking forward to the finale of this trilogy!

I tried listening to this one on audiobook and it just wasn't doing it for me.  Maybe I'll come back to it someday.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Young Readers for the gifted ebook of Pencilvania!  All opinions in this review are my own.

Pencilvania was described as a cross between The Phantom Tollbooth and Harold and the Purple Crayon.  These are two of my childhood favorites so I was immediately excited to read it.  Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to that comparison for me.  While I liked the concept of Pencilvania, the world felt underdeveloped.  I was expecting Zora and Frankie to spend more time in Pencilvania, but a lot of the story is told in the real world and in flashbacks.  I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't for me.

After the aftermath of the events in Good Girl, Bad Blood, Pip is not doing well.  She is dealing with trauma and now she thinks she has a stalker.  Pip must figure out who is behind all of the strange messages she is getting before she disappears too.

While the third installment in the series is missing some of the features I enjoyed the most about these audiobooks, it makes up for it with a thrilling conclusion to the series.  As Good As Dead moves away from Pip’s podcast interviews, but it is more intense than the other two books.  It spans the line between thriller and horror.  While As Good As Dead starts off slow, it makes up for it by the middle of the book.  I was on the edge of my seat until the end!

While continuing to cover the aftermath of her discovery in the case of Andie Bell on her podcast, a new mystery presents itself to Pip.  She can’t decide whether or not to take it because of all the people she hurt when solving her first memory.  But when a friend comes to you for help, you can’t turn them down.

I don’t know how Holly Jackson did it, but the second book in this series is even better than the first.  I like how it starts with the fallout from the first book.  I was so keen to finally find out who killed Andie Bell that I quickly forgot once I read it.  While the second case wasn’t as interesting at first, it quickly becomes more and more exciting.  The ending is so tense that I couldn’t wait until I had a chance to listen again!

Faye and Jack have been together since business school.  She's given everything up to be with him, including finishing her degree.  When she learns of his affair, she sees her life for what it has truly become.  Now, Jack is asking for a divorce and Faye has nothing.  Faye is going to make sure Jack gets exactly what he deserves.  At least she's used to starting over.

While The Golden Cage was much darker than a book I would typically pick,  I could not put it down.  Told between alternating timelines of the past and the present, there are so many secrets being kept that I had to find out where it would all lead.

There is a sequel but I don't think I'm going to read it.  The end of The Golden Cage wraps everything up and I don't know if the second one will end as satisfyingly.

Fable is the daughter of the most powerful trader in The Narrows.  Unfortunately, he left her on an infamous island full of thieves when her mother drowned in a storm.  Now, Fable is a successful dredger and is saving to earn passage of the island.  She is determined to find her father and confront him.

I liked the Fable duology, but I think it was too hyped for me.  I know people love this series and while I did enjoy it, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be.  For a series taking place on a ship and with all the scheming they did, I thought there was going to be more action.  There is a lot of conversation in this series.  

Thank you to BiblioLifestyle, William Morrow, and Alison Gaylin for the gifted copy of The Collective!  All opinions in this review are my own.

It's been five years since Camille's daughter died and she cannot let go of the anger she feels towards the boy who is responsible.  When she is approached to join a group of other grieving mothers called The Collective, Camille finds the support she needs.  However, the deeper she becomes in the group, the more she begins to question what happens.

The Collective was phenomenal and easily one of the best psychological thrillers I have read.  I think a lot of it had to do with the ending (no spoilers!).  I love any thriller that is so addicting I can't put it down.  It can be difficult to write an ending that is truly surprising or fitting to justify the twists and turns of the rest of the novel.  The Collective gave me that page-turning experience and I was still surprised at the end.  I got chills when I read the last chapter!