Ahoy there mateys! I lived in the port of London for a bit and loved every moment of it. Of course one of the places we visited was the Tower of London. Which has ravens. As I hail from port of Baltimore, I have always been fond of ravens and Poe’s raven in particular. Plus there have been fascinating articles about ravens in the media. Me memories of the Tower that day are shoddy but when I saw this book about the history of the ravens at the Tower, I decided to give it a go. It never occurred to me that the staff lived at the Tower. The Ravenmaster, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, who wrote this book certainly is passionate about the subject. It was a quick and entertaining read. Ye get a little bit of history, ghost story, naturalist tale, and memoir. I very much enjoyed it. Thanks to ballyroanreads @ southdublinreads for the recommendation. Arrr!

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Ahoy there mateys! This be a series that most of the crew should have a least heard of by now. I listened to the series on audiobook. These books are basically popcorn soap-operas where the answer is that money really does solve everything. The blurb for book one is misleading as the series actually follows many different people besides Rachel. Rachel was the most boring person. She was sort of a blandtagonist (to borrow Millie @ milliebotreads word) with no real personality to her. In fact, me favourite character was Astrid. She had the most interesting character arc. Another difference to this series is that book two be me favourite. It is rare that I love the middle one the best. The third book was so out of control as to push the story even beyond the realm of any reality. But these were addictive and fun. I did think it was odd that the second and third book had footnotes to explain things when the first book didn’t. I saw the movie with the first mate and we both enjoyed it. I thought the changes were well done. I loved Awkwafina as Peik Lin Goh! But basically Rachel and Nick should never have spoken to his mother ever again. What a mess!

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Ahoy there mateys! This be a series that most of the crew should have a least heard of by now. I listened to the series on audiobook. These books are basically popcorn soap-operas where the answer is that money really does solve everything. The blurb for book one is misleading as the series actually follows many different people besides Rachel. Rachel was the most boring person. She was sort of a blandtagonist (to borrow Millie @ milliebotreads word) with no real personality to her. In fact, me favourite character was Astrid. She had the most interesting character arc. Another difference to this series is that book two be me favourite. It is rare that I love the middle one the best. The third book was so out of control as to push the story even beyond the realm of any reality. But these were addictive and fun. I did think it was odd that the second and third book had footnotes to explain things when the first book didn’t. I saw the movie with the first mate and we both enjoyed it. I thought the changes were well done. I loved Awkwafina as Peik Lin Goh! But basically Rachel and Nick should never have spoken to his mother ever again. What a mess!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! This be a series that most of the crew should have a least heard of by now. I listened to the series on audiobook. These books are basically popcorn soap-operas where the answer is that money really does solve everything. The blurb for book one is misleading as the series actually follows many different people besides Rachel. Rachel was the most boring person. She was sort of a blandtagonist (to borrow Millie @ milliebotreads word) with no real personality to her. In fact, me favourite character was Astrid. She had the most interesting character arc. Another difference to this series is that book two be me favourite. It is rare that I love the middle one the best. The third book was so out of control as to push the story even beyond the realm of any reality. But these were addictive and fun. I did think it was odd that the second and third book had footnotes to explain things when the first book didn’t. I saw the movie with the first mate and we both enjoyed it. I thought the changes were well done. I loved Awkwafina as Peik Lin Goh! But basically Rachel and Nick should never have spoken to his mother ever again. What a mess!

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Ahoy there mateys . . . This was one of the ports I wanted to plunder, and I did not expect to have the opportunity to get a hold of it this soon. I had come across this author’s name before but had never read any of her work. Much to my delight I was able to commandeer a copy and it was so worth the read.

This is the story of Fei, who lives in a mountain village mostly cut off from the rest of civilization where all people communicate by signing due to generational hearing loss. Fei is an artist in her village where art is less about beauty and more about observation and record keeping. The village is threatened and Fei is the key to its survival.

There is a simplicity to this story and its characters that was appealing. If you are expecting deep philosophy and thoughts, then don’t get this one. But the story has a strong main character in Fei and a wonderful secondary character in Li Wei who helps her. Friendship, loyalty, familial duty, sacrifice, strength all play a part.

And it has Pixiu! I had heard of ancient Chinese mythology having five auspicious animals. I knew about the dragon, phoenix, tortoise, and Chinese unicorn. Pixiu is the fifth. I have seen examples of them in Chinese art but apparently had no idea what I was really looking at. Makes me appreciate it more after the fact. Ah learning something new is wonderful.

“Pixiu is considered a wealth-bringing divine animal with a dragon’s head, a horse’s body and a unicorn’s feet. The animal, capable of flying, looks like a lion and has gray fur. Pixiu is fierce and powerful by nature. As such, it is in charge of patrolling duty in the sky to keep demons, ghosts, plagues and diseases at bay . . . Pixiu is also believed to be an animal capable of driving away the evil spirits of a particular place and bringing happiness and good luck . . . Pixiu is an auspicious animal with a ferocious nature and fierce loyalty in protecting its master. It is considered a house-guarding animal with the ability to ward off evil spirits. That’s why many Chinese people wear jade ornaments shaped like a Pixiu.”

Did I mention this novel made the New York Times bestseller list?

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Ahoy there me mateys! I absolutely fell in love with this author's novel the long way to a small, angry planet. In fact, readin' me review after all this time made me heart happy as I recaptured the feel of how great that book truly was. While this book is the second book in the series, it actually can be read as a stand-alone, though I still recommend readin' them in order.

Whereas the first book followed multiple people traveling the universe with a purpose, this story follows two individuals in two locations. In alternating chapters, ye explore how one person's past influenced the present and then explore how the other person chooses to live their future. The juxtaposition was poignant and absolutely engrossing. I would actually be sad for a split second to switch perspectives and then become mesmerized once more. The switching was deftly done and completely enriched this character driven story. Both Pepper and Sidra have fascinating journeys.

Like in the first book, there are larger themes of friendship, identity, challenging prejudices, education, perseverance, and overcoming the circumstances of yer past to thrive. This book was almost as good as the first. So close. I just wished the ending was different, but I am positive it is personal taste and that others will find it perfect. So get this book and enjoy!

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Ahoy there me mateys! I discovered this here space opera when perusing the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke shortlist. It sounded awesome. And it was.

The novel is the story of a ship called the Wayfarer and its crew. The ship is a tunneler that helps create the wormholes through space for other ships so that it doesn't take light years to get from point A to point B. Luckily for this physics hater, the book only had basic introductions to the principals behind space travel and focused more on the plot and the world building.

The crew is certainly the heart of the story and they are its highlight. They are a multi-species crew and I frickin' adore 'em. There are a variety of genders, nationalities, sexes, and personalities. The introduction to the world is told at the beginning through the viewpoint of a human from Mars named Rosemary but soon branches out to include the other crew members.

This is not a space opera with an overall massive scope or crazy inter-species politics. Politics exist and have ramifications for the crew but are not the primary plot point. Also while the world is as large as the universe, the viewpoint we receive is that of a single crew mostly inside their ship. Their forays onto other planets serve as spice and flavor.

In general, it's a book that promotes tolerance. It is about creating a family that might not be the one ye are born in. It is about how life can shape personality and how even yer bad choices can be overcome. It is about self-discovery. It's about secrets. It's about seeing aliens through the eyes of different aliens. It's about loss, grief, and choices. It's about love.

I highly recommend me crew to pick up this novel and fall in love with the Wayfarer and her crew like I did. I would be glad to have any of them aboard me ship. Arrrr!!!

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Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read the first book and ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .

It was an absolute delight to be back in the world created by this author. If ye haven't read these novels, they mix Latin American religions and cultures, Mexican holidays, Afro-Caribbean religion, and other things. It is beautifully done.

The first book dealt with Alex. This one focuses on her sister, Lula. Lula has been struggling since the events in the previous book. She seems to have lost sight of herself and is clinging hard to the pieces of identity that she no longer seems to inhabit. So when events threaten to take the one thing that seems to be holding her together, she aims to fight back no matter what the cost.

This book continues to highlight the importance of family and community. One of the more interesting aspects is that ye get to see the results from Alex's adventure and how it has impacted the entire family. The whole family is struggling with grief, guilt, and post-traumatic stress. There are scars from the past, some literal, and everyone is coming to terms with this new reality. I think that this is an extremely positive outlook despite the inherent pain involved. Magic didn't solve everything and there is a price to be paid for mistakes. And yet, this family sticks together and are determined to love and support one another as they heal.

I found Lula's story to be heart-wrenching. She really doesn't make the best choices and doesn't know what she wants out of life anyone. She is clinging to a version of the past and the idea of a future that has disintegrated. Lula uses the familial bonds of love and guilt to chose a selfish path of action that brings no relief and only more pain to all involved. It is a harrowing journey.

While this was an extremely quick and compelling read, I did have a quibble with the story. Alex's actions in the first book seemed to only impact her direct family and friends. Lula's actions have a much broader scale and effected people outside of the community. It seemed out of line with the rules set up in book one. I am not sure how ye hide magical trouble with those kinds of fatal results. I am hoping the next book will explain this in more detail.

It seems very likely that the next book will focus on the third sister, Rose. I sure hope so! I will definitely be reading it.

So lastly . . .
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire!

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