Ahoy there me mateys! So a recent theme for “Top Ten Tuesday” was “Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads.” I don’t tend to do memes here in me log but I love readin’ the posts by me crew. Especially when they be fun topics which lead me to unexpected treasures. One such gem was this delightful book recommended by Jackie @ deathbytsundoku. In her post she says:

"I read this book in 2016 and have been raving about it since. This contemporary fiction YA novel is set in an alternative universe where everyone has a Soulmate. Capitol S. Proper noun. Only 60% of the world ever meets their Soulmate. They might already be married, or not interested in you romantically, or whatever. Why does it matter? How do you know? The moment you meet your Soulmate your whole world transforms from black and white to color. This is the backdrop by which Libby Carmichael meets her Soulmate. The only problem? He’s locked in the juvenile detention facility Libby’s father runs."

As Jackie said in her comments to me when I told her I bought the novel, it doesn’t seem like the type of book I normally would read. And truthfully it isn’t. But I had seen folks talk about this book before and the color change intrigued me every single time. But I wasn’t sure if it would be done well or not and I didn’t want to spend hard-earned loot on it if it wasn’t. I try to save me doubloons for books I know I will want to re-read. But Jackie gave this 5 stars – a rarity. And her description was stellar. So I bought it and am glad.

This book had so many fun features like:

- Contemporary with magical paranormal elements – absolutely adored the whole color Soulmate thing and how it worked and didn’t work. The concept rocks.

- Libby, the main character – is a delightful mess. This level-headed girl drives herself crazy with the situation. She knows she is being ridiculous. She just can’t help it.

- Beth, her best friend – Friends who don’t fight, help each other, respect each other needing space and time, call each other out on being silly. Just wonderful and lovely.

- The other girls – there are a couple of other tangential girl characters who are not mean girls and actually are nice. Yay!

- Libby’s parents – Not only does she have parents who care and are present but there also is trust shown. Libby loves and respects her parents. They love and respect her too. And when Libby asks them for help, they are wonderful. A teen fessing up and asking for help! Gasp! Plus their story is adorable.

- The teens – all of them acted their age for better or worse. Aye, there be a bit of angst which normally would drive me insane but these 17 year-olds felt like they were responding in character with the plot lines.

- The Soulmate – I enjoyed how awkward Libby and Drew were and the ups and downs they had in terms of dealing with each other. It was excellent fun.

There were only a few minor bumps for me:

- There is another teen at the school dealing with a Soulmate and she exists to basically further the plot. I wanted to know more about her and the not-so-good outcome of her Soulmate. Maybe the author can write a book about the non-success story.

- The reason love interest was in jail was obvious and rather silly. I get it but I would have preferred something else.

- Libby’s love interest Drew was rather bleh. He didn’t feel real. But it didn’t really deter me having fun with the novel. I cared about Libby and Beth the most.

This novel only has about 535 ratings and 140 reviews on Goodreads. I am certainly glad to add another good review. I will be interested to see what other things the author will create. Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there me mateys!  Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this non-fiction eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

do you have kids? life when the answer is no (Kate Kaufmann)

Q: "Do you have kids?"

A: No.

This title caught me eye when perusing NetGalley because it is a question I have been asked one million-billion times.  And every single time I answer this question in the negative, there is usually awkward silence on the questioner's part and/or the usual follow up questions of befuddlement.

Now personally, I have known that I never wanted kids from an early age. - like around the age of five.  While me sister was contentedly holding babies, I was always trying to find a quiet spot to resume readin'.  Family assumed that I would change me mind when I met "the right person."  In me 20s I ended a five-year relationship because me partner changed his mind about children once he became an uncle.  I be childfree and that's how I love it.  The "right person" is the first mate who doesn't want kids either.  And I personally have no problems answering the questions of the befuddled.  I always find books with this topic to be fun to see how the statistics have changed and to hear stories about what other women without kids do with their lives.

This book was different from previous reads on the topic in that the women in the story were mostly in the latter stages of life.  I felt like most of this book dealt more with people who didn't have children due to infertility or "destiny."  This book seemed to be geared towards women who feel a need to justify their choice to not have kids or to explain why they couldn't have kids to those that do.  I don't think that focus is a bad thing in a world where children are valued so highly.  Infertility is a serious issue and I do not make light of it.  I just personally found other parts of the book to be more interesting.

The sections that I enjoyed most were about some of the unique problems when you don't have children.  In particular the sections about estate planning, end-of-life health decisions, and reproductive cancers were the most fascinating.  I also loved the updated studies and the perspective from women looking back on their choices about children.  The other books I read tended to focus on women at the beginnings of that choice.  The vignettes showcasing personal stories were less productive because there wasn't always clear delineation when the speaker changed.  Also the writing style was a bit erratic and the through-line was hard to follow.  But I did enjoy the book.  Here of some of me interesting takes from the book:

- 1 in 5 American women will not have kids
- Women's fertility is linked to farm animals with words like "eggs" and "harvest."  Men's fertility is linked to finances with words like "collect" and "bank."  Why is theirs not "milk" and "silo?"
- Taking oral contraceptives for 10 years or more can reduce chances of many reproductive cancers by half.
- Unspayed cats and dogs get reproductive cancers.  Chimps and other primates don't even though they share 98% of genetic material with humans.  Scientists are looking into if the reasons are in the 2% difference.
- All American adults should have wills and advanced medical directives.  A place to start working on this is found in an online checklist called The Conversation Project which is a not-for-profit that "guides people through talking about their wishes for end-of-life care."

I choose to celebrate me decision to not have children.  If ye be interested in the topic feel free to check out this book and other childfree titles.

So lastly . . .

Thank you She Writes Press!

Side note: The first mate decided to entertain me with answers for the question of why I don't want kids.  They were irreverent and made me laugh.  So if ye think ye will be offended skip these:

"F*ck you, breeder!"

"I was informed my children would be the anti-christ so I'm doing this for you!"

"I didn't know you were my mother!"

Hardy har har!

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

Ahoy there me mateys! This cover and its title drew me in. Isn’t that cover gorgeous? So of course I had to know what it was about.

Turns out that Earth, with the help of a super computer, has no natural death, hunger, disease, war, etc. But because the population still needs to be controlled, there are human scythes whose job it is to choose who will die - within certain rules and parameters of course.

The story concerns Citra and Rowan, two teens, who are chosen to be trained as apprentice scythes. Neither of them wants the job but both say yes for assorted reasons. The catch is that only one of them will be chosen to advance as a scythe. But each apprentice has to decide if they truly want the job as well as try to pass the appropriate tests..

The world and characters that the author set up were extremely interesting. I liked the various scythes and how each chooses to approach the work. I love the weird super computer. I enjoyed both Citra and Rowan’s stories. I thought the introduction to both of those characters as well as to their master scythe were especially well done and engaging. There are a lot of lovely details that made this version of Earth come alive for me.

The flaw in the reading was in the plot. The first half flew by and then the story seemed to stagnate. The middle was kinda boring and there were some plot twists that I did not like at all. But I kept reading because I loved the overall world set-up and wanted to know how it ended. And I highly enjoyed how the author chose to conclude this first book. I am not sure what will happen in the second book but I do believe I will read it.

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

Ahoy there! Ye heard it straight from me. I didn't love the second book. There were parts that were okay but overall this was a big fat fail. Now Matey Katie asked, "are you planning to write a review? I'd love to read it but understand the comment above might be all you need to describe it." Well upon some more thought, I figured Matey Katie deserved an answer, even if it be brief . . .

So this story was basically a Marty Stu tale where ye can throw out the whole book and nothing of use really happens. There are two things I liked about the book:

1) the cool tree in the Fae land

2) the concept of the rings even if execution wasn't great

And Rothfuss does have some nice turns of phrase throughout. There were multiple things I despised. I won't list them all (it would take about 990 pages of the book):

1) Denna - she is a selfish bitch and sucks and Kvothe should have gone for the librarian at the college or Devi or really ANYONE else.

2) Wandering through the Woods forever and seemingly in circles

3) The fae love scene. It felt like that alone was hundreds of pages. Ugh.

4) Rothfuss skipping the cool things like the shipwreck and trial.

5) The warrior women training camp. Blech.

6) Nothing of interest happens with the Chandrian.

Etc. Etc. Etc. Basically at around 2/3 through ye start to become sympathetic to the Chronicler's position that gettting Kvothe's story shouldn't need three days. Cause day two didn't advance the plot at all. And because I adored book one so much, book two was a betrayal. I will likely read the third book for curiousity sake and to discuss it with the first mate. There is no excitement about getting a release date and if it doesn't come out I will survive.

But if ye really want to know how I feel then look no further than Twila's Goodreads review.

So Matey Katie, I hope this helps. Arrrr!

Ahoy there me mateys! I slowly be working me way through the novels by Daryl Gregory. This is me fourth book of his but by far me least favourite of the bunch. Part of that may be that it is a first novel. Part of it was the resolution. And part of it was a specific problem scene that I will discuss in a moment and will be a spoiler even if cloaked in shady terms. The elements of his style, which I love, are present but I didn’t love the final product.

Now this apparently was his first novel. I didn’t know that when I picked it up. It was just the next in line from me library hold list. In fact, I really knew nothing about it except that the word demon in the title is highlighted in red letters. The story takes place in an alternate universe where in the 1950s people began to be possessed by demons. These demons can possess people of all ages and usually stay in a host for a limited time-frame until their objective has been achieved. But once ye have been possessed, the statistical likelihood of another possession goes up.

The story follows Del who was possessed twice in his life time at the ages five and fourteen. But he thought he was out of danger until an accident makes him realize that he is possessed again and the demon is struggling to break free. Or what if the demon never left? I thought the beginning of the novel was wonderful and loved the odd world-building and the different types of demons and their particular traits. I enjoyed learning about Del and both his present and past history. Del made me happy. His mom, brother, and sister-in-law also made me happy.

The weakness of the novel was in the plot. There is a lot of discussion about the various theories of demon possession. I normally would love it but it was haphazardly discussed and interrupted the flow. In addition the action was limited and there was a lot of driving back and forth. Besides Del’s family, many of the side characters were rather bland. And while I loved the set-up until the reveal, the rest of the book began to pall after that. Part of that was the focus on comic books. I am not a comic book fan and so the second half was not to me taste.

And then there is the scene that soured things for me altogether. Del and a woman are sharing a hotel room when there is a discussion about the sexual tension. The woman decides not to have sex. Then Del wakes up to find the woman having sex with him. His response to throw her to the floor. Her response is to be “what the hell.” And then they have sex but under her terms. Ugh. Blech. Yuck. The day after and aftermath was also dealt with poorly. The entire scene could have been thrown out of the book and wouldn’t have mattered. I was beyond disappointed in its inclusion.

So with the non-consensual sex, the downward trend of the second half into a story I wasn’t interested in, and a conclusion that was lackluster, this one walks the plank. I be sad but good ideas weren’t enough to save it. Arrrr!

Ahoy there me mateys! So I have been a fan of Mercedes Lackey ever since I picked up her Valdemar books as a kid. This book is the second of the Hunter trilogy. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read hunter then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .

As a reminder, the world is a post-apocalyptic US where after said disaster, a seam to the Otherworld opened allowing magic and monsters through. Several centuries later, the world has slowly rebuilt behind walls and there are armies and other groups trying to keep regular citizens safe. One of those groups is the Hunters whose purpose it be to hunt monsters of course!

In this installment, we continue to follow Joy who has become a member of the Elite group of Hunters. The sewers under the center of town are supposed to be safe but Joy is given an undercover job by her Uncle to patrol the pipes and find out what is causing the disturbances. Add in increasing storm surges, higher rates of monster attacks, and trying to make time to see her boyfriend and Joy’s life is anything but calm.

This series just continues to be outright fluffy fun. The highlights of the book are still Joy, Joy’s Hounds, and Knight. I also loved the addition of the two Hunter brothers. There is less romance in this one and it is actually a little lighter on plot. This book does have a bit of the set-up for the next book problem. There are questions with no satisfactory answers. But I really didn’t care. I am really here for the Hounds and for monster hunting. There was plenty of that.

If ye haven’t read any of Lackey’s YA stuff, there is a lightness of tone to the books and the plot doesn’t really tend to have tons of psychology or real character development. But it does have excellent characters to root for, fun magic, and good conquering evil. I loved her YA series with dragons jousters and I love this one too. These are young adult books that harken back to earlier times and types of fantasy stories. And there be nothing wrong with that. I recommend Lackey’s work to the crew. Now all I have to do is finish the series!

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

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy short stories eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

This was a short story collection that I requested because it was about me first love of ponies before the sea stole me heart. And it had a story by Jane Yolen. I was super busy and needed something that I could easily pick up and put down at whim. So I figured that this would float me boat. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time wanting to put this down and never pick it up again. Out of the 19 stories, I ended up readin’ 7. Actually I would have thought more given how long readin’ this felt but 7 is what came up when I just counted. So here be me thoughts on the 7:

“stars, wings, and knitting things” (J.G. Formato)

The first story of this collection was certainly interesting. I loved the main character, Annie. She was quirky, funny, and not at all what I expected. It involves knitting. I loved her banter and her husband’s responses. I thought this was a great first story if very unusual. Can’t explain more than that.

“eel and bloom” (Diana Hurlburt)

This was overall by far me favorite story of the batch. It was about a young girl named Bea who races limerunners (“native Floridian cousin to the Scottish kelpie” source) at the local racetrack after dark. These horses have to be kept near water. They also have to be kept with care because they are carnivorous, nasty, and kill. Bea’s mother makes a bet with her daughter’s future as a consequence. The outcome of the night’s race has never been more important. The ending was perfect. I would love to read future tales of Eel and Bea.

“a complete mare” (Tasmin Showbrook)

This is a story concerning half-breeds of Gods. Odin especially. I didn’t like this story at all. The story was confusing and the main character, Verity, made some really bizarre and crazy choices. I did like her transformations but it wasn’t enough to make me care about the characters or the world. Also the story seemed like a chapter picked out of a larger narrative.

“neither snow, nor rain, nor heat-ray” (M.L.D. Curelas)

This was actually was even more confusing then the previous story as crazy as that seemed to me when reading. This story takes place in London in 1900 five days after the alien invasion. The aliens are these weird tripods. There is a Moreauvian named Fletcher with special powers. I didn’t understand where these people came from. I didn’t understand what happened at the end and what was learned. I did like the main character, Emma and her horse, Beezus. But mostly I was just confused. Again it seemed like it was a chapter pulled out of a larger work and it was poorer for it.

“rue the day” (Laura VanArendonk Baugh)

This was an amazing concept, characters, world, and plot at first. This deals with war bands that fight with unicorns in a medieval like setting. I adored Galyne and her unicorn Nova. This was exactly fitting me mood and I was reading with pure delight. Then came the plot twist and it soured. It involves a trigger for many people and I was so sad that the author chose to take it there. I thought good points were made in the circumstances that were presented and I even thought the author handled the conclusions well. However, I would have preferred a very different direction. In fact I would love this story to be expanded so I can get more of Galyne and the world. Mixed feelings on this one but disappointment lingers.

“riders in the sky” (V.F. LeSann)

This story felt like a western wrapped up with ghosts and magic horses. I loved the world and the main characters of the Rider and her horse, Peregrine. This was an engaging story but overall seemed like we are missing too much backstory. The story did have a clear beginning and ending but overall there were just too many unanswered questions. Highly engaging though.

“a glory of unicorns” (Jane Yolen)

This was the reason I picked up this book and then I read it and was sad. It’s a very short poem and not really a story at all. I didn’t hate the poem. I just wanted something along the lines of “a plague of unicorns” which I reviewed here.

So I loved one, partially liked three, hated two, and thought one was a tease. Ultimately many of the stories felt incomplete and unsatisfactorily. I am glad I read it for the parts I liked but when I began reading the next story, I realized I didn’t want to spend more time reading it. I am not sure I will ever finish it. For me it was a mixed bag but perhaps ye will like it more. All I know is that I am glad I picked it up because of the joy that was reading about Eel and Bea.

So lastly . . .

Thank you World Weaver Press!

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

Ahoy there me mateys! This here be a combined review of the last two books in the Eternal Sky trilogy. While I try to post no spoilers, ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .

I have to review these books together because I read them back to back and thus they have blended into one whole. The books follow Temur and Samarkar and friends as they try to destroy a cult and save the world. This series continues to be odd in that the plot sort of plods along. The pacing is uneven and the action is varied and doesn’t always make sense in terms of storytelling and flow.

This is one of those tales where book two is all the various players traveling about. I normally hate those. However, the imagery of 12th and 13 century Asia and the character growth kept me reading. I still absolutely love Hrahima, Temur, Samarkar, and Brother Hsiung. However I also fell in love with Saadet, Hong-la, and Tsering. I very much enjoyed the newer perspectives. Saadet was on the “bad” side and yet I sympathized with her more than I expected. And as in the first book, the pacing picked up in the second half and I liked it much better than the beginning.

In book three the sides have hunkered down to prepare for the grand battle. I was not as excited about the battle plan parts. Most of what I thought would happen during the battle did even if all the details weren’t guessed correctly. In fact the entire battle was lacklustre and there never seemed to be any urgency to it. Most of the planning happened off the page. And yet I was immersed once again in the characters and was mostly content reading along. One of the best parts about these two books was Edene. Her role was the one where there were multiple surprises in store. Actually, the females in this book win hands down.

The ending of the book was kinda weird and didn’t tie up lots of loose ends. A small sampling – Namri Songstan, Lady Dio, the dragons, Woman-King Tzitzik and the artifact, the glass demons, the blood ghosts, etc. There is no real closure. I mean I didn’t hate what happened. I just need to know what comes after the great battle has ended. I mean it was plain that women were going to set the future in motion. But how!?!

All the criticism of pacing and plot aside, I really did enjoy the story for the setting and characters. I love watching women gain and keep agency. I have no regrets. One series down! Arrr!

Side note: I think Ümmühan would make a great wizard in the future.

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