wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)

The Wheel of Osheim is the last book telling the tale of Prince Jalan and Snorri as they attempt to wade through Hel, come out the other side and turn the Wheel of Osheim to banish all magic from the world.

I really enjoyed this and actually flew through it. There was so much great character development in this book. I really felt like Jalan grew into the man he was always foretold to be in this book, and even without the presence of Snorri for the majority of the tale, he was able to stand up, take control and I'm pretty sure this was the only book he didn't pee his pants when faced with danger. The battle in Vermillion was excellent and I really felt like my heart was racing through the whole thing (which was a rather long time). I also though their trip in Hel was brilliant, with Snorri's being oddly emotional. And oh my goodness, when Tutt appeared I felt like crying. I loved him so much. I really enjoyed this trilogy and was happy to have been able to follow Snorri and Jalan's adventures together. I just hope Jalan maintains some of the sense he learned on his journeys. (which probably will never happen).

And can I fangirl for a minute about the drinking between Jorg and Jal because YESSSSS. I've been waiting for them to have a conversation for the whole trilogy and it was amazing. The way they talked about being a prince and a king, their similarities in their childhood. Everything! It was amazing! I was just dancing through all of that and loved how Jal thought afterwards that he should have rolled a sleeping Jorg off the the roof. Also the scene of Jal taking Jorg's advice on how to deal with Maerus and channelling Jorg Ancrath was EVERYTHING! I just imagined him walking back to the palace soaked in blood and it's terrible but I cheered. It's like he evolved in that moment to the warrior he needed to be and really showed he was the Red Queen's grandson. YASS. ALL HAIL THE RED PRINCE.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

Sam Coyle’s father was an undercover cop and her whole life he taught her to be wary of everyone and everything. Now her father is dead and Sam is having a hard time getting over it. Then Sam’s boyfriend disappears, she gets strange messages on her answering machine and it appears like someone is after her. Sam ends up on a mission to find out what’s going on and just might end up leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.

This is a suspenseful mystery novel that manages to tie in the fear of nuclear disaster with family ties and legacy as one woman figures out who she is and if she really is her father’ daughter. Sam is a thoughtful, mature character who despite only being 20, seems to be able to look after herself and doesn’t hesitate to get things done. There were times she could be a bit hasty in going and leaving places but that was okay in the end. I enjoyed getting glimpses of her relationships with the men in her life - her dad, Luke, Dave and eventually even Sonny, and how they all ended up shaping her a little bit and helping her. This book definitely had me suspecting everyone all the time though I wasn’t that surprised at the conclusion.

The book’s plot around the nuclear power plants and protests went a bit over my head as it’s set in the 80s and I wasn’t even born yet so I don’t have a really clear idea of the time when people were protesting Sellafield and Chernobyl was still a clear memory for everyone. It was definitely interesting and it set the scene a lot. There were times I forgot the book was set in the 80s as it was a bit timeless like that and I’d only remember when she checked the answering machine at her house.

I really loved Sonny and thought he was a mysterious, anti-hero character. He was dark and handsome but he was also ruthless. Yet, he showed remorse for the things he’d done from crying after he finished ‘a job’, to his renewed faith and the crosses on his arms for his victims. I think I would have liked more flashbacks or something with Sam’s previous history with Sonny and how it all went down with her dad. I’m very surprised we didn’t get an actual flashback of that day.

Overall, this was tense and suspenseful with also a hint of the supernatural about it. Sam is a bit obsessed with witches and witchcraft and some of her interactions with people definitely left me feeling a bit spooked. Everything tied in nicely at the end and I enjoyed it.

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Louisiana 'Easy' Merritt knows that she only wants to be one thing in life - a Blues singer. When Easy meets her idol, Janis Joplin, by chance in her Canadian town, she gets the chance to travel to Texas to sing for Janis' people. Easy makes her way through the States with two nuns travelling the same way and faces things like racism and judgement that she never has before.

"I don't think anyone's life really begins at birth. being born is just a technicality. Everyone chooses a certain moment, a particular experience from which they look ahead, and to which they return, time and again, wondering if life would have been different had that one incident never occurred."

This was a quick and easy read and very, very enjoyable. I had to read this on time for net Galley but I also felt that, given the events in the US this week, it was a timely read as well. Easy was a fantastic character to read, she was smart, strong and spunky and she was really able to hold her own. It was very hard seeing her face an intimidating and scary kind of racism that she'd never experienced before and having to hold her tongue, knowing that she would make everything worse if she tried to stand up for herself. There's a lot of emphasis on judging people in this book and not making assumptions, particularly with Marsha's story and then Easy's own feelings about her white birth mother Wendy Wood. There's also an emphasis on what exactly you'll do to achieve a dream and what you're willing to give up. Janis Joplin's role is this was pretty great. I don't know much about Janis in real life but I really enjoyed her attitude towards things, especially how Easy was treated and allowed herself to be treated. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who is a fan of music, the blues, road trips or just a good time!

3.5 stars. Review to come.

Willowdean 'Dumplin' Dickson is a self-proclaimed fat girl and for the majority of her life she's been happy exactly the way she is. But one summer, Will ends up in a romantic englaement with Bo - a hot, athletic newcomer - and suddenly begins doubting herself. Dumplin decided to enter the town's beauty pageant to help boost her self-confidence and prove that fat girls can do it too.

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book so I really didn't know what to expect going into ti and I;m actually glad that this was the case as I think it helped me enjoy it a lot more. While there were definitely some aspects of Will that I didn't like and that annoyed me, overall I found the story sweet and enjoyable and I can why it was so easily picked up to become a film. Will is definitely great in her mindset, she knows she's fat and her best friend is thin but so what, that's just the way it is. She could definitely be quite judgey at times about other girls, fat or thin, but aren't we all sometimes? I also totally got the fear she felt the moment Bo touched her and became aware of her body cause I think no matter how skinny you are, when you're that adult moment when you're touched for the first time by someone yo're attracted to and you start feeling those feelings and thinking those thoughts, you suddenly become aware of your body as a whole and how it might appear to that person whose approval suddenly means the world. O think this came across really, really well for Will and it was a personal mountain she had to overcome in the book which I felt she eventually did (though I would have liked more aftermath at the end?)

I was disappointed there wasn't more actual pageant stuff and that Will wasn't as into it as I thought. Being from a country where beauty pageant wasn't even a word until I started reading Meg Cabot and watching MTV, pageants just completely amuse and enthrall me. It's like a whole new world, I was hoping for a bookish Miss Congeniality but it failed me in this aspect. It was like the pageant was the afterthought when the book had been marketed with it as the main plot. I love how the other girls joined in though and how great they were and that they became friends.

I though the crumpling relationship between El and Will was really interesting and I felt it was important. Friendships don't always last and people do become different and drift apart and I think it's important to convey this in books - that your childhood friend may not be your lifelong best friend. So to see how Will and El did become different people and how they struggled with this was good to read.

And can we talk about how cute Bo is for a minute? When he called her Willowdean, I died. He was the only one that called her by her full name and when he introduced her to others he called her Will, because Willowdean was just for him and omg I just loved that!!!!