Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Heart Seeker (The Fire Heart Chronicles Book 1) This was a review copy. 3 stars. I gotta say I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I get that this is the first book and is trying to establish the world, but I wanted more depth of character. I did like the unique creature type, the Gypsy like magical people are interesting. But our main character Mirella was annoying and too busy drooling over boys around her to focus on what’s happening to her. That trope in fantasy is overdone. Also overdone? The trope of the parent who binds and hides her child’s magic and lies to her for her entire life so far, and continues to lie and keep secrets even after the magic secret is out. I did really find the ending intriguing, with the ritual and unveiling of the Heart Maiden (not even really a spoiler, because duh) and I’m curious to see how Mirella’s magic grows as she matures into a strong woman (which, if she doesn’t become a strong woman rather than a flighty annoying girl we’re done). I did really enjoy the audio narration. The narrator did a great job with voices and was pleasant to listen to.
Wow. Looks like most of the books I read this month were for actual reviews!
Crooked Kingdom: I moderately enjoyed Six of Crows; this sequel, less so. I didn’t hate it. But I also didn’t love it. Probably more me than the book. I did enjoy Sturmhold the privateer. And all of Kaz’s machinations towards the end. Kaz is certainly a great planner! The full cast audio narration was well done, making it easier to distinguish all the different characters.
Midnight Sun: Pretty much what you would expect. Edward is a very verbose over-thinker! The extra scenes are a nice addition to the Twilight story. This is the comfort read that you need.
#1 in Customer Service: I really appreciate that Audible went ahead and put all the stories into one collection. It makes for a very enjoyable listen. I love this series. Though, I think I would rename it Jimmy the Intern Saves the World and Also Gets the Donuts! I’ve already listened to the first two stories in this collection. In the next three, we meet more employees at Stranger and Stranger: the actuarial team, the HR team, and even the accounting team! We also have some timey-wimey time travel paradoxes. Great narration once again by Mr. Baldwin. Skip if you don’t like humor or sarcasm! Or are a dolphin. 🙂
Books we reviewed this month:
- [11 Aug] The Black Midnight by Kathleen Y'Barbo ★★★★
- [19 Aug] The Secret of You and Me by Melissa Lenhardt ★★★★★
- [29 Aug] Nacho's Nachos by Oliver Dominguez, Sandra Nickel
