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!
Death’s Awakening (Eternal Sorrows Book 1) I tell you it is quite trippy to be reading this book about a quick-spreading pandemic, in the middle of a global pandemic. And then when many of the dead get up and become zombies, which everyone kind of joked would happen with Covid. Very trippy indeed. I liked the characters and I liked the switching POV. I enjoyed the setup and the way the characters worked together. I liked the way the witch started out causing this by some kind of pull, without realizing she was being the villain. I’m curious about the big evil that is becoming stronger as the dead rise. I even kind of enjoyed the cliffy. Definitely curious to read the rest of the series.
Arms of the Ocean – Trigger warnings: suicide, rape, murder. I enjoyed this story and the world-building. I liked Tris, her passion, and her determination. The strong spirit that won’t allow her to live in misery, but instead accepts death, or maybe an entirely new life. The land of Inara was enthralling and as a mermaid lover, it was enjoyable to picture. I liked Emriel as well, the selkie prince, proud but kind. In fact, he’s nothing like the typical fae prince (you know, the cold and brutal ones). I liked that there was more to the world than we first see. It’s not just the underwater world of the selkie, but there is an entire fae realm, and we even have a friendly cat sidhe (another favorite fae creature of mine). The book has some severe content, and not all are pleasant to read/listen to. The betrayal from a trusted friend due to jealousy, the repeated rape, and abuse, even the murder reveal. The insta-love between our main characters seemed cliche at first, but they explained it with the bond-mate explanation, so I’ll take it as a finding of your soulmate and not the typical insta-lust. I really enjoyed the audio narration by Sharon Robbins. I will definitely be looking for other books narrated by her. This is a debut novel, so there’s no telling if this will turn into a series. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Firekeeper’s Daughter: I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the book club read. And wow. I was blown away. Emotional and moving, Ms. Boulley weaves an amazing story. Daunis is the kind of YA heroine that we need. She’s smart and scientific, and is blending her knowledge of her indigenous life to solve crimes and protect her family. There are some twists that I saw coming and others that I did not. Isabella Star LaBlanc was amazing. I could not have managed to get through the book on my own. The audio really enhanced my experience. This book is really worth the read, especially with your ears.
Elements of Capture: Chemistry: Finally some resolution to Kaitlyn’s and Martin’s story. And it was satisfactory. Short and sweet with some emotional scenes. And bonus for a quick read!
The Two Lost Mountains: A satisfying penultimate in the Jack West Jr. series. With loads of action and emotion. I love how Mr. Reilly isn’t afraid to kill off characters for that emotional gut punch (or bring them back to life in the nick of time). I also really appreciate how he weaves together mythology and history for a very intriguing plot.
Books we reviewed this month:
Firekeeper’s Daughter was a book that completely blew me away. It is easily my favorite book published in 2021 because of the raw writing and twists that left my jaw on the floor. And the author is from my home state!
So many people have raved about Firekeeper’s Daughter. That one has definitely stayed on my radar.
Count me in on the raving, Nicole! It was amazing!