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!
Mini Book Reviews
The Heiress: A Novel: This is a book where all of the characters are criminally insane and no one really is redeemable. The woman who killed all four of her husbands, because she could? The other family members fighting and killing each other over an inheritance. The really sneaky wife. Secrets all around. It was good, but also too much. The audio was well done. The story is told between present day husband and wife POV and Ruth’s letters as well as newspaper articles. The voicing was well done but all the switching back and forth was a bit daunting.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel: This was a great story, interesting and twisty with lots of secrets. Evelyn Hugo is a Hollywood celebrity who has had many husbands, but only one person was the true love of her life. The story is told in alternating POV between Evelyn telling her story, and the reporter’s own life. In those interview meetings, many secrets slowly get spilled. The biggest secret being why Evelyn chose this specific reporter to tell her story to when she has refused all other interviews, and what she had planned for after the story was fully told. The audiobook was well done.
THE SPELLMAN FILES (#1): Given this was published in 2008, I was really surprised by the fact that there was a 2 month wait at the library. What the heck! But after listening, I kind of get it. This was a fun read about a very messed up family of private investigators. Imagine having your parents run background reports on your dates. And the youngest sister who learned to negotiate every single argument to her benefit! My one issue with the book is the very non-linear timeline\storytelling. The book starts with Rae (the youngest sister) missing and Izzy (the middle child) telling ALL the family dirt to try to find Rae. But not in any kind of order. I mostly followed along. But the chapter numbers were useless as they followed all the different stories Izzy was telling to the investigator searching for Rae. Car chases. Lots of boozing. And as the straight-laced oldest child, I did identify with David, the only member of the family not a P.I. I’d like to see his POV more! Enjoyed this and will continue with the series.
SHADOW TYRANTS: There are A LOT of megalomaniacs out there trying to cull the human population! And I’m glad that Juan and the rest of the Oregon crew are there to save us without our knowledge. This one’s twist was an entire cabal that had been around thousands of years, secreting knowledge and plotting destruction. I liked the addition of Raven to the team. It’s nice to have more women characters who can kick butt in action books! Excellent narration again by Scott Brick. And side note: when I win the lottery, I won’t tell anyone, but my signs will be a car and bunker that can survive an EMP.
WHERE THE LIBRARY HIDES: I have thoughts. But they are all very spoilery. Suffice it to say, GIANT twist at the end took this from a 4 to a 5. With -.5 point for Whit’s character arc in the first half of the book. I, like Inez, was not impressed by some of his decisions. Writing and narration both excellent. Kind of nice to have a two and done series. Instead of having to sit around for years waiting on the next book in the series! Also appreciated how the epilogue gave us how all of the characters ended up. Excellent book and duology for anyone interested in historical mystery.
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE: Excellent narration. Excellent writing. Plus, the asides designed for audio listeners really enhance the story. I like how Ernest lays out the rules for his novel in the beginning and then follows those rules. He even lists the chapters with deaths! I did not see the double twist at the end! Interesting interplay between all the different family members. I liked the twist on the locked room mystery, with the group stuck in the middle of a snow storm. Sarcasm, humor, and a side of clever plotting had me hooked from the beginning. 12/10 stars!
THE HOLLOW OF FEAR: Clearly, I am in my murder\mystery era with a third mystery this month. Which probably means I won’t read another for ages! Excellent plotting in this book. With some twists that I did not see coming! (And a breaking of one of the rules laid out in Everyone above.) I liked seeing Charlotte work on her various disguises and Olivia becoming more of the story. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series!
THE WORST PIRATE HUNTERS IN THE FRINGE: Space pirates! Where was this book in September when I was looking for pirate books! It’s far superior to the actual pirate book I read. This time around, Brad and Jessica are hired to save a planet from pirates. Their turns as space mercenaries going strong. I enjoy the literal fly by the seat of their pants action planning. Or lack of planning! Some excellent space fighting, with Jessica breaking out the ninja skills. On to the next book after that cliffhanger of an ending!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [1 Nov] Diwali in My New Home by Shachi Kaushik, Aishwarya Tandon ★★★★½
- [6 Nov] Spanky and His Blanky by Marissa Jo Cerar, Esme Cerar Monreal ★★★★★
- [14 Nov] Sonar The Crashing (Sonar The Crashing, #1) by B. Truly ★★★
- [16 Nov] Three Little Pigs and The Good Wolf: The real story behind the famous fable by Avery Smart
- [27 Nov] Wicked Wish by Alex Gordon ★★★★★
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