amandasbookreview's reviews
966 reviews

"Calling all second chance love trope fans, this book is for you!"

Check out my full review at InD'tale Magazine:

https://issuu.com/indtalemagazine/docs/june_2022_issue?fr=sOTA0NjQ5MzMzNjI

Thank you, NetGalley, Sulari Gentill, and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book! It will release on June 7th, 2022.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is somewhat of a unique story setup. It is actually a story within a story, almost within another story—but we will get to that later. Our story begins with four individuals who happen to be in the same area of the Boston Public Library when suddenly there is a scream. Winifred, known as Freddie, Marigold, Whit, and Cain is somewhat bonded by this event, and a friendship blossoms. However, when the news breaks that a woman was found murdered in the BPL, they begin to ponder what had happened. Then Freddie starts to get strange messages and then soon realizes they are all in danger.

I came so close to DNFing this book. The premise sounded so promising and the first two chapters had me hooked. Then the novelty wore off and the pace dragged. I could not bring myself to care about the characters, especially with those weird letters from Leo. I kept thinking how annoying his letters were and how if I were the recipient I would no longer respond…then there was the twist. And my god what a twist!! Everything changed for me in that instant.

The second half of the book is intense. I could not put it down. I had to know what happens in both stories. Everything seems to happen at once. The characters become more fleshed out. Freddie is determined to piece together this mystery, while Cain harbors so many secrets. Marigold is Marigold, I am not going to lie, she is my least favorite in the group. Whit is laid back and born into privilege. What at first seemed like a very surface-level story turned into a mystery that became unpredictable with multiple complexities–there are hints of social standing, school to prison pipeline, and guilty of self-defense. I have not felt so torn by a book before as I hated the first half but loved the second half! It was definitely worth the read in the end.

I am never ok after reading Toni Morrison. I have read The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and now Sula, and my heart is in shatters each time. There is quite the cast of characters but the book ultimately begins in 1919 in a town in Ohio called Bottom. The first character introduced is Shadrack who fought in WWI and struggles with severe PTSD. Due to this PTSD and his struggle to come to terms with what he endured in the war, he invents National Suicide Day. We then meet our two main characters in 1920, Nel Wright and Sula Peace. They grow up together and despite their families, they form a close bond until one event changes everything. One day, Sula and Nel are playing by the river with some other kids and one dies from drowning. More events occur and while Nel chooses a life of marriage and children, Sula is independent but the town soon views her as evil, and the only person to see her is Shadrack.

Trigger Warnings: Child Death, Fire, Murder, Alcoholism, Emotional Abuse, PTSD, Suicide, etc…

This book is heavy. It is a short story but Toni Morrison seems to fully grasp life in its entirety. She conveys the depth of loneliness, despair, love, and grief. Motherhood is the main theme in this book, as well as mother-daughter relationships. Sula is unapologetically herself and wants to focus on herself rather than make her life belong to someone else and it is unbelievably powerful. Considering the time, society thinks there is something wrong with her. But as I think about it, even if someone said that today, there would still be those who would be scornful of that person.

As I said above, Toni Morrison seems to fully grasp life but also the words in which to convey all the emotions. She has such a beautiful way of writing and each word is placed with such care.

I highly recommend the audiobook as it is narrated by Toni Morrison. I feel like she is the only person who could narrate her books. She brings all the emotions narrating it as she does with her words. I recently heard that Sula is going to be adapted into a mini-series. If they do it justice, it will impact many around the world.

Thank you, Ann Leary, NetGalley, and Scribner Books for the opportunity to read this book. It was just released on May 31st, 2022.

The Foundling by Ann Leary takes readers to the year 1927 and introduces the extremely naive, Mary Engle. At just 18 years old, she gets a job as a secretary at Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She had grown up in an orphanage and jumped at the chance to work under Dr. Agnes Vogel. Mary is in awe of her and her new job. But one day, she sees a familiar face, Lillian, a girl who was with her at the orphanage. There is no way she belongs here. Mary soon discovers that there is something wrong with Nettleton and especially with Dr. Vogel.

This book held a lot of promise with that premise, but it was not executed well. Let me start with the pacing. The beginning is slow, which is to be expected. We meet naive Mary, and as the book progresses she doesn’t really stop being naive. Well, maybe she does, but then happily turns a blind eye and feigns ignorance. Because “she can’t lose her job.” Which is mentioned quite often. Then about 70% into the book and she is just not ignorant anymore and is determined to make a change, but only to one person.

Now time to talk about the trigger warnings. The author did her research and wanted it to be as accurate as possible. So be warned the language used is very insulting. The women are deemed low in intelligence and are referred to as idiots and morons. But the author does state in the introduction that this was the actual language used in asylums during this time. There is also rape, abuse, gaslighting, racism, and antisemitism.

This leads me to the tone of the novel. This story is heavy and dark, or it should be written as such. For some reason, it came off very light to me. There is definitely the want for a happily ever after when I think this book would have made more of an impact by embracing the heavy and important topics.

However, thanks to the ignorant Mary, we do get to see her experience a lot of lessons involving her privilege. I do appreciate what the author tried to do with this book, but not sure how well it was executed.

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan is the third book in the Wheel of Time series. Rand al’Thor has been proclaimed the Dragon Reborn and is on the run. He hears the whispers of the power inside him. While on the run he is being followed by Darkfriends and is also the cause of strange events. Hot on his trail but unable to catch up are Perrin, Loial, Moiraine, and Lan. They are able to follow his trail based on these strange events. But there is something Perrin is keeping hidden from his group. He has strange dreams and the wolves speak to him. Will they take over his soul? Egwene and Nyneave arrive at Tar Valon and find themselves being put through the test of the Accepted. Mat also finds himself at Tar Valon to be healed but manages to escape. Everything seems to lead to chaos in this installment.

The truth of it is, that characters can ruin a story. When it comes to The Wheel of Time, the world-building is some of the best there is, however, in my opinion, everything else that makes a story is fading. the plot gets lost and there are only a handful of characters that I appreciate. Let’s start with the characters that I CAN’T STAND, Nyneave and Rand. I stopped counting how many times Nyneave tugged Egwene’s braid after 20 times. I wish I were exaggerating. It also doesn’t help that I can’t stand her character. Everyone says she gets better, but honestly, she is a lost cause at this point for me. Don’t get me started on Rand’s constant whining. How does the fate of the world fall to him? Just let the world get destroyed and start over.

I do love Egwene, Loial, and Lan. Perrin is also growing on me, but I love wolves so I am biased. While Moiraine is in this book, she feels like a ghost. She was there but not really present. Egwene’s Accepted test was one of the best scenes in the book. I hope her power and strength grow in the following books. I think it is impossible not to enjoy Loial and Lan. They save the book when it comes to the characters. Overall, it is a cool world but I need more in order to care about it.

Are a series of murders the result of political retaliation, family secrets, or both? Kiera and Sebastian Gage look to discover just that in An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber, the 7th book in the Lady Darby Mystery series. Body snatchers are arrested for the murder of a 14-year-old boy in London. With the rise of armed guards in cemeteries, there are those who will murder and sell the bodies to anatomists and surgeons.–They are known as Burkers. Kiera’s past should be behind her but with this case, the society once again turns on her. Not only that but there is a series of murders made to look like the Burker murders gone wrong, but is it related to the famous Italian Boy case and trial?

Anne Lee Huber never disappoints. This book absolutely blew me away with the historical detail! Thomas Williams and John Bishop were arrested and convicted of murder in 1831. The Italian Boy was a real case and absolutely heartbreaking. Kiera’s past as an anatomist’s wife, fits the story perfectly. Then there is the discussion of the workhouses and poor children begging in the streets. Her descriptions made me feel like I was there and it tore at my heart.

While I love Gage and Kiera, I am so glad Anderley got his time to shine. He has always been a bit mysterious and mischievous. It was wonderful to read more about his character’s history! It really brings so much depth to his character but with that, more depth to the story.

Then there is a surprising turn of events regarding Gage’s father. There were moments that touched my heart. Kiera has been through so much and it was wonderful that she finally has the support she needs to get through the evils of society. Overall, this book was AMAZING. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

“At that moment there was no need for any scientific knowledge to understand his communication of reassurance. The soft pressure of his fingers spoke to me not through my intellect but through a more primitive emotional channel: the barrier of untold centuries which has grown up during the separate evolution of man and chimpanzee was, for those few seconds, broken down.

I did it! I completed my Summer 2021 Reading List. The book list contained books about animal cruelty, conservation, and the environment. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall is one of my favorites from the list. This book is Jane Goodall’s beginning. She has always known she wanted to go to Africa and study animals, particularly chimpanzees. At the time, no one would have guessed that Jane Goodall would have gone on to become a world-renown animal activist, primatologist, anthropologist, and scientist. This book dives into her first introductions to the many diverse African cultures and peoples. She first came to Kenya and then later on settled in Tanzania. Once she earns their respect and acceptance she is able to have her first encounters with the chimpanzees. She was to study their behaviors and was able to give the world an in-depth look at these incredible creatures.

One of the things that I appreciated the most about this book is that Goodall writes about the successful encounters, but also their mistakes. I learned so much about chimpanzees from this read. Their emotions and their family units were the most fascinating for me. It broke my heart when I read the part about the death of the baby chimpanzee. We often think that animals are so disconnected from their young. When they grieve just like we do.

There was also the amazing discovery of how the chimpanzees created their own tools. It was a moment that redefined the study of chimpanzees. Jane Goodall’s passion for the animals is palpable. Their safety and survival come first and foremost. We need more of her humanity and care in this world. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Kiera and Sebastian Gage are going back to Sebastian’s ancestral home in A Brush With Shadows by Anne Lee Huber, the 6th book in the Lady Darby series. This home has many agonizing memories for Gage. His family is not exactly welcoming, but they must be there out of duty to the family. His cousin, the heir, has gone missing. He is not exactly loved by the community and many would see him harmed. But could this situation be even more sinister than that? There are many secrets to uncover at Langstone Manor.

We have finally gotten to the reasons why Sebastian Gage built up walls around himself and why his past was so difficult to uncover. Kiera has worked hard to get him to open up to her and while they have made progress, she is now more understanding of why he never brought up that part of his life. This is a normal survival tactic we all use when dealing with trauma and many will relate to how both Kiera and Gage react to that trauma.

In this installment, we have the current mystery of the missing heir but there is also mention of the family curse which feeds into the gothic setting. Gage suspects that the heir may have been poisoned and that was also the same device used to kill his mother years before. Is it just a coincidence that both instances are poison or are the mysteries linked?

As always, Anna Lee Huber creates an exciting, tense, and unpredictable mystery, and this time I am absolutely shocked by the outcome. There are so many diversion tactics that lead to some spectacular plot twists! I love how I am always on my toes in this mystery series. There is always danger present for Kiera and Gage. I do not worry about them usually, but I am afraid to let my guard down from here on out. —Only the next book will tell! 5 out of 5 stars!

Miss Moriarty, I Presume?

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas is the sixth book in the Lady Sherlock series. This book starts with a bang! Charlotte’s next client is none other than her arch-nemesis, Moriarty himself. His visit means danger, he knows who Charlotte is, and he knows her loved ones, so she has no choice but to help him. He has asked Charlotte to locate his daughter who was last known to be in an occult community. She must ensure his daughter’s welfare, but does his daughter want to be found?

YESSSSSSS! This is the story I have been waiting for!! It is filled with intrigue, mystery, and the occult. Charlotte meets her match with Miss Moriarty. While Miss Moriarty doesn’t want to be like her father, she has no qualms doing whatever it takes to get out of his grip.

Everything that has bugged me in previous books is nonexistent in this book–AKA the constant reference to Maximum Tolerable Chins and I can’t tell you what a relief this is! It felt like I was reading an entirely different series just with the same characters with more depth and development. There is one comment about how Charlotte needs to cut back on eating baked goods and she has the wittiest comeback that I actually appreciated!

But the best part…is that ending. Sweet Baby Jesus that ending is everything. It is clever and so entertaining. This book can’t be read as a standalone. There are details to this mystery that are linked to other books. So I highly recommend going through the whole series, even if some of the books are not up to the same standard as this book. It is all worth it!

And Kate Reading—she is just a master of her craft and I can’t imagine anyone else narrating this book. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars!

This series has me all over the place with my thoughts. Book four, The Art of Theft was not my favorite but that ending convinced me to keep going. Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas is book five in the Lady Sherlock Series and Inspector Treadles has been arrested!! He was found in a locked room with two murder victims. Both of these men worked for his wife’s company that she inherited. The speculations are endless but unless Charlotte can come up with a solution, then Inspector Treadles will be tried for murder, a crime she is sure he did not commit…

Well, at least the amount of weight and Charlotte’s number of chins discussions has gone down. But the food…if we took out half of the food description the audiobook would have been thirty minutes shorter. It adds absolutely nothing to the story. And trust me, I LOVE cake. But I like cake with positivity, not negativity.

However, we get to know more about Inspector Treadles and his wife. There are a few plotlines with them in previous books but I have always wanted to know more! Treadles have always been conflicted about Mrs. Treadles inheriting a business, but she has been treated horribly because she is a woman in a man’s role. It was wonderful to see Treadles grow and see how women can also have a more vital role in society.

Then there is Lord Ingram and Charlotte. They have a unique relationship to be sure. The chemistry is just off. It often feels one-sided and has little depth. Currently, the emotions feel very surface level. Unfortunately, the pacing is rather slow in this book and everyone is lying. It gets to the point where even Charlotte is oblivious to the obvious. I will keep going to the next book, but I do hope it is not as predictable as this one. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.