Review: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

 If It wasn't for my oldest daughter, I would not have picked this book up. My 12 year old is obsessed with graphic novels and she has a graphic novel TBR for this year. She loved this one and begged me to read it too, so we could talk about it. I really loved it. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. It reminded me that I need to make an dentist appointment for my daughters. It actually hit close to home because a couple of days after, my daughter fell and face planted the kitchen floor. Thankfully, it wasn't a major injury, just a cut across her nose. 

This is a sort of memoir of the author's childhood. The story starts off when she is 12 and in 6th grade and she is in girl scouts. She is walking to her house with some of her troop friends and they start racing. Raina trips and severely injures her top front teeth. This whole graphic memoir is her four year journey of mouth reconstruction and growing up. Making new friends and leaving old ones behind. She deals with bullying and crushes on boys. She goes through puberty and enters high school. 

This was an absolutely great read and I am happy that my daughter got to read and connect with this character. I am happy that she got me to read it because it took me down memory lane and what I can expect as my daughters grows into a woman. 

Review: Amulet #3: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi *spoliers*

 The third book of this series is getting me way more into the evil elves storyline. In this installment, Emily and Navin are looking for a way to a city named Cieles. Leon, the fox has been reading their grandfather's journal and he was looking for the city in the clouds where the Guardian Council resides. The Elf King has sent a bounty hunter after his son and other assassins for failing to obey orders and to bring the stone keeper to him as a successor. 

While they are flying through the storm, wyverns start attacking the ship and Miskit and Cogsley are "eaten". There is no way to save them, so the rest of the group have to go on without trying to save them. The elves are so creepy and I did not care for them in the story at all, but this volume got me intrigued because there was another plot twist. The Elf Prince, Trellis finds out that the sickly and outcast Luger is his brother. 

I am going to be picking up the fourth book immediately because I DO NOT trust the guardians in training and I need to know if Miskit and Cogsley are eventually rescued.

APRIL 2020 OWLCRATE & OWLCRATE JR UNBOXING

OWLCRATE JR: Cabin In The Woods

• Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
•  Log Cabin building set (Roy Toy)
•  Arlo Finch-inspired wooden magnetic broach (designed by Juniper and Ivy Designs)
•  Carved woodland animal pen (Streamline)
•  Tassel bookmark with a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder (designed by Kelly Leigh Miller)
•  Cabin In The Woods collectible sticker (designed by Chie Boyd)
•  Signed Bookplate, Exclusive Author Letter, and Quote Art Print (Penguin Kids)
•  OwlCrate Jr Magazine Issue #20 (Cover art by Shafer Brown and interior designed by Michelle Gray)
•  May 'Elements & Alchemy' sneak peek postcard (Designed by VeepDoodles)

OWLCRATE: Full Moon Magic

• Bone Crier's Moon by Kathryn Purdie (signed, exclusive OwlCrate Edition)
• Winterwood-inspired Moon Bracelet (Team OwlCrate)
• Shatter Me-inspired Tote Bag (designed by Unlucky Design)
•  Ocar Wilde Notebook (designed by Kim Becker Designs)
• Harry Potter-inspired Professor Lupin Puzzle (designed by Atalienart)
•  Moon Phase Bamboo Banner (paperbackbones)
•  Exclusive OwlCrate "Owl Companion" Enamel Pin (designed by White Wide Woods)
•  Exclusive Bone Crier's Moon Author Letter.

Review: Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin

One of my favorite movies of all time is Thelma and Louise. While the stories are similar and this has been modernized to include internet, cell phones and pop music.. it just dragged. Of course the conflict happens at the beginning, but reading about their time on the run was boring as hell. You can only read about them shoplifting and missing their mama and family for a little bit before you get annoyed. 

I also feel that the #metoo message was lost. There were protest mentioned but then it was followed my endless sentences of slut shaming and violence. 

Review: The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould

 

I feel that I am just cranking out these ebooks left and right this year and also that I am reading more new releases than I normally do. Mostly my reading consists of backlist titles, but this year, I want to read what everyone else is because I feel that when I do read a book that is hyped, it usually falls flat. This time, I read a book that is not going to be released until August and I can be one of the people hyping up a book.

Going  into this, I did not know much except that it is a YA paranormal and it is LGBTQIA+. Also that it took place in a small town in Oregon called Snakebite. When I first started reading it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the main character's parents have their own paranormal investigator TV show. Something like Ghost Adventures but fake like Ghost Hunters. I am loyal to Ghost Adventures. Also I know that it mentions the tv show in the synopsis, but I try to stay away from synopsis if I can help it. Anyways, right off the bat where some of the dialogue was included when out MC Logan was watching her dads was VERY CRINGE! That is the only con I had with it. 

The small town vibes was cliche. Not all small towns are like the one described and there is a sentence in the book that states that all the other small towns that they stayed in were exactly like Snakebite where the citizens hated every outsider and they were very old school and brought the pitchforks to the people if they were gay. While reading I thought I knew who the bad guy was and BOY WAS I WRONG! It was plot twist after plot twist. It also spooked me a couple times and I read this at night when I had some peace and quiet and my husband was sleeping. There was a particular moment where I was reading about Logan, the MC, hearing thump thumping noises and then my husband moans the word no in his sleep. I was freaked and did not sleep good whatsoever. 

I ended up giving this a 5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the paranormal and spookiness. It was thrilling and mysterious and it did bring a tear to my eyes maybe once or twice. 

Review: Saints & Misfits by S.K. Ali

 

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of tis book in preparation of the sequel. I have been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, but never made it a priority. I am trying to broaden my horizons this year and learn and read more about different cultures. I have been more interested in the Muslim centered books the past couple years and really enjoyed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and my previous read, Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed.  

I wish I had a physical copy of this so I could have took my time to read this. I feel a slump coming on due to the fact that another book I am reading at the moment just sucks and this book is the 40th book I have read this year. Needless to say, I gave this a 3 stars. I enjoyed learning more about the Islamic religion and seeing the daily life of this normal Muslim American teenager as she tries to get through final exams, dealing with her brother's courtship, trying to brand her own identity and learn how to speak up after she is sexually assaulted by a guy who is well loved in the community. She fights against being a silent sufferer because it is known that girls in the Islamic religion are not taken seriously and are often blamed for the violent acts that occur to them.

I thought the ending was OK. I was super happy for Janna for speaking up and telling her family and that's it. There is no closure. There is no justice against Farooq. I am hoping that we see something done against the "monster" in the sequel. I am anticipating more heartbreak, angst, betrayal, anger and shame. 

Review: Written In The Stars by Aisha Saeed

 

All the emotions that I am going through right now. I could not put this down because I had to kow what Naila was going to experience next. I am angry and heartbroken for all girls and guys that have been forced into a marriage that are violent and abusive mentally, physically and emotionally. I wish that there would have been a logical explanation about why her parents did it and a little bit of the relationship between Naila and Saif's parents.

Forced/ arranged marriage has always been a topic that has been of interest to me and I never really thought deeply how people lived after or if they stayed. I will be checking out the resources to learn more about this.

Thank You Aisha Saeed for writing about something that I will certainly learn more about.