Monday, June 25, 2018

Review of Dragon Redeemer

Brief Summary: "Dragon Redeemer" is the last magic to be explored in the World of Aluvia and ties the series up.


Long Review:  Nell is the focus of the last and final book in the World of Aluvia. Nell has been the prophetess of Aluvia against her will since the faeries saved her. She has tried to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible and is training as a healer. Nell is not a healer and still practices her sword fighting as she is a fighter at heart. The narrative follows Nell and her quest to find a sword to defeat a rising dark power threatening to return Aluvia to the destruction of magic. Nell undertakes a grand quest with her merry band of friends and the voice she has come to know all too well.

As the last book in the series I found the story compelling but not very satisfying in the ending. I always hope for more information on the characters lives at the conclusion of a series of books. After coming to know and love the characters a  chapter or prologue about their lives after the last battle is appreciated. There is none of that here. All in all a good book but a bad series ending.

Rating: 2.5/5



Review of Mer-Charmer

Brief Summary: "Mer-Charmer"  continues the story of Aluvia exploring the magic of the sea.


Long Review: Mer-Charmer is a good continuation book in the world of Aluvia. In this book we jump right in to Phoebe's life. Phoebe is being left at home as her sister and friends travel around Aluvia spreading the word about saving magic and their world. Danger is growing but Phoebe is sheltered due to the traumatic experience she had in Fairy Keeper. This book explores Phoebe's love of the sea and path to saving the Mer-people. 

All in all I enjoyed this book. I appreciated seeing the world develop further. I would have to say there were times when I got confused about the Mer-people's traditions. I wish those would have been explained further. The villain in the book was enrapturing and I enjoyed the conclusion immensely.  

Rating: 3/5


Other works by the author: Dragon Redeemer

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Review of "Fairy Keeper: by Amy Bearce

Brief Summary: Fairy Keeper thrusts the reader into the world of Aluvia and explores how people and magic are tied together.

Long Review: Sierra's life is hard but most people's lives in Aluvia are hard. Sierra and her sister, Phoebe, are under the care of their father, who is a dark alchemist. Sierra is a fairy keeper and must collect nectar from her faeries to give to her father for his dark purposes. Sierra dislikes her faeries and fate because she did not get to a choice. Sierra will do anything to protect her sister and when her faeries go missing she must set out on an epic quest to find them before it's too late and her sister is sold into the hands of an evil man. The book outlines the struggles of her quest to find her fairy and her growth into accepting her fate.

Overall the book was slow and did not grab my attention in the beginning. I almost stopped reading. There were several issues that were berated causing me to almost lose interest. I pushed through and am glad I did. The story picked up and I am interested in the world building and where the author will take the characters next. This book would be good for young adults or adults who are interested in stories with magic and love. 

Rating: 3/5


Other works by the author: Mer-CharmerDragon Reedemer

Monday, June 18, 2018

Review of "Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow"

Brief Summary: "Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow" by Yuval Harari brought up many issues that may affect the future and thoughts on how we might need to change in order to adapt. 

Long Review: My husband and I listened to the audio book version Homo Deus over the last several months. The book delved into the depths of our humanity and where we are headed in the future. Points were raised in the book which made me question how I will parent my daughter and whether I will send her to school. Will she need a college degree? Will we even have jobs when she will be ready to enter what today is known as the workforce? Would she be better served at learning life skills others do not know so as to be ahead of them?  

Overall this book was an interesting delve into what may be to come in our future. 

Rating: 3.5/5


Other works by the author: Sapiens

Friday, June 15, 2018

Review of "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Brief Summary: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" is a quick and fun way to gain passing knowledge about the field of astrophysics.


Long Review: After a long break from reading I managed to get signed into Overdrive and the first book I came across was "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry". I quickly checked out the Audio book as having a little one now I need to spend time wisely and listening while she is napping is the fastest and best way to read right now. 
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Neil talk about astrophysics. I did listen to the book on 1.2X speed to get through it faster(cause I have a child) and found it still very understandable. The book is a brief overview but I am interested in delving deeper into the mysteries of the universe after reading this book.

Rating: 4/5


Other works by the author: Death by Black Hole