ARC Reviews: January 2021 Reads Part 1

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam

4 stars

This was a quick illustrated reading experience. There is no dialogue, but I loved the author's comparison of refugees to ants. I thought it was a beautiful and harrowing comparison and expertly crafted. I saw that a few people didn't catch on to that until the author's note, but I immediately put two and two when I saw the ants in the paper boat traveling. I thought this was a brilliant idea. However, I'm not sure it translates for a children, which is the targeted audience because the comparison is more adult. I think if you are willing to have in depth discussions about the connections then a kid could get something from this. Thinking back, if you handed this to me as a young reader I wouldn't have cared about or reread it. There has to something intentional with the book and conversations for this one to work and be effective.

Art Scale: 4

Plotastic Scale: 4

Cover Thoughts: I really like the cover, but it doesn't stand out.

Thank you, Netgalley and Owlkids Books, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

First book in the Between Earth and Sky series

5 stars

Black Sun centers around four characters (three who are central for the first 100 and one who pops in and becomes a key player) who are all connected to a central historical event that has been prophesied and long waited for in Tova. Serapio has been mutilated as is fashion for the Carrion Crow people by his mother, but her blinding him has led him into the journey of being marked as the vessel for the Crow God to return. Serapio will be his vessel. Xiala is a Teek (think like a siren) who is a pirate and is transporting a mysterious figure (Serapio) to Tova in time for the solstice. Naranpa is a Sun Priest and is unlikely candidate in the Priesthood for her station. She has to protect her life at all costs now that it looks like someone wants her out of the way. Okoa, is the prince of Carrion Crow and he becomes a integral part of the story about a 100 pages in. I loved this book. I loved the world building and I adored the characters with every fiber of being. Serapio was my absolute favorite and his journey throughout this book leaves me weeping and wanting a different ending for him because he deserves so much more than what the prophecy forces him to become. The writing in this book was exquisite and absolutely enthralling. I loved the narrative of the four characters and the interweaving of these storylines. Roanhorse does an amazing job at setting up a high fantasy story set against the backdrop of cultures similar to the Aztecs and Incas. Which was so much fun to read and see a fantasy world that is different from the usual Eruo-centric lens of fantasy. It was fun, but it also leads to great discussions on a number of topics that often can't be explored outside of the typical white lens that fantasy has been stuck into until probably the last ten years. Roanhorse is an innovative writer who loves her world and wants to tell this story well. I knew that I would love this book and it was one of my most anticipated books in the last half of 2020, but I didn't know I would love it this much because I've been on a bit of a fantasy hiatus. This book reminded me how much I love fantasy and how much fun it is for me. This book is gruesome, bloody, tension filled, full of political intrigue, and magic it checks off so many boxes. It was also really cool to read about several LGBTQ characters who existed in this world. While some faced persecution- Xiala, for her bisexuality in a place where it is banned and thrown in prison- others in the priesthood seem quite open and accepting of people who identified on the queer spectrum. There was also great discussions on colonialism and erasure of religion. I am so impressed with this book (and I knew I would be, but I gotta GUSH ABOUT IT).

Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

SERAPIO!!!!!!!!!!! Serapio is my man and the best thing about this book. He is scary, tortured, but he is also so sweet and has the kindest spirit. When he exacts revenge on a group of people more than once in this book I WAS SCREAMING AND FLAILING. Yes, Serapio, show them your power. You are not be messed with. I loved Xiala's character as a Teek pirate. The Teek are similar to sirens, but she can live on land and it was so much fun to be on her pirate ship. Female pirates commander ships in such a fun way and I haven't read a good pirate book in so long, but this was a blast. Naranpa was kind of like ASMR- some people are obsessed and need it to fall asleep and some people cringe at- I am not sure where I fall on the spectrum with her because sometimes I like her and other times I question her choices. She's just so prideful that I'm like, "GIRL, open your eyes and see the people around you are betraying you. You can't be that dumb." She is that dumb though, but I was still rooting for her to survive. Okoa randomly comes in after a huge plot development, but I was totally here for it. Once Okoa establishes himself as part of this narrative and bigger story, I was a huge fan of him and I want him to be more fleshed out. Since he played such a huge role at the end, I have hopes for the sequel and his development.

Character Scale: 5

The Villain- There isn't really a set in stone villain in this book. There are circumstances and a society of people who should probably not be allowed to be in so much power, but they aren't all horrible people. This book is morally gray and I love it. Some may see Serapio as the villain, but that's my man and he is fulfilling the prophecy and doing what he has to for the Crow God to ascend. Will he be a villain in the upcoming books? Probably so, but he isn't in this book and I will build a strong case for him.

Villain Scale: 5

This book is everything I could want in a fantasy novel. The characters are amazing. I wasn't bored at any point in time in any of the narratives (WHAT A WIN!) and the writing fleshed out many worlds and cultures that I was able to follow and understand the operations of. This book is a national treasure and everyone should read it in 2021 if you didn't in 2020. Thanks for coming to my Black Sun gush party. Go read and then come gush with me because this book was perfect for me.

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I LOVE THIS COVER. It is ten times more amazing in person. Breathtaking. STUNNING. I can only imagine what the next cover will look like.

Thank you, Netgalley and Saga Press, for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I read the finished copy that I purchased because I needed to hold this beauty.

 

 

The Last Halloween: Children by Abby Howard

5 stars

The monster apocalypse has arrived and on Halloween no less. Ten-year-old, Mona, finds herself the new savior of the end of the world with her random band of monsters (a ghoul, a vampire, and a voodoo doll). In this world, each human has a monster that is trapped in the shadows, but when the guy who keeps them in check dies the monsters come out of hiding and if they eat their human, they are granted immortality. This graphic novel is pretty dark and I don't know why they are marketing it to kids because this is definitely not for most kids. I can see teens digging this, but some of the storyline is pretty advanced and for higher level thinking and I don't think a lot of kids will appreciate it. However, I LOVED this story. It's heartwarming, full of giggles, and absolutely gory scenes. There was even a callback to Courage the Cowardly Dog, which is my all-time favorite cartoon and thinking about that show in connection to this mythos actually makes sense and makes me happy. I loved the art and the characters were all a delight. Mona was adorable and spunky while being realistic that she definitely cannot save the world. Her monster friends were a joy and I loved her parent- they were awesome and that little romance with the vampire dad was something I was starting to ship because I needed some light giggles amidst all the blood and gore. I recommend this to any horror fan or graphic novel fan. I think even though the main character is 10, this is a story that will resonate with readers from all ages. I LOVED IT. The Last Halloween was a delight even though some of the images were not.

Art Scale: 5

Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

Character Scale: 5

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I love that monster. It protects Mona so well *tears*. This cover honestly doesn't draw me into the story, but it captures the essence of what you can expect going on.
Thank you, Netgalley and Iron Circus Comics, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU RELEASE VOLUME 2. PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

 

 

 Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi (Inspo from Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock and Moriarty)

2.5 stars

Moriarty finds himself trapped into a family that treats him and his brother horribly. They hate the wealthy and want to tear down the caste system in Britain. They will do anything to do so. Murder, revenge, and plots of intrigue commence. This should have been a wild romp that I loved, but it was pretty boring. I hated my time reading it and if it wasn't for the very beginning concept with the first moment Moriarty takes revenge on the rich I would have DNFed it. I didn't and I kind of wish that I had because this manga didn't do anything for me. I didn't hate it and the concept was interesting, but the storyline did not invest me or keep me interested in the characters. I will not be continuing on with this series. I recommend this for hardcore Sherlock fans or people who love "eat the rich" concepts. Take a bite!

Whimsical Writing Scale: 2

Character Scale: 3

Art Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 2.5

Cover Thoughts: Feels like a trigger warning instead of tongue in cheek.

Thank you, Netgalley and Viz Media, for providing me with a copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review.

 

Mermaid Saga Collector's Edition Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi

5 stars

Before I even tell you what this book is about, I ordered my own copy and per-ordered volume 2. The second that bad boy comes I am rereading this national treasure that is being released in these stunning editions by VIZ because volume 1 was PERFECT. Literally, these storylines were perfect. These chapters were beautiful, heart-wrenching, filled with longing and disappointment. They evoked the essence of humanity while showing the horrors immortality and it was a journey of beauty that I want to revisit again. This edition follows nine chapters and some are connected while others are not of a man named Yuta who is 500-years-old and ate the flesh of a mermaid. Eating the flesh of a mermaid will keep you alive forever and he has been trying to change his fate, but is unsuccessful. He happens upon a girl named Mana who has to rescue from a village of old women who aren't keeping Mana around for anything other than something sinister. I did not realize that this was by the same woman who wrote Inuyasha until after I read the second chapter and this is apparently her foray into horror. Y'all, she does horror fantasy SO WELL. The last storyline in this collection- Mermaid's Promise- is the most beautiful story I've read in a manga ever. That story HIT. I will be crying about Nae forever because that story was filled with longing and despair and SO MUCH HURT. It was beautiful and so well done. This manga is a new favorite. I haven't fell in love with a manga series like this since I was obsessed with manga when I was twelve. This series is doing something to me. It is hitting me in all the right ways and just absolutely tearing me up. I finished this manga a sobbing mess and immediately ordered my own physical copy, WHICH IS BEAUTIFUL. I can't wait for volume 2 to get here because I am ready to binge read the series.

Whimscial Writing Scale: 5 (I'm deceased- this is storytelling)

Character Scale: 5

Villain Scale: 5 we love a rotating line up over centuries

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: GORGEOUS. Wonderful and the reason I requested this book before I saw it was a horror manga. Not disappointed.

Thank you, Netgalley and Viz Media, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 Have you read any of these books or plan to? You should definitely pick up Black Sun and Mermaid's Saga! Let me know down below in the comments!

January Wrap-Up + February 2021 TBR

 Hi, everyone! I hope that your first month of the new year was not absolutely horrible. I know as a whole January was rough for me for a number of reasons, but there were some good things thrown in there. I didn't read a ton of books in January, but I did get some reading done.

THE BOOKS I READ:

           

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam- 4 stars This is an interesting illustrated novel comparing being a refugee to ants. I really liked it, but the lack of dialogue and it being all pictures was not the best format for this story. ARC from Netgalley

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- 5 stars WOWOW! I knew I would love this one, but I really loved this one. The characters were so amazing and the story was fascinating and I can't wait for the sequel. ARC from Netgalley (but I read a physical copy that I bought)

Hope, Grace, & Faith by Leah Messer- 4.5 stars Listen, I'm an old school hardcore Teen Mom 2 fan and the resurgence of my love for the show returned when it was posted onto Netflix. I'm now deep into the seasons on CBS All Access and Leah is one my favorite on the show. I loved how honest she was about her entire life. There is so much trauma in these pages, so if you are looking for a read this won't be it. I loved it and my love for her and her girls definitely is totally biased. I don't care. I loved it and read it in four hours. Bought copy

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam- 3.5 stars I love post-apocalyptic novels and this one has somethings I absolutely love. However, the writing was a huge distraction at the beginning and its oversexualization of scenes that had nothing to do with sex were an interesting choice on the writer's part. I was not a fan of this one for quite some time, but from the middle until the end was such a huge improvement for me. Bought copy from BOTM & Library Audiobook

The Last Halloween: Children by Abby Howard- 5 stars I loved this graphic novel and it was so much fun. It's definitely not for kids though. I was also squealing at the Courage the Cowardly Dog image. This was so much fun and creepy. ARC from Netgalley

Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi & Hikaru Miyoshi- 2.5 stars Color me unimpressed. I thought this would be a lot better than it was. The plot, Moriarty, becoming an executioner of aristocrats was fascinating, but the story itself is a little bland and lackluster for me. ARC from Netgalley

Mermaid Saga Collector's Edition Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi- 5 stars I AM BROKEN. Weeping. Beat up and in a ball of emotions still and I finished this in the middle of January. I loved this manga so much that I bought my own copy and preordered the collector's edition of volume 2. I can't wait to reread this one right before I read volume 2. It's about mermaids and the pain that comes with eating the flesh of one and living forever. LOVE IT. ARC from Netgalley

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy- 2 stars I didn't care for this one at all. I hated it for the majority of the novel and there were times when I kind of liked it, but it has a shot for shot scene from Stephen King's Misery, but it lacks the intense fear and panic, so it was just a boring rip-off. Library Audiobook

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs- 4 stars Listen, I won't spoil anything. All you need to know is there are two women living in a house together and one is being held captive by the other. It was a messy book full of plot twists and drama, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed how shocked I felt at times and found it to be an intense page turner. Bought copy

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene Volume 1 by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, Vicky Alvear Shecter- 2 stars This could've been fun. It's got the Victorian backdrop and pokes fun at the obsession with seances and the occult during that time, but it was boring. It was full of clichés and there were no surprises. I was bored. ARC from Netgalley

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt- 5 stars This was so good. I loved it and I appreciated the author not making Delilah just some woman who wanted money and sex. She had a story and she wasn't evil. I appreciated that because I've always felt confused by people's portrayals of her since it was obvious that Samson really loved her even if she was annoying and a betrayer. This was a great retelling and I can't wait to read more by Angela Hunt. Bought copy

Creepshow by Stephen King- 4 stars for the overall collection This was an interesting time and while I didn't absolutely love the stories, I thought the collection was filled with good jump scares and interesting conceptual storylines. I didn't absolutely love this one, but I had fun with it. Bought copy

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman- 5 stars I remember Kayla talked about this book years ago and when it popped up on Netgalley because of being rereleased, I pounded that request button. I was super excited to read this and read it in a day. It's a creepy story about two teens who start dating and find a house at the bottom of a lake. This gave me such underwater anxiety, but I loved the ending and how final everything felt. It's a great bridge between young first love and letting that go to move towards adulthood. Lovely. ARC from Netgalley

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega- 4.5 stars This is YA horror at its finest for me. You have a cast of characters who are at a party underground in the tunnels of New York being chased by a monster and can't escape. A Lovecraftian coming of age story that is 100% a fun time. Bought copy

Devolutin: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks- 3 stars I am sad. This should've been amazing for me. It's about a massacre of a group of people by a bunch of Sasquatch. The middle portion of this book was the best for me with the discussion of the chimps eating people and evolution. It felt like The Troop, but besides that this was pretty boring and didn't do anything for me. Library Audiobook

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne- 3 stars Generally, YA poetry contemporary novels are my jam, but this one kind of fell flat for me. I loved the discussions of being Black, playing basketball as a female, and friendship ending as well as the ending, but I won't say because of spoilers. However, the chronologically telling of this story wasn't linear and while that has worked for me in free verse before this one left me confused and feeling disconnected. Disappointed, but still one I would recommend. ARC from Netgalley

In Love & Pajamas: A Collection of Comics About Being Yourself by Catana Chetwynd- 3.25 stars I'm disappointed. I loved Snug, but this one wasn't super fun for me. It's still cute and a fun one if you are a fan of the comics, but this one didn't have the same spirit for me that Snug had in giving me the feels. ARC from Netgalley

shine your icy crown by amanda lovelace- 3.5 stars This poetry book can be broken into three parts for me. First part- great, fantastic, wonderful, second part- this feels like a completely different poetry book and I didn't care for it, and the third part- so short that it could've been scrapped. ARC from Netgalley

The Elementals by Michael McDowell- 5 stars I loved this Southern Gothic horror set on a beach with three houses and third one being empty and filled with spirits. I'm happy that I finally picked up a McDowell book because I love his writing and can't wait to read more of his books. Bought copy

Overall Thoughts: I read a total of 19 books in January which wasn't as much as my normal rate towards the end of 2020, but I'm still pretty content with that amount. 

STATS:

Netgalley ARCs: 10

Books I Own: 9

Library: 3

 

Genres: 

Contemporary- 1

Fantasy- 2

 Graphic Novel: 3

Historical-2

Horror- 6

Nonfiction- 1

Poetry- 1

Scifi- 1

Thriller- 2

 

16 Adult Books

1 Middle Grade

2 Young Adult

 

Diverse Authors by Race:

Asian- 4

Black- 1

Indigenous- 1

White-13

 

LGBTQIA+ Authors: Rumaan Alam, amanda lovelace, Michael McDowell (if any of the authors I read are identify as part of this community and aren't listed, please let me know!)

 My 5 star reads:

6. A House at the Bottom of a Lake

5. The Last Halloween

4. Delilah

3. Mermaid Saga

2. The Elementals

1. Black Sun

 

Challenge Tracker for 2021

 52 Books I Want to Read in 2021:

*Black Sun

*Delilah: Treacherous Beauty

*The Elementals

*Survive the Night

*What Lies Between Us

*Leave the World Behind

6/52

 Read 20 Books That I Buy in 2021:

*Hope, Grace, & Faith

*Mermaid Saga Collection Volume 1

*Creepshow

3/20

Read 10 Old ARCs:

*The Paper Boat

*Black Sun

*The Last Halloween

*Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1

*The Haunting of Beatrix Greene

5/10

Read 5 Physical ARCs or Books Sent to Me for Review:

None

Read 15 sequels:

*shine your icy crown

*Read 5 Stephen King books:

*Creepshow

Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in February:

 

Finished Already: An Enchantment of Ravens, The Route of Ice & Salt, The Grief We're Given

Netgalley eARC: The Route of Ice & Salt, The Grief We're Given, What Big Teeth, The Initial Insult, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, In Darkness Shadows Breathe, Why She Wrote, The Borden Murders, Until the Mountains Fall, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, Jesus of the East, Women in a Patriarchal World, 7 Feasts, Love to Eat, Hate to Eat

Publisher: Prevail, For All Who Wander

Library Audiobooks: The Turn of the Key, The Guest List, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, Know My Name

Owned Books: An Enchantment of Ravens, Less Than Perfect, Simply Spirit-Filled, Katie, The Space Between Worlds, Highway of Tears, The Stranger Beside Me, Samson, His Hideous Heart, Essential Tales and Poems, The Elijah Task, Raising the Rigor

Ebook: Bind, Torture, Kill

 

ARCs Top Priority: 

 

Audiobooks:

 

Ebook:

 

Books I Own: 

  

There are so many books I want to get to in February, but February is a short month! That's the dilemma. 

What did you read in January? What was your favorite book or some of your 5 star reads? Let me know down below in the comments.