Words by Sooz

Now I Rise by Kiersten White My rating: 5 of 5 stars Lada is brutal, cruel, destructive and I adore her. The retelling of Vlad the Impaler as a woman is fascinating. Lada has had to literally cut her own way into the world when no one would take her seriously as the Prince of Wallachia. But she inspires and makes people listen even if she doesn't have a gentle touch. Her brother Radu has his own mission as he acts as a double agent in Constantinople. His inner turmoil is very well done as he contends with his love for another man, which is not at all accepted during that time period. While Radu and Lada spent the book apart, the two often thought of the other and tried to consider what their sibling would do. one has grace and cunning while the other has brutality and perserverance. They perfectly complement each other. Great book. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. View all my reviews

The Falconer by Elizabeth May My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’ve read a lot of books lately that have included fae: Throne of Glass sequel, Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices series) and now The Falconer. The Falconer was the worst of the bunch. I didn’t dislike it, but I certainly didn’t love it. Unfortunately, when I put the book down, I felt annoyed. Even though I know it’s a trilogy, I expected there to be some kind of resolution in part of the story line before I would have to move on to the next book – much like the Throne of Glass series. That’s not the case and The Falconer ends with a cliffhanger that seems to stop right in the middle of an important scene. I was excited when I first started the book. There were some good elemnents. I noticed the steampunk themes and hoped there would be a bit more exploration into that, but instead there were just a few mentions of some devices used in the world. And Aileana is supposed to be an inventor, but the tools aren’t on displa

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas My rating: 5 of 5 stars I actually wound up liking this better than the first book in the series. Finally, I got to see Celeana, the assassin, which is what she has been billed as. The first book didn't really show much of that. But the character had great growth in the second book. I also loved the banter between Celeana and Chaol. While I didn't agree with every choice made in the book, it wasn't my book to write. At least, Maas made the moments meaningful, and didn't waste people for the sake of having them in a book. My only complaint was that A LOT happening without really happening. I felt the book could have been a bit shorter. Overall, though, I loved it. View all my reviews

Dear Martin by Nic Stone My rating: 5 of 5 stars It's a fascinating read especially with the way we are so aware of what is happening around the country with police brutality toward African-Americans. Reading 'The Hate U Give' was difficult because of the tough nature of the story. 'Dear Martin' is no different. In this case, Justyce, an African-American teen is the center of the story. He gets put in cuffs by a police officer even though he wasn't doing anything wrong. He deals with the conflicting sides of growing up in the hood and going to prep school, where he doesn't feel like he fits in either place. He also has to have "the talk" about being black in America - it's not just about what to do when getting pulled over by cops, but also conducting yourself in every day life. I'm thankful that Nic Stone wrote this book, but also sad that it's the type of book that needs to be written. While fiction, it certainly feels like so

It’s alright Cass, computers scare us too. When Supernatural’s first episode aired in 2014, the goal was to get through one season. Then it was three and finally five seasons, where Eric Kripke’s vision for the brother’s story was realized. So when the show aired its 12 th season premiere last Thursday, it needed a way to keep it fresh. Supernatural delivered by bringing back a long dead character – Mom. We knew Mary would be back because of the devious cliffhanger from last season, but three months might not have prepared us for all the emotions when Dean and Mary were finally reunited, even if she did knock him to the ground first. No one messes with Mama Winchester. Mary and Dean’s scenes were some of the most poignant and humorous of the episode. Dean recapped her life with John to prove who he was. Mary was saddened when she learned her sons were both hunters – the one thing she didn’t want for her children. I could have watched an entire episode of Dean

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson Warbreaker was my first Brandon Sanderson book. The NY Times bestseller author’s books hadn’t come through my to-read list before, but I picked up this book based on a review I read online. It probably wasn’t the best Sanderson book to start with – but it wasn’t a bad book by any means. What I liked: - The world Sanderson created is unique and fascinating. The way colors and Breath control the wealth of a person has created a dynamic world with an interesting caste system. - The characters were likable. There were a number of people that Sanderson introduced in Warbreaker, including princesses, gods and regular folk. What I didn’t like - The end of book felt rushed. The entire book felt as though it was building up to this flashpoint, and while it got there, the payout didn’t feel as great as the lead up. - Some of the middle parts of the book dragged a bit as the different parties were setting up their plots. Overall The story was compe