booklistqueen's reviews
631 reviews

Before the eighth and final book of the Green Rider series, Kristen Britain tells the backstory of fan-favorite character Laren Mapstone. Green Rider trainee Tavin Bankstone is not thrilled to travel with Lieutenant-Rider Laren Mapstone. Although acclaimed for her battles against the Darrow Raiders,  Laren is emotionally closed off and cold. When Laren is injured in an attack, they seek refuge in a waystation. But as Laren's emotional control comes down, Tavin must quickly learn to control his empathic abilities before it destroys them both.

Although I love the Green Rider series, Spirit of the Wood felt like an unnecessary side story only the most diehard Green Rider fans will enjoy. Since it was described as Laren Mapstone's backstory, I found Spirit of the Wood extremely disappointing. Instead, the novella was more about Tavin Bankside than Laren, only giving the barest details of Laren's past. With tempered expectations, you might enjoy this one but feel free to skip it and wait for the final installment of the Green Rider saga.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from DAW through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

 George R. R. Martin kicks off his epic mastery of political machinations with the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. With winter creeping into the land of summer and the king's advisors mysteriously dying, Lord Eddard Stark is called to serve as the king's new Hand. But Stark's position places his family at risk from the ambitions of the rival houses.

I finally get all the hype. A sweeping epic fantasy full of vicious political maneuverings, A Game of Thrones was simply unputdownable. Martin was a brilliant storyteller, making each of his dozens of characters feel unique and vibrant. Just be warned that the story is full of physical and sexual violence and Martin never finished the books, only writing five of the promised seven. And yes, I immediately borrowed the HBO series and checked out the second book from the library. 

 

In 1923, Hattie Shepherd leaves Georgia in search of a better life in Philadelphia. Instead, she ends up in a disappointing marriage. Hattie goes on to have 11 children, whom she raises with strength, but not much tenderness. Through the narratives of her children, you see the legacy inherited by the children of the Great Migration.

I decided to pair Mathis's novel with Isabel Wilkerson's stunning history of the Great Migration, The Warmth of Other Suns for my 2023 Reading Challenge. Each chapter is a beautifully written short story of one of Hattie's children. Yet, collectively, the novel felt too fragmented, as most of the children were never mentioned again. The disjointed format prevents you from becoming to fully invested in the story and makes the novel lose much of its potential power. 

 Twenty-two-year-old Olivia is spotted on CCTV camera entering a dead-end alley and never coming out again. When Julia is assigned the missing persons case, she must balance the frantic family's desperation with her own failing marriage and struggling daughter. But someone knows Julia's darkest secret, blackmailing her to frame someone for Olivia's murder.

A slow burn police procedural, Just Another Missing Person gets off to a slow start with multiple points of view that don't mesh well. Around the halfway mark, McAllister adds an interesting twist that amps up the intrigue level. However, the lack of character development made the ending lack much punch, making this thriller mostly mediocre. 

 The summer before heading to college, Maya became infatuated with Frank but their rocky relationship ended with Maya's best friend suddenly dropping dead in front of him and Maya has always suspected Frank did it somehow. While trying to kick a prescription drug addiction, Maya is shocked to see a YouTube video of another woman dropping dead in front of Frank. Returning to her hometown to search for answers, Maya tries to remember the blank spaces in her memories of that summer and finds clues in her deceased father's book.

Normally I enjoy the thrillers chosen by Reese's Book Club pick, but I was bored by The House in the Pines. Although Reyes paints an atmospheric scene, Maya's memory gaps make for a slow confusing retelling that doesn't keep you gripped. One of my biggest issues was that Maya is painted as an unreliable narrator, Though everyone else in the story seemed to, I didn't doubt Maya at all, making the big reveal feel unsatisfying. 

Art Spiegelman won a Pulitzer Prize for this memoir, detailing Spiegelman's interviews with his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. Often published together, Maus was written as two separate graphic novels. In the first edition, Vladek recalls his life as a Polish Jew, trying to survive as the restrictions became tighter and tighter, moving to the ghetto, and then going into hiding. In Maus II, Vladek and his wife Anja are both sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. A must read, Maus brilliantly tells not only a horrifying tale of the Holocaust but also shows what the author experienced as a child of the survivors. 

 Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player turned sports analyst, takes on the hard questions that many white Americans are afraid to ask but need to know to be more informed. Based on his hit YouTube series, Acho presents each topic as a way to help people increase their understanding and change their behaviors to help end racism in America.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man is an excellent beginning primer on race and racism in America. Acho patiently discusses both basic topics and deeper concerns such as white privilege, and reverse racism. An approachable reading, Acho's book is a good starting place, full of recommendations on how to deepen your understanding. 

In 1687, Kit Tyler is marked with suspicion as soon as she arrives to live with her aunt and uncle in colonial Connecticut. The Puritans don't know what to do with a vivacious girl from Barbados. Torn between trying to fit in and wanting to be herself, Kit befriends an old Quaker woman. But the colonists' prejudice and distrust lead to Kit being accused of witchcraft in this enjoyable Newbery Medal-winning historical fiction story.