Feeling very white rabbitlike with my book reviews lately. They are piling up behind me, and as today is a snow day (no therapy for my little guy) and my husband is home sick, I am going to take a few and try to do some catching up!
Bonus points if you can tell me what song my blog post title is from! Lol.
I love these books. They are like a self-indulgent box of chocolates with a big glass of red wine. Or whatever floats your boat. The covers are pretty, the heroines are tough, savvy, independent, and the love interests are actually interesting. I also love the fact that Hocking introduced trolls to the line up of supernatural beings in YA. Pretty trolls but trolls. This is the third book in the Kanin Chronicles and I was so excited to read it - I wasn't let down. Action and adventure, love, mysteries revealed - it was a fun read! This is my favorite series that Hocking has written - I feel she just gets better and better.
A slight departure from Higgins' usual fare, this book has a little more meat and substance to it than the usual romance. And I loved it. This book was more complex, and explored the relationship of sisters, mothers, fathers - and how we view them in comparison to how they may really be, as the humans that they are. As we all are. It deals with infidelity, divorce, the death of a spouse - and while this seems like a whole lot for one little book to handle, Higgins pulled it off masterfully. I loved Jenny and Rachel, and of course, Leo, the tortured musician downstairs. I loved this book, and I hope that Higgins writes more like this one!
~ Thank you to my friend Mary, who picked this for book club!
I checked this out from the library after reading the second book in the series, The Final Tap, which I received from NetGalley. I really liked The Final Tap, and was just interested enough to see what I had missed in the first book. I am glad I did! I love living history museums, and this book really speaks to that history loving wannabe museum director inside me. The series is fun and escapist - although this first book was a bit slow and dragged on just a tad. I wanted to kind of rush through bits of it, or tell the characters to hurry up. Despite this, with a whole pile of books to choose from and some hopscotch reading, this was the book that held my interest, and this was the book that I finished. I think that speaks more than anything else I could say. I think the characters are interesting and I look forward to seeing them grow with the series.
LOL on your song lyrics. No, I didn't identify them on my own, google helped, but it's appropriate for the day that you are having, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for some really good reviews! My daughter reads Hocking and has recommended her to me, but if you think she is getting even better and this one is a self-indulgent treat, well, I might just look for it in the YA library section this week. Also your living museum series pulls me in as I enjoy visiting those type of locations and events so much. Kristan Higgins, haven't read her but have talked about picking one up forever, so if this is one of her meatier ones, sure I'll look for that one too.
Enjoy your snow day with the fam, and keep safe and warm, and reading!
Lol! I don't know why those lyrics just popped into my head while typing! And yes, totally appropriate!
DeleteI do think she gets better and better! The self-indulgent treat - for sure! Like a junky splurge, although I don't really want to use the word junkie for any books; there is just no nutritional value, I guess? Regardless, I love them!
The Living History series is super fun concept, and I do enjoy the characters. I think some of it could be shaped a bit, but I do like them.
Thanks Rita!
The Crystal Kingdom looks fun- high fantasy I'm thinking? Nice cover too... and hey trolls! You don't see them much. :) Looks fun... enjoy the snow day!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up the definintion of high fantasy! I am the worst at genres other than the big ones. What I read said that high fantasy was set in its own world, so I am basing my answer off of that. Hocking's books always are about supernatural/preternatural type characters - mermaids, trolls - but they all take place in the real world. Regular old humanity is not aware of them, but they do exist in our world. Actually, part of the troll lore from the troll books is that the troll babies of royalty are switched at birth with the babies of rich human families as changelings. Then when the troll comes of age, they are informed by someone like Brynn Aven (main character) that they are a troll and the human baby is ransomed back to the family. It is how the trolls make most of their money. I thought it was kind of a totally different take on these sort of books, which is why I like them so much. :)
DeleteA living history museum mystery? I'm just deciding I should embrace the mystery genre. It's never been one of my favorites, but I think it's time to change that. The Final Reveille definitely sounds like one I should give a try!
ReplyDeleteI love mysteries! They are totally perfect for comfort reading.
DeleteHope the husband gets well soon and you have lovely snuggle time w/Wyatt. The first book's cover catches my eye every time. I know I have that series on my GR TBR. Kristan Higgins is a new author I want to try this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stefanie! It's been a rough week! Both books are fun reads, nothing too heavy or intense!
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