Star Wars: Queen's Peril - Review

Title: Star Wars: Queen’s Peril

Author: E.K. Johnston

Series: Star Wars

Synopsis:  “When fourteen-year-old Padmé Naberrie wins the election for Queen of Naboo, she adopts the name Amidala and leaves her family to rule from the royal palace.  To keep her safe and secure, she’ll need a group of skilled handmaidens who can be her assistants, confidantes, defenders, and decoys.  Each girl is selected for her particular talents, but it will be up to Padmé to unite them as a group. When Naboo is invaded by forces of the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens will face the greatest test – of themselves, and of each other.”

Review:  I wanted to love this book.  The cover is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the idea of how Queen Amidala built her network of handmaidens.  The first two thirds of the novel are strong and interesting, however then we are caught up to the same time period as The Phantom Menace (TPM) and this is when the whole thing falls apart.

     The final third of the novel is very disjointed as it jumps around from character to character whose scenes do nothing to forward the actual plot of the novel.  It relies heavily on the reader already having a fresh, and vast, amount of knowledge regarding events from The Phantom Menace.  Anyone who hasn’t seen TPM within the last few weeks will be extremely confused as the story seems to be missing whole chunks of storytelling when it involves anything that happens in the movie.  Even if you have the fresh knowledge of what happens in the movie, the missing chunks of storytelling totally pull you out of the story as you have to then think about the movie, and what happened during the missing scenes.  I honestly feel that this must not be entirely the authors fault, because I loved Ahsoka and Queen’s Shadow.  But something here went terribly wrong. 

     I was so very disappointed by this novel.  I wanted a strong female lead Star Wars story, and while it started out that way, Queen’s Peril falls profoundly short.

     I also have to mention that the Kindle copy I was provided was full of typos and formatting errors that I hope are fixed before publication.

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press

I recommend passing on this one and reading one of these instead:

Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston

Star Wars: A Crash of Fate (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #1) by Zoraida Córdova

Looking Forward - June 2020

     Ahhhh June, the start of summer.  Usually we are looking forward to hikes, picnics and trips to the beach.  This June however we are going to be social distancing and spending a lot of time at home.  Hopefully this will mean lots of extra time for reading because there are a lot of awesome books coming out this month!  Let me know if you will also be reading any of these, or if I missed any that you are looking forward to, in the comments.

June 2, 2020:

Star Wars Queen's Peril by E.K. Johnston:  You had me at Star Wars.  I'll read or watch anything Star Wars related.

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

June 9, 2020:

                              

Spy, Spy Again by Mercedes Lackey: This is book #3 in the Family Spies Series and it's the 45th book to be published in the world of Valdemar.  For those of you who aren't aware, Valdemar is my favorite fantasy world and I'm just sure I was supposed to be a Herald of Valdemar myself.  For more about this read my post "What's Your Favorite Series? or Where's My Companion?".  I am so excited to have received an advanced copy of this novel and can't wait to read it this weekend!  (Of course you know I already have my physical copy pre-ordered.)

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

The Living Dead by George Romero & Daniel Kraus:  YES!  I love zombies!  Bring it!

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

June 16, 2020:

   

Hella by David Gerrold:  A human colony on an alien planet where there are dinosaurs and extreme weather.  Ummm... Yes please!

Shadowplay by Joseph O'Connor:  The tag line for this novel on Amazon says: "Bram Stoker's extraordinary experiences at the Lyceum Theatre, his early morning walks on the streets of a London terrorized by a serial killer, his long, tempestuous relationship with Irving, and the closeness he finds with Ellen Terry, inspire him to write Dracula..."  This novel has Victorian London, Jack the Ripper and Bran Stoker in it... who wouldn't want to read this?!

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Devolution by Max Brooks: The subtitle of this novel is "A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre"... I think SuperSteve is almost as excited for this novel as I am, and he's not really much of a reader.  We loved World War Z, so anything by Max Brooks is on our "must-read" list.

June 23, 2020:

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho:  First of all, look at this cover!  I will openly admit that I judge a novel by it's cover and this one is absolutely beautiful.  I am definitely buying a physical copy for myself, and not just a kindle copy, because of that cover.  Secondly, I love this author.  you can read my review of her novel Sorcerer to the Crown here.  This is a found family wuxia (wuxia is a genre of Chinese fiction about the adventures of martial artists) fantasy and that seriously intrigues me.

June 30, 2020:

                                             

 Witch Hunt by Cate Conte: Let's see... Witches, cozy mystery... There is no situation in which I would not read this novel.  

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: I'm hoping that this is going to be a gothic horror set in the Mexican countryside.  I love a good chill inducing gothic horror, and a new setting for one would be wonderful! Plus, that cover!!!

The Deep - Review

Title: The Deep

Author:  Alma Katsu

Synopsis:  “Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

     “This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths.  Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner’s illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers – including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher – are convinced that something sinister is going on… And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

     “Years later and the world is at war.  And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship.  Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognizes while doing her rounds.  It is the young man Mark.  And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic…”

Review:  This is the second book I’ve read by Alma Katsu.  The first one I read was The Hunger, and I loved this one just as much as that one.  This novel is marketed as horror, but it’s not so much scary as it is atmospheric.  Good historical speculative fiction involves a lot of research, and this author definitely does her research!  There are no weird moments where something is off and it pulls you out of the setting. 

     The Deep reads like a really good gothic horror.  Not a lot of blood, guts or violence, but plenty of uncomfortable creepiness.  There is a mystery that isn’t solved until the very end.  It’s a ghost story.  And we already know the ultimate end of the Titanic and the Britannic, so it adds a bit of a sense of urgency to the story.  We know this isn’t going to end well.  I highly recommend The Deep to anyone who enjoys reading. 

***I was provided a free copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Publisher:  Penguin Group / Putnam

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

The Toll by Cherie Priest

The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

Sea Change -- Review

Title: Sea Change

Author: Nancy Kress

Synopsis:  “Renata Black is entertained by the traffic snarl caused by a rogue self-driving house – until she spots the Org’s Tiffany Teal paint marking the house’s windowsill.

     “In 2022, GMOs were banned after a biopharmed drug caused the Catastrophe: worldwide economic collapse, agricultural standstill, and personal tragedy for a lawyer and her son.  Ten years later, Renata, a.k.a. Caroline Denton, is an operative of the Org, an underground group that could save the world from itself.  Their illegal research is performed and protected by splinter cells, which are hunted by the feds.

     “Now a mole is in the Org.  Who would put the entire Org in jeopardy?  Renata is the only one who can find out – and she will need to go to her clients in the Quinault Nation for answers.”

Review: I did not love Sea Change, and I felt incredibly guilty for that for several days.  Usually I love anything by Nancy Kress, so it took me awhile to come up with the courage to write this review.  But it’s one miss out of dozens of novels for this author.  The writing was quality work, exactly what I would expect from Nancy Kress.  It was the story, the actual plot, that I felt was lacking.  It’s as if a lot more thought went into the agenda behind the story (promoting GMO’s) than into creating the story itself.  The main character of Renata was extremely unlikable, which is not always a deal breaker.  You don’t have to care about the characters if the plot is good enough to hold your attention; unfortunately the plot wasn’t that good.  If you’ve never read anything by Nancy Kress, I recommend you read some of her work… just not this one. 

***I was provided a free copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Publisher: Tachyon Publications

Skip this book and try one of these instead:

Beggars in Spain (Sleepless #1) by Nancy Kress

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Goldilocks by Laura Lam

The House of the Four Winds - Review

Title: The House of the Four Winds
Authors: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Series: One Dozen Daughters #1

Synopsis: “The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.
      “Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.
    “Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own—but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won’t give him up without a fight.”

 Review:   Mercedes Lackey is my favorite author. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because I love books so much, and I have several favorite authors, and several favorite series. But Mercedes Lackey is my favorite, of my favorite, authors. I have read her Valdemar series over, and over, and over again. I will never get tired of it. I will read anything with her name on it. Most recently I read The House of the Four Winds.        
     The House of the Four Winds is a fascinating read. I had a busy week last week, and couldn’t read it as quickly as I would have liked, every time I started reading it was torture to have to put it down. This novel has everything you could want in a good read: pirates, adventure, action, romance, cross-dressing, magic and lovable characters!  And can we talk about the cover for a minute?  What a gorgeous work of art!  I want to frame this cover and put it on my wall!  If I could change one thing about The House of the Four Winds I would like a bit more information about what Clarice did after leaving home and before meeting Dominick. Don’t get me wrong, this novel is wonderful just the way it is but adding a bit more information would make it perfect! I highly recommend that fans of fantasy, fans of pirates and fans of romance all read this book!

 **I received this Kindle ARC through NetGalley. **

Publisher: TOR

If you like this book you may want to read: 

The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Five Hundred Kingdoms Series by Mercedes Lackey