Review #8

I cannot believe how much reading I have done this week. According to my planner, I have finished two books, and I am about to finish a third and start my fourth. I either excel or fail at readathons. I am hoping that I will excel in all of my readathons. Enough about readathons, you are here for a review. Well, you are in luck because I am about to give you two reviews in one. I am going to review both the Dance of the Gods and the Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts.

Both books are part of the Circle trilogy. Dance of the Gods is book two and Valley of Silence is book three of the trilogy. I have also given a review of the first book Morrigan’s Cross. In book two, you have our six traveling from Ireland to Gaell to help form the army against the vampires and in book three you have that grand apocalyptic battle. I did give both books five out of five stars on Goodreads.

To say I love both books is an understatement. I love how much more drama Roberts put in each book and how she helps the characters grow. I also love how in the second book, Roberts let you see how people in the 21st century handle life about a thousand years into the past. It was nice to see that because in the first book she showed you how people in the past handled our present. I also like how this experience helped strengthen the bond of our six warriors. In the third book, I also love the origin stories and how she ties the origin stories to the main story and how these stories become consequences for not only the characters who origins that we are telling but to our heroes as well. In addition, I also love the ending. It is rare for a story to just give you a satisfying ending. There are no words for me to explain to you, without spoiling the book, how the ending is just wonderful. It hit the wonderful balance of tying all the loose ends while not dragging on. There are questions that I do have that are not answered, but in all the ending is just perfect.

In the end, I do recommend this series. I believe that you will have fun and enjoy the books. Just to forwarn you, there are some sex scenes in all three books, and there is also some mature content. In the third book, I will also have to give a trigger warning for rape and violence, especially in the thrid book. In all, if you want to try out Nora Roberts but don’t want the romance, I would say try this trilogy. There is romance, but it is not the focus. It is more fantasy and focusing more on the battle and saving all the worlds.

That is my review. I do hope that you have enjoyed it and that you will try this trilogy out.

Until next time,

Super Bookworm

Review #7 – Morrigan’s Cross

Do you know what is the world’s worst sin is? I just found out. And no, I don’t think it is located in the bible.

How about owning a blog dedicated to books and sharing those wonderful books to the world and discovered that the book series that you are reading for the twelfth time does not have a review. Yeah, you read that correctly. I have recently discovered that I have placed the same six books (two separate trilogies) in different posts throughout the years. I have told you that I have reread them time and time again. In fact, I have read them so many times I now can skip the parts that I do not like and still follow along with the story, not caring that I have skipped these parts.

I am not sure how I have missed this. I am so glad that I found out today and I can remedy that issue because I am rereading the same two trilogies and I can give you wonderful reviews about those six books.  So let’s begin with the first book, Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts.

I got this book from my grandma because she hated this book. She claimed that I would like it because it has demons and witches and I like reading about demons and witches and magic. At the time, (senior year of high school) I would never pick this book out for myself due to who the author was and her fame for writing romance novels. The two reasons why I picked this book up was 1) to make my grandma happy and 2) to look mature at school.  After I finished this book, my grandma bought the rest of the series for me to read.

Morrigan’s Cross is the first book in the series about a group of six people banning together to end the apocalyptic battle against an army of vampires and the one vampire that wants to rule all the worlds that exist in the universe.

I give this book five out of five stars on Goodreads. I love the characters and the plot very much. All the characters are well rounded and dimensional. They do not feel flat or cookie cutter. I also enjoyed how diverse our characters are and how quickly you begin to love them and want the good guys to succeed. I also enjoy how strong and powerful our female characters are. They do not like being talked over and they do fend for themselves.

I also enjoy the plots. In this trilogy, your six are gathered together to save the universe. That is your main plot, however, with each book, you focus on one specific romantic pairing and a specific problem. In this book, you look into Hoyt and Glenna as our pairing and the specific problem is the gathering of the six and their need to form a strong bond with each other to successfully fight against the forces of vampiric evil.

In the end, I would recommend this book to mostly everyone. I know that not everyone is into romance novels, but this novel does not feel like the cliche romance novels. You do have more action and more fantasy with this book, which is why I feel as though this book will be a bit more versatile. I also feel as though this book has a very strong beginning and worlds-building. I do feel that if you are not that much into romance, you will enjoy this book. However, there are some sex scenes in this book. With that in mind, I would say that this book is definitely for mature audiences.

A little update and March TBR

Alright, let me be honest with everyone. I did not do any reading during the month of February. Okay, part of that is a lie. I did do some Fan Fiction reading. If we are looking at books or audiobooks, then no. I did not do any reading. I am not sorry about that. I was just a bit burned from January’s load.

Let me explain to you about my plans for March. I have actually read two books. I have read Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us and This Was Our Pact. However, even though I am reading more, I do not expect to get to a lot of books. With shelter in place happening where I live and the constant worrying about being able to pay my bill due to Covid-19, I am purposely not making a TBR right now. I am focusing on my mental health and focusing on what will make me feel better. I do have a tentative plan on what books I would like to focus on while I am at home.

1. Red, White, and Royal Blue – I have started this book while I have been babysitting/ tutoring. I am enjoying the book and I am understanding all the hype that went around this book. I just hope that it continues to be this good.
2. Morrigan’s Cross – This was one of the six last books that my Grandma bought me before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In a world where we cannot give and get hugs, I need something that is like a hug from someone who has past a while back.
3. I am also hoping to finish the circle trilogy since these were part of the last books that my Grandma bought me. Those books are Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence.
4. I would like to see if I can finish the Paper Girls comics by skimming Vol. 4as a reminder as to what happened and read Vol. 5 and 6.

That is my reading focus for the next week or so.

What are you doing during this time? Are you staying safe with family? Are you working?

I do hope that you do feel safe and that you will stay healthy during this time period. Please be safe if you have to go out. I do hope that we will get the cure and the vaccine soon for Covid-19 so that we can start having our normal life again.

Until next time,

Super Bookworm.

February TBR 2020

I am looking forward to having another successful month of reading. In January I did not plan on reading so many books, but I did. I am really happy that I did. This month I do have a few more books that I want to read, but I am not sure if I will be able to finish them. I will explain to you why with each book.

This month will not be themed based. In the past, I have tried to do themes, but they don’t inspire me to read. Having a theme read does the opposite. I do have some romance books to help create a wonderful semi-theme February. So let’s begin with the books.

1. Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts – This will be one of my rereads. I am also going to use the audible app to read this book.
2. Paper Girls Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan – I believed that I have read this book during the reading rush but it never got counted on Goodreads. I am just going to reread the book just in case. This series is weird but I ended up loving it after the third book. I once described it as a cross between Stranger Things with an all-girl cast with time travel
3. Paper Girls Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
4. The Slow Fade by Matthew Cody – A long time ago I started reading this book, however I was dealing with technical issues because I was not able to use the font that I needed on my phone. It seemed that enlarging the text would delete parts of the book.
5. Cress by Marissa Meyer – A long time ago I started reading this book and just stopped. Why? I was in a reading slump. I am hoping that I will be able to finish this book.
6. The Chimes by Charles Dickens – I believe that I got this book as a free gift in December of 2016. I wanted to read it. I mean, it is a classic. However, this book is depressing as ever and I am sadly only halfway through it. This is the one book I will be okay if I do not touch,
7. The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kaise West – To be honest here, I am putting this book on my TBR to make my reading list feel like I tried to attempt to make it look like I was thinking of a theme. To tell you the truth, I am hoping that this book will pan out. I do enjoy reading Kaise West books. Hopefully, it will turn out well.

That my friends are my TBR for the month of February. I am hoping that I will get through most of these books in such a short month.

See you next time and happy reading.

Super Bookworm.

January 2019 Update into Pi

I am sitting at my dad’s house trying to desperately stay on top of my game as I am writing this post. My computer decided to fall apart a few days ago, and I am sitting here trying to type this up on my work iPad. I am finding out how much I hate typing on something other than my laptop. It is just driving me insane. But I know that if I leave the broken laptop as an excuse for not writing this post, than I will be starting this year off on the wrong foot. I need to be more proactive. However, nothing drives me insane more that having difficulty editing my work. I am already missing the use of Grammarly, a decent keyboard, and my mouse. I guess I am more of a laptop person than I realize. Though I do want to let you know what my first week of the New Year has been like.

First off, I have finished a book. I am really happy about that as well. I finished Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass. I have given the book four out of five stars on Goodreads, but if I were to be honest I would have given it 3.5 stars. I have read some of her books before and I have loved them, but this book was not as up there as the others. I am not sure if it was just my extra high expectation or if it was just not what I wanted or needed at the time.

Before I begin with the review, let me give you a quick summary. If you want a detail summary click on the link to take you to Goodreads. Pi in the Sky is about a boy named Joss who is tasked with bringing Earth back, with a human girl, after the Powers To Be had to take it out of time due to it breaking the laws of physics.

To begin this review, the book was a little technical, especially for a kids book (this was geared towards 9 to 12 year olds). There was a lot of theoretical physics being thrown in. As an adult who loves science it works, but for a kid between the ages of 9 to 12, I feel that it is a bit high up there in their ability to understand abstract concepts. Though I will have to admit that she did a good job in making high abstract concepts reachable. How reachable, I am not sure, I am not 12 and haven’t been since 2001. I guess I will need to find myself a 12 year old to help me answer this question. But to continue on, these abstract concepts are necessary for you to understand what is going on in the story. They are the main plot points of this story. The other complaint that I have with the story is the slow start. I actually could have cared less about the story until you made it about 80 pages in. I do want to be into the story within the first 10 to 15 pages. I am glad that I continued, but I would have normally left the book. I will say that I did love the character growth. I felt as though our main character did grow into this nice entity who is now believing in themselves. In looking back at one of my favorite works from her, Every Soul a Star, I realize that my favorite characters are the one that do the most personal growth. Not only in attitude towards their world, but attitude towards themselves and their self confidence. This is no exception. Your main character does this huge change in viewing themselves as an important bringing and realizing that they do have some significance. This character goes from hating his life and the job that was assigned to him, to realizing that there is importance to what he does. The other thing that I enjoyed was the quotes. I guess I am a great sucker for quotes, but I did enjoy them, and loved how she used quotes from all sorts of scientist and authors throughout the book. I just found them really cool to read, and would love to add them to my cool quote collection. The last thing that I liked, is the end of the story. Not because it was the end, but just how she ended the book. I just liked how it wrapped everything up. It wasn’t your typical the end moment, more like everything was good, and all was well. I am realizing that this is a bit hard to describe, it just let me tell you, I was pleased that I did not feel the impending “that is it?” at the end of the book.

Now to the hard part, do I recommend this book. After finishing the book and thinking about it for a day or two, I realize that I would recommend this book to adults. As I have mentioned earlier, I am not sure if these high abstract concepts are to hard for a 9 to 12 year old to handle. However, I do feel as though and adult would enjoy the story, especially those who love science.

Now onto other things. I am now currently reading Morrigan’s Cross and Let it Snow. So far I am about half way through with both books. I am hoping to get more reading done with Let it Snow after I finish this update. I will admit that I am enjoying the audiobook for Morrigan’s Cross more than I thought I would. If anyone is interested, when you do the audiobook, don’t go at a faster speed than the normal pace. It does work most of the time, but the heavy accent makes it hard to understand when the reader decides to read faster. Though I am enjoying the Irish accent, I feel it adds more to the story. As for Let it Snow, I am laughing through it. Like Pi in the Sky it was a slow start, and it did not grab my attention. I completely forgot that it was 3 stories in one. It is interesting how all three stories interconnect with each other. Other than that, I feel as though I am rewarding myself every time that I am opening this book. Why? I am not sure. There are parts of the story where I am laughing so hard that I am crying, I am thinking that it is because I am into the other story more.

I have been using the Bookly app for all three books. I have realized that the app does not really allow you to do audiobooks, so I am stuck trying to solve the percentage of how much I am reading each time I finish. Which sucks, but it is working out. With Let it Snow, I had the misfortune of it miscalculating the number of pages that I have read. I had to add a time that I read the book and accidentally claimed that I was father in the book than what I actually was. In reading the review, I was able to fix the problem and now I am on the correct page without having to not count my reading time to get to the wrong page. The app is very strict about not letting you go back in the book. If you claimed that you have read 10 pages, you cannot do another reading session and claim that you are on page 9. The only other problem that I have with the app is that it wants me to pay for the subscription, which I find a little expensive. Right now they are having a sale, and for a year you would pay $20 instead of the usual $30. I still find it a bit expensive, for something I am not sure if I would be using the whole app for.

That is my update and my first review of 2019. Let me know how you are doing after the first week of the New Year. Have you had any grand adventures? Also let me know what you think of this post.

Until next time,

Super Bookworm.

January 2019 TBR

Even though I am going to be super busy, I still have goals that I want to accomplish. I also want to start off on the right foot. To do that I am going to be making my TBR for the month of January. I do know that I have a lot of books here that I most likely will not be able to get through this month, but I always love giving myself some options. A little variety does not hurt. So, let’s start off the TBR!

1. Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass. I actually started reading this book a few days before the new year with the intent of being able to finish it. So far the book is good, and I am enjoying it. Right now, the story is a little slow, but I am looking forward to the magic that Wendy Mass brings into her book.
2. Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes – I have been meaning to read this book for quite some time. It was one of the three books that Rick Riordan presented for up and coming authors. I has also been one of my most anticipated reads of 2018.
3. Trapped by Michael Northrop  – I guess I was looking at covers for a wintery feel, wanting to make this month all about snow and winterish feels. However, I lost that with the other 4 books that I joined in. the premise sounds interesting and I am hoping that it is just as good as it sounds.
4. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle – I got this book at Target a year ago (I believe). I felt that a good contemporary would be a good mix from my usual. I also started around the same time I picked up Pi in the Sky.
5. Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts – This will be a reread. However, I am hoping that I will be able to get through it via audiobook. I want to get into listening to books while I am driving to work. I just want to find ways to add more reading into my busy schedule.
6. Match Me If You Can by Susan Phillips – I believe that this is also another audiobook. I kind of got sucked into it with the premise and I have been eyeing this book for quite some time.

That is my TBR for 2019. I am also trying out a new app called Bookly. The app is suppose to help you stay on task with reading. It tracks how much time you spend reading and how fast you are reading. So far I am enjoying it. I will let you know at the end of the month what I think of the app.

Until next time,

Super Bookworm

2015 Reading Challenge

I originally found this challenge on Facebook and few months ago and decided that I wanted to participate in it. It is a year-long challenge that would force me to read books out of my comfort level. I thought it would be really cool and fun. Recently I found the original Goodreads group that set up the challenge and all the mini challenges to read throughout the year. I found out that there are a lot more challenges that what was posted on Facebook. With this new list, I have taken all the books that I have read this year and placed them in each category. I have doubled up on books because a lot of challenges allow you to do that. My goal for the rest of the year is to make updates on this challenge periodically.

1. a book with more than 500 pages

• The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

2. a romance
3. a book that became a movie

• Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

4. a book published this year

• The Crown of Ptolemy by Rick Riordan

5. a book with a number in the title

• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

6. a book written by someone under 30
7. a book with nonhuman characters

• Rat Queens Vol. 1 & 2

8. a funny book

• The Crown of Ptolemy by Rick Riordan

9. a book by a female author

• Adventures of Funeral Crashing #1 by Milda Harris
• Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
• Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
• How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor

10. a mystery or thriller

• The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

11. a book with a one-word title

• Trouble by Non Pratt
• Compendium By Alia Luria

12. a book of short stories

• Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan

13. a book set in a different country

• The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

14. a nonfiction book
15. a popular author’s first book

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

16. a book from your favorite author that you haven’t read yet
17. a book a friend recommended
18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book
19. a book based on a true story
20. a book at the bottom of your to-read list

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

21. a book your mom loves
22. a book that scares you
23. a book more than 100 years old

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

24. a book based entirely on its cover

• Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
• I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
26. a memoir
27. a book you can finish in a day

• Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
• Ms. Marvel Vol. 2
• Rat Queens Vol. 1
• Rat Queens Vol. 2
• Smile
• Anya’s Ghost

28. a book with antonyms in the title
29. a book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit

• The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
• Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

30. a book that came out the year you were born
31. a book with bad reviews
32. a trilogy (the first)

• Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts

33. a trilogy (the second)

• Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

34. a trilogy (the third)

• The Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts

35. a book from your childhood

• Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
• Oh The Places You’ll Go
• The Wizard, The Witch, and the Two Girls from Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou

36. a book with a love triangle

• Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Death Wish by Megan Tayte

37. a book set in the future

• The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

38. a book set in high school

• The Adventures of Funeral Crashing #1 by Milda Harris
• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

39. a book with a color in the title

• Peach and Plum Blossom by Kara Jaynes

40. a book that made/makes you cry
41. a book with magic

• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass
• Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
• The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

42. a graphic novel

• Amulet series
• Seconds
• Ms Marvel Vol. 1 & 2
• Rat Queens Vol. 1 & 2
• Smiles
• The Woods Vol 1 & 2
• Blankets

43. a book by an author you’ve never read before

• Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

44. a book you own but have never read
45. a book that takes place in your hometown
46. a book that was originally written in another language

• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday)
48. a book written by an author with your same initials
49. a play
50. a banned book
51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show
52. 52. a book you started but never finished

So far that is what I have completed for the 2015 reading challenge. I am planning on giving you an update for this challenge either the end of August or the end of September. I am not doing the challenges in order like everyone else since I started so late. I do hope that you will enjoy seeing my progress. See you next time. Happy Reading!

Nature, Magic, and Aliens… Oh My!

Okay, I realize that I have not made a post in a while. I am very sorry about that, but I have gotten some reading done. I have read at least three books, and I have started another.  I must admit that I was just lazy in writing these reviews. However, I am feeling a bit more productive right now, so I am going to write all three reviews.

The first book that I finished, was Never Say Die by Will Hobbs. The short story is about a boy who lived his whole life in the artic regions of the world spending time with his half-brother who is a wild life photographer for National Geographic. Throughout their time together, they have some difficulty with nature, rivers, and half breed Polar/ Grizzly bear.

I gave this book four out of five stars on Goodreads. I really enjoyed the story and the bonding that the boys went through. I must admit that I was appreciative that the writer did not dumb down his writing, but at the same time, you did not feel stupid. The story was also fast pace, with a consistent flow of events. I never had the experience of speeding up and then slowing down. The content was also really interesting with their focus of global warming and the changing weather patterns.

I am recommending this book to everyone. In the beginning, I did not think that I would like the book as much as I do. I really got the book for my mom, for her students to read thinking it would be at their level, and something interesting to read. In the end, I must say that I believe that everyone will enjoy the plot, the characters, as well as the writing style of this book.

So the second book that I finished, goes along with our Halloween theme, by having vampires, witches, Sorcerers, a queen, warriors, and a shape shifter. This book, written by Nora Roberts, Morrigan’s Cross, is about a group of six banding together to fight with an army of vampires in order to save worlds. This first book in the trilogy, focuses on the group coming together to prepare and learn how to fight.

For me this is a reread and I gave it five out of five stars on Goodreads. Do not ask me how many times I have read this trilogy because I have lost count. I must say that I enjoy the adventure and the character development that exist within this book. I also enjoy how strong the females are portrayed in this trilogy, they are not noted as the weaklings of the group, and they insist upon fighting and making their mark along the way. I really enjoy the story, and you don’t remember that it is a romance novel with all the fantasy elements of battles and creatures of the night.

I will recommend this book. However, I must note that there is some risqué content that I will put an age ban on it, and say if you are over 14 read at your own risk. This is Nora Roberts work and she is noted for her style of writing.

Finally, the last book that I have finished is Saving Mars by Cidney Swanson. This book is about a young girl whose dream to become a pilot saving her people who live on Mars. She has the opportunity to live her dream, but discovers that it comes at a price.

I did give this book four out of five stars. I did end the book wanting to continue the series, but the ending was a little sad for my taste, though it was an amazing cliffhanger. The author ended this book with more questions and hoping that the other books will provide more answers.

I did enjoy the plot and the characters. However, I do feel as though Jess, out main character, went from someone who is rough and whiny to someone a bit more soft. It was interesting to see her mothering role progress throughout the mission.  I also found futurist Earth to be a bit interesting and twisted, which contributed to the plot and the different views.

In the end, I would recommend this book to everyone. I love to have a discussion on people’s view of futurist Earth, and whether or not people would support the views that they have.

I do hope that everyone’s week will go great and that you will continue to enjoy your reading adventures. Happy Reading!

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