Derek Bailey's Blog: DB Books and Reviews, page 5

REVIEW: THE GIRL BEFORE

Until it is no longer perfect...I'd been curious about this story ever since seeing the trailer for the HBO adaptation and when the audiobook went on sale, I just had to pick it up. After having saved it for a bit, I finally dove into this contemporary thriller.HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Fast pacing and unsettling atmosphere kept me hooked as I learned more about all of the characters and

REVIEW: DOWN BELOW BEYOND

Seeking The Beyond...After winning an Audible code for this in a Discord Giveaway, I was immediately excited to jump in since I'd heard so many nice things about this book.HOW I RATED IT 3/5 This science fiction action romp is filled with fascinating planets and strange alien species. I wasn't really able to feel emotionally invested in anyone or anything in particular, but I still had

REVIEW: THE SWORD OF DESTINY (THE WITCHER #2)

The sword of destiny has two blades...After being pleasantly surprised with THE LAST WISH, I knew I had to continue with the second short story collection which sort of concludes the introduction to the titular Witcher. HOW I RATED IT 5/5 As much as I could do without some of the lewdness, I continue to find myself impressed with how much fun this series is. The new takes on classic

REVIEW: VERMILLION FLAMES (MIDNIGHT WAR: BOOK 1)

The flames of rebellion...I won an Audible code in a Discord giveaway. When a gap opened up in my audio lineup, this was the perfect fit to fill that time, so I decided to give this a go.  HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Part revolution story, part YA-style coming of age, part military drama, VERMILLION FLAMES, is an interesting mix of things that really resonated with me and things that

JULY READS

After not being able to fully finish all that much in June, July ended up having a landslide effect in that I finished up the four carry-overs and also completed two additional reads. Far more exciting than the quantity of books on this list though is the quality of my reading experiences. This was a very highly rated month with nothing falling below a solid four stars. 1. The Sword of

REVIEW: THE LOST METAL (MISTBORN #7)

You're meant to be helping people...I put my readthrough of MISTBORN's second era on hold so that I could catch up on THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE, which is generally the recommended path by fans, but as soon as I finished the fourth book in that series, I was very excited to jump back into this one. HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Our heroes find themselves up against much higher stakes in this

REVIEW: RHYTHM OF WAR (THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE #4)

The rhythms of Roshar...In anticipation of the fifth STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE book releasing towards the end of this year, I have continued catching up on this series and it has continued to be such an enjoyable ride. HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Even though I didn't love this entry into the series quite as much as the last two, there were still a ton of incredibly memorable moments, some

MINI REVIEW: TRANSFORMED

The key to transformation... A group of coworkers and I buddy read this book together and I have to say, it is one of the better professional development books I've consumed. HOW I RATED IT 5/5 This book is a fine example of professional development literature done right. I'm glad I had people at work who brought it to my attention and was even more glad that we've been having

REVIEW: THE CRIMES OF ROOKER FLYNN (LOCKE INSTITUTE TRILOGY #1)

Obey your betters...THE LEGEND OF BLACK JACK was a book I had a ton of fun with even if it wasn't the perfect 5-star read for me that it was for so many. When the author announced this trilogy that follows up on the original standalone, I was quite excited to see what would happen next in the magical land of Keymark.HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Although THE CRIMES OF ROOKER FLYNN proved to be

MINI REVIEW: 33 DAYS TO EUCHARISTIC GLORY

A 33-day spiritual pilgrimage... My parents lent me their copy of this book after they'd gone through it themselves. I wasn't reading any other spiritual literature at the time, so I decided to begin this 33-day journey right away. HOW I RATED IT 4/5 Although I kind of wish this went a little deeper in terms of the daily readings/reflections, I think this book is essential for