L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 7

My 2023 A To Z Challenge Read Of The Year

Here it is – my 2023 A to Z Reading Challenge Read of the Year! This book was cozy and quirky, with rich world building, humor and heart. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re really missing out.

The A to Z Reading Challenge Year in Review

The A to Z Reading Challenge Year in Review – here they are, with ratings. I really enjoyed this challenge and fully plan to do it again next year so give me your book recommendations, please. All genre suggestions are welcome.

My 2023 A to Z Reading Challenge Top 5

Stay tuned for my Read of the Year!

A To Z Challenge Book Review: Zodiac Academy: The Awakening By Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

My letter “Z” pick for the A To Z Reading Challenge was ZODIAC ACADEMY: THE AWAKENING by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti.

Within a chapter or two I had a wonderful feeling this was going to be a five star read. I loved Darcy and Tory, twins who find out they are Fae princesses and get whisked off to the Fae realm and the Zodiac Academy to learn to harness their elemental powers. They have the unheard of gift of all four elements – earth, air, fire, and water, and because of their bloodline are immensely powerful (though novices at wielding the power). This pisses off a lot of faeries, including the current heirs to the throne, four insanely hot, well-built guys with loads of power but nowhere near the levels of Darcy and Tory. They make it their mission to bully the girls into dropping out of the academy and giving up any claim to the throne.

Then I slid to four and a half stars as punctuation and spelling errors slipped in and every three paragraphs someone smirked. Soon I knocked it down to four stars as the authors began using the wrong words, the wrong spellings of words, and even made-up words that kind of sounded like the word they were going for. I realize this was a self-pub, but did the authors not hire an editor?

Then I plunged to three and a half stars when the relentless, vicious abuse – verbal, emotional and physical – from their classmates (especially the four heirs) and teachers (who either outright abuse or look the other way while it’s being done) got to be a little too much. I understand the “bully romance” genre, but if you want to show strong protagonists, there has to be a moment where they say “no more!” and stand up for themselves. What we got were a few nudges in the right direction that were quickly slapped down.

Finally, I devolved to three stars when the girls continually chose to overlook the truly torturous, cruel bullying simply because the four heirs and a certain teacher are just so damn hot and like to flirt between abuse sessions. This goes on until the end of the book where they are both beyond demeaned and degraded and barely avoid being murdered by the hotties – still without fighting back beyond a token effort. I was good and done with the all of them by that point.

We’ll leave it at three stars and I’ll pass on the rest of the series.

A to Z Book Review: You’ve Reached Sam By Dustin Thao

My letter “Y” pick for the 2023 A to Z Reading Challenge was YOU’VE REACHED SAM by Dustin Thao.

This book was an emotionally eviscerating journey into grief and loss as we follow seventeen year old Julie. She has great plans for her life and is looking forward to sharing all of them with her boyfriend Sam. She tragically loses him, and in pure, grieving desperation a week or so after he dies, she calls his cellphone – and Sam picks up.

The “how” of this is never explained – we just sort of go with it and the story doesn’t suffer for that. The “why” of this is simple and heartfelt. Sam, while acknowledging their great love for each other, wants Julie to move on with her life.

This book was a very fast read but no less impactful for it. The kind of book that stays with you long after you close it. I adored the character of Sam. I fell hard for this book boyfriend and mourned him right along with Julie. This would have been a five star read for me but there were a few flaws. The plot and dialogue at times felt forced, and Julie was hard to connect with due to her being scatterbrained and forgetful a lot. I also had a really hard time with the way she treated Sam’s family and friends at first, compounded by everyone’s insistence that she just get over it and move on already. She and Sam dated for three years and it was only a couple of weeks since he died, for creep’s sake. Despite all this, I still couldn’t put the book down.

All in all, a very good read. Four stars.

A to Z Challenge Book Review: XOXO by Axie Oh

1/2

My letter “X” pick for the A to Z Reading Challenge was XOXO by Axie Oh. This was a light, fluffy easy read that got my attention immediately and I couldn’t put it down. Our main character, Jenny, is a talented young Korean-American cellist whose life is all practice, practice, practice. At the urging of her uncle to cut loose and live a little, Jenny ends up wandering the streets of LA with a sweet Korean guy named Jaewoo who wandered into the karaoke bar where she works (he’s spending his last night in America before flying home). They share a memorable evening and go their separate ways, with Jenny never expecting to see him again. When her mother’s cancer diagnosis forces her to relocate to Seoul, Jenny enrolls in a prestigious music academy only to find Jaewoo as a classmate. That’s not the biggest shock – Jaewoo is revealed to be a member of the popular K-Pop group, XOXO, and K-Pop stars are not allowed to date. Jaewoo can’t risk breaking the rules as he is his family’s breadwinner. Thus begins a forbidden romance that has us rooting for Jenny and Jaewoo all the way to the end of the book.

I loved that Jenny was down-to-earth and Jaewoo was very likeable (almost too perfect, though). The side characters of Jenny’s roommate and the other boy band members were colorful and a lot of fun (especially Nathaniel). I also love the warm way her relationship with her mom and grandmother were portrayed. All in all a fun and satisfying read. I’ll give this one 4 & 1/2 stars, just because it got a bit too saccharin sweet at times.

A to Z Review: Wicked Wonderland By Eva Chase

My letter “W” pick for this year’s A to Z reading challenge was Wicked Wonderland (The Looking-Glass Curse book 1) by Eva Chase. I went into this book blind and it was a terrific surprise on so many levels. This is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, of course, but a decidedly R-rated version with a wicked reverse harem story line between Alice, Hatter, Chess and Theo (the White Knight). The characters were fully fleshed out (pardon the pun) and the storyline was intriguing – this book isn’t all about the spice. The worldbuilding was every bit as lush and creative as Wonderland should be, with a spunky main character and quirky, witty twists and turns. This would have been a 4 star read, but it really does start off slow – almost dragging, to be honest. There are a lot of character intros plus discussions and backstory about the politics of Wonderland, but once it starts rolling it’s a fun ride. Three Stars.

Cover Reveal For My Next Novel!

Here it is – my next novel!

IN THE DARK OF A DREAM is a YA Sci-Fi Thriller about a girl with chronic night terrors. She finds herself sucked into a nanotech experiment that’s gone horribly wrong, trapping her with a group of soldiers in a virtual reality hell.

Coming April 2024!

A To Z Book Review: Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

My letter “V” pick for the 2023 A to Z Challenge was VIOLET MADE OF THORNS by Gina Chen. This was a dark fantasy with lush world building and lovely fairytale elements. Violet, our morally gray protagonist is clever and fierce but not terribly likeable. Cyrus, the morally gray prince was too self-righteous and petulant for my taste. Violet and Cyrus as a couple just fell flat for me. I love a good enemies to lovers story, but it has to progress in a satisfying way. This romance went from “I hate your guts” to “Oh, look at that – we’re together” with no real progression. It just sort of happened.

Still, it’s a solid story and I didn’t hate them – just wish I’d had a little more depth there. Their banter added a lot to the story, and the side characters really added a lot of flavor. I’m giving this one three stars for a good – but not great – book.

A To Z Book Review: Unf*ck Yourself By Gary John Bishop

1/2

My letter “U” pick for the A to Z Reading Challenge was UNF*CK YOURSELF by Gary John Bishop and let me tell you, it came at the perfect time. I have ever been a procrastinator, to the point where it’s cost me peace of mind, money, and even my health at times. Believe me, I put the PRO in procrastinate. Gary John Bishop tackles this and numerous other things that leave you “stuck” in your life (or worse, moving in reverse). In a no-nonsense (but not rude or cruel) manner he talks about getting out of your pipe dreams, your somedays, your as-soon-as-I-can-find-the-time mentality and urges you drop your destructive behaviors and just f*cking do it, already. He also breaks down, in detailed and methodical chapters exactly how you can go about achieving that.

As a writer, I have a bad habit of thinking about my books far more often than actually writing them, and that sets me back and stresses me out on a near-constant basis. This book hammered in the one basic truth that gets me going: You are what you do. All in all, this book was a solid and very helpful read. Four and a half stars.