Ricky Pine's Blog, page 70
June 14, 2018
Review: White Rabbit
White Rabbit by Caleb RoehrigMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
After Last Seen Leaving, I found myself ready to be super-hyped for any future novels which Caleb Roehrig was to give us. Maybe his sophomore book doesn't quite reach that standard, but it's every bit as compulsively readable as Last Seen Leaving was. Believe it or not, though, the main mystery wasn't the greatest selling point for me, not when it became clear that it involved some of the asscrownest (not to be too Mara Dyer-y) character...
June 12, 2018
Review: Fireblood
Fireblood by Elly BlakeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Somehow, my review of Frostblood became one of my most-viewed on my blog - my most-viewed book review ever, I think, and second only to my coming-out post in total views. I'm not sure this one'll come anywhere close to those stats, but if so, it'd be just as weird and random as the Frostblood review, short and little-fanfared as it was. This book shall go similarly little-fanfared by me. It's not a bad book, but not exactly a good one either....
June 11, 2018
Review: These Rebel Waves
These Rebel Waves by Sara RaaschMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Here's another ARC I'm very happy to have found at work, and to see it being Sara Raasch's first book in two years or so, I'm excited just on that front alone.
It's an interesting world Raasch sets up in this story, separate from her seasonal fantasy kingdoms of Snow Like Ashes and sequels. No, here we get one that's a little more clearly rooted in real-world history in its inspiration. I've noticed for a few years that a lot of Wester...
June 10, 2018
Review: The Outcast
The Outcast by Taran MatharuMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
After last year concluded the original Summoner trilogy, Taran Matharu announced a fourth book, The Outcast, a prequel. Wait, didn't we already have a prequel in Summoner: Origins? Well, yeah. But now we get that prequel expanded to full novel size, and while it feels a bit strange to go back in time when we know how the original trilogy ends, it also makes me want to reread the original trilogy from the start all over again. Which, in du...
June 9, 2018
Solo: Damn, You're All Sleeping On This
***THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.***
For the first time since...maybe the Clone Wars movie? If we can count that one? Anyway, for the first time in a long time, we're getting a Star Wars movie that's not earning beaucoup bucks at the box office, and certainly not enough to recoup its massive budget, made even more massive because of behind-the-scenes trouble and major creative changes resulting thereof.
Though tell that to the nearly-packed house I sat in to watch the movie today, on...
For the first time since...maybe the Clone Wars movie? If we can count that one? Anyway, for the first time in a long time, we're getting a Star Wars movie that's not earning beaucoup bucks at the box office, and certainly not enough to recoup its massive budget, made even more massive because of behind-the-scenes trouble and major creative changes resulting thereof.
Though tell that to the nearly-packed house I sat in to watch the movie today, on...
June 8, 2018
Review: Autoboyography
Autoboyography by Christina LaurenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like both the Becky Albertalli books I've read so far, I'm thinking this one's a good 3.5, but I'll round it up to a 4 as an #ownvoices bi reader who found Tanner's story pretty damn relatable, especially when it came down to his identity. Maybe not a perfect match, because he's got a family who's very accepting of his sexuality while it's the place he lives in that demands he stay closeted - pretty much the exact opposite of me. An...
June 7, 2018
Review: My Life as a White Trash Zombie
My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana RowlandMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another rec from Harry, and this one I'll for sure be able to help him sell at work too! It comes in a small package, a DAW Fantasy paperback just like a lot of Seanan McGuire's books, and also like Seanan McGuire, Diana Rowland manages to pack her little book with a ton of punch. And as someone who's #iZombieObsessed till the end and beyond, it was really fun of me to note the parallels between this book and that show...
June 5, 2018
Review: Vermilion
Vermilion by Molly TanzerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommended by my good friend Harry, this is my first time reading a book by Molly Tanzer, and it's clear to me that she's slipped under my radar too long. This story of Lou, a late 19th-century psychopomp with mixed Chinese heritage and a tendency for gender fluidity in her presentation, is pretty well-tailored to Harry's style, and very appealingly so too. There's a lot of darkness to go around, and some dark humor too - witness Lou's firs...
June 3, 2018
Review: Inferno
Inferno by Julie KagawaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The final book in the Talon Saga is here, and as expected, I'm super impressed by what Julie Kagawa has given us for the sendoff.
Finally, after five books, Kagawa caps off her best series yet in style. Yes, everyone probably thinks Iron Fey when they think of Kagawa first and foremost, and with good reason, but I do feel like too many people are sleeping on Talon and sequels. Let's just say that one day, when I got the bookstore to finally sto...
June 2, 2018
Review: The Poppy War
The Poppy War by R.F. KuangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like many others, I pretty much only found out about this book when there erupted a firestorm about whether or not it counted as YA. Having now read it, I can confirm, along with everyone else, that despite it featuring a teenage protagonist going to an elite academy and learning that she may or may not be the very one capable of really turning the tide in a horrifying new war, it's simply too dark for most teenagers. All the trigger warni...
