Tori's November 2017 #Book #Reviews (LBE)

It's time to take a look at what I read in November.

Before we do though, I just thought I'd share this post that lists 7 unexpected benefits of being a bookworm

Anyway...

As with the previous posts like this one, if you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question.

Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.

OK... On to the reviews!

Ghostly Writes Anthology 2016 by Claire Plaisted
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like with most anthologies of this sort, there were stories I enjoyed more than others. Some of the stories were really good, some of them were just OK, and others might have appealed to me more if they hadn't ended with the words "to be continued" and a cliffhanger. Overall though, this is a fun and creepy read.

The Pirate Spy: The Journeys of Nathanial Durant by Steven Allan Pease
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took me a bit to get in to this one, and the plot is quite slow paced throughout, which is something many readers may not like. The book has an interesting plot overall though, as well as a great cast of characters. Unfortunately, the author does have a habit of switching from past to present tense randomly, which is what stops me giving it the full five star rating.

The Dangers of the Tallest Snow, The Adventures of Rocky and the Bear Claw Club: The Legend of the Pirate Blackbear's Lost Gold Pinecone by Steven Allan Pease
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First of all, if you haven't read the first book in this series, you should make sure to do so before reading this one. It would be best to read the prequel before this one too. Anyway, like the first book in this series, along with the prequel, this is a slow paced read, but an enjoyable one, with an interesting plot and a great cast of characters. I struggled to decide on a rating for this book ,since it suffers from the same issues as the first in the series: I don't like cliffhanger endings, and the author tends to get his tenses mixed up. However, since there's obvious improvement as regards the tenses thing, and the ending does feel more neatly wrapped up than it did in the previous book (despite still being left wide open ready for the next book in the series) I decided to award it the full five stars, since I never do half ratings, and there is obvious improvement when compared to the earlier books.

The Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An interesting read. I enjoyed reading some of the pirates' tales more than others, but that's usually the case in books with multiple tales to tell.

The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part I felt this book was a great read, which was a fun adventure that was sometimes educational. However, there were parts I felt were rather more detailed than you would expect in a book for this sort of age range, and other parts where I thought the book got overly preachy about God, especially in the last quarter or so of the book. I also felt the ending had a serious case of Deus Ex Machina, and was disappointed that the boys didn't have anything to do with the solution that got them out of the situation they were in.

Lifemarked by David Estes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is an awesome read in its own right, and a totally awesome end to the series! The plot is so gripping that every time I had to put the book down was torture. The characters feel like real people, and watching them grow as the series developed has been a wonderful experience. Also, the writing itself is fantastic! Even though the ending was so well done, I didn't want to leave the world, so was glad of the chance to linger a little longer via the epilogue stories.

The Case of the Missing Cell Phone by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An entertaining and well-written book, which was a fun read. I look forward to reading more of the boys' adventures.

The Case of the Mysterious Black Cat by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A magical mystery that is an excellent read.

Pathfinder Legends 3.1: Curse of the Crimson Throne - Edge of Anarchy by David Bryher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed getting to join these characters on their adventures again. This is a great one for fans of the Pathfinder roleplaying system, as well as for fans of fantasy themed adventure stories in general.

The Case of the Magical Ivory Elephant by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a great addition to this series, and an enjoyable read in its own right. I love these magical mysteries!

The Case of the Brown Scraggly Dog by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a well-written and excellent magical mystery story.

The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to this magical mystery series, which has a great cast of characters.

Pathfinder Legends 3.2: Curse of the Crimson Throne - Seven Days to the Grave by David Bryher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others with these characters. I mean, there were parts of it I thought were great, but I felt like we were just getting started on this part of the adventure when it was over, and the ending felt too sudden even for an adventure like this. So, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautiful and touching story, which will tug at your heartstrings.