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Completion PostWeek 10 Sunday Roll
Spot 79
Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
368 pages
5 stars
11-27-20
How it Works: Debut novel
I am not okay. This book sucked me in with it's beautiful descriptions, super sad plot (I don't normally cry with books, but oof, I came close, my heart) and story of forgiveness and reconciliation. I waited way too long to read this.
Hey team! I hope everyone had a good holiday. I'll post my review tomorrow morning.
Week 10, Sunday RollSpot: 79
Book: Archangel's Heart by Nalini Singh
Pages: 381
Qualification: Guild Hunter #9
Finished: 11/29/2020
Rating: 3 stars
Review: It's been two years and not much has happened. Lijuan has disappeared and the Cascade is pretty calm. It feels like the lull before the storm and that's the feel of the whole book. More filler than story progression, but the focus on Elena's past and glimpse into Aodhan and Illium's story is a nice addition to the overall world of the Guild Hunter series. I enjoy Elena and Raphael and will always welcome a book focusing on them.
Week 10 Sunday RollSpot: 79
Book: The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind
Pages: 725
Qualification: #7 in Sword of Truth series
Finished: 11/29/2020
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Review: This one wasn't great, there's a reason why I waited years to read this one. I decided I was going to finish reading the series because the author passed away this year so I need to finish what I started. I'm hoping the books get better but I missed Richard and Kahlen in this book.
Week 10, Sunday Roll Team Reviews PostSpot: 79
Library: Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes (Alternate (Debut Novel): Post 252)
Susan A: Jane Davey's Locket by Eve Langlais (Welcome to Hell #7: Post 251)
Suzanne: The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth #7: Post 255)
Theo: Archangel's Heart by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #9: Post 254)
Week 11, Sunday RollRoll: 5
Spot: 84
You can read a #4, #8, or #84 in a series or you can read a book by an author whose name starts with 'D.'
Reminder that we're back to our regular schedule. Reviews are due by Thursday!
Selection postWeek 11, Sunday Roll
Spot 84
Bride of the Sea Monster by Eve Langlais
176 pages
#8 Welcome to Hell
Week 11, Sunday RollSelection Post
Spot: 84
Book: Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
Qualification: Stephanie Plum #8
Completion postWeek 11, Sunday Roll
Spot 84
Bride of the Sea Monster by Eve Langlais
176 pages
#8 Welcome to Hell
12/1/20
4 stars
In order to avoid being stuck as a Kraken forever, Killian needs to find the descendent of the woman who cursed his family, make her marry him and fall in love with him. Sasha, a seer, is trying to avoid becoming the sea monster's bride.
Ian has mostly given hope when he meets Sasha on a cruise. They marry while drunk. Mayhem ensures. This is a fairly typical Eve Langlais book. If you like any other book in this series, which I did, you'll like this one as well.
Completion postWeek 11, Sunday Roll, Spot 84
Airborne by DiAnn Mills
400 pages
1 star
12-1-20
How it Works: Author's name starts with D
I read this and just didn't like it. Weird sentences fragments. Odd descriptions. (Chains of doubt hung like the artificial lights above them...Fury rose from the soles of his feet (Why are his feet angry??)). (If this feels weird to you, then you understand why I add to stop)
Plus these people who are in quarantine surrounded by medical personnel aren't wearing their masks correctly. And the people with a virus went to the hospital for antibiotics. No.
Week 11, Sunday RollSpot: 84
Book: Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
Pages: 326
Qualification: Stephanie Plum #8
Finished: 12/3/2020
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Stephanie's parents' neighbor has a problem: her daughter and granddaughter are missing. And that's not her only trouble. Because of a child custody bond, she may lose her house if they can't be found. While not the type of bond she usually enforces, Stephanie steps in to help, but things are more than they seem, especially when an area lowlife seems to be involved. New and old characters are back with their usual zany antics. Nothing earthshattering in this one, but a fun time nonetheless.
Week 11, Sunday Roll Team Reviews PostSpot: 84
Library: Airborne by DiAnn Mills (Alternate (Author D): Post 261)
Susan A: Bride of the Sea Monster by Eve Langlais (Welcome to Hell #8: Post 260)
Suzanne: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Alternate (Author D): Post 265)
Theo: Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #8: Post 262)
I'll check back in throughout the day and roll as soon as possible!
Week 11, Sunday RollSpot: 84
Book: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Pages: 512
Qualification: Author whose name starts with 'D.'
Finished: 12/3/2020
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This YA novel was very unique. It's a mash up of so many things: King Arthur meets The Magicians meets The Mortal Instruments. I think it could've been shorter because it dragged in places but overall I enjoyed it very much!
Week 12, Thursday RollRoll: 3
Spot: 87
You can read a #7, #8, or #87 in a series or you can read a book with a sun or moon on the cover.
Week 12, Thursday RollSpot 87, Completion post
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
3 stars
336 pages
12-3-20
How it Works: Multiple moons on cover
I didn't realize this was the first book in the series when I picked it up. So it ended with a bit of a twist I wasn't expecting. It was interesting enough to finish, but I doubt I'll continue the series.
Completion PostWeek 12 Thursday Roll
Spot 87
Panda and the Kitty by Eve Langlais
#8 Furry United Coalition
172 pages
12/5/20
4 stars
These stories are silly and fun. Each book features a new couple and new types of shifters are added. I like them more as audiobooks than reading them. I'll be checking out the spin off series.
Completion PostWeek 12 Thursday Roll
Spot 87
Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind
#8 in Sword of Truth series
736 Pages
12/6/2020
3 Stars
This book was better than the previous one but still not great. The story was good but there were a lot of characters thrown in with no rhyme or reason and Richard did way too much ranting and philosophizing. Richard needs to stop beating a dead horse.
Week 12, Thursday RollSpot: 87
Book: Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Pages: 272
Qualification: Oz #8
Finished: 12/6/2020
Rating: 3 stars
Review: The Oz books are cute, fun adventures written for young children, so I don't expect much out of them when I read them as an adult, but this installment was definitely weak. There are recycled storylines, like a new girl gets to Oz after being shipwrecked, which is one of the ways Dorothy makes it to Oz (although, this girl, Betsy, is accompanied by a Mule, instead of a dog). The Shaggy Man is back and he and Polychrome have almost the exact same experience as they did a few books ago, but there is no mention of their previous encounter. A quick read, but nothing special.
Week 12, Thursday Roll Team Reviews PostSpot: 87
Library: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (Alternate (Moon Cover): Post 268)
Susan A: Panda and the Kitty by Eve Langlais (Furry United Coalition #8: Post 269)
Suzanne: Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth #8: Post 270)
Theo: Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum (Oz #8: Post 271)
Week 12, Sunday RollRoll: 4
Spot: 91
You can read a standalone, #1, #9, or #91 in a series or you can read a book published in 2018.
Week 12 Sunday RollCompletion Post
Spot 91
A Royal Christmas Cruise by Max Walker
standalone
201 pages
12/6/20
3 stars
Fake to real boyfriends, incognito prince, blackmail, coming out, virgin, set at Christmas -- this book hits a whole lot of tropes. I am generally more forgiving with Christmas stories.; I don't have a whole lot of tolerance for this kind of story outside of the holiday season, but as I'm in the mood for this, it works -- just like a Hallmark movie. I really liked the secondary character Ace. I hope the author makes a story for him.
Week 12 Sunday RollCompletion Post, Spot 91
By the Book by Amanda Sellet
384 pages
5 stars
12-7-20
This book will definitely be going on my best books of the year list. A book obsessed heroine that's nerdy enough to reference characters constantly, but also has friends that are equally as quirky in their own way? Plus a love interest that would definitely have been my high school crush? This book was awesome. I can't wait for the author's second book to come out
Week 12 Sunday RollCompletion Post, Spot 91
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
404 Pages
5 stars
12-9-20
I've had this book sitting on my shelves for over a decade, so I decided to pick it up finally. I'm so glad I did, this book was fantastic! It reads more like a romance than a cozy mystery but it could easily be both. It gave me "Steel Magnolia" vibes and I loved Bebe. She was a riot!
Week 12, Sunday RollSpot: 91
Book: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Pages: 198
Qualification: Standalone
Finished: 12/10/2020
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I read this for my public library's book club, so it's not something that I would have picked to read myself. It has an interesting premise, but the characters could get annoying. I'm not a big decorator, and I do think Christmas tends to get too commercial, so I get the desire to skip it, and of course, this year when things will be so different, it's a nice idea to make a change (although you wouldn't catch me on a cruise ship any time soon!).
I am so sorry for the lateness of my review! I had car trouble and spent most of the day at the mechanic. Thankfully, things are fixed now.
Week 12, Sunday Roll Team Reviews PostSpot: 91
Library: By the Book by Amanda Sellet (Standalone: Post 275)
Susan A: A Royal Christmas Cruise by Max Walker (Standalone: Post 274)
Suzanne: Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews (Weezie and Bebe Mysteries #1: Post 276)
Theo: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (Standalone: Post 277)
Week 13, Thursday RollRoll: 2
Spot: 93
We could use our 5 bonus points to get to 98, but unfortunately, we can't pass 100, and Team 1 has, so unless something crazy happens, this is our last roll of this round of play!
You can read a #3, #9, or #93 in a series or you can read a book set in Europe.
Selection PostWeek 13, Thursday
Spot 93
Old Demon and the Sea Witch by Eve Langlais
170 pages
#9 Welcome to Hell
Completion PostWeek 13, Thursday
Spot 93
Old Demon and the Sea Witch by Eve Langlais
170 pages
#9 Welcome to Hell
12/11/20
4 stars
Delightful continuation of this crazy series. This book took place mostly concurrently with book 8 and to some extent book7. THere was a slight feeling of repetition at times, but the view points were different - -same scene but Shax's viewpoint instead of Ian's from book 8. I think this is not the end of the series. I'd be happy to read more.
Team 1 won! I'm sorry that my rolling couldn't get us to the finish line. It was great reading with you! Happy Holidays!
Thanks for doing the captain work Theo.
That's ok, I had fun! :) You did a good job. Happy Holidays everyone!
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Old Demon and the Sea Witch (other topics)Old Demon and the Sea Witch (other topics)
A Royal Christmas Cruise (other topics)
Savannah Blues (other topics)
Skipping Christmas (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Eve Langlais (other topics)Eve Langlais (other topics)
John Grisham (other topics)
Mary Kay Andrews (other topics)
Max Walker (other topics)
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Week 10 Sunday Roll
Spot 79
Jane Davey's Locket by Eve Langlais
190 pages
#7 Welcome to Hell
11/23/20
4 stars
Jane's grandmother is match making. She's put a spell on Jane's locket and drags her along on a cruise. Jane is determined to get the locket back before some poor guy is spelled into thinking he is in love with her. Chaos and hilarity ensues and Oz and Jane fall in love. Very silly and fun series. I'm looking forward to the remaining books in this series.