Reviews

It may seem like everyone is jumping on the romantasy bandwagon these days, and you’d have every right to be skeptical of an author’s first go at the genre. I was certainly apprehensive of the hype Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry was getting, but its place on the New York Times Bestseller’s list held steady and swayed me to dig in. And I’m certainly glad I did! Even though this is over 500 pages, it never felt long or drawn out. While the plot twists were fairly easy to figure out from the get-go, the satisfaction of being right in the end is worth it in my book. 

A slow burn fantasy romance, Shield of Sparrows follows Princess Odessa, the eldest daughter of the Kingdom of Quentis as she is torn from the life she knows and thrust into one of danger around every bend. Bound by the Shield of Sparrows treaty, Odessa’s sister was raised from birth to wed Prince Zavier of Turah. However, when they arrive in Quentis, Prince Zavier chooses Odessa as his bride and whisks her away on a perilous journey across the sea. Before their departure, Odessa’s father tasks her with discovering the secret location of the Turan capital of Allesaria. When she arrives in Turah, what she finds is a place cursed by nightmarish beasts and abandoned by its King. 

Along the way, Zavier’s trusted friend and advisor, the Guardian, keeps a constant eye on Odessa. As they spend more time together, forbidden feelings begin to arise.  

This book is full of action and what I can only describe as Lisa Frank inspired monsters (but 500x more terrifying). You’ll leave with questions, but not on a cliffhanger, thankfully. This is the first book of a planned trilogy. 

Memories can be beautiful, sad, terrifying or even the last remaining pieces of those we once held dear. And in Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, a weapon.  

Told in alternating timelines, Dissolution is a beautifully woven and fast-paced technothriller that will have you guessing until the very end. One half of the story follows Stanley Webb, a loner genius sucked into a world of memory experimentation. The other half, a present-day conversation between Stanley’s wife, Maggie, and a mysterious stranger, Hassan, as time ticks down to dissolution. 

Over the past decade Maggie has had to watch her beloved husband Stanley slowly lose the memories of their life together. His dementia is only getting worse, and their daughter has seemingly without reason cut ties, leaving Maggie feeling terribly alone. One day Maggie wakes up in an empty swimming pool, hooked up to a machine and sitting across from a man named Hassan, who wants nothing more than for Maggie to recall exactly how they met and the details that followed. Apparently, Stanley does not have dementia. In fact, his memories are being stolen, and Maggie must go in and retrieve them before it’s too late. 

The ensuing action brings up questions regarding the ethics of scientific advancement, who you can actually trust, and the importance of memory in the retelling of historical events. As someone who loves it when seemingly disparate pieces of a puzzle come together, there were very satisfying moments in this story. 

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the moon suddenly, and with no conceivable explanation, turned to cheese? No? That’s okay, because John Scalzi has and you can read about it!  

Following some related, but many unrelated characters, When the Moon Hits Your Eye brings us on a journey of scientific, spiritual and technological discovery. While the story is often laugh-out-loud funny, it's also surprisingly poignant in its observation of the human experience. From astronauts navigating what it means to have trained their entire lives to land on the moon only to have their dreams dashed mere months from the finish line to three old friends discussing the end of the world at their usual booth at a diner in Oklahoma, this book may inspire some self-reflection. 

Unfortunately, the eAudiobook is an Audible original and unavailable to the library. But if you have some available credits, Wil Wheaton narrates, which I thought was a nice touch. 

If you’re looking for a feel-good book with loveable characters, look no further than Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin. Brimming with optimism and heart, Cronin gives us a 90-year-old (male no less) protagonist that bucks the stereotypical grumpy recluse. Which was exactly the breath of fresh air I needed to bring me out of the gloom of winter. 

Eddie Winston is 90, works in a charity shop sorting donations and has never been kissed. This fact is quite shocking, because he is absolutely lovely. As evidenced by his penchant for keeping certain items in an ‘Eddie pile’ he has a feeling people may come back looking for. Which is how he meets twentysomething Bella, who donates her recently deceased boyfriend’s items, including a pair of shoes inscribed with love notes. Eddie and Bella become fast friends, eating lunch together, setting Eddie up on dating sites, and working through Bella’s grief. 

All the while we learn that perhaps Eddie has been saving his first kiss for the one that got away. His Birdie, who was a married woman when they knew one another and could never truly be his.  

The novel is told in alternating points of view between four characters. I listened to the eAudiobook, and the full cast recording was phenomenal.  

The Favorites is a departure from author Layne Fargo’s usual psychological thriller. Instead diving into the cutthroat world of elite figure skating. Which perhaps is a psychological thriller after all. The Favorites is inspired by Wuthering Heights, and the two leading characters’ names reflect that (Heath and Shaw). Billed as a sports romance, I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Sure, there are romantic elements, however, it’s more a coming-of-age story about breaking free from expectations and reaching your full potential. There are bumps and a lot of bruises along the way, which made for a fast and exciting read.  

Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha don’t have much, but they have each other. Two poor kids without parents from Illinois, they do what they have to, to make their way to L.A. to train with renowned Olympic ice dance champion Sheila Lin and her children. While Katarina’s passion is to make it to the Olympics, Heath just wants to be with Katarina. As they enter the glitz and glamour of this new world, they learn that ambition might just outweigh their bond, and no one is truly your friend. I simply could not put this one down. 

Told in both first person narrative and documentary style snippets, the chapters are short and quick to get through. 

If you enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid, this will appeal to you. The eAudiobook is a full cast recording. 

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is sportswriter Kate Fagan’s debut fiction novel. Told from multiple points of view in a pseudo memoir style, this novel was a nice surprise. Due to the multiple perspectives, this story felt more like a puzzle, but it was never confusing. 

Annie Callahan doesn’t have anyone but her best friend Amanda and their dream to ditch their small town and make it big in Los Angeles. On the day they are set to leave, Amanda has a terrible accident and Annie skips town. Changing her name to Cass Ford, she starts a new life a few states over, struggling with her decisions and attempting to figure out who she is without her best friend. After meeting Sidney, a young law student, they both move to New York, where Cass writes a novel under the pen name Cate Kay as a way to come to terms with her choices. The Very Last ends up being a breakaway hit. For fear of being discovered, Sidney helps Cate hide her true identity from everyone.  

When The Very Last is picked up for a movie, Cate finally travels to L.A. where love may just be the key to finding the way back to herself. 

Weaving several different storylines together, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty asks the question, what would you do if you knew when and how you’d die? Would you make any changes? Are you truly happy with the life you’re living now? 

On a flight from Sydney to Hobart, a woman stands and begins predicting each passenger’s date and cause of death. Some are far in the future from natural causes while others are rather close and from less natural and more traumatic causes. These six unlucky passengers must disembark and decide whether they believe the ‘Death Lady’ as she’s soon called. As some of her predictions begin to come true, the hunt for the Death Lady begins. 

An unremarkable everywoman, the Death Lady has a story of her own, which is brilliantly woven into the story of these six strangers (Who might not be as far removed from one another as they thought). Is she a real psychic? Why was she on that flight that day? So many questions, but just as many answers with a poignant and satisfying end. 

What is a Sociopath? Do you know? Are you sure? Thanks to Sociopath by Patric Gagne, I’ve now learned what I thought it was and what it is, isn’t entirely correct. And that there are some major but also subtle differences between clinical diagnosis and pop culture portrayals. Which is the main reason Gagne wrote this book. 

Sociopath is a memoir that follows the life of Patric Gagne, the daughter of a high-powered music executive, as she struggles with her lack of ‘normal’ emotional responses. It’s also the story of her path to getting a true diagnosis for sociopathy at a time when none really existed. 

As a person with high anxiety and a lot of emotions, I found this book incredibly fascinating.

O.O. Sangoyomi’s debut novel, Masquerade is my top read of 2024, taking the lead right at the buzzer! Full of lush descriptions, feminine power and a satisfying end, this is a must read for fans of Greek mythology retellings.  

A very loose retelling of Persephone and Hades, Masquerade is set in pre-colonial West Africa. The story follows Òdòdó, a beautiful and talented blacksmith with the ability to make flowers from metal, as she is stolen from her homeland of Timbuktu and brought to the bustling city of Yorùbáland. Òdòdó has spent her life on the periphery, considered a witch and therefore low status. As the future queen of Yorùbáland, she winds a path of self-discovery; navigating a cutthroat world of power and prestige. 

If you enjoy Madeline Miller or Vaishnavi Patel, you’ll want to add this to your list. I couldn’t put it down! 

Mark is the most famous and dangerous assassin in the world. Well, he WAS the most famous and dangerous assassin in the world. Up until he realized the monster he’d become and vowed to never kill another human being. With the help of a twelve-step program for former killers, Mark is living his best murder free life. He may even be ready to become a sponsor to another reformed killer. 

Everything changes when Mark is attacked after one of his meetings, kicking off a page turning quest to uncover who is trying to kill him. Can he figure out who’s after him without taking another life?  

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart is an action packed, incredibly witty story with so much heart. The characters are endearing, and Mark’s dedication to remaining murder free is commendable. I could see this being a great book club pick, as there is certainly a lot to discuss.