December in Review

december in review - theheartofabookblogger

Return Once More by Trisha Leigh – 4 stars
A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken – 4 stars
A Cold Case by K.D. Van Brunt – 2 stars
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman – 5 stars
All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 5 stars
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp – 2.5 stars

I love time travel and romance, and Return Once More is packed with both. The author did a great job researching many different parts of history for this story. I enjoyed reading the historical scenes and liked learning more about some events and time periods. Our main character, Kaia, stumbles upon a conspiracy that will the affect the lives of everyone around them. This mystery was my favorite part, and I definitely started flipping the pages faster the closer I got to the end. Full review here.

Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite authors. When Alex announced that she was writing The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, a retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope, I was excited because I knew that Alex was an avid Star Wars fan. I read this book to help prepare me for Episode VII, and I thought that Alex did a great job retelling the story. She told it well enough so that I could still picture scenes from the original movie while at the same time I still gained more insights to the characters and background. I also loved seeing the drawings throughout the novel!

I was expecting mystery, action, and thrills when I requested to read and review A Cold Case. Unfortunately, this is not what I got, and I was left very disappointed. The mystery was not the focal point of the novel. I love me a good romance, but I did not like how the mystery aspect was just kind of a ruse. Full review here.

I loved Vengeance Road. I haven’t read too many western novels, but I thought Erin Bowman’s portrayal was great and that it fit the genre well. The writing, setting, plot, and characters were fantastic. Even better, I loved that Kate, the main character, was out for revenge and that you knew it. There was no sugar-coating her need for vengeance. Seriously, you better get out of her way or you’ll be shot, and I absolutely loved that she was this “shoot first, ask questions later” kind of girl. I definitely recommend Vengeance Road for anyone looking for a badass heroine out for revenge.

The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my favorites. Each story has kept me on the edge of my seat, and All In is no exception. The case focused on in this novel was intriguing and definitely kept me guessing. What I loved most, though, was learning more about the other members on the Naturals team. Also, the end of the novel, will leave you shocked. If you’re in need of keep-me-up-all-night read, this is the series for you!

This Is Where It Ends tells the story of a school shooting through four different perspectives, all of who have some kind of relationship with the shooter. The cast is diverse, which is great. However, sometimes the author’s writing made the characters merge into one voice. It seemed as if the characters kept spouting out metaphors every which way and that made them seem older than high school students and even made it a little unbelievable. It’s not that I didn’t not like the book, it’s just that I didn’t like it either. Full review here.

 

Bonus Read!

Liam’s Story by Alexandra Bracken – 5 stars

I received Liam’s Story, a short story that takes place between The Darkest Minds and Never Fade, for preordering Passenger. Guys, if you’re a fan of the TDM series, this is a must read. From what I’ve heard, Alex will be posting the story for everyone to read in the next couple months so be on the look out for it. Anyway, all I have to say is that Alex sure knows how to rip our hearts out, and she does it once again, this time in only fifty pages!

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  • Haha, I had no idea that Alexandra Bracken wrote a Star Wars retelling! Although I did know she is a huge Star Wars fan eheh. I still haven’t read any of her books, although I have The Darkest Minds sitting on my shelf and I really need to read it soon! I’m going to have to check out the other books that you mentioned. Great post! 😀

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