M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this twisty thriller, Lisa Jewell weaves the lives of three people together in a web of secrecy and misconceptions. Owen Pick is in his thirties, never married, living in his aunt's house. He is dismissed from his teaching job after several students allege sexual misconduct. Desperate and alone, he … Continue reading Friday Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this historical fantasy, Kay once again takes us on a journey through time. Fifteen-year-old Ned Marriner is in Aix-au-Provence with his celebrated photographer father. Edward Marriner is photographing local places for an upcoming book. While his father and his assistant, Melanie, are working on shooting the exterior of a … Continue reading Friday Review: Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this third installment of Carriger's paranormal steampunk series, Alexia has been kicked out by her werewolf husband because she's pregnant and werewolves are known to be sterile. She has returned to her family, but things have never been overly familial there, and when the news of her "predicament" becomes … Continue reading Friday Review: Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 starsThis is the fifth book in the Madison Cruz Mystery series and is just as fun to read as the others. In this one, Madison is doing her usual stint of side gigs between acting jobs, including dressing up as a slice of pizza. Then she runs into her high … Continue reading Friday Review: Standing O (Madison Cruz Mysteries #5) by Lucy Carol
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this cozy urban fantasy mystery, Mara (a practicing witch) is having a bad year. She's been evicted from her apartment, fired from her job, and she is persona non grata in Beverly Hills. And now, her Tarot cards are predicting her death. She decides to use a little magic … Continue reading Friday Review: Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead (Toadwitch #1) by Christiana Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 starsThis is the second in the Legends of Shannara duology, following directly from the events of Bearer of the Black Staff. As Sider Ament, the last known Knight of the Word lay dying after his battle with and defeat of a powerful demon, he passes possession of his black staff … Continue reading Friday Review: The Measure of the Magic (Legends of Shannara #2) by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this entertaining steampunk story set in 1900s Seattle, Karen Memery is an orphaned young woman making her living working in a high-class bordello. The girls are a tight-knit group, always looking out for each other in what is not an easy lifestyle. When a badly injured girl appears on … Continue reading Friday Review: Karen Memery by Elizabeth Bear
My rating: 3 of 5 starsPublished in 1993, Parable of the Sower is set in the 2020s in a society ravaged by climate change, corporate greed, and inequality of wealth. Lauren Olamina lives in a gated community outside Los Angeles with her father, stepmother, and brothers. Lauren is a hyperempath, which means she is able … Continue reading Friday Review: Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars In this second installment of the Long Price Quartet, we once again find Maati, the failed poet, and Otah Machi, the youngest son of the Khai Machi, with their lives intertwined. It is fifteen years after the end of A Shadow in Summer and Maati is sent by the … Continue reading Friday Review: A Betrayal in Winter (The Long Price Quartet #2) by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 3 of 5 starsWell. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. On one hand, it did get a lot of attention when it came out, the series is quite well regarded by many, it won awards, and all that. On the other hand, there are those that really didn't care for … Continue reading Friday Review: The Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) by Steven Erikson
