Format: ARC

Blueblood by Matthew Iden

Posted 07/24/2019 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

This book spent far too long on my Netgalley TBR pile. I’m not even joking. I added it to the TBR pile back in 2015 – almost 4 years ago. I honestly shouldn’t have waited so long to read this book. Blueblood is the second book in the Marty Singer series. The good thing is while the books might reference previous books, you don’t absolutely need to read the previous books to understand what’s going on. These books can be read in or out of order with no problem. You could even read one as a standalone and be pleasantly surprised when you pick up another one and realize it’s a series. I really like Marty Singer. He’s a great character. An ex-cop who is willing to get his hands dirty for the right cause. In this particular case it was someone killing cops. He’s thorough and you get a […]

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll by..

Posted 07/24/2019 by Charli in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

I don’t normally read middle grade fiction, but when a book is marketed as both middle grade and horror, I give it a read. I’m happy to say that Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll is a great example of both genres. Now you might be thinking “How scary can middle grade horror be?” and from an adult perspective, you’re quite right! To an adult, middle grade horror isn’t going to be scary. But to a child in the middle grade reading level, it could be quite scary. I actually found the book to be quite creepy. Were the things in it believable? Probably not. At least not if you’re someone who watches a lot of shows like A Haunting, Haunted Hospitals, or Paranormal 911. But not everything needs to be realistic to be scary. If it did, we wouldn’t have horror films, now would we? I found the story to […]

No Fences in Alaska by Glen So..

Posted 06/29/2019 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

For the love of all that is holy, get a box of tissues before you read this book. I’m not even kidding. You will need them, especially towards the end. Harper Lyons may not be your “typical” teenager, but I have to say, there were a few girls like her in my high school. Chases the boys, has sex, does drugs, drinks, you name it, she’s probably done it or thought about it. But Harper doesn’t really want to be that way, does she? This book will hit you right in the feels, if you’ll forgive the expression. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be furious. Glen Sobey writes teenage angst and problems with the best of them. Do all such stories get happy endings? No, sadly they don’t. But you’ll love the ending of this one… mostly. The way Glen Sobey writes his books, you’d think he has some sort […]

Single, Gay, Christian by Greg..

Posted 04/24/2019 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

This book wasn’t written for me. It probably wasn’t written for you either. Unless, of course, you happen to be LGBTQ, Christian, and single/celibate by choice. Gregory Coles did not write this book for straight Christians to teach them how to treat their LGBTQ sisters and brothers in Christ. He wrote this book to help those brothers and sisters in Christ who are LGBTQ understand they are not alone in their struggles. I’m not saying straight Christians can’t learn something from this book. I absolutely believe they can. They can learn what struggles a person who identifies with a sexual minority feels in the Church. How they cope. How scared, frustrated, and even how lonely they may feel. This book is a 5 star representation everyone should read, but any LGBTQ Christian needs to read.

Shadow Frost by Coco Ma

Posted 04/21/2019 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Pianist Coco Ma has a second passion in which she is just as talented – writing. Her first novel, Shadow Frost, is an absolute wonder. The world Coco Ma has built is reminiscent of Earth, but with magic added. It seems most people have the ability to use magic, each person having at least one magical affinity. The use of stones to assist them with using their magic is an interesting concept and not one often seen. This novel definitely reads like a seasoned author wrote it, which is amazing for a debut novel. Coco Ma did an excellent job of building characters, the world, the magic system, and creating plot twists to keep you on your toes. I sincerely hope a sequel is coming as cliffhangers are to be had in this book. I gave this one a solid 5 stars because this debut novel is truly amazing.