Source: Edelweiss+

Buried Secrets by S.F. Baumgar..

Posted 06/09/2024 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I picked up Buried Secrets a while ago while perusing the Edelweiss+ gallery of books that could be freely downloaded, but didn’t get around to reading it right away. Now I kind of wish I had. For one, it is a clean thriller. No foul language, no sex, nothing that would make your grandmother cringe. The author even states it is meant to be a clean book. Which is a nice change of pace from the overly sexualized, over-filled with cuss words thrillers I often read. Not that I’m opposed to a little bit of sex or some swear words. I’m not. I just would prefer that the books have less rather than more of those things. Buried Secrets is the revised edition of The Secret, the prequel novella to the Mirror Estate series. I’d not read The Secret, so I went into this book blind. But that didn’t stop […]

All Hope of Becoming Human by ..

Posted 06/08/2024 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

When I saw All Hope of Becoming Human by Lonnie Busch in the Edelweiss+ “to download” category, I thought it sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did! One of Mr. Busch’s influences is Stephen King and you can definitely see that in this novel. He expertly crafted the kind of allegory that Mr. King uses – where the people are the problem, not the fantastical monsters that plague them. Not only that, but he blended science fiction and horror in a way that made them seamless, something that I’ve seen many other authors try and fail to do. Mr. Busch has created a cast of characters in All Hope of Becoming Human that are not only likeable, but ones that you will genuinely care about. You’ll grieve their losses, celebrate their successes, and sit in shock at what they endure. Rebecca is an enigma for the majority […]

The Vinyl Underground by Rob R..

Posted 07/10/2023 by Charli in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Today is my stop on TBR & Beyond Blog Tours’ blog tour for The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus. This is a YA Contemporary novel set in 1968, during the Vietnam War. There will be some anti-war sentiments, racism, racial violence, and other possibly upsetting things in this book, so please, check the content warnings before reading. When I first saw The Vinyl Underground, I thought it was going to be a book about music. And it is… kind of. Music figures heavily into the book, but the main message of the book and the main plot have nothing to do with music. I should preface this by saying that my uncles both fought in Vietnam. Both of them volunteered and one of them actually volunteered to go over there twice. My family was lucky – both of my uncles came home. But a lot of my grandparents’ friends lost […]

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.

Dark Rhapsody by Helaine Mario

Posted 07/23/2018 by Charli in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I wanted to like Dark Rhapsody – and I did… at first. But then, I just lost interest. It wasn’t that it switched between character points of view because that’s normal and I don’t have a problem with it. It also wasn’t that the book was lacking in action, because the book isn’t. It’s got plenty of intrigue, plenty of action, and plenty that should have kept me interested. But… I just wasn’t. The book itself is great. I cannot deny that the book, up to where I left off, was great. It was just that for some reason, I lost interest in the book. Perhaps it is my overwhelming NetGalley TBR pile that I keep adding books to because I’m being requested to. Perhaps it is because I have a TBR pile a mile high of eBooks that I own. Or perhaps right now just isn’t the time for […]