Book Review: Sword and Pen

TITLE: Sword and Pen

AUTHOR: Rachel Caine

GENRE: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult

PUBLISHER: Berkley Publishing

PUB DATE: 9/3/19

SYNOPSIS: The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble.

THOUGHTS: This book is the 5th and final installment in the Great Library Series by Rachel Caine. The Great Library is on the verge of collapse facing major threats to its survival. A group of friends are bound to stop at nothing to ensure the survival of the Great Library against the corrupt Archivist looking to take control.

Caine created this amazing world and amazing set of characters. I absolutely enjoyed every page of this book! I am so amazed by the high impact action of the stories and truly made this such an exciting read. Even though I have not read the previous four books, which by the way, is not going to be very long since I have already ordered all of it, I believe that this worked for me and still found it truly entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Pub, and Author Rachel Caine for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC ebook for my objective and honest review.  

RATING: 5/5

Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

Rachel Caine is the NYT, USA Today, and #1 WSJ bestselling author of more than 50 books in several categories and genres, including adult thriller and adult urban fantasy/SF as well as books for young adults ages twelve to eighteen.

She is the winner of several national awards, and most recently was a finalist in both the International Thriller Writers awards and the Killer Nashville awards for her debut thriller novel Stillhouse Lake.

Rachel is available for school and library appearances, as well as professional conferences and convention appearances. Please use the contact form to request appearances, charitable donations, or for any correspondence.



Book Review: WONTON TERROR

TITLE: Wonton Terror
PUB DATE: 8/27/2019
PUB: St. Martin's Press
SERIES: Noodle Shop Delicious Mystery Series
GENRE: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction


SYNOPSIS: Amateur sleuth Lana Lee returns for another charming cozy Noodle Shop Mystery in Vivien Chien's Wonton Terror...
The Asian community is kicking off summer with the return of its popular Cleveland Night Market festivities, and Lana Lee is excited to represent the Ho-Lee Noodle House booth with her favorite chef, Peter Huang. Lana is confident that the evening marks the beginning of a great season to come. Not only is she looking forward to the warm temperatures, but her birthday is only weeks away, her handsome boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, is planning a romantic get-away. Life couldn't be better.
But before she can get too accustomed to the idea of a carefree summer, an explosion involving a nearby food truck, Wonton on Wheels, kills one of the proprietors and injures several others in the nearby vicinity.
When the authorities discover that this was no accident, the family members of the dead man become the number-one suspects in a front-page murder story. Lana and her best friend, Megan Riley, fall back into detective mode. But as they uncover family secrets of abuse and angry costumers, Lana's own family drama raises its head. Will Lana be able to juggle everything the universe is throwing at her, or has she jumped from the frying pan to the fire?  


THOUGHTS: "Wonton Terror" by Vivien Chien is the 4th book of the Noodle Shop Delicious Mystery Series. Lana Lee has so much to look forward to. An opening night at the highly anticipated Asian Night Market, and a Birthday Getaway week-end planned by Lana's handsome boyfriend Adam Trudeau. The Ho Lee Noodle Shop is getting ready for an amazing turnout at the night market in Cleveland with Lana's favorite chef Peter Huang. However, a new local food truck, Wonton on Wheels blows up with the business owner getting killed inside and many others injured during the explosion. Authorities soon find out that this was no accident and a murder may have been intended for the proprietor. Lana gets drawn in to this and becomes the amateur sleuth to help solve this exciting murder mystery.
I absolutely loved this cozy mystery. I have not read any of the three prior books from this series and will be picking them up as I am now a fan of Vivien Chen and the entire cast of characters in this series. Lana Lee is such a lovable character. This was a fun and enjoyable read with enough twists and turns in this murder plot mystery. This surely kept me on my toes. There is a warning trigger for spousal abuse but was handled beautifully by Chien. I am a huge fan of this series and highly recommend all the others.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion.


Rating: 5/5


AUTHOR: VIVIEN CHIEN

Vivien Chien first started writing simple stories about adventures with her classmates when she was in elementary school. As she grew up, her love of books and the written word increased, leading to the attempt of her first novel at age 16. After many struggled beginnings and several different genres, she found her passion in the mystery world.

When she's not writing, she can be found frolicking in the bookstore or searching for her next bowl of noodles. She has a soft spot for doughnuts, a healthy love for coffee, and an extreme need to participate in random acts of crafting.

She currently lives in Cleveland where she is hard at work on the fifth book in her Noodle Shop series, and writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier.

Book Review: LAST ONES LEFT ALIVE

AUTHOR: Sarah Davis-Goff

GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fiction, Dystopian, Horror

PUB DATE: 8/27/2019

PUBLISHER: FLATIRON BOOKS

SYNOPSIS: LAST ONES LEFT ALIVE is the story of Orpen, a young woman who must walk on foot across a ravaged Ireland in the desperate hope of saving herself, and her guardian Maeve, from the zombie-like menace known as the skrake.

Growing up on a tiny island off the coast of a post-apocalyptic Ireland, Orpen's life has revolved around physical training and necessity. After Mam died, it's the only way she and her guardian Maeve have survived the ravenous skrake (zombies) who roam the wilds of the ravaged countryside, looking for prey.

When Maeve is bitten and infected, Orpen knows what she should do - sink a knife into her eye socket, and quickly. Instead, she tries to save Maeve, and following rumours of a distant city on the mainland, guarded by fierce banshees, she sets off, pushing Maeve in a wheelbarrow and accompanied by their little dog, Danger. It is a journey on which Orpen will need to fight repeatedly for her life, drawing on all of her training and instincts. In the course of it, she will learn more about the Emergency that destroyed her homeland, and the mythical Phoenix City - and discover a starting truth about her own identity.

THOUGHTS: "Last Ones Left Alive" by Sarah Davis-Goff is a story about a post apocalyptic Ireland where the fight to survive and endure means to live another day.

From the first line of this novel, I knew I was hooked. The story alternates from current to the past on how Orpen, the protagonist, was raised in an island called Slanbeg off the coast of Ireland by her mother and her mother’s partner Maeve. Orpen was trained how to fight and survive against what Davis-Goff calls the zombies or “skrakes”. Once bitten, your fate will be met with demise. The novel opens with Orpen pushing a wheelbarrow with Maeve and her dog by her side to find help and other survivors.

I love anything Zombie and I knew I would be a fan of this. I love that women are strong and resilient, and the story is told to understand the human relationships and survival.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron book for the ARC ebook copy of this wonderful story.

RATING: 4/5