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thecaptainsquarters's reviews
2351 reviews
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ahoy there me mateys! I say this every time I finish one of these novellas but I seriously could read dozens of books set in the various worlds. This is the 10th book in the series and is the backstory of Nadya from book 3. This can be read as a standalone though I suggest reading the series in order to get the full impact.
Nadya is born in Russia to a mother who doesn't want her and is raised in an orphanage. She is missing an arm due to a birth defect but doesn't feel a loss for something she never had. She is adopted by an American couple who want her to fit in and be a testament to their good parenting skills. Nadya is not happy with being forced to wear a prosthetic. Then a day comes where she falls into the pond and goes through a Door to Belyrreka.
This story is bittersweet. Reading about her life in America was painful and made my heart ache.. However, I loved watching Nadya thrive in Belyrreka. The world itself is a fascinating land of water. There are giant talking turtles, massive frogs that eat anything that can fit into their mouths, and giant fishing vessels that sail on and under the water. I did want more about life on top of the rivers and in the sky but it was mostly a story about Nadya living her best life in Belyrreka. I was immersed (Arrr!) in watching her grow up in a place perfectly suited to her. Even though the ending was anticipated, it still stung and made me immensely unhappy for Nadya.
I think this is one of the stronger entries in the series and recommend it wholeheartedly. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Nadya is born in Russia to a mother who doesn't want her and is raised in an orphanage. She is missing an arm due to a birth defect but doesn't feel a loss for something she never had. She is adopted by an American couple who want her to fit in and be a testament to their good parenting skills. Nadya is not happy with being forced to wear a prosthetic. Then a day comes where she falls into the pond and goes through a Door to Belyrreka.
This story is bittersweet. Reading about her life in America was painful and made my heart ache.. However, I loved watching Nadya thrive in Belyrreka. The world itself is a fascinating land of water. There are giant talking turtles, massive frogs that eat anything that can fit into their mouths, and giant fishing vessels that sail on and under the water. I did want more about life on top of the rivers and in the sky but it was mostly a story about Nadya living her best life in Belyrreka. I was immersed (Arrr!) in watching her grow up in a place perfectly suited to her. Even though the ending was anticipated, it still stung and made me immensely unhappy for Nadya.
I think this is one of the stronger entries in the series and recommend it wholeheartedly. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
4.0
Ahoy there me mateys!
I learned about this book from fellow blogger bookwormaniac and thought the premise was interesting so I picked it up. Recently I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and read this in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently, this novel is the author’s first and she is still a senior in college as of today. Sheesh! Talk about multi-tasking.
This novel was pretty interesting. It dealt with the lives of 7 teenagers in high school who make different life choices and all have secrets of their own. There was a nice combination of male and female perspectives. While the plot was good and the ending was fine what I liked most were the individualization of characters. Especially dealing with sexuality. Not that the novel had gratuitous sex or even explicit sex. But the novel had “non-standard” sexuality including a pansexual, a girl who has a series of one night stands, more traditional male/female relationships, and a seemingly asexual person. And yet that is NOT the point of the book at all. The characters make choices and happen to have those preferences.
For me though, showing a girl taking control of her own sexual destiny seemingly safely with contraception and handling the consequences was particularly interesting. I am not a one-night stand kinda Captain but I do believe women should be able to make the same choices as men concerning their selection of bed partners. Slut shaming women and then congratulating men for the same type of behavior irks me. I thought this book handled that issue nicely.
Actually, I thought the way the author blended the stories of the 7 characters together was very well done. The narrative flowed nicely. The only real gripe I had was the choice to use odd verse for the Juniper chapters. None of the other characters’ stories were told in this fashion and it sort of threw me out of the story every time. But that was minor. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would certainly give this author’s next book a shot.
To see my other book reviews visit https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I learned about this book from fellow blogger bookwormaniac and thought the premise was interesting so I picked it up. Recently I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and read this in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently, this novel is the author’s first and she is still a senior in college as of today. Sheesh! Talk about multi-tasking.
This novel was pretty interesting. It dealt with the lives of 7 teenagers in high school who make different life choices and all have secrets of their own. There was a nice combination of male and female perspectives. While the plot was good and the ending was fine what I liked most were the individualization of characters. Especially dealing with sexuality. Not that the novel had gratuitous sex or even explicit sex. But the novel had “non-standard” sexuality including a pansexual, a girl who has a series of one night stands, more traditional male/female relationships, and a seemingly asexual person. And yet that is NOT the point of the book at all. The characters make choices and happen to have those preferences.
For me though, showing a girl taking control of her own sexual destiny seemingly safely with contraception and handling the consequences was particularly interesting. I am not a one-night stand kinda Captain but I do believe women should be able to make the same choices as men concerning their selection of bed partners. Slut shaming women and then congratulating men for the same type of behavior irks me. I thought this book handled that issue nicely.
Actually, I thought the way the author blended the stories of the 7 characters together was very well done. The narrative flowed nicely. The only real gripe I had was the choice to use odd verse for the Juniper chapters. None of the other characters’ stories were told in this fashion and it sort of threw me out of the story every time. But that was minor. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would certainly give this author’s next book a shot.
To see my other book reviews visit https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/