Book Review: The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenborough

Title: The Game of Love and Death Written by: Martha Brockenbrough Published: April 28, 201 by Scholastic (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now... Henry and Flora. For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always. Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance? Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured—a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him. The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess. Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.

I have wanted to read this book for awhile now. It sounds like a book totally up my alley and I have heard really good things from people. And even after I was given a copy of the book as a gift almost a year ago I still didn't take the time to read it until now. I honestly regret that because this book was completely fantastic!

One of the things I liked most about this book was the characters. This book had seriously fantastic characters. When we are talking about a book that involves Love and Death you have to know that there was going to be some complex characters and they definitely were. Love and Death were intimately involved in the book and I seriously loved them both. It would have been so easy for them to make Death a completely evil character and Love to be a completely good but the author didn't do that. She made Death incredibly sympathetic at the same time she was devious and terrible. And she made Love make some incredibly bad decisions making him much more odious than you would expect. I loved that about this book and it made for some great characters.

Speaking of great characters, there were the main characters who I totally loved. As their champions. they were just as complex as Love and Death. Flora was tough and determined despite her circumstances, but she was also kind and loving. Henry was smart, compassionate, and a great friend but he was also sometimes selfish and with tunnel vision. But they were both very likable. In the course of the book you got incredibly invested in them and their struggles. There are some books where you have characters who seriously can't catch a break and this was one of them. It made the characters all the more sympathetic. And it made the romance all the more enjoyable. Yes, that's right, I liked the romance. It wasn't perfect but by the end I was so invested that I just had such unexpected feels.

Speaking of that ending, it was a really fantastic one. The plot on the whole here was really fantastic. It was kind of a subtle plot. It's not really the kind of book with thrilling adventure scenes or major suprises but it did have a few moments of the two. And it's also not the book that is a quiet character driven read. It kind of walks the line between the two and it does it brilliantly. It was the kind of book that draws you in with it's plot. I do think that it airs more on the side of character-driven though. it's the kind of read where the decisions characters make impact the story and the lives of others. None more so then Love and Death. it was kind of reminiscent of Classics where the gods would mess with lives of humans for their own enjoyment or because they had other reasons. I loved that about those stories and this one. It made for a completely engaging read.

But I read this book as part of my historical fiction month so I have to talk about the historical setting. For one thing this is the second book I read recently that involved planes and while that one was much more detailed and historical, this was had just as good a setting. I loved being able to see the jazz clubs and some of the other more specific things that were happening during 1937. I loved how the author took well known events like the crashing of the Hindenburg and Amelia Earhart going missing in the context of Love and Death's meddling. I love when books take real events and add fiction aspects and this book did that really well. It also did a really good job of incorporating some themes of the time. It didn't beat you over the head with them, it just really let you know what the world was like at the time.

All in all this was a completely brilliant and engaging read. I loved the complex characters, the engaging plot development, and an interesting historical setting. I totally loved it and I wish that I had read it years ago, it was great.

I give The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you haven't read this book yet and you like historical fiction then definitely pick this book up. But even if you don't like the genre and want to read a character-driven read with complex characters. I seriously loved this book and would recommend it to everyone.

Have you read The Game of Love and Death? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

Title: Nothing But Sky Written by: Amy Trueblood Published: March 27, 2018 by Flux (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: "Amy Trueblood takes an overlooked page in history, folds it into an intense drama, and sends it soaring. Post World War I wing walker Grace Lafferty is the kind of spunky, stubborn heroine that will make readers feel like the sky's the limit." —Stacey Lee, award winning author of OUTRUN THE MOON A 2018 Junior Library Guild selection. Grace Lafferty only feels alive when she's dangling 500 feet above ground. As a post-World War I wing walker, Grace is determined to get to the World Aviation Expo, proving her team’s worth against flashier competitors and earning a coveted Hollywood contract. No one’s ever questioned Grace’s ambition until Henry Patton, a mechanic with plenty of scars from the battlefield, joins her barnstorming team. With each new death-defying trick, Henry pushes Grace to consider her reasons for being a daredevil. Annoyed with Henry’s constant interference, and her growing attraction to him, Grace continues to test the powers of the sky. After one of her risky maneuvers saves a pilot’s life, a Hollywood studio offers Grace a chance to perform at the Expo. She jumps at the opportunity to secure her future. But when a stunt goes wrong, Grace must decide whether Henry, and her life, are worth risking for one final trick.

When I first heard about this book I instantly knew I needed to read it. It's a total me book, between the historical setting and unique plot with complex characters. And while I did enjoy aspects of this book it didn't really blow me away.

One of the only things that did work for me was the historical setting. I love reading historical fiction novels that involve a historical period or something from history that isn't often discussed and talked about. This book did exactly that. Books set in the 1920's are not uncommon but books about barnstorming totally are. It's a concept that I didn't know much about and loved learning about here. The author clearly did her research and immersed the reader in the world of what it was like for aviators at the time period. I will say, there was a lot of information that got a little too technical at times but I don't think it was too overwhelming. It made for an interesting and really engaging setting for this book.

Unfortunately it didn't quite deliver on the next part of that world-building which was the plot development. It had a really good jumping off point with the barnstorming and World Aviation Expo but it didn't quite take it all to the next level. Now don't get me wrong, there were plenty of action packed moments that had me totally engaged but those moments were few and far between. On the whole I think the plot felt a little basic and not completely developed, which made for a really fast read but not as an in-depth read that I would have hoped.

But I think my biggest issue with this book was with the romance. You guys know me, I am a cold-hearted romancephobe and it takes a lot to impress me. This books seriously did not impress me in the romance department. I don't know if it's because I didn't ever really like the romantic lead or because it just developed out of nowhere. It wasn't necessarily instalove, it just escalated so quickly. And the romance really did take a lot of focus of the book. I could have been okay if it had been more minimized.

The other thing that exacerbated my dislike of the romance was my feelings on the characters. On the whole, there were some super odious character which I usually appreciate. Here there were some characters I liked more than others. Some were complex and surprising while others were just frustrating. Like for example, I kept thinking how the male lead had been a total misogynist earlier in the book. He had okay development but it never quite won me over. I did like main character though. She was completely likable and I admired her determination to do more for herself and others. The fact that I liked her and disliked him made the romance even more frustrating. I just think I didn't love these characters.

All in all I think this was an okay read but I just didn't love it. It had a great setting and historical aspect but the plot was basic and the characters were a bit hit or miss for me.

I give Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow/Bypass. If you are a fan of historical romances and are looking for a fast and basic read maybe snag this one from the library. I didn't love it but it was an interesting enough read.

Have you read Nothing But Sky? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday - Characters I Liked from Books I Didn’t Love

A weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

1.) Nora in The League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis - My Review
I was super pumped to read a historical mystery about traitors and dealing a bit with the American Revolution. There were some really great odious characters in this book especially Nora. She was my favorite.

2.) Kate in Girl in Disguise by Greer Mcallister - My Review
After reading this book I realized I just don't like this author's style. But I did really like the main character of Kate. How could the first female Pinkerton detective not be amazing (spoiler: she was amazing).

3.) Alex in Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova - My Review
I had super high hopes for this YA Fantasy but it didn't impress me as much and I would have hoped. But I did enjoy the main character. Her desire to get her family back and make up for her mistakes was super relatable.

4.) Lucy in Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung - My Review
I didn't love this book because it was a little bit slower and more character-driven than I usually like. But I did like Lucy as a main character. She's compassionate and caring which made it easy to like her.

5.) Anna in American Girls by Alison Umminger - My Review
This book was fine, I liked it enough, but it didn't blow me away. What I did like about the main character though was that she was a totally realistic teenage girl. She was kind of an unlikable protagonist but that is why I liked her.

6.) All the secondary characters in Cure for the Common rUniverse by Christian Heidecker - My Review
I really did not like this book. One of the main reasons was because I did not like the main character, he was the literal worst. The secondary characters were great though. They were fun and likable.

7.) Fei in Soundless by Richelle Mead - My Review
I didn't think the plot in this book was great but I did like the characters. Fei was a good main character in that she was an unlikely heroine and I am a fan of that.

8.) Mori in Lock and Mori by Heather W. Petty - My Review
Probably I didn't like this book because I don't like Sherlock Holmes (DON'T AT ME!). Probably I liked Mori because I didn't like Lock.

9.) Cyn in The Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Hermann - My Review
I did not enjoy this book. There were way too many character perspectives and because of that some characters got more attention than they should have and others got less. I wanted more from Cyn. She was fascinating.

10.) Aaron in More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - My Review
I didn't hate this book. In fact I liked it way more than I thought I would based on some of the things that happened. But I did like the main character. He was geeky and relateable.

11.) Bree in Taken by Erin Bowman - My Review
I've loved Erin's historical novels but her dystopians were not great. And this is one of those books where I did not like the main character but the secondary characters were really interesting.

12.) Ridley in Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - My Review
I really did not like this book. It was predictable, cliché, and the way it ended was super frustrating. I didn't like most of the characters but Ridley was super fun.

March Wrap Up and April TBR

Read in March: Historical Fiction

Well, all things considered that wasn't too bad a month. I read a total of 12 books, which for what I did last month that is huge. I'll be honest, I didn't do a lot of posts and I read a lot of short books and rereads but it is actually good to have read a dozen books in a month. I have not been reading a lot lately so the fact that I had a decent month in March, one that felt more like my reading output a year ago.

For challenges, this year I'm sort of only low key doing challenges. I set a Goodreads goal of reading 120 books in a year. I am surprisingly on track for that with 30 books total for the year. I still want to pick up steam a little but I feel good about it. For the rest of the challenges I only low key set them. I want to read 20 debuts this year. I read two this month so I'm at 5 total for the year which is also on track. I want to read 36 books from Netgalley and Edelweiss and I read 3 this month which brings my total up to 6 for the year. I haven't really been reading e-books lately so I am still behind on this one but we'll see. I also want to read 20 backlist books. This month I read 2 which brings my total to 6 for the year so I'm doing well on that.

The Books

 

1.) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [Original Review]

2.) The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood and more Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
3.) Opal by Maggie Steivater  Rating: 8.5 out of 10
4.)  Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Rating: 9/5 out of 10 [My Review]
5.) The Wicked Deep by Shae Earnshaw Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]
6.) Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff  Rating: 10 out of 10 [My Review]
7.) Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]
8.) The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes Rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars [My Review]
9.) Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee Rating: out of 10 [My Review]

10.) Runaways Vol. 7: Live Fast by Brian K. Vaughn,
Adrian Alphona, and Mike Norton Rating: 9 out of 10 stars
11.) Nothing but Sky by Amy Trueblood Rating: 8 out of 10 stars [Review to Come]
12.) The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenborough
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars [Review to Come]

To Be Read in April: Contemporary

My goal was to read a dozen books in March and I did just that. yes, sure, I didn't read all the books I planned to read but still. I'd like to do that again in April so let's see. There are a few books I am super excited about  and I have a handful of audiobooks planned so I may be able to do it. Let us see.

Books for Review

In Her Skin by Kim Savage  - Add to Goodreads

I started this one over the weekend and I am not too far in but I am enjoying it. It's a short read and I am hoping to finish it by the end of the week.

Sky in the Deep by Adrian Young - Add to Goodreads

I am so excited for this book. It is my most anticipated debut and I have been waiting to read it! It is finally the time and I CAN'T WAIT!

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian  - Add to Goodreads
Another debut I am really excited to read that I have been waiting on. This book comes out later in the month and I am excited to read it. I mean I love a good YA fantasy.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles - Add to Goodreads

I have an e-ARC of this one and it sounds like a really interesting and diverse contemporary. I am hoping to get to it if I can get through some of the other e-books first.

New Releases

Not if I Save You First by Ally Carter - Add to Goodreads

I love me some Ally Carter and I am super excited for her next contemporary mystery/thriller. This book came out a week ago and I have a copy I need to read. 

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli - Add to Goodreads

I love me some Becky Albertalli books. She is so great at balancing the fun and lighthearted with serious. I'm so pumped for a Leah book too.

People Like Us by Dana Mele - Add to Goodreads
This is another mystery/thriller I am really excited to read and another debut I am exited about. I mean I love that it's a mystery and it takes place at a boarding school.

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray - Add to Goodreads
I loved Defy the Stars and I am super excited for the sequel. I am probably going to snag the audiobook for this one when it comes back tomorrow.

White Rabbit by Caleb Roehring - Add to Goodreads
I loved Caleb's debut and I am really interested to read his next book. It comes out at the end of the month and I may or may not pick up a copy.

Backlist Books

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis - Add to Goodreads
I have been wanting to read this book for ages. I loved Mindy's last contemporary and I want to read this one. I mean I've had a copy for so long and still haven't read it.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia - Add to Goodreads
I love books with nerdy characters and books which balance fun and light with serious. I feel like this book is like that. Plus I feel like I will definitely be able to relate a little to Eliza.

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne - Add to Goodreads
I have been wanting to read this since before it came out and I always have some excuse for why I can't. Hopefully this month I won't have any excuses.


There you have it. Some of the books I hope to read in April. As always, these are subject to change. I may read all of these or I may only read a few and then read a bunch of different ones. But honestly I think this list I can stick to. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: Competance by Gail Carriger

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Competence Series: Custard Protocol #3 Published: July 17, 2018 by Orbit (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Imprudence. Accidentally abandoned! All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail. When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions: Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul? Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez? And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

Why I'm Waiting:

I have loved every single Gail Garriger book I have read. And I have read a lot of Gail Carriger books, twelve total. I recently read the first two books in The Custard Protocol series and they were seriously amazing. I love of fun and feisty the characters and I love how much action and adventure there are in these books.

I can't remember when I found out that the second two books in this series would be from Prim's perspective but I love this idea. Rue is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but I feel like Primrose is so different that it will be fun to get inside her head. I have a few questions I am hoping we get answers about. Plus seeing the plot synopsis of this one that sounds incredibly fun to be in Prim's head for this. And look haw amazing and proper she looks on the cover in that crazy bright dress. I mean she is Ivy's daughter afterall.

I saw the cover for this one on Gail Carriger's Twitter page recently and it made me so excited. I mean, I didn't even know that it was coming out so soon. I can't wait to read it. I am probably going to listen to the audiobook for this one. I really liked the other two books on audio and I am sure this one will be great as well.

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on Competence along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday: Historical Novels with a Globe-Trotting Adventure

A weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I feel like this week's prompt is really open-ended. I feel like it would be incredibly hard to narrow down all the books I read which don't take place in another country. That's just not enough direction for me. Originally I was thinking I could pick a country but that's just as difficult. So instead I'm playing with the prompt a bit so as to not make a decision. Here are some of my favorite books and series that take you on globe-trotting adventures.

1.) The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Why beat around the bush and pretend like I wasn't going to add this book. I mean it one of my all-time favorite books and the reason I got into historical mysteries like this in the first place. Plus it has an amazing adventure that takes you throughout space and time.

2.) The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
When I first heard about this book it was referred to as the "big gay historical road trip book." It is totally that, but it is also so much more. It's an amazing and epic adventure novel and is also hilarious and sweet.

3.) Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco
While the first book in the series does keep you centrally located in London, later books in the series take you to different countries and on different adventures. I have a feeling the third one is going to be more like the second one so I'm including it.

4.) The Great Library series by Rachel Caine
I seriously love this series. I am cheating a little bit because it's not really historical. It is technically an alternate history but I use historical loosely as you will see later. Anyway, this series takes you all over the world where the sinister library is, and it's amazing!

5.) Custard Protocol series by Gail Carriger
I was originally going to put the Parasol Protectorate series on the list but in five books you really don't travel until the last two. However in the Custard Protocol each book takes you to a new local and it's more of a traditional globe-trotting travel kind of story.

6.) Passenger duology by Alexandra Bracken
This is another one of those books that takes you through time and space except it's not through flashbacks this time, it's actual time travel this time. But it totally has that globe-trotting adventure vibe to it and it's one of the best parts to the book.

7.) Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
This is also kind of cheating because it's alternate history, but it definitely has a historical vibe so I'm including it. Plus it's a classic road trip story in the literal sense. But I seriously love this book and this series and I loved the travel aspect.

8.) Outlander by Diana Gabeldon
Okay, this one is really cheating because I have only read the first book and that one basically only takes place in Scotland. But I've seen the TV show and know that in later books they go on more adventures to different places. DON'T AT ME!

9.) The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
I read this book a long time ago, before I even started blogging, when I was going through my historical mystery phase. I actually really enjoyed it even though I don't really like Sherlock Holmes (I SAID DON'T AT ME!). It's a fun literary themed travel story.

10.) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
I also read this when I was in my historical mystery phase. This is a super classic one where a modern character finds something that ties people from throughout history together to each other and her. It takes you on a fun adventure around the world too.

11.) Invictus by Ryan Graudin
"Another time travel book?" you say. Yeah, another time travel book. If you want a globe-trotting adventure with historical settings you are bound to come across some time travel stories. This is a really good one. I mean Ryan Gruadin made the list twice so it must be good.

12.) A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Grey
I mean am I even pretending this is a collection of historical novels anymore? I'm trying to. Well this book is science fiction but it does take the reader to some alternative histories that are meant to feel like historical settings so whatever.

There you have it, my collection of historical(ish) novels that have globe-trotting adventures. What books made your list? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee

Title: Bygone Badass Broads Written by: Mackenzie Lee Published: February 27, 2018 by Abrams (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Based on Mackenzi Lee’s popular weekly Twitter series of the same name, Bygone Badass Broads features 52 remarkable and forgotten trailblazing women from all over the world. With tales of heroism and cunning, in-depth bios and witty storytelling, Bygone Badass Broads gives new life to these historic female pioneers. Starting in the fifth century BC and continuing to the present, the book takes a closer look at bold and inspiring women who dared to step outside the traditional gender roles of their time. Coupled with riveting illustrations and Lee’s humorous and conversational storytelling style, this book is an outright celebration of the badass women who paved the way for the rest of us.

I love Mackenzi and her books. I have been a follower of hers since before her debut came out. As a fellow history nerd I was so excited when she started doing a Twitter series with the amazing forgotten women of history. I tuned in every Friday to hear her trademark humor and knowledge bombs. So when I heard that she was doing a book collecting the stories I was ecstatic.

And this book did not disappoint. It is exactly what it says it is, it's a collection of 52 forgotten women who changed the world. Even though this is based on the Twitter series, Mackenzi did a great job of making this accessible whether or not you have seen the concept previously. If you are a fan of the Twitter series you will recognize a few of the women featured in this book, but there are still plenty of new ones. I knew going into it that there was bound to be some new women to learn about and I was so pleasantly surprised by just how many there were. It shows just how important a book like this is when you consider how many amazing women did and did not get featured.

Mackenzi did a great job of featuring women who are incredibly diverse. This was everything from their ethnicity and race, to their sexual orientation, and even to their specialty. There were scientists, politicians, warriors, spies, unlikely heroes. You name it and they are in this book. A few of my favorites were mentioned like Sybil Ludington and The Mirabel Sisters but I even learned about a ton of new amazing women. Every single woman and girl in this book did amazing things in the face of adversity and it's inspiring and encouraging.

One of my favorite things about this book is the style in which it is written. Mackenzi is not a non-fiction writer, and I know from the event I attended with her that she was nervous to write non-fiction. But I love that she didn't try to be technical and formal in this book. That would have been cool, sure, but the informal style makes it even better. It has plenty of humor and fun. It really spices things up a lot and feels like the perfect tone for most of these women. Not to mention it makes the book even more accessible. Even if you are not a big fan of history you will still enjoy reading this book.

Plus that style of writing makes it a very fast of read. I will say, it does take a little while to get used to the style and the way that the book is written, but once you do, you are devouring it. Most of the women have 2-3 page write ups so it's easy to read a few a day or just plow through them all. Not to mention this is a completely gorgeous book. Each women has a beautifully piece of artwork as well. You can see a few of them on the cover, but they are amazing. It adds a lot to the book and the general desire to keep reading.

I read this book as part of my historical fiction month and it seems completely appropriate that it is also women's history month. This was a fantastic book of badass women throughout history that every woman and girl should read.

I give Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Definitely get a copy of this book. Whether or not you are a fan of the Twitter series or not, whether you are fan of history or not. Get this book for the gorgeous images. Or get this book to read some fun and interesting stories about amazing women.

Have you read Bygone Badass Broads? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!