"The Girl in the Tower" by Katherine Arden (Updated)

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden is the follow up to The Bear and the Nighingale. Vasya is on her own now.  She craves adventure but everything changes after she takes down some bandits!  She disguises herself as a boy and is treated like a hero.  The Grand Prince likes her, but before she can move on, Moscow is in trouble.  Can Vasya come to the rescue?

Teaser from page 45:  Had he stumbled onto a wood-sprite, he could not have been more astonished.  The rider was staring at him, openmouthed.

This book is even better than the first one!  There is tons of action and the writing is so good.  I really enjoyed how Solovey, her horse, had a big role in this book!  The ending was amazing and I couldn't put it down!  Now I have to wait until August for Book 3. I reviewed both the first book and this one in this video because I loved them so much!

(Gerard's review 1-19-18, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 1-19-18:
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden is the sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale. Vasya and her horse, Solovey, have quite the adventure and is reunited with Sasha, her brother who became a monk, and her older sister, Olya. The Frost King, Morozko, continues to help Vasya.

I liked this book better than the first because the horse was in it a lot and I really liked the horse! It seemed to move along faster and there were not a lot of new names to learn. I felt sorry for Vasya because it seemed like everyone was against her in spite of her doing great things. I liked how she connected with her niece and rescued the three girls who were kidnapped from their village. It was cool how she battled with the men and won another horse by winning a horse race. I thought she was stupid though for agreeing to another horse race against Kasyan, but of course, that led to a whole other chain of events to make the book interesting. I think that was the only time where I thought she acted out of character by allowing herself to be distracted. (4 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Oliver Loving" by Stefan Merrill Block -- A Slow Read

Oliver Loving by Stefan Block starts with a school shooting.  Oliver is shot and now ten years later he is alive but cannot speak.  This book is more about how his family and a young lady he was fond of deals with this than the shooting.  I found this to be a slow read, but the family was interesting as they all had their own agendas concerning Oliver. 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

In Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, Finn lives in the small town of Bone Gap with his brother.  One day Roza goes missing.  People assume that she ran off, but Finn claims she was taken, and he will get her back!  The story line was okay to start off, but got a bit wild at the end.  I enjoyed Finn, but the other characters were shallow.  It was an okay read with a good ending.

Teaser from page 22:  "It's been two months today," said Finn.  "Why aren't you out there looking for her?"
(Gerard's review, 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"A Quiet Kind of Thunder" by Sara Barnard

In A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard, Steffi is a quiet girl and likes it that way.  She can talk but chooses not to.  The first day of the new school year, the principal introduces her to Rhys who is deaf.  Steffi is supposed to help him get used to his new school.  Soon she starts to have feelings for him, but will talking be the best thing for her?

Teaser from page 4:  Now they're parading strangers in front of me to mock my inability to speak in front of them?  I can feel a familiar choking panic start somewhere in my stomach.

I liked this book.  It was a good change of pace from the books I usually read.  I enjoyed both Steffi and Rhys!  Give it a chance.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)  

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is one crazy read involving kidnapping, family secrets, betrayal, infidelity, greed and manipulation. Anne and Marco come home from a dinner party next door to find their little 4-month-old daughter, Cora, gone! Of course, the cops are called and keep questioning the parents who are the primary suspects. The whole book is about the police investigation and their efforts to find and return Cora. Eventually, the truth comes out.

Teaser from page 21:  She can feel him shaking, can feel the painful thumping of his heart.  She tells herself that together they will get through this.  The police will find Cora.

This contemporary fiction mystery was a page-turner for me that moves along very quickly with lots of twists. I enjoyed the writing style of this one because it was easy to follow and things gradually fell into place. If you enjoy books about scheming, dysfunctional families and very sleezy characters, I would recommend this book. I think this would make a good book club selection because I think it would make for interesting discussion of the characters.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!