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Tag: 4 stars

Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Book Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett


Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bel Canto is a beautiful novel. I’ve never read Ann Patchett before, but I quickly became infatuated with her storytelling over the course of this novel. To be completely honest, this was a 5 star read until the last ten pages. I shouldn’t have been so blindsided by the climactic events. The story does, after all, revolve around opera. But I was indeed blindsided. I feel slightly scarred. It was still a great book, and one that I might even read again someday, but the list of people to whom I would recommend it shrunk significantly in those last pages.

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Book Review: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) by Jim Butcher

Book Review: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) by Jim Butcher

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Dresden Files (Book #6 of 25)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 372 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 4th March 2010 by Orbit (UK) & 3rd August 2004 by Roc (US)


“The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault.”

As if anyone would believe that, Harry.

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Book Review: Fid’s Crusade (The Chronicles of Fid, #1) by David H. Reiss

Book Review: Fid’s Crusade (The Chronicles of Fid, #1) by David H. Reiss

Review copy received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Fid’s Crusade by David H. Reiss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Chronicles of Fid (Book 1 of 3)

Genre: Superhero, science fiction

Published: 23rd March 2018 (self-published); Re-release with new cover: 1st January 2020 (Atian Press)


I can’t say that I’ve read many superhero/villain stories.  But for what it’s worth, I’d say that Fid’s Crusade was a great read; an engaging anti-hero story that balanced fascinating character work with clever plotting and cool action scenes.

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Book Review: The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

Book Review: The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison


The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Tor) and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Angel of the Crows is basically Sherlock fan-fiction. I can’t even say it’s thinly veiled, because it isn’t veiled at all. And I am completely okay with that.

“I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for a second that I am one of them.”
– BBC’s Sherlock

There were a couple of pretty big twists here and there, but for the most part this book is a collection of faithful retellings of some of Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories. A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of Four, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, and more are covered in this collection. The still unsolved case of Jack the Ripper, which has been included or alluded to in many secondary works about Holmes written by other authors, is the thread which ties all of these separate cases into one cohesive narrative. But what sets this book apart from other Sherlockian stories outside of Doyle’s original canon is the author’s truly fascinating addition of the supernatural. This is not mere whiffs of supernatural in and around certain cases. Addison created a world in which the supernatural runs rampant and is accepted as reality but civilization at large.

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Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Lord of the Rings (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Published: 29th July 1954 by George Allen and Unwin


“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

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Book Review: The Last Emperox (The Interdependency,#3) by John Scalzi

Book Review: The Last Emperox (The Interdependency,#3) by John Scalzi

ARC received from the publisher, Tor Books, in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Series: The Interdependency (Book 3 of 3)

Genre: Science fiction, space opera

Published: 14th April 2020 by Tor US & 16th April 2020 by Tor UK


The Last Emperox is a satisfying conclusion to one of the more entertaining and accessible space operas I’ve read.

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Book Review: Unconquerable Sun (The Sun Chronicles, #1) by Kate Elliott

Book Review: Unconquerable Sun (The Sun Chronicles, #1) by Kate Elliott

ARC provided by the publishers—Tor Books & Head of Zeus—in exchange for an honest review.

Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Chronicles (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Sci-fi, Military Sci-fi, Space Opera

Pages: 528 pages (US hardback edition)

Published: 1st October 2020 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 7th July 2020 by Tor Books (US)


It’s quite outrageous that it took me this long to finally read Kate Elliott’s book for the very first time.

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Book Review: The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency, #2) by John Scalzi

Book Review: The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency, #2) by John Scalzi

Review copy received from the publisher, Tor Books, in exchange for an honest review

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Series: The Interdependency (Book 2 of 3)

Genre: Science fiction, space opera

Published: 16th October 2018 by Tor US & 18th October 2018 by Tor UK


The Consuming Fire feels like a middle-book, but in a good way. Just as entertaining and accessible as the first, this sequel took the plotline of The Interdependency trilogy in an interesting direction.

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Book Review: The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1) by John Scalzi

Book Review: The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1) by John Scalzi

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Series: The Interdependency (Book 1 of 3)

Genre: Science fiction, space opera

Published: 21st March 2017 by Tor US & 23rd March 2017 by Tor UK


I think two words perfectly describe The Collapsing Empire – entertaining and accessible. This is science fiction for the masses that is fun and riveting.

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