camiclarkbooks's reviews
115 reviews

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like millions of other people, I watched “Lockwood & Co” when it debuted on Netflix and got hooked. Once I found out that it was based on a YA book series, I immediately put them at the top of my TBR.

“The Creeping Shadow” sees the tight-knit trio of Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, and George Cubbins—and newest team member Holly Munro—splitting up.

After the almost fatal events solving the massive haunting in “The Hollow Boy,” Lucy was aware that she was no longer fully in control of her growing Talents and that she might get her friends seriously injured again—or worse. She removes herself from her friends and sets up shop as a consultant for and continues to make a name for herself while trying to regain control over her Listening.

Lucy agrees to work a case with Lockwood & Co when they’re hired by one of the most prominent figures in the psychic industry. After the job is completed, she’d intended to part ways with her old friends—permanently—but finds herself in need of their services when her haunted skull is stolen.

As they all work together to reclaim her sidekick, the teens uncover a conspiracy that could change everything the public has accepted about ghosts for the past 50 years...

Content Warnings

The Hollow Boy, by Jonathan Stroud

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“The Hollow Boy” was considerably weaker than the previous two books in the series, “The Screaming Staircase” and “The Whispering Skull.” The plot was just as fun and adventurous as the previous books and the characters continued to develop their psychic Talents and their relationships with each other.

The introduction of another character, Holly Munro, was a fun way to shake up the trio who had grown accustomed to each other and the routine. Holly was a remarkably pulled together teen who serves as a mix between a housekeeper and a secretary. However, the friction between Holly and Lucy was very poorly executed.

While teen girls—just like teen boys—can develop rivalries for little or no reason at all, the jealousy Lucy felt of Holly being so pulled together and pretty was reductive. This was a clear instance where the female main character was written by a man unable to accurately replicate why some women dislike women that are different from themselves.

The lackluster execution of the rivalry between Lucy and Holly was a major disappointment to me, but “The Hollow Boy” was still a good book and furthered the series.

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Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull, by Jonathan Stroud

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Like millions of other people, I watched “Lockwood & Co” when it debuted on Netflix and got hooked. Once I found out that it was based on a YA book series, I immediately put in a hold request for the first two books.

The second book in the series, “The Whispering Skull,” builds on the world established in the first book. It sees the team of Anthony Lockwood, George Cubbins, and Lucy Carlyle, growing their small psychic agency as they help keep London safe from The Problem—ghosts terrorizing the city every night.

We also see Lucy’s Talents develop exponentially over the course of the book. Her Listening is getting better and more accurate and she begins to connect with George’s favorite item to experiment on—an ancient skull kept in a Ghost Jar.

The book continues to solve a primary case, as well as further an overarching mystery that the team is working to unravel.

For those that are interested, the second half Netflix series covers “The Whispering Skull” and is very accurate to the book’s plot.

Content Warnings

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“The Screaming Staircase” by Jonathan Stroud is the first in the five book series, “Lockwood & Co.” Set in London, they follow the adventures of a group of teen psychic agents who battle the ghosts that have been terrorizing the country for the past fifty years.

In this book, we meet three main characters—Lucy Carlyle, the narrator, George Cubbins, and of course, Lockwood. Lucy is a grumpy but competent heroine and has remarkable psychic talent that unfolds over the course of the book. She adjusts to life working for the relatively new agency, Lockwood & Company, working under the leadership of the charming Anthony Lockwood and working with the peculiar George Cubbins.

“The Screaming Staircase” sees the team solving the mysterious haunting of an ancient house and also sets the stage for a larger mystery that will stretch across the series. It was a great first book, and I couldn’t wait to pick up the second book, “The Whispering Skull!”

For those that are interested, the first half Netflix series covers “The Screaming Staircase” and is very accurate to the book’s plot.

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Queen's Hope, by E.K. Johnston

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

“Queen’s Hope” by E.K. Johnston was a colossal disappointment. It neither furthered our understanding of Padmé and Anakin’s relationship, nor did it offer any significant insight into what happened before “Revenge of the Sith.”

There was a million different things that this book could have revealed. Instead, “Queen’s Hope” only offered an overwhelming amount of POVs and half-baked plots.

Content Warnings

Tell Me What Really Happened, by Chelsea Sedoti

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I received a digital ARC of “Tell Me What Really Happened” by Chelsea Sedoti through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Chelsea Sedoti’s “Tell Me What Really Happened” is a gripping YA mystery about a five teens who go on a last-minute camping trip. But only four leave the woods because just after midnight, one of them disappeared.

The remaining four are taken into police custody and are interrogated separately to find out exactly what happened the night before. As the hours tick by, the teens’ lies and truths are slowly revealed. But is it too late?

“Tell Me What Really Happened” is told entirely through the first-person police interviews of the four high schoolers that made it out of the woods. The characters are separated and are sharing their side of the incident during their interrogation. We don’t see the detectives that interview the characters and the only dialogue we hear from them are at the very beginning of each chapter. Other than that, it’s only what the teenagers reference in their interviews.

The first-person interview format gives the book an interesting hook. It also increases the stakes by allowing the reader to intimately see what the other characters are feeling about their missing friend. As the story progresses, the reader has a chance to solve the mystery as the characters share their memories of the night before.

Each of the five characters represents a specific high school stereotype—an academic overachiever, a conspiracy theorist, a social outcast, a control freak, and a wannabe social media influencer—and those stereotypes really drive the plot. The characters were fairly diverse, which is so important in YA books.

“Tell Me What Really Happened” is a solid YA mystery that relies on tried-and-true tropes presented in a very unique way. The first-person police interviews heighten the tension of the story. It won’t be long before the reader is biting their nails to figure out what really happened in Salvation Creek that fateful camping trip.

Content Warnings

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, by Helen Rappaport

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emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

Rappaport’s book “The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra” gives a comprehensive look into the lives of Russia’s last imperial family. She draws on a multitude of letters, telegrams, and other personal accounts in order to offer as accurate a look into what the Romanovs were really like.

It’s clear that Rappaport has a passion for the topic and has done tremendous research for “The Romanov Sisters.” She also presents it well, writing in a less formal tone than most non-fiction authors use; this makes the book feel considerably less intimidating for anyone curious to learn more about the imperial family but nervous about tackling a non-fiction book.

I do feel that the title is misleading for there were very few points that the book focused on the sisters—Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Instead, the book focused on the Romanov family, with special emphasis being given to Alexandra. In fact, at the beginning of the book, we learn all about her childhood and her courtship with Nicholas. It’s quite a while until we even get to the point where Alexandra is pregnant with Olga.

Had the book been titled “The Romanov Family” rather than “The Romanov Sisters,” it would have been a five star read. While the information was excellent and the writing style was clean and conversational, it was not the book I expected.

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Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I received a digital ARC of “Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Once I saw “magic typewriters” in the description of the book, I knew I had to read “Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross!

Iris Winnow is at the end of her rope. Her brother is missing in action, after he had enlisted to serve in the goddess’s army, and her her mother is drowning her sorrows over her missing son, Iris is the only one fighting to keep the family afloat on the home-front.

All of Iris’s hopes are pinned on her getting the coveted columnist position in her town’s prestigious newspaper, but she has fierce competition in the form of handsome but aloof Roman Kitt. The two are attracted to each other but have a difficult time reconciling those feelings with their rivalry.

When fate deals Iris another devastating hand, she decides to travel to the frontlines in search of her brother and to use her words to do more. She takes with her her magic typewriter, which connects her to someone Iris slowly begins to fall in love with as they exchange letters.

One of the last lines of this book’s description is “[an] epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.” That line succinctly describes Ross’s beautiful novel, “Divine Rivals.”

“Divine Rivals” is one of the most creative fantasy novels I’ve read in the past few years. The delicate blend of the in-universe mythology and subtle magic system with our world’s WWI was a fascinating idea and it worked. The use of WWI imagery helped to set a familiar scene for readers and also grounded the magic, giving it a unique sense of realism.

As someone who has recently done research on World War war correspondents for work, I was very impressed by how well Ross captured their experiences—even in a fictional world imbued with magic and gods. She shared with the reader what it was like for a civilian to see the action face by the soldiers in the trenches and was able to convey the horror of war without reveling in the gore and violence. The well-paced plot of the two magic typewriters connecting Iris and [redacted] was compelling enough that it created a beautiful love story in sharp contrast with such tragedy.

Ross has considerable writing talent to pull off “Divine Rivals” for not only did she have to write the book well enough to be published and win accolades—as it certainty will—she also had to develop multiple writing styles for her reporter main characters and write beautiful letters exchanged throughout the book by the two people in possession of magic typewriters. I admit that I was nervous the first few chapters of the book, because I wasn’t sure that having Ross could keep up writing for such gifted writers but i was soon embarrassed by my concern because she excelled at it.

Not only did Ross write letters and snippets of newspapers articles well, she also wrote her characters well. We spent the majority of the time split between Iris and Roman and get to know them very intimately. There could not be two people any more different, and yet…the connection between the two is transcendent. “Divine Rivals” is enemies-to-lovers done right. The pair have a fierce rivalry, but nothing so insurmountable as the true hatred many YA fantasy novelists write when they try the trope.

In truth, my only complaint with this book is that the sequel doesn’t come out until 2024! “Divine Rivals” was an amazing love story set against the harsh backdrop of a war between two gods. The interesting main characters, Iris and Roman, work past their rivalry and slowly begin to see beyond the walls each erected to defend themselves against more pain. As the reader watches the pair grow over the course of the book and the plot begin to unfold, they will stay up far past their bedtime to find out what happens next!

“Divine Rivals” is absolutely a five star read, so don’t wait to take it off your TBR!

The Bone Wars, by Erin S. Evan

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

“The Bone Wars” by Erin S. Evan had so much promise. How could a story that blends paleontology and dragons go wrong? Because it tried to do too much.

Buried in the acknowledgement section, Evan wrote, “I’ve tried to make the science, folklore, and geomythology as accurate as I possibly could…[and also] tried to bring in real people and real historical locations.” It’s clear that the author did their research, but unfortunately it comes across as if we’re reading Evan’s study notes rather than a book. There are pages upon pages where the characters are discuss paleontology concepts in thorough detail. Although it makes sense for the context of where the characters were at the time, it was handled in a manner too off putting for casual dinosaur enthusiasts like myself.

The discussions bring up another problem I identified with the version I read of “The Bone Wars”—it relied too much on dialogue. There are few times I can remember descriptions of locations or actions or even characters’ thoughts. It was all dialogue. At the beginning, we even had several pages of the transcription of a fictional TED talk, which did not seem to be relevant later in the story, given the amount of time and detail spent on it.

The characters suited the story, but instead of the four main characters we had, it could have been condensed into three. One of the main characters, Sarah, seemed almost superfluous until the last 50 or so pages of the book. Had that character’s relevant attributes been distributed among the other characters, it would have tightened up the story and made for a more compelling read.

The character of Molly Wilder, the teenage intern, was also a strange addition to the cast as she was so much younger than the other characters. It seems too much of a suspension of disbelief that a teen would win a prestigious internship and be allowed to work on a dig for a whole summer.

It is a further suspension of disbelief that sixteen year old Molly is the most competent one of the whole book. She’s the one to identify what the mysterious fossile is, she’s the one to uncover a larger conspiracy in the paleontology community, she’s the one who deciphers clues on their globe-trotting adventures, she’s the one that helps them escape from danger multiple times, etc. The real mystery of “The Bone Wars” is not the black fossile uncovered in Montana, it’s why Molly needed any of the adults to do anything for her beyond purchase her many tickets.

“The Bone Wars” was a tremendous struggle for me to finish because, despite the fact that the book has such a compelling premise, it was so amateurishly produced. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done by Evan and her team before it’s ready to be published.

The Wicked King, by Holly Black

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is my second time reading “The Wicked King,” but my first time listening to it on audiobook.

The second book in Holly Black’s “Folk of the Air” series is a rich fantasy story that balances the wonder of fairyland with its dark mythology.

The first book in the series, “The Cruel Prince,” took its time to establish the world and let the readers get to know the characters. While the build up was slower than some might expect, it offered more solid ground for Black to be able to further the trilogy’s plot in “The Wicked King.”

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camiclarkbooks's reviews 115 reviews

camiclarkbooks's reviews
115 reviews