Mini Thoughts

Hello, all!

Pub Date: 1-5-21
Adult - Sci-Fi

Light of the Jedi- Charles Soule: It's truly a golden age in the High Republic: scouts are using hyperspace lanes to connect to even the furthest settlements in the Outer Rim, worlds are flourishing under a compassionate and capable Senate leader, and thanks to the renowned Jedi's, peace reigns in the galaxy. With the Jedi by their side, the citizens of the galaxy are confident that they can face any obstacle that comes their way, but when a shocking disaster tears a ship apart in hyperspace and the scattered debris threatens to destroy an entire system, will the Force users prove to be enough? As panic and despair rage through the galaxy, the Jedi's are each pushed to their limits and must trust in the Force like never before because one single error could be their doom. All the while, a storm is brewing in the shadows. A sinister threat growing in the dark with only one mission in mind: to snuff out the light and Jedi once and for all.

Let me start by saying, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. With that in mind, I went into this with higher expectations and assuming it would blow me away, but it just didn't. That's not to say it wasn't a decent book, there were parts I enjoyed, but I was hoping for something great and what I ended up with was just...good. The writing was a bit hard to get into and the pacing was all over the place. I felt a lot of things happened off-page and weren't always explained well enough to give you a coherent picture of what was going on. You're also introduced to so many different characters that don't really have any distinct personalities so they all just mesh into one and it's hard to differentiate who's who. Despite all that, what I did like was the combat scenes, which felt very big and cinematic, and the Nihil, I'm intrigued to see how they're going to play out as the big bad in the grand scheme of things. So, overall, while I was hoping for more, it's still a fun read if you're a fan.

Rating: 3/5

Pub Date: 12-1-20
Adult - Contemporary

How to Fail at Flirting- Denise Williams: Naya Turner is conservative. Like, matching sweater set buttoned all the way up. She never used to be this way; she used to be vibrant and loud, but an abusive relationship dulled her shine. To get out of her head, Naya throws herself into her work as a professor, but when her failing department lands on the chopping block and her abusive ex starts hanging around, Naya's friends convince her she desperately deserves a night with no inhibitions. When she meets a handsome stranger in town for business, Naya seizes the opportunity. Jake and Naya immediately click, and he makes her feel confident in a way she hasn't felt in a long time. The pair spend every moment they can together, both feeling like this is more than a little fling. But things quickly sour when Jake turns out to be the consultant brought in to cull departments at Naya's university. The discovery leaves Naya torn: is she willing to risk her career on the only one who's ever made her feel alive?

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but I couldn't get enough! I read this in a day because I didn't want to put it down. I was hooked from the very first page. Naya and Jake are absolutely adorable together and had me smiling the whole time. I was also a big fan of all the cheesy jokes and puns they were tossing around. They were so effortless together and it made you root for them. Their chemistry was everything and I ate it up. I also think Williams did a nice job handling the sensitive matters that both Naya and Jake faced. My only issue with this was that I wished Naya would've opened up to Jake and been honest with him sooner about her ex. He trusted her with his past relationship, so the fact that she kept it hidden for so long was just a bit frustrating. Other than that, I enjoyed this so much and it's definitely a new favorite.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pub Date: 2-9-21
Adult - Thriller/Mystery

The Burning Girls- C.J. Tudor: All small towns have their secrets, and none more so than Chapel Croft. Hundreds of years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake, back in the '90s two teenage girls went missing, and recently, the vicar of the local parish killed himself. After an incident at her previous church, Reverend Jack Brooks is reassigned to Chapel Croft as a way to start fresh. She and her teenage daughter are hoping to find peace in the small village, but instead, they are met with suspicious local history and a mysterious box left for Jack which contains an exorcism kit. When Jack's daughter is plagued by strange sightings in the chapel, Jack discovers there's more to Chapel Croft than meets the eye, and takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of the mystery before the town claims another victim.

This was such a page-turner! I'd never read anything by Tudor before, but I think she may be an auto-buy author for me now. This was so compelling and sucked me in from the very beginning. The characters and setting were spot on and added to the creepy vibe. Even though Jack is a vicar, she's a very morally gray character and I think that made following her so interesting. She has so many secrets of her own and a past she's running from that she'll do whatever it takes to keep hidden. As far as the mystery itself, I was able to suss out a smidge of Jack's background but Tudor threw in some twists that made it all come together in ways I wasn't expecting. There were some paranormal things, such as Jack's daughter seeing images of the girls who were burnt at the stake, that I wish were touched on more just out of sheer curiosity. Other than that, I thought this was fast-paced, engaging, and a well-developed thriller that'll keep anyone on their toes.

Rating: 4/5

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