Mini Thoughts
Hello, all!
Her Majesty's Royal Coven- Juno Dawson: When they were young, Helena, Leonie, Niamh, and Elle, took an oath to become members of Her Majesty's Royal Coven. Created by Queen Elizabeth I, the HRMC is a covert government department comprised of witches with the sole purpose of helping in times of crisis. Now, decades later, Helena is the only one still involved in the HRMC as its High Priestess, while the other girls have moved on to live normal lives. All but Leonie, who defected to create her own coven. But Helena has bigger problems than her wayward friend. When a young boy with extraordinary powers is captured by authorities, many believe he is the embodiment of a terrible darkness that's long been prophesized. The four friends will have to put their differences aside and come together once more to decide whether to preserve their traditions or nurture a new legacy.
I wanted to love this so badly. The premise? So fun. The cover? So eye-catching. The witchy vibes? So cool. But it didn't do it for me. I thought the writing was bland and a little boring at times. The characters could've been developed more, and this may have been because I listened to the audiobook, but I thought they were hard to differentiate. All four of them just blended into one. What I did like was the representation and the conversations surrounding trans people. I thought Dawson did a good job breaking down the barriers and prejudices people may have towards the trans community. Despite feeling like the plot could've used some work, I liked the ending and will most likely continue with the series.
The Kaiju Preservation Society- John Scalzi: Jamie Gray was just fired, and with COVID sweeping through New York City, he's stuck working as a food delivery driver. While making his rounds, Jamie runs into Tom, an old acquaintance, who now works for an animal rights organization called KPS that requires a last-minute man for their next field mission. It's grunt work but way better than what Jamie's doing now, so he agrees. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals they care for aren't on this Earth and shouldn't even exist. The KPS specializes in caring for kaiju, massive dinosaur-like creatures, that live in a world free of humans. It's their job to ensure these creatures thrive, which is usually a simple task, but when a shady group sneaks into this alternate dimension, the effects set off a chain reaction that could kill millions back on Earth.
I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but this sounded too good to pass up. I had such a fun time reading this. It felt as if Jurassic Park and Godzilla had a baby. Scalzi's writing felt a lot like Andy Weir's in that it was funny and accessible. They both do this thing where they lay out all the scientific facts in a way that lets you know they know their stuff, but they explain it in a way that is so easy to comprehend. I always worry that all the technical bits in sci-fi will go over my head, but that wasn't the case here. I loved all the characters and how they played off one another. The setting was interesting, and I enjoyed learning about all the kaiju (and their ridiculous names.) It's also such a quick book to read. My only issues were that it felt too quippy, and I wanted more action throughout rather than just the last bit. Other than that, I thought this was super entertaining, and recommend it if you're a fan of monster movies.
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| Pub Date: 5-31-22 Adult - Fantasy |
Her Majesty's Royal Coven- Juno Dawson: When they were young, Helena, Leonie, Niamh, and Elle, took an oath to become members of Her Majesty's Royal Coven. Created by Queen Elizabeth I, the HRMC is a covert government department comprised of witches with the sole purpose of helping in times of crisis. Now, decades later, Helena is the only one still involved in the HRMC as its High Priestess, while the other girls have moved on to live normal lives. All but Leonie, who defected to create her own coven. But Helena has bigger problems than her wayward friend. When a young boy with extraordinary powers is captured by authorities, many believe he is the embodiment of a terrible darkness that's long been prophesized. The four friends will have to put their differences aside and come together once more to decide whether to preserve their traditions or nurture a new legacy.
I wanted to love this so badly. The premise? So fun. The cover? So eye-catching. The witchy vibes? So cool. But it didn't do it for me. I thought the writing was bland and a little boring at times. The characters could've been developed more, and this may have been because I listened to the audiobook, but I thought they were hard to differentiate. All four of them just blended into one. What I did like was the representation and the conversations surrounding trans people. I thought Dawson did a good job breaking down the barriers and prejudices people may have towards the trans community. Despite feeling like the plot could've used some work, I liked the ending and will most likely continue with the series.
Rating: 3/5
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| Pub Date: 7-8-21 Adult - Contemporary |
The Fine Print- Lauren Asher: Despite his family owning a theme park known as the most magical place, Rowan does not believe in fairy tales. He's more concerned with making a profit. When his grandfather passes, he leaves Rowan and his brother's specific tasks they have to complete to get their inheritance. Rowan's task is to create something new for Dreamland, which leads him to Zahra. After submitting a proposal ripping apart Dreamland's most popular attraction, Zahra expected to be fired, not promoted to the Creator's team, a job she's wanted for ages. The tension between Zahra and Rowan is immediate. They couldn't be more different, but their attraction is undeniable. But if the pair hope to have their happily ever after, they'll need to break down the walls they've each built around their hearts.
I've seen this book all over the place, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Honestly, I was underwhelmed. I liked some things, like how grumpy Rowan was compared to the bubbly Zahra, and the theme park (which is so obviously inspired by Disney.) It was fun seeing the pair butt heads at the start, and they had some cute banter. I enjoyed Asher's writing style, but what got me was the plot. I feel like this happens when romances are this long, where I'm entertained for the first half or so, but then I get bored. It bothers me when romances get dragged out, and this one could've been 100 pages shorter, at least. Everything started feeling repetitive, and the third act conflict felt entirely ridiculous. I may still check out the other books in the series, but it won't be a priority.
Rating: 3/5
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| Pub Date: 3-15-22 Adult - Sci-Fi |
The Kaiju Preservation Society- John Scalzi: Jamie Gray was just fired, and with COVID sweeping through New York City, he's stuck working as a food delivery driver. While making his rounds, Jamie runs into Tom, an old acquaintance, who now works for an animal rights organization called KPS that requires a last-minute man for their next field mission. It's grunt work but way better than what Jamie's doing now, so he agrees. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals they care for aren't on this Earth and shouldn't even exist. The KPS specializes in caring for kaiju, massive dinosaur-like creatures, that live in a world free of humans. It's their job to ensure these creatures thrive, which is usually a simple task, but when a shady group sneaks into this alternate dimension, the effects set off a chain reaction that could kill millions back on Earth.
I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but this sounded too good to pass up. I had such a fun time reading this. It felt as if Jurassic Park and Godzilla had a baby. Scalzi's writing felt a lot like Andy Weir's in that it was funny and accessible. They both do this thing where they lay out all the scientific facts in a way that lets you know they know their stuff, but they explain it in a way that is so easy to comprehend. I always worry that all the technical bits in sci-fi will go over my head, but that wasn't the case here. I loved all the characters and how they played off one another. The setting was interesting, and I enjoyed learning about all the kaiju (and their ridiculous names.) It's also such a quick book to read. My only issues were that it felt too quippy, and I wanted more action throughout rather than just the last bit. Other than that, I thought this was super entertaining, and recommend it if you're a fan of monster movies.
Rating: 4/5
The Kaiju Preservation Society is on my TBR! I've heard such good things about it and I love that Scalzi's writing is always humorous!
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