Book Review: Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

Title: Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve

Author: Drew Afualo

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Nonfiction, Feminism, Self-Help

Pages: 256

Publisher: AUWA

Year Published: 2024

Format: Audiobook

"Drew Afualo is best known as the internet's 'Crusador for Women' and is the head of a new generation of entertainment's rising stars, with more than nine million followers across her social platforms. She soon realized that men on social media were creating sexist content aimed at disparaging women, and also containing rampant fatphobia, racism and other forms of bigotry with very real-life consequences. It didn't take long for her to step into the role of unofficial watchdog for misogyny, and her signature laugh is now recognized as a feminist call to arms. Loud is part manual, part manifesto and part memoir. It is a summoning cry to rid the internet (and our hearts, minds and lives) of 'terrible men' and create a space to fight outdated patriarchal ideals. Above all, it makes it clear that behind Drew's fearsome laugh is a mission and a life philosophy, a strategy for self-confidence from the inside out, and a pathway to once and for all remove men from the centre of how women and fems think about themselves."

My Rating: 5/5

This is a book I would strongly recommend if you've watched any of Drew Afualo's content or if you are curious about how standing up to patriarchy can look. It gives tips and tricks to begin, how to spot red flags, but also has admissions of times that in her past she was not as strong in her ideals as she is today (teenage years, etc) That admission in itself helped me to feel more confident in the stance I take now, despite how I acted when I was in high school, because let's be honest, in high school, we're all just trying to survive and figure everything out. Bonus, if you listen to the audiobook, Drew is the narrator, and it gives the same energy as her content, and feels personable in a way that is genuine. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series/Standalone: Lux Series (Book #2)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

Pages: 421

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Year Published: 2012

Format: Audiobook (Library Copy)

"BEING CONNECTED TO DAEMON BLACK SUCKS....

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon's determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connections. So I've sworn him off, even though he's running more hot than cold these days. But we've got bigger problems.

SOMETHING WORSE THAN ARUM HAS COME TO TOWN

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked. I'm a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who's got a secret of his own. He knows what's happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard. 

BUT THEN, EVERYTHING CHANGES

I've seen someone who shouldn't be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he's never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them- from me?

NO ONE IS WHO THEY SEEM. AND NOT EVERYONE WILL SURVIVE THE LIES."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I still enjoyed this second book in the series. It remains nostalgic and fun. The only complaint I have for this one is the extreme stupidity of our main character. Which is kind of a part of books written in this time, but as a grown woman, I was screaming at her to make better choices, on repeat! Still fun, I look forward to continuing to read the series and having fun with the concept.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver

Title: Leather and Lark

Author: Brynne Weaver

Series/Standalone: The Ruinous Love Trilogy (Book #2)

Genre: Adult, Fiction, Dark Romance, Rom-Com

Pages: 390

Publisher: Slowburn

Year Published: 2024

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

"Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss's biggest client, Lachlan knows he'll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she'll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can't stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend's soulmate, Lachlan thinks she's just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend's happiness on the line, she's willing to make a vow to the man she's determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it's not just familiar dangers that haunt them.

There's another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I was hoping to love this as much as the first one, and for the first half of the book, I was completely on board. As it went on, I found it was both dragging and racing. I think if the intimate aspects had been introduced earlier in the story, I would have found the romance itself more believable, but because everything seemed to take so long to get to the end, it felt rushed. I'm excited for the next book, but nervous if it'll be on the same trajectory as this one. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Finaly Donovan Jumps the Gun by Ell Cosimano

Title: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Author: Elle Cosimano

Series/Standalone: Finlay Donovan (Book #3)

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Adult

Pages: 304

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Year Published: 2023

Format: Audibook

"Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before- after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons- but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had 'borrowed' in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizens' police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and  some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches- all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood."

My Rating: 4/5

 I love this cozy mystery series. It's fun, ridiculous and fast paced, keeping my interest, while staying semi-light considering the content. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. I loved that this one had me second-guessing myself, and I still didn't realise who the villain was until the full reveal. The humour is excellent, the characters are unique, and the story is fantastically fun. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction

Pages: 393

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook (Library Copy)

"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child- neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of the mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love."

My Rating: 3/5

I love the idea of these books, but I find that once I'm reading them, I find them hard to get through. The stories themselves are interesting, and seeing how they relate to the original mythology is so fascinating, but the endings and stories themselves don't capture my attention the way I wished they would. I would certainly read more by the author. I enjoyed this one more than the last one I read by the author. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series/Standalone: Lux Series (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 416

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Year Published: 2011

Format: Audiobook (Own physical copy)

"Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up. 

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I really enjoyed reading something so fun, and some very 2010s. It's nostalgic in such a fun way, but a little cringeworthy. The alien aspect isn't something I've read a ton of, but what a fun addition. It was pretty obvious what was going on based on all the "hints" about aliens. It was fast-paced, fun and just the right amount of spice. I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series via audiobook soon.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid

Author: Freida McFadden

Series/Standalone: The Housemaid Series (Book #1)

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Adult Fiction

Pages: 329

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2022

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"Every day I clean the Winchesters' beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor. 

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lie about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew, seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew's handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it's hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina's life. The walk-in closet, the fancy, the perfect husband. 

I only try on one of Nina's pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it's like. But she soon finds out... and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it's far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don't know who I really am.

They don't know what I'm capable of..."

My Rating: 4.5/5

I love a fast-paced thriller. There is something about a story that has twists and turns throughout the story, and the quick action scenes that make it so fun to me. This author did a great job of landing those turns, making them surprising, but not unbelievable. The book was a quick read, and I look forward to continuing on with the series to see how the author will continue on with some of our characters. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Review: Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna by Edith Sheffer

Title: Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna

Author: Edith Sheffer

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Nonfiction, Historical

Pages: 320

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook

"Hans Asperger, the pioneer of autism and Asperger syndrome in Nazi Vienna, has been celebrated for his compassionate defense of children with disabilities. But in this groundbreaking book, prize-winning historian Edith Sheffer exposes that Asperger was not only involved in racial policies of Hitler's Third Reich, he was complicit in the murder of children.

As the Nazi regime slaughtered millions across Europe during World War Two, it sorted people according to race, religion, behavior, and physical condition for either treatment or elimination. Nazi psychiatrists targeted children with different kinds of minds- especially those thought to lack social skills- claiming the Reich had no place for them. Asperger and his colleagues endeavored to mold certain "autistic" children into productive citizens, while transferring others they deemed untreatable to Spiegelgrund, one of the Reich's deadliest child-killing centers.

In the first comprehensive history of the links between autism and Nazism, Sheffer uncovers how a diagnosis common today emerged from the atrocities of the Third Reich. With vivid storytelling and wide-ranging research, Asperger's Children will move readers to rethink how societies assess, label and treat those diagnosed with disabilities."

My Rating: 4/5

I don't often foray into nonfiction, but this title was curious to me. As someone who works directly with children, I wasn't familiar with this history of the autism diagnosis and how these factors played into even common-day misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder. It was harrowing to hear about the terrors that took place in these centres. Obviously, the acts during the Third Reich were atrocious and inhumane, and when we examine more aspects, we see how deep the evil continued to run. 

Sidny

Book Review: The Merciless by Danielle Vega

Title: The Merciless

Author: Danielle Vega

Series/Standalone: The Merciless Series (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Pages: 279

Publisher: Razorbill

Year Published: 2014

Format: Hardcover (Own It)

"Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned

Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied and gagged. No one outside these dank basement walls knows she's here. No one can hear her scream. 

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn't have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn't realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn- but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can't go against the other girls... unless she wants to be next."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I've had this book on my physical TBR for a while, and I'm glad I got to it. It was an intense read, and for people looking for horror with that 2010s kind of young adult style this was perfect. I was honestly surprised by how intense the body horror was and the horror scenes overall. The characters were interesting, but I don't see myself reaching for the next book in the series at this time.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Rule Of The Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli

Title: Rule of the Aurora King

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Series/Standalone: Artefacts of Ouranos (Book #2)

Genre: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance,

Pages: 512

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2023

Format: Kindle (Kindle Unlimited)

"'I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle.' Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Auror Prince. Convinced she's hiding something, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets- she's been keeping them her entire life- and she's not letting hers go without a fight. When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the keys to her past and her future, she isn't sure she can trust him. All she knows is she won't fall for another royal fae's promises again. With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy."

My Rating: 3/5

I want a little more from this series. It's pulling from so many other fantasy tropes that I can't help but see it as a discount version of other series that I've enjoyed. It's fun, the spice is good. I do think I'll continue and read the next one, but I'm not in a huge rush to get there. The plot isn't surprising in the way I hoped, so it's hard to be motivated to keep reading when you can see exactly where it's going. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny