Fourth Blogversary!!

Holy crap Bookish Whispers turns FOUR YEARS OLD today! Normally this is cause enough for our friends to together and play games and for me to cook for everyone. However, with everything going on with the world we can't do that. I wish I could say that I had a ingenious way to celebrate while we are all sheltering in place, but to fair I the Blogversary sneaked up on me this year. Mostly because I'm not sure days have names any more.

But, it's been an absolute amazing four years. I've been able to meet some amazing people inside the book community, met some amazing authors, been introduced some epic books, and been able to share some amazing memories with friends. Every year feels like this little blog is getting more and more views. It went from this thing I was going to do here and there. A place to share reviews and little bookish moments. Now it's a beast of thing, and I honestly don't think I'd change it for anything.

We're already only a few months into 2020, but already I've been blow away by the number of views on posts. I've met new bloggers in the community and been introduced to amazing new authors. I'm looking forward to many book this year and can't wait to share with everyone who find their way here to Bookish Whispers.

So thank you to the viewers who come back no matter where you are! To my friends and family who have been supportive and listened to me stress out over a book blog of all things, Thank You! To the authors have given me their books and trusted me something they poured their soul into, Thank You! It's been four weird years of sharing books and my reviews of the ones I've managed to read.

I can't wait to see what the next year will bring! Plans for new things in 2020 are already in the works!

HAPPY READING!!

The Deep - Review

Author: Alma Katsu

Genre:  Historical Fiction / Paranormal

Format: Hardback

Pages: 420

This has actually been a hard book for me to rate. I keep going back and forth between three or four stars, and The Deep might b that book falls somewhere in the middle. Because as a whole I really this book and the story as a whole. I already added another book by Alma Katsu, The Hunger, to my TBR list. So hopefully what follows isn't a rambling mess, but comprehensive thoughts about The Deep. Because it was such a strange book.

First things first, the amount of research that went into The Deep was amazing. One the first pages I read in a book is the Author's Notes, or Author's Page, whichever they have. Especially in Historical Fictions because I'm a nerd and I like to see what kind of research went into the book. To read all the primary sources that Alma Katsu went through to create The Deep was amazing, but it was undeniable as you read. Little details on the fashion, on the opinions of the time, and both ships. It was impressive and made for a great story when you compare the two sister ships.

I also really liked Alma Katsu's writing style. This was the first book by her that I read, and I hard a time putting this book down. The story itself moves at a decent pace. It was hard to find a place to stop to do things like go to work and to sleep. Though I'll admit I did very little of the latter. Because once I really started to get into the story I had a thousand question and I needed to know what was going. As the plot unfolds your not just getting the story from different characters, but different eras. So it takes times for those ends to meet up, and I spent a lot of time with one real question.

Was Annie possessed or just crazy?

Sadly an answer that question is a spoiler, but honestly I spent most of the book not really sure until the end. Though I started to pick up little things here in there as the story went on. Annie's story is sad, and toward the end you really feel for the girl. 

As for the other characters, the are the worst. To be fair it had nothing to do with how they were written. It all had very much to do with the time period and the way most of the characters in first class passengers thought. Maddie Astor and Caroline were tied for who I hated the most. Les Williams came in as close third as well. Mostly because he a good thing going for him and he really kind of a threw it all away. Though he does get points for what he did toward the end.

Besides my heart hurting for Annie, our main character, I was quite taken with David Bowman. I'm sad the only chapters we got of him were those set in 1912, I would have liked to know where he ended up. But, it made sense that not everyone could just reappear on Britannic.

I was also a big fan of the wrap up for two big reasons. First because I love when books like The Deep don't really have the happiest of endings. It felt like the only real way for this story to come to an end, organic maybe for a lack of a better word. But, also because it always feels good when you've picked up on the crumbs lefts between chapters to suss out how the end will go. 

So yeah, a good book. One that kept me on my toes and really unsure what was gong on. Which was fine because slowly I started to figure out what was going on. It all built up to a perfect moment with an explosive ending.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: I would say borrow. I honestly really did enjoy this book, but I'm not sure I'll ever read it again. The cover is gorgeous and at the moment it looks lovely on my shelf. I just don't think I need to give it another go.

 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Why I'm Waiting: I don't know why, but something about this book just pulls me in. It's really a genre I read often, but this looks like one I'll really like. Little bit of mystery and a little bit of a romance.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Summer camp turns sinister in Camp Murderface, a spooky middle grade read perfect for fans of scare masters like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike.

The year: 1983. The place: Ohio. The camp: Scary as heck.

Camp Sweetwater is finally reopening, three decades after it mysteriously shut down. Campers Corryn Quinn and Tez Jones have each had more than enough of their regular lives - they’re so ready to take their summer at Sweetwater by storm.

But before they can so much as toast one marshmallow, strange happenings start... happening. Can they survive the summer? Or will Camp Sweetwater shut down for good this time - with them inside?

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

A PRINCESS
A STABLE BOY
A QUEST

When her father dies, Princess Amarande is given an ultimatum: Marry the leader of one of the four neighboring kingdoms, or lose her crown—and possibly her life. And to force her hand, her beloved, the stable boy Luca, is kidnapped.

But Amarande was raised to be a warrior, not a sacrifice.

And nothing will stop her from saving her true love and rescuing her kingdom.

The acclaimed author of Sea Witch turns the classic damsel-in-distress tale on its head with this story of adventure, identity, and love.

HAPPY READING!!

Library Haul

There is still no date for when our local library will be able to open, but their online catalog has an amazing selection. I was able to download a couple of interesting Graphic Novels for my weekend to fill in my Goodreads Challenge number. I would love to be see myself one book ahead of schedule even if it's only for a day. It's the little the little things.

Thanks so one of my current reads, The Living Dead, I've been in the mood for some more zombie stuff. Hopefully this scratches that itch. War of the Worlds is one of my favorites by HG Wells. So I'm excited for this one as well. They had a few other options for the Classic Illustrated so I might have to find a few of my other favorite classics and see how they translate into Graphic Novel form.

HAPPY READING!!

Aurora Burning - Review

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre:  Young Adult / Sci-Fi

Format: Hardback

Pages: 495

I've been sitting on a blank screen for several days trying to organize my thoughts for this review. Because I've been having a hard time of how to start it. So far this is my favorite book in the series. In fact it has taught me I'm a glutton for punishment because I wouldn't change a thing about any of it. Yes this book is full of pain and the last hundred pages nothing but stress. Still I devoured Aurora Burning, reading way past my bedtime. Even a few days later I don't think there is a single thing I'd change. A single moment. Because I honestly don't think I would have enjoyed it so much if hadn't hurt they way that it had.

Like I said, glutton for punishment.

One of the best things about this installment is the character growth. Even Zila has changed, and her back story. Holy crap. After I finished that chapter I had to put the book down for a second and walk away. That was one of the more painful parts of the book. I also somehow missed in Aurora Rising just how much younger she is than the rest of the Squad. I have no idea how, but it just made me love her all the more. It's also great to see Fin has a soft and squishy side. Hands my favorite moments was seeing him care for his Squad.

And, while romance isn't normally my favorite thing. I thought the romance between was well done, and I'm still rooting for them. 

It was also great to have some of my theories from the first book be proven right and then some. Now I have more questions, more theories. Hopefully all which will come to light in the third book. There is however one question I will never get an answer to, and I will learn to live with that.

Another great thing about this book is how they dealt with Cat's death. Because they dealt with it and all of them in their own way. While she wasn't my favorite character of the first book it was great that she wasn't forgotten. All of them were mourning, and Amie and Jay found a brilliant way to keep her alive for the Squad. I also really enjoyed the part Cat got to play in Aurora Burning. I won't go into details because spoilers, but those chapters were brilliant and heart wrenching.

While a lot of big pictures questions that popped up in the first book weren't answered, in fact more were piled on, I feel like there was a bit of closer in this book in a lot of ways. Aurora finally found out what happened to her, why it happened, and she was shown how to use her powers. She stumbled at the end, but I can't blame her because she pulled it together end. Even if the reason for her pulling it together hurt, a lot.

Unlike in with the first book, this one ends on a cliff hanger, and I wouldn't have changed it. I have about half dozen theories as to what is about to happen. I have a thousand questions, and the last thing I want to do is wait a year for the next book. But, it's not like I have a choice on the matter. So what I shall. In the mean time I'm waiting for my turn on the audio book version of Aurora Burning. I mentioned being a glutton for punishment right?!

Buy, borrow, or skip: Buy! The whole series and the audio books because the cast is amazing! They really are that good.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

The mage-marked granddaughter of a ruler of Vaskandar, Ryx was destined for power and prestige at the top of Vaskandran society. But her magic is broken; all she can do is uncontrollably drain the life from everything she touches, and Vaskandar has no place for a mage with unusable powers.

Then, one night, two terrible accidents befall her: Ryx accidentally kills a visiting dignitary in self-defense, activating a mysterious magical artifact sealed in an ancient tower in the heart of her family’s castle.

Ryx flees, seeking a solution to her deadly magic. She falls in with a group of unlikely magical experts investigating the disturbance in Vaskandar—and Ryx realizes that her family is in danger and her domain is at stake. She and her new colleagues must return to the family stronghold to take control of the artifact that everyone wants to claim—before it destroys the world.

Why I'm Waiting: This is right in my wheelhouse and I'm excited to crack this one open. Plus, Ryx has some Rogue from X-men vibes and I dig it.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

They were leaning over the edge of the unknown and were afraid of what they would discover there.

Meet the World War II female scientists who worked in the secret sites of the Manhattan Project. Recruited not only from labs and universities from across the United States but also from countries abroad, these scientists helped in-and often initiated-the development of the atomic bomb, taking a starring role in the Manhattan Project. In fact, their involvement was critical to its success, though many of them were not fully aware of the consequences.

The atomic women include
Lise Meitner and Irène Joliot-Curie (daughter of Marie Curie), who led the groundwork for the Manhattan Project from Europe;

Elizabeth Rona, the foremost expert in plutonium, who gave rise to the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy," the bombs dropped over Japan; and

Leona Woods, Elizabeth Graves, and Joan Hinton, who were inspired by European scientific ideals but carved their own paths.
This book explores not just the critical steps toward the creation of a successful nuclear bomb, but also the moral implications of such an invention.

HAPPY READING!!

Bout of Books 28 Wrap Up

Happy Monday! Another Bout of Books is closed. I really couldn't have asked for a better week in reading. All three of my goals for this readathon were met: I finished Auora Burning, I'm little past the halfway point in The Living Dead, and I got a handful of chapters into The Deep. Honestly I have so many feeling about Aurora Burning that I'm still trying to sort out the review. As for the The Living I'm really digging it, and I'm interested to see how the second half of the books goes. The Deep has my attention.

Bout 28 Stats:

Books Read: 1

Pages Read: 469

Mark your calendars because Bout of Book 29 will be back on August 17th! By then my patio project will have been finished, and it will be the perfect time to curl up with a blanket and read something creepy!  

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

The only thing August Pfeiffer hates more than algebra is living in a vampire town. Located at a nexus of mystical energy fields, Fulton Heights is practically an electromagnet for supernatural drama. And when a mysterious (and annoyingly hot) vampire boy arrives with a cryptic warning, Auggie suddenly finds himself at the center of it. An ancient and terrible power is returning to the earthly realm, and somehow Auggie seems to be the only one who can stop it. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that’s what she’s been told. She can’t remember anything from that day, and her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down.

But then Melody goes missing, and Cassidy thinks she may have information. She knows she should go to the cops, but she recently joked about how much she’d like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. And then she gets a chilling text from an unknown number: I’m so glad we’re in this together.

Now it’s up to Cassidy to figure out what really happened before the truth behind Melody’s disappearance sets the whole town ablaze.

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds like one of those books you curl with under a blanket with a cup of tea. Which are some of favorite kinds of books.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging—last seen in The Serpent of Venice—washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.

But the island is in turmoil. Egeus, the Duke’s minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her. The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed . . . or consigned to a nunnery. Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it. Irritated by the fool’s impudence, the Duke orders his death. With the Duke’s guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape.

He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberon, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool. His jester Robin Goodfellow—the mischievous sprite better known as Puck—was found dead. Murdered. Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can’t refuse: he will make Pocket his fool and have his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow. But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard’s most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead.

With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well.

HAPPY READING!!

Bout of Books 28

Today is the day! Bout of books has officially started. I'm in the middle of two great books right now, and I have a third of my itching to start reading. My goal for Bout of Books 38 to finish Aurora Burning, get to the half point of The Living Dead (that book is a beast with very tiny type-face), and have started The Deep. For me that it a tall order since I'm not the fastest reader, but I do have a bit more free time than I use to. So I'm optimistic that I'll at least finish Aurora Burning!

THE BOOKS:

Good luck to everyone this week! I can't wait to see what everyone is reading!!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

As our story opens, a sea of troubles threatens the valiant Resistance, who are pursued by the sound and fury of the vile First Order. Can Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, BB-8, Chewbacca, and their allies overcome such toil and trouble? Shall Kylo Ren be proven fortune’s fool or master of his fate? What will become of the House of Skywalker? And is all well that ends well?

HAPPY READING!!