A review: The Magpie's Song

If writing novels was an artform it would look like this book.  When I first started this book I immediately noticed Allison Pang's writing style, and how artfully she described the world she created. 

Summary:

The story develops quickly, immediately pulling you in and connecting you emotionally to the characters. Set in a dystopian world, Raggy Maggy is a tough independent young woman with a mysterious past. She is a Moon Child, which is defined by a half breed of a Meridian...the ruling class that lives in a floating city above the world, and a commoner who lives on the ground. As a Moon Child, she is thought to be immune to the plague that has devastated the area. 

My thoughts:

I love a strong woman lead in any book, and Maggy does not disappoint.  She is unapologetically herself, she loves hard, and isn't afraid of doing difficult and dangerous things. Combine this with clockwork dragons, mystery, secrets, religious zealots, disease and brilliant world building this book I found well worth the read.

Allison Pang leaves us on a bit of a cliff hanger, but graciously gave us a sneak peak at the end of the book for the next book in the series.  

Magpie's Song is the first installment of her Ironheart Chronicles series, and is available for purchase now. You can purchase by clicking here. Please be sure to check out her website by clicking here, and if you like Instagram be sure to give her a follow here.

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book for free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive.  There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  If you really love what you've read, please consider buying me a coffee by clicking the link on the right. Thanks!

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A Review: The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah

When I first started Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah I needed to lean on an old rule suggested by my dad when I was a kid. Give it four chapters before I set it down for good. This book had a slow, and confusing start.  I'm glad I stuck it through because by the fourth chapter I was pulled in.

Summary:

This story features Vaughn, a young author struggling with writer's block after lots of early and quick success.  He travels to Wisconsin and meets a lovely family by chance, and finding a strong connection to one member of that family in particular... Riley. Riley and Vaughn both have troubled pasts that make connection difficult, and Glendy Vanderah beautifully unpacks their trauma making everything that I found confusing at the beginning fit in neatly. 

My thoughts: 

This book left me swooning. It was absolutely perfect for these last few cold winter's nights, bundled up with my dog and a cup of tea. It was very much a relaxing and thoughtful read. This is the first novel of Vanderah's that I've had the pleasure of reading.  She has two other novels that have been highly rated as well and are now on my to-read list. To learn more about Glendy Vanderah please check out her website here. 

Oceanography of the Moon is available for purchase March 22, 2022.

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book for free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking on these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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Review: After the Plague by Imogen Keeper

Ya'll what a ride.  First of all, I would like to thank dear Imogen Keeper for the last three very very late nights that I couldn't put this book down. When I started reading After the Plague by Imogen Keeper, it felt very similar to the beginnings of covid which was an eerie connection for me. The book quickly became much much more.  The world in a few short weeks overcome with a flu strain with an insane death ratio, that ends up wiping out almost everyone.  It has an 80% death rate, but not everyone is susceptible.  A small population never got sick at all, and these survivors built their new post-plague world.

One of our main character's Frankie seems immune to the flu variant, but gets through it with a deep heavy loss.  She finds a boy, Auden, and his sweet collie named Beast. (The pupper in the photo is my own sweet collie boy, Benny!)  The boy and his dog give her a reason to continue living. After settling in with Auden and his dog, she meets Yorke, and together they form a tight family-like unit.  They begin looking for people like them in hopes to be a part of a bigger community.

If you're looking for a fast paced, slow burn post-apocalyptic romance that doesn't revolve around sex then I highly suggest this book.   I'm looking forward to reading her next installment, safe.

To learn more about Imogen Keeper please check out her website!

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book for free for review. This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking on these links won't cost you anything, but any purchase you make helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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