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Ascendant by Michael Miller (Songs of Chaos #1)
554 pages
High Fantasy
5/5*
Formats available: Book
“Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.
Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.
But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.
Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.”
What draws me to fantasy? Neil Gaiman recently said it best in his interview with Phil Moreheart on ilovelibraries.org,
“You know, you start out reading, and you're reading books about mermaids; you're reading Snow White; you're reading about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and so forth. You read The Wind in the Willows. You read Alice in Wonderland. And you want more of whatever that is, that feeling of wonder, that feeling of escape, that feeling of being able to get away from this world and visit others.”
Reading, for me, is an experience that creates deep connections. I love being invested in people and in worlds that grow with me as a reader and transform as I do. When a book makes me deeply attached to it, it has accomplished the ultimate thing for me. Ascendant by Michael Miller is a story of bonds, deep connections, and life. You could categorize this as a coming of age, high fantasy world building with an intricate magic system, or simply as a dragon story. I categorize it as PERFECTION.
I wish so deeply that I had this series in my hands when I was so smitten with Eragon by Christopher Paolini because this story does what that could never do for me; it moves me and makes me feel. I also deeply wish that this story wasn’t compared to The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros because it deserves its own separate platform of praise away from that book. (You can all throw tomatoes at me for being the sole human that does not like or hype The Fourth Wing.) Run and grab this book as fast as you can if you are ready for an action ride that also breaks your soul in the best way possible. Grab this up for the dragons. Grab this for the magic. Grab this for the tears and for the thrill ride. Grab this and root for the guy who’s just like you and me. Grab this and enter a brand new world.
I am more than happy that I found this book and this amazingly talented author. I know that you will not be disappointed! Just go ahead so you can add another five star and top book of all time to your completed list this year!
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
338 pages
Thriller
4.1/5*
Available Formats: Physical Book
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
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 lies 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 car, 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…
An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!
Frieda McFadden has become increasingly popular, especially in the Book Tok community, and I can say that I really enjoyed The Housemaid. There are quite a few trigger warnings, so before you read be sure to look those up! My boss suggested this book to me, and all I can say is that I saw nothing coming and my jaw is still on the floor. This book was filled with suspense, psychological terror, and of course mystery. The Housemaid starts out with Millie Calloway, a woman with a criminal past who is living in her car while trying to make ends meet. She snags an interview with the Nina Winchester, a very wealthy woman living with her husband and daughter in Long Island, and the interview goes surprisingly well for a girl with a criminal past. Next thing we know, Millie is offered the job as well…you guessed it…a housemaid in the Winchester home!
It all seems perfect and amazing right from the beginning, but then Nina Winchester starts showing her true colors and a bit of a split personality, which begs the question “Who really is Nina Winchester?”. Although some of what was happening throughout the book was a bit predictable, I still found myself glued to the pages and wanting to keep reading more. The ending has a very surprising twist (or two…or three) that I did not see coming, which leads us right into book two, The Housemaid’s Secret (yes, please read these in order).
The Housemaid reminded me a lot of a recent book that I picked up called Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, so if you have read Hidden Pictures, you will love this book. If you are a lover of Freida McFadden or just thrillers in general and have yet to pick up The Housemaid, I highly suggest that you do! Overall, I give this book a 4.1/5!
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Samantha
System Collapse, Murderbot Diaries 7 by Martha Wells
Science Fiction
Expected Release: November 14, 2023
4/5*
Available Formats: Coming Soon
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast!
Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.
7 books into The Murderbot Diaries, we finally get some fairly major character development from its protagonist. Murderbot has a pretty good grasp on the human concepts of anger and sarcasm and employs them regularly. In this installment they learn something new: fear. They don’t want to go down the long, dark corridor where who knows what is lurking. They’re terrified of what could happen to them, not just their team.
This new version of Murderbot is a very welcome one. A sci-fi version of the old Western and Samurai tradition, Murderbot usually finds a mission rescuing helpless humans and rides off into the sunset. Over the past few installments, they have begun amassing a group of people they care about. Familiar faces appear throughout the novella: Dr. Mensah, Pin-Lee, Amena, along with new ones from ART’s crew. It provides a nice addition to the old formula, allowing us to care just a bit more than we did early on.
Several books in this series could just be picked up without having read the previous titles, but this is not one of them. One really does need a good grasp on the world Wells has built along with the characters we’ve come to know to be able to enjoy this one. If you’re already a Murderbot fan, be sure to pick this one up. If you’re new to the series, you’re gonna have to go back to the beginning.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
Historical Nonfiction
4/5*
Formats Available: Book
The physicality of this book is an object of horrific curiosity. At over 1200 pages the volume comes adorned with the colors of the subject: Red, Black, and White, with a large swastika blatant and bold in its evil. The book, like the context of its pages, is a front to humanity and a heavy burden to its reader. The burden is one that I brought on myself, excitedly in fact.
As a self-appointed ‘student of the world,’ I devour non-fiction books. All in the quest to know perfunctory levels of knowledge about as many things as possible (you should see me at trivia). My understanding about the Second World War is far from nothing, but lacks basic information on certain topics, including about the details about the Nazi party itself. I understood the havoc they caused on humanity and the lasting effects of that nation’s treachery, however the first part of the story always seemed to elude me. And in the time we live in, with its post-truth and rise of a type of nationalistic pride that is frankly unsettling, I found it necessary to understand the history of our not-so-distant past. I wanted to know how the Nazis came to power, and how they so quickly and so easily disrupted the world and the cultures therein with such breathtaking speed and cruelty.
The first thing that there is to note about this work is that it, in many circumstances, is a primary source of information. The author, William L. Shirer, was working as a foreign correspondent in Europe both before and during the war. So in many cases you hear about events and actions from someone who was there to witness them (and from the one-of-a-kind perspective of a working journalist). Not only did this seal any questions one might have about the trustworthiness of the author, but also gives another perspective to this story that can be rather hard to follow sometimes.
And it is hard to read? I started out reading this book as an eBook. I made it about 20% through the book like this, and I knew I couldn’t make it much longer. Even a physical copy of the book was looming and difficult. I found my answer in an Audiobook, which I’m pretty sure is the only reason that I was able to finish this book. I’m a quick reader, but usually struggle when approaching a solid wall of text on page. I think that this book being so long (over 1100 pages) is the one and only downfall of the book itself. But even that one stumbling block is totally understandable when one looks at the depth of information that this book covers.
It’s not necessary of me to parse out this subject point by point, as I could never do it as well, nor can I remember even most of the points and topics touched on in this book. Instead I will simply say that yes: my curiosity was sated. The understanding about the early days and youth of Adolf Hitler, the National Socialist Party’s beginning, as well as how they came to power (or more accurately stole power), all knowledge that has been acquired. This book never tip-toes around the evil acts of the party, making it known from the first words that the acts done by this group monstrous.
The other thing that is said, again and again in this volume, is to how these people were held accountable for all this evil. The results of the Nuremburg Trials are stated and are listed alongside other basic characteristics, making their crimes and punishments (usually execution) said in the same breath as their names, a just descriptor for the men and women who caused all this cruelty.
In circling back around to the sources that Shirer utilizes, it is clear that this book is well documented, even from outside Shirer’s own documentation. Not only are the transcripts from the Nuremburg trails quoted frequently, but it’s clear that Shirer has an in-depth understanding of the tons of German documents that were discovered at the end of the war. These documents, while part of the public record, might be difficult to gain useful information from. This is an issue that never seems to slow Shirer. The information from said documents is put into context which makes it easy to understand and appreciate. I’ve yet to see another document that provides so much of this valuable information on this seemingly out of reach collection of Third Reich documents.
Which truly, leads us all to the same destination, or at least the one that I had hoped to arrive at: Understanding. The book is what I had hoped for, as well as what I felt I needed to feel fulfilled in my knowledge. The book was a slog to get through, and it is for that reason I only give it 4 starts. However the read, the knowledge and the feeling of having conquered such a thick book and complicated subject, more than makes up for the struggle I had with any reading.
The last line of the book is one that is common to hear when we learn about the atrocities of the Second World War, but one that will always be true and always be important to remember:
“Remembrance of the past helps us understand the future”.
The Kokomo Howard County Public Library is one of 50 U.S. libraries selected to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.
Jordan- KHCPL Information Services Assistant
Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier
336 pages
YA Horror/Fantasy
3.5/5*
Formats available: Book, Libby eAudiobook
“Kit's father had always told her he had no family, but four months ago his sudden death revealed the truth. Now she has a grandmother she never knew she had--Agatha Starling--and an invitation to visit her father's hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont . . . it's picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom year-round, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there's even a cute guy to show Kit around.
The longer Kit's there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there's something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town's important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can't shake the feeling that everyone seems to be hiding something from her.
Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can't help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father ever leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?”
Starlings is your next read if you love House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland or twisty fairy-esque tales along the line of Erin Craig. Starlings is a captivating read about a young girl who just lost her father; her life is more upturned after moving and unearthing family secrets. The town of Rosemont is also full of its own dark lies. As this book develops through a deep theme of Mother-Daughter bonding, the audience finds strength in this as Kit uses this to persevere. Ultimately, this book covers all the bases for readers: mystery, romance, and thriller. The cover alone should make you want to pick it up and read; I definitely recommend this story.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
Bethann
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
528 pages
Epic Fantasy/Romance
5/5*
Formats available: Physical book, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook
"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general―also known as her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter―like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda―because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."
“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead”.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the first book in the new Empyrean series, quickly blew up among the Booktok/Bookstagram community, and the book was certainly well worth the hype. It is not every day that a book will grab my attention by the first few chapters, but Fourth Wing had my attention from page one. Reading this book was so nostalgic because it reminded me a lot of the Divergent series, which I was very much a fan of. The vibe was very much so Dauntless.
Rebecca Yarros gave this book a unique spin by not only incorporating dragons, but also incorporating a main character that struggles with a unique disease. Violet Sorrengail suffers from a connective tissue disorder known as Ehler’s Danlos syndrome. This was not confirmed in the book, but later confirmed by the author due to many fans reaching out that live with the same disorder. I thought this was awesome of the author to add this into the book considering a lot of the time your main character somehow ends up being unrealistically perfect.
I read this book in about two days, and I would give anything to pick it up and reread it for the first time. Every single character had insane development throughout the book. No character’s story ended the same as it started. The relationship between main characters, Violet and Xaden, starts blooming from the very beginning of the book, and Yarros did an amazing job making their emotional journey together believable.
I could give this book a 10000/10 and that would not be enough stars! I will be impatiently waiting for book two, Iron Flame to come out in November! Until then: Welcome, to the Fourth Wing.
For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.
-Samantha