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The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson | Book Review

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Synopsis:


In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

Review:

So I had to DNF this @ 62% I really didn’t want to but continuing on to finish this was making me fall into a reading slump that’s when I know I have to give up reading this.

So this isn’t a bad story at all it’s just all over the place for me. I picked this up for two reasons because I assumed there will be a story about witches and magic and also because of the bookclub I’m in.

Immanuel is basically shunned because of her mother’s sins. There’s talk about a plauge and Immanuel is trying to uncover more about it. Very little talk about witches, and when you do hear from them it’s much later in the story.

I wanted to like this, but this didn’t work for me at all. I didn’t really care for the style of writing. Maybe …just maybe I might pick this back up in the future but for now it’s a 2.5 star

I know a lot of people love this book but when a story is making me dred reading I know I have to stop what I’m reading. Once again not a bad story, it just didn’t work for me.

Rating: 2.5 ⭐⭐

With The Fire on High By Elizabeth Acevedo | Book Review

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Synopsis:
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.


Book Review:


With the Fire on HighWith the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a good novel! It actually had a mix of what most teen mom’s today that are in school and working and taking care of their kid(s) go through. Emoni’s only dream is to cook in a nice restaurant. She love to cook and she like to add her own touch to her food. 

With her grades almost slipping and taking care of her daughter and working part-time she feels an elective like culinary art’s won’t help her..

This story shows that no matter your situation you can get what you want from life with determination and hard work. Emoni worked hard and never gave up even when they where people telling her to drop out because she was pregnant.

I loved this story loved it even more that I listened to it on audiobook. Elizabeth Acevedo is Queen and I’ll read anything she publishes. Great story!! 5 🌟

The City Born Great By N.K. Jemisin | Book Review

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Synopsis:

 In this standalone short story by N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season, the winner of this year’s Hugo Award for Best Novel, New York City is about to go through a few changes.

Like all great metropolises before it, when a city gets big enough, old enough, it must be born; but there are ancient enemies who cannot tolerate new life. Thus New York will live or die by the efforts of a reluctant midwife…and how well he can learn to sing the city’s mighty song.

The City Born Great is a Tor.com Original.



Book Review:


The City Born GreatThe City Born Great by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this was a great start to N.K. Jemisin’s new series. My perspective from this short story is there is so much going on within a big city and to keep it thriving and moving you have to keep the city moving..always. So for New York, which is a big city things are always happening 24/7. It’s (I’m guessing these people called avatars /midwives jobs to maintain the city and look after it)

The author also like in today’s society  display that racism is still a factor so she made sure to showcase it in her story which I have no problem with.

I did like that the story did get fast paced towards the middle and towards the end and became very political based. So I’m hoping once I get to reading The City We Became I’ll understand the full story better. But so far I enjoyed NK’s writing and the fact that she went for something that not a lot of people wouldn’t normally write about. 4🌟

Ghost Squad By Claribel A. Ortega | Book Review

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Synopsis: Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy.

For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late.

With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.



Book Review: 

Ghost SquadGhost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ghost Squad is a fast paced middle grade #ownvoices/ Latinx novel great for young readers or anyone who wants something different. This story is about Lucely and her best friend Syd stumbling onto ghosts in their town. Lucely is also trying to communicate with her mother who passed away sometime ago through fireflies. This book I find has a lot of things going on and kids may like that aspect. Since I’m not a big middle grade reader myself and I’m typically not the audience the author goes after the things happening within the book will be different coming from someone in the 5th grade.

But overall I enjoyed it, the audiobook was great. I thought the narrator did a good job with keeping the story alive. Ghost Squad was fun, cute, diverse, #ownvoices and something I’ll let my son listen to.