‘Nightcrawling’ Book Review

“Kiara and her brother, Marcus, are scraping by in an East Oakland apartment complex optimistically called the Regal-Hi. Both have dropped out of high school, their family fractured by death and prison. But while Marcus clings to his dream of rap stardom, Kiara hunts for work to pay their rent–which has more than doubled–and to keep the nine-year-old boy next door, abandoned by his mother, safe and fed.

One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.”

Kiara is a character that you can root for. She is finally realizing that she has to stand up for herself after years of trying to help others around her, that she herself is also important. Even if she is coming to terms with this, she is still constantly trying to be of help to those that she loves. How can you not want what is right for her? Marcus, her older brother, has been the caregiver for Kiara since the abandonment of their parents, but he too, is wanting to do something for himself after all these years. The two siblings go about it in totally different ways. Kiara is a realist and Marcus is a dreamer. If you are someone who loves to read about familial dynamics, this is a book for you.

The atmosphere is gritty, that of a truly American city. It depicts the life that so many Americans are living, a reality that many people don’t even want to think about. The setting is East Oakland, California, where so many people are just trying to get by every day, to survive.

The writing was the first thing that stood out to me as I flipped through and read the first few pages of the novel. It features beautiful prose that is full of metaphors and vivid scenes. Some chapters read like poetry, even through truly brutal scenes. However, after the first third of the story, the momentum did start to fall back, and scenes began to get repetitive. It was not enough of a hindrance to my reading experience, but it’s worth mentioning and something that I can see the author improving on as her literary career takes off.

This is truly a story of survival in the modern sense of the word: doing whatever it takes to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. It’s a rough read that will make your jaw drop and make you need to take a breather every so often. Then, you have to realize there are likely hundreds of thousands of people living this story every day. It is a lot to take in, in less than 300 pages. Other themes included are finding yourself, the modern iteration of the American dream, police misconduct, and poverty. I love that in the author’s note, Leila Mottley, mentions hearing stories similar to Kiara’s in the news but she wanted to create “a world beyond the headline, and for readers to have access to this world”. Such a powerful way of showing what is truly happening beyond what the media portrays, and that everyone has a story and reasoning for why they did something that you might find as shameful. Please know the full story before making a judgment of a person.

Kiara is a character that you can root for. If you are someone who loves to read about familial dynamics, this is a book for you. The atmosphere is gritty, that of a truly American city.The setting is East Oakland, California, where so many people are just trying to get by every day, to survive. The writing was the first thing that stood out to me as I flipped through and read the first few pages of the novel. t was not enough of a hindrance to my reading experience, but it’s worth mentioning and something that I can see the author improving on as her literary career takes off. This is truly a story of survival in the modern sense of the word: doing whatever it takes to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. Please know the full story before making a judgment of a person. A new favorite book for me.

5 out 5 stars.

‘Kindred’ Reader’s Guide Answers

Both Kevin and Dana know that they can’t change history: “We’re in the middle of history. We surely can’t change it.” (page100); and “It’s over . . . There’s nothing you can do to change any of it now.” (page 264). What, then, are the purposes of Dana’ s travels back to the antebellum South? Why must you, the reader, experience this journey with Dana? – I think this book was probably really eye-opening at the time (1979) in showing the brutality of slavery, and how naive the modern population is, and that we shouldn’t forget our history and where our nation came from.
How would the story have been different with a third person narrator? – I do not think the story would have been different with a third-person narrator. Personally, I prefer third person, but I believe the same points would still have been conveyed.
Many of the characters within Kindred resist classification. In what ways does Dana explode the slave stereotypes? In what ways does she transcend them? – Dana transcends these roles by teaching and educating the other slaves. I believe it’s the magic of her ability to time travel, while the others cannot, that ultimately leaves a sense of wonder and raises questions about her.
Despite Dana’s conscious effort to refuse the ‘mammy’ role in the Weylin household, she finds herself caught within it: “I felt like Sarah, cautioning.” (page 156), and others see her as the mammy: “You sound just like Sarah” (page 159). How, if at all, does Dana reconcile this behavior? How would you reconcile it? – I do not think Dana reconciles her conscious efforts with her behavior. I never really noticed this behavior to begin with. I don’t think I would reconcile them. I would just continue to live my life not caring what others thought.
I do think that in the 21st century, we still have conditioned responses to slavery because of what people have been taught in school for so long. Many people don’t really care for history; they just acknowledge that ‘yes, this is bad,’ but they don’t truly realize the brutality of it.
How do you think Butler confronts us with issues of difference in Kindred? How does she challenge us to consider boundaries of black/white, master/slave, husband/wife, past/present? What other differences does she convolute? Do you think such dichotomies are flexible? Artificial? Useful? – Butler challenges us to consider the boundaries between the people in the story by showing the complex relationships between all of the characters. As for other differences, I think it really shows the differences in time periods and how far we have come as a country, but also how there are still a lot of the same stigmas.
Compare Tom Weylin and Rufus Weylin. Is Rufus an improvement or simply an alteration of his father? Where, if any, is there evidence of Dana’s influence on the young Rufus in his adult character? – I don’t think there really can be an improvement between Rufus and his father. Both were awful, and both did terrible things. I do think you can see hints of Dana’s influence on Rufus, mainly in regards to his children, but I won’t go into too much detail, as I don’t want to spoil the story.
Of the slaves’ attitude toward Rufus, Dana observes “Strangely, they seemed to like him, hold him in contempt, and fear him at the same time.” (page 229) How is it they can feel these contradictory emotions? How would you feel toward Rufus if you were in their situation? – I couldn’t feel these contradictory emotions. I don’t think any of the slave characters seemed to like Rufus. I think they all thought he was a bit of a pest and annoying, and I would feel just like them. I would hate him too if I were in their situation.
Compare Dana’s ‘professional’ life (i.e. her work as temporary help) in the present with her life as a slave. – Dana’s professional life in the present, with her riding, allows her to do something she wants to do. She gets to choose her job, so obviously it is way better than her life as a slave.
When Dana and Kevin return from the past together, she thinks to herself: “I felt as though I were losing my place here in my own time. Rufus’s time was a sharper, stronger reality.” (page 191) Why would the twentieth century seem less vivid to Dana than the past? – I think the 20th century will seem less vivid to Dana than the 19th century because it was so brutal in the past, and people were just trying to survive. In the 20th century, they had the pleasure of doing what they wanted. They had freedom.
Dana loses her left arm as she emerges—for the last time in the novel—from the past. Why is this significant? – From what the author has said, this is significant because everybody came away from slavery broken. Even today you can still see the impact it had on society . In how it divided people.
Kevin is stranded in the past five years, while Dana is there for almost one. Is there a reason why Butler felt Kevin needed to stay in the past so much longer? How have their experiences affected their relationship to each other and to the world around them? – I saw Butler felt the need to have Kevin stay in the past so much longer than Dana, so he could truly understand the experience that she was going through because for a white man it was easier tremendously easier than to be a black woman in the 19th century, I think it definitely affected their relationship to each other, because of how different the mentality and morals were of the past.
A common trend in the time-travels of science fiction assumes that one should not tamper with the past, lest s/he disrupt the present. Butler’s characters obviously ignore this theory and continue to invade each other’s lives. How does this influence the movement of the narrative? How does this convolute the idea of ’cause and effect’? – This influences the movement of the narrative by characters, not having to be scared or constantly having to have the same train of thought to me. It did not convolute the idea of cause-and-effect at all.
Dana finds herself caught in the middle of the relationship between Rufus and Alice? Why does Rufus use Dana to get to Alice? Does Alice use Dana? – Rufus uses Dana to get to Alice because he sees them as the same woman he doesn’t see them as their own person so he thinks that Dana thinks like Alice does I would say Alice does use Dana as well because she knows that Dana have some kind of holdover Rufus, because of her abilities to travel through time.
The needs and well-being of other residents of the plantation create a web of obligation that is difficult to navigate. Choose a specific incident; and determine who holds power over whom and assess how it affects that situation. – I think Dana holds a lot of obligation because she ultimately knows what will happen in history to all of these people maybe not individually but as a whole.
Dana states: “It was that destructive single-minded love of his. He loved me. Not the way he loved Alice, thank God. He didn’t seem to want to sleep with me. But he wanted me around—someone to talk to, someone who would listen to him and care about what he said, care about it.” (page 180) How does the relationship between Dana and Rufus develop? How does it change? What are the different levels of love portrayed in Kindred? – The relationship between Dana and Rufus develops of her, taking care of him after all his near death experiences, and that they hold each others lives in their hands in a sense, but like any relationship, you can grow tired of the other person just from constant neglect of the relationship and I think you can really see that here all different levels of lover portrayed in Kindred, romantic family. There are so many complex relationships in the story.
Discuss the ways in which the title encapsulates the relationships within the novel. Is it ironic? Literal? Metaphorical? What emphasis do we place on our own kinship? How does it compare with that of the novel? – I think the title is ironic, literal and metaphorical. You can take it in any way you want; literature is art and it’s meant to be interpreted by the reader. I’m not sure how it compares with that of the novel; it’s something that I would definitely have to think about.
Do you believe that Dana and Kevin’s story actually happened to them, or that they simply got caught up in the nostalgia of moving old papers and books? – I do believe that Dana and Kevin story actually happen because it is us too far out to get caught up in nostalgia, examining old papers and books.
Butler opens the novel with the conclusion of Dana’s time travels. The final pages of the book, however, make up an epilogue demonstrating a, once again, linearly progressive movement of time. How does the epilogue serve to disrupt the rhythm of the narrative? – I do not think the epilogue serves to disrupt the rhythm of the narrative. I thought it fit in with the story perfectly as the characters were getting closure on the events that they went through.
After returning from his years in the nineteenth-century, Kevin had attained “a slight accent” (page 190). Is this `slight’ alteration symbolic of greater changes to come? How do you imagine Kevin and Dana’s relationship will progress following their re-emergence into life in 1976? – I do think this alteration is symbolic of greater chances change is to come I think that being in the past for so long definitely did change Kevin’s mentality how I imagined Kevin and Dana‘s relationship of progress following reentry to life in 1976 I can see them staying as a couple because they went through this incredible traumatic journey together, but also how the mentalities were impacted as I keep saying I don’t know if it would be good for them to stay together or not.

‘A Lite Too Bright’ Book Review

Arthur Pullman’s famous grandfather passed away shortly before this story begins. He believes there is more to the story and his family is too greedy and self-absorbed to investigate it. When clues start to appear at the family’s cabin, that makes Arthur set off on a grand voyage across the United States to find out what truly happened to his grandfather.

The biggest downfall here, for me, was the characters. I think they might be made to be unlikable but even so, I should still enjoy reading about them. We have a bit of an unreliable narrator here and that is something that I have not read a lot of, so it was something interesting and new for me. There was no connection there for them, but I will say, this is one of the young adult books that I have read where I have found the adults to be annoying and the kids to be less so.

The atmosphere in this novel was cool. In America, our train system is not the most used source of transportation, so it was awesome getting to see it being used in this story. The reader also gets to see the small railroad towns of the west and Midwest, somewhere that the average person probably has not visited. I liked getting to explore some of these places that I have never heard of.

The plot started out strong and I loved how Arthur was going out and discovering this mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance and then death. The atmosphere and literature played into the plot nicely. Towards the middle, we get these ‘cult’ aspects and that turned it off for me. It brought this from being a 3.5 to a three star.

The writing was albeit strange. I should say it was more formatting than anything, just a guess. We would randomly have a flashback scene with no break in the page or anything, so it was quite confusing for the reader. There should have been a break in the page or maybe even starting a new chapter all together. Other than that, this writing was above average for a young adult novel.

The biggest downfall here, for me, was the characters. I liked getting to explore some of these places that I have never heard of. The plot started out strong and I loved how Arthur was going out and discovering this mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance and then death. This writing was above average for a young adult novel. This book touched on a lot of important subjects like the protests of the Vietnam war, capitalism, police brutality, mental health, and Alzheimer’s. I knew of some of these subjects before but for the ones that I did not it has given me a good place to start on my research.

3 out of 5 stars

‘Rule of Two’ Book Review

(Since this is a sequel, I am only going to give the description of the first book in the series.) Des lived a rough life, the son of a miner, that was the life destined for him; to be just like his father. Des has always dreamed of escape, to see the galaxy. He finally gets the chance when he gets into serious trouble and must go on the run. He gets sent to war; he joins the ranks of the Sith army to fight against the Republic. All his talents show in this field and the higher ups know that he is destined for far greater things as the role in the Sith empire. Des does not believe the teachings he is given at the Sith academy and goes against it all to find his on role in the galaxy.

I am stunned by this one. In the review for first installment in the series, I will leave a link below, I said that the authors know how to develop a character. In this one, absolutely not. The problem for me was that I had no connection to Zannah, whatsoever. She is the character that is getting the most page time, but I felt like her actions were random and she was one dimensional. I did not hate her, but I did not know enough about her to care. Bane is the one who carried the first book and his development in that was excellent but in this one that is just not the case.

‘Rule of Two’ is not as atmospheric as the first novel but we did get to explore some new worlds. I really liked one of the planets, it seemed to be inspired by Italy by its politics and a few other hints. We also got to see some places that anyone familiar with Star Wars would know, like Coruscant.

The writing was typical. It was fast and easy to read, I thank God for that because I do not know if I could have gotten through this book otherwise.

I really liked how this started off exactly where the previous book left off. That makes it easier for the reader to adjust and remember the events of the previous story. Again, I felt like the plot was all over the place much like the actions of the characters.

This was a disappointing read as I have loved and enjoyed all the other books that I have read from this author. Bane is the one who carried the first book and his development in that was excellent but in this one that is just not the case. ‘Rule of Two’ is not as atmospheric as the first novel but we did get to explore some new worlds. The writing was typical. I really liked how this started off exactly where the previous book left off. Nevertheless, I will continue the series and my journey of reading every Star Wars book in chronological order.

2 out 5 stars.

My review for the first book: https://izzyreads.blog/2021/05/15/path-of-destruction-book-review/

September 2021 Reading Wrap-up

In September I read 1,915 pages across five different books. It was an average reading month. One of the books I would consider great, two were good, one was average, and sadly, one was bad. I completed my to be read list so that means next month I get to read a book of my choice instead of one that was pulled out of the TBR jar. Here are my thoughts on the September books!

I really enjoyed this installment in the Stranger Things books. Max was already one of my favorite characters and this just made her feel a little bit more relatable. (I still think Robin is the character I relate to the most by the Rebel Robin podcast.) We really get to see Max develop through this story and we get to see how her relationship with Billy got to point it is at and why they are so tense with one another. The reader also gets to immerse themselves into Hawkins as that has not been done in any of the previous books, it feels like home in a way. This book was fast paced but I would not say thrilling, I almost wanted to binge read it, but I stood my ground and kept my read a book in three days going. The plot might throw some readers off, but I thought it added more to season two as we got to see it through another set of eyes.

The characters of this novel were amazing and well developed. Throughout my time reading this, I was thinking of actors who could play them in a film. (Anya Taylor-Joy for Camila, by the way). I will be thinking about them for a while. The setting was very well fitting for a story such as this one. The writing was poetic, but it dragged and seemed to go on for ages. I would really recommend this to fans of Pat Conroy. This plot was interesting, and I was wondering how it would end and what would happen, but the writing just wore it down for me. (I did the audiobook for this one).

The characters were not anything new to the genre, if you have read any other recent young adult fantasy than you are more than aware of these traits. The setting of an English manor is always one that piques my interest and if you like gothic or classic British literature then you will probably enjoy this setting. The writing was fast paced and easy to read. The plot was something new but just was not done properly, there was not enough building or foundation on the magic system. An average read.

I did enjoy this read. The characters did annoy me at times but overall, they were well written, and I can see that sometimes just committing to someone is hard for some people. I like that we did get both women’s perspectives to see what Jake was trying to choose between. I don’t think these characters were likeable, but they were real. Elin Hilderbrand can paint a beautiful setting and really immerse you into it. The writing was fast, but you never truly felt like anything was left out. I don’t think this needed to be a forbidden romance but then it wouldn’t be as exciting, would it be?

Kya is an unforgettable character, and, in a sense, we really grow with her throughout the story and become connected with the marshlands that she calls her home. In my head I can see the shack and have a perfect picture of what the marsh and the small beach community look like. This is a science and English lover’s dream of a book; beautiful writing yet that sense of biology and learning about the ecosystem. The plot is unique like our main character and had tropes that I love. There were some things that I thought were random and some lose ends that I found that did not tie together nicely but I cannot discuss that here as there would be spoilers. Overall, this was a good book to end September with and I look forward to future books that the author might release.

The overall average for the rating of the September books are a 3.5 out of 5 stars!

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‘Runaway Max’ Book Review

A somewhat prequel to Stranger Things, we will get to that, all about our favorite skater, Max. This story shows what Max’s life is like before she moves to Hawkins and then what her first months in Midwest, Indiana are like. We really get to know her more as a character as she is the main character in this novel and not a side one like on the Netflix series.

Character development is the high point of this book. If you have not seen the show then this would be irrelevant for you and I think for this installment in the books you have to see the show to enjoy the book. Max is a new side character in Stranger Things 2 but in this book she is the main character, it is at her point of view. We get to learn so much about her especially, and then her step brother, Billy. I think it would be awesome if we get more of these books that are from the point of view of side characters and during the events of the show because we get to learn their thoughts and then see what they are doing in scenes that they are not included in. I really hope we get more of these. I cannot wait to read Rebel Robin.

The previous Stranger Things books all take place outside of Hawkins in such places as Bloomington and New York City. This one actually takes places mainly in our beloved small town in Indiana. I loved that we actually got to read something in Hawkins as it just makes the book feel all the more like Stranger Things. We do get some scenes that flashback to Los Angeles and San Diego but those are necessary for the character building and I enjoyed those as well as it helps show why Billy and Max are the way that they are.

The writing in this really felt like the reader was hearing Max’s thoughts. I could truly see this being Max’s perspective. Sometimes it is hard to translate that coming from a show or movie and then making a book adaptation but the author does a fantastic job here. It was easy to read and fast paced. The chapters did get longer towards the end but it was never a hassle to get through them.

The plot is where this might fall short for some readers. This book is advertised as a prequel to Stranger Things but it’s really a few flashbacks before the fall of 1984. I would consider this a contemporary to season two as we are mainly seeing the events of season two, of the show, through Max’s eyes. This might be repetitive to readers and they might find the book as a waste of time as they had already seen these events play out.

I really enjoyed this installment in the Stranger Things books. Max was already one of my favorite characters and this just made her feel a little bit more relatable. (I still think Robin is the character I relate to the most by the Rebel Robin podcast.) We really get to see Max develop through this story and we get to see how her relationship with Billy got to point it is at and why they are so tense with one another. The reader also gets to immerse themselves into Hawkins as that has not been done in any of the previous books, it feels like home in a way. This book was fast paced but I would not say thrilling, I almost wanted to binge read it but I stood my ground and kept my read a book in three days going. The plot might throw some readers off but I thought it added more to season two as we got to see it through another set of eyes.

4 out of 5 stars.

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‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ Book Review

In 1929, Mexico, Casiopea opens a forbidden chest that resides in her grandfather’s home. Inside there is a quest that needs to be had with the help of an ancient Mayan god that Casiopea thought was only a myth. She must help this immortal being reclaim his throne or die a slow and painful death.

Casiopea is like any other young adult fantasy lead heroine. This novel is actually listed as adult on Goodreads but in my opinion it falls more into the category of YA. I started out feeling indifferent on our characters. They were average and I never felt any real connection to any of them. Casiopea was a bit wishy washy, hypocritical, but I think most girls of her age and in any decade, can be like that.

The atmosphere was one of the strong suits of ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’. I loved getting to travel all across Mexico, and a little bit of Texas, with the characters. It is a country that I know only the basics about so it was so cool getting to read about how each city varies with its culture, landscape, and overall personality. Silvia Moreno-Garcia did a great job with descriptive writing to really put you in a location rather it be our world or the underworld of the Mayan gods!

I briefly mentioned the writing in the paragraph above, the descriptions were pretty good in this book. I also like the paragraphs about Casiopea’s dreams and looking up to the stars as if they would have an answers to all of her questions about life, those paragraphs felt so hopeful and dream like.

The plot is very unique with it being Mayan gods, as we get so many books about Egyptian, Greek, and Roman gods, we also seem to be getting quite a few about Slavic mythology. I find all mythology interesting though, so I am not complaining, but seeing something set in North America is very refreshing. I think if you are a fan of Naomi Novik, you will like this novel, it has some of the similar tropes. I have seen this book labeled as a Cinderella retelling but I would take that very lightly. The plot was something new and nice to see in the fantasy market.

This plot did move along nicely as it was quite fast paced. I think the characters always being on the move in their quest was a part of making it move fast.

An average read, this was new and unique but I could not connect with the characters and found myself skimming through the paragraphs. My min wandered a lot while getting through this 334 page novel. It is more of a plot driven story than one of character development. My opinion is unpopular as many of those I follow on social media really seemed to enjoy, ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’. I would suggest still picking this book up if you are interested in the fantasy genre or into mythology.

3 out of 5 stars.

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‘Shatter the Sky’ Book Review

Maren’s girlfriend is kidnapped by the Aurati, prophets for the emperor. Maren has to do everything in her power to get Kaia back… that includes stealing a dragon. She becomes an apprentice in a faraway kingdom to one of the women that took her love. Maren uncovers all kinds of secrets about princes and empires all while trying to save Kaia from a terrible end.

The characters in this were like the characters in every other young adult fantasy novel on the shelf. Seventeen, outcast, and on a mission, that describes Maren and most fantasy heroines. In an honesty she a was a bit of a Mary Sue. This book was nothing new and I will continue to say that throughout this review.

World building was one of the pluses for this novel. The start a book really shows you how this world is and how the emperor rules with an iron fist. I just wish that there would have been a map somewhere in this book. There might be in other editions but not in the Litjoy Crate version!

The writing was not anything special. It seemed like the characters teleported a lot. Again, there was no map so I am not sure the distances of each kingdom but the characters made it seem like it would be a long way and then they would get to said location in five pages. I don’t know.

The plot has all the common tropes of the fantasy genre. Saving someone taken by evil forces, a tyrant ruler, a lost prince, the chosen one, love triangles, all of that! Everything that readers have seen and read before. It brought nothing new to the table.

I feel as though this was not intriguing for me. The moments that were supposed to be big plot twists, they didn’t wow me, I was just like ‘okay, cool.” Nothing too exciting. This has just all been done before. Lots of common tropes.

This was an average read for me. It was not bad it was just like I had already read this story before. I think if you are a fan of young adult fantasy novels, like Girls of Paper and Fire, then you might enjoy this one. I will not be picking up the second book, I think it will be very similar to this one just with some of the roles reversed.

3 out of 5 stars.

I filmed my experience reading this book, you can check that out here: SHATTER THE SKY: READING VLOG | MARCH 19 – 22, 2021 – YouTube

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‘When the Sky Fell on Splendor’ Book Review

“Just Kids. Kids, pretending to be okay in a world that wasn’t.”
Chapter Thirty-five.

Six teenagers in small town Ohio are all linked together because of a town tragedy and how it impacted each of their families. This group of kids call themselves ‘The Ordinary”. They have a rule that they won’t talk about the event that brought them all together and only do things that make them happy so they can forget all about the grief that took over the town of Splendor. The Ordinary have a Youtube channel where they post fake paranormal videos and what not but one night when they are going out to film one of their episodes, the unexpected happens. They catch video of something falling from the sky and it changes everything that they have ever known.

I was not a huge fan of these characters, even though I wanted to be. I was getting all the boys confused from the get go. They are all supposed to have quirky personality traits but I feel like you could have morphed them all into one and it would have been fine. I didn’t really like Franny, I just found her kind of annoying. There was not one exact thing that I can think of off the top of my head, I just didn’t think she was likeable. Characters get a two out of five.

“Nothing in this universe could ever be deleted, only hidden.”
Chapter Thirty-six.

The atmosphere was alright. Splendor is just like any other small and ordinary town in the United States. I feel like this had to happen in a small town though, it would not be as fun in a big city. Three out of five.

I expected more from this author to be honest with you. I have heard so many people rave about ‘Beach Read’, so I thought the writing must be great. It was an average writing style, it got the job done, nothing impressive. Some paragraphs were very nice and emotional but some paragraphs are not going to make up for a 350 page novel. Once again, a three out of five.

“How many billions of things had to happen just right to give me this ordinary life.”
Chapter Thirty-six.

This is a very interesting plot and one that is right up my alley. It is a coming of age story, check mark. Aliens, another check. Compared to Stranger Things, basically a bingo. Again, this book is just ordinary like the group of friends. I am not that all impressed by it and I feel like the plot we had going for 90% of the books just got all thrown away with the ending. I don’t think that this book was leading towards that at all. There’s so many things I could say but it would be spoilers. We will just leave a three star here.

The intrigue fell flat as well. The first half of the book was so slow. I did not know when the story would actually start happening. Then we got to that fifty percent mark and it all started happening and the pacing was great. I was making theories/predictions throughout my time reading.. I got all of them right. Yes, that is fun getting to know that I was right but also makes it boring when I knew what would would happen. 3 out of five.

My logic complaint, I do not know if this falls in the right category but we will just put it here. It’s the ending thing again, I guess it works with the grief aspect of the story but I feel like it just made the rest of the story seem pointless. I think there were some loose ends with some of the plots as well. They just were not wrapped up. 2 or 3? Let’s do a 2.5

This was an average read for me, I mean, I kind of feel like I wasted my time but it is too late to complain about that now. I feel like this book would have been good with just Franny and Remy but instead we got a whole pack of underdeveloped characters. The atmosphere was just a small town, nothing marvelous about it. The writing was like any ole book. The plot was really cool I just wish we would have got a better ending. This was an average read, nothing more to it.

The final rating for this book is a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

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‘Game Seven’ Review

Game Seven tells us the story of Julio Ramírez Jr., a teenage shortstop from Cuba. His father has already defected the country by playing in an exhibition game in Baltimore and leaving the team to get signed by the Miami Marlins. Julio is given the choice to leave Cuba like his father, to find freedom in the United States or stay in Cuba with his mother and sister. It is the hardest choice that he will ever have to make.

Let’s start out with the characters. At first, Julio really annoyed me and I felt like all he did was complain. I had to remind myself that he is sixteen years old and going through crazy life changes. That really put it into perspective for me. I think the characters in this book are greatly realistic and relatable even though they are not all likeable. I really liked Luis, Julio’s cousin, though! Characters get a four out of five.

The atmosphere was like nothing I had ever read before. It was very fascinating and different. I would give it once again a four out of five.

The writing in this novel was not anything great. First off, I am not a huge fan of first person perspective, please keep it in third person. The next thing, I felt like it was very much, “I did this and then I did that.” Just telling and not showing. The writing gets a three out of five.

A story of baseball in Cuba and how difficult it is to go from there to play in the MLB in America? The perfect plot. So many of the players we love and watch have gone through quite similar situations. I just cannot imagine being in a refugee situation. I think more people need to see how hard it is to come into this country, especially from one like Cuba. The plot makes this very much worth the read. That being said the plot gets a five out of five.

There is a downfall in this book though and that is the logic. I find it unrealistic a player around the age of forty would get a contract in MLB and be one of the great pitchers. There were a few other things but I won’t go into all of them here. The logic gets a two out of five.

Intrigue, definitely important. ‘Game Seven’, had me like most baseball series, wanting to know what was going to happen next. Maybe there was a little too much intrigue though. I was not really satisfied with the ending of the book. I think there should have been maybe another thirty to forty pages. Intrigue gets a four out of five.

I did enjoy Game Seven and I think that most fans of the game will too. However, I think you should at least be a casual fan of the sport so that you have a better understanding of what you are reading and know all the calls and positions on the diamond. What is your favorite sports book?

3.5 out of 5 stars.