Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Kawaii Birdies: Learn to Draw 80 Adorable Feathered Friends by Jen Budrock

 
Kawaii Birdies: Learn to Draw 80 Adorable Feathered Friends by Jen Budrock
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Rock Point through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a huge fan of Jen’s artwork after following them on their Instagram, Birdhism, a while ago. I was very excited to get an advanced copy of this book, and I will definitely be buying a copy when it’s released! Inside, you will find a little about Jen and their bird activism as well as what kawaii means. Then there’s a section on tools before you get to a great note on what this book is for. I love that they encourage their readers to continue drawing even when their abilities don’t meet their personal expectations. It’s great that so many artists are encouraging their readers to keep trying and remind everyone that drawing is a skill that takes time to level up.

Rather than the tutorials going from easy to hard, they are set up in the following sections: old world, new world, domestic, and wild birds. Then we get to drawing bird poses, which made me want to try drawing various birds sleeping on various things. I love that there’s tutorials on how to draw the birds with so many different objects, such as boxes and surfboards. It really helps artists of all levels see how important basic shapes play into drawing, especially circles, which is a basic shape used to start sketching out just about everything one might want to draw.

This was an excellent book for people of all ages that’s cute, fun, and encouraging. I also love that there are a few pages for drawing that have encouraging birds in the corners. It’s such a nice touch. Plus, there’s few coloring pages at the very end, which is exciting for anyone who likes coloring books. It’s such a great book that may bring more attention to this wonderful artist.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The Beautiful (The Beautiful Quartet #1) by Renée Ahdieh

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
My Rating: ★★★

It’s 1872, and Celine Rousseau has just arrived in New Orleans to start a new life. After fleeing Paris, she’s hoping she can keep afloat in a place where no one knows who she is or what she’s done. Unfortunately, there’s a supernatural entity hellbent on taking her life, and it’s throwing a wrench in her plans. The longer Celine toes the line in her new life, the more she wonders who cares if her past catches up if she turns up dead first.

I received a sampler from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley, which had some of the early chapters. When I got to the last chapter in the sampler, I was already so drawn into the story that I went ahead and picked up the book. We follow four different characters through their rotating perspectives: Celine, Bastien, and two mystery characters. The chapters following the two mystery men were a bit confusing at first, but once I realized it was two different characters, it was easy to get into the story. After a while, I figured out who one of the people was, but the other one came out of left field. I liked that surprise!

The pacing was pretty slow, but it was worth it. I think part of the problem is that I couldn’t understand why we needed four perspectives instead of one. Celine’s perspective was the most well developed and it was clear she was the main protagonist from the start. Meanwhile, the longer we followed Bastien, the more we failed to learn a whole lot. La Cour des Lions is deeply shrouded in mystery and he never shows us why he’s mysterious and devilish. He’s constantly being described as being devilish and the Lucifer in town, but we never once see anything that makes him live up to that name. Even when he’s supposed to be showing us his entire hand of cards, there was never actually anything there.

That said, I did really enjoy the book. There’s a vampire murder mystery that surrounds Celine, but the mystery isn’t the core of the story. That’s just how she finds herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the supernatural world. From the way she seems to be a supernatural entity without having discovered it yet, I fully expect her to eventually discover that she has her own supernatural abilities. I mean, we already have vampires and werewolves! Otherwise, I don’t know how the overall series will hold together for me.

There’s also an excellent cast of characters. I particularly liked following Celine and Pippa. I really liked how Pippa was the only one who actually sees Celine as who she really is. She also knows that when she acts untouchable and unbothered, that’s Celine’s ego as well as a mask even to herself. Bastien could be a cool character, but he seems to be a mostly generic so-called bad boy, and his friendships alway appear to be out of a sense of duty to his uncle. His uncle is actually the most interesting character in the story, which makes me wish this was a series where we follow a different character in each book. There’s also the detective and his family, who I really liked and hope to see a lot more of. Nonna was the best, so it’d be great if we got to see her again.

Overall, this was a great read. It was pretty light on the paranormal front at times, but I enjoyed following Celine’s story. I do think that having four perspectives is a bit much, and the romance is built purely on lust, but the story has a lot going for it and I’m excited to check out the next book. I hope to see the other plotlines improve since it looked like the story wasn’t supposed to be Celine’s story with the occasional view from two different vampires and some of their background stories coming through. It seemed like Bastien and the other characters were supposed to be more significant rather than just players in Celine’s story, so I hope to see things on this front improve with the next book.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Hello Kitty Crochet: Supercute Amigurumi Patterns for Sanrio Friends by Mei Li Lee, Sanrio

Hello Kitty Crochet: Supercute Amigurumi Patterns for Sanrio Friends by Mei Li Lee, Sanrio
My Rating: ★★★★★

If you’re looking for Sanrio crochet patterns, then this is the book for you! Inside you will find 24 patterns along with a small section of basic amigurumi parts that aren’t specific to any of the patterns. There is also a section on basic supplies, optional supplies, and techniques that will make things go smoother!

While the patterns are beginner friendly, the book is not written for beginners, so there isn’t a comprehensive how-to guide. However, the book also doesn’t state it’s for people learning to crochet. I do think it’s beginner friendly, though, so anyone learning to crochet with this book would need to look at other sources to learn the stitches and basic techniques to make it work. Overall, I really like the book and am excited to get crocheting!

Monday, March 18, 2024

Out There by Seaerra Miller

 
Out There by Seaerra Miller
My Rating: ★★★★★

When Julia’s dad was abducted by aliens, everything changed. He became obsessed with needing to know why they chose him and what their message means. Julia wasn’t always a believer, but why would her dad lie? The alien abduction may have been the final straw for her parent’s marriage, but it only made her relationship with her dad stronger. It’s why she’s excited to attend a UFO festival in Roswell, New Mexico. Julia’s mom isn’t happy about it, and neither is her best friend, but Julia is all for it. She’ll finally get to learn more about aliens, but the longer she’s in Roswell, the more things aren’t adding up. What if her dad wasn’t really abducted by aliens? What does this mean for them?

This was an absolutely wonderful read. We follow Julia as she discovers that her dad isn’t perfect. In fact, he’s only human! We spend a lot of time with Julia and her father, David. What’s important here is that David believes that he was abducted by aliens, and it’s changed his life. It was the final straw in his relationship with Julia’s mom, and he went from a reliable job to struggling to make ends meet. While so much in his life has changed, he and Julia have continued to have a solid relationship. They truly care about each other, but Julia is also at that age where she starts to learn that her parents aren’t perfect. They’re just like us!

We watch Julia struggle with balancing the belief in UFOs with her friends. She turned down a vacation to Hawaii and sees her friend poke fun at her dad and how he believes he was abducted by aliens. She also makes a new friend whose parents are also believers, but he is not! I actually really liked her new friend, Josh. I understand why he’s irritated that his parents are such believers, but he slowly comes around as he and Julia slowly become friends. I like that they become each other’s support system as the kids of people that others find strange thanks to their alien abduction stories.

One of the things I loved about this book is that we get to see Julia come around when she starts to realize that things aren’t adding up. The details of her dad’s abduction don’t fully make sense, and he seems to be adding new details as time goes on. However, she also sees that he truly believes he was abducted by aliens. While the UFO festival isn’t what she thought it was going to be, it does turn out to be an excellent bonding experience for her and her dad, and I love that.

Lights (Sheets #3) by Brenna Thummler

 
Lights by Brenna Thummler
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Oni Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since Majorie met Wendell, he’s been a bright light in her life. He’s been her best friend, and even became friends with her new friend from school, Eliza. The three of them have been close friends ever since, but as Majorie and Eliza get closer to entering high school, things are starting to change. Majorie and Eliza’s friendship is put to the test when Eliza rekindles old friendships, and Wendell is determined to find out who he was and why he died. The three of them now face being torn apart or becoming closer than ever.

In what seems like the final book in the series, we focus primarily on friendships as the human and ghostly trio search for who Wendall was when he was alive. This time around, we get to see what friendships Wendall has as he slowly remembers things from his past. They come back to him in bits and pieces, and aren’t always what they appear to be, but it helps Majorie and Eliza figure out where to look.

I really liked getting to learn about Wendall’s past as he slowly remembers things and tries to figure out who he remembers from his life. It was so interesting to see where his memories took us and figuring out how the living characters we meet along the way fits into that. It was exciting to see that Majorie, Eliza, and Wendell each got a book that focuses on them and their healing. Wendall has been one of the more interesting characters due to the fact that he’s a ghost and doesn’t remember who he was and where his family is, so it was really nice to see him finally get answers and have that mystery completed.

I loved seeing Majorie and Eliza again, and it was great to see how their friendship continued to grow after the previous book. Eliza accidentally ends up with two ex-friends thrown back in her life, and it was nice to see how some supporting characters experienced character growth off the pages. Unfortunately, it does shake things up between Majorie and Eliza, but I loved seeing how they both figure out how to work through things because even friends can experience problems with their relationship.

All in all, this was a sad but wonderful read. The artwork was beautiful as always and really aided in telling the story through color palette alone. The way the book ended, I really think this is the final book in the series, and I can’t picture how the story would continue after this anyway. I think these characters are continuing to heal and find new ways to enjoy life again off the pages and can picture them going on to lead happy lives (or afterlives).

Monday, March 11, 2024

The Expectant Detectives (The Expectant Detectives #1) by Kat Ailes

 
The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Minotaur Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Alice and Joe moved to Penton, they thought it’d be simpler, cozier, and cheaper than the life they left in London. The couple knew they were crazy for moving so close to the birth of their first child together, but they didn’t expect the move to be the least crazy thing happening in their lives. Now Alice has a murder mystery on her hands, a moody partner who is hiding something, and a group of new friends who may or may not even like her. At least it’s keeping Alice busy because she’s been bored out of her mind since she started her maternity leave!

When I picked up this book, I was not expecting it to fill the void that Maddy Hunter left when she retired from publishing. I’ve been missing her Passport to Peril series for sometime and Kat’s writing reminds me of that series. We’ve got Alice, who is interested in investigating not only because she was questioned as a potential suspect, but also because she’s bored and missing the friends she left behind in London. Then there’s several interesting to odd characters, a bunch of off the wall shenanigans, and a group of pregnant women putting two and two together only to find they were totally off the mark. It’s a hilarious book from start to finish and I love that the characters are funny and the investigating isn’t the best, which I find realistic.

I appreciate the focus on how daunting and even difficult it can be to make new friends as an adult. Alice and Joe just moved to a new city and they don’t know anyone there. While it was funny to see how their different attempts at making friends went, it was really nice to see characters who didn’t instantly befriend everyone they met. Speaking of new friends, I really liked Poppy and Ailsa, though I’m not sure I would say Ailsa is a friend of Alice’s yet. That said, they are excellent characters, so I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more of them in the next book. I really liked Ailsa’s grandma as well, and I hope we see more of her, especially since it seemed like the bare bones of a future book was set up when we met her.

If you’re looking for a hilarious laugh out loud read, then this is the book for you! I found myself laughing so many times while reading the majority of the chapters. I love Alice’s dog, Helen, who is one of those dogs that gets into anything and everything. She’s a sweet doggy, and I guess she accidentally did a little of her own investigating along the way and was thankfully safe after all was said and done!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet #3) by Julia Quinn

 
The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
My Rating: ★★★★

Hugh Prentice’s life turned upside down the second a duel went awry. He doesn’t hold anyone but himself responsible for it, but his leg has made life difficult for him ever since. He knows that no woman will ever want him, not that he has plans to marry. It would certainly put a damper on the deal he made with his dad to keep Daniel Smythe-Smith alive and well. Now that Hugh is attending two weddings back to back, he finds himself spending a lot of time with Daniel’s cousin, Sarah. The pair irritate the living daylights out of each other, but it’s nothing compared to the lust that’s quickly filling in. Too bad Hugh knows that someone of Sarah’s status would never want him… at least, that’s what he believes.

I’ve been enjoying this series, and I thought Hugh was an interesting character in the previous book, so of course I was excited to read this. This time around, we follow Hugh and Sarah though through their rotating perspectives as they go from hating each other to falling in love. I found Sarah to be extremely irritating in the early chapters, but things picked up and everything started to fall into place. I ultimately really liked Sarah!

I particularly enjoyed all the hilarious antics between the Smythe-Smiths that would probably drive some people nuts, but I loved it. The younger Smythe-Smiths remind me of my childhood and running around with my brothers and cousins. Julia really has sibling and cousin relationships nailed down perfectly! Anyone who knows me knows that I love reading excellently written friendships, so I always enjoy seeing the friendships between the Smythe-Smiths, even when they’re irritating each other.

Of course, Hugh and Sarah are the stars of this book, and they were so much fun to follow. While I thought Sarah was rather irritating in the early chapters, things fell into place and I really enjoyed following her. I found the romance between her and Hugh to be believable, and it was fun watching them slowly fall for each other and then realize that’s what was happening. I do think that Sarah was a little out of character at one point toward the end of the book, and it’s a pretty major scene too, but I think I can live with that.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this. It was a good mixture of hilarious, soft, and sometimes sad. The characters were excellent, so I’m interested in continuing to see where the series goes from here.