Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Córdova

Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova

My Rating: ★★★★

Lula is struggling with the aftermath of her sister, Alex, attempted to get rid of her magic and accidentally banished her entire family from the mortal world instead. Left with facial scars and a fear of noises and shadows, Lula has become bitter and very unlike herself. She still has the love of her life, Maks, in her life… or so she thought. She and Maks become two victims of a terrible bus crash that kills nearly everyone on the bus. Lula survives, but Maks is left in a coma marked for Death herself, but Lula has other plans. Defying the rules of magic and the balance between life and death, she defies Death by bringing Maks back to life with a terrible cost.

I absolutely love the first book in the series, so I was extremely excited when I finally picked up the second one. I love the characters, the story, and the world they live in. One of the most notable differences between the first and the second book is that they’re narrated by different sisters. The first book was narrated by Alex, and now we’re following her sister Lula as she struggles with the events of the first book. She struggles a lot with the physical scars that she’s been left with and talks a lot about how she was always considered very beautiful and now she has scars across her face. This certainly does not help with the emotional aftermath.

One of the things I love about this book is the unconventional take on zombies. Maks and the other characters that are dead are anchored to the living world by Lula, which begins with memory loss and an insatiable hunger for human hearts. We watch Lula and her sisters struggle to figure out how to end it, and Lula battle with her heart and reality as Maks regains his memory and becomes more and more vicious. These aren’t the average take on zombies, so it was interesting to see the zombies struggle with what they are and eventually embrace it, becoming less like their former selves.

The story itself lost me a little somewhere around the middle, but it picked up soon after. Of course, the middle was when it seemed most apparent that the three sisters would’ve agreed to confess to their parents because it was clearly starting to get out of hand. It just got repetitive and a little petty around the middle, which really took me out of the story until it got back into the swing of things. I did love the variety of new characters that we met, including a friendly vampire who doesn’t take anyone’s crap among other characters and supernatural beings.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series and see what happens as we follow Rose. Hopefully Rose doesn’t make the same accidental mistake as her two sisters did, but we’ll see! Either way, I know we’re in for another great book.

Deep Cosmos by Project Kyle

Deep Cosmos by Project Kyle

My Rating: ★★

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

David, aka Nerd, hides behind a mask after a serial killer paid to have David take the blame for his crimes. As Nerd, he’s dree to be a space explorer who takes on missions that can and will save others but he’s willing to throw caution to the wind to save a young warrior, Sophia, targeted by the man whose crimes he’s been forced to take the blame for. Once he’s in the clear, he and Sophia tango with the madman once again and end up with another crew member, a space hoodlum named Henry, and take on a new mission pitting them against one of the most dangerous man in the galaxy.

The premise of this book sounded interesting so I knew I had to read it. There’s so much action that there’s never a dull moment. If you don’t like something, it’ll probably be done with soon unless it’s one of the main plot points. Nerd and his crew are constantly on the go and just when things seem to be getting boring, they’re on the run for their lives all over again. This book has some pretty interesting characters and worlds and it reads a bit like an action movie. Something is always going down and someone always needs saving.

I will say that it was rather confusing for a good bit. The action makes up for the lack of world building in the opening, but I do feel like I started on a second or third book because the world that these characters live in aren’t introduced in a way that tells me about how this world works. There are major events that are referenced like it was a major plot point in a past book. Unfortunately, the confusion that occurs in the first few chapters continues to crop up again and again as the story continues because the world building is lacking. I think that there is a lot of potential here and that it just needs some extra work to get it to what it could be.

I like the characters, but I do wish that there was more character development. It seemed like a lot of what we learn about these characters come from observations from other characters. There are also a few moments where the main three characters that we follow have some out of character experiences, but I’m not sure if it’s one of those things that it could be in character but I simply don’t know enough about them for these moments to make sense.

Like I said, there is a lot of potential here and I could see this book making an excellent movie or mini-series. It just needs some extra attention paid to world building and character development.

Are u ok?: A Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health by Kati Morton

Are u ok?: A Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health by Kati Morton

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Perseus Books, Da Capo Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Taking care of your mental health sounds scary, but it’s important to take care of yourself and Kati Morton breaks down the what and why of mental health and therapy. She also takes a bit of the fear out of going to therapy. I know I’ve been on the fence about seeing a therapist and she took a lot of the fear out of that with her book, which is, in part, why this book exists.

Everyone struggles with mental health issues and there’s a societal stigma against taking care of our mental health compared to our physical health. Morton talks a bit about this and why it’s important to take care of our mental health. Not only is it a part of us and our body, but it can also physically affect us depending on what’s going on. She also explains the different parts of treating mental health and what each practitioner in the field does, such as the different between a therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist.

One of the things that I like about the book is that it helps take some of the unknown out of seeking treatment. What does a first appointment with a therapist generally look like? What should one look for in a therapist? How does one look for a therapist? There’s explanations and answers to questions that I didn’t even think about, such as deciding on what to look for in a therapist based on one’s comfort level and how to figure out what type of person one wants to see. The information she shared will help others know what to expect and what to look for.

I found Morton to have a very positive personality through her writing, which makes it easier to digest the information she shares and take some of the fear out of imagining what a therapist might be like. It took me back to college because it was a combination of important information as well as relatable information and examples. I felt like I was sitting through a lecture with a cool professor with my text book propped open next to my notebook. It wasn’t scary, the information is valuable and useful, and there’s some technical information.

All in all, I highly recommend this book for people who want to learn a little more about treating mental health and for people who are on the fence about seeking treatment. Morton shares so much information in a way that isn’t overwhelming while also making her readers feel comfortable. There’s a lot of fear around mental health as well as seeking treatment, especially when one doesn’t know what seeking treatment will look like or has no idea what seeing a therapist or anyone in the field will look like because it’s just not talked about most of the time. This is a book I’ll refer back to as I step out of my comfort zone and seek a therapist and I think it can help many people whether or not they read it for themselves or someone else.