The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite

 
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

My Rating: ★★★★

When the blindsided and heartbroken Lucy Muchelney is forced to watch her ex-girlfriend marry a sweet man that even she can’t hate, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. The only thing Lucy knows she can turn to is science. When she receives a letter asking if she knows of anyone who can translate a French astronomy publication, Lucy knows exactly who is up to the job: herself. She packs her bags and takes off to London to surprise Catherine St Day, the Countess of Moth, in hopes of translating the texts and entering the science world under her own name. What Lucy finds is that her fellow scientists are not accepting of her sex. On the bright side, she has found a new friend, confidant, and supporter in Catherine that’s lingering on the edge of something more.

After reading the third book in the series, I knew I had to start this series from the beginning. However, one can read the books in whatever order they wish because they each act as a standalone with a different storyline and cast of characters. I have to say that the first installment was absolutely spectacular. We follow Lucy, who is being pressured by her brother to give up astronomy and get married. He even wants to sell off her telescope even though it won’t bring much money in. Of course, Lucy is an astronomer and refuses to give up science due to her sex, so she fights like hell to get recognized as a scientist. This is the main plot, but if you want to roll up for the romance, it follows very closely behind the main plot.

Since I read the third book already, I knew that Lucy and Catherine would get together and fight their way over any hurdles that came their way. Knowing this beforehand did not take anything away from the book. If anything, I went in knowing that I was about to be treated to a great romance written with care and a hot, romantic flame. These two characters had such great chemistry on a friendly and romantic front that I was excited about watching their relationship develop very early on.

Since Lucy is an astronomer, the science plot was heavy handed. If reading about astronomy or any kind of science talk is not your thing, this may not be your cup of tea, but I think that one can overlook this in favor of the great cast of characters along with a wonderful romance story. I do think that each of the plots were interesting to follow, though I can’t say how realistic the actual science talk is since astronomy is not my area. That said, I did think it was interesting to read and see how Catherine was incorporated into the science world through art and love.

Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural by Marc Hartzman

 
Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural by Marc Hartzman
My Rating: ★★★

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

If you’re interested in learning some supernatural history, then this book is for you! While I was familiar with a lot of the information covered in this book, I did learn some new things. I was also familiar with the rise of Spiritualism, but not to the extent that it’s covered here, so that was quite interesting to read about. I found that this was well researched and covered quite a bit of information that those new to diving into some of the history of the supernatural.

That said, I do think that this book is very dry and comes off as a textbook. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if this is something you’d like to avoid, then I recommend passing on this. Otherwise, I think it’s a great book that covers a lot of information and make great reads for those seasoned and new to all things paranormal.

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo
My Rating: ★★★★★

Just when Twilight thinks he only needs to focus on getting Anya closer to his target’s son, he’s now faced with proving he’s the perfect suiter for Yor when her younger brother enters the picture. Meanwhile, Anya has her own problems to deal with at school. It’s impossible to get to the position Twilight needs her to be in when she’s failing most of her classes and Damian is too insufferable to befriend. Things seem to be looking up when she hears a rumor that doing well in PE can earn her a stella star. The only problem? She has to survive a difficult game of dodge ball.

I absolutely love this series. Just when I think it can’t get any funnier, Twilight and Yor are faced with proving to her younger brother that they’re in love. It was interesting to see the personality traits that Yor shares with Yuri down to hiding a huge secret. It’s even funnier to see him facing off with Twilight, who is much better at being undercover than Yuri is at keeping a very light cover story. The entire meeting had me in stitches, especially when it turned out that Yor and Yuri both black out after consuming any alcohol.

It was also interesting to see Anya figure out how to use her ability to read minds to aid her in doing well in a game of dodgeball. I was surprised about how the game ended, but I was not surprised about the ultimate results. I also really enjoyed reading the side mission where Anya works to help Yor without her new mom even being aware of it. It was such a cute and fun side story that I hope to see more of them as the series continues.

All in all, this volume is another winner. I was glued from the moment I opened the book and am interested in seeing how more new characters will be introduced and woven into the story.

The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon #3) by Kay O'Neill

 
The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O'Neill
My Rating: ★★★★★

After caring for Ginseng for a year, Greta hasn’t been able to find a way to help ease their grief. Feeling like a failure, she looks within to find a way to let Ginseng know that she’s there whenever they’re ready as she prepares to create something amazing to impress a blacksmith interested in taking her on as their apprentice. Meanwhile, Minette is haunted by dreams that make her realize that she’s mourning the person she used to be. The more confused she is, the more she realizes that she’s proud about her current journey and that her past isn’t a waste. Together, Greta and Minette prepare to plant roots and grow into their paths with old and new friends.

I love the artwork, stories, and care put into each and every aspect of the series, so I was both happy and sad to pick up the final installment. This time around, we are back to following Greta and Minette from the first book. Greta has really come into her own and is focused on blacksmithing, caring for Ginseng, and spending times with friends and family. I love that she’s getting the chance to possibly become the apprentice of a well-known blacksmith. Through her work, he’s learning to love his craft in new ways numb for a long time. It was here that I realized this installment is about healing, learning to lean on the people around you when needed, and finding new and old things that make you happy.

At the end, we get an article on tea dragons. It gives me a little hope that, should Kay O'Neill decide to continue this series through prequels or spin-offs, there’s a lot she could do that involves tea dragons or other types of dragons. There was so much love put into these three books that I’m also okay if this is where it ends. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing what Kay comes up with next because they have such a powerful way with words and artwork.

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from William Morrow through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After escaping Liberty Lake thanks to a scholarship, Mary almost had it all. She lost weight, was close to graduating from an Ivy League, had many friends, and had no plans to return to the city escaped. Then she finally let out all the anger she’d been keeping in, leading to her expulsion. Mary finds herself back in Liberty Lake with student loans breathing down her neck as she works a minimum wage job when her former childhood friend, Olivia, goes missing. With nothing better to do, Mary finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed with the case, especially when she becomes convinced that there’s a serial killer involved.

Narrated by Mary, we follow her from the moment her dad arrives to help her move out of her dorm room. Lonely, angry, depressed, and ashamed, she doesn’t tell anyone the real reason she’s not at school. Not even her best friend. We spend a lot of time in her head learning why she’s angry and depressed. The more we get to know Mary, the more it becomes apparent that she has had anger issues for a long time and is obsessed with fitting with her peers while being better than them. She’s not a likable character, but she is interesting to follow as she continues to stick her foot dog poop everywhere she goes.

For someone who doesn’t want to call attention to herself or get involved in what’s going on, Mary sure does like to play amateur sleuth. It was interesting to see her make a connection between DeMaria Jackson’s murder and Olivia’s disappearance before anyone else did. However, Mary does call attention to herself a lot more than she thinks she did, and she certainly made life very bad for a character who wasn’t involved in the murders. I think the fact that she’s far from being a detective and makes mistakes left and right is realistic, but I do think that the extent of her investigation does require readers to suspend belief as the story continues.

All in all, I think it’s a great story. I also like that it has an open ending, but that there’s enough information that I know exactly what happened to Mary after the final chapter. I’m excited to see what Catherine Dang publishes next because she had me glued to every page of this book.

Riley's Ghost by John David Anderson

 
Riley's Ghost by John David Anderson
My Rating: ★

I received a copy from HarperCollins Children's Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ditched by her best friend, Emily, Riley Flynn is a lonely middle schooler who is bullied by the cool kids at school. When Riley gets targeted in science, it quickly goes south, leading her to face off with Emily and her new friends. Just when her day can’t get any worse, Riley finds herself locked in the science closet and left in the hands of the ghosts of her middle school.

We follow Riley, a lonely girl who goes back and forth between battling her hot temper and facing off with the kids who target her at school. I think the book perfectly captures how horrible middle school can be, especially when you don’t fit in with part or most of your peers. Everyone wants to be different, but those who are different get singled out, and that’s where Riley finds herself.

Locked in the science closet, Riley finds herself at the hands of the school ghosts. She meets Max, a ghost possessing one of the frogs being dissected in class, who just wants to escape the school. If he helps Riley, then she can help him finally be free of the hold the school has on him. The only problem is that the school is full of the ghosts who were once the bullies in Max’s class, and they’re all facing off against one ghost: Heather.

I think this book has an interesting concept, but we spent so much time bouncing around Riley’s memories leading up to the present that it honestly seemed like we were going to find out that Riley was a ghost all along. It would’ve been great if it turned out that Riley was Heather, and that she had no idea that she had been dead for many years, but that wasn’t the case. 

It also seems like the overall message is to forgive your bullies rather than holding onto all the hurt they caused. While that’s a nice sentiment, we see the process jump from A to Z by the time the book is over. I just wish that we got to see more of the process of healing for Riley to get to the point of being willing to forgive and let it all slide. We see that process begin for her, but the process is expedited once she learns what happened among the ghosts and that’s not a realistic example for readers who are currently being bullied.

Overall, I think this is an interesting concept, but I’m not sure about the message for readers. This turned out to not be my cup of tea, but I think young readers who enjoy ghost stories will likely enjoy it.

Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur

 
Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Clarion Books/HMH Children's Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dani and Dorian, twins, are excited to start the new school year. There’s just one problem: they missed the bus, and the location of the magic school is top secret. Instead of going home, they decide to stay with their aunt and have her teach them magic all year. Things seem to be going well with their aunt until things take a turn for the worse when they get dubbed as traitors to all witches. Hunted and on the run, they find themselves studying under a soothsayer and befriending non-magical folk their parents always forbade them from being in contact with. With the help of their new friends, can their clear their names and see their family again?

When I picked this up, I was expecting a cute story about witches. What I didn’t expect is that the characters would be so well developed that I was sad when I reached the final chapter. Initially, we follow Dani and Dorian as they find themselves in a bit of a pickle in the magic community. As the story continues, more characters join them, so we also follow a princess, an orphan, and a popular boy in town. Their personalities clash, but they quickly grow to become close friends running headfirst into adventure after adventure.

One of the things that I love about the story is that none of the characters are perfect. We watch each of these characters struggle with their insecurities and focus on their flaws rather than the good. As the story progresses, we watch them form a strong bond and begin to focus on their strengths. We also see them start to realize that they’re stronger as a team, so they need to stop trying to leave each other behind. I loved watching how each of them developed as characters and the messages it sends to young readers.

All in all, this was a truly magical read. I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other works in addition to seeing more of their beautiful artwork.

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

 
Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

My Rating: ★★★★★

After just barely scraping by the interview process, Twilight thinks his problems are finally over. Anya got into Eden Academy, so the rest of the mission should be a breeze… right? He quickly learns that the real challenge is getting Anya to either befriend his target’s son, Damian, or become an exemplary student. Twilight’s first plan flies out the window when it turns out that his target’s son is a bully who is about to learn that the daughter of a spy and an assassin is a force to be reckoned with.

I’m so glad that I picked this series up because it is absolutely hilarious. Just when Twilight, Anya, and Yor think they can breathe a sigh of relief, event after event shows them that they need to be quick on their toes. Each task they’re faced with leads to a series of events that are hilarious. I particularly loved how Anya dealt with mean kids at school thanks to Yor. The smile that she was giving her bullies was funny while also working in her favor. I’m interested in seeing how that storyline develops, especially now that she’s made herself a good friend.

I’m loving watching these characters bond in a way none of them expected. Watching Twilight discover the joys and stresses of parenthood is both adorable and hilarious. I’m excited to see Anya and Yor bonding now that they’re spending more time together. It’s also neat to see other spies making an appearance and seeing Anya end up with a big spy family. I love that these volumes are so funny while also letting us see how this found family was formed while giving us a glimpse at how strong their bonds will become.