The Belles

jacqui_monet
February 15, 2019

Title: The Belles

Author: Dhonielle Clayton

Series: The Belles, number 1

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age/ Fantasy

Pages: 434

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like any novel, the first few chapters took a couple of days to move through. The world created by Ms. Clayton is very detailed and because of the concept of it is so fresh and unique, it took a moment for me to find my bearings, get a good grasp on the rules and understand the lingo. But, honestly, it doesn’t take long to hit your stride.

The characters are well thought out and in a world where changing your entire out appearance and your demeanor can take place in an hour, no one is who they seem to be. The settings and their descriptions are so lush but in a way that distracts from the action.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the second book when it comes out and as it’s published by FreeForm (an imprint of Disney Books), I would love to see this on television in the future.

Ratings

Plot: 4/5          Characters: 4/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Bonus!

The Invisible Library Book Review

jacqui_monet
July 15, 2016

Cogman_The-Invisible-Library

Title: The Invisible Library

Author: Genevieve Cogman

Series: The Invisible Library (book 1)

Genre: Sci-Fi; Steampunk; Fantasy

Pages: 351

Review:

I obtained this book as a part of some swag that I received at Phoenix Comiccon this year. I was totally drawn to this book and it was the first one that, based on the blurb on the on the back, I just had to read. The book is about a Librarian named Irene and her new trainee Kai. The pair must locate a book that was owned by a vampire and then stolen when he was beheaded. Unfortunately for them, they aren’t the only ones trying to recover the book. To make matters worse an evil Former-Librarian is on the loose and in the area.

This book contains elements of steampunk, Fae and magic and some supernatural stuff thrown in for good measure. The writing is decent if not a little dry but there is some excellent world building going on and considering that this is a series, it will be exciting to see what comes next for the Librarians.

Ok. So, if you have been following me on social media you know that I’ve been reading this book for what feels like years. Okay, it’s only been a couple of weeks but it feels like forever. I normally read books in days despite their high page count. This book though, was a struggle. It dragged. There would some interesting action going on and then it would drag… again. Getting through it was rough. I’m sure it won’t be that way for everyone. This book and I just didn’t click. Maybe I’ll reread it again in a few years or maybe I’ll just give it way for someone else to enjoy. Oh, well, there are other books out there for me to love.

 

Check out the first few pages of audio below:

PCC Day 2

jacqui_monet
June 4, 2016

Today was pretty fun. I took The Niece for the first time to have one of our many bonding excursions. We saw movie cars like Lighting McQueen and the Mystery Machine. We also sat in on a panel about one of my favorite shows Eureka (Syfy Channel), which was fun although not as lively as the panel I sat on yesterday. This was not the fault of the panelists though, it was just a very different crowd.

Today I got the chance to meet an author whose work I have really enjoyed over the past few years: Frank Beddor! What?!  The author of The Looking Glass Wars and all that has since followed. It’s a pretty cool series, so if you are into Alice in Wonderland, steampunk, revenge, intrigue, love and awesome action sequences, check it out!

Also, I was dressed up as Miyuki the mechanic from the anime Basquash. Frank Beddor touched my jacket and said it was soft and fancy. I didn’t squeal in delight, but sadly I did smile way too big when we took a picture together. But, whatever. Who cares?! See you at con. <3

IMG_4414
Me and Frank Beddor.
Suede jacket by Tia Hawkes.
Suede jacket by Tia Hawkes.