Category: Review

Posted in Books, Crime, Review, Thriller

Paperboy – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Paperboy: A Dylan Tomassi Novel is the first novel in Dan Romanello’s Dylan Tomassi series. This novel covers the early years of Dylan, starting with his childhood, sliding through his high school and college years, and ending in his thirties. The author gives us a good chunk of Dylan’s life to learn about him, his friends, and his family long before the real action begins in the books.

So I’ll be honest upfront. I found the first chapter of Paperboy to be slow, and it was not till the second chapter that I started to get into the book. However, I am not one to give up on a book; even if I find the first chapter slow, I work through it to finish it. More so when it’s a review copy, an author or their managers have gone out of their way to provide. So, Paperboy does get more interesting as Dylan’s story starts to work itself out. Aside from what I felt to be a slow start, I should state that there are implied sexual situations in this novel, so if you are uncomfortable with that, you should avoid it.

Now on to some more entertaining aspects. Even beyond Dylan, the main character, the characters are well-created with personalities and responses that come off as real people. In addition, the story progression, while drawn out, is entertaining. I hope, however, that the next novel will have more excitement. Yes, I enjoyed this one enough to read the next. While I may complain about the pacing, in the end, we are given an excellent story with well-crafted characters that pull you in, even if it takes a couple of chapters to do it.

Posted in Books, Children, Review

Aqua Paws – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Aqua Paws by Patricia Allieri and Stella Maris is an adorable children’s book following Aqua Paws, the titular character, as he goes snorkeling with his turtle friend Purple Beak to explore the water below as well as pick up trash! Unfortunately, Aqua Paws runs into some trouble while he explores under the water. Like many sea animals, the poor kitty gets caught in plastic soda rings. Thankfully he’s helped by an unlikely new friend and can escape and get back to the surface! A good thing as a kitty cat can only hold its breath for so long.

This fully illustrated children’s book is the perfect length to keep small children interested in the pictures and tale. The artwork is bright and inviting, and the scary scenes are colorful enough to draw in even the most rambunctious children. Like many children’s books, the story itself is a cautionary tale describing only one instance of what can happen with human waste in the sea. While it’s unlikely to find a snorkeling kitten in the ocean, plenty of sea animals can get stuck in our trash. Auqa Paws presses on the importance of proper waste management.

At the end of the book are two additional aspects that I found beneficial. First, the author has provided us with a list of ways to safely enjoy our sea visits and instructions on how to make your own toilet paper roll crab! I might make one next time I have a loose toilet paper roll!

Posted in Books, History, Review

Race Against Time – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Sometimes I get a book to read that I think will be a cute little feel-good story that will make my miserable day feel better. With that in mind, I agreed to read and review Race Against Time by Claire Eckard and the mother and daughter team that the book covers, Natalie and Kyla Law. The book is also about a pony named Flash, but obviously, ponies do not have hands and can not write books. At least from my limited knowledge of horses, I do not believe so.

Race Against Time follows Kyla and Flash the Pony as Kyla strives to turn a cute but troubled hackney pony into a solid riding horse. In the process, she makes a best friend, and eventually, the two can take on endurance racing, which is much less racing and much more surviving on challenging horse trails. While some race aspects are involved in the sport, such as placing and trophies, the majority of it is just a sport full of super awesome people. These extraordinary people, the Laws, and their friends are wonderfully portrayed in this book as we are given details of the emotional and physical journies.

Why should you read this excellent book about the story of a young girl, her pony, and human endurance, stubbornness, and faith? Because it is a cute and sweet story that will make you feel good at the end of the day when you feel like you just slogged yourself through the Tevis cup of life. Plus, Flash is adorable in his pictures.

Posted in Books, Historical Fiction, History, Review

Empress and Solider – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

I don’t know about you, but I love a good historical fiction story. It gives me my historical fix and usually throws in a pretty entertaining story. Empress and Solider by Marian Thorpe are particularly delightful. Following a girl turned Empress and the son of a merchant turned spy, this intriguing story follows the lives of two different people from two different first-person perfectives. Seeing this ancient drama from an imperial and peasant mindset allows us to see points of view that one aspect of the wartime drama would not have allowed.

Marian Thrope gives us two points of view in Empress and Solider are those of Druisius and Eudekia. Each is a very different character who, through most of the story, has only briefly seen each other and thought of only a few times. This makes sense, however, as the lives of the two are exceptionally different. This ancient Roman-like world that Thrope has given us is a sprawling globe of other countries and people. How could two people from very different aspects of life meet anyway?

You may wonder, is this some out of their league romance story? Yes, and not but not in the way you would think. The main characters have their own lives, so avoid avoiding this book if you are worried about reading the same-old-same-old love story. If you are a fan of historical fiction in original settings, I strongly suggest you pick up this fantastic novel. I will be checking out Thrope’s other books soon!

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Review

Olly and the Spores of Oak Hill – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Olly and the Spores of Oak Hill by Glenn Somodi is one of the cutest and most exciting books I have read this year. The story follows Olly as his family moves to Oak Hill in Littleton, Massachusetts, after his grandfather’s violent and unfortunate death. Upon arrival at Littleton, Olly discovers the Spores. These tiny and adorable mushroom-like people have lived in the area for centuries and in several other locations in the country with similar names. With their mutual home at risk, Olly and the Spores band together to find ways to keep Oak Hill from becoming a mall as money-hungry people grab at the land in the small town.

Olly and the Spores of Oak Hill read a classic adolescent adventure. The story is told from the point of view of the main character Olly, a fifteen-year-old boy living in the US. Being a social outcast looking for a way to fit in with a new town and school during the years he starts high school is undoubtedly a character any awkward teen (or former awkward teen) can get behind. This awkwardness makes Olly a particularly easy-to-love character. More so as his internal monologue is remarkably realistic. Through Olly, we also meet other characters who remain equally natural in their flaws and awkwardness.

As this story takes place in a tiny town in Massachusetts centered around mythical mushroom creatures, you may wonder how well the author describes the fictional aspects alongside the factual elements. Well, Glenn Somodi’s underground Spore world is described in vivid detail. The author gives us everything from the little clothing that the spore sometimes wears, including a pair of adorable little overalls on my new favorite character, to detailed descrip[tions about the tunnels and trees the Spores live under. We are even given an elaborate ceremony about how these adorable little people reproduce.

The Spores will live in my mind for a long time. I am looking forward to the rest of their adventures. More of Olly and his family, too, but mostly more Spores, please! They are just so darn cute!

On a semi related note I love the little pictures and treats the author sent along with the book!

Posted in Books, Children, Review, Short Stories

Princess Fluffy Plumpkin Eats Pink – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Princess Fluffy Plumpkin Eats Pink, written by Chris Roy and illustrated by Nivya Kuriakose, is a cute and colorful children’s story following the adventures of Princess Fluffy as she tries to find her place in the world. This short children’s book is quick and easy to follow with super cute and bright art, which makes this children’s tale pleasant to look at as well as read.

Plumpkins are strange fuzzy creatures with soft fur. The average plumpkin has long fluffy white fur, much like a rabbit. However, Royal plumpkins have bright-colored short fur. This is why Princess Fluffy does not fit in with her family as she is a long white-furred fluffy plumpkin, hence the name Fluffy. Like many young girls, she wants to be as pretty and unique as her sisters. To do this, she goes out of her way to eat pink things to try and change her fur colors. When this fails, she is at a loss for what to do. Eventually, however, Princes Fluffy did find her way and figured out where she belonged and what she was good at. With its warm message, this adorable tale is a must-read for your child, student, or anyone else who may be exposed to small children who need entertainment.

Posted in Books, Crime, Mystery, Review, Thriller

Straight for the Kill – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Straight for the Kill by Winter Austin is a thrilling mystery in the small town of Juniper, Iowa. It stars many characters, including Shireff Elizabeth Benoit and Depyty Lila Dayne, the main characters. These two powerful female characters trudge through the complicated aspects of a cold case, suddenly becoming very hot as a similar murder turns up twenty-five years later. This complex case hits closer to home as it involved relatives of the Shireff and the Duputy family and friends. This page-turner culminates in a bloody ending that left me excited at every turn to read the finale.

Winter Austin has produced one hell of a book. Not only is the story exciting and one I found myself easily lost in, but the characters are so perfectly normal they feel real. Sure, they have been through complicated histories and a lot of violence, but their flaws and personalities make them feel they are dealing with their issues and natural ways. No one nearly gets killed and walks away from it without some kind of emotional scarring, and each of Winter Austin’s characters has plenty of it. Some hide it, and some learn to live with it, but it is there and makes them feel real.

The story itself is exciting. We learn through the various sheriff department officers what they learn as they go and how their family and friends have been tied to this dreadful crime for decades. Each hint and assumption the character makes leaves the reader wondering if what they have learned is true or if there will be some sudden twist of events in the end. Now, full disclosure, I could guess who the antagonist was. However, I had just learned how they were tied to the story at the end!

If you enjoy thrillers with strong female characters, I suggest you pick Straight for the Kill by Winter Austin. I will pick up more of Austin’s work once I have the time.

Posted in Books, Review

Standing Strong – book review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Standing Strong by Tina Brandau combines a life-changing story and a self-help book. First, Tina walks us through her accident trauma, from the almost outlandish-sounding accident of being hit by a falling tree while jogging to her recovery. While recovering from her accident, she realized some beneficial details. She used that information to create the second part of the book, which consists of several life lessons in which she explains how her damaged brain processes things and how we can apply those aspects to our lives.

Tina Brandau’s descriptions in the first half of the book stunned me. I was reading in bed beside my husband when I got to the portion where she discussed her accident. Several times I had to turn towards my husband to tell him about the woman who got hit by a tree and more or less walked away from the accident scene. Beyond having to share the story so much that I kept my husband from sleeping, I was stunned reading about every step of Tina’s recovery. The fact that she lived through this accident and retained the ability to share the information she learned with others is absolutely outstanding. Going forward to the book’s second half, we are presented with life lessons that Brandau has learned throughout her recovery. These lessons are helpful and easy to understand but challenging to master. I will be using many of them in my daily life.

I strongly suggest you pick up Standing Strong by Tina Brandau, not just for the fantastic story of survival but also for the neat life lessons.

Posted in Books, Non-fiction, Review

Two Floors Above Grief – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

When I am sent a non-fiction book, I have to consider if reviewing the tales told in it will be interesting enough to want to publish on my blog. I’ve been sent some non-fiction stories out there. This time I was okay with deciding if I wanted to review Two Floors Above Grief. The title was attention-catching. I had to know what that was about. Not many instances do you get to read about the life lived by families in funeral homes. I am sure if the need arose, I could find a funeral home willing to answer questions about their day-to-day lives, but there is something delightfully intimate about a memoir written by someone who lived it. So I was very excited to be able to sit down and read this book.

Two Floors Above Grief by Kevin M. O’Connor is an exciting visit to a man’s childhood home and the unorthodox but fascinating family he grew up around. Not only did our author grow up above a funeral home, giving him a look into a grasp at death that many a young child has a hard time understanding, but he also had a combined family of relatives. Our author’s uncle owns the funeral home, and his father helps run it. This resulted in two households living in the apartments above the funeral home and creating a family of four parents and various offspring, as the author refers to himself, his brothers, and his cousins. Creating a complex living environment where he could learn from all four parents.

The family history of O’Conner’s family and the funeral home is told in memories and letters that were saved throughout his life. This allows us to see these reminiscences from not just the author’s memory but also from the letters sent and received before and after the events resulting in a colorful tapestry of family history. The multiple views allow us to better grasp what life for a funeral home family was like for those living in the household and their relatives. If you are interested in memories, I suggest you pick up this family’s tale.

Posted in Books, Review

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway- Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice is an entertaining adventure following three siblings traveling to Florida to collect their inheritance. The catch? This inheritance comes from a mother they did not know they had! Along the way, they are given the sad tale of their mother and the trauma she went through before deciding to give them up. The only way I can sum up this novel is by saying that Allyson Rice has given us one hell of an adventure, mixing dramatic trauma events with fantastic humor that makes every page of this book exciting.

Only a few books easily mix two extremes of drama and humor. The book almost feels like a movie with its emotional ups and downs and the various plots that all come together in a theatrical climax. However, despite the often silly humor and circumstances, the characters in this story are genuine and entirely relatable. If you have ever had a disgruntled family relationship, you will undoubtedly understand once you pick up this book. The conversations and jokes made between family members could happen, even if some of the events are exaggerated for entertainment.

Now this book takes place in the modern-day United States, though the author still took part in some exciting worldbuilding by giving us exciting homes, shops, and side characters. Even these side characters feel exciting to learn about as Rice gives us humorous introductions to each one. While, for the most part, these paragraphs of amusing tidbits have nothing to do with the story, they certainly keep the fun aspects of the story going, even as particularly dark subjects come up.

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway is a must-read if you want a book that stands out. I will be rereading it as soon as I have time.