And The Blended Blog Book Club Reviews

Hello friends! I’m back again with what I’ve been reading lately. Want to see what I read in the first part of February? Go here. Yes I read 12 books in February (well, actually since Jan. 26). Half of the books I’ve read recently were actually for The Blended Blog Book Club. So if you are coming from Lana at My New Happy, welcome! After you are done here, be sure to head over to Sheila at Making the Most of Everyday. If you are interested in joining our virtual book club for March, you can sign up right here! Now lets get to the books!

What I’ve been reading lately

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: This was my pick for the book club and it didn’t disappoint. It is set in a world where some people are born with the ability to control the earth and can stop earthquakes and the like. Which is a good thing because the world is very active in terms of tectonics (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc). So much so that every so often there is a Fifth Season, which is when something really bad happens (like a huge earthquake or volcano erupts) that causes weather patterns to change and civilization hunkers down and hopes to survive. However, Orogenes (people able to control the earth) are pretty much treated as fancy slaves. Because Seasons are sometimes caused by Orogenes going crazy. This book follows three disparate storylines; a young girl that is an Orogene and goes to where they are trained (the Fulcrum), an Orogene young woman looking to expand her standing at the Fulcrum and goes on her first big assignment; and a mother of two that tries to hide her true identity and that of her children. All three meet their own trials and tribulations. It is fascinating to see how people interact in this world where the people in power have forced Orgogenes into servitude but they need them to keep the world together. I would seriously recommend this book to anyone. The world building, the characters and just the raw emotion that it is written with will draw you in and not let you go.
5 out of 5 stars 

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: This was a fun book, even though it revolves around a murder. It is told in chronological order, but you get little blurbs at the end of each chapter of the investigation of the murder. There are three main characters, women that are completely different but are drawn together in friendship and their children. This is a story of friendship and growth, plus darker things like bullying (child and adult alike) and domestic abuse. This has been made into an HBO series, and I’m excited to watch it as I think it will transfer over to the screen well.
3.5 out of 5 stars 

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda: This is a mystery told in reverse chronological order. Two women from a small town go missing 10 years apart. The narrator, Nichole is tied to both disappearances, but you are not sure how until the end. I actually really struggled with this book. Mainly because I just didn’t like any of the characters. I think that it was mainly because of the way the story was told. For the most part, we meet Nichole at her worst and then we see how she got there. But it just didn’t do it for me. Even the secondary characters were off for me. I ended up not really caring what actually happened.
2.5 out of 5 stars 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: Let me get this out of the way: GO READ THIS BOOK. Seriously. This book is set in a medieval northern Russia where winter lasts for half the year and snow goes up to the eves of the houses. We follow a family with a father that is lord of the area with ties to the Grand Prince in Moscow. He is held in high regard there but his house seems to be the dumping ground of the unwanted in Moscow. Like the daughter of a peasant that charmed her way to be the wife of a Grand Prince. Or the seemingly mad daughter of a Grand Prince. And a eager priest that is a rising star but could cause problems in the succession. All of these people effect the area. This book reads almost like a real-life fairy tale. While we often think of fairy tales as fantasy, what if there is a kernel of truth to all of it? This book is the struggle between the old vs new. It is the transition between the old religion and Christianity. But the main character is what really carries the story. Vasya is the true tie to the old ways but she also wants to fit into her family. But she can’t just sit by as her family is in danger. To what lengths will she go to save them? Her strength and growth were amazing. Plus there are magic horses. How can a story go wrong with that?!
5 out of 5 stars 
c/o Netgalley

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo: The middle book of the trilogy, it does a good job of continuing the story. But there was something missing in this one. The edge was gone. Sometimes I felt that Aliana gave up a little too easy for me.
3.5 out of 5 stars 

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo: The final book of the trilogy. This one disappointed me a bit. There was all sorts of action, but in the end, it fell flat for me. The ending was a little meh as well. Overall, I enjoyed the series, but the first book was defiantly the best and the final was the weakest.
3 out of 5 stars