Category: Reviews

Oshibana Complex by Craig Hallam

I received a free ebook of Oshibana Complex thanks to Inspired Quill in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book, gender and race are no longer a part of the society of Shika-One. Procreation is a thing of the past. New society members are created involving synthesis but with limited prototypes, doppelgängers are abundant. Can one maintain the status quo and still showcase individuality? We follow Xev, a synth working at Burger Stop. When Xev is tasked with training a new Synth, things go haywire and everything Xev has ever known comes into question.

This storyline was super intriguing to me. I’ve been really into futuristic fantasy novels lately and this cyberpunk story sounded like it’d be right up my alley. There were things about it that I liked and things that I thought could have been improved.

Oshibana Complex: The Scoop

This entire book was written in gender-neutral pronouns. I loved that aspect of it. I’ve never read a book like that but it really was not any different than reading a book with gendered pronouns and yet it made it so inclusive. I also felt like it helped to make the story more universal; the questions that Xev asks can be asked by anyone. The situations that Xev goes through can happen to anyone.

Xev as a character is well written. In the beginning of the story, Xev is a rule-following synth, not wanting to be noticed and just trying to earn XP to buy food and clothes. Throughout the story, we see Xev’s motives and actions change so that e now is, more or less, rebelling against the “establishment” and questioning why things are the way they are. Instead of just accepting things as “this is how it is and has to be” Xev wants to know why. Xev is relatable and recognizable because who doesn’t often question why?

One of the issues I have is with the other characters. Some of the other characters, like Marsh and Tecks, are almost indistinguishable from each other. In a book this small, I’m not sure both characters are necessary. If they must both be included, they need to be more distinct from one another. Another small thing that I found weird is the nickname they kept calling each other. I’m not going to use it here, but it is a slang term in the US. I thought it a bit odd. If it means something elsewhere and I just don’t know, please someone, correct me.

Bottomline:

Overall, this is an enjoyable book. If you’re into post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk novellas, this is a great book to pick up. It’s a quick read but it asks some great questions. It has relatable characters and it’s written in inclusive gender-neutral language. Be sure to pick up your copy when it goes on sale this week! Publication is set for September 29th.

Oshibana Complex by Craig Hallam eARC

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

I won a free ARC of this book during SDCC online thanks to Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Legendborn is about a girl, Bree, who attends UNC Chapel Hill in a program for high schoolers. Upon arrival, she notices things aren’t as they seem. It appears there is some type of magic afoot. The more she learns about this magical society, the more she realizes her mother’s death isn’t as black and white as she was led to believe. We follow her as she joins The Order and the Legendborn and tries to uncover the truth of what really happened to her mom. But the more Bree finds out about her mom, the more she discovers about her past and truths about herself. What will Bree do with all of the knowledge and thus the power she is searching for?

Let me start off by saying, for some reason I hadn’t really heard much about this book. I saw it during SDCC and I was intrigued, but again, I hadn’t heard much hype. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that. So, after I was lucky enough to win an ARC of it, I dove right in. That was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.

Y’ALL. I absolutely LOVED this book. It isn’t even on the SHELVES YET and I need to read book two! I can’t rave enough about how good this book is. It’s probably my favorite so far this year. I gave it a 5/5–my first of the year! It will be in stores tomorrow–September 15th. Let me get into why I love it and why you need to go get yourself a copy and read it ASAP!

Why I Loved Legendborn

Tracy Deonn has a gift. Her writing is amazing. It was lyrical and powerful. I felt connected to the characters and each character left me feeling different emotions. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to put it down. The magic system was so interesting, too. I don’t want to go into great detail, because spoilers. But there were two main categories, really, and they were both developed pretty well.

Bree was such an amazing main character. I loved that she was such a strong female character who did what she needed to do despite what others wanted. Her “take no shit” attitude was one of my favorite qualities about her. Another favorite quality she possessed was her determination. Not only did she never give up trying to infiltrate The Order, but she never gave up trying to find out the truth about her mom. Her compassion was also an admirable quality. Even though she was there essentially for revenge, she still cared about the members of The Order and tried not to hurt them. I liked that Deonn included connections between Bree and a few characters (no spoilers!) and I’m so anxious to see where that goes in book two!

I liked the diversity that Deonn incorporated. It didn’t feel like any of it was included just to mark off on a checklist, and it felt more organic. There were a few same-sex relationships and non-binary representation as well. The discussion of racial disparity was a great inclusion in the book. Not only is it poignant as the story takes place in the south with mainly white characters, but it is important that we don’t forget the injustices and discriminations that still are prevalent in our world today.

Legendborn

I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, And Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin

I won a free copy of this book during BookCon thanks to HarperOne in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this memoir we follow Hostin’s life from growing up in the South Bronx in poverty to her journey to law school and into her career as a legal journalist. She was one of the first to report on Trayvon Martin’s death. We follow the case, how it impacted her, and how she came to use her platform to speak out for equality and justice. She touched on the adversity she’s had to overcome–both personally and professionally. 

This book was really interesting. Honestly, I hadn’t heard much about Hostin so it was fascinating to read about all of the things that she’s done and accomplished. It was a little eye-opening—where have I been the last 2 decades!? I’m ashamed to admit I don’t remember hearing of her. Reading about her life’s journey was inspiring. I really appreciate that she took her life experiences and used them to help connect with people during her career. I love that she is using her position of influence to stand up for equality and justice for minorities.

Not only does she share her professional life, she shared her personal life as well. We learned how hard her parents worked so that she could have a better future, a work ethic she inherited. Even when she was a lawyer or on TV, she constantly worked to make sure she got things perfect. We learned about her family’s traditions and beliefs. We were privy to her struggles with fertility. She shared the indignities she often suffered from others for various things, including her race and her talent.

Overall I absolutely recommend this book. I think this memoir is one that is timely and Hostin’s story is important. Expected publication is September 22. (In a previous post I said Sept. 8th., it appears it is now the 22nd.)

I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens

In this book we’re following Billie McCaffrey, daughter of the town preacher, and just one of the guys. Living in the small southern town of Otters Holt, Billie knows people are used to conventional thinking. But Billie isn’t used to being conventional. We follow her as she comes to terms with her own sexuality when she realizes she may be in love with two of her best friends.

I’ve had this on my shelf for years and have been meaning to read it, and have even started it before, but just have never gotten around to finishing it. Thankfully this buddy read forced me to actually read it. Unfortunately,

I thought the synopsis of the story sounded so interesting but the execution needed to be better. I was not a fan of Billie. She didn’t like that people assumed things about her but she spent quite a bit of the novel making assumptions about everyone else. She also seemed selfish in some of her actions and decisions. I did like that she had such a close group of friends. What I liked even more was that Davey’s friends took her in so quickly without even a second thought.

The book just overall was not it for me. It was too slow paced and if it hadn’t been a buddy read, I probably would have set it back down again. I wouldn’t recommend this book but would rather read something else that deals with coming to terms with your own sexuality and identity. 

Eleanor, Alice, & The Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni

I won a free copy of this book during BookCon thanks to Holiday House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is a middle grade book set in 1898 New York City, a time when humans and ghosts co-exist. We’re following cousins Eleanor and Alice, who team up when they suspect sinister ghosts in their house who are not there for friendly reasons. Previously unable to get along, the girls set aside their differences in order to eradicate the ghost from the home of their Aunt Bye, each for different motives. Ghost hunting isn’t as easy as it may seem, and these girls are in for a frightening time. But with each other’s help, and their own unique skillsets, they may be able to fend off the ghost for good.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read and super interesting. The way Salerni combined history and supernatural elements in this book was such a good way to get younger readers interested in history. I know even myself, having my BA in history, wanted to keep reading up on the characters mentioned in this story because the way they came to life in the story was so fascinating. I just wanted to keep learning. 

Some of the elements in this story seemed a bit heavy for middle school grade, although I’ve been out of middle school for quite some time, so I can’t remember what types of books I was into. But this book contains murder and attempted murder. I would just take that into consideration when deciding if this is right for you and/or your child.

Overall, however, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It was a fun spin on history and a quick read. It would be a good read for fall. Publication is set for September 1.