Category: Audiobooks

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: My Murder by Katie Williams

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

What if the murder you had to solve was your own?
Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.
Now it’s not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she’s always enjoyed—she must also figure out the circumstances of her death.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I discovered this book on Goodreads’ list of highly anticipated books for this summer. The summary intrigued me, and I was excited to wait for this book. Even though the wait might have been a bit long, let’s not wait any longer for this review of My Murder.

I haven’t read a popular book in awhile. I usually avoid them because I want to shine light on the underdogs or hidden gems. However, I still wanted to read My Murder and see if it was worth the hype.

Mystery is essential, they say. Mystery. Well, I was in one of those right now, and I couldn’t say that I liked it very much.

Katie Williams; My Murder

First off, I think this was an interesting idea for a plot. Being brought back after being murdered can shed some light on some various themes and subject matter we can bring up like, how society treats victims and their murderers, how the victims loved ones are coping after the attack, and finally how the murderer’s loved ones are coping with the guilt and shame.

There are more themes explored in this novel, but I’ll leave that for you to discover and experience. I loved how fleshed out this world was, and how the characters interacted naturally. I’m not sure if it’s just the string of ‘meh’ quality books I’ve been reading, or if this book really is something special.

As I was listening to the audiobook, I was about 60-70% through it and I was thinking of not finishing it. The ‘but not everything is as it seems’ had already been brought up, but I was already trying to go through my mental list of tropes to figure out what the twist was. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the twist came out of left field and caught me off guard.

Overall, I really enjoyed My Murder. It’s more like a cozy thriller/murder mystery with a splash of science fiction. It’s a good pallet cleanser if you are looking for a book to break the monotony or to break a dry spell. I’d certainly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, the sci-fi element isn’t anything too crazy or out there. So don’t worry about that.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Extinction by Bradley Somer

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

In a lonely valley, deep in the mountains, a ranger watches over the last surviving grizzly bear. With the natural world exhausted and in tatters, Ben has dedicated himself to protecting this single fragment of the wild. One night, he hears voices in the valley — poachers, come to hunt his bear. A heart-pounding chase begins, crossing forests and mountainsides, passing centuries of human ruins. Sometimes hunter, sometimes prey — Ben must choose the bear’s fate and his own. Is he willing to lay down his life for a dying breed? Is he willing to kill for it?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I was browsing Hoopla last week and came across this book. The cover caught my attention, and I was interested in the blurb/summary. What this book gives is detailed scenery, and no interesting characters. Nonetheless, let’s scout this review of Extinction!

First off, this book reminded me of a video game called Firewatch. The game is about this park ranger who is out in the National Park during peak wildfire season, and he’s all alone except for his fellow ranger on his walkie talkie. The visuals in both Firewatch and Extinction bring the world of these stories to life.

Now enough about video games, and let’s talk about this book. I found the characters in Extinction to be either unlikable or just bland. The only character I did like was Poppy, she is an elderly woman who lives in the wilderness and helps out our main character Ben when he’s in trouble. She’s feisty, no nonsense, and can take care of herself when it comes to dealing with poachers.

I’m not even sure who I’d recommend this book too if I was to be honest. I think I’m willing to give his other works a chance though. Maybe this just didn’t hit me the way it was supposed to. This is definitely an action-packed thriller. Is eco-thriller a subgenre people are using?

Overall, this book was alright, the action was good, the descriptions of the environment was great, but everything else was just ‘meh’.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Falling by T.J. Newman

Posted on by elishasbookreview

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Recently I have been feeling like reading something other than comics and manga. I was browsing one of the themed book lists I get through a newsletter, and this book was on it. It seemed different and I wanted to check it out, so let’s buckle our seatbelts and fly over this review of Falling by T.J. Newman.

First off, I want to say this is an emotional read. The author knows how to tug on your heartstrings and forces you to see humanity in a positive light. Her use of characters and not fearing showing the depravity humans can cause, made me choke up and sympathize with everyone involved.

You don’t think everyone actually lives, do you? Most people just exist and roam around. It’s a choice, to actually live.

T.J. Newman; Falling

One small gripe I had with the book was how the captain was named Bill and his copilot was named Ben. That got confusing real quick. I had to keep reminding myself which one was which every so often. Most of the time the confusion happened was when another character outside of the cockpit mentioned them. Like I said, it’s nothing major it’s just something I noticed.

My favorite character was the flight attendant named Jo. She was heroic and brave throughout the whole hijacking, exactly how we all hope to be if a crisis was ever to happen to or around us. She was able to separate herself from the situation to a certain extent and protect the passengers to the best of her abilities. You can definitely tell the author put a lot of work and care into her character the most.

Overall, I loved this novel. It can tug at your heartstrings at points, yet still feel a sense of direness and dread as the miles tick down and the final destination gets ever closer. I’d recommend this for fans of thrillers, fans of survival stories, and fans of female authors.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Non-Fiction, Rapid Reviews

Rapid Review: When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*Historical Spoilers*

This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra–women who ruled with real power–and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today.

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon–but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today’s world learn from its example?

Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages, and why we should care.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I found myself setting a new goal recently; read more nonfiction. So, since I enjoyed The Last Days of the Dinosaurs I figured I’d try and find more enjoyable nonfiction. So let’s excavate When Women Ruled the World.

This is your typical nonfiction book, it’s dry, and it’s easy to doze off. I wouldn’t recommend this for the casual Ancient Egypt student, the only parts I found interesting was the beginning and the end with Cleopatra and the epilogue.

I’d also recommend taking notes if you have any hopes of retaining the information. Maybe this was my experience since I listened to the audiobook. I’ve thought about adjusting my rating to match my feelings on the content I listened to, but I’m too generous with my ratings.

Ancient Egypt is an anomaly as the only land that consistently called upon the rule of women to keep its regime in working order, safe from discord, and on the surest possible footing—particularly when a crisis was under way.

Kara Cooney; When Women Ruled the World

On a positive note, I liked how the author used modern examples to explain the expectations and politics of Ancient Egypt. She often brought up Hilary Clinton and her political journey, which at moments I appreciated. I think having more modern examples of the double standard that women face, especially in politics helped convey the talking points.

Overall, this is a good book in my opinion. I’m not a student on the subject, just a casual fan of the time period. I’d recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the queens of Ancient Egypt and the politics that were involved.

Posted in Audiobooks, Bite-Sized Reviews, Book Reviews, Graphic Novels

COMBO REVIEW: Doctor Who Edition

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Spoilers*

So this is going to be more of a test than anything, I have read a lot of books that I thought were great, but I didn’t have enough for a full or rapid review. So, I’m going to rate and give my thoughts on these Doctor Who books I’ve recently read.

Empire of the Wolf by Jody Houser

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The art style was interesting, all of the speech bubbles were placed where characters had their mouths closed. It looked like they were communicating telepathically. Not sure if this is common or if I’m just noticing it in this comic story. Seeing the Eleventh Doctor interact with Rose has been a bit strange. In this storyline, Eleven just lost Amy and Rory and is in a major depressive episode. However, I thought he would be over the moon to see Rose again.

Doctormania by Cavan Scott

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a collection of stories, two small ones and one big story. I think the bigger story was the best out of this collection. However, I think Rose sounded whiney and annoying throughout the collection.

The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It’s always interesting seeing the Doctor on a solo adventure, and even if he’s by himself, he won’t be for long. The Krillitane are a returning enemy, and the episode they were featured in gets referenced a bit throughout this story. This story had a good twist ending, and I kind of wish we could learn more about the Krillitane. They are an interesting villain and can almost go toe-to-toe with The Doctor.