Author: GoodeyReads

Book Review: Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1) by Kat Cho

GoodeyReads5 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2  
Audience: Young adult fantasy/magical realism
Length: 429 pages
Author: Kat Cho
Publisher: G.P. Putnam
Release Date: June 25th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway. 

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.

A BIT DIFFERENT THAN I THOUGHT.

I was stoked to read this because the premise made it sound like we were dealing with an immortal cross of a fox/human that was wickedly good. What I received was a little less than that.

Instead this was mostly a high school romance story, and way more magical realism than it was fantasy. Since we were in present day Korea though, this definitely didn’t need any crazy fantasy world-building. It’s a mega city with delicious food.

Yes, food. That is what made my mouth water multiple times. So much so that at midnight one night when I was reading, I stopped, pulled up Pinterest and began to pin a hundred Korean recipes. We’ve had most of them since writing this, and they were delicious.

The romance was a cute-y, low stakes, not too fast (but not slow burn) high school saga. It developed over a few months and I was behind it. I liked where Miyoung and Jihoon were going. The crux of the whole plot wasn’t as strong as I was hoping. The reasoning for their initial conflict didn’t hit me in the heart strings like I think it meant too.

My biggest issue was the epilogue. IT DID NOT NEED THE EPILOGUE. WHY WOULD YOU CONTINUE A STORY WITHIN THE EPILOGUE WHEN IT WAS FINE THE WAY IT WAS? I don’t get it, and am now confused by the whole thing. I’ll have to see what the next book is about before making any final decisions.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult magical realism (I guess kind of fantasy?)
  • No language (double points for this)
  • Romance: some kisses, they do spend the night together but only sleeping
  • Violence: a handful of murders
  • Trigger warnings: physical child abuse

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Bookish Discussion: How I Read 10+ Books A Month

GoodeyReads4 Comments

For the past few months whenever I have posted my monthly wrap-ups I get a few comments and DMs (through Instagram) asking and exclaiming about how many books I read a month. I honestly don’t realize how many books I get through until the end of the month. I *try* to not let numbers be the forefront of the reason I read. I see people read more than I do so I always think I’m somewhere in the middle.

Thinking about all of this had me pondering a post about some tips and tricks that help me reach higher monthly totals.

But first, I will acknowledge I’m a medium-fast reader. This alone helps on it’s own and is not what I’m addressing here. Everyone reads at their own pace and there is nothing wrong with that. I also am blessed to be able to stay home with my child. This definitely influences how much I can read.

Always a book in my hand.

Books have become a bit of a comfort item for me. I never like to not have one around because I never know when there might be a chance to read. Purchasing a book sleeve was the best idea because I throw my book in there and can be on the go. I read in lines, waiting for appointments, sitting in the car, etc.

I am hooked on audiobooks.

They’re not for everyone, but if you haven’t given them a chance I would highly recommend them! Maybe try listening to an already favorite book of yours and see if you enjoy hearing stories over reading them.

I am sitting here now listening to The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson). I listen to audio books in the car, while working out, doing chores, writing blog posts, playing with my toddler, anything.

Paying attention to the time I spend on social media and watching TV.

I set a timer on my phone that wont allow me to access Instagram once I’ve spent a certain amount of time on there. BEST DECISION. Another great choice? You can pause notifications from Insta which helps me not pull it up constantly. If I’m not getting a notification, I don’t feel as compelled to scroll.

I don’t have a Twitter account and I don’t really use my Facebook account (I don’t even have the app). Social media can be a big deterrent from picking up a book instead. Lowering the amount I spend on here helps me mentally, but also, I’m able to pick up books more.

Since I have a child I am very aware how much we keep the TV on. We usually don’t even turn it on until the afternoon. I’m able to play audio books or read to them rather than us sitting on the couch watching TV.

Kindle (digital) books are my friend.

I used to NEVER read digital books. Not until I started reading Netgalley’s from time to time. But, I’ve realized that with children I can’t always have a book out. It’s grabbed from my hands, pages ripped, things thrown on it (or the book thrown itself). It drove me crazy, so I got my digital library app and WOW. It’s amazing.

I am devouring digital books like they’re candy. It’s so easy to read because the book is attached to you (we all know our phones are with us pretty much always).

I take what I can get.

Have a few minutes before I leave? Read a few pages.

Toddler playing quietly on their own? Read a few pages.

Quick errand to the store? Listen to a few pages.

There’s a lot more chances to read during the day than you might notice. Over the course of the day I can sometimes get 50+ pages read. By the time the family is asleep and I’m reading on my own I’ve already read a chunk of my book.

I hope you found this helpful, but please take from it what you want! These are purely what I do to help me read more.

What helps you read more? Do you ever feel like you aren’t reading enough? Lets talk in the comments!

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Book Review: Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆  
Audience: Young adult fantasy
Length: 274 pages
Author: Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 1st, 1983
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins – one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

MY FIRST TAMORA PIERCE BOOK.

This book was less than 300 pages, so truly a quick read. I enjoyed it, but it also wasn’t world-shattering for me.

I really liked the coming of age story for Alanna. This book spans a few years of her life as she grows up pretending to be her brother so she can become a knight. She goes through a lot of growing pains that I could relate to and appreciated the addition of.

I had a hard time staying fully interested in the story. A lot was happening…and not happening all at once. The villains weren’t fully formed and weren’t in the book long enough for me to actually hate. They flitted through and I was like oh wait…what was that about?

What I am most excited about are the hints of the romance I must see in the future. It seems like it’s forming on solid ground, the guy is sweet and growing up in his own way. I think there’s a lot that could happen here and I am excited to know what happens between them.

There’s definitely inklings of what will happen in future installments and I am still interested in pursing them. It’s nice to have a break from big fantasies for something on a much smaller scale. I’m happy I finally picked this up!

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: swords, poison, sickness

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Book Review: The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

GoodeyReads4 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆  
Audience: Young adult contemporary
Length: 440 pages
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: June 4th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

VERY CHARACTER DRIVEN.

This was very different than the previous four (maybe five?) Dessen novels I have read. Not in a bad way, just different.

This was heavily character driven and was a bit of a long book. It took a bit to get into because I didn’t know when it really began. I kept looking for a love story that I didn’t see. Once I realized that this was going to much deeper levels than that, I was able to get on board.

NOW, not to say there wasn’t a little bit of romance. Saylor does meet someone, and things end well. It isn’t the forefront of the novel though. The big focus is on Saylor and her growth over the summer. After a family tragedy she grows up not really remembering having spent any time there when she was younger. Her time spent on the lake allows her the opportunity to learn about her mother’s family. She’s able to reconnect with so many people and learn through them about her mother and more.

Saylor changes a lot over the course of the novel and helps her Dad do the same. He was a bit more stubborn (because of grief) and she is able to help him release the tension he had been carrying way too long. At times I would be upset with her Dad because I couldn’t grasp WHY he couldn’t relax a little. By the end, the rest of the story is out and we’re able to understand the decisions at play.

Lots of lasting re-kindlings with family are made and has given Saylor back apart of her life she didn’t realize how much she needed.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary
  • Language: a little strong language
  • Romance: a few kisses
  • Violence: mentions of a boat crash (off screen) and a sailing boat capsizes
  • Trigger warnings: alcoholism, drug abuse, off-screen heroine overdose, underage drinking, loss of a loved one

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