Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

End of November #BookReviews- Nemma @bakeandwrite, The Seas of Time @DWallacePeach, House of Earth and Blood @SJMaas, House of Sky and Breath @SJMaas


The kids are traveling this week, soaking up the New Zealand sights and enjoying the start of summer with a visit to a hot springs. That’s Kidlet up front practicing his yoga techniques, lol.

I’m still not getting as much writing done as I’d like, but it’s coming. I’m closing in on halfway now, and the story is starting to open up for me. It’s always like this: I struggle through the beginning with vague ideas and murky characters, and then their personalities reveal themselves and the conflict grows. That’s the exciting part. The section where souls ache and friction is rife. It’s the area where a writer gets to bleed on the page, leave your heart out there and hope it’s all going to work out in the end.

This week’s book reviews are like that. There’s a lonely giraffe who wants to be loved for who she is and not how she looks. A young black woman who struggles to find her place in a rigid society. And a group of diverse outcasts who are willing to fight for what they believe in.

All are five-star reads.

The posts on this site may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you make a purchase using a link.

Neema the Misfit Giraffe by Robbie and Michael Cheadle

Neema is different from her fellow giraffes. Their lack of understanding make her feel unwelcome. Neema sets off on a journey to find a new friends.

Includes illustrations, photographs, and links to video footage of giraffes, as well as fun giraffe facts.

Amazon.com buy link

My Review

Neema finds a home!

This is a wonderful story about finding your tribe even when you think you’re alone.

Neema is a young giraffe with different coloring than the rest of her herd and must stand back while others mate and have babies while she remains alone. She dreams of finding someone who will love her no matter what she looks like. She gathers her courage and launches out on her own to search for a group to call her own and finds a new family in the end.
There are many fun facts to learn, links to fascinating videos, and some beautiful photography.
I highly recommend this to readers of all ages.

The Seas of Time: Harbor Pointe Series Book 4 by D. Wallace Peach

In 1858, a ship carrying ice from Alaska wrecked off the coast of California, and little does Taliah Keldan realize how that tragedy will impact her life in 1972.

When Tali decides to quit college and become a civil rights activist, her disappointed parents encourage her to think it over. What better spot for contemplation than at her aunt and uncle’s Harbor Pointe Inn, a charming seaside getaway with its own lighthouse? The place is under renovation and empty of guests. All she’ll have to deal with is the construction crew.

But the inn is far from peaceful.

Tali discovers an old Bible hidden in the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. Strange prayers angle down the margins, all but one ruined by the sea. When she deciphers the crude writing, a dark portal gapes open to a pre-civil war night when an escaped slave in a foundering ship prayed to his voodoo God. A winged creature emerges from the watery void, and her stay transforms into a nightmare.

With the aid of the construction foreman, Tali is determined to send the beast back through time, a choice that will risk their lives, test her convictions, and change her future.

Amazon.com buy link

My Review

A dual-timeline tale of racial segregation and the fight for freedom.

1858

A runaway slave on board a cargo ship dreams of a time when he could hold his head high and call himself free, but some of his crewmates have other plans. Determined to turn Samuel in to the California authorities and collect their reward, they beat Sam with clubs and chain him in the hold. Desperate for help, Sam prays to an ancient storm god and the ship wrecks upon the rocky coast.

1972

Taliah is dissatisfied with her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and drops out of college to the dismay of her black mother. The peacekeeper in the family, Tali’s white father, suggests a month at his sister and brother-in-law’s country inn, which is currently under construction, so they can take a long-awaited vacation. Tali agrees to watch over the seaside getaway, and heads out, only to get stopped by a bigoted police chief, solidifying her desire to make a difference for people of color.

The inn is uninhabitable, so Tali nervously moves into the gatekeeper’s cottage near the towering bluffs overlooking the Pacific’s rugged coast. The surprising find of an old Bible leads to a series of terrifying events culminating in a trip back in time and a connection to the past Tali could never have foreseen.

I don’t want to give too much away other than to say that this author never disappoints. Her descriptions are almost visceral in texture, bringing scenes and scents to startling life.

Phantom cliffs hovered in the distance, grayed by a spectral fog. Bone-shattering breakers assaulted the scattered boulders at their base and shot silver froth up the sheer walls.

The Seas of Time- D. Wallace Peach

While her characters are complex and driven. There is an underlying lesson in each of her stories: a plea to change our narrow-minded views and appreciate the differences that make each of us unique.

Highly recommended reading!

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas

A New York Times bestseller!
Sarah J. Maas’s brand-new CRESCENT CITY series begins with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.

Amazon.com buy link

My Review

Intense!

Half-fae/half-human, Bryce Quinlan spends her life ignoring her sperm donor father, the Fae King, and partying hard with her wolf-shifter friends. When her best friend, Danika, and the rest of the pack are horrifically murdered by a demon monster, Bryce is overcome with rage and guilt that she wasn’t there when her friends needed her the most and launches her own investigation despite the annoying fallen angel she’s saddled with as a babysitter.

Hunt Athalar was once a general in a rebel army determined to bring down the rulers of Midgard, leaders not of this world. He failed that quest. His lover was killed, and Athalar was tortured for years until he is finally sold to the Archangel Micah as a slave to the Asteri rulers. When Micah assigns him the task of watching over Bryce Quinlan and helping her search for the murderer roaming the streets of Crescent City he is frustrated with the party girl until he realizes it’s a cloak she wears to cover the pain of being a half breed rejected by her biological father.

The further the investigation goes, the more questions arise. There are so many fascinating characters with their own storylines that it’s a bit confusing until you get further into the book, and it all comes together in an explosive twist I never saw coming.

Quinlan and Athalar’s attraction is slow to grow and fits perfectly with the devastation they’ve both endured. I love these two together, though I hurt for Hunt. He’s gone through so much agony in the name of love and it’s not over yet.

To wake up one morning surrounded by friends and his lover—and then to end the day with all of them dead. He understood how it gnawed on bones and blood and the very soul of a person. How nothing could ever make it right.

House of Earth and Blood- Sarah J. Maas

House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City Book 2) by Sarah J. Maas

The #1 New York Times bestseller!

Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, groundbreaking CRESCENT CITY series continues with the
second installment.

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal-they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode-and the people who will do anything to save it.

Amazon.com buy link

My Review

The theme for book two in the Crescent City series is Subterfuge.

We’re introduced to Sofie, a spy for the Ophion rebel movement, who sneaks into a death camp to save her young brother and escapes with twelve children in tow, only to die at the hands of the Asteri. Emile has important intel imparted by Sofie and is thought to have the same rare power as his sister- that of a thunderbird- but he is missing, and now the chase is on to find him.

After Bryce and Hunt’s near-death experience with a couple of rogue archangels, they plan to explore their newfound love, but news of a missing child who may carry the key to finally ending the dictatorship of the Asteri sends them down a dangerous trail where everything they thought they knew is thrown into question.

There are several story arcs, including a heartbreaking one between Bryce’s half-brother and a spy called Day.

This is turning into another unputdownable series. I’ve already preordered book 3!

One more photo of the kidlet. Isn’t this building cool?

56 Replies to “End of November #BookReviews- Nemma @bakeandwrite, The Seas of Time @DWallacePeach, House of Earth and Blood @SJMaas, House of Sky and Breath @SJMaas”

    1. Thanks, Nicholas. I’ve been working half-heartedly on this novel for over a year now- the longest it’s ever taken me- but it’s finally coming together.
      The photos the kids have shared makes me wish I was there 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Wonderful reviews, Jacquie. Thank you for sharing them. I loved Diana’s The Seas of Time, and I look forward to diving into the others. Congratulations to each of the writers (and hugs to the kidlet 😉).

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Thank you, Jacquie, for sharing these reviews. I loved D. Wallace Peach’s Harbor Pointe story. Only she could create a monster that you could fall in love with. 🙂 I am still deeply engrossed in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, but I have heard good things about the Crescent City series and your reviews confirm what others are saying. I have Neema coming as a Christmas present for a grandchild and I know they are going to love it. Congratulations to these authors and yes, that is an incredible building your grandson is posing with.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I love books with strong female heroines and these all fit that bill.
      I’m currently reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Maas. It’s again taking a bit to get into the world she’s created, but I can’t set it down, lol

      Like

  11. Glad to hear your writing is coming along, Jacquie. I liked the way you described the point you’re at now 🙂

    Congratulations to all the authors on the reviews. I read Diana’s Seas of Time and loved it!

    Both the house pic AND the hot spring look like great fun!

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Thanks, Mae. Writing is fun when you know where you’re heading, lol.
      I have yet to read one of Diana’s books I haven’t loved. She has a wealth of talent in those fingertips!
      The kids are have a fab vacation. My best friend (my daughter’s Godmother) traveled there for a month, so she’s showing off the sights 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Great reviews, Jacquie 🙂 I read the first two and completely agree, amazing reads! The series sounds great, too. I love that building. What personality

    Liked by 1 person

    1. All four books are suited to the trials we face in today’s society, which is terribly sad. You’d think by now we could learn to accept and rejoice in our differences.
      The wnole town they visited had buildings like this, so awesome!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You would think we’d be able to celebrate the differences instead of fighting about them, but I keep hoping it changes. A whole town? Very cool!

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Thanks so much for the reviews, Jacquie. I thought Neema was a wonderfully crafted book and awesome for kids. And I was so delighted with your review of Seas of Time. I love how you always “get” my books. We’re on the same wavelength. ❤ And those Maas books! Can covers get any more gorgeous???? Oh my. And they sound wonderful. I haven't read any of her work and I think it's time.

    Finally, I showed the photo of your grandson to my husband. He said, "Let's sell everything and go!" Lol. How wonderful and what an adventure for your kid and kidlet. Hugs, my friend. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for introducing me to the world of fantasy novels, Diana. I’m well and truly hooked, lol.
      I thought of you when I saw the Crescent City covers, they’re spectacular!
      We agree with your hubby, let’s all move to New Zealand 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Your daughter and your kidlet had a wonderful time at the hot spring, Jacquie! We were going to go to New Zealand with hubby’s sister’s family, but they wanted to cover the entire New Zealand, plus Tasmania. The trip would be too long for us. I love Robbie and Michale’s Giraffe book and Diana’s time travel book and will read them soon. Thank you for sharing your fantastic 5-star reviews.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Hi Jacquie, I must say upfront that I love the pictures of the ‘kidlet’. New Zealand is also southern hemisphere and it looks like he is making the most of the good weather. Thank you for the lovely review of Neema. I am delighted you enjoyed her story and the pictures and illustrations. I am very fond of giraffes. It is lovely to see Diana’s book featured here. It is my current read. The other books also sound very good. The covers are lovely and the story line sounds very exciting.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Great reviews, Jacquie. I’ve read Diana’s–couldn’t agree more with your review. And I’m pining to read Robbie’s. I love your point about writing writing writing your characters until–“their personalities reveal”. Yes, that might sound obvious, but it wasn’t/isn’t to me! Nicely done.

    Liked by 2 people

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