Category: Book Reviews

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During a recent long flight, I spent my time paging through Vice President Kamala Harris’s newest book, “107 Days.” I picked up this book hoping that it would answer many of my questions about the shortcomings and controversies surrounding the 2024 presidential election.  

Though one of the shorter memoirs authored by a political figure, this one covers several main theses at once: The elaborate ins-and-outs of running an extremely shortened presidential campaign, the stress of doing so while continuing to perform vice-presidential duties, and the pressure of all of this during one of the most high-stakes elections in American history. 

Each chapter represents one day in the Harris-Walz campaign. Harris explains in detail several events that may have contributed to her loss, including Joe Roegan’s dishonesty about refusing to schedule her on his podcast while happily hosting her opponent, Joe Biden’s team’s unwillingness to work with her and not against her, and her failure to separate herself from the Biden Administration in the eyes of many voters. 

She begins the book by recalling the day she received the phone call from President Biden telling her that he was stepping down from the election. She talks about the simple morning of watching the news, completing her workout routine, and making pancakes for her young nieces. This calm start to the day quickly turned into the shortest presidential campaign in American history. 

Harris lists several daunting tasks that were to be completed- in a much shorter amount of time than what is typical. She explains the process of choosing her running mate, admitting that she had a preference towards Pete Buttigieg, but unfortunately knew that a gay man running alongside a woman of color would be too controversial for the broader voting base. Tim Walz providing a rural, neighborly football coach demeanor to the campaign was far more palatable for many. 

In addition to her vice-presidential selection, Harris details her day-to-day campaign strategy, hosting rallies in swing states while also speaking to a younger audience through podcasts like “Call Her Daddy” and YouTube channels such as “WIRED,” where she answered the web’s “most searched questions.” 

The book humanizes a person who spent the majority of 2024 under intense scrutiny, with every word under a microscope, and every comment misconstrued in somebody’s aunt’s Facebook post. A heavily discussed topic in this book was working for the greater good throughout her life while also being a woman of color in a world that isn’t always so equal. While the book wasn’t quite a biography, it provides details on how her upbringing and previous political experiences shaped who she was and how she ran her campaign. 

“107 Days” was a shockingly emotional read for me. As someone who was very aware of and passionate about the previous election, I knew going in that many of these anecdotes would not be news to me. However, her memoir showed me that in her unique position, Harris wasn’t always able to explain or defend certain decisions that were made. For better or for worse, this book repeatedly reminded me of what could’ve been, and what should’ve been. 

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Raven Kennedy’s “Gild” was interesting to say the least. From page one, the reader is thrown into the plight that Auren’s life is in, probably in the most graphic way possible. My attention was definitely grabbed, and this has probably been my fastest read in quite some time.  

In a world where nobility has magical abilities, Auren is imprisoned by the Sixth Kingdom’s king, Midas. Plated in gold, he is the only human in existence to have had the king’s magic work on a human. The king of the Fifth Kingdom comes to the home of Midas himself, offering an army against the Fourth Kingdom in exchange for a night with Auren, the king’s favored. In this retelling of the story of Midas, the king whose touch turns things into gold, we follow Auren through heartbreak and betrayal as she endeavors to become free. Or maybe not, since it is such a lovely prison. 

My favorite part of this story was the way the author introduced new backstory information to the reader. Using the method of introducing a new character, stating a prominent fact about them, and then why that fact was what came to mind was both interesting and insightful to the way the main character views the world around her. Flashbacks were used as well, but only sparingly, making them all that more interesting to read through. 

Something that I was not a very big fan of in this book was the attitude and actions of every single male figure in this book, This does, in fact, include the male main character, which kind of disappointed me. The beginning of this book describes him as her “savior” only for him to treat her like an object for the entirety of the first half of the book. The only reason why I say half is because he was absent for the second half. 

The pacing of this book was pretty decent for only being a 300-page book. That being said, there were a few chapters that described the same scene from different angles and different perspectives, which slowed down the plot quite a bit. 

This book felt like another one of those “everyone is bipolar” stories, but it was done so subtly that I did not notice unless certain characters were in the scene. I get that giving each character a different personality and then juggling each personality is tough, but it is noticeable when two characters swap personalities in the middle of the chapter. 

As I said, this book was interesting. It’s not every day that you see a Midas retelling that doesn’t just follow the same storyline as all of the other Midas retellings. I liked this book enough that I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series, but there were a few moments that just made me put the book down for a while, and not in a good way. I give this book a 3.5/5. 

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“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir is an interesting read to say the least. In preparation for the movie releasing in February, and because the cover art will be changing to the movie poster in December, what better time to read this book than now? An incredible amount of research went into the writing of this book, maybe a little too much. The sheer amount of rocket science talk that was used throughout the book made me feel kind of stupid.  

The sun is dying, and middle school teacher, Dr. Ryland Grace, is among the few people who can save it, with the help of Rocky, his unexpectedly friendly and intelligent alien ally, of course. A microscopic alien species is stealing the sun’s energy, and Earth’s one mission is making sure they cannot. Apparently, the only thing that can bring the world’s nations together is the threat of it dying. 

My absolute favorite part of this book is Rocky, the little (big) rock spider alien that Ryland finds on his journey. If a character were able to carry a story, it is him. He was sassy and humorous and made the moments when he was a part of the story something to look forward to. 

Something that I was not a big fan of was the beginning of the story. While it had some humor to it, it was just kind of confusing and an information overload. Right off the bat, there are equations being thrown around halfway expecting the reader to understand what is going on. 

The problem solving throughout this book was incredible. The flashback chapters getting connected to the issues that happened in this book, paired with Ryland picking up hints with the things that he has around him made the flow of the story, well, flow. 

I also enjoyed the writing style Andy Weir used with this book. It has the feel of Matt Dinniman’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl” with much fewer F-bombs. It was an overall humorous writing style in a serious setting with a chaotic feel that just tied it all together. That being said, it did feel like Weir was just flaunting his knowledge. 

This was definitely an interesting read, even though every step of the way told me that I am not cut out for rocket science, not that I was planning to go that route; I study graphic design. It was funny, the character development worked out wonderfully, though the meburger was an interesting thing to read about later in the story, I will give you two guesses as to what you think that is. Likelihood is that you are probably right. I give this book a 4/5 for the general confusing nature of it. 

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Evelyn and Arden are destined to be the end of each other in every life for an eternity, no matter what their names are. The only issue? Evelyn is particularly fond of the life she is living currently, and she has someone to save, too: Her sister, who is thoroughly sick, and the only one with the ability to cure her is Evelyn. 

Laura Steven’s “Our Infinite Fates” was a beautiful book to read. It had the vibe of V. E. Schwab’s “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” with a much lighter tone for most of the story. 

I absolutely loved the way this story was written. The author uses individual chapters as a peek into the characters’ previous lives to explain why the characters do what they do, or why they are the way they are is an incredibly clever way of writing.  

The use of past life as a way of backstory has to be one of my favorite parts of this book. Getting to see how the different cultures and time periods affected each of the main characters made the little details stand out even more. 

That being said, there were some of these chapters that kind of felt out of place and incomplete with the story. It does make some sense for some of these chapters to be presented this way, as the story is told by Evelyn, who is an unreliable narrator. 

I did enjoy most of the character interaction throughout this book, but there were some moments that made absolutely zero sense. There was a moment where a character was knocked out and kidnapped, but still willingly helped his kidnapper. Make that make sense. 

“Our Infinite Fates” is meant to be a love story between two people who find each other in every life. The problem is, one of the most important aspects of a love story was missing: love. While there were little moments where you could kind of see the intent, you could not actually feel the love that was meant to be relayed in this book. Only a somewhat bittersweet trauma-bonded connection; and no, those are not the same things. 

I had a great time reading this book. This has to be one of the more creative book topics I have read in a while. Sure, some of the moments can seem a bit cliche, but the way the author went about presenting it made it that much more of an interesting read. Even if some of the scenes in this book were a little muddled, they made so much more sense in the end. I give this book a 4/5. 

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In a world where a wannabe emperor is actually kind of succeeding at his job of conquering the world, Ki finds herself awakened by hands around her neck, her belongings stolen, and not a clue as to who she is. What does she do? Fight back of course, which only gets her into deeper trouble with the village she has stumbled upon in an effort to get her belongings back.  

“The Last One” by Rachel Howzell Hall was a story to say the least; and not necessarily a good one. All of the twists and turns of this story only served to make an absolute rat’s nest of the yarn ball that is my brain. 

To start off, the pacing was way too fast. By the second chapter, the two main characters were ready to “get it on,” and by the next chapter they were on an adventure to find the lost memories of Ki. This entire book was just an info dump that left my head spinning. 

Next, the author’s writing style changes a grand total of five times throughout the book. Not only are readers reeling from the information being poured into their brain like a waterfall, but now readers also must use their brainpower to comprehend a completely different writing style than what was on the page before. 

Not to mention the characters’ personalities. Everyone was bipolar, and no, I am not exaggerating. In the span of a paragraph, one character goes from hating Ki’s guts, to being all “buddy-buddy” with her, to accusing her. The mental whiplash that I got from reading this book was insane. 

That being said, the main character was super two dimensional. She was the typical romantasy main character with a tragic backstory (that she very conveniently has no recollection of) and an “oh, woe is me” personality, with a sprinkle of “why does everyone hate me.” 

Speaking of the main character forgetting her entire origin story, she forgets it so much that she forgets she forgot everything about halfway through the story. Honestly, I kept reading at this point just hoping it would get better. Spoiler alert: It did not. 

The only truly good thing about this story would have to be the only real plot twist. Not that I’m going to spoil that for readers. If I had to put in the mind mutilating work to get there, everyone else does too. This is definitely one of those books where readers must do so much more than just judge a book by its cover and synopsis. 

That being said, the cover did kind of make me mad by the end of the book. Specifically, the part underneath the dust cover. It had nothing to do with the story itself. The moth on the main cover was good though. 

Reading this book took my last possible brain cell to read it. Readers may be asking, “Well, why didn’t you stop reading it?” Because I got far enough into the book that it would have felt like more of a waste of my time to leave a book unfinished than it would to read the entirety of a book I did not like. And the hope was there that it would get better. I give this book a 1.5/5 for the only good part of it being the plot twist. 

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In a galaxy that is plighted by danger and disaster, Ophiuchus, the 13th Zodiac, is at large, right under the noses of the galaxy’s Guardians. After a targeted attack on her home planet, Cancer, Rhoma Grace is appointed Holy Mother and makes it her mission to figure out what is going on, much to the dismay of the courts of the Houses. 

“Zodiac” by Romina Russell is the first installment of a four-book series, and it was a bit of an unexpected read. Sometimes, I just get handed a book, get told to read it next, and go from there, which is exactly what happened. 

This book did an amazing job with its backstory and the way it blended in with the main plot of the story. Giving the backstory through that of children’s stories is probably one of the most clever ways to do it. Even better? They were based on real life fairy tales, too.  

I was not the biggest fan of the pacing that this story took. So much happens in the first few chapters that can become a bit overwhelming, but after the initial big event happens, everything is kind of just flat. Other big events happen throughout the book to move the plot along, but I feel like they were only there to do just that, or the author was running out of ideas to put on the page and needed something to boost their writer’s block. 

That being said, when these events did happen throughout the book, they were incredibly well written. Getting to see a child-turned-hero gain their footing as the protagonist of this series made these events absolute page turners. 

I will say, this book had similar vibes to that of Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” mixed with the subplot of Suzanne Collins’s “The Hunger Games” in a way that may become uncomfortable. The main character is stuck in the typical young adult novel love triangle throughout this book, and the main authority figures of the book, whether it be the government or family, refusing to help the main character or their people. 

This book is excellent for the target audience of readers it is aimed at: Late middle schoolers and early high school students who have just discovered the zodiac symbols and are beginning to make it their personality. The story that Russell is trying to tell is doing exactly as it is supposed to. 

Is this book a good book? Yes, but it is not a great one. The difference between a good book and a great book is its ability to be read and enjoyed by more than just the people in its target audience. I have not quite decided if it is a series I will continue reading or not, but it is definitely up for consideration. Did I like this book? Yes? I struggled to get into it, but once I did, there was no stopping me. I give this book a 3.5/5. 

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Paz Dario is close to the lowest point in his life. Not that he has not been at that point for nearly 10 years, after he killed his father at the crisp age of nine. When Alano Rosa, the heir to Death Cast finds him at the top of the Hollywood sign, ready to be done with it all, he has to consider how much it will take to keep himself afloat and not just for himself anymore. 

From the author of “They Both Die in the End,” Adam Silvera’s “The Survivor Wants to Die at the End” takes a bit of a different twist to the plotline of this story. Beyond the general atmosphere of death regarding this story series, it is not so much the fact that death happens, and more so seeing the repercussions of what the creator of Death Cast has done in creating this system. 

Honestly, I think this is the best installment of the series. I loved getting to see the references to characters from the previous books and just how much of an impression they left on the world as it continues. I liked getting to see some of them interact with the current main characters, too. 

Something that I was not as big of a fan of in this book was the way moods changed with some of the characters. One moment one of the main characters could be happy as can be, and the next they are questioning everything that is happening. While some circumstances allowed for it, it should not be happening in every other chapter. It makes the story feel like the author is running out of things to write and needs something to boost the story along. 

That being said, I loved the way the author portrayed real-world issues, whether it be mental health issues or the reiteration of events that have happened throughout semi-recent history. There were definitely some moments where I made the realization that this book could be a political statement. Before this book was announced, I was under the impression that this would be a duology series, and not an on running series similar to that of the “Hunger Games” series where everything beyond the initial book or series is just something that the author has to say.  

I was not super happy with the ending of the book. I feel like there were too many huge plot twists happening at once and it kind of became a lot to deal with. It did, however, leave a great base for the next book in the series, which has already been confirmed, so that is something to look forward to. I do wish that more of the problems that were introduced in this book were resolved before it ended, though. 

This was definitely a great read. It was everything I could have wanted from an Adam Silvera book and more. From the real-world problems and the way they affect the main characters to the little Easter eggs from the previous books in the series, this made for a great read. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released. I give this book a 4.5/5. 

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In a world where the corrupt have taken over a postapocalyptic society, Benji, a sixteen-year-old transgender boy, makes the attempt to escape the cult he was raised in. After a mostly unsuccessful attempt, a group of people just trying to survive manage to get him out. One issue is that Benji is the one thing these people swore to destroy: Seraph, a mutated version of the monster tearing the world apart with the ability to control them. 

“Hell Followed with Us” by Andrew White was an interesting story to say the least. The story itself was incredibly detailed, but also kind of confusing. 

I really enjoyed the depth of the story. The little snippets of background information from all of the side characters slowly pulling the story together made for a great plot twist toward the end of the story. 

Something I did not like, however, was the ending itself. It felt open-ended and rushed, leaving me kind of disappointed. That being said, the open-ended-ness leaves room for a sequel, should the author choose to make one. 

I did like the fact that there seemed to be a balance between backstory and filler chapters and the chapters that carried the main story line. It allowed for the moments that were mentally tough to read to have slightly more lighthearted moments. 

This book did feel incredibly cliché with the main character being an overpowered monster trying to hide their identity who is throwing themself a pity party 90 percent of the time. While the way the apocalypse itself was done was an interesting concept, the setting itself felt cliché. 

I did, however, appreciate the fact that the apocalypse setting did not begin when the story started. There are too many stories that recreate the start of the apocalypse that are just all the same. I also appreciated the religious twist to it, too. 

This book was interesting, that’s for sure. I did not love it, but I did not hate it either. It was incredibly gory, which is to be expected of a horror book taking place in some twisted version of the biblical apocalypse. The list of trigger warnings in this story feels longer than a CVS receipt, which was a bit alarming when I first saw it, but it made a lot of sense when reading it. When doing some extra research on it, I did find out that this book will be getting an animated film sometime in the near future. I give this book a 3.5/5 for the confusing ending and overly cliché storyline.

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