When We Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

 

Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

MY REVIEW: 4.5 Stars 

First off let us appreciate the beautiful cover of this book!! 

I had mixed thoughts on the book. In the beginning I loved reading about these women turning into dragons. I was hoping it was going to be more about these dragon women. But, the book focused on Alex and her coming of age story. 

Alex goes through a lot of sadness in this book. I give kudos to her for taking care of her cousin/sister Beatrice, while still in school. 

There were a couple of things here and there I didn’t care for but over all I loved it and want the hardback. 

I totally get where the book was going at the end with the dragon women and what this was actually standing for in the world back in the day. 

Like I said, I definitely hope to add the physical copy of this book to my collection 

*Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy of the book. 

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

 

 

The jaw-dropping conclusion to the acclaimed Founders Trilogy, from the Hugo-nominated author of Foundryside and Shorefall

“Bennett concludes his Founders trilogy . . . with characteristically high-spirited mayhem. Great fun, with nonstop action.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have gone up against long odds in the past. But the war they’re fighting now is one even they can’t win.

This time, they’re not facing robber-baron elites or even an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe—one that uses the magic of scriving to control not just objects but human minds.
 
To fight it, they’ve used scriving technology to transform themselves and their allies into an army—a society—unlike anything humanity has seen before. With its strength at their backs, they’ve freed a handful of their enemy’s hosts from servitude, and even defeated some of its fearsome, reality-altering dreadnoughts.
 
Yet despite their efforts, their enemy marches on. Implacable. Unstoppable.
 
Now, as their opponent closes in on its true prize—an ancient doorway, long buried, that leads to the chambers at the center of creation itself—Sancia and her friends glimpse a last opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe. To do so, they’ll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving’s origins, embark on a desperate mission into the heart of their enemy’s power, and pull off the most daring heist they’ve ever attempted.
 
But their adversary might have a spy in their ranks—and a last trick up its sleeve.
 
And to have a chance at victory, Sancia, Clef, and Berenice will have to make a sacrifice beyond anything that’s come before.

 MY REVIEW: 4 STARS  

That epilogue though!!!!!

 The conclusion of this book broke my heart! And, with that being said, it was still a great book. 

The evil Trevanne is trying to kill the world while resetting things and who knows what all, it's a bit confusing for me at times. I can just say the big baddie in the book is destroying things and made me sad. 

The gang is doing everything in their power to stop the evilness and yes, this involves some deaths. 

We also get a great look into Clef's life. He's my favorite and it's really sad as backstories are sometimes. 

 Overall, I loved the book. I didn't love it as much as the first two but it's still a great book. I'm happy-ish with this conclusion. Sorry......sad people, just sad!

*Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book. 

Mel  

The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill

 In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

 

MY REVIEW: 2.5 Stars 

 I love the idea of this book, but I couldn't get into it all the way. 

We have these people that meet at a table in the Boston Public Library. They hear a woman scream.... 

We also get letters from a writer and her beta writer. He has to do research for her as she's from Australia and can't come to Boston due to covid. Sooo.... are these people real? Are they just characters in her book? One of them is a murderer. Is it a real person or a person that's in the book. Yes, I'm going to say it? This is a book inside of a book that's possibly inside another book! 

 Sigh... Unfortunately, for me this was a miss. I was confused at times and I didn't really connect to the characters. 

 This is just my opinion! I suggest you read it and see if you just might love it. I have friends that loved it and that didn't so you never know. 

 *Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital copy of this book.