Her Royal Pinkness Reads: February 2024

Friday, February 23, 2024

Review: The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classic

Genre: Philosophy

Subgenres: Political, History

Solid 4 Stars

Audiobook, read by Shelly Frasier

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Review: Pride, Pancakes, and Paris by Emmie J. Holland

Pride, Pancakes, and Paris by Emmie J. Holland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Indie Author

Genre: Romance

Subgenres: Contemporary, Cozy

Solid 4 Stars

Audiobook, read by Andria Mae & Josh Putnam

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Friday, February 16, 2024

Review: Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Subgenres: Speculative Fiction

No rating

eBook

DNF at 4%

Although the premise sounded interesting, I couldn’t vibe with the writing style.

Will not be rating.

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Review: Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Subgenres: Historical, Young Adult

High 4.5 Stars

eBook via Library/Libby

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Review: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Subgenres: Dystopia, Colonization

Solid 4 Stars

Audiobook, read by Laurie Catherine Winkel

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Thursday, February 8, 2024

Review: Dragon Forged by Dan Michaelson & DK Holmberg

Dragon Forged by Dan Michaelson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Indie Author?

Genre: Fantasy

Subgenres: High Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery

Solid 3 Stars

eBook

Categories rated on a 10 point scale. Averaged and then translated into Star Rating. See CAWPILE by Book Roast.

I read this book as an ebook via Kindle Unlimited.

Interesting concept

The characters in this book were not hard to keep straight at all. While everyone but Rob and his grandmother seemed to be assholes, there was a bit of light and hope for Gasal that was repeatedly dashed. I did enjoy how the world was revealed as Rob came across it, including how the magic system worked. As Rob learned more about firewater and essence, so did we the readers. Backstory was not relayed in chunks, which worked really well for this story. We discovered the world through Rob’s eyes.

That being said, the writing was very hard to get through. I’m not sure if English is a second language, if the main author is really young, or just didn’t
T have the funds to afford an editor who would have caught the repetitious phrasings. I started to mark all the glaringly obvious ones that distracted me from the story, but eventually stopped because of how much was highlighted. The writing style of repeated phrases is why I will not be continuing with this rapid release series. It leads me to believe that these issues were not addressed in later entries.

On the other hand, I was torn in continuing because the premise and the story itself were fascinating. The level of enjoyment was really brought down by the fixable grammar issues.

Characters: 7.3
Atmosphere: 6.8
Writing: 4.2
Plot: 6.4
Intrigue: 7.8
Logic: 5.8
Enjoyment: 5.5

Points: 43.8/70.0
Stars: 3

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Sunday, February 4, 2024

Julie DeFisher's Weekly Writing Prompts #6

If you found my blog from BookTok, welcome to my other corner of the world that no one ever reads.

If you found yourself here by another means, I spend a lot of my time on BookTok. You should come hang out some time.

What I want to talk about today is my good friend Julie DeFisher's Weekly Writing Prompt Released Every Sunday on her TikTok channel.

February 2024 TBR: BusterLand, Subscriptions, and Book Clubs

The never ending TBR list. Mine is 1,200 and counting.

Some people see that number and will assume I own that many books that have not been read. No, loves. That is just the number of books I want to read, as is tracked and listed on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf. That list does not include all the books that have come across my radar, such as anticipated new releases each month and from my Indie Authors on #BookTok. It also does not include all the physical books I inherited from my grandparents and father.

I needed a way to pick books from that TBR list, because while I am a mood reader to an extent, do you realize how difficult it is to look at a list of 1,200 books and determine which one you are in the mood to read? It is the most daunting thing in the world. Just trust me on that.