Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About Jen K

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I’ve been around off and on since the first year of CBR, and it and books have been a constant in my life through multiple moves and a major career change. I live with 3 cats, Dany, Jace and Jorah. Fantasy, specific types of sci-fi, historical fiction (especially mysteries) and romance tend to be my go to genres now a days. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Jen K's Quick Questions interview.)

Jen K's Reviews:

The Hunt meets Rumpelstiltskin

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Cursed by Marissa Meyer

May 11, 2025 by Jen K Leave a Comment

I have been struggling lately with books – just feel like I keep starting novels that aren’t quite hitting the spot. They aren’t bad or anything (I think) but they aren’t pulling me in or the tone is slightly off. I have had this one on my Kindle for a few months now and wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but it worked out for me. Marissa Meyer has been a bit hit or miss for me – I mostly enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles (especially […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: duology, fairytale retelling, gilded, Marissa Meyer

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:54 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: duology, fairytale retelling, gilded, Marissa Meyer ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

An impressive example of a first novel

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

April 29, 2025 by Jen K 4 Comments

I have had this on my TBR for a while but had ended up reading The Will of the Many, the first and only one in the author’s newer trilogy first because I didn’t want to get sucked into binging a trilogy. That’s always the question – go with something that will leave me waiting year to year for the next book, or something that will end up dictating my next few reads. I really enjoyed this one as well (and predictably got sucked into […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: epic fantasy, james islington, licanius trilogy

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:52 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: epic fantasy, james islington, licanius trilogy ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments

When generational trauma meets childhood trauma

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

April 29, 2025 by Jen K Leave a Comment

This was our March book club selection, and I really enjoyed it. I read the author’s debut novel, Black Cake, in February and I feel like she resolved all the issues I had with her writing in that novel here. If anything, I think she could have devoted a bit more time to the past but she genuinely made me care about the present day characters. Good Dirt in this case refers to clay, and a family’s historical legacy that they trace back to an […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History Tagged With: American History, Black History, Charmaine Wilkerson, family heirloom, generational story

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:51 · Genres: Fiction, History · Tags: American History, Black History, Charmaine Wilkerson, family heirloom, generational story ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Rebellion on the rise

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

April 27, 2025 by Jen K Leave a Comment

In the last novel, Paige realized the only way to change the system was to lead the system so she put her name in the ring to be the next Underqueen and won the battle. She also allied with the Ranthen (the faction of Rep that doesn’t want to oppress humans) and exposed the existence of the Rephaim to the London Syndicate. While she may have won the fight and has a loyal contingent of mime lords under her, there is still grumbling in the […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: Samantha Shannon, The bone season

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:50 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: Samantha Shannon, The bone season ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A romance celebrating Black artists

Reel by Ryan Kennedy

April 25, 2025 by Jen K 1 Comment

This was such a beautifully written romance novel though I did start getting anxious over halfway through because things were going too well and I didn’t want to see what 3rd act obstacles Ryan threw at them. This one is a bit on the heavier side for romance as chronic illness plays a large role but I quite enjoyed it. Canon, the leading man, is a famous director who broke onto the scene with a documentary about his late mother’s journey with MS. Since then, […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: Contemporary Romance, Hollywood renaissance, Ryan Kennedy

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:49 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: Contemporary Romance, Hollywood renaissance, Ryan Kennedy ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

Suffers from classic sophomore novel syndrome

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

April 25, 2025 by Jen K Leave a Comment

Weyward was one of my favorite reads last year so I was excited when I saw that Emilia Hart had a new novel releasing this year. It’s always hard, though, to follow up a hugely successful novel because of the expectations it creates. I know it’s about the journey, not the destination, and as someone that reads a lot, I can often foresee where certain plot points might go. In fact, I think Emilia Hart expects that her readers see exactly how some things are […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Australia, Emilia Hart, Irish myth, magical realism

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:48 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Australia, Emilia Hart, Irish myth, magical realism ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • esmemoria
    on I have a new hobby
    Wow, I love the idea of nature journaling. I gave up keeping a personal journal decades ago, but I could...
  • Ellesfena
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    I LOVE this book. It's probably my favorite book that I've discovered through CBR recommendations. Things get even weirder in...
  • vega-table
    on All this gore and good for her friendship just warmed my lil heart. (The cats helped.)
    I did like Knútsdóttir’s other book, but did not like the animal death. So I'm putting this one on hold....
  • Layla
    on I feel like disposing of a body is a boyfriend-girlfriend activity and not something you do with a casual hookup.
    This is the recap I needed. I personally loved both books and didn’t realize why the 3rd got buried. On...
  • G.D. Giant
    on College Friends
    Great review and I will definitely not be adding this to my to-read pile!
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