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:

Go Fish (Yes, this is a Buffy reference)

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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The novel begins as Sade starts private boarding school in England. Early on, we understand there are things about her past that Sade is hiding. She is haunted by the ghost of a dead girl in her past, her mother committed suicide when she was 10, and her father was strict, keeping her locked up and homeschooled. The only reason she is at school now is because he died so she is making her own decisions. After meeting her roommate Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s friend Baz, […]

He paints like birds sing

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

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This was actually my first Fredrik Backman but quite a few fellow Cannonballers mentioned this novel during one of the Zoom meet ups so I decided it was time to give him a shot (and then got distracted by other books). The story explores two timelines, 25 years apart. The present or later timeline (it’s a bit vague on specifics that would tie either timeline to a specific decade so when I say present, that’s just for simplicity) focuses on Louisa, a teen in foster […]

As if going home wasn’t stressful enough without assassination attempts

Blood Jade by Julia Vee, Ken Bebelle

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This was the sequel to Ebony Gate, and is the middle book of the Phoenix Hoard trilogy – I quite enjoyed the novel, and thought this one worked better than the first one between balancing the world building and the pacing, but I am also disappointed to see that this is a trilogy. I know there is the bigger plotline that has been moving quickly so I shouldn’t be surprised but man, I want to get into a new long running urban fantasy series and […]

Breaking the cycle of abusive power

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem

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I was surprised how much I liked this duology, especially the first one in the series, given that it involved a genocide and two main characters that represented the oppressor and oppressed, a dynamic I usually stay far away from in historical fiction (and yet, between this and the Daevabad trilogy, it isn’t a dealbreaker in fantasy for me). I also appreciated that this series didn’t stretch into a trilogy needlessly and there was more than enough going on to justify a duology. Ten years […]

It Feels Both Unique and Original and Yet Almost Primordial

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

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Of all the books I read this year, this is one I’m most likely to reread before any of the others. There is so much violence and truly disturbing scenes and yet, it is also bizarre, funny and emotional, making me tear up at various scenes. Carolyn and her siblings were all adopted by their father years ago, and each was placed in charge of one collection of the library or area of expertise. Reading outside your curriculum is strictly forbidden. Now, Father is missing […]

Violence, Screwball Comedy and Found Family

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

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I have only read Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy even though I know he has written more novels, including some in the same world as the First Law. While I enjoyed the First Law trilogy, the ending was also a bit darker than I had hoped for/some characters didn’t end up where I wanted them to. Since it’s been a while since I read them, I can’t quite remember too much about the writing style – I am sure there were moments of dark humor in […]



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