Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“One could plot violent espionage and still hope for dessert.”

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo

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I’m trash for the whole Grishaverse, so of course I loved this. If anyone else, like me, enjoyed both previous series and ever thought to themselves, “Hey, you know what would be great, a sequel to the Grisha trilogy that feels more thematically like Six of Crows?” you’re in luck! Because that’s this book. We’re back with some of our favorite characters from both all of the books, and they’ve all been through some shit, so they’re all a little bit (or a lot bit) […]

When a Tiger comes to dinner she will want to…..

When a Tiger Comes to Dinner by Jessica Olien

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When a Tiger Comes to Dinner is a weak story. The all-knowing narrator Jessica Olien has created has broken the fourth wall and the story/reader relationship has bled together. And this makes the narrator come across as condescending and, in the end, a know-not-a lot narrator. But it is the fun and hidden details in the illustrations that made the book. The mouse has neat things like silly book names/covers and photographs around the rooms. There are puns and just neat things to look at. […]

The art of sharing?

Not Your Nest!  by Gideon Sterer

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What happens when you are a small bird, build the absolute perfect nest (the right twigs were used, the perfect softness and just the right size for one tired little bird to sleep in) and someone takes it? You build another one. And another one. And another one. Finally, all the nests our little bird friend makes in Not Your Nest! have been taken by the other animals of the jungle, so what is a poor bird to do? Even though the book does talk about […]

“Kill the spare.”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) by J.K. Rowling

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Well, so I said I wasn’t going to wait to write this, and then I waited to write this. Over two months. I start reading book six tomorrow*. [loud moaning noise] (when fun things become chores) [loud moaning noise] *And then I waited almost two more weeks after writing that sentence. The thing is, it’s not the review writing, it’s the quote transcribing! Something I have learned about myself is I don’t like doing it! I’m not going to make any more promises. That way […]

An Impressive But Grim Debut Fantasy Novel

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

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  I hadn’t heard of R.F. Kuang until recently. It wasn’t until her name came up as John Campbell Award nominee that I decided to look into her work. And then I felt like a bit of a dill – because not only had The Poppy War been nominated for a John Campbell Award (Not quite a Hugo), but it had been nominated for a Nebula and a Locus Award as well. So I’m slightly ashamed I let her go unnoticed! There was nothing for […]

Ends in a far different world than it began

Finale by Stephanie Garber

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    I’ve read a lot of praise of this book series. And individually, I think they all work. But Finale operates in a different world than the first book and I think there was too much to wind up and too much being introduced as new to really pull this book off. Caraval introduces Scarlett and Donatella Dragna, sisters who escape their abusive father to go to a magical game called Caraval. The first book deals with the mysteries surrounding and within Caraval and […]



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