Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Favorite Author’s Beginnings

Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch by Laini Taylor

by Leave a Comment

Laini Taylor is one of my favorite authors, and I had been wanting to read her debut novel for a while, so I finally picked it up when it was re-released. As expected, I enjoyed the writing, and I loved the whimsical worldbuilding, such as cheroot-smoking, brandy-drinking crows. Those kinds of details are so specific and unexpected, and they create a strange but lived-in world. While the book is rated for middle grade, it could easily cross over into early YA due to the complexity […]

“The only thing every love story really has in common is that it’s worth it.”

Not in My Book by Katie Holt

by Leave a Comment

Here’s the problem – this is a well-written book. The craft is there. But… I just couldn’t care about what is happening with the characters and kept having to make myself pick it back up between reading other books, which is not at all how I normally approach Romance books. There were times where the characterization felt inconsistent, in the early parts of the book I felt the need to double check how old Rosie was supposed to be. I liked it better than The Maiden and Her Monster because while I felt they shared […]

That which we call a rose

The Names by Florence Knapp

by Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for a Sliding Doors kind of story – Lionel Shriver’s The Post Birthday World, Kristin Cashore Jane, Unlimited … – I just enjoy seeing how the author envisions people having completely different relationships based on one decision. Sometimes, there is a sense of poignancy and sadness as a reader as we know things the characters never will, we see how people that could have been best friends in one life are barely passing strangers, seeing a loss the characters never even realize […]

“In my shoes, a walking sleep / And my youth I pray to keep”

Heatstroke (2020) by Hazel Barkworth

by Leave a Comment

Heatstroke (2020) is clever–cleverer than its cover, certainly cleverer than its title. I remember that the review blurbs on the covers of Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects (2006) and Megan Abbott’s Dare Me (2012) signposted how terrifying teenaged girls can be–and this is certainly a thing, the way teenage girls are inscribed with contradictions of power and anxiety, and Heatstroke does deal with that–but I remember thinking, well, it’s actually the mother that is fairly fucking monstrous in Sharp Objects, and parental figures are pretty absent […]

“Don’t you ever apologize for being who you are or let someone make you feel bad for being Black.”

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

by 2 Comments

This book was the “One Book One Community” pick from my local library, wherein they pick a book, all of the book clubs read it, and they bring the author in to give a talk. They have a pretty good track record with me, picking something that I enjoy, and this year was no different. This debut novel walks a delicate line where it covers a lot of groud, but does so evenly which makes for a balanced and interesting novel. It’s a compelling mystery […]

Optimistic dystopian fiction?

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

by 2 Comments

In an alternate universe in 1899,  travelers wishing to cross the land between China and Russia have only one option: the Trans-Siberian Express. The area known as the Wastelands is a dangerous zone: it’s populated by monsters, the air is poison, and even staring at the view too long will mess with your head. Still, the train has a reputation for luxury, especially if you can afford a First Class ticket. Who wouldn’t want to experience the adventure of a luxurious trans-Siberian excursion, with a […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo