Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


A weird book I had a lot of things to say about.

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1) by Deborah Harkness

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Oh wow I have so many things to say. The vast majority of the time when I go to write a review I have to sit there and think of things to say, when my instinct is just like, I had feelings okay and now you want me to put them into words? But the words are just wanting to flow for this one. So first, because context is important, three things about this book and also me: 1. It was free. A friend was […]

“We’re not in Ghost Busters! This is real life!”

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

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I did not read Ghost Squad when I was young, as it did not yet exist! This is a 2020 release, and I feel that I would have liked it very much when I in third/fourth grade. There’s magic, monsters, hijinks, and plenty of cat-content that would have kept me giddy throughout. I worried at first that this tale might be “heavy” for a middle-grade reader; it starts with some genuine adult anxieties and perils. We open with the financial woes of Lucely’s father- the bank is […]

Mexican Gothic!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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I love gothic novels. I love gothic films. I love gothic stories, in general. And I loved this one. I’ve never read a gothic novel that takes place outside of Europe, unless they’re on the East Coast of the U.S. And to set one in Mexico was such a great choice. Though, the menacing family and house are purely English and very familiarly gloomy. Mexican Gothic follows Noemí Taboada as she travels from her exciting life as a beloved socialite in Mexico City to a […]

ScoobyDoo for grown ups but not quite enough

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

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So I’ve been wondering for a while why it seems to be that there can’t be ghost stories for grown-ups that don’t involve detailed often gory horror and/or a lot of unnecessary personal (self-inflicted at least partially most often) angst or troubles. Seannan McGuire’s Ghost Roads series comes close, but that’s only 2 (as of right now) books. I fine with tension and spooky and supernatural, but so much of what’s out there right now is too far into the brands of horror that I […]

Blood, Iron, and Bone

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

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I started the Mercy Thompson series when Moon Called was selected for the VF book club in 2015. I enjoyed the first book but got caught up with other urban fantasy series from Ilona Andrews and Kim Harrison. Over the summer, I was reminded of the series during a virtual Mocha Girls Read meeting. I decided to dive back in with the audio narration and ended up reading three in a row. Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson isn’t looking for trouble in the tri-cities area of Washington. […]

Would you like a do-over of college?

Haunted Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

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Spoiler warning! This is the fourth novel in the series Heroine Complex and this review may contain spoilers for earlier books in the series. I suspect it will also be a lot more satisfying for someone who’s read the preceding three books. Begin with Heroine Complex.    Official book description: Everything in Evie Tanaka’s life is finally perfect. As a badass superheroine, she defends San Francisco from demon invasion on the regular. Her relationships with superhero partner Aveda Jupiter, little sister Bea, and hot, half-demon husband Nate have […]



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