Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the Yay for YA Discussion About YA Books Now  

What if your school was always trying to kill you?

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1) by Naomi Novik

by Leave a Comment

Semi-brief review because I read this back in October, and my memory of it has faded. I remember being engrossed in it. I love the concept of a magic school that runs itself. And I love the horror aspect of this, that all these kids are trapped in this school because it’s too dangerous outside for them, even though it’s dangerous inside the school as well. I really liked the protagonist, El (short for Galadriel). She is so grouchy and anti-social, but as with all […]

Imagine if high school graduation was a Hunger Games competition

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

by 2 Comments

Bingo Review #25 Reader’s Choice in place of Gateway, and Blackout! I was rather hoping to use A Deadly Education for the Gateway square as the introduction to Naomi Novik. I have changed my mind upon completing the novel, but thankfully I still had the Reader’s Choice square open. I was kind of hoping to not use it, but oh well. The premise of this novel and apparently series is brilliant; think Harry Potter’s Hogwarts crossed with Hunger Games. That’s what this is. El is […]

Made me excited for the rest of the series. Also ruined my review streak. #CBRBingo – Green

Throne of Jade (Temeraire, #2) by Naomi Novik

by Leave a Comment

I read this book in APRIL. I don’t know what it is about this series, but when I read the first book, it also took me  f o r e v e r  and also ruined my review momentum. I don’t know why! It was perfectly enjoyable, aside from some dragging in the middle. I think I might have to switch to audio on this series, even though I own the first four books in hard copy. I just cannot with them for some reason! […]

Novik spun gold with her creative re-working

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

by 3 Comments

Couldn’t help myself with the title for the review 🙂  Mysterious Galaxy recommened Naomi Novik’s  His Majesty’s Dragon, first in the Temeraire series, way back when it came out in 2006.  I instantly fell in love with concept, the dragons during the Napoleonic wars.  However, somewhere around book 5 I lost interest and never finished the series.  Then I sort of forgot about her as an author.  In the past few years Novik’s name kept popping up for Uprooted and Spinning Silver and I was intrigued.  […]

History and travel: bingo two for two in a series (#History/Schmistory & Travel)

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik

by Leave a Comment

I’m pretty behind on Bingo, so trying to catch up before it ends! Some quick reviews of two entries in a series I’ve been reading this year, both on audiobook: Temeraire (AKA His Majesty’s Dragon) and Throne of Jade, by Naomi Novik. Temeraire fits the History/Schmistory square, since it’s set in an alternate history, and Throne of Jade satisfies the requirements for Travel. This was the series Novik was known for before she delved into folklore fantasy with Uprooted and Spinning Silver. They’re difficult to compare, as […]

I finally tackle the Temeraire series (four months ago). #CBRBingo – And So It Begins

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) by Naomi Novik

by Leave a Comment

This is why I never DNF books. Well, that and the OCD (legit, not just using it facetiously). I had a hard time getting into this (I’ve had a hard time getting into several books the last couple of months–my brain is not wanting to cooperate with me). It took me what felt like weeks to get past the first thirty pages. And it’s not like what was there was bad, I just couldn’t engage myself in it for some reason. Novik styles the book […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo