Category: Book Review

Book Review: The Alloy of Law

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson I liked the Mistborn series quite a bit, so this novel, set in the far future with new characters but the same magic system, seemed a sure fit. The main character, Wax, is a coinshot (can push metals) who also has the ability to make himself heavier or …

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Book Review: Thin Air

Thin Air by Ann Cleeves There’s nothing about the cover to tell potential readers that this book is actually sixth in a series, but in theory, that shouldn’t have mattered. It’s a mystery set in the Shetland islands, remote islands far north of Scotland. Some friends from England go up to celebrate the wedding of …

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Book Review: Highfire

Highfire by Eoin Colfer This is a charmingly original contemporary fantasy about a teenage boy and a dragon living in the swamp in Louisiana. The dragon, Verne, is the last of his kind and is holed up surviving but not thriving on an island in the bayou, ordering Flashdance tee shirts off Amazon, drinking vodka, …

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Book Review: Ten Drugs

Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine by Thomas Hager This is the kind of book I used to read a lot of in the aughts, pop science about how technology has changed the world. It was a good re-introduction to this subgenre of non-fiction: a layperson’s guide to …

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Book Review: The Crooked Kingdom

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo I almost didn’t read this book because I was so furious that the first one ended on a cliffhanger. At the end of Six of Crows, Inej has been kidnapped by the bad guys and the rest of Kaz’s crew are as determined to get her back as they are …

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