30 Apr 2019

#Review: DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE by Joan He

30 April 3 Comments

DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE

Author: Joan He
Series: N/A
Source: Indigo Staff Pick of the Month
Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:


Summary:
Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone close to her.

Hesina’s court is packed full of dissemblers and deceivers eager to use the king’s death for political gain, each as plausibly guilty as the next. Her advisers would like her to blame the neighboring kingdom of Kendi’a, whose ruler has been mustering for war. Determined to find her father’s actual killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by
death, since magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of Yan at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Indigo and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

There are a lot of really great things about DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE and some things that I didn't love. This was at the top of my TBR because I was so excited to read an East Asian cultural book. But I found this one to drag (from a really early point!) and I didn't really care about Hesina and her problems. 

It was extremely slow in terms of building up the tension and problems; however, even though the pay off was worth it, I thought that it took too long for me. I didn't care as much as I would have liked because of how long it took to get to the plot points that I cared about. But this means that there was a lot of world building and expose of the culture. 

I thought the synopsis didn't quite capture this one (imo) but it does describe the first couple chapters in case you don't want to read those! I think my expectations for this one were just too high because I heard such great things about this (including that it was Game of Thrones with Chinese inspiration, which.... I guess?)

My biggest complaint is the pacing of this one. The pace of this definitely wasn't for me. But I loved so much more of this including the world building and the depth and richness to the culture. If you like slow burn fantasy that makes you work for the payoff, this one is for you!

27 Apr 2019

Stacking the Shelves (11): April 27, 2019

27 April 4 Comments
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!
I was home for Easter last weekend and that should have meant I could read more, catch up on blogging and pictures, and generally relax, but of course that isn't what actually happened.

I'll be at Biblioasis in Windsor today for Independent Bookstore Day! Come see me visit the store between 11-3 to get discounts, meet local authors, and so much more!

How has everyone's 2019 been going so far?

24 Apr 2019

#EventRecap: Windsor Small Press Book Fair

24 April 3 Comments
On Saturday, April 13, 2019, I ventured out to the

Windsor Small Press Book Fair!

It was hosted by Zed Press and Biblioasis, which are Windsor based publishers. Biblioasis also has a store front location. It was located at the University Community Church above Green Bean Cafe!

I'm going to go over the different books I picked up and local authors and publishers you can check out! Let's get to it!

Also - come out to Biblioasis on April 27th for Independent Bookstore Day and meet ME, plus get discounts on books, meet local authors, and have generally a lot of fun!


The Windsor Small Press Book Fair featured local authors and publishers from the Windsor area. I picked up a LOT of books, which you can see above in the IGTV video!

It was so nice to learn more about some local authors and publishers! I am always such a big advocate for local authors and books so I am so glad I got to learn more about the book scene here in Windsor.

Learn more about some of the authors I adore in Windsor...

Jenn Sadai

Jenn Sadai has combined her love of writing with her passion for empowering women into two inspiring series. The Self-esteem Series is comprised of four non-fiction stories that tackle various issues that impact women’s self-esteem. Her first book, Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary, Ordinary Woman delves into the dark consequences of domestic violence, drug use, and depression.
Jenn Sadai is a proud Canadian, born in Windsor, Ontario, where she resides with her heroic husband and two lovable labs. Jenn can always be reached through the various social media links on her website or at jennsadai19@gmail.com.

Connect with the Author:

You can pick up Jenn's books on Amazon or the Chapters in Tecumseh!

Chelsea Girard

Chelsea can’t remember the last time she wasn’t reading a book. ​She is a blogger and bookstagrammer with an eye for creativity.
Chelsea tends to draw to novels that draw away from love stories and more towards suspense and personal experiences shared from one person to the next. She love books that make you feel for the character and give you a sense of fufillment when you claim their happiness as you’re own. That's why her poetry collections and novels resonate so well with readers.

Connect with the Author:

You can pick up Chelsea's poetry on Amazon!


Ben Van Dongen & Christian Laforet

Ben Van Dongen grew up in Windsor Ontario. He likes to think that if he tried harder he could have been an Astronaut, but he is happier writing science fiction anyway. He co-authored the books No Light Tomorrow and All These Crooked streets, and is one half of the founding team of Adventure Worlds Press. His first solo book, The Thinking Machine, a cyberpunk novella, came out last year and the unconnected sequel, The Neon Heart, is now available.

Connect with Ben:

Christian Laforet lives in LaSalle, Ontario with his wife, Lady, and his two girls, Lelaina Blue and Delilah Sunshine. He is co-founder and frequent contributor to the short fiction site, Adventure Worlds (adventureworldsblog.com).The rapidly growing website is shared among a group of writers who regularly post stories across all genres. Christian is also involved in several other projects and is hard at work on his first novel.

Connect with Christian:

You can pick up Ben and Christian's books on Amazon or in store at Biblioasis!

Elizabeth J.M. Walker

Elizabeth J. M. Walker has always loved books and writing. She is the author of the Young Adult books She Dreamed of Dragons, This Night Sucks, Slip Jig Summer, and The Boy Who Owned the Forest.
Connect with the Author:

You can find Elizabeth's books on Amazon or in store in Juniper Books in Windsor!

Who are some of your local authors?
Are you going to check out any of these?

20 Apr 2019

Stacking the Shelves (14): April 20, 2019

20 April 3 Comments
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!
Last weekend I went to a Small Press Book Fair here in Windsor and hauled a bunch of new books! It was so much fun and I loved meeting new local authors.

How has everyone's 2019 been going so far?