This was a wild fucking ride! I could forsee some of the reveals but still found myself surprised. This Is a real page turner and 3.5 Stars Rounded Up
This was a wild fucking ride! I could forsee some of the reveals but still found myself surprised. This Is a real page turner and I found myself engrossed in the plot quickly. While this Is great fun, it did have a lot of common genre tropes not always deployed in the best way. None the less the story itself unfolded in such way that I was engrossed regardless. I liked the narrators for they kept the story fast paced....more
This is phenomenal. I truly loved this. I advance ordered this in hardcover after seeing the illustrations online. I generally consume audio and digitThis is phenomenal. I truly loved this. I advance ordered this in hardcover after seeing the illustrations online. I generally consume audio and digital books. They are easiest to carry with me and access with my disabilities. However, once I saw the artwork for this online I knew immediately I had to have this on my physical book shelf. That said, I think this should also be consumed on audio. This is literally an updated mythological record of the Orisha, those are included in this narrative anyway. As there are over 400 Orisha, this text mainly focuses on the most well or commonly known.
The writing felt like reading any other mythology book. Only better because I've been searching for a presentation of the Orisha just like this. I think this is a fantastic novel that serves as both an introduction to and a re-imagining of the Orisha included in this text. This reminds me in small ways of both Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord as well as the Abeni's Song series by P. Djeli Clark. Clark's book is a middle grade novel but the chaos of mythology permeates that series. Keep this on your bookshelf, kids of all ages love mythology and Orisha mythology is rarely offered or introduced. I would pair the physical book with the audiobook for an immersive reading experience. Mythology is meant to be shared orally and is always best consumed that way.
The narrator of this audiobook is Délé Ogundiran. I love Délé's narration. Her voice was rich, her pronunciation was crisp and beautifully enhanced the magic of exploring the mythology of the Orisha.
Thank you to Harmonia Rosales, Highbridge Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
This high-quality audiobook production has a full musical soundtrack and includes background noises like water running or the sounds of boats or peoplThis high-quality audiobook production has a full musical soundtrack and includes background noises like water running or the sounds of boats or people walking. These sounds run as a soundtrack under the narrators voice. The sounds don't in anyway distract from the story and in many ways the background noises work to enhance and enliven the text. This is narrated by the author Kevin Maillard. Kevin's voice is sweet and soothing.
This is about death. A young child dealing with the loss of a loved one. It's sweet, poignant and nostalgic. My own mother recently died and I found this a good book to play for my grandkids. Loss is hard to understand as an adult, this does a really good job drawing images of nostalgia in relation to the loss of a loved one.
Thank you to Kevin Maillard, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
Having enjoyed this author's previous horror duology which focused on racism in the competitive ballet world and, well, a demon, I was super excited tHaving enjoyed this author's previous horror duology which focused on racism in the competitive ballet world and, well, a demon, I was super excited to experience this story and I was not disappointed at all. This features racism, misogyny and transphobic bullying. That said this is fun, quirky, romantic, queer, with some horror story elements as well. This is a mixed genre novel: primarily horror, thriller, and romance.
This is set in New York and the main character is a dishonest psychic, lol. This is a wild ride. Winnie the psychic helps a local rich kid, Apollo, locate a family heirloom. Apollo is a member of the Rathburn family and when Winnie located the family heirloom, she unlocked something darker that has haunted the Rathburn family for generations. This secret has implications that just might be world destroying.
This moves between storylines set in different time periods. I don't want to say too much but it doesn't bog down the narrative at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author.
This audiobook is narrated by Dara Brown. The narration is excellent and works to pull the reader deeper into the story. I highly suggest consuming this on audio if possible.
Thank you to Jamison Shea, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This audiobook is narrated by Adenrele Ojo. Who was the perfect voice for this sweet, sexy second chance love story.
Sienna & Dane are a married coupleThis audiobook is narrated by Adenrele Ojo. Who was the perfect voice for this sweet, sexy second chance love story.
Sienna & Dane are a married couple who are planning for divorce. Sienna arrives at their vacation home to clear her things out when she's surprised by her estranged husband Dane. The two of them are then stranded at this vacation home by inclement weather. This gives them a chance to realize there may still be a spark between them.
This was a quick and pleasant read. The novella is part of a larger series but I had no questions reading it as a standalone short story.
Thank you to Brenda Jackson, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This audiobook is narrated by Andre Giles, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, and Dion Graham. I love, love, love when a book with multiple POV's is narrated bThis audiobook is narrated by Andre Giles, Angel Pean, Bahni Turpin, and Dion Graham. I love, love, love when a book with multiple POV's is narrated by multiple narrators. The narration on this story is top notch. The narration enhances the experience of this deeply engrossing story.
I loved everything about this. Whew! Once I started this, the story held me and would not let me go. I canceled my afternoon plans because nothing was getting done until I knew how this ended. This was juicy, absorbing, and the story just sucks the reader right in. This is a family saga about The Winfrey family. Priscilla & Sabre are Pastor & First Lady at the Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church. So this is chock full of church drama...more
This is a nonfiction book that focuses on systemic racism that exists within the US school system. I am a Black woman who grew up in Detroit and a proThis is a nonfiction book that focuses on systemic racism that exists within the US school system. I am a Black woman who grew up in Detroit and a proud graduate of the Detroit Public School system. I'm extremely familiar with how racism and the school to prison pipeline functions.
This is a heartbreaking aspect of how racism and white supremacy function in the US school system in general. A multitude of scientists studies documenting racism in US schools already exists. The author of this book is a sociologist and was looking at this phenomenon in depth using as a focus for her research a school in Las Vegas, Nevada. Initially the author was originally looking at how budget cuts impact the school. The author herself adjusted the focus to the impact the systemic racism has on the students which the author labels 'slow violence'. The author uses her deep dive at this school to extrapolate truths about how racism functions in the US school system.
This is an important and sobering read, especially for white educators. I was myself the victim of the slow violence of white educators and so was my daughter. I've even witnessed the violence of systemic racism in the school system with my grandkids. It's a huge driver of inequality and marginalization in the US.
This audiobook is narrated by Lipica Shah. This is a harrowing subject matter and I find that hard subjects are easier to consume on audiobook.
Please excuse my tardy review. My mom's health declined sharply before she passed and this was unfortunately due during that difficult period. I stopped requesting new books but still fell behind in my already requested reviews.
Thank you to Ranita Ray, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
This audiobook is narrated by J.Y. Kora and Midnite Michael. I love when novels with multiple viewpoints have multiple narrators. The voice acting helThis audiobook is narrated by J.Y. Kora and Midnite Michael. I love when novels with multiple viewpoints have multiple narrators. The voice acting helped this feel more romantic.
This story was light, fun, sexy and even had a villain. Ebony is a high society elite event planner and former debutante who grew up to have it all. When she is unexpectedly publicly embarrassed by her (now soon to be ex) husband's behavior. To overcome this personal embarrassment and reclaim her place in high society Ebony needs this next big event to be splendid. In steps architect Lincoln Bridges to complicate the delicate process of Ebony's come back event.
The romance had shades of insta-love but the author was able to make the story line work. This a glitzy and the characters aren't meant to feel relatable and don't. This creates a very escapist style story and this is enhanced by how unrelatable the characters lives feel. This was dramatic and over the top, a bit like a prime time soap opera. Nothing in this narrative takes itself seriously or breaks the escapist vibe of the novel.
Thank you to Mia Heintzelman, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
These are fun stories that feature Orisha characters as mythological magical figures from the TJ Young Universe. This has Shango & Thor, Eshu & ObatalThese are fun stories that feature Orisha characters as mythological magical figures from the TJ Young Universe. This has Shango & Thor, Eshu & Obatala and Oya as characters on missions. This works as a fun and dynamic expansion of this story universe. These short stories also function as background to the overall series narrative but are also fully contained and interesting short stories on their own. I think this serves as a fun introduction to the series for new readers.
This audiobook is narrated by Nekia Renee Martin and John Joseph Rogers. These stories have slight sound effects between chapters. The Interludes offer explanations and background on the stories and are vpiced by the author. This is a high quality audiobook production which in my limited experience always makes these more accessible for children.
Thank you to Antoine Bandele, Bandele Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
This was well done and honestly I liked it more than I thought I would. I requested this book on NetGalley because it was described as similar to SweeThis was well done and honestly I liked it more than I thought I would. I requested this book on NetGalley because it was described as similar to Sweet Valley High. I LOVED the SVH series as a kid in the 80's. My daughter who is in her 30's wasn't interested in reading it as a kid so I never read the newer novels. I'm pretty sure I read the original first 100 books in the series before I aged out of caring. So it's possible that the books written after 1985 were more similar to this novel.
This is set at a new elite school and may qualify as dark academia. I'm not entirely sure as I don't entirely understand the parameters of the genre well...more
This is really, really good. I wasn't sure what to expect with this. This is information dense and packed with illuminating research and perspectives.This is really, really good. I wasn't sure what to expect with this. This is information dense and packed with illuminating research and perspectives. This really lays out how white interference impacts and controls how education is accessed in the Black community. This covers some information I was already familiar with but offers that information in a new way and connects it to history I was unaware of. More importantly this offers a way forward in a time when white supremacy is on the rise. This offers a historical framework for this pathology as well as proven techniques for resistance. This could not be more timely. This is upsetting and frustrating history to read about. However, it's also deeply important that this history be known, discussed, studied and addressed. I LOVE that the author addresses our current president and political landscape. She offers common sense advice and solutions. We're in for a quite a struggle in the coming years and I wouldn't be surprised if these struggles tear this nation apart again Civil War style. We simply can't allow white supremacy this power flex. This book offers tools for the coming battle, gear up!
This audiobook is narrated by Heni Zoutomou. Heni has a cultured and engaging voice. This subject matter can be rage inducing in fair-minded folks and I find audiobooks help. I prefer to consume upsetting history on audiobook. It can help the history feel more distant and less traumatic.
Thank you to authors Karida L. Brown, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This is fascinating and unique. I quite enjoyed this story. This is solidly Afrofuturist and takes the time to include quite a bit of Black American hThis is fascinating and unique. I quite enjoyed this story. This is solidly Afrofuturist and takes the time to include quite a bit of Black American history to boot. Most of the story is set in 2035, though it does start in 2288. The story doesn't quite follow normal story parameters which is interesting and slightly confusing on audiobook.
Xandria A. Brown is an archivist for the Huntington Library in LA. This future is recognizable and frightening. Xandria is disabled with multiple issues, including Long COVID from COVID 19 & COVID 34 (or 35, my memory...more
This is a middle grade biography of Malcolm X. While much of what is offered in this biography covers information I'm quite familiar with, this offereThis is a middle grade biography of Malcolm X. While much of what is offered in this biography covers information I'm quite familiar with, this offered a few new pieces of information as well as a fresh perspective on the facts I'm already familiar with. This is written for a younger audience so there's a bit of repetition that can be tiring for older audiences. This offers an interesting perspective on Malcolm's life and is structured in a way that I think would appeal to adults who are unfamiliar with Malcolm's life. If you've only ever seen Spike Lee's movie on Malcolm, this will be a treat for an adult. This is very accessible, well written, and engaging. I highly recommend it for kids and some adults. This is a thorough introduction to Malcolm while also being less distressing than some of the adult centered biographies. I recently reviewed a book that covered his childhood and incarceration in depth and great detail. This is much lighter and more easily accessible to lay readers of history.
This audiobook is narrated by Ibram X. Kendi. Dr. Ibram has a cultured and smooth voice. The advantage of the audiobook is the reader gets to directly hear the author's own excitement and emphasis on words. I truly enjoyed the narration on this. It added depth and I think helps this appeal to the targeted age group. This also offers a rich opportunity for immersion reading, which is a wonderful way to study history.
Thank you to Ibram X. Kendi, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
I really liked the world building in this story. Glory Brown lives in the Seam, at the Light Inn. Which has been in the Brown family for generations aI really liked the world building in this story. Glory Brown lives in the Seam, at the Light Inn. Which has been in the Brown family for generations as a sanctuary for travelers of the Seam. The Inn is important and provides a much needed public service but Glory yearns for more. She ultimately finds the adventure she is seeking when Marcus enters her life through a hedge.
This has magic, monsters, smart kids and supportive adults. Sometimes in middle grade novels it feels like parents are creatively removed from the action. I know this is so the kid can carry the story but it often leaves the adults absent or in some cases negligent. I liked that this story managed to focus on the kids but also included the parents actively supporting the kids. I don't want to spoil the story but I truly enjoyed how this played out. I think the basic premise of children having Moxie helped to support this adult involved structure. I'm an adult so my preferences don't matter in this genre. I'm just sharing what I liked.
Though this story is written at a middle grade level, I think it would appeal to grade schoolers as well. This is also a good book for parents to read with or to grade school age children who may not yet have the skills to read this on their own yet. Parents, teachers, and librarians build a love of reading in children by introducing kids to books they can all love.
This is delightfully narrated by Tyla Collier. Tyla has a rich and melodic voice which enhances this story beautifully. This is a perfect audiobook for immersion reading. The narration truly adds to the experience of this novel and I highly recommend consuming this on audio.
Thank you to Alby C. Williams, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This was well researched and interesting. In the beginning the author lets the reader know the idea for this story was in response to increasing policThis was well researched and interesting. In the beginning the author lets the reader know the idea for this story was in response to increasing police violence towards Black men in the United States. The author uses white Americans response to and treatment of Black boxers to show how racism impacts how Black men are viewed in our society.
This really brought to mind my Black father. He was a large man, he played college football, and very dark skinned. My father was always clean, clothes ironed, smelling good and usually smiling when he left the house. I did not notice until I was an adult that was a performance so he wouldn't be harassed by police or frightened white folks. As a toddler I got into medicine in an aunt's suitcase when she visited. My white mom grew up in an all white sundown town and I was visiting with her there when it happened. My father rushed to the ER where he was held by security because of his rightful concern over the impact to his toddler. My mom thought this was hilarious but I understand what danger he was in. Just for existing as a large Black man who wasn't bothering to smile to put white folks around him at ease. Its a lot of pressure and I witnessed the toll it took on him. This narrative resonated with me on every level.
The author cleverly uses the headlines from white papers and later news programs to express how Black man are viewed as less than human beings. Most of these were painful to hear. Yet more relevant today than ever before as we roll back protections for Black Americans from white supremacy at an alarming rate. The Federal government recently removed the ban against segregation in Federal contracts. Sadly, it looks like my grandsons will be subject to much the same treatment and experience my father had. Of course, we've never really, as a nation, gotten completely away from these white supremacist views as the author brilliantly points out in this history. I was expecting this to be about Black Heavyweight champs full of names I'd recognize. This was much deeper than what I expected. While I was familiar with the more famous boxers covered, I had the opportunity to learn about Black boxers I'd never even heard of.
I'd recommend this to fellow lovers of history, boxing, and Black history in general. This was incredibly thorough and the research offered was fascinating. I highly suggest the audiobook version as this flowed well and helped some of the ugly parts feel less painful. This audiobook is wonderfully narrated by L. Malaika Cooper. Her voice was rich and firm. It truly suited the text which dealt with white supremacy and racism. This never felt preachy or dry and the narrators voice was steady but interesting.
Thank you to Jordana Moore Saggese, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
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