Book Review | The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

As a child I absolutely loved reading fantasy novels, but for some reason I've strayed away from the genre. When I saw that the book club Booksplosion was hosting a read-along for the first book in the Heir Chronicles series by Cinda Williams Chima, I decided to pick up The Warrior Heir and join in on the fun.

The Warrior Heir is a young adult fantasy novel that follows our main character Jack. The book opens with a mysterious prologue that gives us a glimpse into a magical world, but then jumps forward to Jack's high school life. He's lived as a normal teenager, but one day he forgets to take his medicine and weird things start happening. It turns out Jack is a member of a magical world, and readers follow him as he adapts to his new status.

There were several aspects of The Warrior Heir that I really enjoyed, but unfortunately the story was very slow going for me, and I felt like the world-building took a long time to develop. For much of the book, I was quite confused and wished I had more of a setting for the story. Similarly, I found the story hard to believe. Yes, it is a fantasy novel, but as the story begins Jack is still a normal kid at a normal high school. He and his friends do some crazy things no questions asked, and that annoyed me. However, I did like Jack's relationships with his friends and his Aunt Linda, and I thought the book ended well.

That said, I don't think I will continue on in this series. The Heir Chronicles is a companion series, which means that each book follows a different main character. I would love to hear more about Jack and how his life develops after The Warrior Heir, but I'm not interested in other characters in this world.

I rated The Warrior Heir a solid three stars on Goodreads. While the story was innovative and ended well, the book was just too slow in its world building for me to rate it any higher. If you really love fantasy, especially those with magic, I think you would enjoy this book. On the other hand, if you are looking to break into the fantasy genre, I don't think this is a great series for you. You can purchase The Warrior Heir on Amazon HERE. As always, please let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments!

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Book Review | Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I've wanted to read a book by Rainbow Rowell for several months now, as so many people praise her writing. Luckily, the Booksplosion Book of the Month for May was Attachments, so I decided to pick it up! I was able to get an eBook from the library, and raced through the book in just one day. I absolutely loved this adult fiction novel, and can't wait to share my thoughts on it with you!

Attachments takes place starting in 1999 when the internet was just taking off and Y2K was a giant threat to companies everywhere. Lincoln works in the IT department of a local newspaper, and part of his job is to oversee the email accounts in the office. If emails are being sent for inappropriate reasons, such as personal emails during the work day, Lincoln is supposed to report it. He soon notices that correspondence between two women, Beth and Jennifer, end up in his security inbox on a regular basis. The two women email each other during the work day all the time, and even though Lincoln is supposed to report them, he decides not to do so. Instead, he finds himself reading their emails, and even develops feelings for one of them.

The story is told in a unique way, with the reader being exposed to Lincoln's life in some chapters, and the emails between Beth and Jennifer in the others. I loved reading the emails, and found that they really helped to propel the story forward, as I wanted to find out what would happen next in the ongoing saga of Beth and Jennifer's lives. I also really enjoyed that we got to find out a lot about Lincoln's life. It was refreshing to have a contemporary story told from the male character's point-of-view. While Attachments does focus on a love story made possible through technology, it deals with several serious topics as well, and that helped me connect with the characters quite easily. Rowell does an amazing job at being both downright poignant while still bringing romance to the forefront.

I highly recommend Attachments, and gave it a full 5 star rating on Goodreads. It is a highly enjoyable and fast-paced novel, and I definitely want to read more of Rowell's books in the future. You can purchase Arrachments on Amazon HERE. Please let me know if you read any of Rowell's other books in the comments!

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Today's book review is of Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, a brand new release that just hit bookstores earlier this month. I read this book as part of the Booksplosion Read Along group on Goodreads, an online book club that reads a book together every month. I went into Rebel Belle not knowing what I thought of the plot, which I'd heard described as "Legally Blonde meets The Terminator." I'm a huge Elle Woods fan, but The Terminator is not really my thing. I do happen to love the pink and girly cover, complete with the rose gold lettering on the spine. If I was judging Rebel Belle simply on presentation, it would get a five out of five stars!


As for the story, it is definitely something quite new. Our protagonist is Harper Price, a perfect, southern belle who is about to be crowned Homecoming Queen the night we meet her. Harper realizes she forgot to wear lip gloss to the dance (which is totally not acceptable), so she borrow's her best friend's and heads to the bathroom to quickly apply it before the crowning ceremony. Then, something weird happens.

I won't give too many other details, since I personally think it is more fun to discover Rebel Belle's twists and turns along the way. Let's just say that Harper is given superpowers through the kiss of her high school's janitor right before he dies at the hand of her history teacher. The remainder of the novel follows Harper as she learns what these new powers mean, and how she must live the rest of her life.

Overall, I really enjoyed Rebel Belle. The story was a bit slow at first, but got progressively better and faster with each chapter. I was, however, quite disappointed with the myriad of grammatical errors throughout the book. The story is told in first person from Harper's point of view. Harper speaks to the reader as if she is telling a story, and perhaps Hawkins made the artistic decision to keep the language of the book colloquial. But the number of sentences ending in prepositions is staggeringly high, and I also noticed a handful of comma mistakes. Despite the fun story, these errors were distracting, and I ended up with a sour taste in my mouth. I'm also shocked that many other reviews neglect to mention the grammar whatsoever. 

Nonetheless, I do recommend Rebel Belle for its unique story and great characters. The book is light and funny, but also contains some great action. I would definitely label it a summer read. Rebel Belle is also the first book in a new series. I don't think I'll be continuing on with it, as I was satisfied with the ending, and would prefer to leave the story as depicted in the last few scenes. If you like action mixed with fantasy mixed with southern belles, give Rebel Belle a shot. And, if you've already read it, please share your thoughts with me in the comments!

You can purchase Rebel Belle on Amazon HERE.

I use Amazon affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.