An Enchantment of Ravens- Margaret Rogerson *Book Review*

Isobel is a girl living in Whimsy, a human town outside the realms of faeries. Her Craft is painting and her portraits are highly sought after by the Fair Folk. Isobel had never painted faerie nobility until she is visited by Rook, the Autumn Prince. She unknowingly paints human emotion in his eyes which is a huge “no-no” so Rook returns to bring her back to his court where she will stand trial for her crime.

This book is like a bag of chips. 75% of the bag is air and the last 25% is the chips that you paid for. The concept of this book drew me in and the first few chapters were incredible! I loved the world building and the rules Rogerson sets up for this faerie story. The writing is really good too with the exception of some awkward dialogue. There is a bit of a disconnect where characters speak like modern day teenagers in a world where they clearly aren’t. Most of the characters themselves are barely more than cardboard cutouts to be honest and the plot moves quickly and awkwardly in a meandering path- that is, when there is plot at all. Most of this book is just Isobel and Rook walking through the woods. .

Do you hate instalove? Give this book a pass. Did you want to actually see the Autumn court that’s been hyped up since the beginning? You’re not going to.

I don’t have a lot to say about this book because it’s only 300 pages and a standalone story and nothing really happens. It’s not terrible but don’t be fooled by it’s gorgeous cover art. It’s a very quick read with a couple of good scenes, good writing, and not much else.

Final verdict: 2/5 stars

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Firestarter- Stephen King *Book Review*

Charlie McGee’s parents participated in an experiment involving a drug called “Lot 6” for $200.00 when they were in college. As a result they developed psychic abilities that were passed to their daughter in the form of pyrokinesis. The government is hunting Charlie and her dad to turn them into guinea pigs to further the testing of the Lot 6 drug. While they evade the tireless members of “The Shop” Charlie must learn to control her power and understand what it means to have such an ability.

Charlie McGee could be Carrie White’s sister and Stranger Things’ Eleven’s more legitimate doppelganger. I found her character to be very cathartic and believable for a seven year old girl. I enjoyed watching her relationships with her father and the other adults in the story develop and change like they do in real life as a child matures and learns that their parents don’t know everything and not everyone in the world has good intentions.

I gave this book a 3/5 on Goodreads and a 7/10 on bookstagram because there were some slow parts while King builds his characters and setting and such. There’s usually a section or two like this in other books of his I’ve read so I don’t mind too much, especially as the character building makes them feel more real and relatable. That being said, I didn’t like Firestarter as much as I’ve liked other King books such as Pet Sematary, Salem’s Lot, or Lisey’s Story. There were a few deaths in the book that I expected to feel more strongly about than I did and that disappointed me a little. However, I think the problem there is with me somehow; I’m confident that others may get more out of those moments.

I’ve yet to read a “bad” Stephen King book and Firestarter isn’t bad at all. On the contrary, I’d highly recommend it to fans of his other work, sci-fi stories, and Stranger Things. There are probably just a couple other titles I’d recommend first.

Final verdict: 3/5 stars

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