Author: H. J. Ortiz

✍🏽 Writing/Editing 👨🏽‍🎓 English Grad Student 📖 Book Lover 📚 Book & Writing Posts 👨🏽‍💻 Current Project:The Exiled, my hopefully first published novel
Posted in Book Review Blog

Wildcard Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Wildcard

by Marie Lu

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $13.48

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $18.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $32.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Wildcard by Marie Lu was published in 2018 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Page Count: 352 pages (paperback) 352 (hardcover) 352 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 51 mins

Chapters: 35

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems-and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

In this explosive sequel to the New York Times bestselling Warcross, Marie Lu delivers an addictive finale that will hold you captive till the very last page” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her illustrator/author husband, Promo Gallanosa, and their dogs” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Wildcard was a novel I anticipated to read after having read Warcross. After the amazing first part to Emica’s story, I was interested to see what Lu would do next for this character and how she would utilize her video game technology in this novel. The novel was full of interesting and unexpected revelations, and i was intrigued to know more and more about the characters and the fate Lu had for them.

I read this novel in a hurry, as I did with Warcross, in order to have enough of the novel read for Marie Lu’s author signing event. I got through over half of the novel in the span of three days. I did not want to stop and wanted to continue listening to this story on Audible. I did not finish this novel until after the signing event but was surprised near the end. This novel gave an ending to the characters’ story in a way that the reader/listen does not expect a third novel. It may not be a satisfying ending for some, but I found it to be just right.

Both Warcross and Wildcard were novels that I extremely enjoyed and will be revisiting them and re-reading both of them when I have more time and I am not in graduate school. I want to re-visit both these novels and spend more time with these characters. I want to relive the adventure these characters have to offer. Once more, I recommend both these novels to anyone interested in novels that incorporate video gaming technology.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Nancy Wu

Like Warcross, Wilcard is narrated by Nancy Wu who does an excellent job in portraying the second part of Emika’s story. Wu’s narration captivates the characters and their encounters very well, and I am eager to re-listen to both novels one after the other to get the full adventure all at once. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found  2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

  • Legend
  • Prodigy
  • Champion

The Young Elites Series

  • The Young Elites 
  • The Rose Society
  • The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

  • Warcross
  • Wildcard
Posted in Book Review Blog

Stoneway Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Stoneway

by Christopher Francis

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $16.95

Hardcover: N/A

Kindle: $4.99

Audible: N/A

Before Reading Facts:

Stoneway by Christopher Francis was published in 2018 by Black Rose Writing.

Page Count: 204 pages (paperback) 204 (kindle) 

Audiobook length: N/A

Chapters: 34

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Haunted by a boy named Riley Grayson, twelve-year-old Bentley is suddenly confronted by three things he fears the most in life: Love, Bullying, and Ghosts. While on an eighth-grade camping trip at Lake Stoneway, Bentley struggles with his fears, trying to find ways to get the attention of Michelle Heartly while stopping his best friend from picking on a new boy named Simon.” -Amazon

Author Biography:

“I am an Australian born, junior/intermediate grade school teacher with a passion for writing and illustrating children’s picture books, middle-grade and young adult novels. Growing up in Canada, I studied Classical Animation at Sheridan College before earning a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education at McMaster and York University.” -Amazon

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I won a kindle version of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I was excited to read it. The description of the book and the cover drew me in, and I knew I was about to read something that would resonate with me. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It is a quick read and one can get through it easily enough.

I will admit that there was one part that kind of threw me off. I was reading through it very comfortably until a new character was introduced. This character’s dialog threw me off a bit. I could read it and understood everything just fine, but I will admit that I had to slow down when I reached that character’s dialog. I also noted several mistakes, but they were so minor that I just read past them without any struggles.

Now, I did have so many conflicting emotions about this story. Perhaps that is what the author was going for. If so, Francis did a magnificent job! He created characters that I absolutely hated, but that was their role. I could not stand them, so I praise the author for doing an excellent job in getting the reader to hate those characters. In addition, the conflicts, both internal and external, the narrator goes through are so raw and relatable! Overall, I enjoyed this read!

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: N/A

 

Other works by this Author:

  • Alex was Here
  • Solving Damian Dermite
  • Remembering Kaylee Cooper (Plight of Timpleville Book 3)
  • Respecting Mr. Ravi (Plight of Timpleville Book 2)
  • How to Sneak your Monster into School
  • I don’t want to go to Sleep!
  • Meeting Henry Greenfield 
  • The Whispering Tree
Posted in Book Review Blog

Ice Like Fire Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Ice Like Fire

by Sara Raasch

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $9.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $30.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch was published in 2015 by Balzer + Bray.

Page Count: 512 pages (paperback) 496 (hardcover) 494 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 48 mins

Chapters: 32

Languages: English (also available in the follow translation: German)

Summary of Book:

“It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared–thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Miera just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debut forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. The last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders Meira and Theron on a mission to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe–even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari–leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. So when Meira leaves to search for allies, Mather decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect his people from new threats?

As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom–and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world” -Balzer + Bray

Author Biography:

“Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is also the author of Snow Like Ashes and Frost Like Night. Sara lives in Manassas, Virginia. She can be found on the web at http://www.sararaasch.tumblr.com and on Twitter at @seesarawrite” -Balzer + Bray

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I had so many emotions brewing within me while reading this novel. It is an excellent continuation to Snow Like Ashes. In this novel, I was genuinely angered. I could not handle the injustice the Winterians were under. I wanted justice for Meira and her people. Those emotions and concern caused me to continue and learn more of Miera and the fate of her people.

I had concerns and felt that something was not going to go in Meira’s favor in the beginning of the novel. Meira wants her people to be safe. However, I knew that something was not going to go her way and she was going to run into some really bad obstacles. Raasch takes the reader on Meira’s journey for justice. I was fascinated with the journey and the descriptions of the kingdoms Meira visits.

By the end of this novel, I knew something big is coming in the third and final part in this series. The ending is satisfying enough but did not give me closer. The finale of Ice Like Fire left me wanting more, so I, of course, had to get the final part in this series, Frost Like Night. I am anxious to see what Raasch has in store for these characters!

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Kate Rudd and Nick Podehl

Rudd returns to narrate the second part of this series and does an excellent job. However in this novel, she is joined by Podehl, and the change from the first novel to this one gives the listening experience a new flavor. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels:

  • These Rebel Waves

Snow Like Ashes Series

  • Snow Like Ashes
  • Ice Like Fire
  • Frost Like Night
Posted in Digital Journal Blog

Social Media: Best Finds of the Week

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Media 1:

Image may contain: 3 people, text

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this first media while scrolling through my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre is an image either made or found and shared by Erin Vecchio on Facebook.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This image was shared by Whytnee on Facebook. No caption or comment was attached regarding her reaction to this media.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to raise awareness of the extortion of the healthcare system. There was what appeared to be a lot of facts on the image about the development of the discovery of insulin. The fact that certain words were highlighted meant that the creator had an agenda: cause people to become angry at healthcare, which I might add appeared to have worked based on the comments people left.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • My initial reaction to the media was speculation. I wanted to know the “facts” presented were indeed facts, so I clicked on the image to see if there was any source attached to the information. There was not any credible source listed.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I first clicked on the shared image to see if there was an article or source attached to the image. However all that was included was a hashtag: #MedicareForAll. There was no reference to any credible source, so I did my own digging. Turns out, the very first part in the image is misleading. The attached sources (Science History Institute, Medical News Today, and Michael Bliss Article) reveal that there was a controversy in the receiving of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin. This alone discredited the media due to the creator’s ignorance of this simple, well-documented controversy. There is still some truth to the post: they did sell the patent for $1, but some of the other details may not be exact. For example, two sources I looked at estimated that patient would pay up to about $400 a month for insulin. Also, the creators did not sell the patent for $1 so it could be free. They did so in order for the insulin to be affordable to those who needed it. This post definitely had a different agenda in mind, and when I went back to take a second look at it, it had been removed by the creator.

If your engagement was active, provide the rhetorical situation for the media (1 per week)

  • Purpose: The purpose of this media at first glance appears to be advocating for the spike in prices of insulin, but after some digging the avocation seem to rather be the hashtag/movement #MedicareForAll
  • Audience: The intended audience seems to be people that either suffer from or have relatives/friends that suffer from diabetes.
  • Genre: The medium used was Facebook, and the genre used was an image.
  • Context: This is being discussed by Facebook users who share this to raise “awareness” to the extortion of the healthcare system, as this is an issue that concerns anyone suffering from diabetes.
  • Exigence: This media seems to be focusing on the negative. It wants to invoke anger in those who see it in order to get them to act and continue to express their discontent with healthcare, and in a sense, spread the #MedicareForAll idea.
  • Subject: The subject of this media is healthcare and it’s unfairness to people, diabetics specifically for this example.

Media 2:

No photo description available.

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this second media while scrolling through my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre is a meme either made or found and shared by House of Dank.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This image was shared on Facebook by Brenda.  No caption or comment was attached regarding her reaction to this media, but I assumed she shared it for comedic relief.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media is comedy. It does not raise anything of importance that must be addressed to the public.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • I laughed at this meme. The meme served its purpose. That was the only thing the meme seemed to be focusing on.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was somewhat active. I first clicked on the image to see it better. The meme made me stop and scroll through the comments to see what others were saying about it since this seems like something a lot of people can relate to.

Media 3:

Image-1

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this third media while scrolling through my Instagram feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre is supposed to be a writing inspirational image made by @writing_inspiration on Instagram.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media was reposted by @writers.are.awesome, a writing page I follow. The fact that the page that I follow reposted this made me question not only the creator of this image but also the writing page I follow.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media is to inspire people who want to be writers. Now, it seems like the image suggests that one does not have to take any formal writing course or read blogs or books to learn about writing or to become a better writer.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • Doubt. I questioned it right away. I scrolled through the comments, wanting to leave one myself but decided against it because I did not want to get into a debate with anyone who was inspired by this. I just completely disagreed with it and went to the page where this media was created to see what kind of credibility I could apply to such a post. I looked for any mention of a famous author who stated this or some form of reference, but there was not any. It would be a completely different story if this phrase was attached to an interview of a famous author like Stephen King. But given that there was no credible source, I did not take this post seriously.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I completely disagreed with the post, so my disagreement forced me to spend time with this post. To me, it seemed like one of those “you don’t have to go to college to be a success” posts. Now, there may be truth in such posts. But I questioned this one. It may have served it’s purpose in inspiring people who do not have access to those resources (classes, books or blogs). Yet, this media was shared on a social media platform. If it was shared for people who do not have access to classes, books, or blogs, shouldn’t those people also potentially not have access to the internet and therefore social media?

Media 4:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • I came across this ad while scrolling through my Facebook feed, so I flagged it because I knew this was something I wanted to spend more time with.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The original genre that I saw this in was an advertisement video for Masterclass on Facebook. The source of the advertisement is, of course, Masterclass.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • I came across this random Masterclass advertisement while scrolling through my Facebook feed. I do not remember clearly but I think I had been conducting a Google search for PhD’s in creative writing before I hopped on Facebook and came across this, so perhaps it was not so “random” after all.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of this media was to advertise Masterclass’s new class taught by Neil Gaiman and in general to advertise their courses on Facebook. The one with Neil Gaiman was one of the most recent courses, so they used that video to draw people into checking out what else they had to offer.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • When I came across this media, I stopped scrolling and clicked on the link to watch the full video. Since I will be searching for ways to improve my creative writing abilities post-graduate school, I was very interested in this video. I took it a step further and went to the website to check out what they had to offer.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I first clicked on the video and proceeded to go to the website. On the website, I took a closer look at the course that was being advertised as well as looked for other writing courses. I was interested in what was being offered and would have likely purchased the all access if I was not already taking two graduate writing courses. This will likely be something I go back to post-graduation.

Media 5:

Where did you view or hear the media?

  • My fifth media is a video that I came across in my Facebook feed.

What is the genre and source of the media? (e.g. meme created by @gofindfun; advertisement in my feed)

  • The genre for this media is a video. The original source of the video is from America’s Got Talent’s Facebook page and was one of the performances that received the golden buzzer.

How did you encounter this media? (e.g. shared by @markywells; checking my news feed)

  • This media was shared by Haley on Facebook.

What was the purpose of the media?

  • The purpose of the media was to entertain and showcase one of the golden buzzer performances on the show.

What was your initial reaction to the media? (laughed; clicked the link)

  • When I saw that it had something to do with drawing/painting I clicked on it. I wanted to see what was being drawn or painted. Only, I soon realized it was not at all what I was expecting. The performer was depicting a unique story using music and sand drawing.

Was your engagement with the media passive (scrolled past/didn’t view) or active (clicked the link/read or listened)? What motivated this type of engagement?

  • My engagement with the media was active. I first clicked on the video and watched the entire performance. I really wanted to see what the performer was going to do, so I was drawn in. After I clicked on it, her method of storytelling held my attention. Once I finished watching the video, I decided to share it because I was very impressed with the performance.
Posted in Book Review Blog

Warcross Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Warcross

by Marie Lu

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $15.51 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Warcross by Marie Lu was published in 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Page Count: 416 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 366 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 30 mins

Chapters: 31

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish and French)

Summary of Book:

“The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships–only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times best selling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and one Pembroke Welsh corgi” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Warcross was a very interesting novel. I was fascinating with the way Lu portrays her video game background into her writing. This novel is full of futuristic video gaming technology and extremely resonated with me because it reminded me of an early writing project I did. This novel brought the video gaming industry to life in a way that made me want to revisit my own project and make something of it.

I read this novel in a hurry because I was working on finishing it before the release of Wildcard. I had no trouble getting through this novel and enjoyed every bit of it. Lu’s characters are carefully crafted and the chemistry between the characters adds on to the rising tension of the novel. I was nervous and and anxious of the outcome of these characters and shocked at the ending of this first part of their story.

I have mentioned my fascination with Marie Lu’s writing before, and nothing has changed. Al of her novels are amazing to me, and I really enjoyed seeing how different this novel is from The Young Elites series. Warcross is a must read for aspiring authors who want to write stories that incorporate video gaming technology. This story has allowed me to see how a bestselling author successfully did just that, and I recommend this to other writers going down the same track.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Nancy Wu

Wu’s narration’s is really good if listened to at more 1.25 speed. Her narration at 1.0 speed sounds as if it is slowed down a bit. Wu narrates the novel effectively and in a way that really captivates the story.  I enjoy how Wu captures Emika’s sarcasm and snarky attitude. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found  2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

  • Legend
  • Prodigy
  • Champion

The Young Elites Series

  • The Young Elites 
  • The Rose Society
  • The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

  • Warcross
  • Wildcard
Posted in Book Review Blog

Girls of Paper and Fire Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Girls of Paper and Fire

by Natasha Ngan

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $17.81

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $18.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $19.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan was published in 2018 by Jimmy Patterson Books.

Page Count: 400 pages (paperback) 400 (kindle) 400 (hardcover) 

Audiobook length: 14 hrs 23 mins

Chapters: 37

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“Lei is of the Paper castle, the lowest class in Ikhara. Even so, rumors of her golden eyes have piqued the King’s interest, and so she is ripped from her home and taken to the opulent palace, a gilded prison, her life now beholden to the Demon King’s every whim.

But as Lei dreams of escape, she does the unthinkable: she falls in love. Her forbidden romance, enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the King’s very reign, will force Lei to decide just how far she’s willing to go to fight for her freedom.

Lush, poetic, and utterly unforgettable, Girls of Paper and Fire is an extraordinary tale, reminding us that pure love and passion can transcend even the bleakest of fates.” -Jimmy Patterson Books

Author Biography:

“Natasha Ngan is a writer and yoga teacher. She grew up between Malaysia, where the Chinese side of her family is from, and the UK. This multicultural upbringing continues to influence her writing, and she is passionate about bringing diverse stories to teens. Natasha studied geography at the University of Cambridge before working as a social media consultant and fashion blogger. She recently moved to Paris, where she likes to imagine she drifts stylishly from brasserie to brasserie, notepad in one hand, wineglass in the other. In reality, she spends most of her time getting lost on the metro and confusing locals with her French.” -Jimmy Patterson Books

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Before anything, I would like to admit that this book was not for me. I did not find myself getting too invested in the story. Now, let me first clarify that I am not saying this is a bad book. It just simply did not fit what I typically like to read. I will explain that in detail how I came about my high rating of the book.

Now, I do not let my taste for books weigh too much in my rating. I already admitted that I did not fall in love with this book, yet I still have it a really good rating. I did that because this is a beautifully written novel. I absolutely loved Ngan’s writing and the way she presents her characters and their world. I praise her writing and her novel for doing such a magnificent job in drawing readers into her world and taking them on a very distinct and unique journey.

Though this book is not one I picked up as soon as it came out, I was very impressed with Ngan. The way she colors her story is amazing and it kept me invested enough to read more. I do admit that I picked this book out after seeing it floating around multiple bookstagram accounts. I found it to look interested and decided to buy it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves the telling of a rebellious love story.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Allison Hiroto

Hiroto does an amazing work narrating this story! I had no problem getting into this story, and her narration made the novel all that much more enjoyable. I will say that I recommend listening to the narration at least at a 1.5 speed. The speeds slower than that are too slowed down for me. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 2.0 speed, so one does not miss anything. Normally, I listen to audiobooks at a 1.5 speed while multitasking, but I found that listening to this one at a 2.0 speed was just as good. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 and 3.0 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Posted in Book Review Blog

H.J.’s Reads: Snow Like Ashes

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Snow Like Ashes

by Sara Raasch

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $9.99 (Available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $27.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch was published in 2014 by Balzer + Bray.

Page Count: 448 pages (paperback) 432 (hardcover) 448 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 56 mins

Chapters: 31

Languages: English (also available in the follow translation: German)

Summary of Book:

“Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been searching for the chance to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Training to be a warrior–and desperately in love with her best friend and future king, Mather–she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again. So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it, only to find herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics–and to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own” -Balzer + Bray

Author Biography:

“Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Snow Like Ashes is her debut book. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures. She can be found on the web at http://www.sararaasch.tumblr.com and on Twitter at @seesarawrite” -Balzer + Bray

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I was very intrigued with this read. I admit that the cover of the book was the first thing to peek my attention. Once I read the summary of the book, my interest was further peaked. I wanted to know more about what what this story had in store for the reader. I was not disappointed! The very use of the seasons and how the author incorporates that into the story fascinated me, and I wanted to know more about the author’s use of the elements in her writing.

I was very interested in the characters and their journey. Raasch’s story telling draws the reader in with her interesting characters and story-telling technique. Snow Like Ash is an excellent beginning to the series. Her world was one I wanted to know more about and was excited to read more in the second novel in the series.

In all, this was the first book I read by this author, and I am very interested to read more works by this author. Her following two books in the series were a great start and I was looking forward to continuing my journey with Meira and Mather. My only regret is not reading this series when it first published and hope more are able to get a chance to read it!

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Kate Rudd

Rudd does a good job in her narration. However, I did not find it to be extremely well done. It was good enough to captivate the story and provide the listener with a good listen. I do admit that I had to listen at a higher than a 1.5 speed in order to enjoy the narration. I recommend listening at a 1.5  speed to really enjoy this narration. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels:

  • These Rebel Waves

Snow Like Ashes Series

  • Snow Like Ashes
  • Ice Like Fire
  • Frost Like Night
Posted in Book Review Blog

Ash Princess Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Ash Princess

by Laura Sebastian

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $26.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian was published in 2018 by Delacorte Press.

Page Count: 464 pages (paperback) 448 (hardcover) 441 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 13 hours 18 minutes

Chapters: N/A (Book is not divided into numbered chapters)

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish and Portuguese)

Summary of Book:

“Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to wear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here” -Delacorte Press

Author Biography:

“Laura Sebastian grew up in South Florida and attended Savannah College of Art and Design. She now lives and writes in New York City. Ash Princess is her first novel. To learn more about Laura and her books, follow @sebastian_lk on Twitter” -Delacorte Press

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I purchased this book during the crazy and frightening Black Friday sale at Barnes and Nobel. What drew me to it was the interesting cover. I saw it and something about it caught my eye. I saw a troubled throne, a fallen one. And after reading the synopsis, I realized that is exactly what this story is. I did not hesitate in purchasing this novel.

This novel reminded me of a series I recently read, the Snow Like Ashes series by Sarah Raasch. As I was reading it, I saw that the struggle this character goes through is similar to Raasch’s character. I absolutely loved the Snow Like Ashes series, so as I read more, I fell more and more in love with this story. This story was full of tough decisions, and I just grew anxious to know what the Ash Princess, Theodosia, would do. How would she redeem her family, her thrown, and her people?

To me, Ash Princess was a hit! It kept me wanting more and more. The fallen kingdom Sebastian creates and the Ash Princess’ fight for her people is riveting and drew me in. I wanted to know what would happen to Theo and to those around her. I wanted to know what she would do. Who does she truly love? That is, if she even has time to think of love with everything that is going on in her life. After years of torture and pain, the Ash Princess grows courage, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for her and her people. I will anxiously await Sebastian’s sequel to Ash Princess, Lady Smoke, which is set to release in February 5, 2019.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Saskia Maarleveld

Maarleveld does an magnificent job! Her narration drew me in from the start, and I felt she captivated Sebastian’s Ash Princess and her attitude and emotions effectively. I did have to read at more than a 1.5 speed. 1.0 was too slow for me, and was quite dreadful. At 1.25 speed, Maarleveld’s narration is about the speed I read, so I enjoyed it at that speed the most. However, I did want to get through it quicker so I read it a faster listening speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Ash Princess Series

  • Ash Princess
  • Lady Smoke
Posted in Book Review Blog

Eve of Man Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Eve of Man

by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $15.70

Hardcover: $18.75

Kindle: Not available on Kindle 

Audible: $18.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Eve of Man by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher was published in 2018 by Michael Joseph.

Page Count: 404 pages (paperback) 404 (hardcover) 

Audiobook length: 11 hrs 29 mins

Chapters: 67

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“All of her life Eve has been kept away from the opposite sex. Kept from the truth of her past. 

But at sixteen it’s time for Eve to face her destiny. Three potential males have been selected for her. The future of humanity is in her hands. She’s always accepted her fate.

Until she meets Bram.

Eve wants control over her life. Eve wants freedom.

But how do you choose between love and the future of the human race?

Eve of Man is the first in an explosive new trilogy by bestselling authors Tom and Giovanna Fletcher” -Michael Joseph

Author Biography:

“Giovanna and Tom Fletcher are two of the UK’s most successful authors. Tom is the creator of The Christmasaurus, which was the biggest debut children’s novel in 2016, while Giovanna’s novel, Some Kind of Wonderful, was one of the bestselling women’s fiction titles of 2017. Their books have sold over 1.5 million copies and have been translated into over 30 languages. Their social media platforms have a combined audience of almost 6 million followers. Tom and Giovanna married in 2012 and are parents to two boys, Buzz and Buddy. Eve of Man is their first novel as a writing duo, and the first in a trilogy.” -Michael Joseph

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I decided to read this book as a part of the Livre D’Amour book club. The title and description of this book had me questioning whether or not I would actually enjoy reading this novel. I am not familiar with the authors and quickly noticed that obtaining this novel was a bit of a challenge. I was fortunate enough to obtain this novel from the Amazon warehouse, however some of the book club members had some trouble locating a copy. My guess is that we struggled to obtained copies since this novel came from a UK based publishing house. However, the hunt for this novel was totally worth it!

This novel was extremely interesting from the beginning. I was so drawn in by the first couple of chapters, and I simply could not put the book down. I wanted to keep reading more and more about this amazing story! The future of humanity the authors create gave me anxiety, and I needed to know what the future held for the human race.

From the very beginning, I followed the rising tension in this story. I was able to follow the curiosity of the characters and became so invested in the story and interested in the secrets they would unravel. This story read like a movie, and the tension and action was well-crafted and portrayed. I enjoyed every bit of this novel and was excited to know that this novel was the first in the trilogy. I cannot wait to see what is in store for these characters.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Charlotte Ritchie and Josh Dylan

Ritchie and Dylan do an amazing work! Perhaps I am bias because I love their accent so much, but this was one of the most enjoyable narrations I have heard. I had no problem getting into this story and their narration made the novel all that much more enjoyable. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

By Giovanna Fletcher:

  • Billy and Me
  • You’re the One that I Want
  • Always with Love
  • Dream a Little Dream
  • Some Kind of Wonderful 

Short Stories

  • Christmas with Billy and Me
  • Dream a Little Christmas Dream

Non-Fiction

  • Happy Mum, Happy Baby

By Tom Fletcher:

For Children

  • The Christmasaurus
  • The Creakers
  • Brain Freeze (written specially for World Book Day 2018)

For Younger Readers

  • There’s a Monster in Your Book
  • There’s a Dragon in Your Book

Written with Dougie Poynter, For Younger Readers

  • The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet!
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past!
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed!
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped a Rainbow!
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped Daddy!
  • The Dinosaur that Pooped a Lot! (written specifically for World Book Day 2015)
Posted in Book Review Blog

The Young Elites Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

The Young Elites

by Marie Lu

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $12.98

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $29.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

The Young Elites by Marie Lu was published in 2014 by SPEAK.

Page Count: 355 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 370 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 03 mins

Chapters: N/A (Not separated by numbered chapters) 

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish, French, and German)

Summary of Book:

“A decade ago, a deadly blood fever swept through the nation. Most of the infected perished, but some survivors were left with strange markings, rumored to signify powerful gifts for those who possess them. And though their identities remain secret, this group of survivors has come to be called THE YOUNG ELITES.

The Inquisition Axis seeks to destroy them. The Dagger Society aims to find them before they Inquisition Axis. And Adelina Amouteru just wants to be left alone. But two truths will soon surface: ADELINA’S POWERS ARE FAR MORE ORDINARY . . . AND SHE IS NOT TO BE CROSSED” -SPEAK

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling Legend series, and Warcross. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis” -SPEAK

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

This was a very different read for me. I was warned before starting the novel by a friend who stated that it was “dark.” I was interested just how “dark” this novel was and was very surprised from the very first chapter. The opening chapters made me feel so many different emotions that it took me a while to actually attach myself to the main character, Adelina Amouteru. I could not decide if I liked her or if I should keep my distance from her. I do admit that I was not fully drawn into the story until about twenty to thirty pages in. I believe that that is the result of reading such a different story than I am used to.

I read The Young Elites after having read Lu’s Legend series and Warcross duology. Be warned that The Young Elites is indeed a “darker” novel when compared to Lu’s other novels. However, I do not say that in a negative tone. I loved the difference! I enjoyed reading something different, not only from what I had recently read but also different from the same author.

Marie Lu is an amazing author, and I love all of her novels so far. I may be biased in this review, but her writing simply fascinates me. The Young Elites was not a disappointment whatsoever, and I am eager to read the next part of the series, The Rose Society. I cannot wait to see what more Marie Lu publishes and will anxiously await her next projects.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Carla Corvo and Lannon Killea

Corvo and Killea do an amazing job in bringing this novel to life. I really enjoy the switching in narration and their voices compliment each other in a way that draws the listener in. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found  2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

  • Legend
  • Prodigy
  • Champion

The Young Elites Series

  • The Young Elites 
  • The Rose Society
  • The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

  • Warcross
  • Wildcard
Posted in Writing Blog

From One to Two

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

From Draft 1 to Draft 2 

abstract black and white blur book
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Last week, I shared a little of how I get my first draft of a novel down. To summarize that post, I simply give myself a small writing goal: write ten chapters with at least five Word pages per chapter. That goal does what I expect of my Draft 1; it gets the skeleton of the story down. Draft 1’s purpose is simply for me to get my ideas down. It does not have to be any good. As long as I get the main scenes and characters in, I am in a good position. However, the next part can be quite frightening. I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with the next part. I know that deep down inside, I love the shaping and molding of Draft 1 into Draft 2, but there is so much to it, that I don’t always find myself loving the process. I think it would be unfair and unrealistic for me to say that I completely love the next part.

I usually find that the next part seems just as painful as the first, and perhaps that is why I have conflicting emotions with it. When I look at Draft 1, it overwhelms me and just looks like a lot of words. For a moment, I just sit there, with a lot of word on a page. Now, I actually have something written, a story! Or at least, fragments of a story. I do not usually know what it is I have, but I have learned over the past couple of years that this is the step in my writing process that eventually allows me to make something out of my writing. Draft 2 usually scares me because so many insecurities come out of it. I always find myself doubting my abilities and my writing skills.

night building forest trees
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

My shaping of Draft 1 into Draft 2 feels a lot like walking toward into the distance toward that light in the picture. I don’t know if it’s a good idea. Likewise, I don’t know while lay beyond in the fog. I have mentioned before that when I write, I kind of just let it flow and see where the characters take me. It is in this part of my editing that I have learned to split this monster up. The best way I have learned to do my editing is to first print out my entire Draft 1. I do not edit directly on my computer, not for this draft at least. This is one of the drafts that I will mark up, tear up, burn pages (if needed), write in more scenes, and have a little amount of breakdowns as possible. Needless to say, I don’t think anyone but me would be able to decipher my mess. That would be like trying to look into my brain, and I do not advise trying to do that.

Before beginning my editing, I also split up my novel on my computer. I create a new folder on computer, labeling it Draft 2, and then individually save each chapter in to that folder. The reason I do this is to facilitate my editing of the chapters.  That gives me a lot more to focus in on. Instead of looking at a stack of about one hundred pages, I now have five to ten Word pages to work with. I do this because it helps me slice the story into manageable pieces. It gives me something that I can actually work with. From there, the editing begins! I usually do a first read through the draft to see what I was trying to do. After reading it once through, I then start marking up awkward phrases, adding details, and if needed adding scenes.

With my first five to ten pages, I go through my process, trying to make some sense of my first chapter. My new goal is to get each page up to at least ten Word pages per chapter. That will double the amount of pages that I will have to work with in the end, and should give me a lot more to work with. However, that is the main reason this process usually takes so long. There is so much adding and moving around that it frustrates me at times. Usually after finalizing my hand editing, I jump right into the Word document and make the changes into the appropriate Word document in the Draft 2 folder. I follow this gruesome process for the entire Draft 2 until I edit the entire novel.

This is the madness that begins to shape my first draft of a novel. I tend to follow the same process in Draft 3 if needed and usually do not do the same for Draft 4. Once I get to Draft 4, I usually just do the editing directly on my computer. Once I get a novel to Draft 4, the story begins to look decent. In a jiff, that is my editing process. Now, that is how I edit my own novels. It may not be the best, and I think i create more work for myself, but currently that is the process that helps me get my thoughts together. I’m too scatter-brained and have to follow a certain process. This is my process. I would love to hear from other writers on how they manage to get their stories together. Let me know your process! I’m interested to hear for you guys!

Best Regards,

H. J.

Posted in Book Review Blog

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Book Review

Posted on by H. J. Ortiz

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $4.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $23.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs was published in 2013 by Quirk Books.

Page Count: 382 pages (paperback) 352 (hardcover) 358 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 09 hrs 42 mins

Chapters: 11

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, and Chinese)

Summary of Book:

“A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine’s children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow–impossible though it seems–they may still be alive” -Quirk

Author Biography:

“Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida but now makes his home in the land of peculiar children–Los Angeles. Along the way he earned degrees from Kenyon College and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. His first novel, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, debuted at #5 in the New York Times Best-Seller List.” -Quirk

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I started reading this novel one Saturday afternoon during Christmas break. I had no work and no school to worry about, so I finally had time to sit down and read a good book. This was that book! I started this book that Saturday afternoon and finished it the following morning after forcing myself to go to sleep. I did not want to stop! I wanted to keep going. This story is amazing; the pictures in the novel bring the story to life in a creepy but fascinating way; and the story is so action packed that one can’t help but keep reading.

This story is so different and unique to anything I read the previous weeks, that I was so into it. I extremely enjoyed every bit of it. I will admit that at one point I tried to pull myself away from the story due to its “unrealistic” nature, but it is that “unrealistic” and unique element that kept me intrigued. I wanted to know more about Riggs’ Peculiar Children and how their existence is portrayed. In the end, I wanted to know more. I wanted more of their journey and am glad there is a continuation of this novel published and ready for me to read.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a novel that reminded me of Marie Lu’s The Young Elites. I read one novel after the next, and they seem to be two series that should be read one after anther. If you enjoy either series but have not read the other, I recommend you do so. Their dark, eerie nature make both series stand out and captivate its readers by their innovative nature.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Jesse Bernstein

Bernstein’s narration at 1.25 speed is the slowest I will go with this novel. His narration at 1.0 speed is too slow and seems slowed down and as if it were in slow motion. However, his narration portrays the character effectively and helps the listener follow along and be drawn into the story. Overall, Bernstein does an excellent job captivating the story for listeners, I extremely enjoyed reading along. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 to be the best speeds. 3.0 was fast but understandable enough to follow along while reading. If you are looking to get through it quickly 3.0 is the speed I recommend while reading along. 3.5 speed was too fast, and I could not understand part of what was being said. 

Other works by this Author:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Series

  • Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 
  • Hollow City
  • Library of Souls
  • A Map of Days