I Am Cleopatra by Natasha Solomons REVIEW

Summary:

The favored daughter of the Pharaoh, Egyptian Princess Cleopatra spent her childhood hiding amid the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria, dreaming of one day writing her own story.

When her father dies, naming both Cleopatra and her selfish brother Ptolemy as his successors to the throne, danger arises. While the young queen sails the Nile to greet her people, her brother plots to eliminate her and rule the empire alone.

But while Ptolemy has the power of the kingdom behind him, Cleopatra has her cunning wits. When the great Caesar arrives from Rome, she realizes he could be the key to her salvation - though courting this powerful man could cost her everything.

Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne, and her beloved Egypt and finally write her own history?

My Thoughts:

This book is told in dual narratives of Cleopatra and Servilla, Caesar's mistress in Rome. We follow her childhood, as her father appeals to Rome to help Egypt before he dies, making Cleopatra Queen. But her brother is twisted by the words of his advisors, and plans to kill her so that he alone rules. When word of Caesar arriving in Egypt comes, Cleopatra decides to infiltrate her own palace to meet him - and hopefully get him on her side to save her life. The book follows her affair with Caesar up to and briefly after his assassination.

While I do like that this book shone a light on her relationship with Caesar, I can't help but wonder why most books about Cleopatra only focus on her affairs and never just herself. It gets old real fast. However, the dual narrative serves a bit of a purpose of letting the reader know the events going on in Rome at the time, as well as to see Caesar in a different perspective than just how Cleopatra sees him. I do like the inclusion of this, as it does help set the scene for the issues within Rome's politics, relationships in Rome, and who Caesar is outside of being a powerful man. One issue I do have with the novel is that it uses some modern language/slang even though the real historical figures would not say things like that, which took me out of enjoying it as much.

My Rating: 4 stars

Brotherhood by Mike Chen REVIEW

Summary:

The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.

After an explosion devastates Cato Nemoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order's most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Nemoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy - and he senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.

Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone - and his former Master's insistence that he listen this time - Anakin's headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.

Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal - but uncertain - footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together - and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Nemoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond Master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers. 

My Thoughts:

I loved this. Some time after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin gets to become a Jedi Knight and Obi-Wan accepts a seat on the Council. Since they are no longer Master and apprentice, the men struggle to become confident in their new roles apart from each other while still occasionally working together. When Obi-Wan is sent on a diplomatic mission, he is to go alone. He finds help in Ruug Quarnom, a young guard who is wary of the Jedi but wants to find the culprit, even if it turns out to be the work of a Separatist and not the Republic. He stumbles upon damning evidence against the Republic, and Ruug finds damning evidence against the Separatists. But when Obi-Wan is caught with a communication device, he is imprisoned and put on trial. Despite the evidence pointing to both sides, the Nemoidians blame the Republic, thanks to another guard named Ketar. Ketar holds a grudge against the Republic, partially due to his parents' deaths and partially due to the influence of Ventress. Anakin swoops in to help just as chaos erupts, and Ruug helps find the truth behind the attacks - it was all Ketar and Ventress.

Despite this book being fast-paced, it develops the characters and story very well. We get to see the vulnerable side of Anakin when he's alone with his wife and when he tells Mill (a youngling) about his past growing up. We see Obi-Wan struggle to start treating Anakin as an equal instead of an apprentice, and his thoughts regarding Satine, a woman he's had feelings for. Even Ruug and Ketar feel like they could be actual people. I would definitely recommend this book to any Star Wars fan.

My Rating: 5 stars

William by Mason Coile REIVEW

Summary:

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career - he's created an artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.

No one knows about William. Henry's agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.

When Lily's coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house - the smartest of smart homes - Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.

My Thoughts:

While not as developed as well as it could have been, this was a really fun read. Henry and Lily are having problems in their marriage, and his agoraphobia isn't helping. He's almost always locked in his lab working on William, a robot with artificial intelligence who is also developing consciousness. When Lily invites her coworkers for dinner in an attempt to have Henry get more socialization, things get weird when they meet William. The robot's curiosity and bloodlust becomes apparent, and not all of them may make it out alive.

I love the concept of a robot developing free will and terrorizing people, and this book was great for that. My only issues were that the characters were not very developed and felt one-dimensional, except for Henry and William. We barely know anything about Lily, Davis, or Paige. While we do get a small glimpse of their stories at the end, it's hard to care about characters that we don't know much about. The story and concept felt very new and fun, but the lack of characterization knocked down my rating of this one.

My Rating: 3 stars

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang REVIEW

Summary:

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.

That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.

But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom. 

My Thoughts:

This was such an interesting take on Hell. While the general story of going to Hell in order to rescue someone you know isn't new, this particular take on it is (at least for me). Alice decides to go to Hell in order to bring back her professor for two reasons: she thinks his death is her fault, and she wants to be able to get a job right after graduation with his good connections. Peter has the same idea of rescuing him, and also believes that Grimes' death is his fault. Despite their shaky relationship, they decide to go together. Parts of hell look like the campus at Cambridge, but the two struggle trying to find their way to whatever section of Hell their professor is in. Throughout the journey, secrets are uncovered that may just turn their mission into something else . . .

While I love the amount of world-building in Hell, the author does not do the same for the world-building at Cambridge. We get character development along the way, but the book mostly takes place in Hell and the life at Cambridge is a mystery for the most part. There are small details revealed, but not enough to fully capture what it was like for Alice and Peter. While I am not a huge fan of Alice, I do love Peter's character, especially when we learn his backstory and the struggles he has with an uncurable illness. Their growing romance seems very real, slow, and not forced. They struggle with socializing due to past incidents and think the other hates them before they realize the truth. Parts of the ending, however, felt rushed. We are led to believe that Peter won't be able to make it back, so how does he make it back? Alice did a spell, yes, but it wasn't really explained on how it was possible.

Overall I did like the book, and will most likely try out some of the author's other works as well.

My Rating: 3 stars

Eat Slay Love by Julie Mae Cohen REVIEW

Summary:

Marina gave up her career as a chef to raise her children, but her divorce has left her harried, lonely, and the black sheep of her family. It’s also left her in dire financial straits.

Opal is a post-menopausal fitness guru who spends her days chasing likes and followers in an industry that worships youth. Even her glossy online persona can’t mask her checkered past.

Lilah is a shy and optimistic librarian who spends her days tending to the stacks, until she wins an unbelievable sum in the lottery. With a growing bank account and a dashing fiancé, life seems too good to be true—and it just might be.

These three women have nothing in common except for one the man who’s been lying to them all . . . and who they are now holding hostage in Marina’s basement. As this shared secret brings them closer together, other, deadlier problems come crashing into their lives. Can they put their differences aside to save themselves—and each other?

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Lilah, a librarian who won the lottery, meets her fiance through a book club. When her father tragically dies in what seems like a robbery, her fiance suggests investing in more security around the house. But when she tries to buy some books to cheer her up, her balance is much less than it should be . . .

Lilah meets Opal and Marina at a coffee shop where she learns the truth - her fiance is Opal's ex and is sleeping with Marina, not to mention stealing her lottery winnings from under her nose. The trio is determined to expose him, but Marina has had enough when he shows up to her home and shoves him down the basement stairs. The three decide to keep him hostage there until they come up with a plan. But more secrets are exposed while he is down there, and nobody is quite like they seem.

At first it was a bit difficult to keep the three stories apart, but it got easier as I kept reading. I grew to adore Lilah, Marina, and Opal throughout the plot, especially when the twists were revealed. The writing is great and the characters are well developed. I would definitely recommend giving this book a read.

My Rating: 5 stars