Artemis by Andy Weir book review

Artemis

by Andy Weir (Goodreads Author)

 

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.


My Review: 6/10

Andy weir does an amazing job of bringing these places to life with attention to detail- noting things like the way coffee would taste on the moon due to a lower boiling temperature. I love that about his writing.

And I liked the conversation flashbacks between young Jazz and her pen pal on Earth.

And maybe it’s not fair to compare this book to The Martian (which was phenomenal by the way). But I can’t help it. This book felt lackluster to me in general and even worse by comparison.

I never really connected with Jazz and spent the first half of the book being distracted by her characterization; she -sounded- like she was written by a man. I couldn’t help feeling frustrated that now that the narration was from a woman’s perspective (as opposed to Mark Watney in The Martian), there is regular mention of sex (like asking Jazz to test out a non-disposable condom as “payment.” Not kidding). The contrast of narratives was stark to put it mildly.

**SPOILER ALERT** Then the action picked up... but the plot didn’t sit solidly with me. A million slugs is only about $166,000. Which is still a lot of money but certainly not enough to make her set for life or risk getting sent back to Earth. There seemed like quite a few plot holes and the other characters/relationships felt one dimensional.  

Holding the Fort (Fort Reno #1) by Regina Jennings book review

Holding the Fort (Fort Reno #1)

by Regina Jennings (Goodreads Author)

 

When dance hall singer Louisa Bell visits Fort Reno to see her brother, she is mistaken for the governess that the harried Major Daniel Adams is waiting for. Between his rowdy troops and his two daughters, he has more responsibility than he can handle alone. Eager for the opportunity, Louisa sets out to show the widower that she is a perfect fit.

  

My Review: 8/10

No one can make me laugh out loud like Regina Jennings. I particularly can't wait to read Bradley story because he's hilarious and charming and so real.

But I digress. This was a light, fun read with very unique characters, as always. I think I would've loved it even more if there were deeper character flaws. Maybe something like Hosea's story? I liked that Louisa had her standards and wasn't willing to sacrifice them. But I found myself thinking that I also would have liked to read a story about one who didn't. One who didn't make it out unscathed, made mistakes, had regrets and took the first lifeline that was tossed to her. How that would have changed the story. If anyone could blend humor with the sometimes painfully-honest it would be Ms. Jennings (years later, Love in the Balance is still having an effect on me).

This book is easy to love and I look forward to the others in the series.

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage (Tales from Ivy Hill #2) by Julie Klassen book review

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage (Tales from Ivy Hill #2)

by Julie Klassen (Goodreads Author)

Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for?

Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return--but where is he?

As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?


 
My Review: 6.5/10
I didn't think this book was as strong as the previous one. Right off the bat, several love interests are struck out, which I had thought was a strong point of the first book- that no characters were obvious choices- life doesn't usually work that way; while hindsight may make things seem obvious, in the moment... not so much. Some of the "twists" were not surprising, but rather the character seemed to be blind and/or exceptionally unobservant.

Rachel's tale was the focus and I did like her story in general. The focus on friendship is still there and I liked the way that the women support each other. I thought her struggle with accepting help was well done.

The biggest issue for me was all of the references to Jane Austen. I'm a huge fan as well but it was just too much. There were many lines taken directly out of her novels. Several scenes bore a very strong resemblance to those in her works and some of the characters (Lady Catherine, Mr. Collins,  Elizabeth, and Mr. Darcy etc) seem to make an appearance via some established characters. It was  jarring and took me out of the flow of the story every. single. time. And it wasn't necessary. The best parts of the story were those that felt 100% original (read: not influenced or inspired by Jane Austen's work) and I think the novel would have been a lot stronger on its own.

The storyline that I found most intriguing was Mercy's and that one was not resolved, so I will have to read the last installment and hope that this book was touched by middle book syndrome.