Review: Before She Was Found

Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I chose this particular book because it was written using text message exchanges and journal entries. Translation: A quick read. As it turns out, I was pleased by this sinister little page-turner. In a small rural town in Iowa, 12-year-olds Cora, Violet, and Jordyn are working together on an urban legend school project. The legend selected is that of John Wither, a local who was accused of burning down his family’s home and simply vanishing afterwards. During the process of diligently searching for legit information for the project, Cora is informed of a website where users open up discussion forums regarding dark topics. She soon becomes entangled with another user who claims to be the infamous John Wither. Within hours of embarking on a secretive midnight outing to an old rail yard, one girl would be discovered stabbed and beaten near the tracks. The remaining two girls and a well-liked teacher in their community would be questioned and looked upon as potential suspects of the crime.


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Review: Binti: The Complete Trilogy

Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Binti
In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, BINTI, Nnedi Okorafor introduces us to Binti, a young Himba girl and a brilliant mathematician who painstakingly runs away to attend Oomza Uni, the most prestigious university in the galaxy. Unbeknownst to her, the Meduse, an alien race, was at war with the University, and Binti was caught right in the middle of it. She will have to use her intelligence, cultural background, and relics to stop the Meduse from killing her and waging war on all races.
Binti: Home
Since her transformation by the Meduse, Binti starts uncovering many things about herself and decides she needs to return home to participate in a pilgrimage that the women in her tribe practice. She is not quite sure how her family will receive her since she snuck away to attend this University, but she feels that going back and taking part will help restore the tranquility for which she so desperately searches. However, she discovers a family secret that will open up a whole new world to her. Binti, now part Meduse and part human, has another part of her that is waging these internal wars.

Binti: The Night Masquerade
This concluding volume will have you gasping for air. Binti has returned home and is now with her grandmother in a far village, attempting to discover who she truly is. News comes to her that the Khoush have stirred up war once again against the Meduse by trying to kill Okwu, Binti’s dearest friend, a Meduse! Binti rushes home to find that her village is burned to the ground. Now it is up to Binti once more to try to prevent a war between the Meduse, Khoush, and her people. These books are very heartfelt, full of diversity, struggles, and cultural rivalries. This series demonstrates that it just takes one person, no matter how different, to show an unconditional love to unite mankind.


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Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes I get a little worried when I read a book that has gotten a lot of hype. If I don’t like it, does that mean there’s something wrong with me? Will the praise heaped on it raise my expectations to unattainable levels? Will my hold ever come in?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tom Adeyemi was one of the hottest YA books of 2018. It won a number of awards, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut and was the Audie Audiobook of the Year. Entertainment Weekly even called Adeyemi “the new J. K. Rowling.” With all the excitement, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I wanted to find out!

Right away, I was drawn into the story of Zélie Adebola. When magic disappeared from the last of Orïsha, the king took the opportunity to murder all the maji. He also implemented ruthless new laws that punished all who had inherited the maji traits, even though they no longer had the possibility of doing magic.

When the opportunity to restore magic to the land lands in Zélie’s lap, she knows she has to take it. Even with the odds stacked against her, she will do whatever it takes to regain her magical inheritance and restore power to those who have been oppressed for so long.

Believe the hype. This was a fun, action-packed read full of well-drawn characters that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I listened to the audiobook, and Bahni Turpin's narration was amazing. Check out the book in the teen room or the audiobook through Overdrive.

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Review: The Coroner

The Coroner by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emily Hartford, the daughter of a medical examiner, is following in her father's footsteps.

When she turned thirteen, her parents told her to make a wish for anything she wanted (within reason). She chose to ride along with her father on his investigation of an accident case. She also wanted to be included when the autopsies were done. That was the beginning of her planning and working towards her career in medicine.

She was in her third year of surgical residency in Chicago when her father suffered a heart attack, and she returned home to Freeport, Michigan, to help him recuperate. She and her father had been estranged for several years, since her mother's death. Emily never thought she would return to Freeport and its small town atmosphere.

She had become engaged to a doctor in Chicago, but her return to Freeport put that into question, and Freeport seemed more exciting to her all the time.

First in a series mystery for this author, readers will look forward to her next book.


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