After this re-read, I actually sighed with contentment when I finished.

There's not a story I love more than Watership Down.

It's been a while since my last re read, and this time around I was afraid I would find I've been fooling myself all these years...that I would discover my teenage self had turned Watership Down into something that it wasn't and didn't deserve.

I shouldn't have worried. It's everything I had it built up to be.

Actually, this time around, it was more.

Now, I know many find this book tedious. I admit a book about rabbits traveling the English countryside doesn't sound like it would get your heart pumping. I even hesitate to encourage my own kids to read it for fear they won't understand.

Get over it.

Embrace Watership Down, and you'll find some of the greatest literary characters ever written. You'll find heroes being brave even though they are scared. You'll find leaders who lead by love and leaders who lead by fear. You'll find excitement. Bloody fighting. Tyranny over thrown. Friendships. Loyalty. Peace.

Goosebumps. Chills. Tears.

All that. More.

In a book about rabbits.

Hopping across the English countryside.

Give it a try. I think you'll love it too.

Suitable for all ages. Recommended for all ages. It'll take a bit of maturity just because of the pacing, but content is PG.

The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained

I've been feeling the need to read my favorite book again.

I loved to read when I was young, but it wasn't until Watership Down during a rough time in High School that books became part of me.

No talking rabbit jokes. This one's personal.

Just kidding.

Make all the talking rabbit jokes you want!

The boy with no direction taught me something unforgettable: happiness comes again if you let it.

This book is freaking fantastic. It deserves all the stars and more. If you haven’t read this book then um, what are you waiting for?! Read this book now if you haven’t because EVERYONE should read this book.

Besides the creative premise of this plot being that Aaron (our main character) wants to go through a memory procedure to forget that he’s gay because he’s not ready to accept his sexuality, there are so many other things to read in this book.

Adam Silvera creates all kinds of realistic characters. I may have never met someone as amazing and life-changing as Aaron, but I do have the unfortunate fate of meeting some Brendan’s and others. But I’ve also met some amazing Genevieve's and Thomas’s; you decide: is that more happy or not?

This book isn’t a cute-sy tale to read for fun, this book has it’s dark moments. It deals with suicide, accepting one’s sexuality, and abuse (either self or inflicted on). Aaron goes through some pretty dark moments, where I had to put this book down and calm my breathing because it was seriously a lot.

She pulls away—and then I see why: she’s holding out her palm as a landing place for a firefly. It’s easy to forget it’s there when it’s not glowing, until all of a sudden it comes back and surprises you; it reminds me of grief.

There were points in this book where I was laughing with Aaron, sometimes almost wanting to cry for him, and wanting to yell things to him that he should also realize. This book was an emotional rollercoaster ride and I’m glad it went beyond my expectations.

I’ve become this happiness scavenger who picks away at the ugliness of the world, because if there’s happiness tucked away in my tragedies, I’ll find it no matter what. If the blind can find joy in music, and the deaf can discover it with colors, I will do my best to always find the sun in the darkness because my life isn’t one sad ending—it’s a series of endless happy beginnings.

I really can’t say if this book is heart-breaking or funny and sad, but there’s a little bit of everything. I can say that this book will stay with you long after you’re finished reading this. At least, it’s still with me after all this time.

Overall, More Happy Than Not is recommended to EVERYONE by me! It’s an emotional rollercoaster and will leave you MORE than satisfied! I’m still not over this book, to be honest, and I’m glad that I gave this one a go.

Thanks for reading my review everyone, and hope you have a great day! :D

All I can say is "WOW". Ms Woods has really upped the ante in Fixed in Blood. I could not put it down!!

What I liked: What I really like about Fixed in Blood is how Ms Woods has progressed as an author. I've liked all the books but you can see a steady progression and growth of her writing and it just tickles me as a reader to be a part of that growth, just by reading her books. I've been lucky enough to receive an ARC of each of her books (through NetGalley) and now whenever she has a book on NetGalley, I receive a notification. 

Fixed in Blood is my favorite book in this series so far. There's action, feelings (good and bad, happy and sad), small bits of humor mostly used to break some of the tension but most of all there is suspense with shocking results. 

Mort Grant, Seattle Chief of Detectives, had cut Dr. Lydia Corriger, a gifted psychologist, and formerly "The Fixer" from his life due to his disappointment with her handling of his troubled adult daughter, Allie. While Mort and Lydia are the main characters there are a number of smaller cast of characters who add to the stories. 

I was wondering how Ms Woods would get Mort and Lydia back together. To me, they have a special relationship and I was very distraught at the ending of the previous book, The Unforgivable Fix. The re-connection flows smoothly without a feeling of being forced. It fact, it was a surprise the way it was handled.

In Fixed in Blood, we learn more and more about Mort and his history. I love how the author handles the information. It's not an info dump but fits seamlessly into the story. Now, Lydia, on the other hand, is still much of a mystery. If you don't connect with her character from the first book, she could seem almost one dimensional. She's so much more! I hate that personally she's almost cut off from any "normal" relationship. That's why I felt so strongly at the ending of the previous book.

Wow, I am going on and on aren't I? That should tell you something. I can't say too much about the plot except what's in the synopsis because no spoilers from me! I will say, I'm an avid suspense/thriller/mystery reader and am not often fooled by an author's red herrings, boy was I fooled. A couple of times, I grasped at a few clues only to find them disintegrate into nothing. 

What I didn't like: This has absolutely nothing to do with the book or the author but is more of a note to readers.  I knew this was the fourth book in this series but no where on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble, would a browser know this. I guess the biggest problem is Goodreads. The first two books in the series,The Fixer and The Red Hot Fix are listed as the Mort Grant series but the third book, The Unforgivable Fix and this book, the fourth are listed as Justice League novels. It could be very confusing to a reader and these books MUST be read in order. If you click on Ms Woods Amazon author page, it shows one book, The Fixer and none of the others. It does show the other books if you go to the Kindle store. I guess either Ms Woods or her publicist or someone needs to straighten all that out to ensure the reader can find all the books and the order to read them. I very rarely go to author's webpages unless I'm closely following them. 

Overall, an fantastic, suspenseful, and surprising read. If you love mysteries, thrillers, or suspense novels, you need to read this series!!

I received an free ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. 

Highly Recommended!!!!!