Children's Fiction ~

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

Review by: Bluninja29

Opening Thoughts:

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is a collection of stories based off the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2003 TV series.) It has 11 Short Stories all based off episodes from the TV show. with more view points that we didn't get to see in the show. One of the Short stories im are gonna look at is about Count Dooku.

Story:

Count Dooku was surprised attacked by the Republic.

Presentation:

I do like how these are in the characters point of view like Count Dooku. I also like how all the stories are based off the show. What I didn't like is how these are short stories, but it is a nitpick so I won't get crazy over it. I honestly liked this book.

If you are a star wars nerd or want to give your kid a star wars book to read. then this is the book for you!

4/5

Bruja Born - Zoraida Córdova

Fair warning: I did not read, or even know about, the first book in the series when I ventured into this world. I don't know where my brain was with that fail BUT not having read book 1 didn't detract from my enjoyment of this one so please take that into consideration when reading my thoughts on the matter.

I listened to this via Audible and I have to admit that I think the narrator added just the right touch... some je ne sais quoi. She painted a much more vivid mental picture than the cinema in my brain could have and being a die hard ereader junkie, admitting that was something akin to passing a kidney stone BUT I digress.

This witchy story was spellbinding (hehehe)! I love love LOVED the familial dynamics, especially between the sisters!! Their unshakable bond was both heartwarming and inspirational. I even liked Lula's relationship and banter with Lady de la Muerta. This exciting tale had zombie like creatures, witches, vampires, magical being hunters and more all cohabiting and coalescing around a place very near and dear to my heart. The book mostly takes place in Brooklyn NY, only minutes from where I was born and raised. Hearing the places that I have explored at length, named as the backdrop to the story created such an instant bond that I felt at once attached and wholeheartedly dialled in...I felt like I was home again. I love when Lula kept calling sirens "Brooklyn's lullaby"... like most cities, it happens to be SO true!! My daughter was lulled to sleep hearing sirens, dogs barking, bickering lovers and car doors slamming at all hours of the night and still she slept. I can't really comment on how this added or compared to book 1 but I will say that if the first is anywhere near as good as this one, I'm headed over to Audible straight away to catch up. All in all the writing was great. The world building was excellent and the characters...well the characters were captivating, endearing and made you want to root for them as well as be one of them. In my opinion it is a great read/listen.

~Enjoy!

Night Film gripped me. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, reading the book in large chunks, taking breaks and taking my time, because of dark and disturbing content, and also to just think. This book made me think a lot. The story isn't what I would call scary, but thrilling or suspenseful are good words for it. There was one scene where the main character is on a movie set and something happens that made my heart race a little bit. Yes, that bit did scare me. It was done very well in my opinion. I liked how we are not quite sure what happened.

The writing style was really good and easy to read. It flowed well. However, I did find a lot of the story repetitive. Some of the phrases were repeated so much, for example, the main character said "thank Christ" so much that I felt annoyed each time he said it.

I enjoyed the supplemented material. They added to the book to give it more of a creepy, real vibe.

There was mention of a past romance with the main character's ex, but other than that no romance, except for one small part. I liked that there was no secondary plot of romance, taking from the main plot.

I liked and disliked the way the book ended. It ended in a similar way one of Cordova's films would end, so that was pretty neat, but on the other hand frustrating for the reader. You might know what I mean when you get to that point.

Over all, it was an enjoyable read and one that will have me wondering for a long time.

This whole thing with Cordava's films really made me want to see his movies, as if they were real. Even with the disturbing background of the films, a morbid curiosity had me dying to see what the big deal was with this director and his films. Would I become one of his fans? Would I spend my days on the blackboards talking about theories?

https://bookhaunt.com/2017/02/24/labyrinth-lost-by-zoraida-cordova/

I'm not normally one for witch stories, but these are brujas. I have to admit that I don't see a lot out there that mix magical realism with Latinx characters, so I just had to give this one a shot and I'm so glad that I did. The reviews of several other book bloggers, particularly diverse book bloggers may have helped too.

That blurb doesn't really begin to tell the reader the half of it. Don't get me wrong,  I don't expect spoilers in the blurb, but simply saying that she hates magic is a little off, in my opinion. She hates magic in that Elsa from Frozen kind of way. She's not ridding herself of a measly amount of power that isn't all that useful anyway or some part of herself that she doesn't feel like she identifies with. She's ridding herself of the dangerous power that she feels overwhelming her ability to control it and out of fear of what might happen were she to lose control. Sure, there are some other reasons in there and they are perfectly understandable 'I wanna be a normal girl' reasons, but I feel like those would have been manageable if not under the colossal weight of her power.

The setup is done well and I felt like I had a good grasp of the characters and where everyone stood when the plot took off. Then there's Los Lagos and the insanity ensues. I enjoyed the darkness of it. Rather than Wonderland, which is what the back cover uses, I found Los Lagos reminded me of Oz. There is an order to things, no matter how unsettling they are and the inhabitants know what that order is. Moreover, each one is just trying to do the best they can within their circumstances in much the same way as the inhabitants of Oz. they have their own motivations that are not tied to our protagonist which makes them a bit unpredictable to her and to the reader.

The worlds that stories take place in are one of my favorite parts of reading, it's why I tend to lean toward paranormal and science fiction and one of the things that's been a new joy to historical fiction. I loved the world building of this book. It's not just Los Lagos but also the world building to create this community of brujas and integrate them into Brooklyn. It's beautifully done.

I look forward to the next installment!