I am a little late getting these reviews up. It all started with a horrible book. I rarely if ever give a 1 star review, but this book received my second 1 star review I’ve ever written.
As a book reviewer, it is difficult to publicly voice my thoughts when I believe the review (and my constructive criticism) should only go directly to the publisher and the writer. But there are certain rules when it comes to receiving advance copies. You have to post your review everywhere.
But for this site, I can be more selective with which book reviews I publish here. I read 2-3 books a week. You won’t always see my reviews for everything I read. I am not even going to share the name of the book that received my 1 star review here. I mean, why waste your time?
The thing I do not like about horrible books is that it turns me off from reading. It takes me some time to get back to wanting to read again. That is why I try to be very selective with the books I read and the publishers I work with. But every now and again, you give someone a chance and then you’re left angry with yourself for making a mistake.
I read the horrible book four weeks ago and I am still mad I read it. But because I am a book reviewer, I pressed through and read titles from the tested and true publisher Shadow Mountain Publishing. Their books helped me get back on track to reading 2-3 books a week.
Today, I’m going to share two of their latest titles that I escaped into to try to forget that horrible book. The first one is one I highly recommend, “A Song for the Stars.” The other title, “Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed” was such a fun adventure and well done. Both of these books got me right back on track and I’m here to share my reviews. So here are a couple of books to escape into.
A Song for the Stars
Destination: Hawaiian Islands
Date: 1779
*Sigh* This was an amazing story. If you are in need of a vacation, but can’t get away, I recommend reading this book. It sweeps you away to the Hawaiian islands. You can feel the warmth of the sun, the sand beneath your feet and hear the ocean brushing up against Hawaii’s shores. Paradise…still untouched by European colonization.
If you loved Moana, you will enjoy this story. I visualized Maile as a grown up version of Moana. I felt like I appreciated the story so much more imagining Maile as Moana.
Through this book, I learned so much about native Hawaiian traditions and their culture. The Hawaiian native’s life is so intriguing, especially as you learn about their love and understanding of nature. You’ll start to see nature differently, knowing how it tells us everything we need to know without our maps, books or technology.
With every book comes life lessons. In this tale, the most important lesson is about forgiveness and learning how to love your enemy. It’s also about learning to love again after you’ve lost someone you love.
I highly recommend this book. It really made me sigh…a lot. Maybe it was the love story part or maybe because it painted Hawaii so well…whatever it was, I’m glad I read this. Also, if you’ve read my previous reviews about ‘love stories,’ for me to say I sighed…that says a lot. This is coming from someone who doesn’t like love stories. I SIGHED A LOT! Perhaps Proper Romance has changed me.
Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed
Destination: Portland, Oregon and New York, NY
Date: Present Day
I reviewed Wizard for Hire Book One last year. After that cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I could not wait for the continuation of the series. So when Shadow Mountain sent me the next book in the series, I was so excited to dive into this world of magic (or is it reality?) once again.
After reading Book Two, I have to say that I absolutely loved it. This is so much better than the first book. Obert Skye is really progressing into a better writer (practice makes perfect), making his stories even more enjoyable.
The constant banter between the 4 main characters is comical. I love Clark, the mechanical bird. I really do.
Book Two gives us one more piece to this puzzle of what is really going on with Ozzy and his family. Is Rin really a wizard? As much as I doubt it throughout the book, just like Ozzy, Sigi and Clark do, I am beginning to see that maybe Rin isn’t lying about being a wizard. Or is he? Skye likes to leave us with cliffhangers, which he does again in Book 2. And what a cliffhanger it was!?!?!
Book Three cannot come fast enough.
[Disclosure: I received a free copy of these books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.]