Level Grind
by Annie Bellet
Publisher: Saga Press
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
In the fantasy book, Level Grind, by
Annie Bellet, Jade Crow, a 50 year old sorceress, is running from her
ex boyfriend, Samir, who is trying to eat her heart to gain her
power. Jade runs a comic book shop with her friend Harper, a shifter
who can turn into an animal. She and two other shifters help out Jade
throughout the book, and they also have the assistance of Alek,
another shifter who works for what shifters consider to be gods. This
book is comprised of four novellas (Justice Calling, Murder of Crows,
Pack of Lies, and Hunting Season), which form a chronological story.
In each of the four stories, there is a main antagonist who is trying
to accomplish something evil, while the threat of Samir lurks in the
background. Even in the last story, Samir is not the bad guy that
Jade and her friends are trying to stop.
I felt that more should have been added
to some of the stories. Something bad happens, they find out why,
they try to stop it and end eventually succeed, all while Jade is
trying to strengthen her magic . The stories are fairly
straightforward, and I think it would have been better if there was
more of a plot twist per story. At the end of each story, many
of its key points are concluded, leaving not very much room for an
effective cliffhanger. I think that the romance in this book does not
contribute much to the story, or the development of the characters. I
like that this book is fast paced at each climax and that there are
small bits of detective work done to figure out what is going on for
both the characters and the reader. The reader can try to figure out
what is happening before the story reveals it. There are also many
references to TV shows, games, comics, movies, and video games that
you will only understand if you know about the specific content.
While I enjoyed reading this book, I am
not sure if I would read the sequels. Nothing happens in the book
that makes me want to instantly have and read the next book. I did
not love nor hate this book, but I think it would have been more
enjoyable if it was targeted to a more specific age.
LOST STARS by Lisa Selin Davis is a
coming of age novel that demonstrates the close bond between siblings
and the profound influence that death has upon adolescents. Davis
thoughtfully incorporates a multitude of references to 80's music and
pop culture into the plot, using song lyrics to highlight protagonist
Carrie’s development throughout the novel. While this novel may
seem cliched at first (the ever-present love interest, tyrannical
father, absent mother, and teenage angst tropes are all featured in
this novel), the story ultimately centers around Carrie’s attempts
to cope with her elder sister’s death. I found this novel to be
engaging and thoughtfully written, and thought that the well-placed
astronomy metaphors were distinct without being the focus of the
story.
