January has come and gone and with that comes the first book review of the year! I did not leave 2022 off on a good note, but I am pleased to say that January 2023 made up for it. Without further ado, here’s the first book review of 2023!
Code Name Helene
Code Name Helene is a book based off a true story of a woman known to the Germans during WW2 as The White Mouse. This book tells the story of Nancy Wake and her many code names. It chronicles her stories in real time then flashes back to how to she got where she is. Nancy is a seemingless harmless women who meets a guy and falls in love, then WW2 starts. She begins to realize the importance of helping defy the Germans as much as possible. Nancy believed her role was simple. However, she soon finds herself with a 5 million franc on her head and one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance.
This book started off a bit slow and I almost didn’t keep reading. However, I kept going and soon couldn’t put it down. I particularly enjoyed the Author’s Notes where she breaks down the fiction vs. non-fiction in the book and was surprised to find that the majority of the story was fact. While I enjoyed this book, Nancy (aka: Helene) didn’t necessarily have her “happy ending”. Overall though, it was a great book!
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
The Orphan Queen Series
The Orphan Queen follows Wilhelmina, or Wil, through her journey to reclaim her lost kingdom. When she was a little girl, her parents were killed and her kingdom taken. Since then, an evil force, the byproduct of using magic, has taken over the kingdom and threatens to take over the entire world. Wil is living on the streets, secretly using her magic when necessary to gather the necessary tools to infiltrate the castle and take back her kingdom, with the help of the nobles from her former land. Goodreads describes this book as “a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world” and I think that’s pretty accurate.
I think this book is underrated! I’d never heard about it, but it had all the fantasy vibes you could want. I read this book shockingly quick and was thrilled I didn’t have to wait for the second one!
I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The Mirror King is the second and final book of the series from above. The book follows Wilhelmina as she looks to take back her throne as well as well as the son of the King that took over her lands. Wilhelmina will do anything it takes to regain her kingdom and help stop the evil force taking over the kingdom. This includes sacrificing the one she loves, managing betrayal from close friends, and shifting her mindset from orphan to Queen
I thought this book was just as good as the first. I loved that the series wasn’t too long and felt it tied up everything nicely. The author did leave the series open for books in the future if she wanted, but they are not necessary.
I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Vortex
While Vortex is the 25th book (!) in the series, this was the first book I’ve read by Catherine Coulter. The FBI thriller series follows agents Sherlock and Savich. This book follows three different storylines with some overlap. The first follows a young CIA agent who returns from a botched mission in Iraq and finds herself with multiple assissination attempts, prompting the FBI to step in and find a mole. The second follows a female reporter writing about an up and coming new candidate for Govenor of NY, only to find a potentially sketchy past. The third entails an FBI agent attempting to find the killer of a triple murder.
I was worried I was going to get confused with all the storylines, but I found the stories easy enough to follow. There were no major surprises or shocks in this book, but it was an enjoyable, quick read. I’m not sure it convinced me to go back and read the other 24 books but I still liked it.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
The Skyward Series
Skyward Series followed Spensa, a girl living in space fighting the poor reputation of her father. All she’s ever wanted to be was a fighter pilot, but her father died while betraying his flight squad which leaves Spensa with little hope of becoming a pilot. Nonetheless, she fights hard until her father’s former partner gives her a chance. Spensa nativates the world of learning to be a pilot while jumping through hoops of the people who want her to fail. Meanwhile, the space world is slowly losing the battle against the Krell, an alien race. Spensa and her squad will have to work extra hard to become what the space force needs to save their planet. This includes coming to terms with her father’s betrayal and what powers lie within her.
The second book, Starflight, is hard to explain without giving away the first. However, Spensa finds herself on an alien planet acting as a spy for her people. Her goal is to determine how to beat the Krell, but she finds out more than she could have fathomed.
There is a third book, Cytonic, but I didn’t feel the need to read it. Each book adds to the same story, but each book finishes up nicely that you don’t have to keep reading. I described this book series to Charles as Top Gun meets Star Wars. It was entertaining, but not necessarily my kind of book.
I gave each book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Got any recommendations?
Check out December 2022 books here!
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