Maddie’s Bookcase

  Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia Genre: Historical fantasy Published in: 2019 Age suggestion: Young adult and up Spice-o-meter: No spice My rating: 3.5 out of 5 My thoughts: I'm not going to lie, I picked up this book from my local library because I thought the cover was pretty. The colors made this book jump off the shelf at me. I enjoyed this book. I read it very quickly because it was a fast read. It was told in the third person perspective, and it was strange because it is almost like it read similar to a history book, as if the story was being told like folk lore (which I believe is the point since it is fiction based on actual Mexican folk lore). Since I don't know much about Mexican culture and folk lore, I can't comment on the accuracy of the book to what the Mexican culture says, but I found this book enjoyable. I would have loved to see this told in the first person perspective though; I think it would've been really interesting. I

  The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton Title: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Author: Stuart Turton Genre: Mystery Published in: 2018 Age suggestion: Adult Spice-o-meter: No spice My rating: 5 out of 5 My thoughts: This book was addicting to me. The way this book was written was absolutely brilliant. I was a bit confused at first but that was the point because the main character woke up confused and disoriented. This was the most intricate and well-planned book I think I've ever read. There were so many layers to this story and everything pieced together beautifully. This book is told in one perspective that is many perspectives at the same time, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense until you're reading it. A quick summary, without spoiling the book, is that the main character is trapped in a murder mystery and he has eight days to solve the case. The interesting part is that he wakes up every day in a different body of someone who is a guest at

  Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller Title: Daughter of the Siren Queen Author: Tricia Levenseller Genre: Fantasy fiction Published in: 2018 Age suggestion: Young adult and up Spice-o-meter: 1 out of 5 My rating: 4 out of 5 My thoughts: This book had me hooked in the first chapter. I read the first book almost a year ago and I really enjoyed it, but it took me more time to really get into. This one had me sucked in immediately. I have been really wanting to read pirate books and things that have the world-building and the adventure that movies like Pirates of the Caribbean give me because sometimes I just get in a pirate mood. This one was super enjoyable for me. I took about a week off from reading to spend with my family on their visit to see me in Texas, and this was a good book to get back into my reading schedule. Keep in mind, this is the second book of the set, but I will write a little bit of a summary without spoiling the story: Alosa, the daughter of the fier