Here are the great books I read in June that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.
Poetic Justice: A Rascal Todd Mystery Featuring Brody Thompson (Book 2 of 2: Rascal Todd Mystery)
by Dan Antion (Author), Willow Willers (Author)
Best-selling mystery author Brody Thompson is asked to help solve a real-life murder. Curious, Brody agrees to help Trevor figure out who killed his father and soon finds himself not only searching for a murderer but also in danger. After Trevor is attacked, Brody becomes more determined to find out what is going on. He runs across a character that held my attention or The Poet, who has been in hiding for years. The Poet communicates and leaves clues through poetry. Brody was a strong character who interacted with familiar characters from the past and met new ones, like Trevor’s mom. Journalist Rascal has a backup role in this story, but she is still there, along with her demanding kitty and the newsroom. The setting is woven nicely into the story, along with many delicious-sounding meals. I now want a pastry from the story. I found myself rooting for Brody and eager to find out more about The Poet. This can be a standalone read, but it’s nice to already be familiar with past characters. An engaging whodunit that had me guessing until the end.
Ancient Voices: Poems About Ancient Egypt
“Ancient Voices” is a unique collection of poetry. Set in Ancient Egypt, each poem gives a glimpse into the lives of those who lived there. I could tell there was a lot of research that went into this collection and appreciated it. The fascinating setting provided both entertainment and learning. It’s hard to capture the essence of this book in a short review but here are three examples from the collection: “Love letter/buried in the sand/inscribed on stone/for eternal bliss…”—LOVE LETTERS, “Send me to my tomb with a blue lotus in my hair./My heart will dance with joy as I run through the Fields of Reeds,/Free of pain and disease. Limber as fallow deer, I will run,/Ecstatic in my youthfulness…”—THE BLUE LOTUS, and “I set out to write/The most beautiful poem in the world./Consulting the stars,/They quickly aligned/Into perfect letters of stardust/and cosmic dew…”—MOST BEAUTIFUL. A collection to be read more than once and one I can highly recommend.
I read and loved the Tetrasphere series and was thrilled to see the story continue with many returning characters set at a later date. Reading the previous series isn’t necessary as the author does a good job of bringing the readers into this world with beautiful settings and strong characters. Gabri, who was a baby at the end of Tetrasphere, is now almost sixteen years old. Something is after Gabri that her family and friends can’t protect her from, and is kidnapped and removed from all she loves. She finds herself on an unknown world imprisoned in a cold, damp cell by the enemy she calls the Shadow. Here her special abilities are gone and all she wants to do is go home. In the darkest of her moments, she gets unexpected help. This is an exquisitely described place where dragons co-exist with intelligent plants and there’s an ongoing battle between good and evil. Some questions are answered while others remain, and I can’t wait to continue the journey in the next story! A well-written YA fantasy that I can easily recommend.
Next week is the Creative Perspective Challenge Seven!
Embrace your inner child by reading a fantastic book! D. L. Finn (Denise)