Book review: Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: ★★★★★
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Source: Borrowed

From the worldwide bestselling team of Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan, “The War for Phang” is an epic, self-contained Saga event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat and the refugee experience.

I thought that Volume 5 was my favorite, and then I thought that Volume 6 was my favorite, but it’s official. Volume 7 is the best of Saga so far. So much happened. I loved this volume but also hated it, because what was that ending. I don’t think a graphic novel has ever made me cry before, but here we are. My heart is absolutely shattered and I have no idea how I’m supposed to wait until my hold on Volume 8 comes in.

If you’re not already reading this series, please do yourself a favor and pick it up. I can’t imagine you’ll regret it.

#mm18: family


Have you read any of Saga? What’s your favorite graphic novel?
Let’s talk in the comments!


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Monthly Motif: December Update

It’s time for another Monthly Motif reading challenge update! December was pretty much a freebie month and I decided to redo October’s theme and go with new or old. The goal was to read as many books as I could that had been published in 2018 and that I’d previously bought for myself… but I didn’t really take into consideration travel plans, and I didn’t do as well as I might have hoped.

Books read:

Books not read:

  • Anything else!! I had hoped to read more books than this, but there’s always next year!

PreviouslyJanuary | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November

Book review: Saga Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: July 5, 2016
Source: Borrowed

After a dramatic time jump, the three-time Eisner Award winner for Best Continuing Series continues to evolve, as Hazel begins the most exciting adventure of her life: kindergarten. Meanwhile, her starcrossed family learns hard lessons of their own.

I think Volume 6 of Saga might be my favorite so far. I liked the introduction of Petrichor, I liked how Hazel is growing up and playing a bigger role in the story, and I liked that plot twist at the end. I still love my buddy Ghüs and I wish Lying Cat was currently playing a bigger role, but I can deal with it.

Mostly I’m just amazed at how much I’m enjoying this graphic novel series.

#mm18: family


Have you read any of Saga? What’s your favorite graphic novel?
Let’s talk in the comments!


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Book review: Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: September 9, 2015
Source: Borrowed

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies.

Okay, so here’s the thing: Volume 5 of Saga was good, but it was probably my least favorite of the series. It’s still four stars, just… a lower four stars than the previous four volumes. (If that makes sense.)

I don’t have a lot of words to say about this one, but I love Ghüs so much. He’s maybe taken over Lying Cat’s place as my favorite character. He’s just so adorable and perfect.

#mm18: family


Have you read any of Saga? What’s your favorite graphic novel?
Let’s talk in the comments!


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Book review: Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey

Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: Amazon • Goodreads
Publication Date: December 6, 2018
Source: Purchased

Dr. Russell has a bad reputation around our hospital. The scrub techs say he’s cold-blooded, the nurses say he’s too cocky for his own good, and the residents say he’s the best surgeon in the world—really, just a swell guy!—on the off chance he’s within earshot.

I try to avoid him and his temper at all costs. It’s just as easy to admire his sexy, grip-it-while-he’s ravishing-you hair and chiseled jaw from a healthy distance, preferably from the other end of the hallway half-hidden behind a plant.

Unfortunately, my plan crumbles when my trusty ol’ boss decides to swap his white coat for a Hawaiian shirt. His retirement leaves me with two terrible options: switch specialties and spend months retraining, or take an open position as Dr. Russell’s surgical assistant.

That means I have to stand near him in the OR for hours on end and anticipate his every need without letting his biting words and bad attitude intimidate me. Oh, and as if that’s not difficult enough, my silly crush on him—the one I’ve tried to stomp on until it disappears—might just be reciprocated.

It’s fine.
I’m fine.

I take my job seriously. There will be no smoldering bedroom eyes across the operating table, no angry almost-kisses in the storage closet. (Well, no more of those.)

What’s the phrase? An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Maybe I should go for a whole damn bushel.

It’s really no secret that R.S. Grey is one of my all-time favorite authors. This is the tenth book of hers that I’ve read (and the fourth that she’s published just this year!) and I’m not really sure how she always writes books that are so good, but she does. I’ve come to expect greatness from her, and she usually delivers. Hotshot Doc was no exception.

I’ve been in a little bit of a reading slump lately and I’ve been finding it pretty difficult to focus on a book. This book, though? I read it in two sittings. I probably could have finished it in one if I hadn’t had a Christmas party to attend.

This book checked a lot of my boxes. It’s a romantic comedy. It’s a workplace romance. It features one of my favorite tropes, enemies-to-lovers. The heroine is independent and strong and feisty. The hero is a little broody but secretly a great guy. But there were also some things that I didn’t love.

First, I was missing a lot of the sexual tension that I’ve come to expect from R.S. Grey’s enemies-to-lovers romances. I definitely felt the tension at the beginning as Bailey and Matt argued, but it seemed like they went straight from disliking each other to being cute and cuddling on the couch and I missed the buildup to that.

I also felt like this wasn’t as romantic or as funny as her romantic comedies usually are. And that’s fine, but when I read an R.S. Grey book, I expect to have at least a couple moments where I laugh so hard that I have to put the book down for a minute and at least a couple of scenes where I have to fan myself and thank the heavens that I’m alone. While there were some chuckles and some fairly sexy scenes in this book, they weren’t at the level that I’ve seen in her other books.

And finally, the ending. No spoilers, but I felt like things moved so quickly at the end of this book. I don’t even know how to explain this without spoiling the ending, but the heroine made some probably unrealistic decisions that seemed a little out of character.

Still, despite the negatives, this was a really great book! R.S. Grey is a great romance author and I’ve never disliked anything of hers that I’ve read. I would highly recommend this if you’re in the mood for a cute romance with a sassy heroine and minimal angst.

#mm18: old or new

Previously: The Allure of Dean Harper • The Allure of Julian Lefray • Anything You Can Do • Arrogant Devil • The Beau & The Belle • The Fortunate Ones • The Foxe & The Hound • Not So Nice Guy • Scoring Wilder


Have you read Hotshot Doc? Do you like the enemies-to-lovers trope?
Let’s talk in the comments!


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