Dog Ears

Until about a month ago, I didn't know handing out free chapters was a thing that authors did, but honestly, it's a great idea. The first chapters are the most important ones in the whole book, they determine whether or not the reader keeps going. They're the hook, the trap, that pulls readers into the story, or they're the reason why the reader puts the book down.  TL;DR first chapters are really important.  I grabbed a couple sample chapters at a local author event last month and figured "hey, I could judge these chapters and talk about whether or not I'd keep reading." Thus, the first chapter gauntlet was born. Here we go.  One of the samples I nabbed was Hope(less)  by Melissa Haag (who I got to talk to at Author Daze and is really nice). The sample I got contained the first four chapters of the book, but I focused on the very first one. That was plenty, though, a LOT happens right off the bat.  We are introduced to a girl who has the po...

Nobody loves lore more than me. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I've spent many a night spiraling down a GameTheory rabbit hole learning all about worlds and histories of video games I've never played. I've probably sunk the most amount of time into Five Nights at Freddy's theory, which is built solely on the contents of six games (and three books that most would like to forget exist). The detail and tiny hints built into the gameplay build up a whole universe with plots and secrets deeper than the surface game, and honestly, I find that incredibly impressive and entertaining. It's like solving a murder mystery (without the murder, hopefully) except the clues lead farther into the creator's mind where all the secrets are kept. Anyone can throw some plot points together, but storytelling like this is often hard to find. But I digress. What I'm really here to ask is who decides what is included in the lore and what isn't. Believe me, I am all for more ...

In the Barrel, everyone knows there's nothing Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker can't do, so when Kaz shows up at your door looking to build a team, you know something serious is about to happen. Six of Crows  is a thrilling young adult heist novel by Grisha Trilogy author Leigh Bardugo that is well worth its 465-page length. It follows Kaz Brekker and his personally chosen dream team as they attempt to do something no one in their right mind would even think about, breaking in, then out, of a dangerous and highly guarded prison. To do this, Dirtyhands recruits a sharpshooter with an unhealthy passion for gambling, a runaway merchling, an ex-circus performer turned assassin, a woman surviving the slubs with a deadly power, and a slave-trader rescued from a life sentence. With such a talented team, a heist of this nature should be simple, given the crew doesn't kill each other first. I absolutely adored Six of Crows  and am already excited to read it again (even though ...