Book Review: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #6)

 

Seeing how it's been over a decade since I first read the first book of this series, it's really about time I finish it. I read books 1-5 once before doing these blog reviews years ago, but my memories had been muddled. So when last year I got the opportunity to buy all books for cheap just to give them one last conclusive read, I jumped on the occasion. My opinions so far? The first book is great, the second okay, anything after that bad. But now that we're at the last installment in Earth's Children, let's see how things go. Does Auel stick the landing, or is it as bad as books three to five? Let's find out. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #5)

 

You know the drill by now. I didn't like most of the books after the first, but there's still hope that this book changes things. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #4)

 

After me giving The Mammoth Hunters such a scathing review, it does beg the question: is the next book any better? Let's find out, shall we? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #3)

 

The third book in the series. Will it be better than The Valley of Horses? Hopefully so, though I doubt it. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #2)

 

Sorry, it's been a while since my latest review! I'm just not looking very forward to reading the rest of Earth's Children again, seeing how my first experience with the series was less than stellar. Anyways, I praised the first book for it's in-depth writing and likable world building and characters. Is The Valley of Horses just as good? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel (Earth's Children #1)

 

I have a love-hate relationship with this series, to be blunt, at least the last time I read it. I recall enjoying book one and two, but loathing everything after The Mammoth Hunters. So, now that I finally obtained all books in the series, let's revisit Earth's Children. Spoilers ahead. Also, trigger warnings for possibly racist coding and rape mentions.

Book Review: Warriors Arc 6: A Vision of Shadows by Erin Hunter

 

After having taken a look at all the prior Warriors arcs, I believe it’s finally time to catch up to the last few! I’ve been meaning to read A Vision of Shadows ever since it was first announced just because of how cool and somewhat different it looked. Now, let’s see if it delivers! This is A Vision of Shadows. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Tigerheart's Shadow by Erin Hunter (Warriors Super Edition #10)

 

We've tackled Hawkwing's Journey, so let's now have a look at the other A Vision of Shadows tie-in Super Edition, Tigerheart's Shadow! Spoilers ahead, let's go.

Book Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

 

I have been recommended this book several times by several people, so when I got it I of course decided to take a look at it! Is it as good as everyone says? Let's see. Minor spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Hawkwing's Journey by Erin Hunter (Warriors Super Edition #9)

It's been a while since we last checked up on SkyClan. This Super Edition, which takes place during the A Vision of Shadows arc (which I'll get to later), details what has recently been going on with them. Let's have a look. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Pinestar's Choice by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #11)

 

Let's take a gander at another Warriors novella, shall we? This time it's Pinestar's Choice. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans

 

Let's take a look at another non-fiction wolf book! This time about a particular individual! 

Book Review: Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

 

I don't just review fiction! I sometimes take a look at non-fiction books as well, particularly those about animals (usually wolves). So let's have a look at one of the most famous non-fiction wolf books out there: Never Cry Wolf.

Book Review: Dovewing's Silence by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #6)

 

Doing another Warriors novella review here! Today, we’re taking a look at Dovewing’s Silence. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: Hollyleaf's Story by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #1)

 

As you probably know, if you’ve watched my Power of Three review, I wasn’t too fond of that arc. Omen of the Stars I've also already reviewed, and I liked it. Today we’re having a look at a novella taking place between the two: Hollyleaf’s Story. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Cloudstar's Journey by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #3)

 

Doing another Warriors novella review here today. Cloudstar's Journey is a story taking place quite long before The Prophecies Begin. Onto the book. This review will contain spoilers, you’ve been warned!

Book Review: Leafpool's Wish by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #5)

Time for another Warriors Novella review! This time we’re having a look at Leafpool’s Wish. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Redtail's Debt by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #13)

 

As far as I can tell, we've never gotten a Warriors story from Redtail's point of view, so when I heard this novella got announced, I instantly got excited. I held off from buying it for a while because I haven't gotten to the point I can read the other stories in the three-story collection it was released in, but when I came across it, I finally caved. The other stories will come another day. So let's see the events preceding The Prophecies Begin from Redtail's point of view. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Goosefeather's Curse by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #8)

 

Goosefeather. He’s definitely not one of those characters of Warriors I liked when I first read about him. I was thoroughly annoyed by him during my first read of Bluestar’s Prophecy, and his appearances in other books weren’t very welcome, either. But now that he has his own book, how does that hold up? We’ll see. Spoilers ahead, this is Goosefeather’s Curse by Erin Hunter.

Book Review: The Fork, the Witch and the Worm by Christopher Paolini (Tales of Alagaësia #1)

 

It's been a while since we finished off the review of the latest book of the main Eragon series. But that apparently wasn't the end of it, for this spinoff book containing three separate tales was published in 2018. I became quickly interested in it after I quite liked some of the Eragon books, despite not fully knowing what the book contained. So let's see how it holds up. Is it a worthy spinoff off the beloved dragon-riding epic? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Spirit of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst (The Wolf Chronicles #3)

 

I call this my favorite trilogy for a reason. Book 1 and 2 got very positive review from me, so let's see how book three does, shall we? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Secrets of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst (The Wolf Chronicles #2)

 

The first book in this series got one of the most gushing reviews I've done so far on this blog. How will the followup do? Let's find out in Secrets of the Wolves, spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst (The Wolf Chronicles #1)

 

Everyone has their favorite book trilogy. For me, it's without a doubt The Wolf Chronicles. These books have left an impact on me few other ones have made so far. It's not a very elaborate series like Warriors, counting only the trilogy and some Wattpad short stories, but nonetheless one I very much enjoy, more so than most other books. Funny thing is, I'm not even really nostalgic for these books, unlike books like the original Warriors arc, Wolf Brother or Northern Lights. I got into these books relatively late, or at least later than all the formerly mentioned ones. 

So with that said, let's see why I love this series so much. Let's have a look at the first book in the trilogy: Promise of the Wolves. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials #2)

 

Northern Lights got an overwhelmingly positive review from me. Even after all these years since I last read it I felt like I got to explore this world all over again for the first time. The whimsy and the adventure, the world-building and characters, I loved all of it. But what about the second book, which I never got to before? I finally got a copy, so let's see how The Subtle Knife does! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Warriors Arc 4: Omen of the Stars by Erin Hunter

I’m very well aware that I’ve already reviewed this arc in the past. I tried out a new reviewing format for that series, different from the ones I’d used for other arcs I’d reviewed in the past. However, after looking back at it, this new format just doesn’t work for me. I prefer to first go over each book separately before judging the whole series. So, today, I’ll be re-reviewing this series in my old format! I’m re-reading each book for this review, so maybe I even come to some new opinions. This is Warriors arc four: Omen of the Stars. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth (Voyage au centre de la Terre) by Jules Verne (Extraordinary Voyages #3)

One of the classics I have on my shelves I only read once and have little to no memory of. So it's worth a revisit for the sake of a review! Let's have a look at the famous science fiction/adventure novel by Jules Verne. Spoilers ahead (for a book that's well over a hundred years old).

Book Review: Song of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee (Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal #2)

I've reviewed the first Dark Crystal prequel novel, and I sure am going to continue this series! So let's have a look at the second installment. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

Book Review: Hunted in the Valley by C.R. Pugh (Old Sequoia Valley #1)

This book was temporarily available for free on Kindle, and I never say no to free books. This dystopian(?) book looked pretty cool to me. As always, free book does not equal a good review and I won't let the fact that I got to read this without having to pay for it impact my judgement of it. Spoilers ahead. 

Book Review: Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials #1)

I've been a fan of His Dark Materials for a long time now, despite having only read the first book so far. I was obsessed with the Golden Compass movie as a kid, and recently that fixation re-surfaced with me watching the movie and Netflix series all over again. So when I got a chance to pick up another copy of this book (I got rid of my first one), I obviously took it. Does it still hold up after years of me not reading it? Let's see. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: A Pack Divided by Erin Hunter (Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1)

Recently after I reviewed the first arc of Survivors, some news came to light about one of its authors, Gillian Philip. Similar to J.K. Rowling, this writer turned out to be a transphobe. However, unlike Rowling, Philip was fired and will not longer be working under the Erin Hunter name, so no profits of the books will be going to her anymore.

With that said, I feel somewhat okay reading this book. I already bought this one before the whole transphobia of Philip was revealed, and I'm not sure if I'll be checking out the rest of arc 2 yet, as it'll require spending money on something she had a big hand in. However, I think I feel more okay spending money on the rest of The Gathering Darkness than Harry Potter books and merchandise, as J.K. Rowling is still actively having a hand in and profiting from her books, whereas Philip was fired. Whether I'll check out the rest of this arc is still up in the air for now, but I wanted to have a look at the one book I did already own by itself today! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Ravenpaw's Farewell by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #9)

Ravenpaw has always been one of my favorite Warriors characters, that's no secret. I really related to him and him slowly recovering from his PTSD after seeing Redtail's Death. We also didn't see him for a long time after the Clans left the forest (safe for the graphic novels, but I don't read those so...). So let's have a look at what is probably his last appearance, Ravenpaw's Farewell. Spoilers ahead, but the title alone makes this book extremely predictable, so they're probably not very unexpected.

Book Review: Mapleshade's Vengeance by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #7)

You may or may not remember Mapleshade from other Warriors books. Well, she got an ebook/novella backstory to her name! So let's have a look at what caused so much hate and malice on her part and caused her to go to the Dark Forest. This is Mapleshade's Vengeance, spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Caroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #2)

Alice is back for her second adventure. Will it be any better or more logical than the first? Eh, let's see. This is Through The Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

Book Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1)

Everyone and their grandmother knows of this story. If you don't know it directly, you've probably at the very least seen an adaptation of it, such as the popular Disney ones. I didn't grow up with this story, but I did want to check it out just out of principle of having read this classic, so let's now have a look! 

Book Review: Bramblestar's Storm by Erin Hunter (Warriors Super Edition #7)

Taking place after Omen of the Stars, we get a look at how ThunderClan is doing after the major shifts that happened during the war against the Dark Forest. Let's have a look, spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (The Wicked Years #1)

I've been curious about this book for a while, after hearing tons of good things about the musical (which, for the record, I have not seen). So when I got my chance to pick up a cheap copy, I obviously jumped on it. However, does it hold up? Let's have a look.

Book Review: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1)

This is actually a book I read a lot in my childhood, then discarded my copy of (the Dutch edition), and then started to really regret that action. So when I got the chance to get a copy in English, I of course jumped right on it, seeing how that is my preferred reading language, anyways. Let's have a look at Wolf Brother. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Conversion by S.T. Campitelli (The Fall #1)

It's been a while since I tried reading a dystopian. I haven't read many books in this genre so far, but I really did enjoy some of these books. So will the first book of The Fall sell me on the series? Let's see. Minor spoilers ahead.

Book Review: 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

I saw clips of the movie and vaguely knew the story behind this book already, but I knew I'd eventually have to check out the real deal. The first-hand account of the writer and victim of the situation himself: Aron Ralston. Mild spoilers ahead, though I feel most people already know of this real event.

Book Review: Wolves of the Beyond series by Kathryn Lasky

Wolves of the Beyond by Kathryn Lasky. I have a history with these books, and it’s not a good one. I’ve read all of them before back in 2014, but let’s just say I did not care for them. But after all these years, gaining a new mindset and getting rid of the books, I got curious again. What if I really was wrong or too negative? So I re-bought all of the books (most of them being my copies that never got sold at the secondhand fair) and am now giving them another look. Let’s have a gander at all six Wolves of the Beyond books. Spoilers ahead.

Also, I’ve only read the first book of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, just as extra info.

Book Review: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Robert Langdon #2)

I usually really don’t read this type of book, but I’ve been interested in The Da Vinci Code for a while now. Mom recommended it to me countless times, and I think I recall watching parts of the movie as a kid. Either way, I managed to score a cheap English copy of it on a book market, and I’m going to take a look at it today! So join me as we talk about The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Slight spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams

I've reviewed Watership Down, arguably Richard Adam's most popular work, but I've always been curious to one of his other stories: The Plague Dogs. I knew very little about the story going in, except that it is (again) very dark, so let's see how it goes, shall we?

Book Review: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

I actually really like how my copy of this book tells a story. I bought it secondhand at the bookstore and despite it clearly having clearly belonged to someone else before, it was nearly entirely pristine. One can only assume the previous owner picked it up, tried to read it, and then put it down. That's the experience I've heard a lot of people have about The Silmarillion, some of them even huge Lord of the Rings fans.

This honestly made me kind of dread reading this, but I still really wanted to due to me being a big Tolkien fan. So I finally sat myself down and had a look. Let's see how it went.

Book Review: Emerald House Rising by Peg Kerr

In this standalone fantasy, we delve into a world of politics and magic. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight Saga #1)

I know I'm late to this one. Very, terribly late. Only fifteen years or so. But I've made it my job to check out this series, even though the hype is long-gone. Even the whole hate-hype has largely died down. So I'm going to have a look at the first book in the Twilight Saga, simply titled Twilight. Wish me luck and spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Forges of Dawn by E.M. Kinsey (Iron Lyons #1)

A fantasy xenofiction with magical talking lions. What's not to love? Let's have a look at this indie, The Forges of Dawn by E.M. Kinsey. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Fifteen Rabbits by Felix Salten

I’ve already tackled both Bambi books plus Perri by Felix Salten. This is the last book by this author I own, so let’s have a look! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Warriors Arc 3: Power of Three by Erin Hunter

Another Warriors arc review I’m doing, I guess. These take ages to write, but I do enjoy doing them and usually like reading these books!

Book Review: Perri: The Youth of a Squirrel by Felix Salten (Die Jugend des Eichhörnchens Perri)

Perri follows the squirrel of the Bambi saga, particularly the one introduced in the second book. Is it as good as Bambi and it’s sequel, or does it have some flaws? Let’s explore! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Bambi's Children: A Story of a Forest Family/Bambi's Kinder: Eine Familie im Walde by Felix Salten (Bambi #2)

I reviewed Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten earlier this week. Right now we’re going to have a look at its sequel: Bambi’s Children: A Story of a Forest Family. Let’s do that, shall we? Spoilers ahead.