Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Tracy

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40-something psychologist living with a husband, toddler, and 2 cats.

Tracy's Reviews:

A Warm Hug of a Book

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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I have heard people talk about cozy books feeling like “warm hugs,” and until now I didn’t understand what that meant. I wasn’t even sure I had the same definition of “cozy” as everyone else. But now I understand what that means and how a book can be cozy without being low stakes. This novel was so wholesome and all around delightful, a perfect blend of cozy and adventurous. Tress lives on the Rock in an ocean made of green spores. No one is allowed […]

A Novel About Race, Identity, and Satire

Erasure by Percival Everett

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I learned about this novel when the movie American Fiction came out (which I’m hoping to see this weekend). It’s striking and sad how relevant this 23-year-old book still is when it comes to race and racial stereotypes. Percival Everett provides a sharp critique of race. It’s biting and funny and depressing and tragic. Told through journal entries, it follows Thelonious (Monk) Ellison during a time when he is facing dramatic changes in his family and has chosen to write a book intended to be […]

Returning to Old Friends and Meeting New Ones

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

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This felt more like the 4th book in the Shades of Magic trilogy than the start of a new series, which is not a complaint. We are given the opportunity to revisit the lives of Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard. The novel is set 7 years after the first trilogy, and Schwab uses flashbacks to fill readers in on what these characters have been doing, which takes up a large chunk of the book. They have evolved in various ways, and I particularly enjoyed seeing […]

The Art of the Con

The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch

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This is like a grittier, adult Six of Crows (though I would argue that SoC doesn’t feel particularly YA). The main character, Locke, is highly intelligent, and the book features found family, cons, and morally gray characters whom you nevertheless root for. Be aware that there is a notable absence of plot armor – Lynch doesn’t pull punches when it comes to violence or death. Lynch interweaves present day Locke and company, who call themselves the Gentleman Bastards, as they work on a con while […]

“You Can Be Strong in Any Shape. You Can Be Anything.”

The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang

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This won the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off back in 2019, and it’s clear why. Self-published books can be hit or miss, and The Sword of Kaigen feels so polished and compelling, though not without flaws. Also, be sure to check content warnings – there is a lot of tragedy in this book. The structure is unconventional, with the climax occurring about halfway through the book. The remainder of the novel deals with the aftermath, which works well in this character-driven novel. I would also argue that […]

Shades of Magic Trilogy – and My First BINGO

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab

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A Darker Shade of Magic I knew I would eventually want to pick up another V. E. Schwab book after finishing The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I’m glad that I selected A Darker Shade of Magic to continue my Schwab reading journey because I really enjoyed it. It’s set in a 4 parallel worlds, all of which somehow have a London essentially in the same place in each of those worlds. Grey London (from the era of George III) has no magic. Red […]



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