Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“People say, I’ll give anything. The universe listens. But the universe doesn’t listen when you say, Wait, not that.”

Long Live Evil: Time of Iron Book One by Sarah Rees Brennan

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The difference between a villain and a hero is that a villain gets found out as a human being. Rae is 23 and dying of leukemia, with nothing to keep her company in the hospital but her 20 year old sister Alice and their favorite series: Time of Iron.  It may have started out as just Alice’s, but once Rae heard of the Once and Forever Emperor, Master of the Dread Ravine, Commander of the Living and the Dead; he’s the villain, he’s broody, he […]

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Re-Writes Your Story?

Long Live Evil: Time of Iron Book One by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Cbr17bingo Border — the main character literally crosses a border between reality and fiction, and straddles the border between good and evil; the kingdom in the story is bordered by the Dread Ravine, which is full of the undead. This book is one of the most bonkers, crazy, fun stories I’ve read in a long time, and I thank Dome’loki for the review that turned me on to it. I think we’re all familiar with time travel stories, where a character is sent back in […]

“I’m a treacherous, power-hungry bitch, and honestly? It feels amazing.”

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Our family has an annual Winter Solstice family book exchange.  A mere week before the solstice I read a write up of Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan and added it to my wish list of books.  I’m glad I did because this book was so much fun I read it twice back to back.  Not only was it enjoyable to read the story again, this time I recognized all the clues that led up to the surprise at the end, giving the book a […]

Evil Wins by Controlling the Narrrative?

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Bingo 15: Scandal Rahela Domitia is the most scandalous Lady in Waiting in court; she’s really got a reputation, and her voice and figure support it, along with the nickname/title “Beauty Dipped in Blood” (apparently she likes wearing white with red accents). Think Evil Stepsister Game of Thrones style. Rae is not so much scandalous as unlucky and probably a little bitter; she’s got terminal cancer at the age of about 20. Rae and her little sister Alice are major fan girls of a fantasy […]

The sword fighting is more interesting than the romance but not the point

Fence: Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Bingo 20: Star I think I mostly like the comics better; the novels for Fence, including Fence: Disarmed, get too wrapped up in the personal drama. At least Fence: Disarmed fits the star square; part of the premise of the whole series is that Nicholas, the new(est) kid at King’s Row boarding school, wants to become a star fencer to impress his supposed father Robert Coste who is a major figure in the sport. Part of the problem though is that Robert may have no […]

Disarming and Charming

Fence: Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan

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An original novel based on C.S.Pacat’s Fence comic series, illustrated by Johanna The Mad I read volume one of this series, Fence: Striking Distance, about a month ago and loved it. The love affair continues and I am very much hoping that another volume is in the works. In Fence: Disarmed, we return to the exclusive boys boarding school known as Kings Row and its fencing team. When last we left them, relationships among the members of the fencing team were fraught. Would they come […]



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