Tag: spoiler free reviews

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
by Celeste Ng

Penguin Press
September 12, 2017

From Goodreads:

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When the Richardsons’ friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia’s.

Little Fires Everywhere was a book that seemed kind of interesting and then ended up sucking me right in and didn’t let go until it was done with me. 

The plot is unassuming. Interesting, but nothing to imply not being able to put it down. And then you start learning about the characters and watch how the interact with one another and it becomes fascinating. It’s like you’ve become a little social scientist and these subjects have been given to you for study.

It all boils down to a story that is expertly told. Every chapter pulls you in, even when the story shifts suddenly. Several times throughout the book, a particular thread would be be getting really interesting. Then, suddenly, the book would shift and the next chapter jumped to another thread, or started a brand new one. Each time this happened, I was disappointed to switch away from the really interesting stuff I was in the middle of. However, within a few pages, I was completely into the new thread, hoping THAT one didn’t end. And when it did, I found myself in something else that I didn’t want to end.

Throughout the story, you’re presenting with several moral issues. Each one has multiple outcomes, though none of them are right or wrong. Just shades of grey. Which is very similar to the characters of the book. There are no good guys or bad guys, just more shades of grey. It leaves you really considering what you would do. Whose side you’d be on. And if you’re like me, you’re going to have a really hard time deciding.

When I started this book, I wondered if my expectations were going to be too high based on the hype surrounding the book. If anything, it actually made me a little skeptical. But after reading I can now say it’s earned all the hype, awards, and accolades surrounding it. Something everyone should read.

Fun fact about this post: Ng is pronounced like ‘ing’
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FEED by Mira Grant

Posted on by J.W. Martin

FEED
by Mira Grant

Orbit
May 1, 2010

From Goodreads:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop.

The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives—the dark conspiracy behind the infected.

The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

This near-future zombie book was a very pleasant surprise. 

I picked it up thinking I was getting into a mindless gore-fest with gnashing teeth and shambling bi-pedal moan machines. And honestly, I would have been fine with that. Instead, a got a story that was thought-provoking, deep and inspiring, still with plenty of action and excitement. 

As with many of the great zombie stories, the zombies aren’t the main enemy. They aren’t even the biggest obstacle to overcome. They are an element of the world, a way of life that could be replaced by killer bees or freak lightning storms. As expected, the main threat to humans living in a zombie infested world is still other humans!

What wasn’t expected was a political thriller, and though I’m not usually drawn into political thrillers, this one had its hooks in me big time. Maybe it was because our journalists didn’t just write for one newspaper or another. They were bloggers. That’s an immediate connection for any of us that are part of the blogosphere.

While the plot is somewhat predictable, this story keeps you guessing in other ways. Most things can be seen from miles away, like a shambling zombie making its way across a desert. However, like the zombie that pops out of a closet and makes the whole theatre jump, there are a few surprises that you WON’T see coming.

If you’ve ever decided against reading a book because it was “just a zombie book” (why would you even do that?) I would recommend giving this one a try. It’s rich with satisfying story without a heavy zombie aftertaste. 

Fun fact about this post: Mira Grant is a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire!
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The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Posted on by J.W. Martin

THE DARKEST STAR
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tor Teen
October 30, 2018

From Goodreads:

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen…but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she’d only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head…

The good people at Raincoast Books and Tor Teen provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

With a premise that sounded interesting, and some really good reviews for this author (and her universe) I was excited for this book, but it ended up not being for me.

This book took place within Jennifer L. Armentrout’s universe that most people just call ‘Lux.’ It’s out world, but aliens—called Lux—live among us, and it seems like a mostly peaceful co-inhabitance. I hadn’t read any of the other books from this universe, but The Darkest Star is touted as a new story with new characters.

I’ve read books before where it felt obvious that I needed the rest of the series, but honestly, I didn’t feel that way with this. It genuinely felt like it was a standalone story that anyone, regardless of reading history, could get into.

Where it fell short for me was the pacing. Nothing really happened in the beginning. Or the middle. All the interesting stuff happened in the third act. Everything before that was just teenagers flirting with each other. I think the right readers would enjoy the entire book, but until aliens started to throw down, I was bored.

And they did eventually throw down. The aliens that Armentrout has come up with are interesting and intriguing. Their powers, their looks in various forms, their treatment by the human race. All things I wish had been explored deeper and way, WAY more. Instead, we were focused on one alien and one human as they pretended to hate each other until they were smootching. 

Fun fact about this post: Other than my Audiobook Mini-Review Extravaganza post, this is my first review in over a month!!
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Audiobook Mini-Review Extravaganza 2018

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Okay, everyone. November was so busy for me. Time spent reading with my eyes went out the window, but reading with my ears continued as strong as ever. So the reviews I needed to do piled up higher and higher.

In order to SMASH through a bunch of these, I present, THE AUDIOBOOK MIN-REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA!

NEMESIS
by Brendan Reichs

G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
March 21, 2017

This book had a really slow start. Almost slow enough for a DNF. But I kept going and was rewarded with a really cool Lord of the Flies kind of feel with a severe science fiction edge to it. The story created a lot of questions, and each time I thought I was going to get some answers, I ended up with more questions, in a positive way. Each question created more interest and intrigue.

The end of the book only kicks that intrigue up several notches. We get some answers, and a bunch more questions. It’s also at this point that the characters, which had been a little two-dimensional throughout this first book, really take form.

 

BAG OF BONES
by Stephen King

Pocket Books
June 1999

Despite being a ‘King fan’ I had never ever heard about this book. The POPSUGAR Reading Challenge had me looking at books that were bestsellers in the year I graduated high school. I’m so glad I found it, because I loved this book. Imagine a really good ghost story, and a really good drama. And then give those both to Stephen King and watch him weave them together seamlessly into one fantastic book.

Incredible plot line. Characters that are so real they practically walked off of the page. Even the supporting cast was more authentic than a lot of other main characters.

 

THE WELL OF ASCENSION
by Brandon Sanderson

Tor Books
August 21, 2007

The second book of the Mistborn series. In some ways better than the original, and in other ways not quite as good. Either way, it was still amazing. There were many twists and turns. With a lot of them, I could tell something was coming, but no matter how sure I was about the upcoming twist, I was always wrong. Always surprised. I can’t wait to get into the third book of this series.

 

CITY OF GHOSTS
by Victoria Schwab

Scholastic
August 28, 2018

This is a kid’s book, but so was Harry Potter. I was hoping to find something as deep and fleshed out as that. I’m a firm believer that no matter what age group a book is intended for, it should appeal to just about anyone. No one should be ‘written down’ to. While Schwab has some amazing stuff out there, this seemed a little shallow.

 

MINORITY REPORT & OTHER STORIES
by Philip K. Dick

HarperAudio
December 26, 2003

This collection of short stories included Minority Report, We Can Remember it For You Wholesale, Paycheck, Second Variety, and The Eyes Have It. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching and loving these movies for years, but this collection of short stories really didn’t do a lot for me. Most of the details and plot lines seemed so abrupt.

What I did find interesting though, was a common theme in the stories. A while ago I watched a documentary about Philip K Dick, and it talked a lot about how often he used drugs and had feeling of paranoia. The characters in his stories all seemed to have some form of paranoia as well. Everyone was out to get them and even their own wives were usually in on it. Though a part of me wishes I had read the stories before seeing the documentary.

Fun fact about this post: This post was fuelled by Cherry Pepsi, cheeseballs, and The Office on Netflix.
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Magical, in so many ways | Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd

Posted on by J.W. Martin

GRIM LOVELIES
by Megan Shepherd

HMH Books for Young Readers
October 2, 2018

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.

Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.

This book came as a big surprise from HMH Books and Raincoast Books. Huge thanks going out to them both.

From the very beginning on this book, I was getting Harry Potter vibes, and Cinderella vibes, but in a good way. This book wasn’t really trying to be emulate anything else. It is definitely its own thing. But anyone who’s a fan of either HP or Cinderella will probably find themselves sucked in at record speed.

The plot is deceiving, making you believe it’s very simple. A goal is set, and our characters head out on their way and then everything starts to go wrong. Not uncommon. But in this tale, each obstacle isn’t just something to get around. Each twist changes the main goal. Imagine running a 5K and the finish line keeps jumping around.

The characters are fantastic. Each one an individual and completely believable as an animal turned into a human. Essentially, they’re all just a few years old, but fully grown. There’s a mix of aged experience and child-like naivety in them.

The world was expertly crafted as well. It’s set in the current day. Cell phones and guns are things. But the magical world within our world has rules, laws, and restrictions that make modern technology unusable. We end up with this wonderful juxtaposition of the past and present. That’s probably where the Harry Potter vibes came from. (Not that they’re the only two stories to do that.)

There’s a lot of reasons to read this book. From the fascinating world, to the great characters, or the plot turns that you keep thinking you see coming, but then it goes another way completely. Recommend this to just about anyone.

Fun fact about this post: Happy NaNoWriMo!
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A Fun Thrill-Ride | Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang

Posted on by J.W. Martin

ZERO SUM GAME
by S.L. Huang

Tor Books
October 2, 2018

From Goodreads:

Cas Russell is good at math. Scary good. The vector calculus blazing through her head lets her smash through armed men twice her size and dodge every bullet in a gunfight, and she’ll take any job for the right price.

As far as Cas knows, she’s the only person around with a superpower…until she discovers someone with a power even more dangerous than her own. Someone who can reach directly into people’s minds and twist their brains into Moebius strips. Someone intent on becoming the world’s puppet master.

Cas should run, like she usually does, but for once she’s involved. There’s only one problem…
She doesn’t know which of her thoughts are her own anymore.

The good people at Tor Books and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC of Zero Sum Game in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was cinematic, which is one of my favourite things to be able to say about a book. That’s when you don’t just see the scene unfolding in your head—with what would equal thousands of dollars in special effects—but after reading it, you desperately hope someone does make it into a movie without screwing it up!

As the synopsis says, Cas Russell is good at math. A bit of a understatement, but you probably guessed that. It basically gives her the ability to dodge bullets, because she can tell exactly where they’re going to hit based on the angle of the gun barrel. She can take you down from across the room by whipping her cell phone at you. And boy can she parallel park!

The plot is a little convoluted. Sometimes that’s good, but with this one I just wanted to move past it and see Cas do some more amazing feats. I didn’t really know the stakes of anything or what the end goal was. That always makes me feel a little lost. Sometimes that’s good. But it didn’t work in this case. But, It didn’t stop me from turning pages.

The characters, even the ones without super-powered math brains, were intriguing. Each one had depths and secrets, some of which I still have no clue about. Their personalities—or lack of—came off the page. You want to trust the ones you should be able to trust, but at the same time, you’re not sure if you can. Even Cas herself.

I would equate this book to a really great popcorn flick with an amazing cast. There’s no plot twists to make your head spin or life lessons that will make you a better person, but who cares? Another gun fight is about to go down!

Fun fact about this post: I completely forgot to include a fun fact yesterday. My mom noticed. Who else?
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What’s New With Reddit? | We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin

Posted on by J.W. Martin

WE ARE THE NERDS:
THE BIRTH AND TUMULTUOUS LIFE OF REDIT, THE INTERNET’S CULTURE LABORATORY
by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin

Hachette
October 2, 2018

From Goodreads:

Reddit hails itself as “the front page of the Internet.” It’s the fourth most-visited website in the United States–yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is.

We Are the Nerds is a riveting look deep inside this captivating, maddening enterprise–whose army of highly engaged (obsessed?) users have been credited with everything from solving cold case crimes to seeding alt-right fury and helping to land Donald Trump in the White House. We Are the Nerds is a gripping start-up business narrative: the story of how Reddit’s founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, rose up from their suburban childhoods to become millionaires and create an icon of the digital age–before seeing the site engulfed in controversies and nearly losing control of it for good.

Based on Christine Lagorio’s exclusive access to founders Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman, We Are the Nerds is also a compelling exploration of the way we all communicate today–and how we got here. Reddit and its users have become a mirror of the Internet: it has dingy corners, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a sometimes heart-melting ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides.

As a long-time fan and user of Reddit, when I saw this book on NetGalley I couldn’t hit the request button fast enough. And I was pumped when I get the email saying I had been approved. And while non-fiction isn’t edge-of-your-seat kind of stuff that you find in the fiction world, it was a whole other level of interesting.

Fascinating is probably a better word. When it comes to companies and businesses we’re familiar with, we have notions in our head (maybe even on a subconscious level) and what the day-to-day is like or how it got started. Until you learn the truth, and that all your notions were 100% wrong.

One of the most interesting things I noticed, was how similar everything seemed to the television show Silicon Valley. The show is about tech valley and the constant ‘start-ups’ that come from it. I guess that’s a feather in cap for that show and its authenticity.

Living in California and being involved in these start-ups means you can be the CEO of a brand new company this week, and out on your ass without a penny to your name next week. And in that situation, it’s not even a big deal because companies are beginning and ending all the time. Hundreds per day, from the sound of it. If your goes under, you’ll be in on another one soon enough.

What I liked best was all the little trivial tidbits I’ve taken away from this book, and hope to keep with me for a long time. Things like:

  • The creators wanted to call the site Snew as in, “What’s new?” and the mostly didn’t like Reddit at all.
  • Most of the people who really made Reddit what it has become were absolutely miserable while doing it, but knew it was important.
  • One of the guys who started it ended up marrying tennis legend Serena Williams!

The only things I didn’t enjoy about this book were pace and names. The pace was slow, but then again this is non-fiction we’re talking about. I haven’t read a lot of non-fiction, so the pace might be right where it should be and I just don’t realize it.

And the names that were dropped in this book was just too much. Some people were introduced as though they may be an important player in the events to come, so I’m struggling to remember his name among a sea of others, and then he’s gone less than a chapter later.

It’s a great book for anyone who enjoys Reddit. And if you’ve been using the site for some time, you’ll remember some of the changes and events they go into detail about. I hadn’t thought much about them at the time. Things change all the time. I never thought to wonder ‘why?’ The next bit of change to come along will probably get a different reaction from me.

AllBooksReviews

City of Lies by Sam Hawke

Posted on by J.W. Martin

CITY OF LIES
by Sam Hawke

Tor Books
Publication Date: July 3, 2018

From Goodreads:

“I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me…”

Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible Heir. Quiet. Forgettable. In secret, he’s a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from treachery. When the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the Heir and save their city-state.

But treachery lurks in every corner, and the ancient spirits of the land are rising…and angry.

I was provided with a digital copy of City of Lies by the good people at Tor Books and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

I was really excited to read this book. Just that first line of the synopsis, “I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me.” WHAT?! Must. Know. More.

And as I started to read I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the lore of this fantasy world with a twist, the practices of Jovan as he attempts to detect and thwart poisoning attempts.

All the new information, and world building combined with the events early in the book set an incredible pace and I was IN. Then everything ground to a halt. If you’re in the mood for a slow burn, this is where the book gets even better.

For me, I found it too slow. Especially with the pace being so fast before that. My favourite character (who isn’t introduced until halfway through the book) actually comes and and says what everyone is thinking. She turns to the main characters of this book and says, “All you you two do is talk, talk, talk.” AND SHE’S RIGHT! 

Action is discussed often and I would always think, Okay, here we go. Now it’s going to pick up. Then it would go back to talking. Again, it probably works extremely well for fans of the slow burn. I’m not totally against a slow burn, but for whatever reason I wasn’t into it with this book. Maybe I need my slow burns to be a little more consistent? Who knows.

City of Lies isn’t with out its redeeming qualities, though. As I mentioned before, it’s a fresh new angle for the Fantasy genre with a role I’ve never read before. The world, the lore, and the characters are all very well done. Despite some luke-warm feelings toward this first book, I’d definitely be interested in checking out sequels or even other stories written within this world.

Fun fact about this post: The cover definitely sucked me in on this one, too! Just imagine what kind of poison is wafting off of that knife.
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Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens by Marieke Nijkamp

Posted on by J.W. Martin

UNBROKEN: 13 STORIES STARRING DISABLED TEENS
by Marieke Nijkamp

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: September 18, 2018

From Goodreads:

A YA Anthology of short stories featuring disabled teens, written by #OwnVoices disabled authors. The stories reflect a range of genres and disabilities; contributors include bestselling authors Kody Keplinger and Francisco X. Stork, as well as newcomers Fox Benwell, Keah Brown, and more.

I was provided with a copy of Unbroken by the good people at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Raincoast Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

As I said in my First Impression Friday post regarding this book, it had been a long time since I read an anthology due to my mixed feelings over them. The stories I love are never long enough, but the ones I don’t love don’t go on forever.

The stories for this anthology were, for the most part, well-selected. And I don’t mean just because they all starred a teen with a disability. They did, but it was more than that.

There was a part of me that feared each story would be about the disabled teen’s disability. ‘Look at how blind Mary is.’ Those aren’t the kinds of stories I want to read, and they don’t do justice to anyone with any kind of disability.

Instead, what I got was a series of stories that just happened to have disabled characters. Stories that happened on another planet with alien invaders attacking. Stories of a troupe preparing to stage a play. Stories of magical curses and exorcisms. Stories of love, and loss.

Beyond the few stories I couldn’t really get into, my only issue with this book had to do with endings.

A few of the stories seemed to be building toward something really great, and then they would just end. A few times I had to stop and make sure a few pages didn’t get stuck together! It seemed to me like maybe a few of these stories were just a piece of something bigger, but there wasn’t any explanation of that kind, so I can’t be sure.

A few of the stories I loved:

Britt and the Bike God

I usually don’t dig on stories that are just a romance, but this one really grew on me. This story was early on and it was the one that made me realize it wasn’t about to be stories about disabilities, but about people.

One, Two, Three

Loved this one. Made me go through the entire spectrum of emotions. Laughter, hope, sadness, redemption. Great, great stuff.

A Play in Many Parts

Mixed feelings on this one. I really liked the story, but the MC was pretty unlikable. The format was very different as well, which was a bit jarring, but refreshing at the same time.

Fun fact about this post: I went to a bookstore in the middle of reading this and ended up buying an ANTHOLOGY! So I guess I like anthologies now.
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Stabby, stabby! | Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Nevernight

NEVERNIGHT
by Jay Kristoff

St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: August 9, 2016

From Goodreads:

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

This one started off a little rocky for me. If I hadn’t been told by armies of people that it was amazing, I might even have put the book down. I’m glad I didn’t, because Nevernight is a thrill ride full of twists that I thought I saw coming a mile away, only the realize the rug had been pulled out from under me, and underneath the rug was a pit filled with razor sharp spikes and sand kraken.

So what went wrong in the beginning?

Part of it was adjusting to writing style/formatting. Jay Kristoff used lots and lots and lots of footnotes. Some of them were nice a short and added a little giggle into the story. Others were long, VERY long, delving into the history of a particular building or saying. Though interesting, these long ones had a bad habit of pulling me out of the story. 

The other aspect that I wasn’t a fan of was plot based, and only in the beginning. After a strong opening, it just seemed to go off the rails and drift. No real direction to speak of.

But if you keep reading until page 50 or so, you’re rewarded with a story that grabs hold and won’t let go.

How I imagined Mercurio

As you’re told the “present day” story, you’re also fed the back story, which is exceptional. For a lot of the book the back story left me more intrigued then the main plot! Though I do wish there was more Mercurio in it.

While this is a plot-driven book, the characters are exceptional. I’m not sure that Mercurio is my favourite, but he’s definitely the one I wanted to see more of. The rest of the cast are all great as well. And being that the book deals mostly with assassins and wannabe assassins, you never quite know who to trust. You’ll start to trust someone, and then they’ll do something to make you doubt them. 

AND THE BRUTALITY! There’s a warning right in the beginning that no punches will be pulled. After that, and from reading Illuminae and Gemina, I was prepared. And honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, though there were still a few moments that surprised me with brashness or brutality. Nothing upsetting, but surprising.

While this isn’t a book I would recommend to anyone, it’s one that I would recommend to people who enjoy great action and a fresh new fantasy world. And it is a fantasy world, but unlike any you’ve seen before. No sign of elf or orc, magicians do not have staffs and long beards, and the heroes aren’t always men in shiny armor with a broad sword.

Fun fact about this post: HUGE thanks goes out to Taylor, who kicked my butt into gear on this one by offering to buddy read it, even though I was complete buddy read noob and this was a reread for her. THANKS TAYLOR!!