Category: 5 stars

Reviews for books I gave five stars to.

ARC Review: The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Learn to Love Them by Daniella Mestyanek Young and Amy Reed

January 24, 2026

“Cults don’t start with mass suicide or pledges to storm the Capitol. They start with small things: a shared belief, an inspiring leader, a feeling of belonging. They start with language—words like awakening, truth, resistance, patriotism. And before long, that language becomes identity, and identity becomes dogma. The most dangerous ideas aren’t shouted—they’re whispered in … More ARC Review: The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Learn to Love Them by Daniella Mestyanek Young and Amy Reed

ARC Review: Red and the Wolves by Cherry Zong

January 13, 2026

Red is a loyal hunter and is dedicated her life to stopping the spread of Nawa (monsters) with her witch Grand Mother. But no matter how many monsters she stops the mysterious illness called Rot, keeps spreading and devastating the land. When Red stumbles upon an injured wolf-girl named Sil, everything changes and she begins … More ARC Review: Red and the Wolves by Cherry Zong

Review: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

December 20, 2025

The Radium Girls discusses the lives, careers, trials, and death of the women who worked in factories painting watches, clocks, and other military dials with radium so they will illuminate. They were repeatedly told that radium wasn’t harmful, and taught to make their paint brushes into a point using their mouths. So when the women … More Review: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

Review: War is a Racket by General Smedley Butler

December 14, 2025

This book was written in 1935, and is still so relevant today. War is a Racket is a scathing 43 minutes (or 50 pages) book about the lies politicians tell American taxpayers to justify going to war. Butler explains the corruption of war in very easy to follow language and finishes up by presenting three … More Review: War is a Racket by General Smedley Butler

Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

December 13, 2025

“For good or ill, there is now a cult for everyone.” When you hear the word ‘cult’ your brain instantly imagines a specific type of group (an extreme religious one most likely), but that doesn’t cover the broadness of what a cult can be. Cultish takes a look at the language surrounding cults and what … More Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

ARC Review: Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett

December 4, 2025

Nash Oakley left everything behind when he joined the military the disappeared into a secret black ops program to become an assassin for the country. His only regret was leaving behind his best friend’s little sister, Georgiana Linden. He never sought her out after leaving the military because he expected her life to continue on … More ARC Review: Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett

Review: Space Daddy’s Guide to the Galaxy by C. Rochelle

November 18, 2025

Ziggy and Micah’s adventures in space continue. This time they are dealing with an orphan baby alien who seems to be wanted by mercenaries for nefarious purposes.  This leads Micah and Ziggy on a new adventure featuring parenthood, discovering the truth about the Stellarians and Lacertus battle, and uncovering and stopping a larger plot by … More Review: Space Daddy’s Guide to the Galaxy by C. Rochelle

Review: Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militias by Kevin Cook

November 14, 2025

The siege of the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas is an event that I have heard mentioned before, but I knew nothing about. From the very beginning, I was hooked on this cult and the events surrounding the siege against them.  As someone who had never heard of The Branch Davidians, or even the Seventh-Day … More Review: Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militias by Kevin Cook

Review: A Touch of Treachery by Jennifer Estep

November 11, 2025

It’s been a few weeks since the previous adventure (Sugar Plum Spies), and Charlotte and Desmond are still trying to lure villainous Henrika Hyde out into the open. But their new trap fails  Section 47 Chairman General Percy (Desmond’s father) arrives and decides to take Charlotte off the case. But when Henrika specifically invites Charlotte … More Review: A Touch of Treachery by Jennifer Estep

Review: Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle

October 2, 2025

Xander is just trying to live his life but since he is a villain, he finds his research frequently being blocked by Big City’s beloved hero, Captain Masculine. It also doesn’t help that Captain Masculine looks pretty good in his Lycra suit. When his bestie signs him up for the Bangers dating app he doesn’t … More Review: Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle

Review: How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley

September 15, 2025

“The most telling symptom of fascist politics is division. It aims to separate a population into an “us” and a “them.” This was a very informative book about what fascism is, how it works, and examples throughout history. I learned a lot from this book, especially in understanding how the United States got to this … More Review: How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley