“Marcellus McSquiddles, a giant Pacific Octopus, has been a keen observer of humans in his long captivity at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. For the most part, they are silly, vapid and not all that interesting. There is one person though, Tova, the cleaning lady, who is different. When a new man comes to the Aquarium, Cameron, Marcellus knows that this will change everything but he does what he can to help his friend Tova since she has been nothing but kind to him. This was a genuine, heartfelt, fun and funny story about family, love, finding your way and the friends you make along the road-trip of life.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Marcellus is a disenchanted, sardonic observer of humans and finds them rather tiresome. He’s quite non-plussed for an Octopus. Cons: Cameron's plan to shakedown Simon Brinks for money is asinine/The truth of the mystery behind Erik’s tragedy was never really explained, just hinted. Full Review: Marcellus is a Giant Pacific Octopus. He has been at the Sowell Bay Aquari...
“When the FMC finds a strange book with a wood-cut of a dragon in the center and a stack of letters addressed to, "My dear and unfortunately sucessor" in her father's study, she's instantly curious. When she asks her father about them, she's suddenly thrown into a staggeringly detailed account of her father's life as a young man and his desperate search for his missing professor, who he fears may be in danger from the one and only, Dracula.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Though this was a monster of a book, Kostova was a master at pacing/Every reveal was subtle but mind blowing. Cons: The narrative became arduous about 75% of the way through/The ending was really rather anti-climactic. Full Review: The FMC of the novel has only known life with her father. He's some sort of foreign diplomat and travels extensively and often times she accompanies him on his trips. One night, when she's in his study, she finds a small, strange book that when opened, reveals a woodcut...