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The Bad Ones
Goddess, goddess, count to five
In the morning, who’s alive?
In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.
Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games...
An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief.
In the morning, who’s alive?
In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.
Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games...
An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2024
About the author
Melissa Albert
9 books4,771 followersMelissa Albert is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series and Our Crooked Hearts, and a former bookseller and founder of the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and included in the New York Times’ list of Notable Children’s Books. She enjoys swimming pool tourism, genre mashups, and living in Brooklyn with her hilarious husband and magnificently goofy son.
Okay, now I will stop talking about myself in the third person. I try to reply to all messages and questions, so please reach out, or come find me on Twitter (@mimi_albert) or Instagram (@melissaalbertauthor)! (But please note: I don't accept GR friend requests anymore because of Amazon's related review policy.)
Okay, now I will stop talking about myself in the third person. I try to reply to all messages and questions, so please reach out, or come find me on Twitter (@mimi_albert) or Instagram (@melissaalbertauthor)! (But please note: I don't accept GR friend requests anymore because of Amazon's related review policy.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 968 reviews
April 17, 2024
in the market for anything melissa albert writes.
if anyone has any leads on grocery lists or post-it reminders, i'm all ears.
i would have liked this book even more if i didn't know what level of creepy dark gorey evil girl witch fairytale gritty glamorous magic melissa albert was capable of.
but i do, so this was a level below.
i liked some things about this — evil girls, friendship, possession — and didn't like others — thrown in romance with a guy with a bob, abrupt ending, eh relationships, kind of inconsistent deus ex machina logic around the creepy nonsense magic.
but i like melissa albert everything at least a little bit.
bottom line: as long as this author writes creepy evil magic girls, i'll be reading.
if anyone has any leads on grocery lists or post-it reminders, i'm all ears.
i would have liked this book even more if i didn't know what level of creepy dark gorey evil girl witch fairytale gritty glamorous magic melissa albert was capable of.
but i do, so this was a level below.
i liked some things about this — evil girls, friendship, possession — and didn't like others — thrown in romance with a guy with a bob, abrupt ending, eh relationships, kind of inconsistent deus ex machina logic around the creepy nonsense magic.
but i like melissa albert everything at least a little bit.
bottom line: as long as this author writes creepy evil magic girls, i'll be reading.
April 13, 2024
As a vengeful goddess lurking around the town in the form of long haired, sad girl in a fog of sinister black cloud, saying sorry a few times as she approaches to her preys: 4 people vanish into thin air at the same time, one from her house porch, one from his running car, one teenage girl at her sleepover party, one boy at the cemetery.
Nora Powell, finds herself passed in front of her estranged friend Becca’s front lawn, shivering after getting cryptic text from Becca she didn’t talk for months. She realizes Becca is one of the 4 people strangely got missed without a trace. She knows her friend so we’ll who’s suffering the death of mom and dad, having problematic relationships with her stepmother and Nora also gets suspicious she might not be one of the victims of a predator who has taken four random people but she might be the one who’s responsible for the rest of there persons’ disappearance. Because Becca is accustomed to use black magic to avenge her loved ones. She tried before, connected to the myth: goddess of town whom the little children chanting rhyme for as “Goddess, goddess, count to five In the morning, who’s alive?”
Did Becca get involved something so dangerous that threatened the lives of entire townies by passing to the dark side or is she still out there and bedding Nora’s help?
Nora slowly loses the thin veil between reality and illusions, sleepwalking, seeing nightmares by snatching other people’s bodies and experiencing their memories. Something very dangerous happening to her related with her missing friend. Could she be in more danger and only people can help her the group friends at school paper and the mysterious new transfer student/ charismatic photographer boy who might befriend Becca, harboring her secrets to help Nora to find and bring her back by following small breadcrumbs like clues she’s left behind.
Overall: this is amazing and extremely sinister, riveting, supernatural YA horror fiction i couldn’t put it down! I already read the previous books of Melissa Albert and as a big fan this book fitted with my high expectations.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this fantastic book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
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Nora Powell, finds herself passed in front of her estranged friend Becca’s front lawn, shivering after getting cryptic text from Becca she didn’t talk for months. She realizes Becca is one of the 4 people strangely got missed without a trace. She knows her friend so we’ll who’s suffering the death of mom and dad, having problematic relationships with her stepmother and Nora also gets suspicious she might not be one of the victims of a predator who has taken four random people but she might be the one who’s responsible for the rest of there persons’ disappearance. Because Becca is accustomed to use black magic to avenge her loved ones. She tried before, connected to the myth: goddess of town whom the little children chanting rhyme for as “Goddess, goddess, count to five In the morning, who’s alive?”
Did Becca get involved something so dangerous that threatened the lives of entire townies by passing to the dark side or is she still out there and bedding Nora’s help?
Nora slowly loses the thin veil between reality and illusions, sleepwalking, seeing nightmares by snatching other people’s bodies and experiencing their memories. Something very dangerous happening to her related with her missing friend. Could she be in more danger and only people can help her the group friends at school paper and the mysterious new transfer student/ charismatic photographer boy who might befriend Becca, harboring her secrets to help Nora to find and bring her back by following small breadcrumbs like clues she’s left behind.
Overall: this is amazing and extremely sinister, riveting, supernatural YA horror fiction i couldn’t put it down! I already read the previous books of Melissa Albert and as a big fan this book fitted with my high expectations.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this fantastic book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
August 22, 2024
**4.5-stars**
The Bad Ones is the latest from beloved YA-author, Melissa Albert. I was immediately drawn to this stunning cover.
It screams beautiful darkness and that's definitely the mood that this story delivers. The dark atmosphere was a hit for me, as well as the moody, yet fluid and engaging prose.
In this story we mainly follow Nora, whose estranged best friend, Becca, goes missing at the very start of our tale. We also learn of some other residents of their town who all go missing on that same night.
While many adults in her life feel like Becca, who has had a tumultuous life, has most likely run away, Nora knows that isn't the case.
It's not just the cryptic message Becca left her on the night she disappeared, Nora can just feel in her heart that something sinister is afoot.
The Reader follows along with Nora as she steadfastly searches for the truth. As Nora begins her investigation, she receives what she believes are coded messages from Becca.
These lead her to examine a local legend, known as the goddess, whose forgotten origins, even played a roll in Nora and Becca's own childhood games.
I really enjoyed this. I found the premise so interesting and enjoyed learning about the local lore that helped to build out the heart of this story.
I feel like Readers are going to be hit or miss on Nora's narrative voice, but for me, I really enjoyed her. She's blunt and a bit morose, but personally, I felt like that helped develop the overall tone of the story.
I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and I feel like the narrator, Emma Galvin, did an incredible job bringing Nora to life. I truly felt like I was listening to this character relay her story. It was so well done.
Nora does end up making a new friend, James, who aids her in her search for truth. I enjoyed their relationship. Nora is the type of character who pretty much keeps to herself, but James was able to help break down some of her walls.
At first I wasn't sure if I trusted him. He seemed too cool for school, but I liked the way his character was able to draw Nora out of her shell. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their relationship, I feel like he played his part by giving Nora the confidence boost she needed in her search.
There were a couple of small things, in the reveal of the truth, that structurally, I may have preferred formatted differently, but who am I to judge how this author chooses to tell this story? I might not have written it this way, but then again, I'm not a writer, so what do I know?
I'll be honest, not a lot, but I do know that I really enjoyed the reading experience. It delivered me the dark, supernatural vibes and 'small town full of secrets' atmosphere that I was hoping for. It kept me engaged and guessing throughout and it made me even more excited to read future works from this author.
Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Melissa Albert continues to impress me with her captivating concepts, interesting characters and beautiful writing. The Bad Ones is available now!!
The Bad Ones is the latest from beloved YA-author, Melissa Albert. I was immediately drawn to this stunning cover.
It screams beautiful darkness and that's definitely the mood that this story delivers. The dark atmosphere was a hit for me, as well as the moody, yet fluid and engaging prose.
In this story we mainly follow Nora, whose estranged best friend, Becca, goes missing at the very start of our tale. We also learn of some other residents of their town who all go missing on that same night.
While many adults in her life feel like Becca, who has had a tumultuous life, has most likely run away, Nora knows that isn't the case.
It's not just the cryptic message Becca left her on the night she disappeared, Nora can just feel in her heart that something sinister is afoot.
The Reader follows along with Nora as she steadfastly searches for the truth. As Nora begins her investigation, she receives what she believes are coded messages from Becca.
These lead her to examine a local legend, known as the goddess, whose forgotten origins, even played a roll in Nora and Becca's own childhood games.
I really enjoyed this. I found the premise so interesting and enjoyed learning about the local lore that helped to build out the heart of this story.
I feel like Readers are going to be hit or miss on Nora's narrative voice, but for me, I really enjoyed her. She's blunt and a bit morose, but personally, I felt like that helped develop the overall tone of the story.
I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and I feel like the narrator, Emma Galvin, did an incredible job bringing Nora to life. I truly felt like I was listening to this character relay her story. It was so well done.
Nora does end up making a new friend, James, who aids her in her search for truth. I enjoyed their relationship. Nora is the type of character who pretty much keeps to herself, but James was able to help break down some of her walls.
At first I wasn't sure if I trusted him. He seemed too cool for school, but I liked the way his character was able to draw Nora out of her shell. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their relationship, I feel like he played his part by giving Nora the confidence boost she needed in her search.
There were a couple of small things, in the reveal of the truth, that structurally, I may have preferred formatted differently, but who am I to judge how this author chooses to tell this story? I might not have written it this way, but then again, I'm not a writer, so what do I know?
I'll be honest, not a lot, but I do know that I really enjoyed the reading experience. It delivered me the dark, supernatural vibes and 'small town full of secrets' atmosphere that I was hoping for. It kept me engaged and guessing throughout and it made me even more excited to read future works from this author.
Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Melissa Albert continues to impress me with her captivating concepts, interesting characters and beautiful writing. The Bad Ones is available now!!
October 8, 2023
A serviceable YA horror mystery novel, The Bad Ones presents a slow-burn unraveling of the strange disappearances of several people on the same night from the same town.
The protagonist, Nora, has a believable teenage personality, and the way that she handles the struggles presented throughout the book makes a lot of sense. Her complicated relationship with her best friend Becca is well written and serves as a good foundation for the central conflict of the story.
However, the pace was a little too slow for my taste. The plot doesn't really begin to pick up until about a third of the way in, so at times, I struggled to stay interested enough to press on. Once the plot does pick up though, it presents a few creepy twists and turns that, while not being especially scary, do add a fair amount of dread and tension to the disappearance mystery.
Like with a lot of horror novels though, there's not much in the way of logic or rules in how the story concludes. The supernatural elements just....are, and the book doesn't give any explanation for why any of them are possible.
Overall, I thought this was a decent book, but the plot could've had better pacing, and the horror elements could've been a little more organized.
Note: I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist, Nora, has a believable teenage personality, and the way that she handles the struggles presented throughout the book makes a lot of sense. Her complicated relationship with her best friend Becca is well written and serves as a good foundation for the central conflict of the story.
However, the pace was a little too slow for my taste. The plot doesn't really begin to pick up until about a third of the way in, so at times, I struggled to stay interested enough to press on. Once the plot does pick up though, it presents a few creepy twists and turns that, while not being especially scary, do add a fair amount of dread and tension to the disappearance mystery.
Like with a lot of horror novels though, there's not much in the way of logic or rules in how the story concludes. The supernatural elements just....are, and the book doesn't give any explanation for why any of them are possible.
Overall, I thought this was a decent book, but the plot could've had better pacing, and the horror elements could've been a little more organized.
Note: I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2024
✩ 2 stars ✩
“Goddess, goddess, count to five
In the morning, who’s alive?”
What to Expect:
➼ YA Horror/Fantasy
➼ Dark Magic
➼ Possession
➼ Friendship/Sisterhood
➼ Small Town Mystery
➼ Romance Sub Plot
This book gave the same darkly bizarre energy as Riverdale season 3… IYKYK. 😜
Nora was giving off some strong stalker vibes at the beginning. I was half expecting the author to flip the script and make her the murderer. Nora and Becca’s strange relationship was pretty much the spookiest thing about this book. I really don’t understand why people seem to love horror so much. It just doesn’t appeal to me at all. They all feel like lackluster mysteries with nearly the same format. The “romance” was a completely unnecessary addition to this story. Choosing to end the book with a kiss felt extremely cliché.
This honestly started out strong, but I was underwhelmed by the “big reveal” and I thought the majority of the book was just plain boring. I’m sure there are people out there who will love this, but I’m not one of them. ✌🏻
“Goddess, goddess, count to five
In the morning, who’s alive?”
What to Expect:
➼ YA Horror/Fantasy
➼ Dark Magic
➼ Possession
➼ Friendship/Sisterhood
➼ Small Town Mystery
➼ Romance Sub Plot
This book gave the same darkly bizarre energy as Riverdale season 3… IYKYK. 😜
Nora was giving off some strong stalker vibes at the beginning. I was half expecting the author to flip the script and make her the murderer. Nora and Becca’s strange relationship was pretty much the spookiest thing about this book. I really don’t understand why people seem to love horror so much. It just doesn’t appeal to me at all. They all feel like lackluster mysteries with nearly the same format. The “romance” was a completely unnecessary addition to this story. Choosing to end the book with a kiss felt extremely cliché.
This honestly started out strong, but I was underwhelmed by the “big reveal” and I thought the majority of the book was just plain boring. I’m sure there are people out there who will love this, but I’m not one of them. ✌🏻
January 15, 2024
After reading and loving Our Crooked Hearts, I’ve been anxiously anticipating The Bad Ones for almost two years now! So needless to say I was ecstatic to find a copy in my mailbox
One cold winter night, four people in a small town vanish without a trace.
Nora’s best friend Becca is one of the lost. Nora desperately searches for answers to discover what happened to her best friend and what she finds will change her forever.
Along with a series of coded messages that Becca left for her to solve, she also found darkness in her town's past. These messages lead Nora to a local legend, a goddess who played a role in Nora and Becca’s childhood games.
The Bad Ones is a young adult horror with magical realism and supernatural elements. The story's central focus is a small town sinister mystery but lurking in the background is a vengeful goddess. The story unfolds as a slow burn that slowly introduces you to the characters and their backstories. Just like in Our Crooked Hearts, I found myself completely engrossed in The Bad Ones. I rarely read ya books but Melissa Albert is one of the exceptions. Her stories never fail to entertain and keep me guessing!
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert will be available on February 20. A massive thanks to Flatiron for the gifted copy!
One cold winter night, four people in a small town vanish without a trace.
Nora’s best friend Becca is one of the lost. Nora desperately searches for answers to discover what happened to her best friend and what she finds will change her forever.
Along with a series of coded messages that Becca left for her to solve, she also found darkness in her town's past. These messages lead Nora to a local legend, a goddess who played a role in Nora and Becca’s childhood games.
The Bad Ones is a young adult horror with magical realism and supernatural elements. The story's central focus is a small town sinister mystery but lurking in the background is a vengeful goddess. The story unfolds as a slow burn that slowly introduces you to the characters and their backstories. Just like in Our Crooked Hearts, I found myself completely engrossed in The Bad Ones. I rarely read ya books but Melissa Albert is one of the exceptions. Her stories never fail to entertain and keep me guessing!
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert will be available on February 20. A massive thanks to Flatiron for the gifted copy!
August 6, 2023
As twisting and intriguing as a puzzle box, THE BAD ONES reveals secret after sinister secret, unfolding chilling layers right until the very end. Melissa Albert is a master of the uncanny.
May 31, 2024
I skimmed the last 35%; nothing wrong with it, it just didn't pull me in completely. Maybe it's the reading slump.
However: this is well written, interesting and has very short chapters so I would recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal mysteries, the show Supernatural and small towns.
However: this is well written, interesting and has very short chapters so I would recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal mysteries, the show Supernatural and small towns.
August 23, 2023
"the bad ones" is a really fun horror novel. it's spooky, it's twisty, and it is addicting.
nora's best friend is missing. in a small suburban illinois town, people are disappearing left and right. becca has not always had the best life, but she would never leave her best friend behind. on her quest to find becca, nora runs into an old childhood game, the goddess game, and must uncover the truth of the story to save her best friend.
possession, the supernatural, and true crime are all aspects of this novel.
i really, really enjoyed this novel! even though YA is usually not my thing, this was a really interesting read and kept me on my toes.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
nora's best friend is missing. in a small suburban illinois town, people are disappearing left and right. becca has not always had the best life, but she would never leave her best friend behind. on her quest to find becca, nora runs into an old childhood game, the goddess game, and must uncover the truth of the story to save her best friend.
possession, the supernatural, and true crime are all aspects of this novel.
i really, really enjoyed this novel! even though YA is usually not my thing, this was a really interesting read and kept me on my toes.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
February 26, 2024
The Bad Ones, Narrated by Emma Galvin, follows Nora, a high school teen who has recently had a falling out with her troubled BFF Becca, who is now missing along with two other students at their school.
But no one seems to think Beccas disappearance is connected to the other two and everybody assumes she just ran away out of spite and will return in a day or two.
But Nora keeps hearing Beccas voice throughout the day and signs showing up in forms of objects left in her locker or notes left with messages only Becca would know about. Is she trying to tell her something? What really happened to her?
First off the cover art is absolutely exceptional, I love the vibrant colours and creepy imagery, I went into this blind and wouldn’t have guessed based off the cover that this was going to be a YA novel. However I found the plot to be interesting and enjoyable, and although set primarily around high school students it didn’t read in a juvenile manor as it covered heavy topics of death of a parent, grief and loss, alcoholism etc.
There was definitely a spooky almost paranormal aspect present throughout which I felt added an extra kick to the plot. I will say that I loved the mystery of the book, felt a connection with the FMC and enjoyed her budding relationship with her male counterpart, I was left a little underwhelmed by the ending of the book, it seemed a little far fetched however I am glad for the characters ending.
Thank you to Melissa Albert, Macmillion audio and NetGalley for this ALC!
But no one seems to think Beccas disappearance is connected to the other two and everybody assumes she just ran away out of spite and will return in a day or two.
But Nora keeps hearing Beccas voice throughout the day and signs showing up in forms of objects left in her locker or notes left with messages only Becca would know about. Is she trying to tell her something? What really happened to her?
First off the cover art is absolutely exceptional, I love the vibrant colours and creepy imagery, I went into this blind and wouldn’t have guessed based off the cover that this was going to be a YA novel. However I found the plot to be interesting and enjoyable, and although set primarily around high school students it didn’t read in a juvenile manor as it covered heavy topics of death of a parent, grief and loss, alcoholism etc.
There was definitely a spooky almost paranormal aspect present throughout which I felt added an extra kick to the plot. I will say that I loved the mystery of the book, felt a connection with the FMC and enjoyed her budding relationship with her male counterpart, I was left a little underwhelmed by the ending of the book, it seemed a little far fetched however I am glad for the characters ending.
Thank you to Melissa Albert, Macmillion audio and NetGalley for this ALC!
March 27, 2024
This book is difficult to rate because I enjoyed it, but the more I think about it the less it holds up imo. 2.5 rounded up because I got through like 75% of this in a single day!
The mystery in this book caught my attention immediately. The prologue had me READY to go. I was genuinely curious about what happened to Becca and the others that disappeared! The vibe was creepy and I liked the premise of this, but as time went on I became a little less interested. This felt like it was trying to do too much and it ended up losing me. There's thriller, horror, romance, fantasy... and none of it is fully developed.
I enjoyed the lore behind the goddess game and the history of the school they went to. I liked the mystery/horror part of this. I liked the dynamic between Becca and Nora and thought it was really interesting. I wanted more of that!! And less other stuff!
What I didn't like:
The love interest felt entirely unnecessary. I'm not sure what purpose he served other than to throw a romance in (which was NOT needed). He has very little personality and seems to be there primarily to push along Nora's storyline. He genuinely wasn't needed and the novel would have stood without him. I think his existence actually detracted from the main storyline and every time there was a scene between Nora and the love interest I could feel myself tuning out.
The secondary characters (Nora's other friends, people tied to the mystery) were fine, but I honestly forgot they existed when they were offpage and I couldn't distinguish between them when they were onpage. Nora's sister was so forgettable that when she was mentioned I was actually confused at one point.
The age range didn't really fit here. The characters didn't speak or behave like teenagers most of the time, and there was close to zero adult oversight here. Where are the parents?? Nora has parents... why were they not more concerned about her or more actively involved in watching her? Four people JUST disappeared and she's sneaking out of school and going out in the middle of the night??? And her parents are just like "omg glad you're safe!!!!" PLEASE be for real. Also, the language the teens were using made them feel significantly older and not in a good way.
The ending portion felt like it came out of nowhere and was underdeveloped. So many pieces feel unresolved, and I wasn't impressed by how the goddess mystery wrapped up. I was left with significantly more questions than answers, and I just don't feel satisfied with the ending.
This was a fun audiobook for work hours, but this isn't something I'll think about again. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. Thank you to Macmillan for the audiobook!
The mystery in this book caught my attention immediately. The prologue had me READY to go. I was genuinely curious about what happened to Becca and the others that disappeared! The vibe was creepy and I liked the premise of this, but as time went on I became a little less interested. This felt like it was trying to do too much and it ended up losing me. There's thriller, horror, romance, fantasy... and none of it is fully developed.
I enjoyed the lore behind the goddess game and the history of the school they went to. I liked the mystery/horror part of this. I liked the dynamic between Becca and Nora and thought it was really interesting. I wanted more of that!! And less other stuff!
What I didn't like:
The love interest felt entirely unnecessary. I'm not sure what purpose he served other than to throw a romance in (which was NOT needed). He has very little personality and seems to be there primarily to push along Nora's storyline. He genuinely wasn't needed and the novel would have stood without him. I think his existence actually detracted from the main storyline and every time there was a scene between Nora and the love interest I could feel myself tuning out.
The secondary characters (Nora's other friends, people tied to the mystery) were fine, but I honestly forgot they existed when they were offpage and I couldn't distinguish between them when they were onpage. Nora's sister was so forgettable that when she was mentioned I was actually confused at one point.
The age range didn't really fit here. The characters didn't speak or behave like teenagers most of the time, and there was close to zero adult oversight here. Where are the parents?? Nora has parents... why were they not more concerned about her or more actively involved in watching her? Four people JUST disappeared and she's sneaking out of school and going out in the middle of the night??? And her parents are just like "omg glad you're safe!!!!" PLEASE be for real. Also, the language the teens were using made them feel significantly older and not in a good way.
The ending portion felt like it came out of nowhere and was underdeveloped. So many pieces feel unresolved, and I wasn't impressed by how the goddess mystery wrapped up. I was left with significantly more questions than answers, and I just don't feel satisfied with the ending.
This was a fun audiobook for work hours, but this isn't something I'll think about again. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. Thank you to Macmillan for the audiobook!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2024
3.75⭐️
This was pretty good! It held my attention and was spooky without being too spooky (I scare easily 🫣) I had no idea what was going on but it was fun trying to figure it out
Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was pretty good! It held my attention and was spooky without being too spooky (I scare easily 🫣) I had no idea what was going on but it was fun trying to figure it out
Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 23, 2024
The premise of this story was so strong, but as the story plodded along, picking up answers along the way, I grew less and less interested in the conclusion. I felt like all interest the story had in the other three missing people was gone by the half way mark, focusing instead on Nora and Becca's friendship.
I dislike books where the main character does little to nothing to solve the mystery, and that was the case here. Instead, we got a massive chunk of exposition right at the end from someone who revealed themselves to be involved.
I was kinda hoping this would be a sapphic relationship, but they establish a male love interest for Nora fairly early on. The final pages didn't give us much reason for the supernatural elements, and while I liked that we got a glimpse of the future for the characters, ultimately this wasn't a memorable read.
I dislike books where the main character does little to nothing to solve the mystery, and that was the case here. Instead, we got a massive chunk of exposition right at the end from someone who revealed themselves to be involved.
I was kinda hoping this would be a sapphic relationship, but they establish a male love interest for Nora fairly early on. The final pages didn't give us much reason for the supernatural elements, and while I liked that we got a glimpse of the future for the characters, ultimately this wasn't a memorable read.
March 25, 2024
Melissa Albert is an auto-buy author for me, and I think she just keeps getting better. The Bad Ones is my favorite so far!
February 23, 2024
I absolutely LOVED this book!! I was so excited when I got approved for an ARC because I absolutely love Melissa Albert’s writing style and I’ve read all but one of her books (she’s a contributor to a book)!!!
This story is about two best friends, Becca and Nora, who have a toxic relationship but are always there for one another. Then one night, people in the town start mysteriously go missing, but they’re not all as innocent as they seem. I would liken this to a revenge story, with a woman righting the wrongs people have done in their lives. As the story goes on, we learn Nora is not as reliable a narrator as we’re initially set to believe, but we also start rooting for her and Becca.
The heart of this story is the friendship between the two girls and the imagery, with Albert’s writing making it feel like you could reach out and touch this world she built. I’m SO excited for this to hit shelves so everyone can enjoy this!!
In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story is about two best friends, Becca and Nora, who have a toxic relationship but are always there for one another. Then one night, people in the town start mysteriously go missing, but they’re not all as innocent as they seem. I would liken this to a revenge story, with a woman righting the wrongs people have done in their lives. As the story goes on, we learn Nora is not as reliable a narrator as we’re initially set to believe, but we also start rooting for her and Becca.
The heart of this story is the friendship between the two girls and the imagery, with Albert’s writing making it feel like you could reach out and touch this world she built. I’m SO excited for this to hit shelves so everyone can enjoy this!!
In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2024
Over the course of one winter night, four people vanish without a trace from Nora's small town -- and one of them is her estranged best friend, Becca. As Nora searches for the truth about Becca's disappearance, she discovers a dark secret in her town's past -- as well as a mysterious connection to a game Nora and Becca played as children that involved a vengeful goddess. As the lines between make-believe and reality blur, Nora must attempt to unravel the town's secrets before Becca is lost to her forever.
The Bad Ones is one of those books that is all vibes, with a dark, moody atmosphere and elements of sinister magical realism. Melissa Albert immerses you in the world of the book with lush, vibrant prose and ethereal imagery. Nora is a believable teenage character whose actions and responses feel authentic for someone of her age and circumstances, without seeming completely overwrought or annoying. Her complicated relationship with Becca is well-written and allows Albert to explore some interesting themes surrounding toxic female friendship, the mysterious power of make-believe, and the magic and invincibility of childhood -- and the agony of leaving it behind.
I wanted much, more more from the mythological and supernatural elements, though. The conclusion didn't fully satisfy me because there is no explanation for how any of it actually works, or how the myth truly originated. I'm not one of those readers who needs everything spelled out for me, but the end of this did leave me scratching my head and wishing for more, especially since the pace of the book is quite slow so I'd been hoping it was building up to an earth-shattering ending. I also listened to this as an audiobook, and I didn't care for Emma Galvin's narration. She had an odd cadence to her reading that came across as unnatural. Others are loving this book and Emma's narration a lot more than I did, so if The Bad Ones sounds up your alley, I'd definitely encourage you to give it a try.
The Bad Ones is one of those books that is all vibes, with a dark, moody atmosphere and elements of sinister magical realism. Melissa Albert immerses you in the world of the book with lush, vibrant prose and ethereal imagery. Nora is a believable teenage character whose actions and responses feel authentic for someone of her age and circumstances, without seeming completely overwrought or annoying. Her complicated relationship with Becca is well-written and allows Albert to explore some interesting themes surrounding toxic female friendship, the mysterious power of make-believe, and the magic and invincibility of childhood -- and the agony of leaving it behind.
I wanted much, more more from the mythological and supernatural elements, though. The conclusion didn't fully satisfy me because there is no explanation for how any of it actually works, or how the myth truly originated. I'm not one of those readers who needs everything spelled out for me, but the end of this did leave me scratching my head and wishing for more, especially since the pace of the book is quite slow so I'd been hoping it was building up to an earth-shattering ending. I also listened to this as an audiobook, and I didn't care for Emma Galvin's narration. She had an odd cadence to her reading that came across as unnatural. Others are loving this book and Emma's narration a lot more than I did, so if The Bad Ones sounds up your alley, I'd definitely encourage you to give it a try.
July 12, 2024
This was trying to cram in too many genres (mystery, thriller, fantasy, crime) so the ending didn't really stick for me. It felt like a Frankenstein's monster of books and TV shows that I like, but make it more dull and meandering.
I wanted to DNF and I probably should've...
I wanted to DNF and I probably should've...
April 26, 2024
I found this with the new books at the library I go to and honestly just checked it out for the cover. Sooooo pretty. What I found inside was...not great!
I really really wanted to like this because it was spooky and scary and would go great with my 5-star scary girls doing scary stuff list. But it wasn't good! The pacing of the book was quite strange and I feel like the beginning and end came from two separate stories. There's also a really long flashback that might have contributed to this. Also the main character was so oblivious of literally everything happening around her!! She had literally no personality, too. Yes, it's not surprising I didn't like the main character because that seems to happen a lot to me but this girl was especially bad.
There were a couple good things though. I found the relationship between the main character and her missing friend very intriguing. The way that they have been best friends for so long and yet still didn't know a single thing about each other was interesting. Although it fit weird into the story, I actually really loved the flashback. I had to return the book so I don't have any good quotes, but there were some nice thoughts regarding religion and queer girls during like the 1970s(??? I don't remember the exact time period)
Anyways, I guess it was fun sometimes. But then again most of it was pretty painful and I know for sure I won't remember a single thing. 2.5 rounded up!
I really really wanted to like this because it was spooky and scary and would go great with my 5-star scary girls doing scary stuff list. But it wasn't good! The pacing of the book was quite strange and I feel like the beginning and end came from two separate stories. There's also a really long flashback that might have contributed to this. Also the main character was so oblivious of literally everything happening around her!! She had literally no personality, too. Yes, it's not surprising I didn't like the main character because that seems to happen a lot to me but this girl was especially bad.
There were a couple good things though. I found the relationship between the main character and her missing friend very intriguing. The way that they have been best friends for so long and yet still didn't know a single thing about each other was interesting. Although it fit weird into the story, I actually really loved the flashback. I had to return the book so I don't have any good quotes, but there were some nice thoughts regarding religion and queer girls during like the 1970s(??? I don't remember the exact time period)
Anyways, I guess it was fun sometimes. But then again most of it was pretty painful and I know for sure I won't remember a single thing. 2.5 rounded up!
February 15, 2024
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
I don't like giving low ratings to books, especially ARCs, but this was a mess.
I fell asleep listening to it a few times, though the concept sounded really cool and I was so ready to dive into this story. The opening really interesting! I even gasped at the end of the prologue! That's not a thing that happens! Then the inciting incident happens and we're saddled with Nora, whose weird, slightly toxic relationship with Becca is the only interesting thing about her. Now Becca. Her, I would have liked a book about! And then we have the male love interest, whose only personality trait is that he's dark and broody and artistic and "not like other guys." Yuck. I don't know what's going on, but this is the second book I've read in a row where the leading lady is obsessed with another girl, yet somehow ends up with a guy. What's that about? The plot started strong, though that didn't last long, and towards the end, it seemed like the plot got lost entirely. And that ending? Wow, a kiss! Why is the forced romance the focus of the ending? Ugh.
One star out of five for The Bad Ones, because as far as books go, this is one of the bad ones.
I don't like giving low ratings to books, especially ARCs, but this was a mess.
I fell asleep listening to it a few times, though the concept sounded really cool and I was so ready to dive into this story. The opening really interesting! I even gasped at the end of the prologue! That's not a thing that happens! Then the inciting incident happens and we're saddled with Nora, whose weird, slightly toxic relationship with Becca is the only interesting thing about her. Now Becca. Her, I would have liked a book about! And then we have the male love interest, whose only personality trait is that he's dark and broody and artistic and "not like other guys." Yuck. I don't know what's going on, but this is the second book I've read in a row where the leading lady is obsessed with another girl, yet somehow ends up with a guy. What's that about? The plot started strong, though that didn't last long, and towards the end, it seemed like the plot got lost entirely. And that ending? Wow, a kiss! Why is the forced romance the focus of the ending? Ugh.
One star out of five for The Bad Ones, because as far as books go, this is one of the bad ones.
February 10, 2024
This was fun! A little spooky, a little creepy, and a lot mysterious. I loved the last book I read from Melissa Albert and this was no exception. She builds such great atmosphere and tension in the contemporary settings she creates that it's impossible not to be riveted from start to finish. The story revolves around the sudden disappearance of four people in the same night and the clues left behind for one of the victim's friends. A dark children's game sits at the middle, and I really enjoyed how this horror mystery unfolded. I never once guessed where it was going to go and finished the last half in a day. Admittedly, it wasn't perfect though. There was a romance that did nothing for the story or characters, and the ending lost me a little bit.
Shelved as 'wish-list'
July 11, 2022“Sarah Barley at Flatiron has acquired, in an exclusive submission, The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert (The Hazel Wood; Our Crooked Hearts). This YA contemporary fantasy centers on a suburb where four seemingly unconnected people go missing in a single night. When the best friend of one of the lost attempts to untangle the truth about the disappearances, she uncovers her hometown's elusive shadow history, including a piece of local lore about a goddess folk figure who played an eerie role in her own childhood games. Publication is tentatively set for late 2023; Faye Bender at the Book Group did the deal for North American rights.” Source.
September 5, 2023
Melissa Albert does such a great job at creating characters that seem normal/real (in spite of any supernatural occurrences 😆). Her teenagers are believable and these mythologies she creates feel so…possible. I was initially convinced that I might remember a goddess game and kept thinking “did we do that as kids?” because it sounds exactly like every kid’s childhood (at least for gen-xers like me). It was such a wonderful puzzle to sort out, and I loved all the moral grey area. I also loved how Nora’s parents weren’t totally clueless. Their inability to help much was due to Nora acting like a normal teenager - not because they’re so dumb you keep wanting to ask “how do they not notice what’s going on??” I had a hard time putting this book down because I was so curious about what was going on!
Another really awesome story from Melissa Albert. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC to review!
Another really awesome story from Melissa Albert. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC to review!
March 31, 2024
You know the saying. “Waiting for the other shoe to drop”?… Apply that but prepare to wait even longer.
What presented itself as a unique and intriguing concept; sadly fell short and I found myself in an endless dizzy cycle of sameness. Don’t confuse it as being a “slow burn”, instead think of it as monotonous.
This may be overly critical but I honestly felt the author was keeping the reader away from the most interesting part of the story. I waited to be granted access but eventually realized I waited so long the story was already over.
What presented itself as a unique and intriguing concept; sadly fell short and I found myself in an endless dizzy cycle of sameness. Don’t confuse it as being a “slow burn”, instead think of it as monotonous.
This may be overly critical but I honestly felt the author was keeping the reader away from the most interesting part of the story. I waited to be granted access but eventually realized I waited so long the story was already over.
March 1, 2024
House of Hollow meets Pretty Little Liars in this deliciously eerie and hauntingly addictive, Supernatural YA Thriller. Which skilfully blends the complex growing pains of adolescence, toxic friendships and R. L. Stine-worthy playground legends into a lush, hauntingly addictive tale of goddesses and revenge that I thoroughly devoured!
“Goddess, Goddess, count to five, in the morning, who’s alive?”
On a single winter’s night, seventeen year old Nora’s life is turned upside down when her estranged best friend, Becca, mysteriously disappears. Prompting Nora to take up her own investigation and find out what happened. For Becca wasn’t the only person in their small town to suddenly vanish—three other residents are missing too.
Uncovering coded messages believed to be from Becca, Nora delves into their shared past and the town’s infamous legend about the Goddess. And the childhood game they used to play, that may hold a clue as to Becca’s (and the other’s) whereabouts…
Satisfyingly sinister and creepy in the best of ways, this is the fifth book by Melissa Albert that I’ve read and, it’s definitely my favourite soo far!
The prose was quintessentially Albert; atmospheric, suspenseful and soo utterly compelling that I honestly despaired at having to put it down.
Each of our POV characters (Becca,Nora-and later on Rita) were vividly depicted and well developed, with unique voices that not only worked for their respective personalities, but also felt genuine enough to be real teenagers. However, it was the emotionally bereft Nora, struggling without the guidance of her (take charge) best friend that I found most compelling.
Delving into her intense and complicated friendship with Becca, and the ways in which childhood bonds can shift and develop over time was incredibly fascinating—especially when juxtaposed with the relationship dynamics of other characters we encounter.
James, a classmate of Becca’s (and the love interest to Nora’s role as Heroine) was another character I really enjoyed getting to know. Not as in depth as our protagonists, his budding friendship/relationship was a guiding light for Nora at such a dark and turbulent time. And his easy, almost laidback demeanour worked perfectly in easing Nora into social situations she’s usually relied on Becca for.
The piece de resistance of course, was the lore and supernatural elements that surround the Goddess, the goddess game (which was kinda reminiscent of the Light As A Feather game), and the mystery of the Goddess’ origins. Propelling our narrative into several plot twisty and magnificently well timed revelations that I was thoroughly in awe of.
The ending was really enjoyable if not, completely satisfying in explaining all the supernatural aspects. But, this does give me hope that we’ll see more stories set in this world, or involving shadowy god-like beings who may (or may not) have their own playground rhymes and slumber party games.
Overall, an intoxicatingly immersive read that gothic-esque fantasy or small town paranormal lovers and fans of Melissa Albert are bound to enjoy. Just be sure to check the TWs first.
Also, a huge thank you to Nina Douglas and Penguin UK for the proof
“Goddess, Goddess, count to five, in the morning, who’s alive?”
On a single winter’s night, seventeen year old Nora’s life is turned upside down when her estranged best friend, Becca, mysteriously disappears. Prompting Nora to take up her own investigation and find out what happened. For Becca wasn’t the only person in their small town to suddenly vanish—three other residents are missing too.
Uncovering coded messages believed to be from Becca, Nora delves into their shared past and the town’s infamous legend about the Goddess. And the childhood game they used to play, that may hold a clue as to Becca’s (and the other’s) whereabouts…
Satisfyingly sinister and creepy in the best of ways, this is the fifth book by Melissa Albert that I’ve read and, it’s definitely my favourite soo far!
The prose was quintessentially Albert; atmospheric, suspenseful and soo utterly compelling that I honestly despaired at having to put it down.
Each of our POV characters (Becca,Nora-and later on Rita) were vividly depicted and well developed, with unique voices that not only worked for their respective personalities, but also felt genuine enough to be real teenagers. However, it was the emotionally bereft Nora, struggling without the guidance of her (take charge) best friend that I found most compelling.
Delving into her intense and complicated friendship with Becca, and the ways in which childhood bonds can shift and develop over time was incredibly fascinating—especially when juxtaposed with the relationship dynamics of other characters we encounter.
James, a classmate of Becca’s (and the love interest to Nora’s role as Heroine) was another character I really enjoyed getting to know. Not as in depth as our protagonists, his budding friendship/relationship was a guiding light for Nora at such a dark and turbulent time. And his easy, almost laidback demeanour worked perfectly in easing Nora into social situations she’s usually relied on Becca for.
The piece de resistance of course, was the lore and supernatural elements that surround the Goddess, the goddess game (which was kinda reminiscent of the Light As A Feather game), and the mystery of the Goddess’ origins. Propelling our narrative into several plot twisty and magnificently well timed revelations that I was thoroughly in awe of.
The ending was really enjoyable if not, completely satisfying in explaining all the supernatural aspects. But, this does give me hope that we’ll see more stories set in this world, or involving shadowy god-like beings who may (or may not) have their own playground rhymes and slumber party games.
Overall, an intoxicatingly immersive read that gothic-esque fantasy or small town paranormal lovers and fans of Melissa Albert are bound to enjoy. Just be sure to check the TWs first.
Also, a huge thank you to Nina Douglas and Penguin UK for the proof
April 6, 2024
Slow-burn YA horror. I thought this was really engaging and well-written. I like the cover image too. Will read more from this author.
February 25, 2024
When Nora's (estranged) best friend, Becca, goes missing, Nora is convinced Becca hasn't just run away. She knows that her disappearance is somehow linked to The Goddess Game, a game they used to play as children. As Nora delves deeper into the mystery of Nora's death, what she finds surprises even her.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. Its cool cover immediately drew me, and the premise sounded so interesting. However, I had a couple of issues with this book. First of all, the prologue is very horror-esque, but that quickly vanishes, and this book becomes a mystery. It seems all elements of the horror were unfortunately left in the prologue. Then, as I was reading, something was really grating on me, and I couldn't put my finger on it at first. Maybe I just didn't like the narrator? I quickly figured out what was bugging me. Our 17-year-old narrator, Nora, doesn't sound like a kid. In fact, she sounds like an unnecessarily verbose English teacher. Here are some things that Nora says that didn't sell me on the fact that she's a teen:
"looking chagrined"
"churlish"
"in the grip of a benevolent sleep paralysis"
"a child's sense of irony"
"burned the last of my torpor away"
I am an English teacher and not only do I not talk like that, I also spend all week with kids, and I've never heard them say anything remotely similar. And yes, I know there are intelligent kids, but none of them talk like that either. So needless to say, I had a VERY hard time believing Nora was a teenager. Then there was the "romance." I wasn't sold on it nor did I care about it at all. It was just so uninteresting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Emma Galvin was not my favorite narrator, and in the end this book was not for me.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. Its cool cover immediately drew me, and the premise sounded so interesting. However, I had a couple of issues with this book. First of all, the prologue is very horror-esque, but that quickly vanishes, and this book becomes a mystery. It seems all elements of the horror were unfortunately left in the prologue. Then, as I was reading, something was really grating on me, and I couldn't put my finger on it at first. Maybe I just didn't like the narrator? I quickly figured out what was bugging me. Our 17-year-old narrator, Nora, doesn't sound like a kid. In fact, she sounds like an unnecessarily verbose English teacher. Here are some things that Nora says that didn't sell me on the fact that she's a teen:
"looking chagrined"
"churlish"
"in the grip of a benevolent sleep paralysis"
"a child's sense of irony"
"burned the last of my torpor away"
I am an English teacher and not only do I not talk like that, I also spend all week with kids, and I've never heard them say anything remotely similar. And yes, I know there are intelligent kids, but none of them talk like that either. So needless to say, I had a VERY hard time believing Nora was a teenager. Then there was the "romance." I wasn't sold on it nor did I care about it at all. It was just so uninteresting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Emma Galvin was not my favorite narrator, and in the end this book was not for me.
February 23, 2024
3.5 stars. The Bad Ones is a YA supernatural horror/thriller. Nora and Becca are best friends in a small Midwestern town. One night, four people mysteriously disappear all at the same time, including Becca. Nora follows a trail of breadcrumbs left by Becca to figure out what is going on. This has her looking into a local legend about "the Goddess" that has turned into a jump rope rhyme, a game, and the girls themselves turned it into their own sort of art project. As Becca learns more about the lore, she discovers this isn't the first bout of strange disappearances. Strange occurrences date back to the 60's and everything seems to be centered around the high school. Can Nora figure out what is going on and is it too late for Becca? This story was pretty good and I definitely wanted to see it play out! At times it felt a bit slow and I don't know if everything made sense in the end, but the ethereal descriptions and the whole vibe of the town were appealing. Overall a pretty solid and entertaining YA book with a paranormal/horror/thriller angle.
February 7, 2024
Got an arc from work
This was wild and delightfully spooky. I expected it to be fun but it grabbed me by the throat. I love horror with a solid aesthetic and this carried that through to the end, even when it pulled the curtain back on the mystery. It kept me guessing and creeped me out and I absolutely devoured it. Hell yeah
This was wild and delightfully spooky. I expected it to be fun but it grabbed me by the throat. I love horror with a solid aesthetic and this carried that through to the end, even when it pulled the curtain back on the mystery. It kept me guessing and creeped me out and I absolutely devoured it. Hell yeah
January 27, 2024
This was my first book from Melissa Albert and it won’t be the last. This is a Young Adult Horror book. I really enjoyed myself with this book and it was nostalgic for me. It reminded me when my cousins and I were kids and we would play this game of making potions from whatever we found outside-sticks, grass, leaves, mud, etc. We would chant and when we were done . We would splatter the concoction on the tree. Almost like making an offering to Mother Nature.
The care free days.
This book has a horror murder mystery of who did it. Then gives you twists and turns that you never see coming. It brought up a lot of memories from childhood, which is awesome when a book can unintentionally do that. I really enjoyed this book and hope anyone that reads it, likes it as well.
Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Albert, and FlatIron Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review
The care free days.
This book has a horror murder mystery of who did it. Then gives you twists and turns that you never see coming. It brought up a lot of memories from childhood, which is awesome when a book can unintentionally do that. I really enjoyed this book and hope anyone that reads it, likes it as well.
Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Albert, and FlatIron Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review
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