I received a copy from Marketing Chair Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Roland Percy’s father dies in a drunken accident,I received a copy from Marketing Chair Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Roland Percy’s father dies in a drunken accident, he’s forced to leave the military and return home. Under his grandfather’s threats, he must marry and produce an heir as soon as possible. Roland is set on courting the diamond of the season, Charity Cresswell, but things go awry when she goes missing. Everyone thinks she’s run away to elope with a secret lover, but Grace Tilbury knows her best friend must have been abducted. Now it’s up to Grace and Roland to find Charity before her virtue is destroyed in the eyes of society. As Grace and Roland grow closer, their romantic candle has been lit, leaving a whole new set of problems on their hands.
When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. A regency era romance turned cozy mystery? Sign me up! If you’re looking for a book that’s heavy in the romance department, this may not be the book for you because it’s a very slow burn. However, it really works for the story. I think that when the romance gets kicked into full gear in book two, all the work put into the romance’s beginning is going to pay off in a huge way. What a scandal that will be, though! Phew. I’m already ready for book two.
That said, this was a super fun read. I really enjoyed all of the characters. Even the evil characters were interesting and well-written! We are introduced to many characters, but it’s done slowly and never feels overwhelming. One of the things I really like is that no matter how briefly we see a character, they are really well planned out and it feels almost like we’re meeting and talking to them ourselves. It was also fun to see Roland learn that not only are women just as capable as men, but also see how much society holds women back as he gets to know Grace.
The mystery itself was fun to follow. Who abducted Charity, or did she really sneak away with a secret lover to elope? We see all the angles and see a lot of fun interactions as Grace and Roland investigate things. There are Bridgerton vibes mainly because Queen Charlotte gets involved thanks to Charity being her carefully selected diamond of the season, which does add to the story. I did figure out who did what because it made the most sense given the circumstances, but it was still really fun to see how it played out.
All in all, this was such a great read. My only real issue with the story is how it ends. It was so abrupt that I actually thought the advanced copy I received had accidentally cut off the ending! I actually said, that’s it?! It does leave off on a small cliffhanger of sorts, so I’m sitting on the edge of my seat while waiting for the next installment. It’ll be interesting to see how the next book plays out and what mystery will be thrown into the mix since this is listed as a regency mystery series. I just hope that the ending of the next book will be less abrupt....more
I received a copy from Ten Speed Graphic through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow Oscar Zahn as he tells the stories of the souls he’I received a copy from Ten Speed Graphic through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow Oscar Zahn as he tells the stories of the souls he’s doing his best to help. While avoiding his own demons, this floating skull with a heart of gold does everything within his power to help his friends, ghosts who haven’t realized they’re dead, and even those who have been long forgotten.
I really enjoyed reading this book. In this volume, we get to know Oscar through the stories he shares with us. We start with the story of a young soldier. Long dead, he and his fellow soldiers have been trapped on the battlefield that took their lives for decades. This story was probably the saddest out of the stories we see by the end of this volume. It was easy to almost forget that these characters weren’t ghosts reliving a version of their final days.
The first story really pulled me in, so by the time Oscar moves onto the next soul in need, I was fully sucked into the book. I like that the first story is more about the souls he helps than him, and then we slowly get to know more about Oscar once we already know about how important his work is. It’s surprisingly character driven and manages to have a lot of depth no matter what’s happening. It’s truly an intriguing story full of wonder and mystery. The artwork helps tell the story beautifully, and I’m really looking forward to eventually learning about the memories that Oscar has been running from....more
I received a copy from William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emaline Fitzpatrick is ready to escape her guardiaI received a copy from William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emaline Fitzpatrick is ready to escape her guardians and marry the handsome man who has captured her heart. Unfortunately, Emaline learns the hard way that when someone keeps you a secret, they’re not actually that into you. Now that she’s the face of a scandal, she has two choices: settle into life at a convent or marry Captain Graves. Emaline finds herself in quite the pickle when she arrives at Faraday. Captain Graves described himself as a widower, but it turns out his second wife is still holding on for dear life! Now Emaline finds herself trying to save Mrs. Graves from her impending death all trying to figure out if the place is really haunted.
We follow Emaline, a young woman who was raised by a judge and his wife after being orphaned. All she wants is to escape the controlling and restricted life she has with a husband of her choosing. Instead, she finds herself wedged into a corner. Emaline is not the smartest of people, but I think she just needs everyone to give her a chance even if her first step is to fall flat on her face. While she does some pretty dumb things, she also makes some pretty good discoveries, so I think she was always told that the only thing she had was her looks. One of the things I like about the book is that we get to see her slowly find her strength along the way.
This book has mystery, ghosts, and a house full of people who are not what they seem to be. Emaline is my favorite character. She’s nice, caring, and has a heart. She’s extremely naïve and isn’t always holding the braincell, but she’s fun to follow and has some excellent character growth. There is a little bit of romance in the book, and it’s easy to tell who she will ultimately end up with right away, so I wouldn’t pick this up if you’re looking for a romance.
There’s also a really interesting cast of characters. They all have their secrets. The only difference is we know what Emaline’s secrets are, so we have to watch her slowly discover everyone else’s. I think there’s only two characters who are pretty straight forward. The rest are two-faced to different degrees and everyone has a different motive. It was really interesting to see how the characters slowly reveal what they’ve really been up to.
All in all, this was an excellent read. I was fully absorbed in the story from the moment I opened the page and was actually shocked by the way a few things played out. I’m excited to read some of the author’s other books because this was truly excellent from beginning to end. I do have a few questions about the ending because Emaline’s guardians are suddenly loving saints and everyone is besties, but I think those are the only things that just appeared out of nowhere....more
It’s 1872, and Celine Rousseau has just arrived in New Orleans to start a new life. After fleeing Paris, she’s hoping she can keep afloat in a place wIt’s 1872, and Celine Rousseau has just arrived in New Orleans to start a new life. After fleeing Paris, she’s hoping she can keep afloat in a place where no one knows who she is or what she’s done. Unfortunately, there’s a supernatural entity hellbent on taking her life, and it’s throwing a wrench in her plans. The longer Celine toes the line in her new life, the more she wonders who cares if her past catches up if she turns up dead first.
I received a sampler from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley, which had some of the early chapters. When I got to the last chapter in the sampler, I was already so drawn into the story that I went ahead and picked up the book. We follow four different characters through their rotating perspectives: Celine, Bastien, and two mystery characters. The chapters following the two mystery men were a bit confusing at first, but once I realized it was two different characters, it was easy to get into the story. After a while, I figured out who one of the people was, but the other one came out of left field. I liked that surprise!
The pacing was pretty slow, but it was worth it. I think part of the problem is that I couldn’t understand why we needed four perspectives instead of one. Celine’s perspective was the most well developed and it was clear she was the main protagonist from the start. Meanwhile, the longer we followed Bastien, the more we failed to learn a whole lot. La Cour des Lions is deeply shrouded in mystery and he never shows us why he’s mysterious and devilish. He’s constantly being described as being devilish and the Lucifer in town, but we never once see anything that makes him live up to that name. Even when he’s supposed to be showing us his entire hand of cards, there was never actually anything there.
That said, I did really enjoy the book. There’s a vampire murder mystery that surrounds Celine, but the mystery isn’t the core of the story. That’s just how she finds herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the supernatural world. From the way she seems to be a supernatural entity without having discovered it yet, I fully expect her to eventually discover that she has her own supernatural abilities. I mean, we already have vampires and werewolves! Otherwise, I don’t know how the overall series will hold together for me.
There’s also an excellent cast of characters. I particularly liked following Celine and Pippa. I really liked how Pippa was the only one who actually sees Celine as who she really is. She also knows that when she acts untouchable and unbothered, that’s Celine’s ego as well as a mask even to herself. Bastien could be a cool character, but he seems to be a mostly generic so-called bad boy, and his friendships alway appear to be out of a sense of duty to his uncle. His uncle is actually the most interesting character in the story, which makes me wish this was a series where we follow a different character in each book. There’s also the detective and his family, who I really liked and hope to see a lot more of. Nonna was the best, so it’d be great if we got to see her again.
Overall, this was a great read. It was pretty light on the paranormal front at times, but I enjoyed following Celine’s story. I do think that having four perspectives is a bit much, and the romance is built purely on lust, but the story has a lot going for it and I’m excited to check out the next book. I hope to see the other plotlines improve since it looked like the story wasn’t supposed to be Celine’s story with the occasional view from two different vampires and some of their background stories coming through. It seemed like Bastien and the other characters were supposed to be more significant rather than just players in Celine’s story, so I hope to see things on this front improve with the next book....more
Bronwyn has a long history with Thorne Manor. She’s spent decades believing her closest friend and love of her life is a figment of her imagination beBronwyn has a long history with Thorne Manor. She’s spent decades believing her closest friend and love of her life is a figment of her imagination because she was traveling to him through a stitch in time. Between the boy she loved, the ghost that scared her, and the tragic death of her uncle all being connected to Thorne Manor, she hasn’t been there in decades. Now that Bronwyn has inherited the property, she’s finding herself returning for the first time since she fled from a scary ghost. It turns out that William and the stitch in time are very real because she’s just woken up in his room. Now she gets a third chance at love with an old flame while discovering why the only ghosts she sees are all connected to William.
I really wanted to love this book, but it seemed like it was somehow doing too much and not enough at the same time. It doesn’t help that Bronwyn was kind of irritating to follow. It also didn’t get interesting until a smidge after the halfway point, which is odd because a time slip alone should’ve been quite interesting. However, it does have an interesting plot and some excellent characters. I also really liked the romance and thought it was cute and sweet.
While I didn’t care for Bronwyn, there were some characters I really liked. William is a sweet character, and I wish we were able to read the story from his perspective as well. It also would’ve helped a lot with developing the mystery. Freya was very sweet, caring, and funny. I loved her presence and how she became such a fast friend and confidant to Bronwyn. August was a delight and I wish we got to see him more than we did. I think August my be my favorite character, actually.
The mystery itself was very interesting, but not much happened with it for some time. It was more of a paranormal occurrence than mystery until later. I wish that more happened with the mystery in the past than in the present. Every time it progressed, it felt very sudden and didn’t always line up with the past.. I do think it was a cool concept and really like how it ultimately played out, though. That was probably the best part of the book and I was really hanging on every letter when things started really rolling on the mystery front.
I also think that the romance was very soft and sweet. Bronwyn and William have that genuine high school sweethearts kind of romance that feels very real in so many ways. They have excellent chemistry and I like how they always tried to really communicate and see where the other was coming from and how they felt. It’s not a romance that’s on fire and oozing with their romantic chemistry. It’s very soft and cute and makes you naturally want to root for them.
While I liked the story, I didn’t care for Bronwyn and the first half of the book moved way too slow for me. I think the mystery was the best part about the book, but that things didn’t always line up because of the time travel and lack of little clues that should’ve popped up here and there during the first half. I also think the romance was very soft, sweet, and cute and found the supporting characters very likable. I also think the story wraps up pretty well while leaving things open enough to let readers see how Bronwyn and William’s future unfolds. It feels like a stand alone book to me, and I’d be much more interested in the next book in the series if each book covered a different couple experiencing a stitch in time....more
I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While Planchette and her friends are on a mission I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While Planchette and her friends are on a mission to help a ghost bride complete her unfinished business and move on, they make some interesting discoveries. The curse on Sun has finally been broken, but now Babs can’t eat a single thing because food goes bad the second she touches it. Now they have a new curse to get to the bottom of, but the nature of this curse is highly suspicious. Meanwhile, a longtime mystery is about to come to a head and it’s somehow connected with Planchette and friends in the most unexpected way. Poor Planchette and her friends just wanted to help a ghost bride move on and help Sun get rid of her curse, but it seems that things are multiplying in the strangest ways!
I absolutely loved the first volume of this series, so I was extremely excited to start volume two and see where the story takes us next. This time around, we follow Planchette and her friends as they work to help a ghost bride finally finish the unsettled business that left her haunting the living world. However, that’s not their only adventure because there’s new developments on the curse front and they have to figure out how to deal with the Faerie King. Not only that, there’s also finally a break in a long-standing murder mystery and they’re all about to get sucked in. We really pick up exactly where we left off in volume one, so we hit the ground running. Hard!
Like the first volume, this was an absolute delight to read. I love how rich and layered each of the characters are. I also love how the darker storylines are balanced well with lighter storylines so that the overall tone isn’t too dark or sad. This time around, we spend more time with Sun and Babs, learning more about Sun’s home life and how difficult her family is. I really feel for Sun and how even her own mother treats her! I also love how the ghost bride’s plot is resolved while still furthering the plot.
All in all, this is such a fun and quick read. The artwork is stunning and really aids in how the story is told. I was a bit surprised by the big twist and I love how the artwork really aided in driving that twist home. I’m excited to see how the story continues from here, so I’ll be back again when the third volume eventually drops....more
I received a copy from Wattpad Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Oakriver is a quiet town that secretly houses a magical communI received a copy from Wattpad Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Oakriver is a quiet town that secretly houses a magical community. Rhia is from the latest generation of Greenbrook witches in town, and she is one of the many who are gifted with Earth magic. When her grandma has a vision about a dangerous unfamiliar witch coming to town, Rhia doesn’t think much about her warnings. Why would she hang out with whoever this dangerous witch is anyway? Then she meets Valerie Morgan, a fire witch who is reading Tarot and using magic out in the open. She’s going against every rule Rhia has grown up with, and it’s getting on her last nerve, but she can’t help but feel a connection to this new witch in town. By the time Valarie gets caught up in a dangerous web of magic while trying to get closer to her mom, Rhia is too invested to let Valarie or Oakriver go down in flames.
I absolutely loved this book. We follow Rhia and Valerie, who are both witches, but they are witches with very different backgrounds. Rhia has grown up in a family who openly practices magic and is very loving and accepting while Valerie’s dad is not accepting of her fire magic. At all. In fact, he won’t even call it what it is! To top things off, she really just wants to learn more about her mom, but her dad has spent her life acting like her mom never existed. The only thing she knows about her mom is that she died in her hometown: Oakriver.
We have an excellent cast of characters. Other than Rhia and Valerie, we have Rhia’s family and Valarie’s roommate. We mainly get to know Rhia’s sister, Sage, and her cousin, Holly. I absolutely love them. They’re such fun and sweet characters that I wish they were members of my own family. There’s also her longtime friend, Tristan, who is hilarious and doesn’t possess any magic of his own. Plus, Valarie’s roommate, Quinn. I loved them from the start and I wish we got to see a little more of them, but I’m happy with how much they appeared in the story. I love that each of these characters are so realistic that they could easily walk in through the door, but they also have a touch of magic for the story.
The story itself is fun. It’s a slow burn kind of story that is mainly carried by the characters. For some reason, I thought it was building up to something way bigger than what it was actually building up to after I read the summary, but that was my own fault. It turns out I took the saving the town part of the summary and built it up in my head somewhere between reading the first page and getting to the halfway point of the book! However, even then, I was very happy with the book and enjoyed every minute of it. I do think what happens with Valarie toward the end of the book and how that’s resolved could’ve been much bigger, but otherwise, I’m happy with how the story turns out.
All in all, this is an excellent story with a wonderful cast of characters. There’s magic, a little bit of mystery, and a lot of platonic and romantic love. The overall story is cute and fun, but there is a little bit of trauma and confusion along with a big secret hiding just around the corner. All in all, it was an excellent read and I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other works....more
I received a copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been 30 years sincI received a copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been 30 years since the fun and creative kid’s show, Mister Magic, ended. Not a single episode has survived, and no one knows who ran the show, but everyone remembers the final cast known as the Circle of Friends. Now that the cast is reuniting for a special podcast, long-time fans are excited. Everyone but the Circle of Friends, a group of jaded adults who have been living with the horrors that their time on the show has left them with. Who exactly was Mister Magic, and why are they terrified of saying his name?
We follow Val, a woman with no memory about her life before she started living with her dad on Gloria’s property. She’s extremely sheltered and has spent her life living by her dad’s obscure rules meant to keep her safe. The only problem is that Val is convinced that he’s really keeping the world safe from her, but she can’t remember why. It’s just a feeling she has. After her dad dies, it turns out that her dad hid a lot from her and she’s now furious because they could’ve been living an entirely different life.
Of course, this meant that Val tries to avoid a Mister Magic reunion while also trying to get as much information about her past as she can. We get to meet the rest of the surviving cast members, only we never truly get to know any of them. Their roles in life are the same as their basic purpose on the show. Every time we get a glimpse of who they are beneath the surface, Val jumps back because they are suspicious in some way. However, she knows they were all close friends and that she can trust them. It’s just a feeling.
Honestly, I wasn’t feeling this book. There’s a lack of depth and character growth for the characters, which hinders the story as we get deeper into the story. It was also presented as a mystery, horror, and thriller novel. The mystery was there for sure, but I personally wouldn’t call this a horror or thriller. If anything, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop only for it to never happen. Sure, there were some light horror elements, but not enough to make the story fall under horror for me. Plus, there was a weird almost romance that was just beyond out of place and lacked chemistry of any kind. It was strange and felt predatory, though I’m still on the fence about whether or not this relationship was meant to be taken that way.
It also seemed like there was a huge piece of missing information all book long. I kept feeling like I was missing something while knowing that whatever that may be wasn’t actually shared at any point in time. When I got to the author’s note at the end of the book, I finally knew what that piece of missing information was. It turns out that this was a fictional representation of the author’s childhood religious trauma and lifelong healing journey. The book makes so much more sense once one knows this, which is why I wish there was an introduction that talked about this.
I wish I liked this book more; I really do. However, it was just confusing at times, lacked character depth, and even what little character growth that occurred was framed very strangely. I’m still not entirely sure what this book was trying to be, but it’s ultimately a fantasy mystery that was very disjointed at times. If you plan on reading this book, I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end before starting so that you don’t also feel like a big chunk of information that’s integral to the story accidentally got left out as you read....more
I received a copy from Penguin Group (Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for Young Readers) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest reI received a copy from Penguin Group (Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for Young Readers) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Linden has grown up in Caball Hollow, a small town with whispers of its paranormal history. Some of those whispers have a smidge of truth mixed in with the rumors, and she would know this better than anyone since she was born into the latest generation of James women and their distinct abilities. When a girl from town goes missing and is found dead, the town’s whispers about the James women grow louder and louder. This disappearance is eerily similar to Linden’s own disappearance the previous summer, and she can’t seem to remember anything about that night. As many in town begin to grow meaner, louder, and bolder, Linden and her sisters lean into their abilities to find out who is behind the murder… or murders.
When I picked up this book, I was not expecting it to be as much of a mystery and thriller that it actually is, and that’s a good thing! I was sucked into the story so fast. We follow Linden, a teenager whose life was turned upside down after she went missing a year before where the story starts. It all began with a silly game of Moth-Winged Man, which is played like a game of Bloody Mary but in the National Forest and without a mirror. The only problem is that Linden can’t remember much about that night, and it’s caused a divide between her and all her friends. She’s just been waiting for the whole thing to finally blow over when a friend of hers, Dahlia, goes missing around the National Forest.
Of course, things only get worse when Linden discovers Dahlia’s body, only she was pulled to it like a magnet. She and her old friend, Cole, keep dancing around each other as she and her sisters try to figure out what happened. Linden doesn’t want to accept Cole’s help given how their friendship broke apart, but it seems that he’s not as weirded out by her as she thought. I think the differences between Linden and Cole investigating and Linden and her sisters investigating were really fun. We see Linden and her sisters using their abilities, such as contacting the spirits, to see what they turn up. However, when she’s working with Cole, we see just two regular teenagers trying to connect the dots. It was really interesting, especially because we get to see how each method of poking around uncovers new information that helps them all move forward. I especially loved seeing Linden and her sisters bond, bicker, and support each other every step of the way.
The mystery itself was excellent. It went so far back and was connected to everyone in so many different ways. It was really interesting to see how the decisions of some of the characters we get to know impacted how the events played out. I also really liked that the central plot leads Linden on a path of discovery about her family and how her ancestors really ended up in town. There are so many twists and turns throughout the story that it’s easy to tell how much planning went into this. It was truly an excellent read. I wasn’t happy about the final chapter, but that was because it went from high stakes to instant closure when I was hoping we’d get more information about the aftermath of the previous chapters. However, since this is the first in a series, I think it’s very likely that we’ll see the aftermath of those events play out in the next novel....more
I received a copy from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Suzie showed up to a Town Council meeting, she neverI received a copy from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Suzie showed up to a Town Council meeting, she never expected to witness a murder! Now Judith and her friends are on the scent. Who killed Marlow’s very own saint, Geoffrey Lushington, and why? With Tanika on their side, this group of friends are determined to hunt down the killer and find themselves unearthing Town Council drama in the process.
I’ve really been enjoying the series, so I’m a little sad that this one turned out to be a dud. We follow Judith, Becks, and Suzie as they do their thing and hunt down the town’s latest killer. Unfortunately, the group’s interest and involvement in the mystery felt super forced. It seemed like they were going through the motions just to go through them. It didn’t make me feel drawn into the mystery at all. I also had a hard time buying that Judith and co. actually solved the murder. It seemed like they were accusing everyone and their mom before they suddenly knew who it was for a while. We were told this rather than seeing it play out, so I was like… okay, Judith.
That said, I did like getting to know some of the characters a little more. I was hoping that Tanika would be more involved with the mystery solving trio, but at least we did get to learn a little more about her home life. I hope that we get to see Tanika and everyone more involved with each other during the investigations, and that we’ll see everyone more open to hearing what Tanika has to say outside of picking her brain.
I really wanted to like this book because I loved the previous two, but it was just a miss for me. The mystery just didn’t pull me in, it seemed like everyone was just running through the motions, and I’m not sure I buy that they managed to solve the mystery. I kept finding myself more interested in the drama surrounding Becks and her mother-in-law and wishing the mystery involved Becks and her in-laws rather than the Town Council. Plus, the fatphobia that emerges as the story progresses was extremely unnecessary and really soured what good the story had going....more
When Finch Chamberlin auditioned in hopes of gaining a place at Ulalume Academy, she never expected that merely traveling there would change her life When Finch Chamberlin auditioned in hopes of gaining a place at Ulalume Academy, she never expected that merely traveling there would change her life forever. Now the very stag that caused her family’s deadly accident haunts her while she feels a supernatural pull to the tunnels under Ulalume Academy. Finch is suspicious of the ghost waiting for her in the tunnels, and is shocked to learn that this ghost is granting wishes to the most popular girls at the school. It’s all fun and games until everyone learns that nothing is free. There’s a steep cost for the wishes being granted, and Nerosi doesn’t tolerate anyone questioning her fees.
I read a different book from the author and liked it, so I decided to check out what else they had out and here we are. We follow Finch, a teenager who is still reeling from a recent accident that left her orphaned. Not only that, but she died in the accident and made a miraculous recovery with a few notable changes: white hair, a very slow heartbeat, and a complexion that has seemingly never seen the sun. We also follow one of her classmates, Selena St. Clair, who is the most popular girl in school in addition to being Ulalume Academy’s resident mean girl.
I have to say that I enjoyed this much more than the author’s zombie book. It didn’t start off strong with the characters being very superficial and the story trying too hard to sell that Selena and her friends are oh-so-cool. Rather than actually being cool, it was more like a group of people trying way too hard to be a classic superficial movie version of very cool mean girls. Once the story was in full swing and wasn’t trying hard to sell them as “cool,” the four characters were actually really interesting to follow as they slowly got in way too deep with Nerosi. It was fun to see their dynamic and how some of their friendships were holding on by a thread, but also how their relationship with Nerosi brings them together, tears them apart, and then brings them back together all over again.
Speaking of Nerosi, she’s a really compelling character. It was easy to see how different generations got fooled by her. She appears to be a ghost at first, but it was clear she was something much more by the second time Finch meets with her. The fact that she’s offering to grant wishes, or favors as she calls them, sounds the alarm. I was so sure she was a demon of some sort that had been trapped in the tunnels, but it turns out that she’s much more than that. In fact, we find out who and what she is for sure and I wish that was fleshed out more. I think that not expanding on how Nerosi got to Rainwater and why she was trapped in the tunnels under the school was a missed opportunity. Instead, there are some major questions left unanswered, especially because of how powerful she is.
Finch sounds like she would be boring compared to the other characters, but she’s got a lot going on in her own regard. She’s newly orphaned and reeling from the loss of her parents as she starts her life over at a private school. Finch was previously homeschooled and always struggled making friends, so she’s feeling very alone and awkward, especially around Selena. In fact, Selena lights up her life in ways she never knew friends could until she realizes it’s because she’s attracted to her. Finch has a very interesting character arc because she’s figuring out friendships and realizing she’s a lesbian all while dealing with Nerosi, who is expecting payment for bringing her back to life in the lake. Unlike the other characters, Finch has a special connection to Nerosi due to this, and it opens her eyes to other supernatural happenings in Rainwater.
All in all, this was a great read. I do think the dialogue was strange at times, and I wish Nerosi’s backstory was expanded on because it impacts the overall story, but it was still a great read. It was such a page turner and something that I could see making an excellent movie someday. This is the book that makes me excited about the author’s future publications....more
No one knows exactly how dangerous the Thirteen can be than Cassandra. They protect their own at all cost, and then they protect Olympus with everythiNo one knows exactly how dangerous the Thirteen can be than Cassandra. They protect their own at all cost, and then they protect Olympus with everything they’ve got. Cassandra’s parents played with fire to further their ambitions and lost their lives in the process. Unfortunately, the reality of what they were up to when they lost their lives still affects her and her sister well into adulthood. It’s why Cassandra is determined to get out of Olympus. When she takes on the task of entering a very public fake relationship with her boss and using it to gain information on what a new and dangerously powerful person is up to, she’s on it. How can she say no when the payment is two tickets out of Olympus with enough money to start over without struggling?
This time we follow Cassandra and her boss and long time crush, Apollo, as they go undercover of sorts for a week-long party. I was not expecting their chemistry to be on fire, and boy, it was! These two were sizzling off the pages from the very start. It’s clear the pair have had a thing for each other for a long time, but neither of them has let the other know. Cassandra plans on getting the hell out of Olympus with her sister. Plus, she really doesn’t have plans to get too tangled up with the Thirteen. Meanwhile, Apollo’s heart beats for Cassandra, but he refuses to let it be known. He doesn’t want his position Apollo and as her boss make anyone feel like they have to date him. It’s why he plans to never let her know he’s interested.
However, things change when Apollo asks Cassandra to be his plus one for a week-long party. He needs someone as sharp as he is to help uncover what’s going on with the new powerful players in Olympus. It requires them to publicly pretend they’re dating, and faking a relationship quickly becomes reality when they each let their feelings for each other slip out. The story has some of my favorite tropes: fake dating, there is only one room, there is only one bed. Phew! It was so great to go from one disappointing book in the series to an absolutely excellent one.
Of course, the week-long party brings a lot to the table. There’s deceit, backstabbing (both literally and metaphorically), and relationships all on the line. Plus, it was a fun mystery because what exactly is going on, and what is the point of the seemingly strange party events? With the other plus ones slowly going missing and none of the Thirteen being concerned by it, Cassandra has her hands full in more ways than one.
It was also a delight to see more members of the Thirteen as well as getting to see them interact with one another. While many of them may have claws, some of them are pretty solid people, Apollo included. A sizzling romantic mystery that world builds and provides more character building? I absolutely loved it!...more
Seven thought life for her and her coven would be looking a little bit brighter after they completed the impossible task. Instead, things have been asSeven thought life for her and her coven would be looking a little bit brighter after they completed the impossible task. Instead, things have been as difficult as she expected as a Spare. At least she’s been named the new town Uncle, but Uncle training has been hard, and there’s something weird going on with her magic. However, it’s time for the Golden Frog Games and Thorn is competing. The only problem? Someone is trying to turn Thorn into stone and accidentally getting the competition instead.
The first book in this series was spectacular, so I was very excited to read this book. We pick up a little after the first book ends, and we see that Seven has a lot going on. Uncle training is keeping her on her toes and leaving her more worried than ever. The problem? She can still talk to the monstruos, and it’s an ability that should’ve gone away after her Uncle abilities first revealed themselves. Seven has nowhere to turn because she’s already a Spare, and being able to converse with the monstruos would be taken even worse than if she was in any of the other covens.
This time around, Thorn is competing in the Golden Frog Games and is a serious contender. While she’s got Seven and Valley at her back along with all of the Spares from each town, she’s also just a kid facing the many prejudiced people who think Spares should be banned from the games. It was really nice to see Thorn really coming into her own throughout the book. She’s extremely talented and while she’s got a lot of things going against her, she’s also very determined and knows who she is and what she’s capable of. It was really nice to see Thorn get the positive attention she does get!
One of my favorite things to read about is friendships and how they come together, strengthen, or almost break apart. Seven, Thorn, and Valley are a special situation because they have so much on their plate as it is. They’re just kids and the only people they can only trust is each other, so if they’re fighting, there’s really no one to turn to with 100% honesty. I loved seeing how much they care for each other despite being at odds with each other. It’s such a good friendship to read about for middle schoolers. Everyone is a butt-toad at some point at that age, so it’s good to be able to read about friendships that overcome even the most fictional of shenanigans.
The Golden Frog Games means there’s quite a few new characters. It can cause your head to spin for a hot minute, but I promise it sorts itself out! I really liked getting to meet Spares from other towns as well as seeing that some of the towns treat Spares better. However, it turns out that people are still against Spares no matter their location. At least we get to see that there’s a movement starting to get Spares equal rights and that there’s a lot more people who have the trio’s back than they ever could’ve imagined.
All in all, this was an excellent read. The ending really throws everyone straight through all the emotions, so now I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the third book!...more
Just as Amari Peters thinks things are finally going well for the long-run, someone freezes time, and now it’s all out war against magicians like hersJust as Amari Peters thinks things are finally going well for the long-run, someone freezes time, and now it’s all out war against magicians like herself. Now it’s up to Amari and her friends to figure out who froze time and how while under the new Head Minister’s prejudiced thumb. As if things couldn’t get more stressful, Amari also has to deal with The Great Game, which will leave the loser without their magic. What is Amari to do as the clock ticks faster?
I absolutely love this series. I couldn’t wait to start the second installment and I was glued to every single page from the second I started the first chapter. This time around, we follow Amari and her friends as she’s getting ready to start her second year as an agent in training. Of course, things can never go well for long, and Amari is faced with one stressful summer as people continue to try to paint her as being secretly evil and out to get everyone. Along the way, we watch her and Elsie face their first major friend fight as well as see people continue to pick sides as the new Head Minister makes things harder and harder for Amari.
First off, I absolutely love the relationships throughout the series. Amari and her family have such strong relationships and it’s so wonderful to see them continue to strengthen, but it’s also great to see her friendships strengthen as they overcome their first major hurdles. Amari and Elsie’s friendship is now among my favorite friendships I’ve seen in a book. I also really enjoyed seeing how much Amari and other friends interact, including an old face I won’t mention due to the risk of spoilers.
It was also exciting to see the supernatural world continue to expand. It was neat to see new things emerge, friendly and not so friendly characters with interesting abilities emerge, and watch this entire world continue to expand as the book continued. The ending of the book didn’t go as predicted, but I mean that in a good way. I love how there are always twists and turns in this series, and some aren’t predictable but make complete sense to the story and make things interesting. While it appears this series will be a trilogy, I’m still excited for the final book to come out sometime this year even though it is most likely the final book in the series. I look forward to following Amari and company in the interesting and thrilling conclusion of the series even though I’ll be sad when it comes to an end....more
When Amari’s older brother goes missing, there isn’t much for investigators to go on. Between no one but her and her mom taking his disappearance seriWhen Amari’s older brother goes missing, there isn’t much for investigators to go on. Between no one but her and her mom taking his disappearance seriously and constantly being bullied at school, Amari feels lonelier than ever. Things only get worse when her scholarship is revoked after standing up to a bully. Amari isn’t sure how anything could get worse, but then a mysterious person appears at her door claiming Quinten left a briefcase that will only open for her. It turns out that Quinten’s secret job was far more secret than Amari could have ever imagined, and he nominated her for the summer tryouts at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs in the case of his disappearance. Now Amari finds herself with the same type of rich bullies, but in a supernatural setting, and she’s determined to ignore them and find her brother.
This book is absolutely wonderful. We follow Amari Peters shortly after her scholarship is revoked for standing up to one of her bullies. I felt so bad for her because she was never welcome at her school due to being a kid from the projects surrounded by nothing but rich kids who don’t like her not only for existing, but also for daring to attend their school. Just when she’s at her lowest, it turns out that she’s about to enter a world she never knew existed, and it’s a supernatural one at that. Along the way, we see her become best friends with her weredragon roommate, Elsie. We watch her become close friends with a kid from the Van Helsing family while the rest of his family, and most of the other kids at the summer tryouts, despise her. We watch Amari learn to trust and believe in herself despite what other people say or believe because she knows who she is and that she’s worth far more than what people who look down on her think.
The supernatural world created in this book is an interesting one. I really enjoyed learning about this whole new world that Amari has stepped into as she learns about it herself. It was so interesting to see different myths and cryptids come to life in new ways as the story continued. Plus, there is such a great cast of characters. Amari, Elsie, Agent Fiona, and Dylan are among my favorite characters. Plus, there’s so many twists and turns along the way that I truly did not see one twist coming until a few chapters before it happened. The hints were there, and I probably should’ve expected it, but I still didn’t see it coming!
All in all, this is an absolutely wonderful read and I’m glad that one of my friends had asked me if I had read it or it’d probably be a while longer before I discovered this book. I’m excited to pick up the next book and see where Amari’s story heads next!...more
I received a copy from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine feel good enough tI received a copy from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine feel good enough to go to a music festival, they had no idea they were in for a threat against everything that makes them who they are. The group of best friends survived a pandemic, but not the one you’re thinking about. They survived Hollowing, which caused a percentage of the human population to become zombies, or ghouls as people like to call them. In their case, they’re among the many who became Hollowed. Now that it’s finally safe enough to resume everyday life thanks to SynFlesh, they’ve received permission to visit a music festival. Unfortunately for them, someone is poisoning as many Hollowed folks as they can at the festival, and it’s causing them to go feral.
I love zombies, so I knew I had to read this the second I read the synopsis. We follow a group of friends who were brought together after the Hollowing, which turned them into flesh eating zombies. Because the Hollowed aren’t dead and are able to resume their lives as usual thanks to SynFlesh, a synthetic meat just for Hollowed folks, people began to call them ghouls. Life is going as well as it can for the four friends, so they decide to celebrate graduating high school by going to a music festival.
Because I love zombie stories, I also love when these stories step outside of the usual zombie box. In this case, Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are friends facing a world against them because they were infected by the mysterious pathogen that made them one of the many Hollowed. They live with what they did when they were first feral, as many Hollowed folks killed and consumed people. Many of the chapters begin with a flashback to one of these four character’s memories from that time, either from what they remember while they were feral, or what life was like when they first returned home. I think I might’ve liked this book more if it took place during this time, as these were the most well-thought out and interesting parts of the book.
That said, I think the book is good for what it is, a young adult paranormal novel. We spend a lot of time bouncing back and forth between each of these friends, and watch them get to the bottom of the mess that is someone poisoning them, causing them to go feral at levels Hollowed folks has never gone before. At its core, this is a book about friendship, and the lengths people are willing to go to help and save the people they care about. There’s also a little bit of mystery, since they put on their amateur sleuth hats, determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. If you’re expecting a traditional horror novel, this won’t be the book for you, but I think it’s worth a read if you’re a big fan of all things zombie.
It’s also worth noting that there is a page devoted to content warnings right before the first chapter. It’s really nice to see more and more books list whether or not there is something that may trigger someone, whether it’s at the top of each chapter or somewhere after the title page. I think the list in this book is probably the most comprehensive one I’ve seen so far....more
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