Category: Mystery

The Weight of Blood by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Weight of Blood

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 9/6/22

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Carrie Reimagined, Racism

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation… Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she’s dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High’s racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it’s possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren’t done with her just yet. And what they don’t know is that Maddy still has another secret… one that will cost them all their lives.

Content Warning: racism, bullying, child abuse

I haven’t read Carrie by Stephen King in years…and when I say years, I mean like 20 years ago! I also haven’t watched the original movie in so long. But it’s one of those iconic, memorable stories and movies because of that ending. When I saw this book cover I knew it would be a retelling or a reimagined Carrie, and by Tiffany D. Jackson, who is one of my favorite authors – I had to read it. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ Maddy has been passing off as white until one fateful day at school, it rains, and her hair puffs up into an afro. And they hate her for hiding that she is half black. She gets bullied by the white kids which starts the ball rolling onto the events that lead up to prom night. But no one knows Maddy’s home life – she is abused by her dad who believes in keeping her pure, hiding her hair, and having her watch shows from the 50’s- which made me remember the days in the 80’s as a child when I watched those shows like Leave it to Beaver! Talk about blast from the past.

+ This story is told from a podcast show as they review the events that happen and try to figure out why it happened. It is also told during when things are leading up to the prom. For the most part it worked out – because we get an insight into telekinesis and Maddy’s powers.

+ What I love about Tiffany D. Jackson’s books are that they are always thought provoking and talk about racism. In this story is Maddy and her being bi-racial and the way people react to her is telling in itself. She tackles issues about colorism and segregation. There is the white kids who bully Maddy, there is Kendrick’s sister who is mad that Maddy never claimed her blackness, and there is Wendy and Kendrick who try to make the whole situation right but it doesn’t turn out the way they planned. We learn about the town they live in and how they have segregated proms and after I did a quick google search because I was so curious, and apparently some towns in Georgia still have segregated proms! The article I read was printed in 2014, which kind of makes sense why The Weight of Blood takes place in 2014. I wondered about that year being used in the story!

+ I found all the characters so interesting. Maddy and her powers, Wendy and her goals to be with Kendrick (does she really love him or what he represents for her future?), Kendrick and the pressures he has to live up to, Kali who is proud to be black and is a fighter.

+ I love the lead up to prom and I think the author did such a great job with how it ends. There is carnage, there is chaos, and there is a whole town that is changed forever.

~ For the most part the podcast worked for me but I also wished the story was told without it because I felt like it interrupted the flow of the story. I understand that people were trying to analyze what happened though.

Tropes: girl with secret powers

Spice Level:

Why you should read it:

  • great reimagining of Carrie but with a twist, including racial issues that we can relate to today
  • it’s got a great blend of psychology horror: with Maddy’s home life, her powers and the racism in town
  • compelling characters, great story-telling, thought provoking

Why you might not want to read it:

  • not into Carrie

My Thoughts:

I say this over and over but I am such a big fan of Tiffany D. Jackson’s work. Her books are always thought provoking. The fact that racism in itself is part of the horror in this story makes a big impact. I love how the story leads up to the classic ending that is similar to Carrie. Only thing I wish was different was the whole podcast element because I think the story would have been great without it. Other than that, this was an entertaining book with that classic Carrie ending.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I’m the Girl by. Courtney Summers | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: I’m the Girl

Author: Courtney Summers

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 9/12/22

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary

The new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I’m the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

Content Warning: sexual assault, rape, murder, grooming

There are some books I have no clue how to rate because I hated every part of the subject matter of this book and yet the writing is so captivating that I read it in one sitting. I want to call this book something like realistic horror because all of it happens in our world way too much. This is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I read Sadie and loved it because it’s an important read, it broke my heart. I cheered Sadie on. This book is a different beast altogether and asks the question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it? The one time Georgia is told she is beautiful by a rich and powerful man she is obsessed with this idea to belong in his world. The world of Aspera, a resort that caters to the elite, the very rich, the very famous. But even though her mom told her it’s not the kind of place Georgia should aspire to, she defiantly reaches for the dream her mom tells her to gorget. Beauty is her power and she wants to belong. Georgia finds out a few things when she starts working at Aspera…and its horrific.

+ This is not an easy read. It’s uncomfortable and I was disgusted throughout the whole thing but it’s compelling too. I was looking over at my daughter wondering how I can protect her from being prey. There is lots of triggering topics in this book: sexual assault, rape, murder, sex trafficking, a boys club who can do whatever they want and get away with it. Think Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s of the world….this is the world Georgia has made herself covet without really knowing. She doesn’t see what is behind the glitz and glamour…and only sees when it’s too late. And she’s a teenager! That’s the crazy thing about this whole story, she’s a kid!

+ There is a murder that needs to be solved that Georgia is tied to because she found the body. But there are things that the murderer has taken from Georgia that night when he hit her bike with his car. So does that mean he is out there and coming back for her? There were some moments when the mystery of the killer is out there where the story had some suspenseful moments. But the really scary parts of this books is plain to see and in vivid detail.

+ There is two bright spots in Georgia’s life. Her half brother Tyler who is trying his best to keep her safe as best he can. And Nora, the murdered victim’s sister who because a rock for Georgia to lean on, no matter what.

~ There were so many times….so many times I wanted to shake Georgia. She seems naive but it’s mostly because she doesn’t want to see that all the glitter isn’t gold. But the danger she is in…the things she does to accept her Aspera goals. I kept wanting to tell her it is NOT worth it. None of it is and how didn’t she know she was in danger when a way older man is doing things to her…but that’s what grooming is. Still – I was just so mad.

~ And why wouldn’t her mom and brother just tell her what happened to her mom at Aspera. Like tell the girl so she would stop wanting to be an Aspera girl. At least tell the truth. So much kept happening to Georgia and she just kept jumping back into the fire because she was obsessed with Aspera. Did I say I wanted to shake her?

~ The ending didn’t feel as impactful as I was hoping. But when I did sit and think about it, I can see why it ended like that. Georgia isn’t the type of girl who fights back, as we can see throughout the whole story, her whole world was banking on being an Aspera girl. But on the other hand, Nora is the girl who is a fighter. We have a Georgia and Nora in all of us.

Tropes: girl who let’s things happen until it’s almost too late

Spice Level:

Why you should read it:

  • important story about balance of power in society: class and gender. It brings up sexual assault and violence.
  • the question is the thing to keep in mind while you read this: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

Why you might not want to read it:

  • triggering story – triggers EVERYWHERE. Rape, sexual assault, murder, grooming…such a hard and uncomfortable story to read.

My Thoughts:

Read it for the issues it brings up, but don’t expect to feel good after this story. I think it’s safe to say this author tackles some hard subjects in her books. I like the question the book poses to the reader and I hope as the book hopes by the end…that the answer is NO, we won’t accept the world this way.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

  • Book Review | Sadie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
  • The Project – Audiobook – DNF, only because I really suck at paying attention to audiobooks. I’ll have to go back and finish it by reading a copy of it. I got 50% through though and still remember what the story is about.

The Atlas Six by. Olivie Blake | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Atlas Six

Author: Olivie Blake

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 383

Publication Date: 1/30/20

Publisher: Tor Books

Categories: Dark Academia, Mystery, Fantasy, LGBT+


The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few…

– Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
– Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
– Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
– Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
– Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

Content Warning: violence

I have finally read The Atlas Six even though it was sitting on my shelf for the past 3 months or so. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to it before the sequel came out but I did! Yay! So I can see why this book had so much hype. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ This story is told between six POV’s. We have:

  • Libby – she’s a physicist who loves science and is a bit awkward, has a hard time making friends.
  • Nick (Varona) – Libby’s rival and reluctant partner in crime. They hate one another are better together.
  • Reina – lots of natural power involving plants. She DGAF a lot of times.
  • Tristan – son of a witch crime lord, he feels he is never enough for anyone. Power to do with time.
  • Parisa – dangerous, gorgeous, a telepath.
  • Callum – another dangerous telepath who really DGAF.

Throughout the story I realized none of them are actually likable – all their flaws are on display and their hunger for power and knowledge (whatever The Society is offering) is pretty much their biggest flaw. The one who grew on me the most I think is Nick. Especially because he has this friend Gideon who maybe he feels something for? I’m not even sure…I was even thinking Nick and Libby would make a great enemies to lovers kind of storyline. But now I don’t know!

+ World building is fascinating. There is a secret society, with access to the Library of Alexandria, who is offering a place for 6 potential recruits. These recruits are the best of the best and have certain abilities the Society is looking for. Their task? To protect the Library and basically learn and study until they are initiated. Learning about their abilities is interesting. I don’t know that I understand a lot about the time traveling – it always takes me awhile for me to grasp things like that – but Libby and Nico’s powers are cool and very useful. Reina’s is cool because come on…plants! The telepaths of course are good but scary. But there is so much more to learn about this world.

+ During their time at the library, these people get more powerful and then they learn only 5 of them will be chosen. One person must die and they basically have to work it among themselves. This is where alliances are created and broken. There is a lot of distrust among them – even I didn’t really know who would be the best to kill off except Callum was on my list as person #1. Parisa being number 2…lol I just would hate having someone be in my head manipulating me! But the tension between all of them is good.

+ The ending was a good twist and makes me want to read book two as soon as it comes out.

~ Some parts of the book was slow and I think because there are six POV’s and I knew I was going to become more interested in certain ones over others and that’s what happened. At least each chapter is fairly short but for a time while they are at the library and just basically learning more about science and their skill…I was wondering what else was going to happen at the library because all they were doing was learning. But I was kinda there and reading it for the personal dramas 😅. Libby hates Nick, Libby wants friends, everyone hates Libby, Reina hates everyone but tolerates Nick, Callum thinks he’s better than everyone, Parisa knows she’s better than everyone, and Tristan just wants to be used.

~ There is a little bit of romance, but I can’t get a feel for what’s going to happen. Like is Libby and Nick a potential thing? I love that they are reluctant hateful besties in a way lol. What about Nick and Gideon though? I definitely want to see that develop! And then Libby and Tristan? I mean it could work…maybe? I don’t know. There were not really any romantics feelings being talked about except for Tristan and how he was feeling about Libby.

Tropes: chosen ones, rivals, alliances, dark academia, time travel, unlikable/morally gray characters, sentient library

Spice Level: 🌶 (one scene in particular but it is not graphic)

Why you should read it:

  • dark academia vibes – mysterious, so much learning, and characters who are kind of full of themselves (at least some of them are)
  • a group that needs to eliminate one person, flawed characters, a magical library, can’t trust anyone
  • entertaining and cool world building

Why you might not want to read it:

  • pacing was off, slow at times, especially getting to know 6 people and their motivations while trying to keep things mysterious
  • I felt like it was a contest to see who was the most loathsome character lol

My Thoughts:

I can see the hype about this book and I can also see why people didn’t like it. It definitely seems like the type of book that you either love or hate. I enjoyed it but maybe because I went in with lowered expectations and waited for the hype to die down. I found the six characters very flawed and yet fascinating. I was trying to figure out who I would kill off if I was in the group. Now as for their pursuit of knowledge – it’s slow and you really have to get to the end to find out why these people were chosen. I found the world building fascinating but I also want to know more so I’m definitely reading the second book when it comes out in two weeks.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Foul Lady Fortune by. Chloe Gong | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Foul Lady Fortune

Author: Chloe Gong

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 528

Publication Date: 9/26/22

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Series Spin-Off

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.

To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.

Content Warning: violence

I have to be honest and say I struggled with the beginning of this book because of the mystery and spying going on but wow does it pick up at the ending! Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ We are back in Shanghai but way after Roma and Juliette are gone. This time we are in the thrall of Rosalind’s story – if you remember from the first series and how it ends, things didn’t go so well for Rosalind. This time though she has a chance to do more with what she is left with. And Aliza is in this story, she’s older now and a spy in her own right.

+ The new cast of Orion, Oliver, Phoebe and Silas is wonderful! I was more interested in Orion and Phoebe though since Oliver was on the other team with Celia (Rosalind’s sister).

+ Rosalind and Orion really grew on me. They are assigned together on a mission and have to be in a fake marriage. I love how their relationship grew and by the end I was emotional about what was happening to them.

+ The story gets good at the end! Like that alone makes me want to read book two asap. I’d say more of the action starts midway into this book and into the second half.

~ The beginning is slow – because it starts off like a mystery and moves at a mystery pace. A lot of the politics, which I was interested in during the first series, was lost to me in this book. Now there are communists, Nationalists and the Japanese trying to fight over Shanghai and a lot of that stuff went over my head. I

Tropes: fake marriage, spy romance

Spice Level:

Why you should read it:

  • if you loved These Violent Delights and want to return back into that world
  • sweet relationship between partners Rosalind and Orion
  • the second half of the book is suspenseful and action packed – it was the best part of the story in my opinion

Why you might not want to read it:

  • beginning of the book is slow and it was hard for me to get into
  • all the politics made it hard to follow who was on which side

My Thoughts:

I’m sad I struggled through the first part of this one since this is one of my highly anticipated reads – it was a two and a half/three star read until the 50% mark came into play. The ending was what I was hoping most of the book would be like…well, maybe not most haha, but it is a long book and the beginning was promising and then went into slow, mystery mode. I enjoyed seeing old characters and meeting new ones. The romance that is growing between Rosalind and Orion was fun to see because they were in a fake marriage but by the end I was totally invested and only want the best for them. I look forward to reading book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Final Gambit by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/29/22

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Categories: Series, Suspense, Mystery, Romance, Family, Games, Young Adult, Contemporary

Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

Content Warning: violence, mention of assault

Well, I did it! I finally read the last book of this trilogy and what an ending it is! Here is what did and didn’t work out for me: *I’ll try my best but there may be SPOILERS*

+ The games, riddles and secrets are back. It’s the reason this story moves so fast paced – it’s the cat and mouse chase, the secrets to unlock the puzzles to figure out. It’s so much fun!

+ Xander and Nash are the sweethearts of the brothers and I love that they were chill. Grayson is my favorite because he’s handsome and broken – the type I want to fix. Jameson is the wild one that I wouldn’t want to try and tame lol…but yeah Xander and Nash have heart. This series is so amazing because of these half siblings, and their bond.

+ We finally get all the big reveals. There’s a moment in the end when Avery goes all Mackenzie Bezos with her inheritance which I thought was funny but cool. Avery had a lot to figure out in this one but she does it because it’s Avery.

~ I’m happy for Avery and Jameson, really I AM. But Grayson always had my heart and I’m so sad he’s so broken in this one. He needs his own series – that boy was done so wrong in this book. 🥺

~ I did like how high the stakes are raised in the final “game” Avery has to play…but also, I thought she won in an anti-climactic way. Also…I felt like Avery was just so focus on the game, there was nothing emotional about her or nothing new to her character or development to her? And what was with her internally waffling feelings about Grayson – like girl you chose Jameson, so stick with him and stop trying to create a love triangle! LOL…okay I’m just mad because Grayson was so sad. In the end I was even saying stuff like Avery didn’t deserve him anyway! 😂 But even the romance between Avery and Jameson – there wasn’t a lot of it. It was all about the GAME.

~ The end felt a bit open ended to me…at least with what happened in the chess game and afterwards. Like I don’t even wanna say this out loud but it almost felt like there could be a Grayson story later on….involving Eve? A spin-off series? Like I hope to hell not because she was untrustworthy and evil but….it felt that way. Am I the only one reading something into this, when he tells Eve he saw something in her? Is it because I want Grayson to be redeemed?! 😅 But not with her…ugh…but I can definitely see a storyline where they delve into the Blake family.

Tropes: love triangle, poor girl becomes rich girl, family secrets

Spice Level: 🌶 (barely any)

Why you should read it:

  • you are a fan of the series and need to read how it ends
  • to see who Avery finally chooses
  • twists, turns, secrets, riddles, puzzles, chess, everything that made this series amazing in the first place

Why you might not want to read it:

  • you might not like who Avery chooses lol

My Thoughts:

Overall, did I get my chosen love story? NOPE and that made me sad. I love Grayson and he was done so dirty in this book, not because of Avery but just everything overall, poor guy. But as an end to a captivating trilogy this was such a good ending and the loose ends were tied up nicely. I read the book in two days, the puzzles and riddles were engaging as always and I can say I love this series! I would have loved it even more if…..ya know…if Grayson had some happiness in his life. Give him a spin-off, he deserves on! And that’s all I’m saying about that!😅

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Stars Between Us by. Cristin Terrill | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Stars Between Us

Author: Cristin Terrill

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/2/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Rags to Riches

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real. 

The only blight on Vika’s lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika’s past who works for her benefactors. She doesn’t like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will’s heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they’ve been looking for. But Sky isn’t who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all. 

Content Warning:

This was an interesting read. It’s a young adult sci-fi story with an assassination plot mystery, rags to riches trope and romance sprinkled in there too. Here is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I liked the creativity – the whole sci-fi world building was interesting to me. Vika lives on poor planet Philomenus and life is hard, she wants more and coincidentally she gets more and gets an upgraded life by moving to Ploutus which is the rich planet basically.

+ I was intrigued enough to read this in one sitting. I figured out a few things about the plot in the beginning but it still made me want to read through to the end to see if I was right. I was mostly right! There are assassination attempts, changing wills, suspect characters and Sky’s secret.

+ I thought the characters were pretty fleshed out – even if some of them were unlikable. At least they were true to themselves.

~ Vika is unlikable. ambitious – she wants out of the poor life and she has a way out and takes it, barely looking back at her family back home on Philomenus. She’s a snob, selfish, shallow and beautiful of course – but she does have a little growth by the end of the book.

~ Sky Foster is Vika’s opposite – I just really wished he had some kind of backbone around her. Vika could eat him up, spit him out, stomp on him and he’d be fine with it. He’s a dutiful boy, sweet to his friends, a good guy really…I just wish he didn’t let Vika push him around at times.

~ The insta-love on Sky’s part. Like, come on man, what do you see in Vika?! lol…him falling in love with her was weak. There was hardly any build-up between them, she hated him for the most part. But by the end of this book they are in love.

~ Would have been nice to have more sci-fi in the story, it’s a pretty lite sci-fi story. I felt like the most sci-fi thing about the story was the setting, economy and the transportation.

Why you should read it:

  • you aren’t used to reading sci-fi – this one is a lite sci-fi story with romance and intrigue

Why you might not want to read it:

  • Vika is unlikable – and usually I can deal with unlikable characters but I did not see why Sky fell for her so fast

My Thoughts:

Overall I think the story did a good job with the rags to riches trope. Vika went from rags to riches in the blink of an eye and does that change her? She was pretty unlikable when she was poor – but I found her hunger for more commendable. When she finally gets more she finds it easy to forget her parents and sister back on Philomenus. She’s cold and yet Sky, the sweetest, nicest guy can see past all her selfishness and fall in love with her. You know he’s fallen hard! There is some growth in her character but I still felt like she was the thing that didn’t make me enjoy this story as much as I wanted to. I did like the mystery of the assassination attempts though, and the world building is creative.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Our Crooked Hearts by. Melissa Albert | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Our Crooked Hearts

Author: Melissa Albert

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 339

Publication Date: 6/28/22

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Categories: Young Adult, Witchcraft, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Contemporary, YA Thriller

THE SUBURBS, RIGHT NOW . . .

Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, heralds a string of increasingly unsettling events. As the days pass, Ivy grapples with eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there’s more to her mother than meets the eye.

THE CITY, BACK THEN . . .

Dana has always been perceptive. And the summer she turns sixteen, with the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural, set in a city of magical possibilities and secret mystics. As the trio’s aspirations darken, they find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.

Years after it began, Ivy and Dana’s shared story will come down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should’ve messed with.

Content Warning: violence, blood, animal death

I went into this one expecting nothing and thoroughly enjoyed it! I’ve read Melissa Albert’s Hazel Wood series and honestly thought her books were not for me. I was curious about this one because it was about witchcraft and with the way she writes, I thought maybe…just maybe, this would be better than The Hazel Wood. Here’s what I thought did and didn’t work for me:

+ The witchcraft is dark and sinister, just how I like it. At first we follow Ivy, who’s a teenager who comes upon a strange girl in the woods. After that the story sucks you into the mystery of the girl, and Ivy’s mom’s secretive past. It’s one of those stories where I don’t know where it leads but it takes you on a twisty, dark journey until all the secrets are revealed. One of the best things about this story is how it unfolds.

+ The story is told between Dana’s past and Ivy’s present and I think it was well done and I was interested in both timelines. It merges together in the climax of the story. The writing is lyrical and dark, and I especially liked when we are in Dana’s past which is set in the 1990’s. I could visually see it all (since I grew up in that time).

+ There are some choices that Dana makes that affects Ivy and it’s something as mother and daughter that puts a wedge between them. Even now as I think about it all, I wonder if Dana could have done something else different to keep her daughter safe from her past.

+ There is a tiny bit of romance, but it’s not a main focus of the book.

~ The beginning may seem a little slow because it’s building the story of the past and it is also part mystery on Ivy’s part.

~ The book is atmospheric but if you aren’t into lyrical prose, this might not be your thing. I’m on the fence with her writing but I feel like for this type of book – where it’s creepy, mysterious and edgy too – it works. Witchcraft and Melissa Albert goes well together! It gave me flashbacks of the movie The Craft – especially when Dana is telling her story because her story is set the 90’s.

Tropes: family secrets, best friends for life

Why you should read it:

  • there is witchcraft and I love how twisty this story is
  • Dana and Ivy’s mother daughter relationship is strained – but you have to find out why
  • atmospheric, creepy, thrilling and so dark

Why you might not want to read it:

  • a little slow to get into only because it is a mystery but it picks up once the pieces fall into place
  • lyrical prose

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect with this one but I enjoyed it a lot! I was craving a good, spooky witchy book and this had all those elements and more. I was really invested in how Dana and Ivy’s story intertwined and how the consequences of Dana’s past would surface. If you like dark, witchy books with a few twists, you might enjoy this one! I hope the author writes more books like this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Other books I’ve reviewed from this Author:

The Hazel Wood by. Melissa Albert – 3.5 STARS

The Night Country (The Hazel Wood, #2) by. Melissa Albert – 2.5 STARS

Quotes From the Book:

He’d had all these ideas about who I was—that’s one of the perils of being quiet, people invent personalities for you—”

~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

A mother can be a paring knife, a chisel. She can shape and destroy. I never really thought I would become one.”

~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

magic was a thing with teeth, and a history as old as the world.”

~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

Where the Crawdads Sing by. Delia Owens | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

Format: paperback (own)

Pages: 391

Publication Date: 8/14/18

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Categories: Adult Fiction, Murder Mystery

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life’s lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.

Content Warning: abuse, violence, parental neglect, racism, N word, sexual assault, bullying

The movie adaptation for this book is coming to screens on July 15, 2022. It even has a song by Taylor Swift in the movie called “Carolina”. I remember there was so much hype for this book when it published but I didn’t pick it up because I wasn’t in the mood until now. Here’s what I thought:

+ My favorite part of this book has to be the setting. The author captures the marshlands and small town vibe in lots of detail. It is set in a time when racism and segregation was prevalent in the 1950’s-1960’s in the USA. This story takes place in North Carolina and it’s definitely eye opening – especially how the people on the marsh were considered and how they lived. It’s uncomfortable – especially when seeing the N word used in the book, yet in reality that is how people in these places talked.

+ Kya has a very hard upbringing – she is sorely neglected. Her mother leaves, her dad is an abusive alcoholic who is there some days, her siblings (most who’s name she didn’t know) left until it was just her. I can’t fathom and have never experienced loneliness like that. Abandonment like that. So in a way this took a good look at a girl who lives and grows up in isolation and how she turns out. I applauded how Kya took care of herself, learned to fend for herself in the marsh even as lonely as she was. She made something of herself!

+ Of course my favorite characters are Jumpin’ and Mabel, the two black characters who actually did all they could for Kya. They helped her when no one would. Of course Tate, her first love, was there to teach her how to read and such – but Jumpin’ and Mabel were the only ones Kya could really count on.

~ It’s a slower read for me because it is a mystery. I thought the details about Kya’s past, her family, and the marsh were very detailed but I did want to get more into the murder mystery. There isn’t a lot about it – there is a dead body, someone accuses Kya because of a missing necklace, and the story examines Kya’s life…then the last few chapters is the trial. The story lagged a little bit for me in the middle. The timeline wasn’t smooth because it jumped around.

~ I did guess who the murderer was only because there seemed to be no one else to suspect. Also this isn’t a romance book but it has two relationships Kya falls into almost one after the other. It shows how Kya was inept in human relationships even though she was an expert of nature and how mating works in that sphere. It’s due to her isolated upbringing and people abandoning her.

~ This is a heavy read – there is physical abuse, there is parental neglect, major abandonment, the racism Jumpin’ experiences and the N word, classism and there is sexual assault. Kya doesn’t have an easy life, she’s a white girl but illiterate (for a time), she’s poor “white trash”, she’s from the marsh…lots of people in her town looked down on her because of it.

Why you should read it:

  • you like a murder mystery with a lush setting in the marsh in North Carolina
  • Kya is a girl who grows up abandoned and in isolation – her story is incredible
  • filled with poems, the story is poetic in a melancholy and lonely way – but the twist in the end was nice

Why you might not want to read it:

  • murder mystery comes mostly in the end with the trial
  • I skipped over some of the poetry – because the story was moving slow already with all the nature descriptions, it was losing me before the trial came in – but I didn’t skip the last one.

My Thoughts:

I’m glad I finally read this book and I can see why there was so much hype. The marsh is described in such detail and Kya is an interesting character who overcomes such dire odds as a child. She’s a survivor. I did find it a little bit slow in the middle and wish there was more about the murder investigation but I understand this was mostly about Kya. It will be interesting to see how they make the movie but that Taylor Swift song already sets the mood for the movie. Here’s the video:

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book:

“lot of times love doesn’t work out. Yet even when it fails, it connects you to others and, in the end, that is all you have, the connections.” 

― Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing

“She knew the years of isolation had altered her behavior until she was different from others, but it wasn’t her fault she’d been alone. Most of what she knew, she’d learned from the wild. Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.” 

― Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing

“Time ensures children never know their parents young.” 

― Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing

“Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.” 

― Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing

Book of Night by. Holly Black | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Book of Night (#1)

Author: Holly Black

Format: ebooks (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Tor Books

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Adult Fiction, Mystery

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

Holly Black makes her adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies.

Content Warning: abuse, violence, parental neglect, self harm, murder, drug use

I finally got to borrow an ebook copy of Book of Night and I downloaded right away because I’ve been wanting to read it for the past 2 months now. I saw the bad reviews but I can’t help myself, I’ve been reading Holly Black since 2002! Yup, I’ve been a fan for twenty years so this is what I thought about her adult urban fantasy book.

+ This has been advertised as adult fantasy but this is straight up urban fantasy. It’s set in a contemporary time, in Massachusetts and I love urban fantasy so I was ready to see how the story would play out. The main character is Charlie Hall and she is a very fleshed out character. We learn how she picked up the tricks of her trade – being a thief. There are chapters of her past, and we get a good sense of how broken she is inside, with a broken family, but the only good thing she’s at is stealing. She’s one of the best and her line of work is dangerous and deals with shady people. Charlie is an anti-heroine and I like how tough she was even though she never came off aggressive. She’s slick.

+ The writing is classic Holly Black, she draws you in. I’ve always loved her storytelling style and it surprises me every time. Her stories are dark, but not to the point of scaring me. The characters like Charlie, and Vince are absolutely imperfect and tend to embrace these parts of themselves. I liked the subtle twists we get in the story, there were a few moments that surprised me.

+ I thought the concept of shadows and them being a separate entity or having the ability to become a separate entity from a person was fascinating.

+ I don’t know how it happened because it’s not a romance and there is hardly romance in this but the ending when Charlie and Vince are trying to figure out what happens to them next…it got me.

~ It is a slow read because it feels like a mystery book. But I did finish this in one day! There is a lot of time spent on Charlie, who she is, her history, how she is the way she is and how she learned her skills.

~ I think the explanation of shadows wasn’t solid enough for me in the beginning and so I was trying to figure out what they were, what the Cabal was for, the reason why this whole business about shadows and blights was important. I started to get it the more it was explained and then really understood it by the end, but that was definitely a part that could have lost me as a reader. But I was so interested in Charlie that I kept reading.

Why you should read it:

  • you like mystery and urban fantasy with dark, imperfect characters
  • Charlie Hall is a fascinating character
  • love the twists in the story

Why you might not want to read it:

  • this is not YA Fantasy Holly Black work – this reads at a slow mystery pace and is urban fantasy so if you are expecting The Cruel Prince, um let me tell you this is a way different ballgame
  • needs more clear explanation on the shadows from the beginning

My Thoughts:

I don’t know what I expected when Holly Black revealed she was writing an adult fantasy but after reading this I think this falls in line with all her other work it just doesn’t have the Fae. There is an atmosphere that is mysterious and dark which I love, and I was drawn into the main character and all her other perfectly imperfect characters. Yes it was slow and the shadows could have been explained more clearly but I did eventually get it. Charlie as a character was intriguing enough for me and learning about the shadows was fascinating enough I read this in one day. I enjoyed this one even if it had no Fae – it has shadows that become separate from people, and I’m curious what happens to one particular shadow! I’ll definitely be reading the sequel after that ending.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book:

It turns out that men have more authority, even when they’re not real.”

~ Holly Black, Book of Night

With no good ideas, she was going to go for the bad one. They better carve that on her tomb.”

~ Holly Black, Book of Night

If she couldn’t be responsible or careful or good or loved, if she was doomed to be a lit match, then Charlie might as well go back to finding stuff to burn.

~ Holly Black, Book of Night

If she couldn’t be responsible or careful or good or loved, if she was doomed to be a lit match, then Charlie might as well go back to finding stuff to burn.

~ Holly Black, Book of Night

The Hacienda by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Hacienda

Author: Isabel Cañas

Format: ebooks (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Berkley

Categories: Gothic Horror, Historical Fiction, Forbidden Romance, Young Adult, Supernatural

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness. 

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

Content Warning: abuse, gory scenes, cheating

I don’t read a lot of horror, but I really enjoy gothic horror type of stories so when I see it I try to get a copy to read it.

+ What I love about historical gothic fiction is the history facts I get in the story. This one takes place after the period of Mexico’s War of Independence which I know nothing about. I learned a lot just from this story alone about the casta system, the racial issues and socioeconomics of the hacienda owners, colonialism and religion – I mean they were threatening to bring people to the Inquisition which I knew happened a long, long time ago like in the 1300’s or something like that, but I didn’t know it was still happening in the 1800’s! A lot of eye opening information.

+ The gothic atmosphere around the hacienda was really creepy and chilling especially at night. You know something is wrong, the house is clearly haunted by some evil spirit but we don’t know why. There is a bit of a mystery about the first wife of Don Rodolfo Solórzano, and Beatriz being his second wife is the target of some entity or someone in the house.

+ There is haunts, there are scary hallucinations, there are gory bloody scenes and witchcraft. It made me even question if I should walk in the dark to the bathroom because I was reading late at night lol. That’s what I want in a horror/gothic story.

+ I liked Beatriz and found her to be really brave while dealing with a haunted house without any support and no husband by her side. Even though she was terrified night after night, she slept there – that would so NOT be me lol. I felt like she was so fed up with the spirit haunting her, I liked her fighting spirit.

~ There isn’t much scenes between Beatriz and her husband. He leaves right away to go somewhere after he drops her off at the hacienda. So her budding forbidden romance with Padre Andrés had lots of room to grow. I wasn’t into it though – and not because he was a priest – I get that it’s a forbidden love situation and what’s more forbidden than a priest and a married woman?! I understood his and his family’s reasoning to pushing him into priesthood but I did like them as friends. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between them.

~ Like with most mysteries, it feels like a slow read, especially in the beginning when we don’t know much about the history of the house or Beatriz’ husband and his first wife. Once we get more information, it picks up. I did feel like I wish Padre Andrés had more witchcraft powers – he seemed so weak against the spirit at times. Maybe I was just expecting too much from him.

Why you should read it:

  • you like mysterious gothic, historical fiction with a bit of creep factor and lite horror
  • the time period and information we get about the state of Mexico after the War of Independence
  • thrills, chills and lush world-building

Why you might not want to read it:

  • not into horror
  • not into forbidden love between a priest and married woman
  • kinda slow at first

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one because it gave me scared to read at night haha – especially once night came to the hacienda! Some parts were a bit slow but once Beatriz and Padre Andrés set to exorcizing the house of the spirit, there is a bit of action. I enjoyed all the historical aspects of the book and found it an entertaining story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book:

Life has a way of taking the wind out of our dreams sometimes…”

Judy I. Lin, A Magic Steeped in Poison

Tea for me is home, is joy, is family.”

Judy I. Lin, A Magic Steeped in Poison

Human hands make mistakes, Ning, but they are the hands the gods gave us. We use them to make amends, to do good things.”

Judy I. Lin, A Magic Steeped in Poison