Ace of Spades by. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Ace of Spades

Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 6/1/21

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Young Adult, Racism, Prep School, Romance, Mystery, Thriller

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice.

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students’ dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can’t escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.

Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they’re planning much more than a high-school game…

Content Warning: Death, Violence, Racism, Suicidal Ideation

This one really surprised me!

When I started reading this, I thought, okay some prep school drama is going down. Who is spreading this malicious gossip? I was in on the mystery, trying to figure who could be the culprit and without giving major spoilers – let’s just say I was totally off. The author did such a good job dropping a bomb on me when the big reveal happens.

So obviously the beginning was slow because it’s a mystery. We meet out two main characters, Chiamaka who is half Nigerian/half Italian. Devon is a black boy who lives in a rough neighborhood, he’s there at Niveus Academy on scholarship. Chiamaka is the most popular girl in school with aspirations for Yale. Devon is a musician with hopes to get into Julliard and everything is going so well their Senior year…until they are not. Someone called Aces is spreading some details about their lives to their fellow student body and all of it is about to ruin their lives and future – unless they find out who’s doing it. That’s all I can say!

Chiamaka is bi as we find out later on in the book. Chiamaka is a strong girl because although she’s biracial, her parents have money. So she fit in more easily with everyone at the school whereas Devon kept his head down and stayed out of the limelight. Devon is gay and the boy he loves is gay too, but he’s a drug dealer and hangs out in a crowd that isn’t accepting of his sexuality. Devon suffers a lot for being gay from being beaten when he was a kid, to having his heart broken because the boy he loves can’t openly love him. I really felt for Devon and connected to him more. I was invested in his love life more than Chiamaka’s.

The reveal in the end is jaw dropping and eye opening. The story talks about institutionalized racism and it touches on so many different issues – legacy, affirmative action, Chiamaka trying to impress everyone by being what they want her to be, Devon trying to make bad choices just to sruvive. I love that Chiamaka and Devon fight back though and there is an epilogue – 16 years later! Loved that ending!

Why you should read it:

it’s a mystery-thriller but with an unexpected twist
great LGBT representation and characters (mostly Devon)
important book about racism

Why you might not want to read it:

not into prep school drama – mysteries can be kinda boring in the beginning – I thought this was just going to be some mean girl drama/with kids dealing with the pressure of climbing to the top of the social/academic chain, etc (but it is MORE than that)

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this story! I like how it kept me on my toes and surprised me in the end. I really connected to Devon and was invested in his story. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

This world isn’t ideal. This world, our world, the one with houses as crooked as the people in them. Broken people, broken by the way the world works.”
― Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé , Ace of Spades

I look at him and I think about how we don’t know the people we think we know at all.”
― Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé , Ace of Spades

BLOG TOUR} A Forgery of Roses by. Jessica S. Olson | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for A Forgery of Roses by. Jessica S. Olson!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Forgery of Roses

Author: Jessica S. Olson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 3/29/22

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Thriller, Gothic Fantasy, Horror, Murder Mystery

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

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

From the author of Sing Me Forgotten comes a lush new fantasy novel with an art-based magic system, romance, and murder…

Myra has a gift many would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control: she’s a portrait artist whose paintings alter people’s bodies. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son.

Once she arrives at the legendary stone mansion, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. A killer stalks these halls–one disturbingly obsessed with portrait magic. Desperate to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, Myra turns to the governor’s older son for help completing the painting before the secret she spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

Content Warning: Gore, Violence, Kidnapping

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I enjoyed what I read a lot.

The magic in this story is quite unique. Myra can alter or heal someone through her paintings. She paints the person on canvas and then infuses it with her magic. It does come with consequences though, she will feel the pain the person is going through. She is what they call a Prodigy and although her magic can heal, it is forbidden in her town to have such powers. With both her parents gone she is a caretaker and mother to her thirteen year old sister, who is very ill. I love her relationship with her sister, the love between them is so beautiful. They don’t have the money for good care and though Myra can heal injuries, she cannot heal a disease in someone. But when the governor’s son dies, his wife wants Myra to bring him back to life…but can she?

The story unfolds as a murder mystery and it comes with a few twists which was really nice! I love the scary tone of the story, the creepy house the governor and his family lives in, the story of the 5th floor being haunted, and grotesque paintings on the wall. Whoever painted those was sorely unwell, but who did them?

There is some romance in the story as well. Myra and August (the governor’s oldest son) befriend one another and try to solve the mystery of his brother’s death. August is an interesting character who suffers from anxiety and his father, who is a hard man, has no patience for it. I was happy to see his growth and also fight for his right to feel safe in the space he’s made for himself. There were times Myra would tell him how to overcome his struggles and he really stands up to her, explaining how she can’t expect him to change overnight. It’s easier said and done when it’s not something she herself struggling with. He definitely had some fight in him even when he was afraid of his family’s reaction.

Why you should read it:

it’s a story filled with mystery, romance, danger, and magic
there’s a good twist in the story
Myra’s unique magic skills

Why you might not want to read it:

not into gothic fantasy

My Thoughts:

This story was a real treat and I enjoyed the unique magic, anxiety rep, the romance, the creepy and thrilling parts of the story, and the twist at the end. I haven’t read a book by this author before, but I’m looking forward to reading more from her.

📚 ~ Yolanda

About the Author:

Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home but has somehow found herself in Texas, where she spends most of her time singing praises to the inventor of the air conditioner. When she’s not hiding from the heat, she’s corralling her four wild—but adorable—children, dreaming up stories about kissing and murder and magic, and eating peanut butter by the spoonful straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which essentially means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries. She is the author of Sing Me Forgotten (2021) and A Forgery of Roses (2022).

https://www.jessicasolson.com/

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Dark and Shallow Lies by. Ginny Myers Sain | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Dark and Shallow Lies

Author: Ginny Myers Sain

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 8/31/21

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Paranormal, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult

A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.

La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide.

This tiny town, where seventeen-year-old Grey spends her summers, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World–and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey’s best friend, disappeared six months earlier.

Grey can’t believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something–her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.

When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou–a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town’s bloody history–Grey realizes that La Cachette’s past is far more present and dangerous than she’d ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn’t know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent–and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.

Content Warning: Death, Abuse, Murder

My favorite thing about this book is the setting of La Cachette, a very small town in Louisiana filled with people who have different psychic powers. I love seeing the cultures that thrive in Louisiana, from Creole to Cajun and everything else in the mix. The author immerses us in the language, food and the way of life in La Cachette. One year ten babies were born, they were known as the Summer Children. All of them, except Grey, it seems, has some powers whether it’s hearing spirits, or being an empath. But there are dark secrets in this murky town and it’s a race to uncovering them with a storm bearing down on them. When Grey’s best friend, and twin flame, Elora is lost and most likely dead, Grey needs closure to find out what happens but she uncovers a lot more than she was expecting.

The tone of this book never loses its mysteriousness. I was immersed in the humidity and dark waters of La Cachette! I could only imagine living in a place where I’m running barefoot in the mud, and the humidity is nasty along with the mosquito bites. I already live on a tropical island and I thank God when there are trade winds blowing! But the setting is perfect for a story like this. I found the people with psychic abilities fascinating and once again, the setting of Louisiana is the prime place for a story like this.

I had my suspicions of who could have killed Elora, and what one of the secrets could be and I was right. The secrets revealed are pretty shocking and uncomfortable – ooo those small town secrets! I thought it was funny how no matter how creepy the scenes are Grey kept going outside at night! lol…like what is she thinking?! I get she felt safe in her small town but with the rougarou (werewolf) stories and that Dempsey Fontenot creepy song and urban legend about him – I’d be freaking out going out in the dark, especially with gators around and snakes, plus maybe a killer on the loose.

It seems like not a lot happens in the story though. Grey is trying to find out what happens to her best friend but the weeks go by with her not finding out much at all. You would think a town full of psychics and such would be helpful, even Grey’s powers as they manifest would have been helpful if she could understand it. But they don’t help a lick except for keeping town secrets apparently.

Why you should read it:

fantastic setting and atmosphere – felt like I was in La Cachette, Louisiana being eating up by mosquitos l
the psychic abilities by most of the town was fascinating
you like little towns with dark, dark secrets – creepy

Why you might not want to read it:

there is a lull in the middle of the story
some uncomfortable topics, dark read

My Thoughts:

I absolutely enjoyed the setting in this one: Louisiana mud, rivers, getting around on boats, dark nights, fireflies, muddy feet and mosquitos, humidity, psychics, and a hurricane. As for the characters, most of them were interesting but not a lot happens in the middle of the story, fortunately the story does end with a bang. For the most part I enjoyed this one and I hope to read more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book

It may not be what you were expecting, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t what you need.”
Ginny Myers Sain – “Dark and Shallow Waters”

Knowing is hard…but it’s a thing you can survive. The not knowing will kill you in the end. It’s the secrets that fester.”
Ginny Myers Sain – “Dark and Shallow Waters”

It hits me hard how every single one of us – everyone in the whole wide world – is walking around with missing pieces.”
Ginny Myers Sain – “Dark and Shallow Waters”

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Girl From Widow Hills

Author: Megan Miranda

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 325

Publication Date: 6/23/20

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Categories: Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Murder Mystery

Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and held vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.

Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking outside her home. Until late one night she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

And now, the girl from Widow Hills is about to become the center of the story, once again, in this propulsive page-turner from suspense master Megan Miranda.

Content Warning: Death, Abuse

I really needed something to get me out of my reading funk and this definitely did that. Maybe I just miss reading standalone books?

Arden Maynor, now going by Olivia has a famous past that she’s been keeping secret for awhile. She was a little girl when she went missing and found in a storm drain. It made national news and her life has never been the same again. I like how we get a glimpse of Olivia’s life growing up away from the spotlight and what it’s done to her. Media attention isn’t always so glamorous, it can be dangerous as well. I like how the author talked about how stories get manipulated to fit a narrative, to appease an audience, to feed the hungry masses but we hardly know the truth of the matter.

This story had the creepy vibes with the house in the woods, far from the main town. Olivia is an unreliable narrator – she had trauma from her past, memories of her mother who had just passed and suffer from sleepwalking episodes. She also has anxiety with enclosed spaces. I could feel the anxiety through the pages and a lot of the story made me question things about her. I also liked how the secondary characters made me suspicious as well.

I enjoyed how the story unravels but there were some spots that seemed slow. I still managed to finish the book in one sitting though, which was nice. The twist in the ending reminded me a bit of another book (but it’s a much more darker one) which I won’t talk about since I don’t want to spoil anything.

Why you should read it:

gives you the creeps and makes you suspicious of everyone
an unreliable narrator but we get a glimpse of what happens after the media attention
you like suspense and thrillers

Why you might not want to read it:

some slow parts but not enough to make me stop reading

My Thoughts:

I see Megan Miranda books all over my Kindle Unlimited but have never read a book of hers until now. I wanted to see why she has so many people reading her book and I can say I see the appeal! This is coming from someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers these days. It was a nice change of pace and I loved that it was a standalone.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book

A story about you doesn’t necessarily belong to you. It belongs to the writer. To the witness. To the teller.”
Megan Miranda – “The Girl From Widow Hills”

This was what people wanted: They wanted it all. They wanted to fit you in a box. Hold you in the palm of one hand. Sum you up in one sentence. The shorter, the better. So they could understand who you were and the role you were intended to play for their benefit.”
Megan Miranda – “The Girl From Widow Hills”

What We Harvest by. Ann Fraistat | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: What We Harvest

Author: Ann Fraistat

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 3/22/22

Publisher: Delcorte

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Alchemy, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary

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

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

For fans of Wilder Girls comes a nightmarish debut guaranteed to keep you up through the night, about an idyllic small town poisoned by its past, and one girl who must fight the strange disease that’s slowly claiming everyone she loves.

Wren owes everything she has to her home, Hollow’s End, a centuries-old, picture perfect American town. Tourists travel miles to marvel at its miracle crops, including the shimmering, iridescent wheat of Wren’s family farm. Until five months ago.

That’s when the quicksilver mercury blight first surfaced, poisoning the farms of Hollow’s End one by one. It began by consuming the crops–thick, silver sludge bleeding from the earth. Next were the animals. Infected livestock and wild creatures alike staggered off into the woods by day—only to return at night, their eyes, fogged white, leering from the trees.

Then, the blight came for the neighbors.

Wren is among the last locals standing. And the blight has finally come for her, too. Now, the only one she can turn to is the last person she wants to call: her ex, Derek. They haven’t spoken in months, but Wren and Derek still have one thing in common—Hollow’s End means everything to them. Only there’s much they don’t know about their hometown and its renowned miracle crops. And they’re about to discover that miracles aren’t free.

Their ancestors have an awful lot to pay for, and Wren and Derek are the only ones left to settle old debts.

Content Warning: Gore, Violence

You can kind of tell from the cover of this book that something sinister is going to be happening in this book.

Wren lives in a special town, where four founding families have situated themselves over a few generations and grow their miraculous crops and animals. Wren doesn’t know how it came to be her family grew rainbow wheat but she is next to inherit the farm except that now the farms are ruined with Blight. But this blight isn’t ordinary – it doesn’t only kill crops, it turns people and animals into zombie like creatures. So it’s a race against time before Wren can figure out not to get infected, turn into one of the Blighted, and save the farm – her family’s legacy.

This story is creepy, especially because the Blighted come out once the sun goes down. It has a lot of action too which was fun! There is even romance between Wren and boy next door or boy from one of the other founding families – her best friend since childhood, Derek. But they have broken up and now they have to rely on each other to stay safe and also to save their loved ones. There is also a f/f relationship with Derek’s sister Claudette and her girlfriend, Angie.

I liked the reveal of how the families got their source of magic to keep their farms growing the way they did. It’s horrific but I love that Wren does everything she can to undo it. The conclusion wraps everything up pretty good except for the parts where we don’t know what the government learned about the blight and what they will do with the information.

There were some parts that frustrated me about the book, like when Wren kept getting people hurt. That was partly Derek’s fault too but I was getting annoyed with her decision making. I mean I get she was half zombie at that point and couldn’t quite control herself though haha. I’m just glad things worked out!

Why you should read it:

story is creepy, thrilling and filled with action – I liked the reveal and conclusion
a quick, engaging read with just a few horror/gory scenes
zombies

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into lite horror and gore or zombies

My Thoughts:

This is a gripping read and I was engrossed with seeing how everything played out with Wren and the blight on the farms. The tone was perfectly creepy, especially when the sun went down. If you like books like Small Favors and Burn Our Bodies Down, stories that take place on farms – you will enjoy this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

The New Girl by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The New Girl

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 2/01/22

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Prep School, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary

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

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

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.

Content Warning: Murder, Drug Use, Bullying

This is my second Jesse Q. Sutanto book and I can definitely see a theme with her stories. Murder! The New Girl is a thriller mystery filled with prep school drama filled with beautiful people, brand names, bullies, wealth and drug use.

I love that the main character is half Indonesian and half Chinese-Indonesian. We get to learn some Indonesiand and Chinese-Indo culture. She attends Draycott Academy where the rich kids drive very fancy cars, wear designer clothes, pay for good grades, use drugs and basically do whatever they want. But when Lia gets a mean girl mad by taking her spot on the track team, she has to do everything she can to fight back and keep her spot at the school. And this is when things go haywire.

Lia is not scared, I gotta give her credit for that. She stands up to Mandy, the girl on her track team but that gets Lia into deeper trouble. The story is full of teen drama, scandals and even murder. I’m usually into teenage drama, but there was something about this one that was turning me off at times and I think it’s all the teen speak going on – it just wasn’t working for me.

Pacing was a little off for me also. It started off slow with her meeting a cute boy and falling for him and then it really picks up as the drama between her and a certain teacher begins. Then it gets wild but I felt that way about her other book, Dial A for Aunties. There are some twists and turns, so with a story like this you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

Why you should read it:

you like ya mystery thrillers that take you on a wild ride
Lia’s experience being Indonesian and Chinese-Indo
twists and turns keep you on your toes

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning, fast ending
lots of rich teen drama
teen speak wasn’t working for me

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to get into this book but the twist and turns did keep me intrigued. Also I like the Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian representation. The book overall wasn’t a book for me because I’m not the right audience for it but I think teen readers would enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

These Deadly Games by. Diana Urban | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: These Deadly Games

Author: Diana Urban

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 2/1/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult, Gamers

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

Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Content Warnings: mention of anorexia, abuse, alocoholism, murder, death

This one kept me on my toes even though I suspected the right people from the beginning but that doesn’t mean this was totally predictable. Getting to the end was a wild ride!

Crystal and her friends are gamers trying to enter a tournament with a big money prize, so the stakes are high and it seems not everyone in their group is playing fair. On top of her anxiety of trying to be part of the team, Crystal’s sister has been kidnapped and the person who supposedly makes her do all these crazy things in order to get her sister back safe and sound. Talk about stress!

Now let’s talk about the the things this kidnapper is making Crystal do – it’s tasks meant to hurt or kill her best friends! Craziness. And it’s a choice between saving her sister or hurting her friends. The more tasks she does the less control she has over this “game” even though she thinks she can beat the kidnapper at their own game.

My lists of suspects were pretty spot on but the twist in the end wasn’t something I saw. I like that I was kept on my toes, even though my suspicions were right. I read it one sitting.

Character wise, Crystal isn’t someone I came to care for also, she has secrets. She seemed like she was super-focused on making the team for the tournament, but with good reason (to help her family) but she wasn’t someone I’d say is likable. Her friends seem like a tight group until we get more into the story and we see where the problems are between them. So I didn’t quite connect to the characters but the story was intriguing with the cat and mouse game happening between Crystal and the kidnapper.

It’s a wild finish but it was left open ended so is there a sequel? It’s definitely set up for one.

Why you should read it:

good cat and mouse game to find the kidnapper
fast-paced, quick read
you like a good murder mystery

Why you might not want to read it:

lack of connection to characters

My Thoughts:

I have been reading a few young adult murder mysteries lately that haven’t really wow’ed me but this one had everything I wanted – it’s fast-paced, kept me on toes trying to figure out who was the kidnapper and their motive for making Crystal do some messed up things. I thought the ending twist was great and if there is a sequel, I would definitely check it out.

📚 ~ Yolanda

White Smoke by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: White Smoke

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 9/14/21

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Thriller, Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary

The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson!

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?

As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.

I wanted a Halloween read to give me chills and make me afraid to read it at night and I can say this story did a pretty good job and almost made me not read it at night. But I wanted the chills lol…

Marigold and her family move into a new neighborhood that is rebuilding but it’s in a town that is rundown. To make matters worse, her stepsister Piper is creepy as heck. According to people who live around the town, Marigold’s house is haunted and the story delivered in giving me the chills. If I was living in that house, I don’t know that I would ever want to be alone in it!

Marigold is an interesting character because she has a background of drug use and some major anxiety about bedbugs. So is she seeing things? Her anxiety gave ME anxiety! Personality wise, I can see Marigold is trying to be better than her past self but I wish she made some better choices. I love her brother Sammy who is a sweetheart and eventually is the one to believe Marigold when things get crazier in the house.

Yusef is a solid character and I felt safe when Marigold was with him. He gives her background about the history about the town. I also liked how the story shows gentrification and how so many of the townspeople ended up in jail because of the people running it. In the back story we also learn about Ms. Suga, the “ghost” or imaginary friend that Piper has, it really lent to the spooky vibes in the book.

There is a good twist to the story and I like how there was a buildup to it.

Content Warnings: drug use, bed bug phobia, scary scenes

The book is more creepy and at times scary than straight “horror”. I don’t read much horror and this was good enough to scare me but not too much!

The ending is so abrupt – I was a little bummed about that.

Why you should read it:

to get creeped out
you like haunted house stories
good twist in the story

Why you might not want to read it:

bed bug phobia – so much anxiety
abrupt ending
might not be scary enough/horror for you

My Thoughts:

I can handle this kind of spooky story where the house is haunted enough to make me consider putting down the book but I power through it anyway just to get the chills lol. It’s a story filled with creepy scenes, and perfect for a Halloween read if you want a quick read with an interesting twist at the end.

📚 ~ Yolanda

A Lesson in Vengeance by. Victoria Lee | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: A Lesson in Vengeance

Author: Victoria Lee

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 8/3/21

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Dark Academia, Mystery, Thriller, Witchcraft, LGBT+, Mental Health

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

For fans of Wilder Girls and Ninth House comes a dark, twisty, atmospheric thriller about a boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past.

Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School.

Perched in the Catskill mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to graduate. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds.

Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.

It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource.

And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.

The vibe in A Lesson in Vengeance is dark and it’s done so well. Our setting is Dalloway School which is a boarding school for girls but the school comes with a history of murder and witchcraft. The girls who come here are intellectuals, I mean I had to google some big words in this one. They talked like intellectuals, dressed like it, smoked like it too (Ellis did at least) and these are teenagers! How are they so sophisticated?

Felicity has a dark past at Dalloway, her ex-girlfriend, Alex, died there. Ellis Halley is a new student, a novelist at seventeen and the two girls become friends. Felicity is dealing with grief and guilt because of how Alex had died. She has seen a therapist and was on anti-depressants but being back at Dalloway is getting to her. Felicity feels like Alex is haunting her. She thinks that maybe her intense research into the witchcraft the Dalloway Five had practiced years ago lead to an evil presence on campus, that she herself is cursed when she delved too deep. But Ellis wants to prove to Felicity that magic isn’t real and the deaths of the Dalloway Five were straight-up murders instead. It helps that Ellis is a novelist and doing research to write a story about murder anyway – so the girls set out to replica certain events of the past. But these girls are not who we think they are. They play off one another so well – two mysterious, very intellectual girls, one with a hidden agenda, the other just trying to keep up.

There is blood, tarot and tea readings, secrets, history, research, books (so many books) and events that make you question everything.

The setting of Dalloway is so dreary and gloomy with fall turning into winter as shadows creep on this old campus. I really enjoyed it and this would make a wonderful book to read in the fall.

This book is twisty! I found myself surprised at some of the twist and turns and it made me read this book in one sitting. At one point the beginning reminded me of a female cast of Dead Poets Society. Felicity is an unreliable character dealing with her past with Alex, and it made me question a lot of things and even her sanity. Ellis is mysterious and we only know so much about her until the end where a lot of reveals take place.

Triggers: death, self-harm, killing of animal, drowning

I like how the story progresses, the twists and turns, but the ending was a little anti-climatic for me. It built up nicely but then it resolves quickly, like it was that easy for Felicity to fix everything yet we do learn why…which was another mind blowing moment – but I almost missed it. I caught it and re-read the passage a few times to make sure I wasn’t misreading but it was rushed.

The pacing was okay, the beginning is slow, and the ending is rushed. It’s supposed to be slow and atmospheric I guess because we are being immersed in the setting, we get lost in Felicity’s thoughts because she is lost in grief, guilt, obsessed with the witchcraft history and wondering if she is being haunted. There were times I wanted that part to speed up, I wanted to know was it murder or witchcraft? Both?

This one kept me interested from start to finish and I enjoyed it a lot despite some issues. I can’t say I read a lot of dark academia but this definitely opened me up to this genre and it’s aesthetic. The atmosphere and setting was well written and the twists were shocking and fantastic. Felicity and Ellis are two very smart girls, but in the end we figure out who was the more clever one, I suppose. If you like eerie settings, an unreliable narrator, twists and turns that make you question what you are reading, then you will enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

How We Fall Apart by. Katie Zhao | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

Title: How We Fall Apart

Author: Katie Zhao

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 8/17/21

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Dark Academia, Prep School

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

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.

They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.

How We Fall Apart is a look into Asian students at Sinclair Prep, trying to stay on top of the pack with perfect grades. When top girl Jamie Ruan is found dead, someone accuses her closest four friends of committing the crime. But who really killed Jamie and why?

This story is told by Jamie’s best friend/nemesis, Nancy Luo. Nancy isn’t rich like her other friends. Her mom was the maid for the Ruan family so Nancy always envied Jamie’s power and wealth – but was that enough to be a motive for her to kill her? I liked how we didn’t really know who could be the killer. “The Proctor” is dishing out secrets on Jamie’s best friends and the secrets are juicy and scandalous – Nancy’s being the worst, I think.

I think we get a good glimpse of the issues between Asian students – rich and poor, the competition, the pressure to succeed that is put upon them by their families. There was also the issues of Asian students dealing with their peers who are not Asian, who had prejudices against them because of their race – like automatically being “smart” because they were Asian. I liked how Nancy felt anger about that, knowing how hard her parents worked to put her through school.

I liked the second half of the book more than the first because the secrets were being revealed and the story moved faster. There’s a twist at the end that explain this Incident that Nancy and her friends keep mentioning but never goes into detail about and it was nice to finally know what happened during that event. It wasn’t what I expected which was good.

Trigger: suicide, murder, drug use, bullying, teacher/student affair, abuse, mental illness

I wasn’t connecting to any of the characters until the second part of the book. I found Jamie the typical rich girl bully who gets her way, Nancy is her shadow. Akil, Krystal and Alexander were there to round it out but this story is mostly about Jamie and Nancy. I think I wanted more from Nancy, but that really doesn’t come into play until the last few pages. So for most of the story she was a bit lackluster to me.

The ending is left open for a book two. Is this where Nancy really reveals her personality? That would be intriguing. It did make me curious about what The Golden Trio did that Alex knows about.

The teacher/student affair was a no for me. I get it was deliciously scandalous though, Nancy’s secrets were the most dangerous ones. But Peter needs to be taken down.

I think this book will appeal to a lot of people who like dark academia with all the scandals taking place at Sinclair Prep, it definitely is a story that keeps you on your toes. I did like how it addressed some issues that Asian students deal with in a prep school setting, the crazy pressure and competitiveness they experience on unhealthy levels. We get a glimpse of all the darkness that comes with trying to stay on top like abuse, drug use, and parental neglect. It just shows money can’t buy everything. I do wish it had a little more intensity because it’s a thriller and I did want more from Nancy as well. But overall it was a quick read with an interesting twist at the end and a lead up for book two.

📚 ~ Yolanda