THE HUNGER GAMES By Suzanne Collins

July 24, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE HUNGER GAMES By Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Published by Scholastic Press on 9/1/09
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 387
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Short and Sweet Review

Panem has taken the place of what used to be known as North America. Around Panem’s Capitol is twelve districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by having one boy and one girl from each district participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live tv. Katniss Everdeen lives in district 12 one of the poorest districts, she basically keeps her mother and sister alive with her hunting skills. When it’s time for people to get called for the games, Katniss hears her sisters name called and she doesn’t really think about it but Katniss volunteers to take her place. We follow Katniss as she navigates going from surviving the harsh environment of her district into The Hunger Games where she really has to kill to survive.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the movies, but I tried to forget about those and go into reading this book with a clean slate. I do enjoy the concept and seeing everything play out in the arena. Katniss is our main character and she’s motivated by the love she has for those around her, we see that when she takes her sisters place and when she teams up with Rue and eventually Peeta during the games. As I mentioned Katniss is our main character, but we also see a lot of Peeta because he’s also from district 12. Before the games, Katniss and Peeta are mentored by Haymitch and Effie. Haymitch suggests that they play on the emotions of the rich people from the Capitol and to do that they need to seem like they’re in love. Katniss is uncomfortable with this because there’s a guy back at district 12 named Gale and they’re not dating but there’s something there. While in the arena we see how ruthless the other competitors are and we also see Katniss rely on what she knows best, hunting with the bow and arrow. I did like seeing how Katniss was able to survive and her compassion for Rue and Peeta.

The Hunger Games is a good book and it keeps you hooked, because you’re invested in not only Katniss but Peeta too. It’s interesting to see how different each district is and how in the games the latter districts are seen as weaker. I’m ready to continue the series and see what happens next especially because Katniss made some bold decisions that not everyone was happy with.

Filed Under: Reviews

BLOOD DEBTS By Terry J. Benton-Walker

July 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

BLOOD DEBTS By Terry J. Benton-WalkerBlood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Series: Blood Debts #1
Published by Tor Teen on 4/4/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 404
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.

Short and Sweet Review

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered and the person blamed ended up being lynched and in the process her daughter lost the throne to the magical council. Now Clement and Cristina are mourning their father and taking care of their sick mother, but after they do a spell they realize their mother isn’t sick someone put a curse on her. Cristina used to do magic but after casting a spell and thinking it backfired, she’s given it up. Clement on the other hand uses magic as a distraction from the things going on in his life. Cristina and Clem used to have a good relationship but as of late they barely speak, but now that they know someone is after their family, they have to put their differences aside and work together.

I expected a lot from this book, I wanted more mystery aspects and more magic taking place in the great city of New Orleans, what I got instead was a whole lot of petty fighting and too many characters. Now that I’m thinking about characters I remember a POV of one who I don’t even think was important in this book. Anyway Cristina and Clem are always at each others throats and even though they’re supposed to be working together its like pulling teeth to get them to get over what happened in the past and move on to save their family’s legacy. After finding out that their mother has been cursed, Cristina and Clement have to get the rest of the family together to cast a protection spell, unfortunately all of their aunts are also distant from each other and have petty arguments which means it just runs in the family. Cristina is determined to find out who did this to her mom and starts investigating but she knows she has to get Clem to help her. I was excited about trying to find out who hexed their mother and we get to see the murder from 30 years ago get solved. All of this was fine, my biggest problem was how many characters there were and how petty they all were. I think there was too much fighting and it took away from what the synopsis said the book would be about. We have characters trying to kill each other for power and others who are just pawns. Lenora is the queen of the magical council and she’s ruthless and her granddaughter Valentina is just as awful and has it out for Cristina. I don’t really want to talk about the romance because it all just seemed forced and nothing too genuine. We see the family reunite at the end and it also seemed too little too late.

It took me longer to read this book than I thought it would and I will attribute that to feeling duped by the synopsis. There were a lot of loose ends in this book and although this book didn’t convince me I should read the next book I’m interested to see what will happen next and I’m hoping for A LOT of character development.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE DIRE KING By William Ritter

July 19, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE DIRE KING By William RitterThe Dire King by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #4
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 8/22/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push the earth and the otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve mysteries in New Fiddleham, New England—like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why the undead are appearing around town.

At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, Jenny Cavanaugh, begins to give way. But before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book, the fate of the world is basically in Jackaby and Abigail’s hand. This moment has been building up since the first book, The Dire King is planning on ripping the veil between Earth and the magical realm. All of the things that Abigail and Jackaby have investigated were all leading up to us finding the Dire King, who is an old and powerful evil, who is ready to cause mayhem.

This is my second time reading this series and it was just as enjoyable as the first time. We see characters from past books and I liked seeing the camaraderie between the secondary characters and our main characters. We also see Charlie again and this time his family is also around so we get to see the life he left behind. With Charlie being back we see a little more romance between him and Abigail which was nice but we still had bigger things to worry about. When Jackaby and Abigail learn more about the Dire King, they begin to worry because of the amount of loyal followers he has and if they will even be able to defeat him. The book is filled with action, and some suspense because time is of the most importance with this case. We still get a few comedic moments thanks to Jackaby, which I love because he has a certain element with his delivery.

I don’t want to give any spoilers as this is the fourth and final book of the series. Actually no it’s not we have a book about Abigail coming out. Anyway the ending was great and Abigail has some new abilities, and I love how Jackaby is ready for the next chapter of his life. This is one of my favorite series, I love the mix of supernatural elements with mystery solving. Jackaby and Abigail were great characters and I can’t wait to see what Rook has in store!

Filed Under: Reviews

GHOSTLY ECHOES By William Ritter

July 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

GHOSTLY ECHOES By William RitterGhostly Echoes by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #3
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 8/23/16
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the services of her detective-agency tenants to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all. Soon Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her down to the mythical underworld and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced.

Short and Sweet Review

Jenny Cavanaugh the ghost who lives at 926 Augar Lane, is ready for Jackaby to solve the mystery around her murder. Jenny has always tried to avoid talking about her past but now that she’s ready we get glimpses of what her life was like and what she was doing with her fiancé before her murder occurred. I did like learning more about Jenny, we also see how hard doing some of this is for her, she ends up having echoes which is when she gets stuck in her memories and can’t remember where she currently is.

Jenny’s case is an interesting one, before Abigail even met Jackaby, he started to investigate her case but wasn’t able to make progress because Jenny wasn’t ready. Now Jackaby and Abigail are following some leads, but those leads end up taking them in different directions but it always comes back to one central person, who ends up being the cause for a lot of the messes we’ve seen in the last two books. We’ve seen a lot of development and growth from these characters, but especially from Abigail our narrator. Abigail is a lot more confident and willing to take risks to help the ones she cares about the most. We do see Charlie in this book, but there wasn’t a lot of romance mainly because this was supposed to be Jenny’s story. I did enjoy all the twist and turns that the book took and how it was revealed that there was one main villain calling all the shots.

This was a good book, and I’m glad we got to see more of Jenny’s story because it’s been hinted at in past books that her murder was pretty brutal and there haven’t been any clues as to what happened. Seeing how this book ended I’m sure the next book will be full of action now that our group has found its main antagonist and has to work to stop them. I’m excited to see how everything will wrap up!

Filed Under: Reviews

HORROR HOTEL By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren

July 14, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HORROR HOTEL By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClarenHorror Hotel by Faith McClaren, Victoria Fulton
Series: Horror Hotel #1
Published by Underlined on 2/1/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 246
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

When the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark, they expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings. Spooky enough to attract subscribers—and ultimately harmless.

But when they stumble upon something unexpected in the former room of a gruesome serial killer, they quickly realize that they’re in over their heads.

Sometimes, it’s the dead who need our help—and the living we should fear.

Short and Sweet Review

The Ghost Gang consists of Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki, they make videos that are pretty popular on YouTube and this time they’re going to visit the Hearst Hotel. The hotel is known for paranormal activity and the group is ready to go into this thinking it’ll be like their previous ghost explorations. When the group stumbles upon a murder in the room of a former serial killer they realize there’s something very wrong.

When I started reading the book I saw parallels between the hotel and an actual hotel, The Cecil. The book uses a lot of the things that have happened at The Cecil and use it in the book, for example a character that recently died at the hotel was supposed to be like Elisa Lam, and also the serial killer that stayed at the hotel was a reference of Richard Ramirez. I do like the idea of a haunted hotel but I didn’t like how much they used actual events that occurred at The Cecil to do this. Anyway our four main characters each add something to the Ghost Gang, we get all four characters POVs but it’s clear that everything really revolves around Chrissy. Chrissy is a psychic and she’s able to see the ghost and read the minds of those around her. Chase is kind of like the leader the others look to him, Emma is the skeptic, and Kiki is the scaredy cat. Chase’s goal is to get 1 million subscribers on YouTube but when we get to the hotel we see his goal blinds him from acting like he has any sense and at some point it does end up pushing some of the other characters away. The book basically follows the group as they explore the hotel and try to get film for their new video. We see some ghost and even see a few murders. I will say that it was predictable and I was able to guess who the bad guy was.

Horror Hotel was an okay book, it was short and entertaining. I will say the downfall for me was the predictability, but if you’re into shows like Ghost Hunters than this is a fun book to read.

Filed Under: Reviews

HOLLY HORROR By Michelle Jabès Corpora

July 12, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HOLLY HORROR By Michelle Jabès CorporaHolly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora
Series: Holly Horror #1
Published by Penguin Workshop on 8/15/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After her parents' painful divorce, Evie Archer hopes that moving to Ravenglass, Massachusetts, is the fresh start that her family needs. But Evie quickly realizes that her new home—known by locals as the Horror House—carries its own dark past after learning about Holly Hobbie, who mysteriously vanished in her bedroom one night.

But traces of Holly linger in the Horror House and slowly begin to take over Evie's life. A strange shadow follows her everywhere she goes, and Evie starts to lose sight of what's real and what isn't the more she learns about The Lost Girl.

Can Evie find out what happened the night of Holly's disappearance? Or is history doomed to repeat itself in the Horror House?

Short and Sweet Review

Evie, her mom, and younger brother, are moving to Ravenglass MA, after her parents divorce. Evie is hoping this will be a fresh start but they’re moving into Hobbie house also known to locals as Horror house. Holly Hobbie is the cousin of Evie’s mom and a couple of decades ago Holly went missing and no one was able to find her. Evie notices that there are still remains of Holly around the house and the more that Evie investigates the more she loses sight of what’s real and what’s not.

When coming to Ravenglass, Evie knew what to expect, she knew about Holly but she didn’t realize how much everyone would want to talk about it. Evie meets Tina a local who’s really into the story of Hobbie house and ends up sucking Evie in to learning about the stories, which in turn makes Evie want to investigate more and she becomes determined to learn what happened to Holly. Evie also connects with another classmate named Desmond and they have a bit of a romance but nothing too serious. When Evie starts messing with Hollys things she begins to act strangely, everyone around her notices the changes but Evie is in denial. We end up learning that Evie is able to see things that others can’t and maybe that’s why she was so susceptible to what’s happening in the house. I did like the mystery of trying to find out what happened to Holly the night she disappeared and we also get some insight from people who grew up with Holly. The writing was great and added to the creepy vibes and was really able to show how the house and the investigation was messing with Evie’s mental state. I didn’t like how absent Evie’s mom and brother were it was like they avoided each other on purpose. I would have liked to see more of Evie’s aunt Martha because she’s a psychic but she’s also able to see things that most can’t and she would have been able to help Evie.

The ending was great and did answer questions about what happened. I really want to see what will happen in the next book especially now that Evie is more willing to accept what she can do. This book was a page turner and I can’t wait until book two is released and see where things go from there!

Filed Under: Reviews

BEASTLY BONES By William Ritter

July 10, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

BEASTLY BONES By William RitterBeastly Bones by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #2
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 9/22/15
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 305
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First vicious shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt—for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Short and Sweet Review

Abigail is still working with Jackaby and they’ve been asked to investigate the supernatural. Their day starts off with investigating some shape shifting kittens and a day later the owner of the kittens is found murdered. In a nearby town, Gads Valley dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing and a beast is attacking the townspeople. Abigail and Jackaby head there to see if they can figure out what is going on in the Valley and report back to Police chief Marlowe and they end up reconnecting with policeman Charlie Cane.

Abigail has already helped Jackaby solve one case and she was still learning about the supernatural world, but in this book we see Abigail shine and put her knowledge of fossils and bones out there. Abigail and Jackaby have a lot on their plates but their main focus is finding the dinosaur bones that have gone missing, but not only that they have to try to avoid the beast that is attacking people and animals. I loved seeing these characters back for the sequel. Jackaby is able to see supernatural things that most don’t and Abigail can catch the details that he misses that are considered normal. I do like their partnership, Abigail is able to keep up with Jackaby and offer her own opinions and he respects them and I love that about them. We also see Charlie and it was great because him and Abigail like each other and I did like seeing the shy nature of their romance. We meet some new characters in this book a couple of paleontologist, Hank a skilled hunter, and Nellie a reporter, each character adds a little something to the plot. There was a big climax at the end and a wrap up, there was a cliffhanger that involves Jenny and what happened in her life.

I’m ready to read the next installment and see where Abigail and Jackaby end up and what new mystery they’ll take on (even though I already have a good idea).

Filed Under: Reviews

CRESS By Marissa Meyer

July 7, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CRESS By Marissa MeyerCress by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 1/1/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 560
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she's just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she'd ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Short and Sweet Review

Cinder and Thorne are still fugitives and on the run but now they have Scarlet and Wolf with them. The group is still trying to figure out how to stop Levana and the wedding. They also end up taking a detour to get Cress from her Satellite. Cress is a lunar shell and she’s been on the Satellite for a while, she works as Levanas hacker, she’s very tech savvy and as of lately has been helping Cinder and her crew. The group gets to the satellite and are ambushed and they’re separated and we’re also introduced to Jacin Clay a lunar guard who’s there to serve his princess. Cinder takes this time to go to Africa to meet up with Dr. Erland and try to regroup while most of the group is split up. Cinder is still willing to put a stop to the wedding in hopes that it will delay Levana’s reign of terror.

Cress is just as good a book as the last two. We’re introduced to more characters mainly Cress, Jacin, and a little bit of Winter. Jacin is guarded and the glimpse of Winter that we do see we learn she’s not well. Obviously this book is about Cress and she’s been alone most of her life except for visits from Sybil Mira, Levana’s right hand. Cress has been tasked with finding Cinder for Levana, but instead has been helping the group. I did like seeing the group being split up because they all have to find a way to get back to each other. Cress and Thorne are together and unfortunately he’s temporarily blinded so he has to rely on Cress to lead the way. Scarlet is being taken to Luna, and Cinder is in Africa with wolf and Jacin.

Cress is full of diverse characters and I love how they all come together. Cinder is still her sarcastic self but she’s also still determined to make things right. None of these characters wanted or ever thought they would be heroes or even start a revolution but they know they need to in order to make things right and stop Levana from getting what she wants. The next book Winter is when everything comes to a head and I’m ready to see how everything ends!

Filed Under: Reviews

HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN By Erin A. Craig

July 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN By Erin A. CraigHouse of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
Series: Sisters of the Salt #2
Published by Delacorte Press on 7/25/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Gothic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 544
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.
When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.
Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.
But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Its been years since the events of House of Salt and Sorrows took place. Now Verity the youngest sister is seventeen and she still lives in Highmoor with her eldest sister Camille, while the rest of their sisters have left and are scattered about. When Verity gets a letter from her sister Mercy explaining that the Duchess of Bloem wants Verity to come there and paint a portrait of their son Alexander. Verity is excited about the opportunity and wants to go, but Camille gives her a hard no, that’s when Verity learns that she’s able to see ghost. Verity ignores Camilles warning and goes to Bloem anyway and she learns that being at Bloem is more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Verity has lived at Highmoor her whole life and when she gets Mercy’s letter she knows this is her time to explore the world around her and see what’s out there. Camille immediately shuts down the idea and after they have an argument Camille reveals to Verity that Verity is able to see ghost and she doesn’t want her at Bloem sounding like a mad woman. Verity still feels like she needs to get away and she goes to Bloem with her sisters warning at the back of her mind. At Bloem Verity meets Dauphine, Gerard, and Alex. At first everything seems normal and Verity does her job starting the portrait of Alex. Alex and Verity begin to develop a relationship, these two have a lot in common, mainly how they’ve been sheltered. The Duke Gerard is a botanist and he has some weird plants growing in his greenhouse. Verity sees a lot of weird things at Bloem and she’s having trouble sleeping and she’s hearing things. Verity is determined to find out what’s going on at Bloem and she has to use her ability of talking to ghost to see if she can learn anything. Alex and Verity get engaged and that’s when things really take a turn, more unexplainable things are happening and Verity really has to dig deep to seem like she’s sane.

This book gives off a different feel than the first one, but the writing is hauntingly beautiful. I love the feel of a dark mansion with plants growing everywhere and the ghost also add to the gothic and horror theme. Alex and Verity have a slow burn romance and I also liked the representation of Alex, he’s in a wheelchair, but he does most of the things he wants in life and he’s special. There’s a lot of twists and turns in this book and even if you think you know what’s going to happen there’s another twist. I throughly enjoyed this book and loved seeing the secrets unravel and how Verity dealt with her new found freedom. If you enjoyed the first book, definitely get your hands on the sequel!

Filed Under: Reviews

FAMILY OF LIARS By E. Lockhart

July 3, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAMILY OF LIARS By E. LockhartFamily of Liars by E. Lockhart
Series: We Were Liars #0
Published by Delacorte Press on 5/3/22
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 294
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.

Short and Sweet Review

Family of Liars is the prequel to We Were Liars and our main character is Carrie, Johnny’s mom. We see what Carrie’s life was like on the island during her teenage years. She tells Johnny’s ghost a story of a time she did something really bad and we follow Carrie as she goes back and tells her story. During the summer the family spends time on their private island and it seems like a regular summer until Carrie’s cousin comes and brings along some boys as guests. Carrie tries to be a good hostess but she’s not that good on it, she’s hooked on pills and half the time she feels drowsy and weak, she also sees the ghost of her dead sister Rosemary who drowned a year ago. Carrie ends up falling for one of the boys but unfortunately he has eyes for her sister Penny which enrages Carrie. This is where the story really picks up. Carrie is always comparing herself to her sisters and she usually sees herself as less than. Anyway jealousy is the name of the game and that is mainly Carries whole story for why she ends up doing what she does. I will say that like We Were Liars things don’t pick up in this book until the whole story is revealed and at that point the book is basically over but the reveal makes the book.

Overall, this book has the same feel as the first and the family really is full of liars. I did like the reveal at the end but the pacing is too slow for me when its trying to build up to the climax. These books are entertaining to read and its really the ending that makes them as good as they are, but I’m not sure that small portion makes up for the rest of the story.

Filed Under: Reviews