THE ZEPPELIN DECEPTION By Colleen Gleason

January 28, 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 ZEPPELIN DECEPTION By Colleen GleasonThe Zeppelin Deception by Colleen Gleason
Series: Stoker & Holmes #5
Published by Avid Press on 8/22/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 360
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It’s a cold, blustery day in January of 1890 when Mina Holmes receives an invitation to Evaline Stoker’s wedding. The two young women—partners and occasionally friends—haven’t spoken for nearly two months, since the events at the Carnelian Crow.

Shocked, Mina is still looking at the invitation when constables from Scotland Yard begin pounding on her front door. They’ve arrived to arrest her for the murder of a man she’s never even heard of.

Meanwhile, Evaline has her hands full with wedding plans (boring) and an overbearing sister who wants to manage her every move—including a dizzying array of social activities. In the midst of all this, she receives an invitation to visit Lady Isabella Cosgrove-Pitt, a most villainous woman.

With Pix in jail, Mina being hunted by Scotland Yard, and Evaline dining with the murderous Lady Isabella what more can possibly go wrong? Plenty.

And when the mysterious black zeppelin appears once again in the night sky, things are about to get even more dangerous than ever for Miss Stoker and Miss Holmes...

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the Carnelian Crow, Mina and Evaline haven’t spoken in two months, so Mina is surprised when she gets an invitation to Evaline’s wedding. Mina doesn’t have long to think about how strange this is because the constables from Scotland Yard are pounding on her door waiting to arrest her for murder of a man she’s never even heard of. Evaline on the other hand is planning a wedding she doesn’t even want to have, but when she gets an invitation to go to Isabella Cosgrove-Pitt’s house she accepts, because what’s the worst that could happen?

I thought this last installment in the Stoker and Holmes series was probably one of the best, I liked it a lot more than the Carnelian Crow. I thought it was interesting to see how Mina and Evaline were without each other and the realization that they really do like to work together and care for one another. My favorite thing about this book was that it was the ending and we see these girls tackle their final case and will finally take on the Ankh for the last time. The Ankh really is one of their toughest villains and it was interesting to see how she was still pulling the strings in this final book. We also get to see some of the characters that we’ve come to love like Grayling, Pix, and Dylan.

The Zeppelin Deception was a great send off for Mina and Evaline, thought the series we’ve seen them work together and really form a bond. The plot in this book wasn’t lacking and it was fun seeing our heroines tackle one last case before moving on.

Filed Under: Reviews

WHITE RABBIT By Caleb Roehrig

January 27, 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.

WHITE RABBIT By Caleb RoehrigWhite Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 4/24/18
Genres: LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 330
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian—the guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to "talk." Things couldn’t get worse, right?

Then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. He and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.

April swears she didn’t kill Fox. Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth, but April has something he needs. Her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet can’t stop loving, Rufus has one night to clear his sister’s name . . . or die trying.

Short and Sweet Review

Rufus is having a pretty bad night, its the 4th of July and he’s at a party and his ex-boyfriend Sebastian decides he wants to talk, but there’s no time for that because Rufus’s half sister April calls and says she needs help. When Rufus and Sebastian find April at her boyfriend Fox’s cottage, Fox is dead and April is drenched in his blood holding the knife. April swears she didn’t do it and now Rufus has one night to prove it.

The mystery in this book was good. April was at a small gathering at her boyfriends house with four other people and one of them is the killer. Rufus is basically an outcast and he knows that the popular kids at the party won’t talk to him which is why he’s lucky that Sebastian wants to help him. Fox was killed for reasons deeper than someone just not liking him there were drugs involved too. I think my biggest problem with this book was how people treated Rufus and talked to him, including his dad and April. There were a lot of homophobic comments made and it made me uncomfortable mainly because of how far the characters took things.

The story was good but the suspects were pretty shitty people and they would make my skin crawl with how they thought their privilege allowed them to act and say whatever they wanted.

Filed Under: Reviews

SORCERY OF THORNS By Margaret Rogerson

January 26, 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.

SORCERY OF THORNS By Margaret RogersonSorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Series: Sorcery of Thorns #1
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 6/4/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 457
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Short and Sweet Review

Elisabeth has grown up in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, the libraries contain grimoires that can whisper and shake on the shelves and if they’re provoked they can turn into monsters of ink and leather. One night someone releases one of the library’s most dangerous book and Elisabeth is blamed for the crime. Unfortunately Elisabeth has no one to turn to except for a sorcerer named Nathaniel Thorn and this is hard for Elisabeth because she has grown up thinking that all sorcerers are evil. Now Elisabeth is entangled in a conspiracy that spans centuries and she has to figure out how to make things right before the world incinerates around them.

Sorcery of Thorns was an intriguing book. I loved the fact that Elisabeth worked in one of the libraries and its not a. normal library it holds magical grimoires. Elisabeth knows a lot about the grimoires and treats the books with respect because she knows what will happen if she doesn’t. When Elisabeth is implicated in the crime she is forced to go with Nathaniel who will take her to her trial. Nathaniel is the best I love his dialogue, he’s smart and quick with his replies. Obviously Nathaniel shows Elisabeth that not all sorcerers are alike. Nathaniel also has a demon named Silas who is just as great he’s basically Nathaniel’s right hand. Anyway things really start picking up in this book when Elisabeth realizes that the grimoire that was taken from her library isn’t the only one and that more of these incidents are going to happen at the other great libraries. I liked Nathaniel and Elisabeth’s teamwork and how it went from skepticism on Elisabeth’s side to learning to trust Nathaniel.

I loved the characters in this book and the world building, the magic system is pretty great too. Elisabeth’s quest to save the world she loves is endearing and I liked how she was able to expand her horizons and understand that things she might have first believed can be wrong. This book was amazing and I loved how different it was from the books I’ve recently read.

Filed Under: Reviews

THAT WEEKEND By Kara Thomas

January 25, 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.

THAT WEEKEND By Kara ThomasThat Weekend by Kara Thomas
Published by Delacorte Press on 6/29/21
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 324
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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THREE BEST FRIENDS, A LAKE HOUSE, A SECRET TRIP -- WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it's clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours.

Now everyone wants answers--most of all, Claire. She remembers Friday night, but after that . . . nothing. And now Kat and Jesse--her best friends--are missing.

What happened on the mountain? And where are Kat and Jesse? Claire knows the answers are buried somewhere in her memory. But as she's learning, everyone has secrets--even her best friends. And she's pretty sure she's not going to like what she remembers.

Short and Sweet Review

Instead of going to prom, Claire and her two friends Jesse and Kat decide to go on a camping trip. When Claire wakes up she doesn’t remember the past two days and she doesn’t know where Jesse and Kat are. Everyone wants answers but Claire wants them the most and its hard with her memory loss, but the more she digs the more she realizes that her friends were hiding something.

The plot of the book is interesting but I just didn’t like the book as much as I thought I would. Claire wakes up with no memory of the past two days and now her friends are missing. Claire was obviously frustrated because she didn’t have any answers but she made dumb decisions like telling people things about the investigation and then wondered why she was being dragged on the news. I also didn’t like the time jumps we go from two days before the camping trip to the present then six months later and then we switch POVs and it goes to the past and then the present. I feel like the time jumping made the story seem like it was all over the place. I get Kat and Jesse’s reason for going camping in the first place and honestly Claire kind of sucked as a person because in the end she made it all about her.

I think my main issue with this book was Claire, I couldn’t connect with her at all and she was very self absorbed. This book was a definite miss for me.

Filed Under: Reviews

REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING By Elise Bryant

January 23, 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.

REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING By Elise BryantReggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Published by Balzer + Bray on 1/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?

Short and Sweet Review

Delilah is starting off the new year in a band as a favor to her friend. Delilah likes to go with the flow but she’s not sure about being on stage and being part of the center of attention. Reggie is into Dungeons and Dragons and is the dungeon master, he’s actually pretty popular online where he writes essays critiquing the game but he does it under a pseudonym. Reggie and Delilah first meet on New Years Eve and that’s just the beginning of their Holiday meet cutes. The more that these two bump into each other the more that they get to know each other but the problem is they’re starting to fall for a version of each other that isn’t really who they are in their real lives, Delilah isn’t the confident punk rocker you see on stage and Reggie isn’t the cool nerd who’s proud of his Dungeon and Dragons life.

I loved this book so much! I read this book in one sitting and honestly I would do it again! Reggie and Delilah were characters you could relate to. I love how all of their holiday meet ups were coincidence until they decided to take matters into their own hands and start hanging out without it being a holiday. We see Delilah in her band and she’s treated like a second class citizen, they’re using her because she’s bringing them more recognition. When Delilah realizes this she decides that she wants to take a page out of Reggies book and be proud of her own music and be her own person. Unfortunately that’s not who Reggie really is, his family doesn’t get his love for D&D and even his brother makes fun of him. It’s not until we get to the plot where Delilah realizes that Reggie isn’t who she thought he is, that Reggie realizes that he can be that person and finally stands up to everyone who made him feel like he was less than for his passion.

Again I loved this book for the characters, the meet cutes, and the character growth. This is a book that I will recommend to all of my friends, its a must read! You’ll love the characters and the plot!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB By Goldy Moldavsky

January 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.

THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB By Goldy MoldavskyThe Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 4/13/21
Genres: Contemporary, Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:

x Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times.
x Stay together: don’t split up, not even just to “check something out.”
x If there’s a murderer on the loose, do not make out with anyone.

If only surviving in real life were this easy...

New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring stabby serial killers and homicidal dolls to the bored rich kids of Manhattan Prep...and to certain memories she’d preferred to keep buried.

Then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious society of students who orchestrate Fear Tests, elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and movie tropes. At first, Rachel embraces the power that comes with reckless pranking. But as the Fear Tests escalate, the competition turns deadly, and it’s clear Rachel is playing a game she can’t afford to lose.

Short and Sweet Review

After a home break in leaves Rachel a bit traumatized she uses horror movies to cope. Rachel also had to switch schools and as the new girl and she soon learns that there’s a secret club that also likes horror movies and pulling off pranks.

Rachel ends up joining this secret club and they call themselves the Mary Shelley Club, they perform fear tests which take inspiration from movie tropes and urban legends. This club consists of Rachel and four other students. At first these pranks start off harmless enough but they start to escalate eventually becoming deadly.

This book was fast paced and the plot was interesting and held my attention the whole time. The club dynamics were very fascinating, the other members trusted each other and Rachel definitely was treated as the new girl and they made it clear that if she didn’t find out about the club she never would have been included. Rachel has a romance interest named Freddie and he seems like the only one who really stands up for her in the group while the others are still wary of her. The club does these fear test where they pick a target and try to get them to scream, each member has to do their own fear test and have a plan. The fear tests start to get concerning for Rachel when she hears about things happening that weren’t in the plan. My favorite thing was Rachel trying to figure out who was behind the fear tests going wrong and the twist at the end was crazy. I will say I wanted to know what happened to some of the other characters in the end but overall this was a page turner and I loved it.

Filed Under: Reviews

HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE By Talia Hibbert

January 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.

HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE By Talia HibbertHighly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Published by Joy Revolution on 1/3/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Short and Sweet Review

Celine and Brad used to be friends, now they’re enemies, and after a survival course in the woods they may become a couple.

Brad is a football player, he’s cool and hangs out with the popular kids. Celine on the other hand is obsessed with conspiracy theories and has a pretty big social media following. These two aren’t friends after Celine feels like Brad left her for the cool kids a few years ago. Now these two are in the same class and there’s weird tension and to make things worse Celine signs up for a survival course and Brad also gets in which means they have to work together.

This book was cute, it was your normal enemies to lovers troupe. This book is pretty easy to fly through. Brad and Celine go to the woods for a survival course where they realize that they still do want to be friends, maybe even more than friends. These two work together and in the end someone from the survival group could win a grand prize. We see a lot of bonding going on between these two and I feel like Brad knew that he wanted to be with Celine before she realized her feelings. Brad also has OCD which he actually manages pretty well and Celine has her big social media following where she talks about conspiracy theories, I wish there was more talk about that. My favorite thing was Brad’s realization about what he actually wants to do in the future and Celine has the realization that just because she wants to be a lawyer doesn’t mean she needs to follow in her dads footsteps. This is a cute young adult romance that you’ll be able to fly through.

Filed Under: Reviews

CITY OF NIGHTMARES By Rebecca Schaeffer

January 18, 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.

CITY OF NIGHTMARES By Rebecca SchaefferCity of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #1
Published by Clarion Books on 1/10/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 381
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified—terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear.

Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that’s monstrous only in appearance, to transforming into a twisted, unrecognizable creature that terrorizes the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult.

But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what’s supposed to be a simple job for the organization—only for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor—a Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her—must find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.

Short and Sweet Review

Ever since Ness’ sister became a man eating spider Ness has been terrified of nightmares. Ness lives in the city of Newham where she works for the Friends of the Restful Soul, which may or may not be a cult. Ness is on her last straw with the friends organization for her inability to be brave. Ness goes on what should be a simple task: delivering mail, until it all blows up. Ness meets a nightmare named Cy, who’s a vampire, who may be trying to eat her. After Ness and Cy realize that the boat was blown up intentionally, they make their way back to Newham to try to find out who was behind the attack.

The world building in this book is great. When people have dreams they could end up waking as their worst fear. Ness has tried to avoid anything that scares her, she even leaves her friend to fight a nightmare by herself. I did like Ness she may have started off as a coward but through the course of the book she becomes less afraid of things that would normally send her running. I liked seeing the dynamic between Ness and Cy mainly because she wants nothing to do with him because he’s a vampire but he saves her life so that kind of changes things in her mind. I liked seeing how the nightmares worked and we even see what’s called a nightmare phantom in Ness’ dreams and he basically makes becoming your worst fear possible. Anyway Newham is filled with corruption and the assassination attempt was only scratching the surface. Ness doesn’t have any family, so it was nice seeing her friendship with Priya and her new one with Cy. The ending of the book was good and it sets up the sequel well. I’m excited to see what the sequel has in store and what decisions Ness will make.

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy Badua

January 16, 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.

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy BaduaThis Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
Published by Quill Tree Books on 1/17/23
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised—and not-so-quietly bashed—as “Perfect Perlie Perez,” Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed—and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.

Short and Sweet Review

Perla Perez is the youngest student in her graduating class and all her life she’s worked to get accepted into Delmont University. So when Perla gets a rejection letter she panics and creates a fake acceptance letter and shows it to her parents. Perla plans to pretend to be a student and try to improve her next application and become a student in the spring.

This book was addicting and nerve wracking. Perla really went through almost every scenario when she came up with the idea of pretending to be a college student. She attends lectures, finds an empty dorm room, and makes some friends. What Perla wasn’t expecting was to have money problems and see someone from high school who may be on to her. Perla’s parents and family have high expectations for her and I felt bad because this is one of the main reasons she’s in this predicament. Perla is used to being on top so when she’s here in college she realizes that she may have been a lot more sheltered back at home than she thought. Perla has a lot of character development and that was one of my favorite things about this book, Perla just learning that this is her life and she has her own dreams and she doesn’t have to try to live out someone else’s. We see Perla make it 3 months on campus which is pretty insane because she did a lot of sneaking around, and it was always how long can she go before she gets caught or will she be successful and actually get accepted in the spring?

This was an amazing book, it will have you on the edge of your seat following Perla around campus. The biggest thing was the message that you get to pick the overall course of your life and you should follow your dreams and not anyone else’s. This is a must get book, I may have struggled in my college journey but Perla took fake it til you make it to another level and I will never forget her story!

Filed Under: Reviews

BURN OUR BODIES DOWN By Rory Power

January 13, 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.

BURN OUR BODIES DOWN By Rory PowerBurn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
Published by Delacorte Press on 7/7/20
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.

As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.

Short and Sweet Review

Ever since she was born it was always just Margot and her mom, and Margot wants a family or at least to know about her mothers family which she has kept hidden. Knowing that her mom won’t supply her with the answers she wants, Margot does some digging of her own and finds a picture that leads her to a small town called Phalene. Everyone knows that small towns are a little weird and this one is no exception. When Margot arrives in Phalene everyone knows she’s a Nielsen. There’s a lot of excitement on Margots first day like a fire on her grandma’s land which ends with a girl dying who looks like she can be Margots twin. Margot wanted answers but they may be more than she bargained for.

This book was full of suspense which made it a page turner. Margot and her mom don’t get along all the time and whenever they have conversations Margot really has to make sure she says the right things, otherwise her mom will blow up. Margot knows that asking about family will get her mom to shut down so when she finds a lead she packs a bag and makes her way to Phalene. When Margot gets there she finds out her grandma is like her mom and isn’t one to give away answers about her life. This is what gets the ball rolling because why does this family have so many secrets that they’re hiding? Anyway there’s a mysterious dead girl and some weird stuff happening to another teen girl who lives close to the Nielsen farm. I loved watching Margot try to find the answers on her own because her mom and grandma weren’t going to give her the truth. The conversations between Margot and her grandma and mom are hard, mainly because its like they’re gaslighting her and she has to remember that she’s not crazy. The ending was insane and everything made sense and the puzzle pieces clicked together. This was an interesting book and the mystery surrounding this family will have you turning pages until the very end.

Filed Under: Reviews