KILLING TIME By Brenna Ehrlich

March 7, 2022 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.

KILLING TIME By Brenna EhrlichKilling Time by Brenna Ehrlich
Published by Inkyard Press on 3/8/22
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 309
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Summer in Ferry, Connecticut, has always meant long, lazy days at the beach and wild nights partying in the abandoned mansions on the edge of town. Until now, that is.

Natalie Temple, who’s never been one for beaches or parties in the first place, is reeling from the murder of her favorite teacher, and there’s no way this true-crime-obsessed girl is going to sit back and let the rumor mill churn out lie after lie—even if she has to hide her investigation from her disapproving mom and team up with the new boy in town…

But the more Natalie uncovers, the more she realizes some secrets were never meant to be told.

Short and Sweet Review

Natalie Temple isn’t like the other kids in town she’s into true crime and murder so much so that the other people in town think she’s weird. When her favorite teacher is murdered Natalie’s world is rocked but she also uses this as a chance to start her own investigation.

Where do I even start? Natalie loves true crime, she was in the true crime club at school until her mom found out and she has a podcast about true crime and murders with her best friend Katie. When her favorite teacher dies Natalie knows she has to investigate. Natalie is probably the worst detective, obviously she’s not experienced but the amount of mistakes she would make just made me shake my head. She would make rash decisions and her intuition wasn’t the best. Also we have the POV of her mother from 20 years ago when her mom was in high school. We see that her mother is also dealing with a murder and she’s not investigating but she’s a reporter. This POV shows us more of why Helen is so protective over Natalie and doesn’t want her mixed up in anything like murder investigations. Natalie also meets Kurt he’s weird but he’s her romantic interest in this book. He added nothing but weird vibes and everyone thought he was sketchy expect for Natalie (again bad decisions).

Honestly this book fell short of my expectations way short. Natalie was not a character I liked I would not want to solve another murder with her. The conversations between her and her mom were horrible it was too much over protectiveness from one and rebelling from the other. The ending was horrible, like the motive from the suspect was just nonsense, but I guess people have done worse with less. This is not a book I would recommend, I wanted to put it down multiple times but decided to push through. The characters especially Natalie, Helen, and Kurt were hard to like and some of the things that happened were just a result of bad and stupid decisions.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BOOK OF LIVING SECRETS By Madeleine Roux

March 3, 2022 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.

THE BOOK OF LIVING SECRETS By Madeleine RouxThe Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux
Published by Quill Tree Books on 3/8/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 396
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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No matter how different best friends Adelle and Connie are, one thing they’ve always had in common is their love of a little-known gothic romance novel called Moira. So when the girls are tempted by a mysterious man to enter the world of the book, they hardly suspect it will work. But suddenly they are in the world of Moira, living among characters they’ve obsessed about for years.

Except…all is not how they remembered it. The world has been turned upside down: The lavish balls and star-crossed love affairs are now interlaced with unspeakable horrors. The girls realize that something dark is lurking behind their foray into fiction—and they will have to rewrite their own arcs if they hope to escape this nightmare with their lives.

Short and Sweet Review

Best friends Adelle and Connie both love a little known historic, gothic romance novel by the name Moira. When the two are told by a man that her can transport them into the book Adelle jumps at the chance but Connie is more suspicious, but soon the girls are in the book that they’ve been obsessing over for years. Unfortunately the book is nothing like they imagined. Now the girls have to find a way to survive in this nightmarish world and make it back to their own.

Adelle and Connie love this book Moira so when this guy who works in a shop they’ve been going to for a while says he can put them in the book they say yes not thinking it’ll work. In the book the girls are separated Adelle actually ends up meeting the main characters but they’re so much different than the ones she pictured in her head. Connie ends up with the side characters a group called the Penny-Farthings. Adelle and Connie quickly realize that the world they’re in isn’t one they want to be in. There’s also some creature in the wharf that takes sleep walking people and is using them for whatever reason.

The characters in the book were interesting, they obviously weren’t how Connie and Adelle imagined them but my favorites were Orla, Caid, and Missi. These were characters that the girls originally brushed off but ended up being the best characters. Moira and Severin on the other hand were awful. There were some weird things going on in this book and most of it could be attributed to the girls being in a world they shouldn’t have been in.

I liked Connie and Adelle, Adelle was basically living in a fantasy world for the first couple of chapters she was in the book because she didn’t know what was going on outside. Connie was helping the Penny-Farthings fight and get supplies. I did like how all of the characters got together to help try to stop the monster in the wharf from completing his goal, and trying to help the girls get back to their own time. I will say I’m still a little confused on what happened in the end.

The premise was good I think that some more information about the thing in the wharf and what the dream city is would have made this book even better. I liked the horror vibes and just seeing what would happen next. I loved seeing Connie and Adelle navigate their way through a world they thought they knew. It just makes you wonder what it would be like inside your favorite book.

Filed Under: Reviews

ONLY A MONSTER By Vanessa Len

February 21, 2022 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.

ONLY A MONSTER By Vanessa LenOnly a Monster by Vanessa Len
Series: Monsters #1
Published by HarperTeen on 2/22/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 412
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Don’t forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters.

Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers.

And the cute boy at work isn’t just a boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family.

To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story…she is not the hero.

Sweet and Short Review

Joan’s grandma has always told her stories about monsters but Joan has brushed them off and took them for what they were stories. That is until Joan has a strange encounter and travels through time and realizes that her grandma wasn’t just telling stories her family are monsters and there are other monster families out there. The boy that Joan works with, Nick, he’s the hero, the monster slayer and he won’t stop until he’s finished his mission: killing all the monsters.

Joan has a date with Nick but on her way to the date she ends up time traveling, upon returning home she learns from her grandmother that she is a monster and their whole family is and every monster family has a distinct power. When Joan tries to explain why she missed her date with Nick a family appears and that day ends in disaster. Now Joan must time travel to unravel the massacre that just happened.

This world had a unique magic system I liked hearing about the different families and what they could do even if we didn’t see all of the families in this book. Joan has to team up with Aaron Oliver which is hard because everyone knows the Hunts and Oliver families hate each other so other monster families who see them find it strange. Joan also has her cousin Ruth and later on Tom join her on her mission to set things right.

Joan was an okay character. She didn’t know a lot about the monster world everything she was learning was right there on the spot, but for some reason she thought she knew better than everyone around her. I did like how she was determined but sometimes her determination led her to make reckless and selfish decisions I also didn’t like how she would argue to the point of throwing a tantrum just to get her way. I’m hoping that in the next book Joan gets so serious character development.

The time traveling aspect was great and it was interesting to see the other families and learn about the time traveling they were doing, and how the monsters had to steal time from humans to actually do the traveling.

The romance was… something. Joan and Aaron spend most of the book together because he’s helping her try to set things right and there are some sparks there. But Joan can’t stop thinking about Nick the boy who literally destroyed her. Anyway it’s like a love hate thing going on between those two and I was not here for it. Every time Nick popped up I was just waiting for him to kill Joan or vice versa but they were both kind of weak in that aspect.

I really enjoyed this book the plot and the world were captivating and kept me wanting more. I do wish that Joan were less childish, but this book is worth the read and I’m excited to see what happens next!

Filed Under: Reviews

EXTASIA By Claire Legrand

February 17, 2022 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.

EXTASIA By Claire LegrandExtasia by Claire Legrand
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 2/22/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 492
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Her name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today she will become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark her and place the red hood on her head. With her sisters, she will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain—an evil which has already killed nine of her village’s men.

She will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow her. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls she saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today she will be a saint of Haven. She will rid her family of her mother’s shame at last and save her people from destruction. She is not afraid. Are you?

Short and Sweet Review

In the village of Haven men are dying and our main character knows that when she becomes one of the four saints that she can stop the evil that has invaded Haven. She has seen beast and faceless women but she will tell no one because she will be the one to save her people.

This book was something. Something interesting, strange, different. Some of these things were good and others just had me wondering what was going on. The book starts off with our main character who won’t go by her name because it’s the name her mother went by and her mother brought shame upon their family. Anyway once she becomes a saint she goes by the name Amity. Unfortunately for Amity and the Village men are still being killed and the village thinks it’s because they made Amity a saint after everything her mother did. The other Saints, Mercy and Temperance invite Amity with them to a place called Avazel where Amity meets a coven of witches who use a power called Extasia. Their leader Malice admits that her and the coven have been killing the men in Haven basically to meet the devil. Amity decides that she’s going to find relics and meet the devil first to stop the evil taking place in Haven.

Extasia was nothing that I was expecting at all. There were a lot of religious tones. The men in the village had elders they looked to God and it was such an old way of thinking but they would find it acceptable to beat on the saints. The saints and other girls in the village dealt with a lot of abuse they shouldn’t have, but they followed the way of thinking. Amity who in the end becomes rage (lots of name changes) uses Extasia and has to keep it a secret because she knows what will happen if she’s found out and she still has a mission to complete. I liked watching Amity try to find the relics and slowly go from obedient to realizing that things in Haven aren’t as great as she once thought. Amity definitely had a lot of character development from the beginning to the end, she was stronger and much more sure of herself and willing to see change. I did like the sisterhood between the saints and how they realized that they were the ones who could save Haven. The romance we see a sliver of it so I’m not sure why it was made to be one of the big selling points for this book. I would say there’s maybe 3 to 5 scenes with the love interest and just one big one. The ending reminded me of books like Divergent or the Maze Runner and basically felt out of place.

There were things I liked about this book and other things that just confused me or made me want to put this book down. Overall it was different and not what I was expecting.

Filed Under: Reviews

LULU AND MILAGRO’S SEARCH FOR CLARITY By Angela Velez

February 7, 2022 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.

LULU AND MILAGRO’S SEARCH FOR CLARITY By Angela VelezLulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/8/22
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 388
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.

Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own spring break plans (Operation Don’t Die a Virgin) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.

On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

Short and Sweet Review

Lulu and her sister Milagro are complete opposites, Lulu is an over-achiever and Milagro seems to care more about boys than her studies. Their older sister Clara is in college and Clara is the sister that seems like she can do no wrong, until she came home from winter break and got in an argument with their mom and hasn’t spoken to her since. Now there’s some tension in the house whenever Clara is mentioned. Lulu needs Clara and her mom to make up so that Lulu can go to a summer program at Stanford but it seems impossible to make this happen, but Lulu has a plan, during the college tour with her high school she’ll find Clara and figure out what went wrong. On the other hand Milagro is more worried about not dying a virgin so she has plans to have sex with her boyfriend while her mom is on a prayer trip and Lulu is on a college tour. Unfortunately for Milagro things go wrong and she ends up having to go on the college tour with Lulu much to her displeasure.

Lulu and Milagro are very different which was great in that you could read each POV and know who you were reading about. Lulu takes school very seriously and even though Milagro seems like she doesn’t she’s actually an honor student. We see Lulu struggling with the fact that she doesn’t think her mom will go out of state for college because of the rift with Clara, she just wants Clara to talk to her mom and sort it all out so she can pursue her dreams. Milagro has a boyfriend Pablo who’s basically a scum bag anyway things don’t go according to plan when they’re about to hook up and she breaks up with him. After that Milagro is informed about the school trip and is invited to go and she’s told to watch over Lulu. Lulu makes an effort to make Milagro feel better but Milagro has other things on her mind… College boys.

Lulu and Milagro try to hangout but again they’re so vastly different and in each other’s heads they just find reasons about why they can’t really hangout, Lulu is too studious and Milagro is too boy crazy. I will say I didn’t like how Milagro was just searching for boys most of the time and broke her promise to Lulu to make it more of a sister trip. I didn’t like that Lulu made rash decisions she would see or hear something not knowing the full story and lash out she did this multiple times. I will say finding out about Clara was the best part. I feel like most of my issues with these characters were resolved 80% through the book.

We do see the sisterly bonds in these characters and I like how in the end we see them figure out what it truly means to love your sisters. This cross country road trip was heartfelt and I liked the characters and their diversity.

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS WOVEN KINGDOM By Tahereh Mafi

February 2, 2022 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 WOVEN KINGDOM By Tahereh MafiThis Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Series: This Woven Kingdom #1
Published by HarperCollins on 2/1/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mythology, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 500
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Short and Sweet Review

Alizeh is the heir to the long lost Jinn kingdom but as of now she works as a servant barely making it by. The Jinn people have been forced into hiding and Alizeh is lucky to be alive and have found work. Kamran is the crown prince and he knows that pretty soon his Grandfather will die and the kingdom will be his, but he doesn’t expect that the servant girl would be the one to uproot his kingdom.

I thought this book started off slow, I think this was due to all the world building and learning about the characters. Alizeh just wants to keep her head down and work, she doesn’t even care about being the heir to the Jinn kingdom she just wants to survive in a world where her people have been killed for being different. Jinn’s have abilities that the Clay people don’t which is one of the reasons they were persecuted. Kamran on the other hand I don’t know what his deal is. He would make rash decisions and he was pompous. I would have preferred if it was just Alizeh’s POV because I just couldn’t stand Kamran. When Kamran and Alizeh meet she is trying to avoid him because she doesn’t need unwanted attention but Kamran can’t stop thinking about her.

Kamran’s grandfather the king decides to host a ball so that Kamran can find his future wife. Kamran doesn’t want to get married to just anyone he wants to marry Alizeh and they only had a few encounters so at this point he doesn’t love her he’s just infatuated with her. During this time Alizeh meets a few allies who want her to take her place as the Jinn queen. There’s a lot of twists that occur in the last five chapters and they were pretty surprising.

This was a decent read I liked the story telling and how things picked up in the end but I could have done without Kamran and his childish behavior and instalove.

Filed Under: Reviews

LOVEBOAT REUNION By Abigail Hing Wen

January 24, 2022 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.

LOVEBOAT REUNION By Abigail Hing WenLoveboat Reunion by Abigail Hing Wen
Series: Loveboat,
Published by HarperTeen on 1/25/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 444
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Sophie Ha and Xavier Yeh have what some would call a tumultuous past.

Hearts were broken, revenge was plotted—but at least they’re friends now. They left the drama behind them back in Taipei—at their summer program, Loveboat—forever.

Now that fall is here, they’re focusing on what really matters. Sophie has sworn off boys and is determined to be the best student Dartmouth’s ever had. Xavier just wants to stay under his overbearing father’s radar, collect his trust fund when he turns eighteen, and concentrate on what makes him happy.

But the world doesn’t seem to want Sophie and Xavier to succeed. Sophie’s college professor thinks her first major project is “too feminine.” Xavier’s father gives him an ultimatum: finish high school or be cut off from his inheritance.

Then Sophie and Xavier find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, hatching a joint plan to take control of their futures. Can they succeed together . . . or are they destined to combust?

Short and Sweet

Sophie and Xavier don’t have the best past, everything that happened on Loveboat was not the ideal situation, but now that the summer is over and they’re leaving Taipei, they decide to move on as friends. Sophie is now at Dartmouth and is focusing on herself and trying to impress her professor with her project proposal which unfortunately is working. Xavier is in LA and has to redo his senior year at his fathers request otherwise he won’t get the trust that his mother left him. Somehow both of Xavier and Sophie’s project lead them back to Taipei where they have a lot of work to do, feelings to fight off, and a loveboat reunion!

Characters

Sophie: It seems like Sophie has grown a lot maybe it’s because she’s leaving loveboat and decides it’s time to focus on herself. She seems more mature and throughout the book we see her learn about herself. She’s still impulsive and sometimes her ambitions are too much for even her. The best thing that Sophie learns to do is to think about things before she actually pursues it, which happens more times than not in this book.

Xavier: After loveboat we see the relationship between Xavier and his father. His father has Xavier in his palm and he knows it and the only way for Xavier to get the trust his mother left him is to play his father’s games. Xavier is resentful towards his dad and we see him do things he know his father won’t approve of just to push those buttons. Xavier still struggles with his learning disabilities and tries to find a way to work around them. Xavier cares about those around him and will try to help them if he can.

Romance

Sophie and Xavier: These two have an interesting dynamic, we see in the first book that their relationship on loveboat blew up spectacularly. But now that they’ve gone there separate ways these two seem better just as friends. Sophie is trying to fight off her feelings for Xavier but it’s hard when she sees him for who he truly is, her heart wants him but her head is saying no, she even goes as far as to try and pair him with another girl. Xavier knows that he has feelings for Sophie, it may not have worked out on loveboat but after leaving he knows that he wants to try to be with her. I thought the relationship between the two worked out better this time around than it did in the first book, but it was hard to see how much Sophie was trying to push Xavier away when she really wanted to pull him closer.

My Thoughts

At Dartmouth Sophie is on the waitlist for a computer science class and the only way to get in is to impress her professor with her proposal, which he rejects because there’s not enough data and Sophie is determined to prove him wrong, and that her idea will work. Xavier on the other hand is redoing his senior year in LA, much to his dismay. When Sophie finds out that a fashion brand has a creation close to what she wants to make for close, she knows its her chance to figure out how they make it work and deliver that information to her professor. The fashion brand is owned by Xavier’s family and he helps Sophie get an interview and also makes his senior project about his family and this is how they end up going back to Taipei and inviting other loveboat friends to join the ride.

We see a lot of different loveboat students some we seen in the last book notably Rick and Ever and we meet some new ones who were at other programs. It was nice to see how Sophie (despite all the pressure) tried to keep everyone happy and plan activities that would be exciting, even though she had other things to worry about. Upon getting to Taipei we see that there’s been some problems with Xavier’s family’s business which he knew nothing about because his father has kept him away so Xavier is in the dark about everything. We see Sophie work on her project and help Xavier with his. We also see Xavier learn more about his family and try to save the business in the end.

I liked the loveboat reunion, I will say that some of them didn’t deserve to be there (Bert, Priscilla). We see Xavier and Sophie get closer and I liked learning about the family business which Xavier has tried to avoid, and seeing the family dynamics.

Overall

This was an entertaining and heartfelt companion novel to Loveboat, Taipei. I did not want to put this book down I just wanted to see what would happen next. Sophie and Xavier were amazing characters to follow and this book did not disappoint!

Filed Under: Reviews

MY FINE FELLOW By Jennieke Cohen

January 10, 2022 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.

MY FINE FELLOW By Jennieke CohenMy Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen
Published by HarperTeen on 1/11/22
Genres: Historical, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 343
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

It’s 1830s England, and Culinarians—doyens who consult with society’s elite to create gorgeous food and confections—are the crème de la crème of high society.

Helena Higgins, top of her class at the Royal Academy, has a sharp demeanor and an even sharper palate—and knows stardom awaits her if she can produce greatness in her final year.

Penelope Pickering is going to prove the value of non-European cuisine to all of England. Her contemporaries may scorn her Filipina heritage and her dishes, but with her flawless social graces and culinary talents, Penelope is set to prove them wrong.

Elijah Little has nothing to his name but a truly excellent instinct for flavors. London merchants won’t allow a Jewish boy to own a shop, so he hawks his pasties for a shilling a piece to passersby—but he knows with training he can break into the highest echelon of society.

When Penelope and Helena meet Elijah, a golden opportunity arises: to pull off a project never seen before, and turn Elijah from a street vendor to a gentleman chef.

But Elijah’s transformation will have a greater impact on this trio than they originally realize—and mayhem, unseemly faux pas, and a little romance will all be a part of the delicious recipe.

Short and Sweet Review

The year is 1830 and culinarians consult with society’s elite to create amazing food. Both Helena and Penelope are in the top of their class at the culinary school. One night both of the girls meet street vendor, Elijah, Helena makes a comment that she can make Elijah a gentleman chef. This becomes Helena’s end of the year project and she know’s if she succeeds only greater things will come in the future. But Elijah’s transformation may be more than the girls originally expected.

We get all three characters POVs and I will say I enjoyed Penelope and Elijah’s over Helena. Helena is one of those people who’s really passionate about what she’s doing but she’s off-putting and I think because she’s higher in society she looks down on people below her. Helena’s goal is to be the best culinarian England has seen. Penelope is half Filipina and she wants to show England that other cuisines have value. Penelope was just an easy character to like she was so nice to everyone and tried to mediate when Helena came off too harsh. Elijah is the street vendor trying to become a gentleman chef and maybe in the end own his own shop if he can impress the right people.

When Helena and Penelope meet Elijah, Helena is not impressed and says she can make him an even better cook and a gentleman. Elijah takes her up on her offer and he begins his lessons in cooking and learning manners to impress society’s upper class. Helena is a tough teacher she wants perfection, when Helena loses her patience Penelope steps in and this is where we see some sparks fly between Penelope and Elijah.

Most of the book involves Elijah’s training and then halfway through we see Elijah show off his training at fairs and cooking for the Princess. I liked seeing the dishes that the trio would prepare.

This retelling was engaging and descriptive. The characters represent different classes and races and it’s just so well done. I couldn’t put this book down!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE STORYTELLER By Kathryn Williams

January 10, 2022 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.

THE STORYTELLER By Kathryn WilliamsThe Storyteller by Kathryn Williams
Published by HarperTeen on 1/11/22
Genres: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

It’s not every day you discover you might be related to Anastasia…or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna.

For Jess Morgan, who is growing tired of living her life to please everyone else, discovering her late aunt’s diaries shows her she’s not the only one struggling to hide who she really is. But was her aunt truly a Romanov princess? Or is this some elaborate hoax?

With the help of a supremely dorky but undeniably cute local college student named Evan, Jess digs into the century-old mystery.

But soon Jess realizes there’s another, bigger truth waiting to be revealed: Jess Morgan. Because if she’s learned anything from Aunt Anna, it’s that only you can write your own story.

Short and Sweet Review

After helping her mom clean out her great aunts home, Jess finds a trunk full of old diaries unfortunately they’re in Russian. Jess enlists the help of a college student Evan, who agrees to help Jess translate the diaries for a fee. After reading a few of the diaries Evan suspects they could be the diaries of Anastasia Romanov, so did Anastasia survive the assassination attempt and live out the rest of her life as a woman named Anna? The more Jess reads the diaries the more she realizes that she can be who she truly is and write her own story.

Jess Morgan lives a double life she can be herself around her friend Katie, but around her boyfriend and family she’s a different person. It’s hard for Jess to keep everything together especially when she’s with her boyfriend and his friends, you can tell she’s unhappy. This is the side plot in this book. I thought it was predictable in the fact that you can tell at some point she would crack. I did like how Katie would bring Jess back to Earth and make her realize that she wasn’t herself around.

Anyway the big thing here is the diaries. The diaries Jess found in the trunk are in Russian and when Evan reads a few they sound like they could be written by Anastasia Romanov the Grand Duchess who was assassinated with her family. Jess and Evan become immersed in the diaries and the stories that are woven in them. The more they read the more they believe that Jess’s aunt Anna could have been Anastasia.

I did like that we got to read the diary entries along with Jess and Evan and maybe get a glimpse into what life was like for Anna. The more Jess read the entries the more she saw that she’s not the only one having problems hiding who she really is. I think this is when she starts showing who she is and starts to speak up for herself. Also the relationship between Evan and Jess seemed to progress to quickly I thought they could have been better as friends, especially since Jess just broke up with her boyfriend. The ending got dark and depressing really fast and I wasn’t expecting it, but overall it was a good book and I enjoyed the mystery of who was writing the diaries and whether or not Anna is Anastasia.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE WOODS ARE ALWAYS WATCHING By Stephanie Perkins

January 3, 2022 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 WOODS ARE ALWAYS WATCHING By Stephanie PerkinsThe Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on 8/31/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 238
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Bears aren’t the only predators in these woods.
Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders, but at least they had each other. Now, with college and a two-thousand-mile separation looming on the horizon, they have one last chance to be together—a three-day hike deep into the woods of the Pisgah National Forest.

Simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare … and then into something far worse. Something that will test them in horrifying ways.

Short and Sweet Review

Neela and Josie are best friends and before going off to college they decide to go on a camping trip. The only thing they need to worry about is bears and navigating the woods and making it back home. Unfortunately there’s more to worry about in the woods than just bears.

Where to start, where to start? Neela and Josie are supposedly best friends but once they start their hiking we see them throw jabs and say things that are hurtful to each other. I don’t know if it was the stress or if they’ve just been holding back and things were finally let loose. Neela was a selfish character and basically only cared about herself. Josie was bossy and overbearing. Once these two clashed the only thing that brought them back together was the fact that Josie got hurt. During the time Josie got hurt we see both POVs as Neela leaves to go get help. The things that happened just seemed unrealistic, I feel like Josie could have survived one thing but the rest of the things that happened should have just taken her out. The perpetrators had no real motive and it was just a waste, I would have rather seen the girls run from a bear. The ending again seemed like something that could happen but the fact that it happened to that certain character the probabilities of it seem 50/50.

I’m glad this book was short because the first 100 or so pages was the girls just arguing, and whining. I didn’t like either character and I don’t feel like there was suspense or at least enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.

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