FAITH: GREATER HEIGHTS By Julie Murphy

October 25, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

FAITH: GREATER HEIGHTS By Julie MurphyFaith: Greater Heights by Julie Murphy
Series: Faith Herbert Origin Story #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on 11/2/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
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Faith Herbert can finally admit that she’s not a regular teen—and take advantage of her new flying superpowers. After the chaos of her first semester, Faith just wants to end her senior year in a normal way—enjoying all the hallmarks of graduating high school, like prom, with her best friends Matt and Ches.

But a new journalism teacher at school means things are off to a strange start, and suddenly Colleen Bristow, the quiet nerd-turned-supervillain, reappears, acting as if nothing ever happened. Fires are cropping up all over town. Then Faith hears that psiots have been going missing.

As if that weren’t enough, reports of sightings of Faith’s ex, the beautiful Dakota Ash, start to emerge. Everyone thinks she’s dead, but Faith knows better. . . . Will she make a reappearance?

As Faith tries to balance her quest with a memorable senior year and the heartbreak of Grandma Lou’s increasing decline, she learns to have faith in herself—and that sometimes fate will point you in the right direction.

Short and Sweet Review

Faith Herbert is back in this high flying sequel! This sequel picks up where things left off. Faith is starting her senior year and she’s going to try to enjoy it but things in town are still off. There’s a new journalism teacher, Colleen has reappeared, there’s been sightings of Dakota Ash, and psiots are going missing. Faith has a lot on her hands but she learns that with help and a little faith in yourself can go a long way.

The Faith Duology is about Faith’s origin story and a lot of that has to do with how she got her powers which we saw in the first book and in this book we saw a bigger focus on her grandma Lou’s declining health and how Faith was dealing with that. We also got more of an explanation on other psiots and what was happening to them. I love that Matt and Ches were always there for Faith because she had to make some hard decisions in this book and sometimes she didn’t make the best decisions but Faith did what she thought would keep the people she loved safe.

The ending felt a little rushed for me, I felt like I predicted where the final climax would take place but I think overall Julie Murphy did a great job wrapping everything up. We know where all the characters end up and I can say I’m happy. This was a cute series and Faith was a fun character to follow on this journey I loved her through the good times and the bad!

Filed Under: Reviews

LUMINOUS By Mara Rutherford

October 5, 2021 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.

LUMINOUS By Mara RutherfordLuminous by Mara Rutherford
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/5/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos—and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

Short and Sweet Review

Liora is a witch and she’s different, she glows. Her father has kept her hidden away but when Liora catches the eye of the King’s warlock Darius trouble ensues. Darius ends up taking Mina, Liora’s younger sister back with him to the palace and Liora becomes her neighbor Margana’s apprentice. During Liora’s apprenticeship she learns that Margana can weave things that will take life after she cast a spell once she is finished. Margana works for Darius and has been working on a tapestry for him, but after an argument Darius pushes Margana’s son Evran into the Tapestry and Liora goes in looking for him, after leaving the tapestry some of the creatures from that world also escape and now Evran and Liora are tasked with stopping them.

I feel like the pacing of the book was kind of slow and then it picked up when Liora had to go in the tapestry but then it slowed down again. People with powers had to basically stay hidden because Darius would use them to grow his own power, but he had his own villain backstory that Liora had to work to get. Liora and Evran had a cute romance but at times it was annoying how often he would push her away. This was an interesting book it reminds me of some other young adult books but it’s different in its own way. My only problem was the pacing otherwise a good story.


Filed Under: Reviews

THIS IS WHY WE LIE By Gabriella Lepore

September 24, 2021 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 WHY WE LIE By Gabriella LeporeThis Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore
Published by Inkyard Press on 9/21/21
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Everyone in Gardiners Bay has a secret.

When Jenna Dallas and Adam Cole find Colleen O’Dell’s body floating off the shore of their coastal town, the community of Gardiners Bay is shaken. But even more shocking is the fact that her drowning was no accident.

Once Jenna’s best friend becomes a key suspect, Jenna starts to look for answers on her own. As she uncovers scandals inside Preston Prep School leading back to Rookwood reform school, she knows she needs Adam on her side.

As a student at Rookwood, Adam is used to getting judgmental looks, but now his friends are being investigated by the police. Adam will do whatever he can to keep them safe, even if that means trusting Jenna.

As lies unravel, the truth starts to blur. Only one thing is certain: somebody must take the fall.

Short and Sweet Review

When Jenna and Adam find Colleen O’Dell’s body floating lifeless in the shore, their small town is shocked, but things get worse when they learn this wasn’t an accident. When Jenna’s friend Holly becomes a suspect Jenna starts to look into things and knows she needs Adams help to piece everything together. Adam goes to Rookwood reform school and is used to being judged and now that he and his friends are being investigated he knows that he needs to do everything he can to keep him and his friends safe.

Jenna likes to take in Gardiner Bay’s scenary early in the morning and that’s when she hears Adam calling for help, and sees that Colleen O’Dell is dead. Thats when this whole mystery kicks off. Jenna went to school with Colleen and wasn’t really close with her but was kind of in the same friend group. When Jenna’s friend Holly becomes a number one suspect because of a recent fight she had with Colleen, Jenna knows she has to do something to help clear Holly and that means digging a little deeper into the girls at Preston Prep and the boys at Rookwood. Jenna’s aunt is a cop so she knows when some people are being looked at more closely than others and that this was a murder and not an accident. We get the POVs of Jenna and Adam and we see that Adam and his friends are hiding something we just don’t know what it is, while with Jenna she’s working towards uncovering what could have happened.

There’s a lot of layers to this mystery and a few twists that I was not expecting. The ending caught me off guard because I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong. I like how some of the characters mainly the Rookwood boys have something they are hiding, while the Preston girls have an interesting dynamic as most high school girls do. This was a read that kept me hooked from beginning to end and I loved the texts, the news clips, and police interviews that are sprinkled in. Definitely pick this book up!

Filed Under: Reviews

ALL THESE BODIES By Kendare Blake

September 22, 2021 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.

ALL THESE BODIES By Kendare BlakeAll These Bodies by Kendare Blake
Published by Quill Tree Books on 9/21/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 300
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Summer 1958. A gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood.

Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, never imagined that the Bloodless Murders would come to his backyard. Not until the night the Carlson family was found murdered in their home. Marie Catherine Hale, a diminutive fifteen-year-old, was discovered at the scene—covered in blood. She is the sole suspect in custody.

Michael didn’t think that he would be part of the investigation, but he is pulled in when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to. As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

Short and Sweet Review

It’s the summer of 1958 and a killer is leaving a trail of bodies along the midwest, and these bodies are drained of blood. Michael Jensen wants to be a journalist and his father is the sheriff in town. Michael never thought that the “Bloodless Murders” would come to his small town. But when the Carlson family is murdered and Marie Catherine Hale is at the scene of the crime drenched in blood, Michael is dragged into the investigation. Marie decides that if she’s going to tell her story the only person she’s going to tell it to is Michael.

The book starts off with a thrill we see Marie covered in the victims blood but claiming that she didn’t commit the killings but she also won’t give up who she was with or tell her story so she just looks guilty. Marie will only tell her story to Michael which surprise everyone but obviously he has to do it because its everyones chance to get answers. We see a sort of friendship develop between Michael and Marie which is kind of understandable because they’re the same age but at the same time she could possibly be a serial killer. Anyway Marie is an unreliable story teller and we can see how she weaves a story and how paranoid Michael becomes. This is one of those books that keeps you reading because you want to know what happened and Marie will keep you guessing till the very end because she doesn’t really want to tell her story, it’s almost like she’s buying time.

All These Bodies will keep you engaged until the very end. I will say that I’m still not sure about that ending and even though I finished the book a few days ago I’m still thinking about it.


Filed Under: Reviews

THE CORPSE QUEEN By Heather M. Herrman

September 15, 2021 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 CORPSE QUEEN By Heather M. HerrmanThe Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 9/14/21
Genres: Historical, Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Soon after her best friend Kitty mysteriously dies, orphaned seventeen-year-old Molly Green is sent away to live with her "aunt." With no relations that she knows of, Molly assumes she has been sold as a maid for the price of an extra donation in the church orphanage's coffers. Such a thing is not unheard of. There are only so many options for an unmarried girl in 1850s Philadelphia. Only, when Molly arrives, she discovers her aunt is very much real, exceedingly wealthy, and with secrets of her own. Secrets and wealth she intends to share—for a price.

Molly's estranged aunt Ava, has built her empire by robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical students who need bodies to practice surgical procedures. And she wants Molly to help her procure the corpses. As Molly learns her aunt's trade in the dead of night and explores the mansion by day, she is both horrified and deeply intrigued by the anatomy lessons held at the old church on her aunt's property. Enigmatic Doctor LaValle's lessons are a heady mixture of knowledge and power and Molly has never wanted anything more than to join his male-only group of students. But the cost of inclusion is steep and with a murderer loose in the city, the pursuit of power and opportunity becomes a deadly dance.

Short and Sweet Review

Molly Green has lived in an orphanage and soon after the mysterious death of her best friend Kitty, Molly is sent to live with an aunt she’s never meant or heard of. When Molly meets here aunt she learns that she’s wealthy and she became wealthy by robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical students to practice. Molly’s aunt Ava wants her help in getting the corpses, though Molly is hesitant at first she agrees. Molly spends her day exploring the mansion and trying to get a peak at the anatomy lessons that Dr. Lavalle holds at the old church on her aunts property. Molly want’s to join the class but that requires more of her working with the dead than she would have ever expected, and the cost is dangerous especially with a killer on the loose.

Let me just start by saying the premise was far more interesting than the story was maybe because the execution wasn’t the best. Molly wasn’t a great character I found her annoying and her thoughts were all over the place she as a character was all over the place. The plot was just Molly moving in with her aunt and going around getting the bodies for her aunt at night and acting like a high society lady during the day. Molly also has a romance with Tom a guy that works for her aunt and goes with Molly to get the bodies. This romance is lackluster and ridiculous, mainly because he’s known her for less than five seconds but thinks he can tell her what to do with her life. Anyway Molly also learns that there’s this person named the knifeman going around killing people around the area and she wants to find out who it is because this person could have killed her best friend Kitty so that’s a subplot. Moving on Molly also joins Dr. Lavalle’s classes much to the annoyance of the male students in the class. I found Molly to be extremely annoying during the scenes in class, she seemed smart and like she knew what she was talking about but when she was asked to demonstrate she would hesitate and start acting weird and proving the point of the male students that she didn’t belong and then she would huff and puff and get angry. She definitely had a lot of mood swings and I was not into it.

There were things that were confusing in this book and the ending was not the best. I still feel like if things were excited better this book would have been a solid read.

Filed Under: Reviews

WHITE SMOKE By Tiffany D. Jackson

September 10, 2021 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.

WHITE SMOKE By Tiffany D. JacksonWhite Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 9/14/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

Mari and her blended family have just moved from California to Cedarville. Her mom accepted a job with the Sterling Foundation and with that comes a free house, one that seems to be haunted. The construction workers can’t seem to get out of the house fast enough and Mari’s younger stepsister Piper becomes friends with someone named Ms. Suga. The house is in between dilapidated houses and the neighbors surrounding the area are less then welcoming. Things start to get strange when things go missing, voices can be heard through the walls, and there’s a smell coming through the vents. Mari learns that her house isn’t the only thing that’s dangerous, Cedarville is full of secrets.

When we meet Mari her and her family are arriving to Cedarville, we learn that something happened to Mari back in California that required her to need a fresh start but we aren’t entirely clued in until later on in the book. We also see that Mari has a phobia to bed bugs and it’s very extreme. Mari doesn’t have the best relationship with Piper or her stepfather Alec so when Piper keeps going on about this Ms. Suga wanting Mari out of the house they think Piper is talking about an imaginary friend. The hauntings in the house are creepy things are being moved, Mari’s phone is being messed with. After that Mari starts to do some more digging into the town’s history which gets her into trouble because someone in town is watching her every move. A small problem I had was the way Mari talked to Piper, I know Piper was annoying but the way Mari would cuss at her was a bit much.

White Smoke was creepy and held my attention until the very end. I just wanted to know what was going on in that house and in that town. I feel like the ending could have been better, I wanted to see them confront the Sterlings but oh well. Some elements of this book were based off of true stories and I’m interested in knowing what they are because Cedarville was an interesting town. White Smoke was a good book and it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat!

Filed Under: Reviews

GENERATION MANIFESTATION By Steven Bereznai

September 6, 2021 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.

GENERATION MANIFESTATION By Steven BereznaiGeneration Manifestation by Steven Bereznai
Published by Jambor on 9/14/21
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

DON'T BE DNA REGULAR. BE GENERATION MANIFESTATION.

The Genetic Wars that turned most of the planet into a wasteland are over. The so-called “dregs” (DNA regulars) and superpowered Supergenics now live separately from each other—the Supergenics in the shiny towers of Jupitar City; the dregs across the river in the squat concrete buildings of the boroughs. But some dreg parents bear Supergenic children; under repressive laws, they must be sent to live with their own kind.

THEY ARE GEN M.

To find these special few, every teen faces Testing Day. When her turn comes, socially isolated Caitlin Feral is determined to Manifest powers like the heroes in the comic book propaganda she loves. If she fails, she faces a lifetime of loneliness and drudgery in the boroughs.

How much is Caitlin willing to sacrifice to be a supergirl?

When she uncovers dark secrets, does she dare start another war to reveal the truth?
And...who will pay the price?

Short and Sweet Review

In Generation Manifestation we are brought to a world where people either have powers or they don’t. If you have powers you are known as Supergenics and live in Jupiter City, and if you don’t you live across the river and are known as a dreg.

Our main character Caitlin has been waiting for testing day to see if she’s going to manifest and is a supergenic, but she doesn’t and she’s a dreg. Caitlin is disappointed and like every other dreg is given a list of jobs that she would be well suited for. While Caitlin is still living life in the boroughs she has more interactions with a classmate Normand, who she thinks is weird and he also gives her a comic book and she knows she can get in trouble for having it but she keeps it anyway. Caitlin also gets training as a protector and meets a guy named Bradie and Caitlin was basically obsessed with him.

Honestly this was a short book but it felt like it was way longer than it really was. I didn’t follow what was going on half of the time, I don’t know if that was a formatting issue with the ARC I think a couple sentencing were missing from each chapter but things were definitely missing. I didn’t think Caitlin was a likable character she was childish and I could not stand her dialogue and the way she would talk to people. There was a bit of a conspiracy surrounding what was going on in Jupiter City and what they were doing, and this book left off on a cliffhanger but I’m not sure if I would continue on with this series.

Filed Under: Reviews

WE CAN BE HEROES By Kyrie McCauley

September 2, 2021 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.

WE CAN BE HEROES By Kyrie McCauleyWe Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 9/7/21
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other, but they always tried their best for their mutual friend, Cassie. After the town moves on from Cassie’s murder too fast, Beck and Vivian finally find common ground: vengeance.

They memorialize Cassie by secretly painting murals of her around town, a message to the world that Cassie won’t be forgotten. But Beck and Vivian are keeping secrets, like the third passenger riding in Beck’s VW bus with them—Cassie’s ghost.

When their murals catch the attention of a podcaster covering Cassie’s case, they become the catalyst for a debate that Bell Firearms can no longer ignore. With law enforcement closing in on them, Beck and Vivian hurry to give Cassie the closure she needs—by delivering justice to those responsible for her death.

Short and Sweet

Bell is the home of Bell Firearms and has been for the past two hundred years. Five months ago the heir to Bell Firearms went to school with some firearms and killed his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Queen and himself.

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other but they did it for Cassie. Beck and Cassie feel like the town is moving on from Cassie’s murder to fast and they find common ground, they want vengeance and they also get some help from Cassie’s ghost. Beck and Vivian go around town painting murals of Cassie to remind the town that she won’t be forgotten. The murals begin to catch the attention of a podcast that has been covering Cassie’s case, they also catch the attention of law enforcement. Beck and Vivian know they need to work fast to get their point across and get Cassie the closure she needs.

Characters

Beck: Beck is one of main characters and she’s more fierce, she’s tough but deep down she has feelings. Beck likes to hide her feelings and when it comes to Cassie she feels like she needs to get vengeance for her and the best way to do that is to paint murals of Cassie around town.

Vivian: Vivian is our more level headed main character. She was injured in the attack at the school and she had plans to be a doctor but now she’s second guessing everything. I feel like this time she spends with Beck and Cassie really helps her and what she really needed was someone who could understand her pain which was why I was so happy when she reunited with Beck.

Cassie: We meet Cassie as a ghost and all of her sections are written in verse. We learn a lot about what Cassie’s life was like and how she felt during her time alive, the way she was written makes it feel like you know her and that she had so much more to offer the world if she just had the chance to do it. We see Cassie’s relationship with Nico and how it turned deadly and how all the warning signs were there and if someone just took her seriously everything could have been avoided or maybe turned out differently. I feel that Cassie realizes how strong she actually is and she uses her time as a ghost to prove it at certain times.

My Thoughts

~ After Cassie’s death Beck and Vivian have stopped talking. Beck’s first mission is to start painting murals over town because the last thing she’s going to let this town do is let them forget about Cassie’s murder and let Bell Firearms know that justice will be served. When Vivian finds out what Beck is doing she’s apprehensive but deep down she knows she wants to fight for Cassie too. With Beck and Vivian together they learn that Cassie has been in Becks VW bus, it’s almost like them being together made Cassie strong enough to appear. With Cassie around the girls go around town painting murals of Cassie that portray her as strong female characters. Soon the murals begin to catch the attention of local law enforcement who want to put a stop to it and locals who are all for murals and know that Bell Firearms were in the wrong. As things start to heat up in town the girls rush to finish their murals and also try to find a way to give Cassie closure.

We have all three of the girls POVs and I love them all equally. They all have their own voice and each one is easy to connect to, you feel for each of them and the struggles that they’re going through and you want to cheer for them when they have a personal victory. The friendship they share is beautiful. We also get to read from the We Can Be Heroes podcast which is covering Cassie’s case. I really liked Merit who was the host of the show she left no stone unturned and she did a great job helping the girls.

Overall

This book was beautifully written! It’s also important and sheds light on domestic violence especially in teen relationships. This book was amazing and so were the characters who were relatable and so real. I was emotionally invested and hooked from page one!



Filed Under: Reviews

TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET By Karen M. McManus

August 26, 2021 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.

TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET By Karen M. McManusTwo Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
Published by Delacorte Press on 1/8/19
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 331
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

Short and Sweet Review

Ellery and her twin brother Ezra have always heard about the town of Echo Ridge, because that’s the town their aunt went missing in. Now Ellery, is moving to a town she’s heard all about, to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

Five years ago, the homecoming queen was killed, putting Echo Ridge on the map. The town seems to have moved on but everyone has their secrets and someone seems to want to make a statement at this years homecoming and by pulling pranks but things get dark when a girl is kidnapped.

Ellery is into true crime so moving to Echo Ridge isn’t the worst thing she kind of wants to figure out what happened to her aunt it also doesn’t hurt that someone is targeting people who are being voted as homecoming queen. Malcolm is our other main character, he has it hard mainly because his older brother dated Lacey the homecoming queen who died five years ago and everyone thinks his brother did it. Anyway Malcolms mom remarried and now they live with Peter and his daughter Katrin, Katrin is popular and is voted as someone who could be homecoming queen and so is her friend Brooke. There’s a lot going on so follow me down the rabbit hole. There’s this like fair ground that the teens go to and that’s where Lacey was murdered and now that I’m writing that I’m not sure if that’s super important but still follow me. Anyway three people from Lacey’s class come back to town, and all seems a little shady. Moving on that little part is supposed to keep us guessing who could be the culprit but it’s weird because Ellery’s aunt went missing way before Lacey was even around. I digress. So someone is eventually kidnapped and Ellery our true crime queen tries and I mean tries and fails horribly to piece together the clues to find us our culprit and she blames everyone but the right person. Then we have Malcolm who is basically blamed by everyone in town which is pretty hysterical and its such a small town that the sheriff is like, “yeah lay low.” Basically not even doing a decent job.

The ending was unexpected I wasn’t sure who did it mainly because Ellery threw me off so much that I wasn’t even on the baseball field anymore I was out in the parking lot. I don’t even know what I didn’t like I was just unsatisfied in the end.


Filed Under: Reviews

BLOOD & HONEY By Shelby Mahurin

August 21, 2021 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 & HONEY By Shelby MahurinBlood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Series: Serpent & Dove #2
Published by HarperTeen on 9/1/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 538
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To survive, they need allies. Strong ones. But as Lou becomes increasingly desperate to save those she loves, she turns to a darker side of magic that may cost Reid the one thing he can’t bear to lose. Bound to her always, his vows were clear: where Lou goes, he will go; and where she stays, he will stay.

Until death do they part.

Short and Sweet Review

After the last book, Lou, Reid, Coco, Ansel, and the rest of the gang are trying to find allies to help them defeat Morgane. Lou and the gang are fugitives on the run from the church, coven, and kingdom, and really have nowhere to hide especially with Morgane trying to bait them.

Alright I feel like this review in particular is going to be very short because there’s not much to say. There wasn’t a lot going on in this book I was so bored I felt like the whole time they were trying to find allies and that was 80% of the book. It took me 8 months to read this book because of how many times I picked it up and put it back down, there was nothing that was holding my interest. Reid and Lou were insufferable I swear it to you all they would do was argue and it’s just like didn’t they fall in love in the last book? Now it’s like they can’t stand each other. The difference between Serpent & Dove and Blood & Honey is day and night. After reading this I can’t decide if I want to read the final book. I would do it just to finish the trilogy but if it’s as bad as this book was that’s 623 pages I wasted reading.

Filed Under: Reviews