THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON By Ryan Douglass

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 TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON By Ryan DouglassThe Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 7/13/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 255
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.

Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game—one Jake is not sure he can win.

Short and Sweet Review

Jake Livingston is a medium and can see the dead almost everywhere he goes. Jake doesn’t know what’s worse seeing the dead or having to go to St. Clair prep while being on of the few black students there. But things are looking up when another black student starts attending the school and Jake hits it off with him. Unfortunately, things start to go awry when a vengeful spirit named Sawyer starts to haunt Jake.

This book needs to have a trigger warning at the beginning, we have a teen that wants to commit suicide, talks of rape and abuse, and also a school shooting. Not going to lie this book was a lot more violent than I thought It was going to be, I originally thought it would just be about a medium and trying to get rid of a ghost but it was a lot more than that. Jake goes to a fancy school where most of the teachers and students are racist but he tries to ignore them as he believes that no one cares. He sees ghost and the worst part of it all is that Sawyer Doon a kid who recently killed six kids at his high school and himself is coming for Jake. There was a lot of back and forth between Sawyer and Jake and just seeing Jake try to figure out if he really could best Sawyer or if this was the end for him. We also get Sawyer’s POV and its mainly diary entries and we get to see how he became the way he is. There’s also a bit of romance between Jake and a new student Allistar, which wasn’t completely fleshed out so I can’t say I was the biggest fan of this. I don’t think the world building was complete and some of the things that happened just seemed too abrupt and out of place. The whole thing with Sawyer and Jake was a game of cat and mouse and I think I would have appreciated Sawyer’s POV to also include some of the present to see what exactly he wanted from Jake. I wasn’t into the ending because I get that Jake was trying to trap Sawyer but to let him just possess you and go live out his revenge was a little ridiculous. I did enjoy the fact that Jake and his brother Benji were able to have a heart to heart and that Jake did have friends.

Overall, I’m glad this book covered some tough subjects but it wasn’t for me. I didn’t relate to the characters and some of the scenes were just hard to get through.

LOVEBOAT FOREVER By Abigail Hing Wen

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 FOREVER By Abigail Hing WenLoveboat Forever by Abigail Hing Wen
Series: Loveboat,
Published by HarperTeen on 11/7/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 399
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Pearl was ready for a worldwide stage. Instead, she needs to stage a comeback.

Seventeen-year-old music prodigy Pearl Wong had the summer of her dreams planned—until a fall from grace leaves her in need of new plans…and a new image.

Where better to revamp her “brand” than at Chien Tan, the Taipei summer program for elite students that rocketed her older sister, Ever, on a path to romance and self-fulfillment years ago.

But as the alumni know, Chien Tan is actually Loveboat—the extravagant world where prodigies party till dawn—and there’s more awaiting Pearl there than she could have ever imagined, like a scandalous party in the dark, a romantic entanglement with a mysterious suitor...and a summer that will change her forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Pearl Wong is on her way to being a music prodigy until one of her performances goes viral on Tik Tok for all the wrong reasons. Her invite to an exclusive music program is rescinded, and her manager advises her to lay low. So Pearl decides to go to Taipei and maybe have the same amazing experiences her sister Ever had, while also making a comeback.

Loveboat Forever follows Ever Wong’s younger sister Pearl. I loved this book. Pearl is a musician a pianist to be exact and after finding out how cruel people can be on social media she ends up having to stay out of the spotlight and to do that she goes to Taipei. Loveboat is different than when Ever was there, but the kids still want to go out and have fun and at a masked party Pearl ends up kissing someone but she doesn’t know who it is. Honestly, this book follows the same formula as the first book, while Pearl is immersing herself in the culture she also finds herself in a love triangle. Pearl ends up meeting Ethan Kang who is also a musical prodigy in his own right but he’s a bit controlling and doesn’t know how to be himself. Kai on the other hand is hard to get to know and is very judgmental towards her and the other kids at love boat. Ethan and Pearl decide to team up and do a duo for the end of the program talent show which is Pearls chance to get some good publicity. Kai and Pearl on the other hand work together trying to get back Pearl’s great grandmothers pipa and also they play music on the street. I did like Pearl and Kai together mainly because she was allowed to be herself and not worry about the outside world telling her who she needs to be. My favorite part of this book was how we get to see characters from the past books like Ever, Rick, Sophie, and Xavier and honestly their involvement in this book is what upped my rating.

Loveboat Forever, was magical and fun and it just keeps alive the feelings you had from reading the other books. Pearl had a lot of character development throughout the book and I was so happy to follow her journey. We get to see Pearl immerse herself in culture and learn more about her family and also about herself. Definitely check this book out and relive the magic of Loveboat one more time!

FINDING MY ELF By David Valdes

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.

FINDING MY ELF By David ValdesFinding My Elf by David Valdes
Published by HarperTeen on 11/7/23
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 254
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Escaping to NYU for college didn’t turn out the way Cameron planned—he’s flunking his theater classes, about to lose his scholarship, and he still hasn’t found anyone he can call his “people.” When he gets home for winter break, he’s so desperate to avoid a Conversation with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get—as a mall elf. Despite how Scroogey he feels, the plus side is that there’s a cash prize for the most festive of Santa’s helpers.

But the competition is fierce—especially from fellow elf Marco. Christmas spirit oozes out of his veins. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if he’s finally found his people here—in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it?

Short and Sweet Review

After is first semester at NYU doesn’t go as planned Cam is glad to be back in New England for the holidays. Cam was failing theater which is surprising because in high school he was a theater kid, and now he’s on the verge of losing his scholarship, because of this he ends up getting a job at the mall as an elf. The job as an elf comes with a little competition, where guests can vote for their favorite elf and the winner gets $5,000, which would really help Cam at the moment. Cam’s biggest competition is Marco who just embodies the elf spirit, but the more time Cam spends with Marco the more he begins to fall for him.

Finding My Elf is a cute book especially for the holiday season. I just personally didn’t connect to the story or characters. I thought the idea of the competition was great and it was fun to see the different activities the elves would have to complete. I’m not sure if I really liked Cams character, sometimes he would say things that were insensitive and he was also into this guy Leroy who was complete and total trash. This book was short and I think that may be why I had a hard time, I think Cam could have benefitted from some character development. I don’t think I was into the romance either because Marco comes off as a sweet guy but Cam kind of gave him the cold shoulder and then all of a sudden he had a change of heart.

Overall, I don’t think this book was for me, but I do think if you’re into short holiday romance books you should give this novel a shot!

WISH OF THE WICKED BY DANIELLE PAIGE

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.

WISH OF THE WICKED BY DANIELLE PAIGEWish of the Wicked by Danielle Paige
Series: Wish of the Wicked #1
Published by Bloomsbury YA on 11/7/23
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Everyone knows a fairy godmother helped Cinderella get to the ball. But no one knows why.

For centuries, Farrow's family-the Entente-have been magical advisors to the Queen. Their wisdom and foresight kept the Thirteen Queendoms in harmony. Until a new queen, Magrit, takes power, outlaws magic, and executes the Entente. Only Farrow survives, with her magic warped beyond repair. She can now use it only to fulfill the feeble wishes of commoners.

Since that day, Farrow has dreamed of revenge. The one way to reach the queen is through her son, Prince Mather, who is nearing the age when he must select a bride. When a special ball in his honor is announced, Farrow sees her opportunity. All it will take is a young woman named Cinderella who dreams of true love. With one night, one chance to reclaim her magic and destroy the queen, Farrow will stop at nothing.

Short and Sweet Review

For centuries the Entente have been advisors to the queens, and with the Ententes advice and wisdom the 13 queendoms have been in harmony. There are three fates: the Past, the Present, and the Future. When Hecate the fate of the Future informs Queen Magrit of a future she doesn’t want to believe, Queen Magrit orders all of the Entente to be executed and for magic to be outlawed. Farrow is the only survivor and she vows to get revenge, and the chance comes when she becomes the shadow to a couterie which is someone the Prince wants. When Farrow becomes the couterie she now has access to the palace to kill the queen and she won’t stop until she does just that.

Wish of the Wicked is an interesting Cinderella retelling in that it’s centered around the Fairy Godmother who is Farrow, and that it’s based on revenge. Farrow has magic but for some reason she can only use it when people wish for things. The story starts off when Farrow is young and she see’s Hecate burned at the pyre and most of her Entente family killed by the Queens men. We then see Farrow go on to be adopted and as a shadow learn how to be a couterie, and also plot her revenge on the queen. This part was okay but then it gets weird and I think it may have been the pacing but this is during the middle of the book but we’re suddenly taken from Farrow being a couterie to her finding out that some of the Entente are still alive and she goes with them to some place that’s out of sight for people looking for them. This jump just felt so disjointed and I didn’t like it, it felt like that prior part of the story wasn’t completely fleshed out and we just wanted to jump to the part of the story where Farrow meets Cinderella. Towards the last half of the book we learn that the fate of the Present is still alive and so are some of Farrows Entente sisters, unfortunately they’re the wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. Farrow begins to learn more about Cinderella and getting to know her she realizes that the Entente are in the wrong and not the same people she knew as a child. When the ball is announced, Farrow thinks its the perfect chance to final destroy the queen and she enlists the help of Cinderella.

This book had an entertaining premise, I just think the pacing was off. There were some scenes that were slow and others that were fast, and some that just didn’t have a lot of content in them. I don’t think there was a lot of character development for Farrow and she really didn’t have time to grow she was a bit one dimensional. Also the romance angle didn’t work for me, she and the prince hardly knew each other but I guess that basically a Disney thing unless you’re in the movie frozen and have an older sister who has some sense. Anyway, the ending was okay but I’m interested to see how the next installment will be and what will happen with the characters, also for some reason I’m more invested in Cinderella’s character than Farrows.

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

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.

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie GarberA Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 10/24/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Short and Sweet Review

A Curse for True Love picks up right where The Ballad of Never After left off. Evangeline is awake again and so is Apollo but Evangeline doesn’t have any of her memories, and who knows where Jacks is. Apollo is acting like a dotting husband and comes across as wanting to keep Evangeline safe and while doing so he’s made Jacks public enemy number one.

Evangeline is out main character but in this book we also get the POVs of Apollo and Jacks. Evangeline doesn’t remember a thing but she does know that Apollo’s behavior isn’t right, he’s too overprotective and tries to keep her locked up. When we see what’s going on in Apollo’s view we learn he’s an awful person and the only person he truly cares about is himself. Jacks on the other hand is trying to help Evangeline get away from Apollo and also help her get her memories back. I feel like this book was different from the others because we’re not going all around the magnificent north, Evangeline is confined in the castle for a while. I loved seeing Evangeline eventually remember and realizing that Jacks is her true love and the story is turned around from her needing to be saved to her saving Jacks. The romance between Jacks and Evangeline is great because it’s like forbidden love but both of them know they belong together. I will say that seeing Lala again was great and she is an amazing friend to both Jacks and Evangeline. Apollo on the other hand gets what he deserves and he’s just a cruel and twisted individual, he reminds me of Gaston. I do think this book was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, but I’m glad things were resolved and the pacing was great.

Overall, I’m sad that this trilogy was over, but everything that happens from book one-three will leave you wanting more. I loved the characters and the plot of each book and Garber did an amazing job at writing books that feel magical and will leave you wishing you were apart of this world.

CHECK & MATE By Ali Hazelwood

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.

CHECK & MATE By Ali HazelwoodCheck & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 11/7/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

Short and Sweet Review

Mallory Greenleaf used to play chess growing up, but after her father had a little scandal and rocked the chess world and tore apart their family she’s given it up. When her friend Easton asks Mallory to help her with a charity chess event Mallory reluctantly agrees. At the tournament Mallory ends up defeating Nolan Sawyer the current number one player. Mallory’s rookie status shocks everyone, even more so Nolan who wants to know more about the girl who defeated him.

Okay guys this book sounds cute and fun and full of chess competition, but what I got was a horrible main character and a romance with no spark and was at its core creepy. Mallory hasn’t touched a chess piece since her dad did what he did and since then he’s died but somehow Mallory has become the one to support her mom and two sisters with her minimum wage job. Her sisters are very annoying and always in someone else’s business, and instead of going to their mom with problems they go to Mallory which makes it seem like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Mallory’s mom doesn’t want her to think that she’s the parent which I thought was ridiculous because Mallory was the one who was paying for most of the household needs. Anyway after Mallory does that charity competition for Easton she gets some recognition and starts working with Defne who has a Chess organization. Defne takes a chance on Mallory and gets her into big competitions and although Mallory doesn’t want to compete she knows the prize money could be life changing for her family. Mallory tries to keep her chess life a secret but its hard when she’s gaining a lot of traction and ends up on news articles and on tv. Nolan likes Mallory and is usually at the chess competitions that she’s at and obviously there’s supposed to be a cute romance her but I didn’t see it. As I mentioned earlier Mallory is an awful character, I don’t know if that was intentional or not but I would not want that girl anywhere near me. Mallory is selfish and she likes to lash out at people and she really only cares about herself. I think her lashing out at people is a defense mechanism to push people away before they do it to her but honestly she should see someone about her problems. Nolan on the other hand he just comes across as obsessed with Mallory and it was not cute and I blame that on the dialogue. He keeps telling her how much he wants to play chess with her and how he wishes he lost her job sooner so they could have met sooner than they did, it was weird and it makes me want him on a watchlist. My problems with this book are the characters, Mallory is just trash and Nolan gives off stalker, not socially aware vibes. Also her friend Easton is in like the first chapter of the book and then we don’t see her again until 90% through, what the hell? I honestly think if Mallory had a friend around like Easton to keep her grounded she may have been more likable. My rating for this book is a two and the only two things I liked about this book was when a character came to Mallory’s house and told her about herself, because she really sucks, and learning about chess, kind of makes me want to play but not really.

Overall, this was not what I expected it to be. I knew chess would be involved which was great. The romance, not so great. The characters even worse. I cannot in good conscience recommend this train wreck of a book, I honestly think giving it 2 hearts was exceptionally nice of me.

THE ROSEWOOD HUNT By Mackenzie Reed

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 ROSEWOOD HUNT By Mackenzie ReedThe Rosewood Hunt by Mackenzie Reed
Published by HarperTeen on 10/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 364
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Lily Rosewood has lived with her grandmother since her dad’s death a year ago. She and Gram have always been close—Gram’s role as chair of their family’s luxury coat business has inspired Lily’s love of fashion, and Lily hopes to follow in Gram’s footsteps one day.

Then Gram dies suddenly, and Lily’s world is upended. Gram’s quarter of a billion dollar fortune is missing, and Lily has been banned from the manor she and Gram shared.

But Gram has always loved games, and even in death, she still has a few tricks up her couture sleeve. When Lily and three other seemingly random teens get letters from Gram sending them on a treasure hunt around Rosetown, they hope the fortune will be the reward. But they’re not the only ones hunting for Gram’s treasure, and soon the hunt becomes more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.

Short and Sweet Review

Lily Rosewood has lived with her grandmother since the death of her father. Iris Rosewood is the Rosewood Inc current chair and all Lily wants is for her grandmother to teach her everything. Unfortunately, Gram dies suddenly and Lily doesn’t know what’s next for her in life, but when its revealed that her Gram’s fortune has gone missing Lily is really lost. Gram used to leave notes with invisible ink on them for Lily and Lily has a feeling that Gram left a few clues behind for her to find the fortune.

Lily Rosewood is bold and impulsive and though we don’t see a lot of it in this book it is mentioned that her past behavior led people to believe she was entitled. Though we don’t see a lot of the entitlement we see it in the first seen when she thinks her gram should have left something to her instead of her cousin Daisy. When Gram dies and no one knows where the fortune is Lily becomes confused and starts to investigate. During her investigation she learns that gram has left notes with 3 other people that Lily knows but isn’t exactly friends with. Over the course of a few days we see the four teens work together to try to follow the clues that gram has left around town and find the fortune. But things aren’t so easy especially when the group learns that there’s a group of treasure hunters following them and are willing to kill to get the fortune before they do. This book had more than just a treasure hunt aspect to it. We see a group of teens who may know each other but aren’t friends band together for one common goal. I also loved seeing fractured relationships in this book mended, my favorite one being Lily and Daisy. I did love going around town and trying to decipher the clues, that where left in pretty obscure places. One of the things that surprised me was how close knit the Rosewood family seemed but a lot of things were revealed during the whole book that are surprising but in the end make sense because things get crazy when money is involved.

Overall, this was a fun and adventurous book, and I love how Gram wanted to make a statement that money isn’t the most important thing in the world and the relationships that were forged during the Rosewood Hunt was amazing. This is a book that is worth the read, check it out!

CAGE OF DREAMS By Rebecca Schaeffer

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.

CAGE OF DREAMS By Rebecca SchaefferCage of Dreams by Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #2
Published by Clarion Books on 9/26/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she’s finally working through those fears.

Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.

So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster that turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.

But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself

Short and Sweet Review

We met our main character Ness in the first book City of Nightmares and she was afraid of a lot of things, it was almost one of those things where she was paralyzed with fear. Now in the sequel we see she’s still afraid of everything but not to the same degree she was previously. Ness works in a speakeasy where gun fights can break out at any moment, and Ness realizes that being mortal has a lot of risks especially in a city like Newham. When the Nightmare Phantom comes to Ness asking for a favor she agrees but in return she wants to become a nightmare herself. Ness believes she has everything under control but she doesn’t have the nickname Ness the Mess for nothing. Now Ness has to navigate this treacherous city with new and old enemies coming after her.

I was super excited when this book was released, but I feel like 20-30% in I realized it didn’t have the same magic that the first book did. We’re still in the city of Newham and Ness has started working in a speakeasy and she’s still living with Cy. Ness witnesses a lot of death in Newham and starts to think it would just be easier if she was a nightmare and able to have the power of super healing or having bullets not penetrate her skin. When the nightmare phantom asks Ness to help him attack the mayor she agrees hoping this is her chance to get what she wants. When Ness tries her hand at the assassination attempt things go horribly wrong and now she has both the mayor and the director of friends coming after her. We follow Ness, Cy, and Priya as they try to stop whatever evil plans the director has and also try to avoid dying. Ness is still the same afraid of things but I feel like the love she has for her friends propels her to do things like saving them even if it puts her in danger. I will say I think the first book was more fun because of the whole conspiracy aspect and mystery around it. I think something that changed with this book was the fact that the nightmare phantom was no longer in peoples nightmares but just walking down the streets of Newham living his best life. I did like how we saw the mayor as an enemy she’s honestly crazy and cruel. I do think the premise was great but the book was just missing elements that made the first book so great.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, but not as much as I originally thought I would. I love the support system that Ness has and also the ending was good and I feel like it leaves the door open for a spin-off which is exciting. This was a fun duology and I would recommend it but I still think the first book is better than this sequel.

THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah Suk

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 SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah SukThe Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
Published by Quill Tree Books on 10/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she'll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee's fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom--a moment Aimee has never remembered before--she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn't match up with the story of how her mom left--at least, not the version she's always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she'll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

Short and Sweet Review

Aimee Ro has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which is a rare condition and for Aimee its triggered by smells. Whenever Aimee smells something that is connected to a memory from the past she’ll be taken back to that memory physically. Her dad thinks this is something she’ll grow out of but Aimee has a fear that just disappearing at random is keeping her from living a semi normal life. When Aimee ends up going into a memory for 9 hours (the longest she’s ever been gone) she realizes that her dad hasn’t been completely honest about why her mom left. Aimee decides to go to Korea to see if she can get some answers and uncover the mystery surrounding her mom leaving.

Aimee has STWS which is pretty interesting and very rare. Aimee is triggered by certain smells and she’ll go back into a memory she will literally disappear from the present which is a bit jarring and go back in time into the past to relive the memory. Aimee hasn’t been able to seek help because her dad thinks she’ll just stop when she wants to and if she really wants to. I did love seeing the advice Aimee was getting from places like reddit or just internet searches. When Aimee goes into a past memory of her mom she realizes that her dads story about why her mom left doesn’t match up to what she just saw. Aimee goes to Korea to find out what happened to her mom and she hopes that her STWS will come in handy to help her find her. I loved Aimee as a character. She’s struggling with something that not a lot of people understand and we see her reliving her past and trying to piece things together. I did like seeing her understand that sometimes the past shouldn’t dictate the future. The relationship with her father starts off strained, they don’t talk much and he’s stuck in his ways but I feel like its a cultural thing. Seeing Aimee and her father mend their relationship was very heartwarming. In Korea Aimee stays with her aunt but she does most of her sight seeing with an old family friend Junho and I did feel some sparks but I liked how they were ultimately just friends. Nikita was also a friend of Aimee’s and she’s very supportive and was even the one to suggest to Aimee that she should go to Korea.

The Space Between Here & Now, is a heartwarming novel about exploring memories and dealing with all of the emotions that come with them but also overcoming them and looking forward to the future and what’s to come. The characters were easy to relate to and so was the subject matter, I would definitely recommend this book!

ALL THAT CONSUMES US By Erica Waters

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 THAT CONSUMES US By Erica WatersAll That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
Published by HarperTeen on 10/17/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Gothic, Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 413
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Everyone knows the students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all—free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. So when Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she takes it.

But once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory the academy calls home, something strange starts to happen. She finally has the chance to write, but her stories are dark and twisted. When she’s not sleepwalking, she’s dreaming about being trapped in a coffin, buried alive. And she’s starting to feel an unseen presence stalking her through the halls of her dorm.

As Tara slowly loses her grip on everything she’s ever known, she discovers a terrible secret at the heart of Magni Viri, one that just might turn her dreams into nightmares, one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.

Short and Sweet Review

Tara goes to Corbin College which she can barely afford, but after a student from the elite Magni Viri society dies, there becomes an opening that is offered to Tara. She obviously jumps on the opportunity, tuition is free and after college most students land their dream jobs. After a few nights in the society Tara begins to realize that things aren’t right, she’s writing stories that are darker than things she normally writes and she’s having nightmares. Tara thinks she’s being haunted by a ghost but soon realizes Magni Viri has a darker history then she realized and her place in the society had a higher price than she would have ever thought.

Tara is a talented writer but she’s not at the level she thinks her fellow classmate Meredith, from Magni Viri is. When Tara finds Meredith’s dead body and then soon after is invited to take her place in Magni Viri she accepts. Tara takes part in a initiation which she thinks is just like a little thing to welcome her but she’s actually inviting a spirit into her. Her new roommates are all a little weird and talk about Tara behind her back but Tara is more upset with the fact that she thought that they’d be there for her. All of the people in Magni Viri are intense and really into their work, some of them even become hospitalized. Anyway now that Tara is at Magni Viri she notices that she’s staying up at odd hours writing but she never remembers doing it. She starts to think Meredith is haunting her but she has a whole different ghost after her. The Magni Viri students are so intense because they’re basically being possessed by dead scholars who are putting out their work using the students bodies. Tara soon realizes what’s actually happening and she wants the help of her new roomies to help her. I loved the plot it was interesting and will have you wanting to know exactly what’s going on. The mystery was great and also just learning about Magni Viri and how long this has been going on. The one thing I didn’t like was that Tara would put her issues above everyone else who was obviously dealing with the same thing and I get that this was new for her and those around her have put up and shut up but it didn’t mean that they were in a better position than her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The world building was great it was creepy and I loved the characters and the mystery. I will say that this is a perfect book to read during October to prepare for Halloween and get you in the spooky fall mood!