THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne Collins

November 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne CollinsThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #0
Published by Scholastic Press on 5/19/20
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 541
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Short and Sweet Review

It is time for the 10th annual Hunger Games and Coriolanus Snow has been chosen to be a mentor to one of the tributes. Coriolanus knows that if his tribute wins that this could bring him and his family back to their former glory. The odds are stacked against him when he’s given a tribute from distract 12, but Lucy Gray has a way about her that charms people and Coriolanus knows that every choice they make can either make it or break it for them.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Coriolanus Snow’s villain origin story. We get to see who President Snow was before he became the guy gunning for Katniss in the Hunger Games trilogy. Here we see that the house of Snow has fallen on hard times and he’s just trying to make it by and keep up appearances. Coriolanus attends the academy and him and 23 other students were chosen to be mentors. Coriolanus is given Lucy Gray from district 12 and she’s probably the most willing to talk to her mentor and follow his lead, she’s also a singer and that’s how she’s been winning over the people. Coriolanus finds himself coming up with new ideas for the games, like betting and sending things into the arena for the tributes, and it was interesting to see that it was him who came up with some of the things we see in the other books. Coriolanus falls for Lucy which in the ends gets him in trouble and instead of being in the Capitol he’s sent to be a peacekeeper in district 12. In district 12 Coriolanus tries to follow the rules but he’s reunited with Lucy again and also an old friend from the Capitol but they have some rebel ideas in mind. It took me a while to figure out but after some thinking I realized that this is when we see Coriolanus make the switch into a villain, during his time in district 12. After we see Coriolanus switch up on people he ends up going back to the Capitol and starts to make his way back up the social ladder and this is when he eventually becomes the President Snow that we see in future books.

I thought this book was interesting and I liked that we get to see how Snow became who he was. It was also interesting that this book isn’t completely focused on the games its just one part of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, the pacing was kind of slow but it was really to build everything up and in the end I was satisfied and a few days after reading this book I’m still thinking about it.

Filed Under: Reviews

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn Bennett

November 13, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn BennettSerious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/16/19
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

Short and Sweet Review

Birdie loves mysteries and has an over active imagination mainly due to the fact that her strict grandparents had her isolated and homeschooled. But since her grandmother died Birdie’s grandfather has given her a bit more freedom and now she has a job in Seattle at a hotel. Birdie doesn’t think she’ll know anyone but then she runs into Daniel, a boy she had an awkward encounter with in the past. Now that they’re working together and Birdie is still standoffish, Daniel suggest they solve a mystery together about one of the hotel guest; an author who may be having a romantic relationship.

Serious Moonlight is one of those books where the premise sounds exciting but the execution wasn’t great. Birdie is one of those people that hasn’t had a lot of experiences due to being confined to one place. Now Birdie has a job and she runs into Daniel a boy she had a romantic encounter with that didn’t end well. Daniel tells her about an author that frequents the hotel but comes under a fake name, Birdie is determined to find out the authors true identity. I thought that this book would revolve more around the mystery but we see a lot of Daniel trying to get back on Birdies good side and try to be a romantic interest to her. We also learn what happened between Birdie and Daniel which is pretty funny in a the situation did not call for that kind of way. Anyway I didn’t like the romance between these two, they would have been better off as friends and just seeing the dynamic between the two it didn’t work. I didn’t like Birdie much and its one of those situations where when someone is on such a tight leash and they get some freedom that they’re indecisive and all over the place, that was Birdie. The ending of the book made me mad, I won’t spoil it but Daniel has some nerve and the fact that Birdie thinks she’s in love with him is mind boggling.

Overall, I didn’t like this book. I wanted more mystery but what I got was a sheltered girl experiencing her first romance and being completely clueless and giving us a snooze fest of a book that was 432 pages. I feel like Jenn Bennett has books for me personally that are hit or miss and this was a miss.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON By Ryan Douglass

November 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE 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
Buy on Amazon

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.

Filed Under: Reviews

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

October 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

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.

Filed Under: Reviews

CAGE OF DREAMS By Rebecca Schaeffer

October 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

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.

Filed Under: Reviews

A CROWN SO CURSED By L.L. McKinney

October 11, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

A CROWN SO CURSED By L.L. McKinneyA Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #3
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 406
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Alice and her crew are doing their best to recover from the last boss battle, but some of them keep having these. . . dreams: visions of a dark past—and an even darker future. Sadly, the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they’d hoped.

Attacked by Nightmares unlike any they’ve ever seen, Alice will have to step between the coming darkness and the mortal world once more. But this time is different. This time, the monsters aren’t waiting for her on the other side of the Veil.

They're in her own back yard.

Short and Sweet Review

Alice and her friends are still recovering after their last battle, but they know that they have to stay on their toes because the monsters aren’t waiting on the other side of the veil anymore, they’re coming to find Alice.

This final installment of The Nightmare-Verse was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and unfortunately it was not what I wanted. I feel like since the release of the last book and this one I’ve waited 3-4 years and I’ve forgotten everything that happened and why some characters didn’t like each other and failed to remember what they were going through. We have Alice and she realizes that things aren’t right especially as she begins to see more monsters on her side of the veil and this is a sign that things aren’t right in wonderland and that her and her friends should prepare for their final battle. Everything just felt messy to me from the characters and their relationships with each other and also the way the final battle occurred. It was interesting to see how Alice is more tied to Wonderland than she could have ever thought but I feel like that story line was kind of cheesy. I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible and it wasn’t hard considering that the material felt pretty middle grade.

Overall, I was not jiving with this book the way I wanted to and I’m pretty upset about it. Although things were wrapped up and there were answers to what was occurring I feel like it just happened at a pace where you don’t feel invested. I may be feeling this way because of how long it took to read this final book but I also don’t want to go back and do a complete read through. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline from books 1 and 2 and I wish I felt the same about this one.

Filed Under: Reviews

NEVER A HERO By Vanessa Len

October 9, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

NEVER A HERO By Vanessa LenNever a Hero by Vanessa Len
Series: Monsters #2
Published by HarperTeen on 8/29/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 526
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that a greater and more dangerous enemy is still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

Short and Sweet Review

Joan has accomplished what she thought was impossible, she reset the timeline so her family is alive and she unmade the hero Nick. But what Joan did came with consequences she didn’t know would be coming her way, only Joan knows she reset the timeline, but now Nick is just a regular guy and the monsters are looking for Joan and they’ve sent Aaron to find her. Now Joan is on the run with Nick who got pulled into this mess after witnessing monsters come after Joan. The only way Joan and Nick are going to make it out of this mess alive is if they gather some allies and find the person who is truly a threat to the monster world.

Let me just start off by saying this book is action packed and will keep you hooked from the very first page. Joan reset the timeline and even though her family is now alive she’s been avoiding them, and she’s also starting to realize that by messing with the timeline that things she didn’t think would be affected are. Joan meets Nick and realizes he has no idea who she is or even about being a hero but once they’re attacked she reluctantly has to explain the whole monster world to him. I loved seeing Joan and Nick on the run and gathering some old friends and how Joan would have to convince people of the fact that she reset the timeline by telling them things she wouldn’t know unless she was in that other timeline with them. We also see Aaron who has no idea who Joan is but is determined to capture her and bring her to the court. I think my favorite thing about this sequel is that we learn more about Joans family that has disappeared from everyone else’s memory but definitely lives on in the memory of her sister Eleanor. We learn that Eleanor was the one who made Nick into the hero and has plans of bringing their family back and her timeline is a dark one where monsters rule and humans have no chance. I loved seeing Nick and Joan in this book we learn more about their history and they’re obviously made to be together that’s why the timeline keeps bringing them back to each other. I did like seeing the old allies too and how they were willing to fight by Joans side.

Never a Hero, is full of twists and turns but its so good and will have you wanting more. I loved the characters and the plot in this book so much and I’m ready to read the next book!

Filed Under: Reviews

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh Mafi

September 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh MafiAn Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
Published by HarperCollins on 6/1/21
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It’s 2003, several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.

She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart—

It’s broken.

Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through, saying nothing. She devours her own pain, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

Short and Sweet Review

Its two years after 9/11 and tensions are running high, but Shadi has other important things to worry about than people looking down on her for being Muslim.

Honestly, I wish this book was better than it was. I thought it would be more about navigating life after 9/11 especially because our main character is Muslim but the plot in this book is so weird. So Shadi has lost her older brother, her father is in the hospital, and her mother is struggling with her mental health, and I would say Shadi is too but she is like checked out to those around her. Her older sister is unimpressed with her lack of emotion and we can see how disconnected Shadi is. We also see Shade reconnect with Ali, her ex best friend Zahra’s brother. Zahra doesn’t want anything to do with Shadi anymore for whatever reason, and every time they interact Zahra comes in hot, which I felt was common for most of the conversations Shadi had with other characters. I’m not sure this book actually had a plot. It was just Shadi navigating her emotions or lack thereof about situations going on around her.

I really wanted to like this book but I was not interested in what was going on or even our main character. It was hard to be invested in a story when the main character wasn’t even interested.

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THE TOLL By Neal Shusterman

September 8, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE TOLL By Neal ShustermanThe Toll by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #3
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/5/19
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 637
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?

The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

Short and Sweet Review

It has been three years since Endura sank taking most of the scythes and Citra and Rowan with it, now Scythe Goddard is in charge and he won’t let anyone forget it. The only way people are surviving is by adapting and trying to avoid getting in the way. The only hope they have is that the thunderhead is still talking to Greyson and maybe a few people come back from the dead.

This book has a different tone than the previous two and I attribute that to our past narrators of Rowan and Citra being gone. We follow Greyson and see him become the toll a figure that can talk to the Thunderhead and relay messages, scythe Faraday is on an island trying to figure out the message past scythes left, and we see scythe Goddard and his reign of terror. This book reminded me of Avengers Endgame, with Goddard being Thanos and everyone else is an Avenger trying to figure out how to get things back to normal and get their friends back. Although it was a bit weird for me to read from the other perspectives and not see Citra and Rowan for a while I’ve come to appreciate it because we really get to see how desolate things have become in the three years since Endura has sank. I did like seeing the return of Citra and Rowan it was like they were ready to finish what they started and that meant taking Goddard down. I also enjoyed Greyson and Faradays plot lines and following them for a majority of the book. The ending was different than what I was expecting but it was still good.

Overall, this was a satisfying end to this series and I’m excited to read Gleanings and see what more this world has to offer!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE FEAR By Natasha Preston

September 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE FEAR By Natasha PrestonThe Fear by Natasha Preston
Published by Delacorte Press on 3/1/22
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 346
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It’s just a stupid meme that’s going around their small fishing town in the dead of winter—people reposting and sharing their biggest fear. But when her classmates start turning up dead—dying in the way that they said scared them the most—Izzy knows it’s no joke.

With each death hitting closer to home, Izzy sets out to try to stop the killer. Could her older sister’s friend Tristan have something to do with the deaths? He’s given her some strange vibes. Or what about his brooding cousin, Axel? But he’s in her classes at school. He’s not a murderer . . . is he? Izzie’s soon on a path that will lead her right to the killer . . . and her own worst nightmare.

Short and Sweet Review

There’s a meme going around asking about peoples biggest fears and the teens in Izzy’s town are reposting it thinking it’s a harmless thing. When Izzy finds one of her classmates dead she realizes that its more than just a game and there’s a killer out there.

This book has a pretty cool plot but the execution is bad. We have our main character Izzy who didn’t share the meme and she’s the one who finds the first victim, and because of this she thinks she’s qualified to investigate. I found Izzy to be the most insufferable character, she was just annoying and she wouldn’t listen to people to leave things alone and stay in her lane. Izzy would go around thinking she knew who it was and just going around pining murders on everyone is not a strategy. Even though Izzy didn’t share the meme and reveal her fear she ends up becoming someone the culprit wants, because she doesn’t know how to leave things alone and she kept interfering with things she shouldn’t have been. She kept messing with one of her classmates, Axel, accusing him of the murders and then she would get upset because he wanted to keep his distance from her. Izzy was just a hot mess, I get why she would want to figure things out but honestly she was better off keeping her distance. I figured out who the culprit was and it was intersting because we got to see their POV for a few chapters. I will say I didn’t like the ending it felt abrupt and I think that happens with a lot of Prestons books.

Overall, this book was not for me. There’s just something about Natasha Preston books that I don’t jive with, I keep reading them because the synopsis sounds great but them when I start reading the execution is just off and the book falls flat and unfortunately that’s what happened here.

Filed Under: Reviews