EVERYONE’S THINKING IT By Aleema Omotoni

August 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

EVERYONE’S THINKING IT By Aleema OmotoniEveryone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni
Published by Balzer + Bray on 9/5/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera.

For Iyanu’s estranged cousin, Kitan, life seems perfect. She has money, beauty, and friends like queen bee Heather. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place—and the protection she gets—within the exclusive popular crowd.

Then photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school the week before the Valentine’s Day Ball—each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of being the one behind it all start to feel like déjà vu.

Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever.

Short and Sweet Review

At Wodebury High, reputation is everything. Iyanu is a photographer and she’s able to capture a lot of moments and observe everything around her behind the safety of her camera. Kitan is Iyanu’s cousin but they don’t really talk. While Iyanu is almost like an outcast, Kitan is apart of the popular group. When someone steals Iyanu’s photos and puts everyones secrets on the back of them and distributes them around the school its chaos. Iyanu is being accused of releasing the photos and she’s determined to figure out who did it.

This book was addicting and really did have a mean girls feel, when Iyanu’s photos are stolen and spread around the school with secrets on them, it reminded me of Regina George passing out copies of the burn book. The only difference is Iyanu wasn’t behind this. Photography is her life and she needs those pictures for an opportunity for an article. Kitan is used to hanging out with the popular group and her best friends are Heather and Sarah. There’s a bit of a disconnect with her friends though seeing as they’re white and Heather seems to think culture appropriation is okay and Kitan is too afraid to say anything. We get both girls POVs and I enjoyed them equally, Kitan and Iyanu are going through different things that it was easy to get invested in their lives. High School is rough but I think going to a school like Wodebury where it seems like everyone knows each other and everyones business makes it worse. Iyanu ends up working with Quincy an old childhood friend and someone she’s drifted away from after something happened. Anyway these two basically set off to investigate who could have taken the pictures and I loved seeing them try to figure out motives and follow their classmates. Kitan on the other hand is dealing with figuring out if her friends are really her friends and also realizing that sometimes you do need to let your “friends” know when they’re in the wrong. I think this book covered some important topics and one of them would be embracing your culture and not shying away from it because others aren’t accepting. The ending was great and I feel like I knew who was behind everything but there was also a few false leads that through me off.

Overall, this was an addictive book. I loved the plot and the characters, this book reminded me about how crazy and drama filled high school could be but I also enjoyed the mystery aspect that was involved. If you like Mean Girls and also mystery novels then this book is for you!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE LIBRARY OF SHADOWS By Rachel Moore

August 14, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE LIBRARY OF SHADOWS By Rachel MooreThe Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Published by HarperTeen on 9/5/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn’t uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.

Short and Sweet Review

Este has enrolled at Radcliffe Prep one of the most haunted schools in the country in hopes of finding her dead father. Instead she ends up meeting Mateo who frames Este for stealing a valuable book, now Este has to find the book or risk being expelled. Este wants to follow in her father’s footsteps but she didn’t realize how dangerous it could be. The more Este investigates the library she learns that the school has a dark past that includes students going missing and if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.

The Library of Shadows was an engrossing book. Este wants to figure out what happened to her father and that leads her to Radcliffe Prep. While investigating the library and finding a book called the Book of Fades, Este meets Mateo who eventually steals the book. Este is forced to find the book or get expelled. Mateo and Este eventually work together and she finds out that he’s a ghost and he’s missing his soul. Mateo isn’t the only ghost, there’s a few more in the same predicament as him. The Book of Fades is the solution to their problem and learning about why every ten years a student disappears. Este also has a pretty cool roommate, Posy, who starts a paranormal investigation club. I do wish that Este was nicer to Posy but Este is used to living a life where she feels that she can only depend on herself. I’m not sure how I feel about the romance seeing as though Mateo is dead. Mateo and Este have an interesting back and forth, she’s stubborn and Mateo isn’t exactly forthcoming with information. I did like the cast of characters and the mystery. The setting of the library with secret passageways was fun and set the mood. There are a lot of twists but they were good and keeps you on your toes guessing what could really be happening.

Overall, this book was great! I enjoyed the plot and the pacing and the thought of hanging out in a library full of ghost makes this the perfect book for the fall season!

Filed Under: Reviews

ONE OF US IS BACK By Karen M. McManus

August 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.

ONE OF US IS BACK By Karen M. McManusOne of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus
Series: One of Us Is Lying #3
Published by Delacorte Press on 7/25/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

It’s been almost two years since Simon died in detention, and the aftermath has been hard to shake. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation outwitted a vengeful copycat. Now the entire Bayview Crew is back home for the summer, and everyone is trying to move on.

Only, this is Bayview, and life is never that simple.

At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the Bayview Crew disappears, it’s clear this “game” is serious—and whoever’s in charge isn’t sharing the rules. Or maybe there aren’t any.

Bronwyn. Cooper. Addy. Nate. Maeve. Phoebe. Knox. Luis. Kris. Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things could start getting deadly.

The thing is, Simon was right about secrets—they all come out eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding.

Short and Sweet Review

It’s summer in Bayview and all of the Bayview crew are back together. You would think after Simon’s death two years ago and another group stopping the copycat that this would be the end, but nope someone is targeting the group again. It starts with a sign on a billboard then one of the crew members goes missing. Simon warned everyone before he died that secrets will come out, and there’s a few more Bayview has to give.

I love this series and as happy I was to hear there was going to be an installment I don’t think this book was needed. We’re back in Bayview and this time everyone is there, but we only get the POVs of Addy, Nate, and Phoebe. I understand Phoebe and Addy but not really sure we needed Nate. Phoebe is trying to figure out if her brother is a psychopath and we need Addy because Jake is back and we need to follow her thoughts and emotions through it all. If I had to guess why we got Nate maybe it was so we could see how he’s trying to better himself and also his relationship with Bronwyn. Anyway, Jake is out and about on probation so when the “games” are starting he looks like the number one suspect except that’s too easy. I honestly think Jake was there to throw us off and it’s funny because he’s still a horrible person so it very well could be him. When we get to the end and everything is explained it just feels like it was out of left field, because really how out of whack can one town be? Anyway in this book we get our normal something is happening that shouldn’t be, lets do a little investigating, something happens to one of our members, and we were a little off but now we know who the suspect is.

I do enjoy this series but I do feel like everything here was so convenient and out of nowhere that it worked but also made me feel like this shouldn’t have been a new book. I liked seeing all of the characters together and how the characters from the first book were like mentors to the characters from the second book, they had a great friendship with each other. Definitely recommend this series books 1 and 2 were amazing this book threw me for a loop.

Filed Under: Reviews

SUDDENLY A MURDER By Lauren Muñoz

August 7, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

SUDDENLY A MURDER By Lauren MuñozSuddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 9/5/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Someone brought a knife to the party.

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s–themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds—until Kassidy’s boyfriend turns up dead.

Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There’s the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The old friend, forlorn. The new friend, distressed. The brooding enigma. And then, there’s Izzy—the girl who brought the knife.

To find the killer, everyone must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.

Short and Sweet Review

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy’s best friend Kassidy has invited her and five others to go to Ashwood Manor. There the friends will live like its the 1920’s doing activities and dressing appropriately for that time period. It’s all fun and games until Kassidy’s boyfriend Blaine is found murdered. Now the six teens aren’t allowed off the island and investigators declare that everyone is a suspect, they just have to figure out who had the motive.

Izzy and Kassidy are best friends but they’re on different sides of the spectrum when it comes to wealth. Kassidy isn’t afraid to throw her money around, which is why she rented the Ashwood Manor for her and her friends for a week. Suddenly a Murder has the same format as most mystery books, I will say that I did like that the characters were reliving the 1920s, it did remind me of clue. The book goes between past and present, in the present we only have Izzy’s POV and in the past we get to see the other characters POVs. Everything is going well at the manor until Blaine gets murdered, which is when the investigators come and start doing their investigations. The past POVs were nice because we see why some of the characters could have motive to want Blaine dead. It was also fun seeing Izzy listening in on the interrogations. I did figure out who the culprit was. I didn’t like the side plot involving Izzy and her dead, I feel like it didn’t add much and was out of place. I do think the book was kind of predictable, I will say the plot twist at the end was exciting, but other than that the ending was basic.

Suddenly a Murder takes place on an island with a luxurious manor and our characters are having fun on their 1920s getaway. The mystery wasn’t too hard to figure out, some things didn’t flow seamlessly, other than that it was a good read and I would recommend it.

Filed Under: Reviews

ROOK By William Ritter

July 26, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

ROOK By William RitterRook by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #5
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 8/22/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Abigail Rook never intended to be the mortal bridge between the human and supernatural world. But now, the power of the Sight--and all the chaos that comes with seeing the essential truth of everything, every human, fairy, werewolf, enchanted slip of paper, and municipal building, at all times--is hers alone. With this overwhelming new gift, she should be able to solve crimes and help New Fiddleham, New England find calm in its supernatural chaos.

The only problem? She has no idea what she’s doing.

And New Fiddleham isn't waiting for Abigail to be ready. Local witches and other magical beings are going missing, as tensions between human and supernatural residents curdle into a hatred that could tear the city apart. Abigail's fiance, Charlie, works alongside her to unravel the magical disappearances, but as a shapeshifter, he's under threat as well. Then Abigail's parents appear, ready to take her back to England and marry her off to someone she's never met. Abigail has no choice but to follow her Sight, her instincts, and any clues she can find to track a culprit who is trying destroy everything she holds dear.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of The Dire King, Abigail has become the new seer and she’s been struggling to adapt to her new found ability. Abigail should be ready to help solve all the supernatural phenomena happening around New Fiddleham but she’s not ready. When some magical beings start to go missing Abigail knows she needs to put aside her fears and trust in herself and do the job of a seer.

Rook is an enjoyable book, especially if you’ve read the other books in the Jackaby series. It was nice to see characters from the past books especially Jackaby, Jenny, and Charlie. Jackaby still brings his wackiness and humor which is great because he has a carefree nature about him and he still knows when things are serious. Jackaby is living his life without the sight and he’s having a good time experiencing seeing things as a normal person, which was what Abigail used to do for him. I liked seeing how all of the characters have grown since we’ve seen them in past books. What I enjoyed the most was watching Abigail get her footing and becoming more sure of herself as the seer. I liked how this book was in Abigail’s POV but now that she’s the seer we get to see how intricate everything she’s seeing really is like peoples auras and the things left behind by people. We also see that more magical beings are out and about and there’s even a magical division at the police department now. Abigail is asked by Marlowe to look into somethings, but it ends up turning into something bigger as it usually does, and Abigail learns that magical beings are going missing. This is her first big case and luckily she’s not alone she has the help of those around her. We meet Abigails parents who aren’t really sure what she’s been doing in New Fiddleham and if she should even stay there. There’s also two agents who always seem to be one step behind Abigail and Jackaby but who are also not very helpful, they seem to do more damage than good. The mystery was great, and I wasn’t quite sure where it would lead or who the culprit was, but the ending wrapped everything up quite nicely and everything was answered.

This book was a lot of fun and it was great to be back in New Fiddleham with all of the characters I’ve grown to love. Definitely get your hands on Rook and join Abigail and Jackaby for another adventure in New Fiddleham but this time with Abigail as our paranormal detective and Jackaby as her normal mentor!

Filed Under: Reviews

BLOOD DEBTS By Terry J. Benton-Walker

July 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

BLOOD DEBTS By Terry J. Benton-WalkerBlood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Series: Blood Debts #1
Published by Tor Teen on 4/4/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 404
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.

Short and Sweet Review

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered and the person blamed ended up being lynched and in the process her daughter lost the throne to the magical council. Now Clement and Cristina are mourning their father and taking care of their sick mother, but after they do a spell they realize their mother isn’t sick someone put a curse on her. Cristina used to do magic but after casting a spell and thinking it backfired, she’s given it up. Clement on the other hand uses magic as a distraction from the things going on in his life. Cristina and Clem used to have a good relationship but as of late they barely speak, but now that they know someone is after their family, they have to put their differences aside and work together.

I expected a lot from this book, I wanted more mystery aspects and more magic taking place in the great city of New Orleans, what I got instead was a whole lot of petty fighting and too many characters. Now that I’m thinking about characters I remember a POV of one who I don’t even think was important in this book. Anyway Cristina and Clem are always at each others throats and even though they’re supposed to be working together its like pulling teeth to get them to get over what happened in the past and move on to save their family’s legacy. After finding out that their mother has been cursed, Cristina and Clement have to get the rest of the family together to cast a protection spell, unfortunately all of their aunts are also distant from each other and have petty arguments which means it just runs in the family. Cristina is determined to find out who did this to her mom and starts investigating but she knows she has to get Clem to help her. I was excited about trying to find out who hexed their mother and we get to see the murder from 30 years ago get solved. All of this was fine, my biggest problem was how many characters there were and how petty they all were. I think there was too much fighting and it took away from what the synopsis said the book would be about. We have characters trying to kill each other for power and others who are just pawns. Lenora is the queen of the magical council and she’s ruthless and her granddaughter Valentina is just as awful and has it out for Cristina. I don’t really want to talk about the romance because it all just seemed forced and nothing too genuine. We see the family reunite at the end and it also seemed too little too late.

It took me longer to read this book than I thought it would and I will attribute that to feeling duped by the synopsis. There were a lot of loose ends in this book and although this book didn’t convince me I should read the next book I’m interested to see what will happen next and I’m hoping for A LOT of character development.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE DIRE KING By William Ritter

July 19, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE DIRE KING By William RitterThe Dire King by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #4
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 8/22/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push the earth and the otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve mysteries in New Fiddleham, New England—like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why the undead are appearing around town.

At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, Jenny Cavanaugh, begins to give way. But before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book, the fate of the world is basically in Jackaby and Abigail’s hand. This moment has been building up since the first book, The Dire King is planning on ripping the veil between Earth and the magical realm. All of the things that Abigail and Jackaby have investigated were all leading up to us finding the Dire King, who is an old and powerful evil, who is ready to cause mayhem.

This is my second time reading this series and it was just as enjoyable as the first time. We see characters from past books and I liked seeing the camaraderie between the secondary characters and our main characters. We also see Charlie again and this time his family is also around so we get to see the life he left behind. With Charlie being back we see a little more romance between him and Abigail which was nice but we still had bigger things to worry about. When Jackaby and Abigail learn more about the Dire King, they begin to worry because of the amount of loyal followers he has and if they will even be able to defeat him. The book is filled with action, and some suspense because time is of the most importance with this case. We still get a few comedic moments thanks to Jackaby, which I love because he has a certain element with his delivery.

I don’t want to give any spoilers as this is the fourth and final book of the series. Actually no it’s not we have a book about Abigail coming out. Anyway the ending was great and Abigail has some new abilities, and I love how Jackaby is ready for the next chapter of his life. This is one of my favorite series, I love the mix of supernatural elements with mystery solving. Jackaby and Abigail were great characters and I can’t wait to see what Rook has in store!

Filed Under: Reviews

GHOSTLY ECHOES By William Ritter

July 17, 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.

GHOSTLY ECHOES By William RitterGhostly Echoes by William Ritter
Series: Jackaby #3
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 8/23/16
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the services of her detective-agency tenants to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all. Soon Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her down to the mythical underworld and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced.

Short and Sweet Review

Jenny Cavanaugh the ghost who lives at 926 Augar Lane, is ready for Jackaby to solve the mystery around her murder. Jenny has always tried to avoid talking about her past but now that she’s ready we get glimpses of what her life was like and what she was doing with her fiancé before her murder occurred. I did like learning more about Jenny, we also see how hard doing some of this is for her, she ends up having echoes which is when she gets stuck in her memories and can’t remember where she currently is.

Jenny’s case is an interesting one, before Abigail even met Jackaby, he started to investigate her case but wasn’t able to make progress because Jenny wasn’t ready. Now Jackaby and Abigail are following some leads, but those leads end up taking them in different directions but it always comes back to one central person, who ends up being the cause for a lot of the messes we’ve seen in the last two books. We’ve seen a lot of development and growth from these characters, but especially from Abigail our narrator. Abigail is a lot more confident and willing to take risks to help the ones she cares about the most. We do see Charlie in this book, but there wasn’t a lot of romance mainly because this was supposed to be Jenny’s story. I did enjoy all the twist and turns that the book took and how it was revealed that there was one main villain calling all the shots.

This was a good book, and I’m glad we got to see more of Jenny’s story because it’s been hinted at in past books that her murder was pretty brutal and there haven’t been any clues as to what happened. Seeing how this book ended I’m sure the next book will be full of action now that our group has found its main antagonist and has to work to stop them. I’m excited to see how everything will wrap up!

Filed Under: Reviews

HORROR HOTEL By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren

July 14, 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.

HORROR HOTEL By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClarenHorror Hotel by Faith McClaren, Victoria Fulton
Series: Horror Hotel #1
Published by Underlined on 2/1/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 246
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

When the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark, they expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings. Spooky enough to attract subscribers—and ultimately harmless.

But when they stumble upon something unexpected in the former room of a gruesome serial killer, they quickly realize that they’re in over their heads.

Sometimes, it’s the dead who need our help—and the living we should fear.

Short and Sweet Review

The Ghost Gang consists of Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki, they make videos that are pretty popular on YouTube and this time they’re going to visit the Hearst Hotel. The hotel is known for paranormal activity and the group is ready to go into this thinking it’ll be like their previous ghost explorations. When the group stumbles upon a murder in the room of a former serial killer they realize there’s something very wrong.

When I started reading the book I saw parallels between the hotel and an actual hotel, The Cecil. The book uses a lot of the things that have happened at The Cecil and use it in the book, for example a character that recently died at the hotel was supposed to be like Elisa Lam, and also the serial killer that stayed at the hotel was a reference of Richard Ramirez. I do like the idea of a haunted hotel but I didn’t like how much they used actual events that occurred at The Cecil to do this. Anyway our four main characters each add something to the Ghost Gang, we get all four characters POVs but it’s clear that everything really revolves around Chrissy. Chrissy is a psychic and she’s able to see the ghost and read the minds of those around her. Chase is kind of like the leader the others look to him, Emma is the skeptic, and Kiki is the scaredy cat. Chase’s goal is to get 1 million subscribers on YouTube but when we get to the hotel we see his goal blinds him from acting like he has any sense and at some point it does end up pushing some of the other characters away. The book basically follows the group as they explore the hotel and try to get film for their new video. We see some ghost and even see a few murders. I will say that it was predictable and I was able to guess who the bad guy was.

Horror Hotel was an okay book, it was short and entertaining. I will say the downfall for me was the predictability, but if you’re into shows like Ghost Hunters than this is a fun book to read.

Filed Under: Reviews

HOLLY HORROR By Michelle Jabès Corpora

July 12, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

HOLLY HORROR By Michelle Jabès CorporaHolly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora
Series: Holly Horror #1
Published by Penguin Workshop on 8/15/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After her parents' painful divorce, Evie Archer hopes that moving to Ravenglass, Massachusetts, is the fresh start that her family needs. But Evie quickly realizes that her new home—known by locals as the Horror House—carries its own dark past after learning about Holly Hobbie, who mysteriously vanished in her bedroom one night.

But traces of Holly linger in the Horror House and slowly begin to take over Evie's life. A strange shadow follows her everywhere she goes, and Evie starts to lose sight of what's real and what isn't the more she learns about The Lost Girl.

Can Evie find out what happened the night of Holly's disappearance? Or is history doomed to repeat itself in the Horror House?

Short and Sweet Review

Evie, her mom, and younger brother, are moving to Ravenglass MA, after her parents divorce. Evie is hoping this will be a fresh start but they’re moving into Hobbie house also known to locals as Horror house. Holly Hobbie is the cousin of Evie’s mom and a couple of decades ago Holly went missing and no one was able to find her. Evie notices that there are still remains of Holly around the house and the more that Evie investigates the more she loses sight of what’s real and what’s not.

When coming to Ravenglass, Evie knew what to expect, she knew about Holly but she didn’t realize how much everyone would want to talk about it. Evie meets Tina a local who’s really into the story of Hobbie house and ends up sucking Evie in to learning about the stories, which in turn makes Evie want to investigate more and she becomes determined to learn what happened to Holly. Evie also connects with another classmate named Desmond and they have a bit of a romance but nothing too serious. When Evie starts messing with Hollys things she begins to act strangely, everyone around her notices the changes but Evie is in denial. We end up learning that Evie is able to see things that others can’t and maybe that’s why she was so susceptible to what’s happening in the house. I did like the mystery of trying to find out what happened to Holly the night she disappeared and we also get some insight from people who grew up with Holly. The writing was great and added to the creepy vibes and was really able to show how the house and the investigation was messing with Evie’s mental state. I didn’t like how absent Evie’s mom and brother were it was like they avoided each other on purpose. I would have liked to see more of Evie’s aunt Martha because she’s a psychic but she’s also able to see things that most can’t and she would have been able to help Evie.

The ending was great and did answer questions about what happened. I really want to see what will happen in the next book especially now that Evie is more willing to accept what she can do. This book was a page turner and I can’t wait until book two is released and see where things go from there!

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