THE OTHER LOLA By Ripley Jones

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 OTHER LOLA By Ripley JonesThe Other Lola by Ripley Jones
Published by Wednesday Books on 3/12/24
Genres: LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 329
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

In the months after Cam and Blair broke their small hometown’s legendary missing-girl story and catapulted to accidental fame, they vowed never to do it again. No more mysteries, no more podcasts, and no more sticking their heads where they don’t belong.

Until Mattie Brosillard, a freshman at their high school, shows up on their doorstep, begging Cam and Blair for help. Mattie's sister Lola disappeared mysteriously five years ago. No trace of her was ever found. Now, she's back--but Mattie is convinced the girl who returned is an impostor. Nobody believes Mattie's wild story--not Mattie's brother, not Mattie's mother, and not even Cam and Blair. But something is definitely wrong in the Brosillard family. And Blair has her own reasons for wanting to know what really happened to Lola while she was gone.

With Cam and Blair still struggling with the aftermath of their first mystery—and with new secrets swirling between them

Short and Sweet Review

Five years ago Mattie’s older sister Lola went missing, and out of the blue someone claiming to be Lola is trying to come back into Mattie’s life. Everyone in Mattie’s life including her older brother and mom believe Lola is back but Mattie knows that this stranger isn’t her sister and that’s when she decides to ask Cam and Blair for help, after all they did solve a case before.

After what happened in Missing Clarissa when Cam and Blair solved the case of Clarissa and shot themselves to fame, they declared they would never do another podcast or solve another case. When Mattie comes to them asking for help Blair is more willing to accept the case but Cam is very adamant she wants no parts of this. We see that the aftermath of the last case really took a toll on Cam, she has nightmares and she realizes that the people closest to her could have gotten hurt, and even worse there’s a whole bunch of internet trolls who keep coming for her and Blair. Cam is sticking to her guns in this book, and at some points her attitude about it is kind of off-putting but I understand where she’s coming from, but because of her attitude I found myself enjoying Blairs POV more. In the last book we saw Blair was the reluctant one but in this book she takes more of a lead. Blairs motivation for solving this case comes from the fact that a publisher from New York called her about a book deal and Blair needed a story and Mattie came at the perfect time. Both Blair and Cam don’t exactly believe Mattie because her story does sound far fetched especially because when Lola went missing Mattie was a little kid so how good is her memory about what happened that night. Cam and Blair are cautious about how they approach this case, they know for sure that their won’t be a podcast but they’re also not sure about what danger is involved. Mattie was an okay character she annoyed me more often than not. I thought of Mattie being more of a hinderance than an asset. Whenever Blair and Cam would suspect someone Mattie would kind of freak out and say no that person couldn’t have done it because they were always nice to me, I just thought she let her feelings dictate what was actually logical.

I found myself enjoying this book a lot more than the first, and I think it’s because in Missing Clarissa they really didn’t know what they were doing with solving mysteries or even starting a podcast. In this book it seems a little more cut and dry, interview people that were with Lola the night she went missing and try to figure out what happened that night. I did like the story and seeing the character development that both Blair and Cam had. The Other Lola is actually a pretty good book and its not often that someone comes back from going missing and isn’t actually the person they’re claiming to be but it does happen so it wasn’t a crazy idea that I couldn’t believe. I think the best thing about this book was that Lola wasn’t immediately accused of being someone else by Cam and Blair but they did have their evidence first.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! I will say that I think Missing Clarissa needs to be read first just so you can have the background knowledge about why our characters are the way they are now. I truly believe that this book was better than the first and I definitely recommend it!

THE GETAWAY LIST By Emma Lord

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 GETAWAY LIST By Emma LordThe Getaway List by Emma Lord
Published by Wednesday Books on 1/23/24
Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 314
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List — a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away — will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.

Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.

Short and Sweet Review

Riley recently graduated from high school and she feels like she doesn’t really know who she is. She’s spent the last four years trying to be a good kid for her mom but now she just feels like she’s been suppressing herself. Riley decides on a whim to go to New York and visit her friend Tom, who she made a “Getaway List” with. The Getaway list is a list of things Riley and Tom want to do together and now’s their chance to cross somethings off. Riley isn’t sure what to expect after not seeing Tom in a while but they both fall into their same rhythm and even make some friends along the way to help accomplish things.

The Getaway List is a book that I found to be slow and unfortunately because of this and how bored I was I didn’t connect to the characters at all. Let’s start with Riley. Riley is our main character and apparently she has a knack for getting into trouble especially when she’s with Tom. Her mom has been keeping her on a tight leash and she’s even been doing her best to keep Riley away from Tom, because of this tight leash that Riley has been on for the past 4 years when she graduates she thinks its time to cut the cord. Riley decides to spend the entire summer in New York City to try to figure out who she is. I think my main issue with Riley is how much her and her mom were arguing over Riley leaving and how Riley felt like she didn’t have any freedom. I dreaded any conversations between the two because it just felt like a dark cloud would pass over the book. Tom on the other hand has been alone because his mom’s scriptwriting career has taken off. Tom felt a bit abandoned and like there wasn’t much of a relationship left between him and his mom, he even thinks of leaving New York to go stay with his aunt at her winery. The funny thing about this book is that Riley and Tom tried to pass it off as if they were just friends but they obviously wanted to explore the next step I just think it was ridiculous that it took them so long. We also meet a few other characters like Mariella, Luca, and Jesse. These three tag along with Riley and Tom to try to help them complete the getaway list. I did like the addition of these characters because they added great insight and they were just fun. What’s also cool is that Mariella and Tom created an app for deliveries so we see Riley complete a few that take her around the city.

Overall, I thought the book was just okay it’s not one that I would rave about. I didn’t connect with Riley or Tom and I kind of found that book to be bland and while reading it I felt like a mindless zombie just trying to get through the book. I did like the elements like trying to finish a adventures on the list and being in New York and their friend group, but the things going on in their personally lives especially Riley weren’t pulled together all that well for me.

DIVINE RIVALS By Rebecca Ross

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.

DIVINE RIVALS By Rebecca RossDivine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Series: Letters of Enchantment #1
Published by Wednesday Books on 4/4/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 356
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Short and Sweet Review

The Gods are at war and Iris wants to be able to keep her family together but it’s hard when her brother is fighting on the front lines and her mom is struggling with an addiction. Iris wants to win the position of columnist at the Oath Gazette where she works but her rival Roman isn’t going down without a fight. To calm her nerves and worrying, Iris writes letters to her brother and puts them under her wardrobe but unexpectedly she ends up getting a reply. Unbeknownst to Iris, Roman is the one replying. The two continue to write each other and it goes on for months even after Iris ends up leaving Oath.

The writing in this book was incredible, it was so immersive and captivating. Iris and Roman have had a rivalry for a while, but I think that Iris losing her mom and the letters that Roman was getting from her changed a lot for him. Iris on the other hand likes him but she knows they have no chance of being together. Iris leaves Oath and becomes a reporter for the front line and eventually Roman follows her. I did like getting to read the correspondence between the two and the fact that they were the ones with the only two typewriters made by a certain person was great. I did the first part of the book was slow for me personally but part two is when Iris is in her new position and things really picked up from there. Iris is resilient and smart, she’s also very quick on her feet. Roman is one of those guys who plays it cool but there’s more than just one layer to him. I loved seeing the story unfold with these two from working in an office, then sending letters back in forth, to a love story. I do wish I knew more about these Gods and the war that was going on. The book left off on a cliffhanger and I’m ready to see what’s going to happen next.

Overall, this book brings a fantasy and magic element to the prospects of war and also the romance between our two main characters. I loved the writing and just seeing everything play out.

GHOSTED By Amanda Quain

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.

GHOSTED By Amanda QuainGhosted by Amanda Quain
Published by Wednesday Books on 7/25/23
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 380
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Hattie Tilney isn’t a believer. Yes, she’s a senior at America’s most (allegedly) haunted high school, Northanger Abbey. But ever since her paranormal-loving dad passed away, she’s hung up her Ghostbusters suit, put away the EMF detectors, and moved on. She has enough to worry about in the land of the living—like taking care of her younger brother, Liam, while their older sister spirals out and their mother, Northanger’s formidable headmistress, buries herself in work. If Hattie just tries hard enough and keeps that overachiever mask on tight through graduation, maybe her mom will finally notice her.

But the mask starts slipping when Hattie’s assigned to be an ambassador to Kit Morland, who’s just transferred to Northanger on—what else—a ghost-hunting scholarship. The two are paired up for an investigative project on the school’s paranormal activity, and Hattie quickly strikes a deal: Kit will present whatever ghostly evidence he can find to prove that the campus is haunted, and Hattie will prove it’s not. But as they explore the abandoned tunnels and foggy graveyards of Northanger, Hattie starts to realize that Kit might be the kind of person who makes her want to believe in something—and someone—for the first time.

Short and Sweet Review

Hattie goes to Northanger Abbey which is allegedly one of the most haunted high schools in America, but Hattie isn’t a believer. After the death of her father, Hattie decided to do away with anything involving ghosts including believing in them. When new student Kit, who is a huge believer, and Hattie are paired to work on a project to investigate the paranormal activity around the school. Hattie and Kit come to an agreement that Kit can try to prove that the campus is haunted and she’ll try to prove that it’s not.

Hattie is our main character and after the death of her father she became a shell of her former self. She doesn’t like ghost or paranormal things anymore, she doesn’t let even her best friends get to close to her, and she feels like she has to be an over achiever to get her mom to be proud of her. Hattie does have a holier than thou attitude and it got exhausting at times to see her think that she was better or above other people, especially her sister Freddie. I think that the death of her dad affected everyone in the family and Hattie doesn’t see it that way and I don’t think she understands that her mom throwing herself into her work was her way of grieving. It does seem like Hattie’s mom is absent and that the kids are basically raising herself, but she just doesn’t know the right thing to do and assumes that working all the time is what she needed to do. Also Hattie’s mom also is the head of the school and she picks Hattie to show Kit around. Hattie and Kit don’t hit it off right away and that’s mainly because Hattie isn’t feeling it especially with how excited Kit is about ghosts. The more time Hattie spends with Kit the more she opens up and kind of reverts back to herself when she was willing to be open with people and her interests. Kit was good for Hattie in the way that he was able to push her to do more than just what she thought her mom expected of her. I will say this eventually led to the character growth that Hattie had. I do think the character growth and realization about things in her life came a little too late for me because it wasn’t until the last 40 pages that this happened. I do wish that there was more ghost hunting that went on in the book. The first half of the book was fast paced but when we got past the investigation part and more into Hattie’s life and why she is the way she is things slowed down a lot.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, I didn’t know beforehand that it was a retelling. I do think I would have enjoyed this book more if Hattie had her character growth earlier on before the end of the book, and I wanted more ghost hunting to happen!

WHERE ECHOES DIE By Courtney Gould

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.

WHERE ECHOES DIE By Courtney GouldWhere Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
Published by Wednesday Books on 6/20/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 346
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She can’t stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, longing for a time when things were more normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting arrives in the mail that reads Come and find me, pointing to the small town at the center of her last investigation, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.

But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona, it’s clear that something’s off. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by a gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and when Beck digs deeper into the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery, she begins to suspect that they know more than they’re letting on.

As Beck and her sister search for answers about their mother, she and Avery are increasingly drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has fought to keep buried. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, but when she starts losing herself in Backravel—and its connection to her mother— she risks losing her way back out.

Short and Sweet Review

Ever since the death of her mother, Beck hasn’t been quite right, she’s always thinking about her mom and why she was obsessed with a town called Backravel. When Beck gets a note in the mail in her mothers handwriting saying Come and find me, Beck thinks this is her chance to go to Backravel and get some answers. In Backravel, Beck and her sister Riley quickly learn that things are off in this town. People have memory lapse and they always seem to turn to the town founder and his daughter Avery. Beck and Avery are drawn together and Beck seems to be slowly finding answers about her mother, but the longer she stays in Backravel the more she begins to lose herself.

Where Echoes Die, was an interesting read, Beck is on the hunt for answers about Backravel a town her mother was obsessed with. She brings her sister Riley along not necessarily being completely honest about what they’re doing there. Ever since her moms death Beck has been trying to find what drew her to Backravel, Beck has also been a shell of her former self. When Beck and Riley see how strange things are in this town, including the fact that they don’t have a church or any cemeteries they just brush it off, until they see how strange the townspeople act. Beck knows the only way to get answers is to talk to the town leader Ricky and the only way to get to him is through Avery. Avery has an air of mystery about her, but for some reason her and Beck click. There is a bit of romance between the two, I wasn’t really invested in this relationship mainly because of the thing that’s affecting everyone in town. It was interesting that everyone gets treatment by Ricky. I did like that Beck was getting some answers about her mom and what exactly kept bringing her back to this town. The ending was good and I didn’t want to put the book down, I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Where Echoes Die, has a great premise and it is an engaging read, especially when we learn about Becks mom and what it is about the town of Backravel that makes it different. I do wish that the pacing was better, otherwise this is an interesting read for people who like mysteries with a bit of sci-fi.

MISSING CLARISSA By Ripley Jones

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.

MISSING CLARISSA By Ripley JonesMissing Clarissa by Ripley Jones
Published by Wednesday Books on 3/7/23
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 249
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.

Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…

But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

Short and Sweet Review

20 years ago Clarissa Campbell went missing after a party in the woods. Everyone was questioned and seemed to have something to hide, because of Clarissa’s status as a cheerleader and her beauty her case made national headlines. None of the leads led police to find Clarissa or arrest a suspect so now her case is cold.

20 years later high school juniors Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast and decide to cover the Clarissa Campbell case. The podcast is for a project for their journalism class, and Blair and Cameron realize that digging for information isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. The girls learn more about Clarissa, even a secret boyfriend, when they decide to make him the topic of their next podcast they could be letting the actual killer walk free.

The synopsis of this book sounded really good, who doesn’t want a cold case from 20 years ago to be solved by two teens from the same town who just decided to start a podcast. Granted the podcast is basically for their class project. I really wanted to like this book but there were just a lot of problems and my biggest one is the characters. Cameron would just go off and do things that aren’t ethical in the world of journalism and she knows they’re not because its what she’s learning about in class, also its like she’s too impulsive she’ll do things without realizing how it’s going to affect those around her. Blair on the other hand is like Cameron’s lackey she’s filled with a lot of self doubt and just about goes with anything Cameron wants to do. The girls do interviews with people who were the closest with Clarissa to find out more information about her life and what happened at the party. I feel that the girls got the information easily, no one made them work for it or even seemed like they were trying to hide something, they were all just spilling their guts. The thing that bothered me the most was when they found out that Clarissa was secretly seeing a teacher and Cameron decides he’s the murderer. The man was guilty of other things but not murder so I thought the girls got what they deserved when he retaliated.

Missing Clarissa was unrealistic and predictable and the ending was rushed. The plot was good but the way things were executed just didn’t work. Cameron and Blair were the biggest let down, I couldn’t relate to either of them and the decisions being made by the two of them were just impulsive and showed no care for a career path people actually take seriously. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book, but maybe someone else would like it.

HEX YOU By P.C. Cast AND Kristin Cast

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.

HEX YOU By P.C. Cast AND Kristin CastHex You by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
Series: Sisters of Salem #3
Published by Wednesday Books on 1/31/23
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 287
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds--ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist.

Mercy and Khenti are trapped in the Ancient Egyptian Underworld and need Hunter’s help to escape. But while Hunter searches for a way to save them, other evil threatens Goodeville. Amphitrite is still looming–and she wants vengeance against Hunter. With the gates rapidly weakening, Amphitrite lures out a deadly creature and sets it free on the residents of Goodeville. It will take everything in Mercy and Hunter’s power to stop the goddess and seal the gates once and for all.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book Mercy and Khenti are still trapped in Egyptian hell and Hunter is trying to figure out a way to get them back home. Back home Hunter is still dealing with the aftermath of making the goddess Amphitrite angry. When Mercy and Khenti escape hell it’s all hands on deck to figure out how to get rid of Amphitrite.

As the previous books in this trilogy, Hex You was nothing special. For some reason I just can’t relate to Mercy or Hunter and don’t get me started on that weird Cat person (still makes my skin crawl). Mercy still talks with a British accent for whatever reason and in this book Hunter is finally facing the consequences for her actions in the last book. Anyway Hunter and Mercy’s friends are willing to rush their lives to help stop Amphitrite from wreaking havoc on the town, which is honorable and everything but it was so predictable and I will say losing a character in the end didn’t bother me. There’s just something about the dialogue that makes it hard for me to appreciate these books. The plot always sounds interesting but the characters and execution fall short every time. There’s no reason that these teenage girls should act like they’re in elementary school and what’s even worse was the tension between Mercy and Hunter for the first half of the book. This book was predictable I feel like the only thing people might consider a twist is what happens to one of the characters. Thinking about it now I wouldn’t have minded if we lost more than one character because in the end they really didn’t add anything to this series.

The only positive thing I can say about this was that it was the last book in this series because I don’t think I can deal with another book with fake British accent Mercy and feel bad for myself Hunter.

YOU’VE REACHED SAM By Dustin Thao

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.

YOU’VE REACHED SAM By Dustin ThaoYou've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
Published by Wednesday Books on 11/9/21
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 298
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city; spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.

The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?

Short and Sweet Review

Julie has her future planned out, and those plans involve her boyfriend Sam. But Sam dies in a car accident and everything changes. Julie tries to forget about Sam by throwing out his belongings and even skipping his funeral, but after seeing a message he left for her in her yearbook she calls his phone expecting his voicemail but Sam answers.

The premise of this book was good but unfortunately it just fell flat and Julie wasn’t a character that I really liked. Sam answers the phone and the conversations he has with Julie are meant to give her closure and get to say the goodbye she wasn’t able to when he died suddenly. But Julie seems to think she can hold on to Sam even when he’s ready to let go and basically be at peace. Anyway everyone grieves differently and I understand that but I just didn’t like how at ease Julie was at with blowing her friends off and just canceling plans with them. Julie had a great group of friends that just wanted to surround her and be supportive of her during this time. The ending was okay I just can’t get over how I didn’t like Julie’s character. I feel like she’s one of those people that constantly needs to be reassured and Sam was a good enough boyfriend and provided that to her, but other than that I don’t know why they were together because Julie was just selfish and a little self serving.

This book wasn’t what I was hoping for and it ended up being a disappointment.


THE DEAD AND THE DARK By Courtney Gould

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 DEAD AND THE DARK By Courtney GouldThe Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
Published by Wednesday Books on 8/3/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 374
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won't stay hidden any longer.

Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more secrets buried here than they originally let on.

Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.

Short and Sweet Review

Logan’s dads ghost hunters on the show ParaSpectors. When Logan’s dad Brandon goes back home to Snakebite, Oregon, things start to go wrong teenagers start disappearing and some even end up dead. Everyone starts to suspect its Logan and her dads but Logan is ready to figure out what’s really going on and she learns that some secrets are better left buried.

Ashley’s boyfriend was one of the first teens to go missing and ever since then she can feel his presence. Because Logan’s dads are well known ghost hunters Ashley decides to team up with her to figure out what is going on in Snakebite.

This book is everything you want when it comes to books about ghost, small towns, and weird vibes. The people in Snakebite definitely have that small town mentality where they really look down on outsiders and that’s exactly what Logan and her dads are. But Brandon and Alejo grew up in Snakebite they just happened to leave, but they weren’t welcomed back with open arms, honestly if these people had pitchforks I’m sure they would have used them. Logan is a strong and determined character, she may have a rocky relationship with Brandon but she’ll still defend him and Alejo’s innocence. Logan has a dry sarcastic sense of humor and if you like that you’ll love her. Logan and Brandon’s rocky relationship gets explored and I liked how it gets resolved. Ashley and Logan start working together and it was an interesting pairing because Logan doesn’t care what people think but Ashley does and that makes her want to hide the fact that she’s working with Logan, also her friends weren’t very supportive and they wouldn’t hear her out. Ashley and Logan find a lot secrets about both of their families and something called the Dark which is a very interesting entity. Logan, Ashely, and The Dark had POVs and it was great because Logan and Ashley are going through different things throughout the book and seeing what The Dark is doing adds to the creepy tone of the book.

If you like creepy ghost books this one is for you! I loved the characters and seeing how their investigation progressed. There was a lot of things that were uncovered that’ll leave you wanting more and the ending was satisfying.

OMENS BITE By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

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.

OMENS BITE By P.C. Cast and Kristin CastOmens Bite by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
Series: Sisters of Salem #2
Published by Wednesday Books on 4/5/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mythology, Supernatural, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds--ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist.

Grief has taken a terrible toll on the twins. Rather than bringing them together, their sadness has torn them apart, driving Mercy to attempt to save the crumbling Gates without her twin and Hunter into the arms of a dangerous goddess. While Mercy looks for aid from Khenti, Guardian of the Egyptian Underworld, Hunter begins to realize the goddess she’s allied with is more monster than deity. She needs her sister’s help, but Mercy is beyond her reach on an adventure that could cost them everything, including their world.

Short and Sweet Review

Omens Bite picks up right where Spells Trouble ended. Hunter and Mercy still aren’t getting along and at this point I think it’s petty and quite obnoxious. Hunter doesn’t want to be around Mercy and blames her for making her forsake her God Tyr. Mercy thinks Hunter needs to grow up. Its funny because Mercy says some pretty crappy things to Hunter but when Hunter serves it right back Mercy starts crying and wants to know how Hunter can be so mean to her. Anyway the girls are still trying to figure out what’s going on with the gates but separately. Mercy starts spending more time with Khenti the guardian of the Egyptian underworld. While Hunter is being used by her new Goddess Amphitrite. The first half of the book was good and I really had high hopes that I would like this book more than the first but then the second half happened and I was disappointed but not surprised. Also there’s a few chapters where Kirk had his POV and honestly he is one of the worst people and he had an encounter with Mercy that just made me uncomfortable. His whole M.O. in this book is trying to convince everyone that Mercy and Hunter are witches but he just comes across as crazy. Xena the cat person is in this book and she also makes me very uncomfortable. She’s just so weird when she’s in her human form she still acts like a cat licking people and hissing its just very off-putting. If she was like Salem from Sabrina a cat that can talk I would be okay with it but her changing into a human and doing the weirdest things just… gross! So the book leaves off on a cliffhanger Mercy needs Hunters help and Hunter needs to find a way to get rid of Amphitrite. This book had a lot of potential but I was put off by the cat and Mercy and Hunter’s petty fighting. I will read the next book because I’m already so far in so what do I have to lose?