THE STORYTELLER By Kathryn Williams

January 10, 2022 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 STORYTELLER By Kathryn WilliamsThe Storyteller by Kathryn Williams
Published by HarperTeen on 1/11/22
Genres: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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It’s not every day you discover you might be related to Anastasia…or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna.

For Jess Morgan, who is growing tired of living her life to please everyone else, discovering her late aunt’s diaries shows her she’s not the only one struggling to hide who she really is. But was her aunt truly a Romanov princess? Or is this some elaborate hoax?

With the help of a supremely dorky but undeniably cute local college student named Evan, Jess digs into the century-old mystery.

But soon Jess realizes there’s another, bigger truth waiting to be revealed: Jess Morgan. Because if she’s learned anything from Aunt Anna, it’s that only you can write your own story.

Short and Sweet Review

After helping her mom clean out her great aunts home, Jess finds a trunk full of old diaries unfortunately they’re in Russian. Jess enlists the help of a college student Evan, who agrees to help Jess translate the diaries for a fee. After reading a few of the diaries Evan suspects they could be the diaries of Anastasia Romanov, so did Anastasia survive the assassination attempt and live out the rest of her life as a woman named Anna? The more Jess reads the diaries the more she realizes that she can be who she truly is and write her own story.

Jess Morgan lives a double life she can be herself around her friend Katie, but around her boyfriend and family she’s a different person. It’s hard for Jess to keep everything together especially when she’s with her boyfriend and his friends, you can tell she’s unhappy. This is the side plot in this book. I thought it was predictable in the fact that you can tell at some point she would crack. I did like how Katie would bring Jess back to Earth and make her realize that she wasn’t herself around.

Anyway the big thing here is the diaries. The diaries Jess found in the trunk are in Russian and when Evan reads a few they sound like they could be written by Anastasia Romanov the Grand Duchess who was assassinated with her family. Jess and Evan become immersed in the diaries and the stories that are woven in them. The more they read the more they believe that Jess’s aunt Anna could have been Anastasia.

I did like that we got to read the diary entries along with Jess and Evan and maybe get a glimpse into what life was like for Anna. The more Jess read the entries the more she saw that she’s not the only one having problems hiding who she really is. I think this is when she starts showing who she is and starts to speak up for herself. Also the relationship between Evan and Jess seemed to progress to quickly I thought they could have been better as friends, especially since Jess just broke up with her boyfriend. The ending got dark and depressing really fast and I wasn’t expecting it, but overall it was a good book and I enjoyed the mystery of who was writing the diaries and whether or not Anna is Anastasia.

Filed Under: Reviews

IN EVERY GENERATION By Kendare Blake

January 3, 2022 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.

IN EVERY GENERATION By Kendare BlakeIn Every Generation by Kendare Blake
Series: In Every Generation #1
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 1/4/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 388
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Frankie Rosenberg is passionate about the environment, a sophomore at New Sunnydale High School, and the daughter of the most powerful witch in Sunnydale history. Her mom, Willow, is slowly teaching her magic on the condition that she use it to better the world. But Frankie's happily quiet life is upended when new girl Hailey shows up with news that the annual Slayer convention has been the target of an attack, and all the Slayers—including Buffy, Faith, and Hailey's older sister Vi—might be dead. That means it's time for this generation's Slayer to be born. But being the first ever Slayer-Witch means learning how to wield a stake while trying to control her budding powers. With the help of Hailey, a werewolf named Jake, and a hot but nerdy sage demon, Frankie must become the Slayer, prevent the Hellmouth from opening again, and find out what happened to her Aunt Buffy, before she's next. Get ready for a whole new story within the world of Buffy!

Short and Sweet

In every generation there’s a new slayer and this time it happens to be Willow Rosenberg’s daughter, Frankie. After the slayers are attacked at a slayer meeting and presumed dead, Frankie comes into her powers as the slayer and she’s the first slayer-witch. Frankie has to learn fast because as demons and vampires learn that the slayers are dead they’re all coming back to the hellmouth. With the help of her mom, Spike, Oz, best friend Jake, and new comer Hailey, Frankie has to learn to wield a stake and do what others before her have.

Frankie is your basic teenage girl except for the fact that she’s a witch and her best friend Jake is a werewolf. The book starts off with us learning that the slayers have been attacked at a slayer meeting and we don’t even know if they’re alive or not, that’s when Frankie’s powers start to awaken. Hailey’s older sister, Vi, is a slayer and she was at that meeting, not knowing what’s taking her sister so long, Hailey is picked up by Spike and brought to Sunnydale. The problem of finding the slayers is left to Xander and Dawn because in Sunnydale the new Scooby gang has bigger matters to worry about. More demons and vampires are starting to come back to the hell mouth and one vampire in particular is making a hive.

I’ve watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I was excited to see what this book had in store. I will say it started off slow for me and there’s a lot of switching POVs of the different characters. I think one of my main problems was how the dialogue at some points felt too juvenile and cheesy like it could be a middle grade instead of a young adult novel. It was fun to see the characters we love from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and this new generation getting advice and training from them. I liked the plot but I don’t think it really picked up for me until we’re halfway through the book. Frankie had a lot to learn and she was unsure of herself. Her biggest problem was that she was trying to be like the other slayers when she just needed to be herself and come into her own. The villain was interesting mainly because she was thought to be a legend but she was very real, and there wasn’t a lot of information on how to get rid of her.

Overall this was a good start to the series. I’m hoping we learn more about what happened to the other slayers and see Frankie be more confident as a slayer. If you liked the show, I think you’ll find this book endearing we see elements from the show that made it lovable in this book and it’s a whole new generation of the Scooby gang!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE UPPER WORLD By Femi Fadugba

December 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

THE UPPER WORLD By Femi FadugbaThe Upper World by Femi Fadugba
Series: The Upper World #1
Published by HarperTeen on 12/7/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Today

During arguably the worst week of Esso’s life, an accident knocks him into an incredible world—a place beyond space or time, where he can see glimpses of the past and future. But if what he sees there is true, he might not have much longer to live, unless he can use his new gift to change the course of history.

Tomorrow

Rhia’s past is filled with questions, none of which she expects a new physics tutor to answer. But Dr. Esso’s not here to help Rhia. He’s here because he needs her help—to unravel a tragedy that happened fifteen years ago. One that holds the key not only to Rhia’s past, but to a future worth fighting for.

Short and Sweet Review

Past: Esso is having the worst week of his life, and after an accident he’s knocked into a different world where he can see glimpses of the past and the future. After seeing what the future has in store Esso realizes he needs to use what he learned to change the future.

Future: Rhia is a foster kid and she has a lot of questions about her birth parents. When Rhia’s new tutor comes around it doesn’t seem like he can give her the answers she wants, but he holds most of the answers to her questions. Dr. Esso needs Rhia’s help to fix what went wrong 15 years ago.

The Upper World has both the POV of Esso and Rhia. Esso is in high school and unfortunately his week has been awful. He’s been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and now some people are after him. Esso’s father isn’t in his life but his mother gives him a journal that belonged to his father which is how Esso learns of the upper world. When Esso somehow gets into the upper world he see’s visuals of the past and the present and know’s that he doesn’t have much time to change the future. Rhia on the other hand is 15 years in the future and she wants answers about her past. When she meets her physics teacher she doesn’t know what to expect, but Esso has information about her birth mother and Rhia wants it. Rhia and Esso end up working together using physics and math to try and figure out how to go back in time to make things right.

This book was so slow and it didn’t help that I just didn’t connect with either character. I feel like if Esso would have just explained himself that things wouldn’t have escalated the way they did. Rhia on the other hand was rash her emotions were all over the place and it just made me not like her. There’s a lot of talk of physics in this book and not a lot of time traveling per se. The upper world is strange and not really something that could be considered time traveling it just showed the characters what would happen. The ending was okay but I just had so many problems with the execution to get there. This is going to have a sequel and I’m not sure what it has in store because I thought everything was wrapped up in the end.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE NOBLEMAN’S GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND SHIPWRECKS By Mackenzi Lee

November 12, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

THE NOBLEMAN’S GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND SHIPWRECKS By Mackenzi LeeThe Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #3
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 11/16/21
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, Historical, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 592
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Adrian Montague has a bright future. The sole heir to his father’s estate, he is an up and coming political writer and engaged to an activist who challenges and inspires him. But most young Lords aren’t battling the debilitating anxiety Adrian secretly lives with, or the growing fear that it might consume him and all he hopes to accomplish. In the wake of his mother’s unexpected death, Adrian is also concerned people will find out that he has the mental illness she struggled with for years.

When a newly found keepsake of hers—a piece of a broken spyglass—comes into Adrian’s possession, he’s thrust into the past and finds himself face to face with an older brother he never knew he had. Henry “Monty” Montague has been living quietly in London for years, and his sudden appearance sends Adrian on a quest to unravel family secrets that only the spyglass can answer.

In pursuit of answers about the relic, the brothers chart a course to locate their sister Felicity. But as they travel between the pirate courts of Rabat, Portuguese islands, the canals of Amsterdam, and into unknown Artic waters, the Montague siblings are thrown into one final adventure as they face a ghostly legend that threatens their whole family.

Short and Sweet Review

Adrian Montague, is the heir to his father’s estate and he’s an up and coming political writer, he has a fiancé who is an activist and inspires him. But what no one knows is that Adrian struggles with anxiety, his mother also had a mental illness that she struggled with and after her recent death things just seem unclear to Adrian. When Adrian comes in possession of a spyglass that was his mother’s he thinks it will uncover the mystery of her death. Along his journey Adrian meets the siblings he never knew he had, and as they sail the seas the siblings will face off with a legend that threatens their family.

Adrian Montague is the youngest Montague sibling but he doesn’t know that because he’s grown up his whole life believing that he’s an only child. When he’s given a spyglass that once belonged to his mother it brings him to Monty his older brother. The reunion is a shock and not really a joyous one. It only leaves Adrian with more questions and with the realization that there’s one more Montague sibling out in the world. With the spyglass in his possession Adrian decides he needs answers so he sets sail with Monty at his side. Adrian tries to find out what led to his mother’s death, he’s convinced that the spyglass was cursed by the Flying Dutchman and now we’re back on the seas with pirates traveling to different areas trying to find anything that will give Adrian the answers he’s looking for.

Adrian is a character that struggles with anxiety and OCD so seeing everything through his POV is interesting. He’s a character that struggles with speaking up for himself and keeping his emotions in check. We can see that some of the characters just meeting him didn’t know what to make of him, like at first Monty didn’t know what to do but Felicity knew that she needed to be more patient and be careful with how she worded things. I loved that we got to see characters from past books Monty, Felicity, and even Percy! Adrian is engaged but we only see his fiancé Louisa in the beginning and end so not so much in the middle but she did seem like a strong female character. The adventure that our protagonist goes on was exciting and I feel like it was needed for him to realize that everything he needs is what he already has. Adrian now has his brother and sister and a fiancé who loves and cares for him.

I loved the ending and I’m sad that this was the last book in the Montague Siblings series but the ending was wrapped up well and these are characters and voyages I won’t forget!

Filed Under: Reviews

LUMINOUS By Mara Rutherford

October 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

LUMINOUS By Mara RutherfordLuminous by Mara Rutherford
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/5/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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


Filed Under: Reviews

THIS IS WHY WE LIE By Gabriella Lepore

September 24, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

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

Everyone in Gardiners Bay has a secret.

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

ALL THESE BODIES By Kendare Blake

September 22, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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


Filed Under: Reviews

THE CORPSE QUEEN By Heather M. Herrman

September 15, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

WHITE SMOKE By Tiffany D. Jackson

September 10, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

GENERATION MANIFESTATION By Steven Bereznai

September 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

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

DON'T BE DNA REGULAR. BE GENERATION MANIFESTATION.

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

THEY ARE GEN M.

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews