THE REUNION By Kit Frick

December 4, 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 REUNION By Kit FrickThe Reunion by Kit Frick
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 8/29/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:
The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.
The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.
The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.
The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

Short and Sweet Review

Addison and Mason’s mom is marrying Theo’s Dad which means a little family vacation so that everyone can get to know each other. The family goes to a resort in Mexico and also invited were Addison and Mason’s aunts and two cousins, Natalia and Mia, and also their uncle Corey and his girlfriend Holly. Addison wants to try to talk to Natalia and Mason about something that happened in the past but they’re avoiding her. Theo is being avoided by Mason and there’s just a lot of secrets that each of the teens know about each other. At some point on the trip one of the Mayweathers ends up dead and only one of them knows what happened.

The Reunion, is a pretty engaging story. There’s eleven Mayweathers on this vacation but we only get the POVs of Addison, Mason, Natalia, and Theo. We immediately get the sense that they each have something to hide and it was interesting trying to figure out what they were all trying to avoid. I will say my least favorite character was Mason, mainly because he had this jock energy about him but his dislike of Theo wasn’t really warranted. Addison also had some things she wanted to talk about but Natalia and her brother were avoiding her and she kind of feels helpless because she’s getting texts about a situation that they were all involved in. Natalia spends her time talking to her boyfriend who she met online and also looking out for her little sister Mia. Theo is just trying to get to know his new family and also defend his dad against Masons misconceptions about him. At the beginning of each section we get to read emails sent by the hotel about a guest that has gone missing, and this is my favorite thing because it also mentions this surf school along the beach that could also be involved. I liked the way everything was unraveled in the end, secrets were exposed and we find out who died and what actually happened.

Overall, I was glued to this book from the very first page. I liked reading from the different characters POVs and learning more about them and what was going on in their lives, and also trying to figure out who was the one who ends up dying. The Reunion is a fun mystery book and I loved the writing and how everything was eventually revealed.

Filed Under: Reviews

THERE’S NO WAY I’D DIE FIRST By Lisa Springer

December 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THERE’S NO WAY I’D DIE FIRST By Lisa SpringerThere's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer
Published by Delacorte Press on 9/5/23
Genres: Contemporary, Horror & Ghost Stories, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 292
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except…maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started.

A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she’s a Final Girl.

Short and Sweet Review

Noelle loves horror movies, she knows all the tropes, and survival tactics, she’s even in charge of the movie club at school. So Noelle decides to throw a halloween party and invites all the cool kids and even hires a clown. Unfortunately, this clown isn’t for show, he’s there to kill the party guests and even know’s some of their secrets. Noelle know’s she’s going to survive this because she’s final girl material.

This book was not good at all. Noelle loves horror movies and in her head because she has watched so many she thinks that makes her qualified to survive. When this killer clown named Gage crashes her party, well actually she paid for him but he goes off script, anyway she just know’s she’s going to survive hence the title of the book. There was nothing redeeming about this book, Noelle was rich and so were all of her friends but even with that fact Noelle thought she was better than them. I think my biggest problem was when this clown is going around killing everyone and Noelle is just thinking of movie plots and how she was going to survive, honestly there was no sense of urgency from her. The clown? He was ridiculous too. He also had no urgency, he came in to kill these kids but at one point he decides to use the bathroom in a birkin bag. I will say that scene had no business being as detailed as it was and it was just unhinged and from then on I knew this book wasn’t going to get any better… shitting (excuse my language) in a birkin bag?!? Just crazy. Anyway the motives of Gage the clown aren’t original and he could have done better than crashing a party full rich kids with no care, had no effect on them whatsoever. The ending was also trash and I kind of wish Noelle was not the final girl.

Overall, this was not a good book. I’m kind of upset that I’ve read two bad horror books in a row but oh well.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE LAST GIRLS STANDING By Jennifer Dugan

November 29, 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 LAST GIRLS STANDING By Jennifer DuganThe Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 8/15/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 315
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sloan and Cherry. Cherry and Sloan. They met only a few days before masked men with machetes attacked the summer camp where they worked, a massacre that left the rest of their fellow counselors dead. Now, months later, the two are inseparable, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand.

But as new evidence comes to light and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the ritual killing that brought them together, she begins to suspect that her girlfriend may be more than just a survivor—she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan confused, or is she seeing things clearly for the very first time? Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?

Short and Sweet Review

Sloan and Cherry worked at a summer camp that was unfortunately attacked by a cult and Sloan and Cherry were the only two survivors. The two girls end up trauma bonding and are now in a relationship. When more news is released about the cult and what their motives may be , Sloan because paranoid and starts to think that Cherry was somehow involved.

I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it, but this book was one painful read. I pick up books based off the synopsis and this one sounded pretty good but I feel like I got hoodwinked, bamboozled, lead astray. We only get Sloans POV but this girl is so messed up it’s hard to root for her or even try to understand why she’s doing what she’s doing, if anything she’s the real villain. Sloan goes to therapy to try to recover her memories from that night and she thinks that Cherry is hiding things from her, but Sloan also tries to make nothing out of something more often than not in this book. Cherry also wasn’t doing herself any favors by hiding things from Sloan with the excuse that she’s trying to protect her. Sloan and Cherry were exhausting, I get that their circumstances brought them closer together but its like they couldn’t go without seeing each other, their relationship was suffocating. There was also a point in the book were Sloan meets up with an old friend which was nice because it was time away from Cherry, but then we never see him again so it was pointless. Also Sloan is determined to learn what happened that night at camp so she meets up with one of the cult members in prison. I think that Sloan was willing to believe anything to make Cherry the bad guy in this situation and nothing was going to change her mind. The ending… I don’t even know what to make of it, but I do know that it was awful but so was the rest of the book.

The Last Girls Standing, was a book that I regret purchasing and someone said it best when they described it as “two dysfunctional lesbians arguing for 75% of the book.” I’m hoping that the other books that I have by Jennifer Dugan are better because this book was not it.

Filed Under: Reviews

GARDEN OF THE CURSED By Katy Rose Pool

November 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

GARDEN OF THE CURSED By Katy Rose PoolGarden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Series: Garden of the Cursed #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 6/20/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

Sweet and Short Review

When Marlow left Evergarden for the Marshes, she ended up making a name for herself as one of the best curse breakers. Marlow is hoping that she can eventually get a lead about her mother’s disappearance but until then she continues to take jobs. After finishing one job she runs into a former friend, Adrius Falcrest, who is a part of one of the five top families in Evergarden. Adrius asks Marlow for help because someone has cursed him and he doesn’t know who, and as much as Marlow wants to say no she ends up accepting, because the world of high society may have the clues to help find her mother.

Marlow is a great character and her story really draws you in. Marlow is a curse breaker and she takes jobs that lead her to dangerous places but she feels like each job she takes can lead her a bit closer to finding her mom. When Marlow bumps into Adrius she wants nothing more then to forget that she even saw him but the possibility that she can get even more information about her mom makes her reconsider helping him. Adrius has a compulsion spell on him and the only way Marlow can break it is to find the person who put it on him and this requires her and Adrius to spend a lot of time together. Adrius and Marlow take up the idea to pretend like they’re dating and although things didn’t work out so well for their friendship. I love how we see their relationship fleshed out and find out how things behind them got so bad, and why this rekindling is also like walking on ice. I did like seeing the magic system in this world and how curses work. The plot was great and keeps you reading mainly because you just want to find out who could have cursed Adrius but also more about Marlow’s moms disappearance.

Overall, this was a good book, I just want more of the questions that I have answered but I think I’ll have to wait until the sequel is released. Marlow and Adrius are great characters and I enjoyed the plot! This is a great read with an interesting magic system and amazing world building, definitely pick it up!

Filed Under: Reviews

FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN By Chloe Gong

November 22, 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.

FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN By Chloe GongFoul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong
Series: Foul Lady Fortune #2
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 9/26/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 560
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.

Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.

But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?

When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.

Short and Sweet Review

The worst thing has happened to Rosalind Lang as a national spy, her cover has been blown and now everyone knows she’s the infamous Lady Fortune. Orion is still under his mothers control and Rosalind thinks that the best thing to do is to go on a national tour and get him back. Of course the tour goes awry and now the only way to save Orion is with the help from a lot of unsuspecting characters.

The first book in this duology was amazing but I think this sequel takes the cake. Rosalinds world is crashing down, her identity is no longer a secret, and Orion is gone and has no memory of her. Rosalinds goal is to get Orion back and to do that she decides to go on a national tour which goes wrong and ends up meeting with the mysterious JM who sent her a message in the last book. Rosalind works with Celia, Oliver, Alisa, Phoebe, and Silas. My favorite thing was seeing characters from the These Violent Delights duology especially Juliette and Roma. The book takes a lot of twists and turns and the group may make plans but nothing is straight forward. We see a lot of character growth from Rosalind, she isn’t as cold as she was in the previous book and she’s also coming to terms with what she did in These Violent Delights and also realizing its okay to show her emotions. I did like the relationship between Rosalind and Orion, I loved how she was willing to fight to get him back and was even patient with him when he didn’t remember her. There’s still a lot of political things going on around the characters and it was interesting to see how it impacted things around them. I think Alisa was an amazing character and she may have been a side character but she has main character energy, she brings it and I wouldn’t mind a book that focused on her. Phoebe was also a good character, she had a secret identity but she was willing to save her brothers even if it meant crossing her mother.

Foul Heart Huntsman is a great ending to this series, I loved these characters and the plot of this book, my favorite thing was seeing current and past characters work together. Gong does an amazing job of writing characters you care for and can connect with. The Foul Lady Fortune duology has made its way into my favorite series list, I can’t wait to see what Gong releases next!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE GRIMROSE GIRLS By Laura Pohl

November 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE GRIMROSE GIRLS By Laura PohlThe Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
Series: Grimrose Girls #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/26/21
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 267
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled Ariane's death as a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events that no one could have predicted. As the girls retrace their friend's final days, they discover a dark secret about Grimrose—Ariane wasn't the first dead girl.

They soon learn that all the past murders are connected to ancient fairytale curses…and that their own fates are tied to the stories, dooming the girls to brutal and gruesome endings unless they can break the cycle for good.

Short and Sweet Review

Yuki, Ella, and Rory are still reeling after the mysterious death of their best friend Ariane, and they’re just trying to make sense of it all. Ariane’s death was ruled a suicide but her friends know she wouldn’t even attempt to swim in the lake so they know something is up. Nani is a new student at the academy and she ends up rooming with Yuki and Rory. Nani’s appearance ends up setting in to motion the investigation into Ariane’s final days. The girls end up finding a book Ariane was looking at that has fairy tales and Ariane was connecting the fairy tales to students and how they would die. Following this lead the girls find out that Ariane wasn’t the only death at the academy.

This book was interesting and I loved the premise. Each of the girls is very different, Yuki is the protector and Ella is the caretaker, while Rory is rough around the edges and has a lot of emotions. Nani is one who I’m still trying to figure out, she came to Grimrose to learn more about her dad and she finds another mystery instead. Each girl gets their own POV and I didn’t have a specific one that I liked but I feel like I couldn’t really get to know them as well as I would have if the book was longer and just one POV. I did like that the fairy tale stories were connected to how someone would die, and these aren’t Disney fairy tales these were like the Grimm Brothers versions. The mystery was good and I loved the setting of the academy and the darkness of it all just set the mood. This first book is pretty short and I feel like there were a lot of things left to be answered. I’m interested to see what’s going to happen in the next book, and I’m hoping for more development and more of a connection to these characters.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne Collins

November 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne CollinsThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #0
Published by Scholastic Press on 5/19/20
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 541
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn Bennett

November 13, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn BennettSerious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/16/19
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON By Ryan Douglass

November 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON By Ryan DouglassThe Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 7/13/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 255
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

October 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie GarberA Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 10/24/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews