Book Review: Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Elle Cosimano for the SAMPLE of the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Let's just get this out of the way, first things first and all that jazz: I LOVE the Finlay Donovan series. I own all of Cosimano's books and was immediately a fan of Finlay within the first few chpaters of book one, Finlay Donovan is Killing It. I've only had the chance to read the first 12 chapters of this entry but I wish with my whole heart that I had the entire book in my hands. I swear, I read this in a couple of hours, in between baths and bedtime stories for my kids. I finished the entirety of book 5 yesterday and that last line had me floored. I was so grateful I had this sample to read but good grief, it leaves me hanging AGAIN and now I have to wait so long to finish this book. It's the holidays, so I'm just going to say it: Bah Humbug.

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line follows Finlay to Maryland, on a mission to help Vero who has been extradied back home on charges for theft. Vero swears she did not steal the money from her sorority, where she was treasurer, but without the guy she was with available to alibi her, she fled the state. Vero is now living with her mom and her aunt on house arrest and things are getting serious as a stalker is sending threatening messages to the house. Now Finlay is determined to solve the case to help her best friend and nanny to clear her name and get her back home.

This is a case that has been in the works for this series for a while so I'm glad Cosimano has made it the focus for the next book. I have hated having this hanging over Vero's head so I'm ready for Finlay and Vero to finally figure out who was behind the theft and clear Vero's name. The two of them together are brilliant and I would hate it if the pair of them were kept apart for future books, which I hope this series ia going to go on for a while. Each book keeps me riveted, usually smiling, sometimes laughing, and sometimes, especially with book 5, almost gobsmacked because I did NOT see that reveal coming and I I LOVE that I can't guess the outcomes of these books before the 70% mark. I love the sass and the trust and the devotion between these two women, the support they give each other through EVERYTHING that they have gone through is astounding. I wish I had someone in my life like Finlay and Vero do, seriously, I envy these two.

Cosimano has a real knack for making the stakes in these books something that keeps me coming back over and over to read them. I've read the series over at least 3 times by now because I love these stories. I love all the side characters from Finlay's kids, Delia and Zach, to her nosy neighbor Mrs. Haggerty, her boyfriend Nick and her "guy in the chair" Cam. I could do without Steven, I'll be honest, but that's just the way I am, I would have left him to rot so many times but Finlay is a better person than me so he's still around. The reveals and the clues keep me guessing and the endings always make the whole book worth the journey of reading it.

This book is sure to be awesome, what I've read of it was not enough, I want to finish reading the whole book already. I'd inhale it in one sitting, guaranteed. Cosimano wastes no time getting the characters in place and starting the investigation and I have no idea who the true culprit is but I will have to wait to find out. Countdown to March and the book's official release beginning NOW. 

Well? Is it March yet??

If you love Finlay Donovan, this book needs to be added to your pre-order list. I already have my copies ordered, the hardcover to go on my shelves and the digital for me to read in one hand while I do everything else at the same time. If you haven't read this series yet, grab a copy of book 1 and try it out. These books are so much fun, you are missing out if you have not read them.

Rating on my scale? 10 stars, ALL THE STARS, seriously, tell me the truth yet, is it March? Inquiring minds need to know! 

Book Review: I, in the Shadows by Tori Bovalino

My thanks to Netgalley, Page Street YA and Tori Bovalino for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I'll start by saying I own ALL of Tori Bovalino's books, including the anthology she edited. I absolutely ADORE The Second Death of Locke and I'm currently reading My Throat an Open Grave. Bovalino's books all seem to have an undercurrent of true feeling between the characters. I believe their connections to each other, I want only the best for them, I love so many of them in the stories I've read. This is what brings me back to Bovalino's writing and why I have all of her books even though I haven't finished reading them yet. I KNOW they will be great and I'm taking my time with them. I'm also looking forward to upcoming releases and I'm on the newsletter mailing list so I can keep up to date with all announcements and news.

I will also say, I do NOT know the play Cyrano de Bergerac although I do know the premise of it. I don't think you need to know a lot about that source in order to enjoy this book. This story stands well on its own as story about grief and love and acceptance. I can't wait for my copy to go on the shelf with the rest of Bovalino's books.

I, in the Shadows is about Drew Tarpin, who has recently moved into a new house with her Dad and stepmom, Bee. Her sibling Reece is away at school so Drew is left on their own to navigate the new life in a new town and a new school, complete with a ghost haunting her bedroom. Liam died almost a year ago and now Drew has to work to find out what is keeping Liam from moving on to whatever comes next. Drew and Reece have always been able to see ghosts but Reece was usually the one to work with them to help them move on while Drew did anything else. Now Drew is on her own, trying to remember anything that Reece has said that would help. When Liam realizes that Drew has a crush on the same girl that Liam loved, Liam's best friend Hannah, Liam agrees to help Drew with talking to Hannah in exchange for working on how to help him move on. As the pair get to know each other, something starts to come out of the woods, determined to devour Liam's soul. Now Drew has to work fast to figure out what is keeping Liam from moving on before he ends up taken by the thing in the woods.

This book made me tear up, I had to take a moment to breathe and then I could continue on with reading. Always the sign of a five star read when a book makes me cry. I loved these characters, even though they were kind of jerks, and messy, and made horrible decisions but it was those realistic traits that made me believe in them and want more for them. I knew the point was to get Liam to move on but it still hurt when he was gone. I thought Drew was interesting and endearing. I mourned for the loss of Reece as a constant for Drew, I cheered when Drew started to reach out and make friends, I hissed when Drew ignored her old friends from home because it was better to cut them out of her life now when they were all going to be graduating in a year and it was going to happen anyways. Seriously, rolled my eyes at that one but I had faith in Bovalino's writing so I kept reading. I thought Hannah was so sweet and genuine with her grief over losing her best friend. I thought Rin was a great supporting character, trying to bring Drew into the group and looping Drew in on things to help them understand everyone. I LOVED Bee, the fact that she was the stepmom and the one truly steady force in Drew's life, giving support and love at every available moment. The only character I really didn't enjoy was Drew's dad, who was practically non-existent for the most part but with so many characters to focus on, it didn't matter that we barely saw him.

I thought the plot was interesting, using a ghost to help you win the girl of your dreams, or at least the girl who could end up being the girl of your dreams. I know it was supposed to come off as a bad decision to use a ghost to trick a girl but I really didn't see it as a horrible decision. Misguided? DEFINITELY. But I felt like it fit with teenagers making stupid decisions. In today's day and age, it didn't feel too far off from what could happen to get a pair of kids to like each other. It started off as just prompting Drew to talk because she got tongue-tied around her crush and it just went from there. But I will say that my impression of this plot probably has a lot to do with the fact that I think this was more of a side story to the main plot of figuring out what was keeping Liam stuck as a ghost. I really liked this kid and I hated that this horrible thing had happened to him and now he was stuck watching his friends and family move on without him. The tragedy of it was heartbreaking and I wanted him to find peace and I wanted Drew to focus on how to get him the help he needed. That journey kept me flipping pages and the outcome was worth everything that came before.

The world of this book was so intriguing. I wish there was more in terms of the background and I still have a few questions about certain things with characters and the ghost world in general. When the book started, I honestly wondered if there had been another book because of how readers are just dropped into the story. I searched through what I could find but there wasn't a previous story with these characters. I think that is a point for Bovalino in the sense that this felt like a world that was fully developed even though this was our first time stepping foot in it. As a result, I want MORE but who knows if that is in the cards.

This book was a beautiful, thoughtful exploration of grief and loss and what it does to the people left behind in more ways than one. It goes through how it changes intentions, how it makes people make decisions they never would have before, and how it can bring people together and make them stronger. I loved this book and I love this author. I'm a fan for life, as previously stated. I'm so happy I have more books of Bovalino's to read instead of waiting for more books to be released.

Rating on my Scale: 9.5 Stars because this is a short, heartbreaking kind of story and I wish there was more to come from this world in general and answers to some of the questions I still have. Still, very VERY respectable and exactly what I would expect as a book written by Tori Bovalino. Read this book if you love ghost stories and the people who can deal with them.

Book Review: Sybilline by Melissa de la Cruz

My thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group and Melissa de la Cruz for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is my first book by Melissa de la Cruz. I bought the Beauchamp Family books but have not gotten around to reading them yet. When I saw the gorgeous edition of this book up for preorder, I read the synopsis and decided to give this book a try. For the most part, this book held my attention and I was really liking the development of the story and the characters. I was certain this would be a 4 Star read at least. I had read some of my fellow reader's reviews and was more or less prepared for some specific reveals to come up in the story. I thought in the end, I'd still end up sincerely liking the book. It was the ending that knocked another star off my rating. It was going great until the last 40 pages where things went just a little wonky. I'll also say now that this definitely feels like the start of a series in the sense that this book might feel stronger once the rest of the books are released. That being said, I'll definitely be reading the next book. 

Sibylline is about 3 magical teenagers, Raven, Atticus and Dorian. This trio have been friends for years and together, they dreamed of attending Sibylline, a magical ivy league school that would help learn about magic and how to cast it from the best. They each have a unique magical ability and they worked hard on their applications. When they're each rejected from attending the school, they come up with a plan. They decide to apply for jobs on the Sibylline campus and when they can, they'll sneak into lectures and steal texts that would allow them to learn on their own. As they execute their plan, the attractions between the three of them start to grow, further complicating their plans and their friendships. As they work to navigate these new developments, they start to notice things happening on campus. Something is killing students and is starting to destroy an important building. Raven, Atticus and Dorian have to put what they have learned about the school in the present and in its past in order to save the school before its destroyed.

First of all, the book is written very well. De La Cruz has a way with words that invoke the images of a beautiful campus and the yearning of teens desperate to find a place that can keep them together and help them learn. I was pulled in from the start with the connection between Raven, Atticus and Dorian. I thought the scheme they came up with was impulsive but they're kids so it made sense that they thought it would work. I wanted to know WHY they were rejected if they had made themselves into the best candidates to be accepted at the school. I thought their individual powers were interesting and the way they were portrayed kept my attention as they were shown dealing with their everyday lives with magic. Each chapter follows a separate character, showing what they are doing with their jobs on campus, the people that they meet and the parts of the mystery that they get to witness. I will also say that I preferred Atticus and Dorian to Raven. I'm not sure if that was the intent but there were several instances in which Raven was shown to be selfish and spoiled and completely unaware of the difficulties that her friends have without money and yet they just sigh and shake their heads because they love her still and I just rolled my eyes. The way she was written, Raven was just spoiled, end of story, and I wasn't as focused on her chapters compared to the others.

As for the plot, I was more intrigued by the force that seemed to targeting students and the buildings. The storyline about the three teens trying to spy on classes and teach themselves did not have as much importance. It was the reason for getting them to the school but it did not have as much of a driving force to keep them focused on this. Over the course of the book, the three of them read ONE book, and only a few pages from it, and they snuck into ONE lecture. For this being the point of them being on the campus to begin with, it was relegated to a side plot. I wonder if it would have been better that they were accepted on a wait list type of study, to give them opportunity to work on campus to get to know the faculty and then try to listen in on lectures if they can find the time. All for the purpose of proving they should be accepted as students but the no one has managed to get accepted from there. It just felt kind of pointless in the overall plot of the book.

The pacing was also a little confusing. Atticus was working with a team trying to save a historical building from crumbling into ruins. Every time that was the focus, it felt like more had gone wrong than should have been possible with the way time was moving in the story. I got the impression that this team had been in place and had been working on this for a while. But now Atticus is on the page and everything is deteriorating faster and it didn't make sense to me with the way time was moving on the page. I think the course of the book was the entirety of one semester but I couldn't tell if the season's were changing or if they were getting paid for their work at certain intervals, anything that could have helped to show how long they were working and how things were progressing. The main focus that gave any indication of time passing in the book was the way the building seemed to be getting worse. Pair that with the lack of actual spying on class lectures and reading magic books and it was enough to irk me so that I only really liked the book but didn't love it.

Which brings me to that ending. I was all for the development seen, the reveals from the past and the ideas it gave, it all made me invest in the story and how it would end. But then I noticed that I maybe had about 30 or 40 pages to go in the book and I thought, with the pages it took to get HERE, how is it possible to wrap this up? And it barely took anything to wrap up the conflict and then there was that development between the characters that made my eyebrows up and disappear. Maybe I'm too old for this kind of book because I didn't get the appeal, I thought it was something that seemed out of nowhere. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I didn't truly believe the love and attraction between some of the characters. Some of them felt more genuine than others and when that ending hit, my impression was that maybe it should have been left to a future installment to get that right feelings to hit. I believed in the connection between a couple of the characters but one in particular didn't hit the right notes and as a result, that ending made me just stop in my tracks because it felt like an almost easy answer instead of having to make a choice. I didn't believe the emotion so the ending felt flat. Then there were the reveals from the school and I thought what? I'm supposed to believe all of this was because of that? It was all part of the plan kind of ending just make me frustrated because I never can believe that with the way people are, the plot will work out just the way it was meant to without key characters aware of the role they are playing.

So there it is, another star off for what was a good book before that ENDING hit. I've been talking about this book and it always goes, this part was great, but then that ending, I though this was interesting, but then that ending, this could have used a little tweaking but then that ENDING. Maybe I'm not the right audience for this, maybe I'm not aware of how this fits into the current book world. I liked this book, I was REALLY liking this book, I just do not meld with the way it finished, or was left unfinished. I have not found anything about a continuation for the series but I'm not ruling it out as a possible future release. I'm still interested in seeing where this world and its characters go and to see if future books make this one feel stronger. It feels like the start of something that had to end too soon for the story to stand securely on its own. A respectable read for those that like dark academia and magic, with a few caveats to keep in mind.

Rating on my scale: 6.5 Stars. I'm a firm believer that this one just needs more books to be considered great. It had all the right starts, it just needs more time to really prove that it will be awesome. 

Book Review: The Children: A Novel by Melissa Albert

My thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Melissa Albert for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. 

I've followed Melissa Albert's work since her debut novel, The Hazel Wood was released. I remember the book was being promoted everywhere and I pre-ordered my copy ahead of time. The impression that book left on me took a long time to wear off and it made me a fan for life. So when I saw that Albert was releasing a new book called The Children, I knew I needed to add that book to my shelves. While reading this, I had to take time to let it sit in my head, to let it grow and take shape and show me all the things I needed to see that I was missing while reading. There is so much done in this book that I feel like I could read it again and see more things I didn't catch the first time around. On the one hand, this book is beautiful and on the other it is devastating. It's a toss-up every time I think about it. Overall though, I LOVED this book. It made me do research into other children's book muses and their fates and it made me cuddle my littles a bit closer. If a book can do that, it's an impressive piece of work.

The Children focuses on Guinevere Sharpe, the daughter of the late beloved children's book author, Edith Sharpe, well-known for her Ninth City books that used Guin and her brother Ennis as inspiration. Guinevere spent her childhood running around unsupervised, dirty, sometimes starving, and even neglected. In the books her mother wrote, she was the girl everyone wanted to be and wanted to know. The series was left unfinished when Guinevere and Ennis ended up orphaned by a horrible fire at their childhood home. Twenty years later, the siblings are estranged. Ennis is a well-respected artist and Guinevere has taken up the mantle of promoting her mother's books while also getting ready to launch her own memoir. When Ennis decides to open a new show called Mother at the same time as the release for the memoir, it forces Guinevere to reconsider what she remembers about her childhood. Is it truly the idyllic story she's told in her book and how did it all come crashing down in that fiery end?

The first thing this book made me think of was all those Acknowledgements pages I read at the end of every book I pick up. The ones where the author thanks their partner for doing the majority of the work keeping the house running and taking on the bulk of time spent with their kids. And then there's sometimes a line for said kids being thanked for understanding how much it meant that they let the author do their writing and understanding that they needed to let said author/parent do their work alone. After which, I promptly put my phone down, climbed into the playpen and started a game with my kids. Because yeah, this book made me very conscious of how much time I spend with my kids alongside trying to do some writing. As is, this review is being written after midnight when my kids are asleep so I don't feel guilty about not focusing on them. I don't want to ever come close to being the parents in this book, that's for sure. There is a work/life balance and Edith Sharpe definitely did NOT have that nor really a true parenting bone in her body and the examination of that that and the effect it had on her kids is what drives the book. For the authors who mention their families, you know they value the worth of their partner and their kids. I doubt Edith Sharpe even deigned to mention them for thanks. How much is TOO MUCH to sacrifice for your dreams and who else has to sacrifice with you to get you there?

The second thing this book made me do is research the kids I could think of who inspired some of the classic stories that had children going on grand adventures. I'm happy to report that most of them went on to live long happy lives but this book definitely made me feel heartache for Guinevere and Ennis and the effect the Ninth City books had on their existence. The ideas presented in this story were chilling and it has cemented in my head that I will NEVER use my kids as inspiration. I know I'm talking about them now but there will never be any specifics about them mentioned anwhere in my writing. The fact that there are so many scholarly articles devoted to the research of understanding who inspired what and how and why is enough to make my skin crawl and I would hate for that kind of speculation to be turned on my family. Which is where a lot of the focus of THIS book went to with Guin and Ennis. I only cared about these kids and saving them and Albert deserves so much credit for making them feel so real and heartbreaking.

In terms of characters, the book focuses mainly on Guin, her recollections of her childhood and the spiraling effect her brother's new art exhibit is having on the life she has created for herself. I loved child Guinevere but I wasn't sure where I stood with adult Guin until the end of the book. I could understand why she was how she was but a lot of what she did throughout the book made me question her on everything. That ending though, just wow. It made me sit up and want to applaud and it was all because of Guin. Suffice to say, that is one character that packs a punch. I'm glad she got to where she needed to go, anything else said will ruin the effect of that ending so that is where I will leave it.

If you've read Melissa Albert before, this book fits right in with the rest of her work. At first, I thought this was going to be a story focused more on the effects of a neglectful childhood. Then there was a line, an almost throwaway type of thing with Guinevere waving at her mom and then a few sentences later a revelation and it made me sit up and think AHA, there it is, THAT is exactly what I was expecting from Albert's writing. It starts off subtle and then builds, putting more things in that need a second look at, ideas and images that build until they all come together to give you this overarching image of something terrible and wonderful for these characters and their story. The back and forth of the timelines helps with the rhythm, revealing suspenseful tidbits that the reader takes in knowing how Guinevere's childhood ends and then placing that story opposite the journey Guin is taking to finally coming face to face with her brother again after decades apart. It's all masterfully done, with each secret revealed at just the right time in the past and in the present. I loved the tension it created and the effect it had on me.

One last parting thought, I hope Albert seriosuly considers writing a Ninth City book. I've seen it happen before, after all, Albert did write Tales from The Hinterland that was meant to be a book seen in The Hazel Wood. I'm just saying, if Albert is getting ready to give readers The Ninth City, I will gladly read it.

Rating on my scale? 10 STARS. This book made me re-examine a lot of things, favorite childhood stories, their inspirations and their creators. It's everything I thought it was going to be and then just that much more because of the place it left me with that ending. I'll read this again when I receive my hardcover for my shelves. Read this book if you have ever wondered about the other side of the characters you knew as kids and who they'd be if they could grow up. 

Book Review: These Familiar Walls by CJ Dotson

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and C.J. Dotson for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is my first novel from Dotson and I found a lot of things to admire. Dotson's writing has a unique grasp that would grab me by the throat and keep me riveted. It's just the PEOPLE in this book that I had my issues with and as much as I wanted to LOVE this book, I can't let go of those gripes. So let's move on and see how much I can talk about this book without giving anything away.....

This will be fun.

I think?

These Familiar Walls focuses on Amber Hughes, her husband Ben, and their two children, Xander and Marigold. It is the height of the pandemic, November 2020, and the family has just moved into Amber's childhood home in an attempt to get more room for themselves with the lockdown keeping families in close quarters. The house comes with an unfortunate past. When Amber was a kid, she tried to befriend a neighborhood kid, a boy with a bad habit of of trying to hurt others in retaliation for any slight he perceived. When things went too far, he left the neighborhood with his family. In early 2020, he resurfaces to break into Amber's childhood home with an accomplice and murder her parents before his accomplice betrays and kills him as well. Amber wants to get the paperwork in order so she can sell the house quickly and get her family into their own brand new place. But as the family tries to settle in, strange things start to happen. Amber's reflection in the mirrors never matches her actions, strange whispers start to hiss around Amber, and Amber starts to go into strange trances that leave her trying to hurt herself. Something dangerous is haunting the house and the family, and Amber has to keep her family safe all while coming to terms with the things from her past that happened in that house.

In terms of writing, Dotson has a strong hand with building tension. I do most of my reading in the small hours of the night so when I was reading this, I'd end up eyeing the shadows out of the corner of my eye. I'd feel a weight on my shoulders, like I was  being watched and I LOVED that feeling. The dread and the images it made me conjure had me wanting to read during the day. The idea of the mirrors not doing what they were supposed to had me thinking back to my own childhood and my aversion to mirrors. You see, I read Bloody Mary when I was 8 and TO THIS DAY, I avoid looking into mirrors at night before I flip a light switch on. So the idea of mirrors showing something other than what they were supposed to made my skin crawl. All of this was brilliantly done. That being said, there were a lot of moments where things were told that made me feel removed from the book. There would be a tension scene, Amber faced with something making her freeze in fear and trying to use anger to bolster her to move and it would make everything feel claustrophobic and I'd be invested in what would happen next. Only the next scene is another morning, Amber hasn't spoken about what happened or has been happening since and I would think wait, why didn't we see the rest of that? Why is she only telling us about what else has been going on, the reflection that she would see that would never be what she was doing? I wanted to SEE all of that. Instead, it's only mentioned as an aside, like it barely mattered to Amber that it had happened and as a result, I didn't care too much either. The pacing just felt like it wasn't staying the course to make me care that Amber was being haunted. 

As for the characters, I was on the side of the kids and no one else. I've read A LOT of these types of books, I knew the twist practically from the start. Despite that, I wanted to see what would happen, I wanted to see how the villain would get their comeuppance because I am a big fan of justice for characters that deserve it. I wasn't sure if I was ever supposed to feel sympathy for certain characters. Everything that was given just made me scowl because so much of the reasonings why were nonsense to me. For me, the big origin story and the reveals for WHY a character is despicable never make any sense to me. I end up thinking, "Really? THAT'S why you did ALL of this?" And the headaches from rolling my eyes makes me want to put these kind of books aside for the foreseeable future. I thought Amber needed to take her own advice and grow up and I thought Ben's entire personality was that he was a pushover. Dotson provided scenes from the past to show Amber and her need to finally have a friend no matter what kind of person they were and I wanted to slap her parents because come on, make an effort to listen to your kid, don't write her off, don't you see what you're doing?! Almost every adult in this book needed to be slapped around, they made me so frustrated. A credit to Dotson's writing but not really a merit for the story because I should care about them at least a little bit. Instead, I hated so many people and that's not a good feeling to carry through a book.

I can't talk any more about the story without giving EVERYTHING away so I will try to wind things up here. I'm giving a star for the writing because this book had some really stellar passages. I'm giving a star for the kids because I wanted to scoop in and take them away to safety. I'm giving a star for the reveal behind the WHY for the haunted house because HA, in your face villain! But a star off for the despicable adults and a star off for the pacing. Still, I see that Dotson has a book called The Cut that I'm willing to try out. I'm starting to think that haunted house books just aren't meant for me. I figure out the twists too fast and the villain never has a reason that really makes me think they're worthy of being the main adversary of the story.

Rating on my Scale: 6 Stars. I will be reading more things by Dotson. Just because this book didn't work for me does not mean that another won't become an instant favorite. I'm a firm believer that when an author has the chops for writing something that can make me feel dread, they are worth reading again. This book will find its audience and be a hit for people looking for their next haunted house read. I'll be looking into finding The Cut when I next have the chance to visit my library.

Book Review: You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and C.G. Drews for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is my first book by C.G. Drews and I'm still reeling from this story. The reveals, the twists, the people in this story. The author's note said something about this story may make you feel wretched and yes, I think that is the word for the effect this book had on me. It made my stomach turn and mouth twist and I wasn't sure what it would come to and then that ending came out of nowhere and now I'm not sure where I stand with this book. Would I read it again? I don't think I would. Would I recommend it to other readers? I would, if you are a fan of psychological suspense and if you read the trigger warnings very very carefully.

You Did Nothing Wrong is about Elodie and her autistic son, Jude, and their life in America with Elodie's new husband Bren. Bren has moved them into his childhood home that he is renovating and Elodie is expecting a new baby. Elodie has everything she has always wanted and is looking forward to her new life and everything that comes with it. Then Jude tells her that the house is talking to him, that he can hear things in the walls and that everything done to the house to repair it is actually "hurting" the house. Elodie doesn't want to believe her son but something about the house is starting to put her on edge. Elodie can't tell if it is the house or her son that is making things difficult but as her past comes back to haunt her, Elodie has to put things together and save her family before it is too late.

There are so many different threads to the plot of this book and some of them can't be discussed because of the reveals they have for the overall storyline. The idyllic new family life for Elodie gives me the impression of that saying "the grass is always greener" because as much as Elodie wanted this perfect family life, the reveals about who she was as a person and her son and her husband shows that a perfect family life is never what it seems. The use of the house and it's renovations mirrored the life that Elodie has created and I'm still making connections with different points of the book and I really hope I can put it to rest in my head soon. The circles it has made me spin makes me think of other haunted house stories and this book definitely fits in with its peers. At the same time, the punch it packs hits that much more in my gut and I think it is fair to say it will haunt me for some time.

Elodie. Oh dear, what can I say about this woman? I wanted to like her but good grief, I think I wanted to strangle her more. Her husband Bren was just as impossible of a character for me to like, and the pair of them not only deserved each other, but they left me feeling conflicted about everything that happened in the book. The only character I was truly on the side of was Jude, who reminded me of so many people I know. I wanted to drag this child away from this house and take care of him. I wanted to hurt everyone who laid a finger on him, I wanted to help him feel safe and encourage him to thrive and I hope this child gets everything he needs and wants for the rest of his life. Everyone else in this book can go take a long walk off a short pier.

In the end, I liked this book enough to finish it, even it was just to say that I finished it because so much of it didn't sit well with me. I wanted to go on a crusade and hurt so many people in this book and when many of the reveals hit, I only thought that they got what they deserved. The images of this book will stay with me for a long time as my dreams last night can attest. Seriously, I woke up in the night and put my hand on the wall, thinking I could hear my house breathing and needing to assure myself that it was only in my head. I managed to resist the urge to run to my kids' rooms to check on them but I did keep their monitor right next to my pillow at max volume. I liked this book for what it is, an examination of family and motherhood that made my skin crawl. I'll read more books by Drews soon, as I have copies of Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn already on my shelves. But this book left a bad taste behind and I wish I could go into this world and wreak havoc on everyone that deserved it.

And please, read the trigger warnings. I can't emphasize that enough.

Rating on my Scale: 5 Stars. It was good, I wanted to like it. I'm sure there are a lot of people who can handle the triggers in this book better than I could and all the power to those readers. For me, I'm convinced to read more Drews books, so at least there is that. 

Book Review: The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

My thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore and Kiersten White for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I read my first book by Kiersten White back in 2010. I had to look up the year because while I remembered the book, I could not remember what year it was that I'd read it. And then I stared in wonder at the amount of books on White's list of publications because wow, okay, I have some reading to catch up on.

I have consistently gone back to White again and again over the years. I always end up loving the worlds created, the consistently strong leads, the intriguing plots. I have a large amount of her works and have always enjoyed the new imaginings for characters seen in other works (And I Darken and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein come immediately to mind). So when I got the chance to read The Fox and The Devil, I knew what I expected to see. And yet, this book stands out even more than usual because I LOVED this book. If I had written this review a couple of days ago, it would have been filled with exclamation points and heart-eyed emojis and so many entreaties to buy this book because I could not stop talking about it. As it stands, I'm still loving this book but I think I can logically explain exactly what impressed me so much about this story in a way that will hopefully get readers interested in reading it as well.

Fingers crossed.

The Fox and The Devil follows Anneke Van Helsing, and her obsession with catching the woman she found standing over her father the night that she found her father murdered in his study. Anneke has spent years studying and becoming a well-recognized detective, to the point that the police call her in to consult on cases that they can't explain. During her work, Anneke begins to make a connection between the victims of certain gruesome, horrifying deaths, recognizing a pattern that links these deaths across the map. She puts together a team of her own detectives, determined to find this serial killer, believing it to be the woman she has never been able to find. As the years pass with her team trying to find the killer before they strike again, Anneke starts to receive letters from her mysterious obsession, signed Diavola, or devil. The pair are playing a game of cat and mouse and Anneke is determined to win, no matter what the cost. Then Anneke begins to make connections between her investigations and her father's work, making Anneke start to question the world that she thought she knew and understood because the creature she is hunting may actually be a monster.

The overall plot of the book was enough to catch my attention and keep it focused, making me wish I could read faster because with the holiday, there was always something coming up to drag me away from this story. I was invested in the story about a young woman determined to find the woman she thought was responsible for her father's death. As the story developed, I was entranced with how the story expanded to include so many other victims, so many other ideas and revelations, that my mind was constantly trying to make its own guesses as each page turned. However, for the most part of this book, I was admittedly believing this would be a solid 4 star read because I could not see how the threads of the obsession were going to conclude. Then it happened, this one solid moment of WAIT, WHAT?, that made me stop in my tracks for a split second before my mind restarted and I started laughing because oh wow, she got me, I fell for it, and then the plot was so much more than I thought it would be and this book became an instant favorite. Seriously, that moment made my stomach drop, my heart skipped a beat, that kind of feeling just overtook my senses and then when it all came together, I could not stop CACKLING because when a book manages to make me stop in my tracks, I am instantly in love. The fact that it took the whole of the book for me to get to that point proves that White has become a force with her writing and now I'm determined to read more books of hers.

Anneke, sweet Anneke, I loved this young woman. For a while, I was a little dismayed at how she obsessed over the serial killer plotline because of her idea of vengeance but as the book continued, I loved how she became more, the way she fought back against the ideas that would keep her penned in and made people respect her. I loved how her worldviews were constantly forced to change and how yes, she fought it at first but then she would shift and evolve and I can respect a woman who takes the time to change her beliefs and transform herself into something more. I loved her team of detectives which included her best friend David, a fellow detective and former flame; Maher, a photographer, and Inge, the daughter of her mentor. Each of these people became dear to me through their actions and their devotion to Anneke. I loved how David had challenged Anneke to solve cases that seemed to stump other detectives. I adored how Maher respected the women in his life and trusted Anneke because she was intelligent. And words cannot express how much I loved Inge, the youngest member of the team, a tour de force that everyone was determined to protect because she was their little sister and they were all of them a FAMILY, and I wanted to keep all of these people safe. I even loved the glimpses we were given of Diavola, and the reveals that were given of her current existence and the life that led her there made her so intriguing, I just wanted to see more of her as the book went on. Even side characters were given enough to make me care about their stories, from the victims we were given glimpses of to coworkers at the police station that wanted to work with Anneke and her team. I don't know if there are plans to expand on this world but if there ever is a book focused on this team, I would be first in line to read that story.

Books that focus on obsessions sometimes have the tendency to become a little one note and I'm happy to report that this book becomes so much more than a story about one woman's quest for vengeance. It is also a story about believing in yourself, because while Anneke does have confidence in her abilities as a detective, she also has to believe in herself as a woman worthy of the connections she has made, the people she inspires with the cases she solves. It is a story about found family, and how important it is to surround yourself with people who will love all of you all of the time. The obsession is the focus for a while but it is everything else in this book that elevates it for me and I'm so happy with the end result. I want to delve into the cases and the details about the serial killer but a lot of my enjoyment of this book is all the little asides that White included to expand this world and I don't want to spoil the experience for future readers.

If you are a fan of Kiersten White's books, The Fox and The Devil is a very respectable read. I want to go back and read it again as soon as I get my copy next year. I want to read everything else I already have on my shelves by Kiersten White AND start collecting everything I don't already own. First up on the list is to start Lucy Undying. I'm hoping it is as brilliant as this book and might even be connected to this book. I can't wait to see any connections I missed while reading this release and here is me crossing my fingers that White has more plans in the making for this world. If this is your first time trying out White's work, I hope you are as enthralled as I was with this story.

Rating on my scale: 10 Stars!!! Seriously, that reveal still makes me giddy. I immediately went onto my group chat of fellow readers and told them how I fell for something that I logically knew wasn't right but it still got me. I hope so many readers come to this book and end up loving it like I did. And then I hope they read other books by White as well. 

Book Review: Habits of the Sea: A Novel by Shea Ernshaw

My thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books and Shea Ernshaw for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I remember picking up Shea Ernshaw's debut and thinking, "Maybe this will be good?" I ended up loving the story, the atmosphere, the ideas that Ernshaw put in her book and I immediately pre-ordered her next release. Now here I am, having collected any and every book by Shea Ernshaw, just because she wrote them. When I pick up an Ernshaw book, I know to expect a dreamy atmosphere, a type of love that is slowly earned, hardships that make every moment something to overcome that make the ending worth it. These books are poetic and heartbreaking and I will always find my way back to reading Ernshaw's books, time and time again because of the feelings they bring out in me. Ernshaw's latest is no different, in fact, it may be a new favorite of mine.

Habits of the Sea: A Novel follows two characters, Clay Lockhart and Ellie Mills. In the 1950s, Clay Lockhart's wife dies during a terrible storm. Witnesses claimed they could hear his cries in the night over the sound of the rain but come morning, the house and the land it stood on has been cleaved away. The story goes that it floats out in the water, with sightings being reported about it for years. Ellie Mills finds the island one night and manages to set foot there, meeting the fabled Clay Lockhart not looking a day older than he did the night his home tore away from the coast. Haunted by the memory of what she found, Ellie grows up doubting what she remembers until she hears that the island has been sighted again. Deciding once and for all to find it again, Ellie manages to return to the island and to Clay Lockhart, where she has to learn that some impossible things are possible and the things worth living for are sometimes not what you expect to find.

I'll start off by saying that while the overall effect of this book is beautiful, it was undoubtedly, utterly heartbreaking. I started this a few days ago and managed to finish it last night and good grief, I'm still kind of reeling from it. I loved the writing, the whimsical way of invoking the feeling of living a fabled life, and at the same time, oh wow, not what I expected once I reached that ending. I kept thinking of things like, don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Live the life you want to live. Carpe diem. The future is not guaranteed. All of these thoughts have been swirling in my head since finishing this book and my dreams were filled with crashing waves and bottomless waters that made me feel unmoored by the time I climbed out of bed. This book feels like a tragic fairytale, the kind with sharp edges. I loved it and yet, it's difficult to put into words the whys behind the feeling. The parting sentiment from this book could almost be called depressing and yet, I think the reasoning behind it is because this book shows not just one choice, Ellie returning to the island, but then shows each and every single choice she makes from there on out. It shows an entire lifetime of choices almost and when you put that all together in a book, the effect is both incredible and tragic to behold. Especially when you get to the ending.

Ellie Mills was an interesting character, a woman who tried so hard to want the things that are expected for her and yet comes to realize that yearning for something else is not necessarily a bad thing. Trying to find something more, understanding that you can deserve a different kind of life, something you only dreamed of, is a kind of quiet strength not often seen in books. Ellie has to come to terms with the fact that wanting something more is okay, making the decision to be happy for herself is just as important as anything else. I loved that journey for her, knowing that each day she was making the choices to try for something different, to be something other, and her transformation over the course of the story was the driving force of the book. Her connection to Clay Lockhart was the kind of love that builds from nothing, becoming a force that ties two souls together for not just this lifetime but EVERY lifetime. I thought Clay was tragic because of what had happened to him and how he's been living for so many decades but it takes resilience to live alone on a floating island for as long as he has managed. The life he built and the things he learned while being adrift, it was all breathtaking, the idea of being at the whim of the water and the wind and still getting up everyday to live his life. Ellie and Clay together made me feel like I was taking deep breaths and holding them, waiting for them to come together and then watching each day as they made the choices again and again to work together to keep their livelihood going all the while choosing each other. It was heartwarming to witness.

The pacing had a flow to it, a rhythm that was careful with it's reveals, slowly building up to the final images of the book. I'm still not over that ending, the ideas it left behind in my head and my heart. I might not remember every individual detail of this book but I think this ache in my chest is going to stay with me for a while. This is like a story you heard once upon a time, a legend that has been passed down for generations, the exact meaning or lesson you are meant to learn different for each person that hears it. I want to delve into the specifics but I feel like the effect of the book will be lost if I give anything more of it away. What I found in the synopsis was enough to get me to read this book but the experience of reading the book itself was more than I thought I would find and it will stay with me for a long time to come.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. I have a couple of Ernshaw books left to read, which is good because I feel a little bereft after this book experience. If you are a fan of Shea Ernshaw, this is one of her BEST stories. Read this book if you want something that feels a dream you once had or a story you want to remember and be prepared to sit with the feelings it leaves behind once it is done.

Book Review: Most Likely to Murder by Lish McBride

My thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and Lish McBride for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

A long time ago, nearly a dozen years maybe, I picked up a book called Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. The title made me chuckle because of the connection to the song and while I didn't grow up when the song was popular, I had eventually found my way to Elton John so I could appreciate the fun the title was having with it's rhyme. Then I started reading the book, about a young man named Sam who discovers he is a necromancer and I slowly became a fan for life of Lish McBride. What truly sold me on that first book was the name of the main character. You see, Sam was born on Samhain, the pagan holiday, and his mother decided to give him that for his name. And at first the fact that he was called SAM was making me a little disappointed until Sam explained that his name is pronounced SOWIN, he was only called Sam because his Dad wanted to get back at his mom for giving his that name.

SOLD!! Seriously, it might be insignificant but I knew, from that sentence forward, I would read everything that McBride wrote from then on out. I have read several books that have Samhain pronounced Sam-hane, actually going to the trouble to explain that is how it is pronounced and it would just bug me so much. So Lish McBride gained my admiration and full devotion as a reader with that sentence alone. Obviously it helped that the book was amazing. I've bought copies of ALL of them since (still waiting on word of a new Uncanny Romance, fingers crossed), so this was automatically added to my cart when it was available to order. I jumped at the chance to read it when I found it for review and I'm happy to report that it was exactly what I expected as a teen slasher written by Lish McBride. Dark and funny, filled with memorable characters and creepy deaths, I devoured this book in a day.

Most Likely to Murder follows two seniors and best friends, Rick and Martina, two teenagers happy enough with their lives on the fringes at school and the supposed culprits behind a few big pranks (never proven). When the school yearbook gets passed out at lunch, the layout for the "Most likely to..." page has been redone, listing certain classmates and faculty with macabre titles, the words coming off as threats as they hint at ways these specific people will die. Rick and Martina are automatically suspected of the prank, despite the fact that they too are featured on the page. When their school counselor is pulled out of the lake, the same way his picture and its title predicted he'd die, the whole school is on edge. Then more students end up dead the way the layout predicted and now Rick and Martina and the surviving members of the layout page have to come together to figure out who the killer is and why they are on the list before another one of their ranks ends up dead.

The story drew me in from the start. The idea of it was enough to draw me in, being a former member of my own school's yearbook staff, so the logistics and the image it made in my mind made me eager to give the book a try. The plot is perfect for the readers who grew up reading Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, just like McBride states on the acknowledgements page, and if you're familiar with those books, you'll see the inspiration easy. The book was exactly what I wanted, creepy enough to keep me reading with characters I cared about, and I was invested from the start. I loved Rick and Martina, their families and their interests.

I admired Rick, a young man trying his best to pick up the slack for his mom and sister after his father abandoned the family. I wanted a best friend like Martina, who kept her head when the adults at the school suspected she and Rick were behind the prank, and who fought back and protected Rick when some students pushed back too hard about being targeted even though they had no proof that Rick and Martina were behind it. They were easy to love and I wanted to keep these two safe from harm. As their group expanded to include the other kids targeted in the yearbook, I slowly came to care for each character. A book becomes a great book when you have a group of teenagers on a page and are able to name each one and what their interests are without any trouble. Sometimes characters bleed together but not with this book.

In terms of plot, the reveals worked with keeping me hooked to the story. Add in chapters that fill in background story, things happening off the center stage of the story, and I am completely invested. Those extras caught me a little off guard but if you're familiar with slashers, it is par for the course and a must need to keep your attention. It was creepy and the descriptions made my eyes widen in surprise and I was constantly either smiling because of the banter between the teenagers or dropping my jaw a little when another character bit the dust.

I was trying to figure out who the villain was and while my prediction was right, I was not in any way disappointed by figuring it out early. I've just read a LOT of these kinds of books. It's a point of pride to be able to figure these out but it does not in any way detract from the experience of reading this story. It is a quick read and that is in thanks to the way it was written and the way the story unfolds, all plusses in my opinion. Nothing drags or feels out of place, everything just adds to the story and to the world in general. If McBride decides to set other books in this world, expanding this into a kind of series, I would be first in line to read those books.

I want to talk about so much more about this book but to do so would veer into spoiler territory and this book deserves the reveals it earned. The story unfolded the way it needed to, the characters earned their place as kids that deserved to live and breathe and survive and be happy, and when I got to the end of the book, I wanted to see more. Read this book if you loved teen slasher stories filled with good scares and smart teens. I'll be here waiting to see what Lish McBride writes next.

Rating on my scale: 9.5 Stars. I LOVED this book but it is a short book/fast read kind of deal. Some people might only like the book because of that but this is a very respectable read. If you've kept up with Lish McBride books, this is exactly what you'd expect a teen slasher from McBride to be. If this is your first time reading Lish McBride, believe me when I say you should go back and read other books by McBride. Everything I've read by McBride has kept me coming back for YEARS, and I will continue to read her books for as long as she writes. 

Book Review: The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg

My thanks to Netgalley, 47North and Charlie N. Holmberg for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I have been waiting, somewhat patiently, for this book. I had the fortuitous chance to read book one, The Shattered King, earlier this year before the release and leapt at the chance to read this book when it was available. On the one hand, I want to write a well-balanced review, talking about all of the character development, the plot twists and payoffs that made this book utterly brilliant. On the other, I want to scream into my hands and kick my feet and laugh maniacally like some crazed fan to extol the virtues of this book.

Guess which side is winning? Allow me to pause for a moment while I gather myself.

And now we are back. Honestly, I want to go on and on about how BRILLIANT this book is and have that somehow be enough because my emotions are still running high but at the same time, I know it's not enough to give this book flowery words of praise without delving into the contents of the story so without further ado, the review!

The Half-Hearted Queen picks up where The Shattered King left off, with Nym taken captive by King Nicosia. Nym is forced to be a political prisoner, guarding her secrets about how she healed Prince Renn while also also trying to work out the connections between the two kingdoms. Desperate to get back home, Nym has to survive the days as the prisoner to a king who will stop at nothing to figure out the inner workings of Nym's healing craft and how he can gain the talent for himself. Meanwhile, Prince Renn has to work to understand his place as the new King of Cansere, leading his people as they try to fight back the Sestan forces that have taken their homeland while an ancient prophecy starts to reveal itself. As the war continues on and Cansere realizes how ill-prepared they are for war, Prince Renn has to consider all the options he has available to save his people, including an alliance with a neighboring kingdom that could threaten his burgeoning relationship with Nym.

The story is strong. The threads from the first are carried through to this book, with reveals paying off with high emotions for me as a reader. As a book about an ongoing war, Holmberg has to work with some delicate subject matter, specifically the actions of a despicable man hellbent on getting what he wants, no matter what the costs, and how this intersects with the treatment of Nym as a prisoner. It made my stomach turn and yet, for the sake of depicting war, it was necessary to see how Nym suffered away from home and away from Renn. The scenes helped to paint Nicosia as the villain and helped to show just how strong and determined Nym had become, a woman who had grown into a force that apparently put this villain on edge enough that he was almost desperate to understand what set her apart from other healers.

I wanted to enter this world and destroy Nicosia myself. There was a moment in reading about what Nym suffered that I had to put this book down and breathe because I wanted it to be over, I wanted Nym back home where she belonged, I wanted her back with Renn and I wanted her to annihilate Nicosia. This is the payoff from the first book. Holmberg has created a character that readers adore and seeing Nym suffer forces us as readers to feel for her, to be on the edge of our seats as we witness her pain. When Nym finally manages to get out of Sesta, readers are as relieved as Nym is and we are able to breathe easier. It shows the talent Holmberg has that readers will feel so deeply for the lead of this book.

Another point about the plot and the emotions is the fact that this book got to me in ways I did not expect. Yes, I felt something akin to rage towards the villain, and yes, I was also annoyed with some new characters that I was ready to boot out the door. But it was the quiet moments of reunion that got me the most. I care for the characters I read about and when I rate a book high, it usually has to do with just how much I felt about the people in the story. I cared about these characters, even the ones that did not spend so much time on the page but as I had read about them enough with what Nym said about them, I came to love the people that Nym loved too. So when a particular reunion took place on the page and there was mention of a sob being choked back, I was right there with that character, rapidly blinking back tears and trying to swallow around the lump in my throat because I was that invested in this plot payoff. That emotion took me off guard and yet it made me smile, because a truly great book will make you run the gamut of emotions that the characters are going through.

But then Holmberg got me a second time, with yet another reunion between characters, and I had to put the book down because gosh darnit, my chest felt tight and my eyes were so watery I couldn't focus on the words in front of me. As a reader, I can only hope that I feel that deeply for the events of the book that I am reading, so the fact that this book got me to tear up TWICE, well, that catapults this book into all-star favorite status. You hear that sound? That's the slow clap and standing ovation I'm giving this book. And there were still moments to come that made this book continue to keep me on my toes, smiling and laughing at the romance and holding my breath at the battles, and waiting for the moment that the villain finally gets what is coming to them.

It was all a sight to behold.

The characters are still solid, even the new additions. Renn is still the strong lead that is necessary to keep Nym hoping for more than what she ever that would be possible for her future. Their interactions were swoon-worthy and their back-and-forths proved that their match was the one to root for. I loved how Renn was shown to have gained all of this strength and yet the character that was shaped by a lifelong illness was proven to be a humble man, wishing to keep the spotlight off of himself and yet accepting that in order to win the war, all the hopes of his people were set on him and what he could do. I loved his resolve and his determination to keep Nym, the person who loved him for who he was before he was healed and the woman who had sacrificed so much of herself to fix him. The book showed just how much Renn had absorbed in his life being in the background of his family and how he was able to use his knowledge to strategize how to win the war and work out an alliance that would hopefully keep his people safe now and in the future.

This time around, readers are given more time with Princess Eden and she proved to be a quiet force that kept Nym focused when she was captured. Eden was shaped by the life that she had led and I appreciated how Holmberg showed that Eden could see what had come before and after the events at the start of the book and how she had been sheltered as a member of the nobility compared to what Nym had gone through in her life. If Holmberg decides to continue writing in this world, I would read a duology focused on Princess Eden and what she has to overcome after the events of this book. I was happy when more of Nym's family made an appearance in the story even though I wanted all of them sequestered somewhere away from the battles. I wanted horrible things to happen to some less than likable certain characters, which shows that Holmberg can make readers hate characters just as much as she can make us love the people in this story.

In my review of the first book, my only complaint was that I wasn't really sure about how much time was passing between the different events of the story. This time around, Holmberg has the specifics that made this exactly what I needed to understand the heavy emotions of the book. The passage of time has a weight to it that makes every moment precious so to know that it has been three months in captivity, or two months since this happened, or this long on the road, it all helps to convey the effort it takes for these characters to get to the resolution of the book. I wanted to be able to keep track of time and the specifics were there to help me understand the loss and the relief as Nym moved through this book. It was everything I could have asked for right when I needed to know it, to help me feel just how difficult things had become for Nym while she was in Sesta, to understand the high emotion of Nym receiving certain surprises in the story, to illustrate exactly what the characters were pushing through as they tried to win the war. I loved every moment that Holmberg gave us in this story and I can't think of anything that needed more because I got everything I'd hoped to see and then some with this story.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars!!! This book gave me everything I needed to love it. This duology will live on a shelf of my favorite reads and I will be reading these again and again for years to come. I will be reading everything that Holmberg writes from this day forward AND I will be working my way through every past release as well, all the while working on getting physical copies of every book so that they can all live together on a shelf dedicated to the works of Charlie N. Holmberg. If you read the first book, this book is the perfect ending to the story. If you haven't read The Shattered King yet, what are you waiting for? Run and get a copy now and be prepared to fall in love with the story of Nym and Renn.

Book Review: An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Kelley Armstrong for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many Kelley Armstrong books.

I've collected them for years. I still remember the series that made me want to read everything from Kelley Armstrong. I was randomly searching through books from my city's digital library when I found a book called Omens. It seemed interesting enough so I borrowed it. I was done with it by that evening, after which I promptly tried to find the rest of the series and consumed it in its entirety by the end of the week.

After that, I randomly saw A Stitch in Time for sale at Subterranean Press and I got a copy, then got the rest of that series when it became available. I started collecting the Otherworld series, searching used bookstores and websites to find every novel and novella that had been published. Then I heard the news of an upcoming series from Armstrong, a book called A Rip Through Time. The title sounded similar to A Stitch in Time, so I thought it was a spinoff and promptly pre-ordered a copy. Easy enough mistake to make but I'm glad that it happened because I LOVE this series so much. Every book is better than the last, and this book, An Ordinary Sort of Evil, is everything I've been waiting to see in this series for the last several years. I can't wait for this book to be released because all the fans of this series is going to be so excited. I spent quite some time sitting with a goofy smile on my face and hearts in my eyes during passages of this book, followed closely with shocked eyes and mouth agape because Armstrong threw in a few unexpected tidbits that caught me by surprise. I want to read this whole series again, I want to read the NEXT book already because there has to be more coming, right? I'm so grateful that the novella is out next month, even though it will set between books #4 and #5, as long as I get to spend more time in this world. THAT is how much I love these books.

An Ordinary Sort of Evil is about Mallory Mitchell, a modern-day homicide detective who has traveled 150 years back in time and now inhabits the body of a housemaid. Mallory has managed to make a good life for herself in the past, filled with people she can trust. She works for Dr. Duncan Gray, an undertaker who has an interest in what is becoming the start of forensic science, and Detective Hugh McCreadie, Dr. Gray's best friend and a well-respected officer of the law. Together they solve the murder cases that McCreadie brings to Gray for help to solve them. They know Mallory's background and have her expertise to help them, trusting her because of the friendship they have developed since the events of book 1. One night, Duncan and Mallory are summoned to the house of one of Duncan's patrons. When they arrive, they are told that a seance had taken place and that the ghost of a missing maid appeared and requested Dr. Gray by name to investigate her death. Mallory and Gray aren't sure if a crime took place but they decide to investigate in the hopes of finding the young woman alive. As they work, they are drawn into a case that has many twists and dangers that they have to stay ahead of because the case is more complex than it first appeared to be.

When I first started reading book 1, I was afraid of one thing. I was worried that the lead, a homicide detective from modern times, would walk around in the past without working to change the way she is. I thought the character would blaze around the town, demanding answers, acting the way a modern woman would despite the fact that she was in the past which would have different customs and expectations. It makes me so grumpy when I read books in which a lead is put in a situation they know nothing about and instead of being cautious and careful, they stomp around like nothing is different. So when Mallory arrived in the past, I cheered when she continued in her role as a maid, trying to fit in while working to understand where she had ended up and how she could get back home. Her reasoning was that in the event that she ended up back in her own time and body, she would want to be sure that the young woman whose place she took could slip back into her past without finding that Mallory had destroyed her life. And I LOVED that.

Mallory is one of the greatest, most interesting female main characters I've ever seen and I adore reading about her. I search every year since the first book was released to see if there will be a new book about Mallory and so far, these books don't disappoint. I love the way Mallory's mind works, how she sees the world she's in, making comparisons to the present, pointing out history that has not taken place yet, enriching the world of the story for the reader. I love the banter she has with her friends, the way they trust and believe in her, the way they know that she is intelligent and a detective in her own right and how that helps them with their cases. I love Dr. Duncan Gray, the way he holds back when he speaks but has a weakness for pastries. I love the way he believes in Mallory, the confidence he has in her abilities, the way he protects his sisters and works in a job that he inherited, being an undertaker, even though he hates it. Gray is on one hand the classic example of a Victorian and on the other an open-minded man who is not afraid of what Mallory is, fiercely independent and exceedingly intelligent. They are a match made in book heaven and their connection is what has kept me coming back to read these books, 5 novels and soon to be 3 novellas by my count so far.

I love Isla, Gray's sister, and Hugh, the detective best friend. They are the perfect companions to the two leads of this series, and together, this quartet of characters are so much fun to read about as they work on their cases together. Eccentric in the best ways and a found family that includes so many other interesting characters. After the last book, I was thinking to myself that it had been a while since we'd seen the rest of the Gray household so I was happy that so many favorites had moments in this book. Alice, the young maid with a questionable past, made an appearance with her new wildcat kitten rescued in the last adventure. Miss Wallace, the housekeeper, was around to keep Mallory on her toes. Simon, the groomsman, was the quiet support in the background, available for the many tasks and assistance that his employers needed. And we can't forget about Jack, the latest addition to the house who now works as a maid, who is also a self-described journalist who works with Isla to write out chronicles about Mallory and Duncan's adventures, which are apparently gaining popularity among a large variety of readers. Every character is enjoyable in their own way and to see them all again was such a pleasure after the last book had the main quartet out in the country for a wedding.

The main mystery of this book was an intriguing twist. I thought the idea of trying to solve a murder that no one knows for sure took place was the perfect new plot for Mallory and Gray to tackle. The idea of ghosts and spiritualism was something that gained a lot of popularity in the Victorian era, especially with Queen Victoria's interest in it, so it was definitely a draw to see how Mallory and Gray work on a case that has so many reveals that come about because of it. Also, the cameos that Armstrong placed in this book left me gobsmacked. I mean, the first big reveal was fun and I thought wow, that was unexpected but that final reveal just threw me for a loop, it was so unexpected and yet it made me giddy with laughter and FINE, okay universe, I get it, I'm going back to try reading some particular works of literature again. I swear, I say one time in a review that I don't particularly like something and then one of my new favorite books does something like THIS and okay, fine, I'll read them again. I can't be more specific than that without giving it away and that reveal is just utter perfection. Ugh, I'm still not over it.

Finally, the title of this book. I have not really thought to reflect on the titles of these books, they're usually sufficient in the sense that they perfectly encapsulate the plot of the novel and that's all there is to it. But this title, that phrase, just, I don't know if I can put it into words. When it hit in the story, I felt my stomach drop or maybe my heart turned over, just the impact that it made, a bittersweet melancholy that made me wistful and yet heartsick at the way it was used. It elevated this book just that much more compared to the rest of the series and for that, I want to shout off the rooftops about how utterly brilliant this installment was, it is just that great. I just finished talking to my Dad about this book because I bought these for him and he's catching up on the story and he LOVES these books too and until more people in our family read these, he's the only one I can talk to about how much I adored this book and have him understand because he feels the same way about these characters. I didn't spoil it though. I'm not that cruel. Still, the sentiment remains, readers will absolutely love this installment, I'm confident about that fact. I hope this series has many more books to come. Please, I beg of you, let this series continue for years to come, I love this world and its people so much.

Rating on my Scale: 10 STARS!!! Read this series and then come and read this book and revel in the reveals and the twists and the developments because this series is perfect for mystery lovers. I love these books and I will be reading these again and again for years. Please read these books so Kelley Armstrong can continue writing for this world and we readers can continue to have the opportunity of watching Mallory and Gray solve mysteries in Victorian Scotland. Then they can read everything else by Armstrong and we readers can continue to get great books from her for as long as she is able to write and we are able to read. A win-win for everyone if you ask me.

Book Review: Heartsong by S.E. Wendel

My thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and S.E. Wendel for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What caught my attention first was the beautiful cover art. The blues and purples accentuated by the pinks and oranges mixed in the clouds behind the couple. I stopped in my tracks while I was looking at new reads and looked at the synopsis. The reference to Ruby Dixon sealed the deal. I took the chance to find a new author and I'm so glad I did because this was sweet and steamy and in the end, so interesting because a good romance has to have enough story to draw you in for a series if that's the goal and this one passed with flying colors.

Heartsong has gargoyles, or more accurately grotesques, on display in a special museum owned by an eccentric couple. Anna works at this museum, taking care of the visitors by giving tours and taking care of the front desk at a job that is almost too good to be true. She's happy with her job and interested in the museum pieces, specifically a warrior that is slate grey in color. Anna calls this one her statue and takes her breaks and lunches near him when she has the chance. Masked commandos storm the museum one night that Anna is working late and Anna ends up touching her statue as she is trying to escape. He comes to life and whisks her away to safety, calling her his mate, his heartsong. Frey tells her about a fae queen who stole the magic that created his people, turning many of them into the statues that are now on display at her job. Now Anna has to try to help Frey adapt to the modern world while trying to figure out how to help the rest of the statues that were once his people. All while trying to understand the connection she has to the warrior Frey.

I loved this book. It was everything I expected for a monster romance and it kept my attention through every twist and turn it took. I'm hoping for more news about the projected sequel soon. I found the world-building interesting, the story about how Frey was created to help the Druids fight against invaders for several centuries. It sounded like a legend that could have been passed down for generations. The hook about how a fae queen stole their magic back and forced them to become statues for fifteen hundred years was tragic and I was quickly drawn in to the entire mythology built for this book. I wanted to understand everything and I was happy to go along for the ride. This is my first book from Wendel and I was impressed with the writing skill, the easy flow of the writing and the chemistry between the leads. Nothing felt clunky, threads were woven and then came together seamlessly, the reveals were earned and nothing felt out of place. As a result, I'm looking into more works by Wendel to start reading to tide me over until book 2 is released.

Anna was an intriguing character, a woman who is suffering from chronic pain in the form of debilitating migraines that she is slowly trying to get under control with the help of medical care she finally has access to because of her job. I thought this was unique because so many heroines in these stories are young and healthy, thin and maybe awkward but Anna felt like a real woman with real issues. She's a little bigger than the average woman, has struggled to build a life for herself with the problems that arise from having to live a life with chronic pain holding you back. I enjoyed the fact that Anna had childhood issues keeping her from opening up, that hold her back from trusting people and that it was part of journey to learn that she deserved good things and that it was safe to trust someone when they proved that they could be trusted. It worked at keeping me rooting for Anna to get her happily ever after.

Frey was fun, a bit of a jerk at the start of the book but quick to learn and adapt. He was once a well-respected warrior, arrogant and bullheaded, and now he is determined to protect his love from everything, even herself, no matter what. I loved how he butted heads with Anna, how he thought he was making all the right moves and had to sit back and learn when she didn't fall over swooning when the reality was that he had made an ass of himself. Frey was a sweetheart with good intentions and I enjoyed watching him learn to read Anna, to understand that he needed to hear her side and take in what she said. Their dynamic made their connection feel earned. I've read many "fated lovers" stories leave the development of the romance to rest on the idea of being fated instead of showing how that is only the first ingredient to a good love story. The characters still have to make the choice to work together and make their connection worth it in order for their story to resonate and I loved that this book showed that.

My only complaint was with the reveal about the villain. The mastermind behind the breach at the museum seemed a little off, not enough to feel like a threat. After everything that had happened in the book, it came off as a bit of a letdown. I'm not sure what I was expecting but the way it was left definitely shows that this is the first book in a series. There will be more development in later books and more answers revealed, I know that, I just really didn't care about the whys for the villain, or really anything for the villain. It's just that for now, the way this was revealed, the villain turned out to be the weakest link of the story. Still, it led to some interesting reveals for the whole book so I will be reading the prequel novella Stone Hearts, within the month.

I also adore when authors provide glossaries and chapter notes to enhance their story. I greatly appreciate an author showing the effort that they made to expand their world with real sources that I can see for myself. It really helps with the world-building and just in appealing to my senses as a reader. I'm the type of reader who enjoys footnotes and having a romance novel with that kind of information added in makes my heart sing. Read this book if you love monster romances that have realistic leads and prove that love takes work. I hope this series is going to have lots of books in the future.

Rating on my scale: 9 Stars. Seriously, this is a VERY respectable read. I loved it, I just feel really annoyed about the villain. They seemed to have too much power for very little page time and I want more definitive dealings with getting rid of them. I'll have to wait and see how they deal with them but here's hoping it's not drawn out. So far, they are not interesting enough to make me care about their devious plans. But I loved the couple and I want to know what happens with the next leads for book 2.

Book Review: Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Nancy Springer for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gentle Reader, I can remember it like it was yesterday, the moment I discovered the Enola Holmes series. I was perusing some entertainment sites, as I was wont to do in the mornings before getting out of bed, when I saw a headline about a new film adaptation in the works. The article spoke about the new undertaking and how it would be based on the Enola Holmes books, a series that follows the adventures of a heretofore unmentioned younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Color me intrigued because any mention of a Holmes adjacent or even related work is enough to garner my interest. So I went in search of the books at my library, downloaded the entire series and set to reading.

I loved those books with every fiber of my being. I've read the original six books three times each and have read the new books each at least twice. I have an autographed title sheet of the book Enola Holmes and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets. I bought the entire previously released set of books, nine total, for my Dad last year and he is slowly working his way through them. (I also bought the entire original series for my sister but the scoundrel has yet to read them, I doubt she even knows their location, confound it.) I have also watched the movies based on the books countless times by this point, they are just a set of movies I sometimes put on late at night when I want something sunny to brighten my mood. I will also say that I had previously tried searching for news of another Enola Holmes adventure, but my search proved for naught for I found nothing to indicate that another adventure would be provided ever again. Which cemented my disappointment, dear reader, for I felt that the last Enola book was not the ending the series deserved.

THIS in the ending the series deserved.

And now without further ado, the rest of the review.

Enola Holmes has just finished attending the service of her former landlady when she hears the sound of a bell ringing. Needing to find the source of the unusual sound, she searches the cemetery until she finds the bell attached to a new headstone with a line leading into the ground of the freshly dug grave beneath it. Summoning help, Enola unearths a young woman, Trevina Trairom, who after her ordeal has lost her memory and Enola, spurred to help the lost, decides to take Trevina home with her and endeavors to help her regain her memory and find out why she was buried alive. At the same time, her brother Sherlock has come into conflict with Professor Moriarty, which leaves Enola on her own, as always, to figure out what had befallen Trevina to lead her to such a tragic fate. As the story continues, Enola proves once and for all, her rightful place as an honorable member of the Holmes family alongside her respectable siblings.

I can still remember the feeling of disappointment I had when I reached the end of Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose. I read my little review over again and still feel how meh I felt about the epilogue, which usually gave enough of a wrap-up from either Enola or Sherlock that I would feel somewhat buoyed by the parting sentiment from those last few pages. That was not the case with the last book and I immediately went searching for news that there would be another book. If I remember correctly, and obviously I was wrong because here is the book, but I could have sworn I saw some statements that indicated there would not be another publication. I distinctly remember that and it was in my last review, so it was SOMEWHERE, but now it's false so I guess it doesn't matter anyhow.

If you'll allow me, I'll explain a little more about my fascination with all things Holmes adjacent. You see, a long time ago, I took a class at university entitled, Detective Fiction and Film. Part of the syllabus had students reading some of the original Sherlock Holmes adventures and I'm sorry to say, I did not care for them. I'll wait a moment for the sounds outrage or disbelief to end and now I will say, I KNOW, they just didn't really click with me and I haven't read them since. Still, it has not discouraged me from finding other books that are Sherlock related for me to enjoy. If it has something mildly related to the lore and is a mystery, I'll try it. Which is why a series of books about the much younger sister of the Holmes siblings seemed to be the perfect fit for me. And it turned out that it was and continues to be a favorite series of mine. I'm also so ecstatic to report that this book turned out to be everything I expected for one last hurrah for a favorite character.

In this book, Enola does what she does best, takes in the lost and tries to help them. In this case, the intriguing story of Trevina and her mysterious fate was enough to keep me invested in this book. I literally started reading it last night and finished it this afternoon. Somewhere in the time there I managed to eat, drink, sleep and take care of my kids but yes, I finished this book in a day. I loved every thought that passed through Enola's head. She's a smart young woman who follows the teachings of her mother and manages to one-up her siblings by being brilliant at what she does. She's a master of disguise, plans her clothes to allow for hidden weapons on her person and has amassed a rather large amount of allies, people who are willing to do whatever it takes to help her succeed. By this point in the series, readers should be familiar with Harold, the cab driver, Joddy, the boy in buttons, Mrs. Hudson, Mary Watson and even Florence Nightingale. Each has their own part to play as Enola tries to understand the mastermind villain that would abuse their niece and leave her buried in a cemetery.

I want to talk more about the plot but there has to be a point I don't cross and I can't say more without giving the entire story away. Suffice to say, every clue made me that much more invested in this story. I did not want to stop reading for anything and I'm happy that the experience of reading this was quick even if I wish there was more to read. Still, when I reached the final sentences of the epilogue of this book, I wanted to lift my hands up and cheer. I've already gone back to read it twice more because it was the perfect ending to the series. If this book is actually, well and truly, the LAST Enola Holmes adventure, well then reader, I am supremely satisfied.

Reader, if anything, go back and read this entire series. If you like the movies, you'll love these books. Each adventure is different and fun and Enola is a wonderful character to read about as she grows up into an accomplished perditorian, or a finder of lost things and people. It was a long time coming to this end but it was all worth it to read those final words. Nancy Springer, hats off to you, well done, and bravo.

Rating on my Scale: 10 STARS!!! I loved, loved, LOVED this final book of Enola Holmes and I can't wait to have my copy join its companions on my shelves (even though it has yet another cover redesign, but fine, beggars can't be choosers.) Buy this book for any fan of the mystery genre, that's how much I loved this book and the series overall. And now I bid you adieu, gentle reader, and Happy Halloween!