GOD I love these books. I look forward to them so much all year. Book three in the series, SLASHING THROUGH THE SNOW, does not disappoint.
Holly can’t GOD I love these books. I look forward to them so much all year. Book three in the series, SLASHING THROUGH THE SNOW, does not disappoint.
Holly can’t just leave well enough alone when it’s her second mom in the authority’s sights for the most recent murder, and she pays the price for it. I love how good-intentioned Holly is despite how it bites her in the ass in the end. Yeah, she’s a busybody, but she’s not completely intrusive about it if that makes any sense. It’s only to her detriment, and she doesn’t come across as someone butting into everybody’s business. She is starting to get herself a reputation, though, and people are starting to know that where Holly is, a murder isn’t far behind.
I love the layers in the mystery being told here. I’m definitely not an astute enough reader to really pick these things apart as I read. That doesn’t mean I don’t try, and I absolutely had no idea who it was until the big reveal. Total shocker. Did not see it coming. And I love it.
Other than me not really understanding how people can eat so much crap food and not be a town of diabetics, I have no complaints about this book. This is one of those rare reviews where it’s nothing but a gush, and I have nothing much constructive to say about it. It’s a wonderful Christmastime cozy mystery that encapsulates everything about the season all into one book, with a murder. It’s a little campy without being sickly sweet, it’s a solid mystery that will keep you guessing until the end, and the characters are wonderful.
This is a fun, colorful coffee table Christmas book that briefly goes into the history of Krampus and gives you dozens of amazing Victorian-era postcaThis is a fun, colorful coffee table Christmas book that briefly goes into the history of Krampus and gives you dozens of amazing Victorian-era postcards, all featuring the long-tongued devil of Christmas. Some of those postcards are hilariously salacious and put monster-lover into a whole new category. The styles of postcards are going to be comfortably familiar to anyone who’s dived down that rabbit hole of Victorian era anything. It’s just some of them were a little shocking how much some of those drawn women…welcomed Krampus, shall we say. Although it should come as no surprise considering what he, um, brings to the table, shall we say.
There’s really nothing else to review with this book. It cheered me up after a string of lackluster Christmas cozies. While not cozy itself, it definitely warmed me on the inside and I look forward to pulling it out every year from here on out and using it as a unique conversation starter. ...more
SPOOKY STORIES OF THE WORLD is a great introduction to supernatural creatures from all over the world, makWhat a fun book! The art was fantastic, too!
SPOOKY STORIES OF THE WORLD is a great introduction to supernatural creatures from all over the world, making it a point to focus on each continent. It’s not like they skipped Europe. Of course not. But because I think our knowledge of the supernatural is very limited to European-centric creatures thanks to our media, it can be hard to know where to look for something outside of that bubble. Shearer does a great job of collecting a small sampling of creatures and tales and compiling them here.
Told in contexts that most children would understand, they get a short description of the creature, followed by a tale to put it into context. Most of the tales have some level of upbeat ending, but not all of them. Some endings are more neutral, and a couple are not all that positive. Such is life, and I think that message is delivered a little better in this more fictional context.
This is a great book to plant the seeds of knowledge in a kid’s head. They can start here, and then if something excites them, there are more than enough rabbit holes in while to tumble down. I don’t even have kids and I’ll be buying a copy of this book to keep on my shelves. I love what I learned from it and again, the art is wonderful!
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Oh, my heart! This book is divine. I can’t say enough good things about it.
The art is superb. A hint spooky, a hint goofy, and completely darling. It Oh, my heart! This book is divine. I can’t say enough good things about it.
The art is superb. A hint spooky, a hint goofy, and completely darling. It balanced the topic at hand nicely.
And the content is completely on the nose. A super high level look at the concept of vampires throughout history, with some scientific explanations thrown in, is a great introduction to the supernatural for anyone who’s interested.
My favorite part was when it got to vampires in film, and it got into Twilight. I was choking down the full page write up on what the movie was about, until I turned that page and read the full page caveat about how it’s a problematic movie and why critics of it will say it is. I LOVED IT. And then the whole following section about the growing diversity around vampires and how not diverse the myth was until very recently. It’s pretty much impossible not to talk about vampires in cinema without talking about Twilight, and I think Fitzpatrick addressed all that wonderfully.
HANGING WITH VAMPIRES approaches topics like intersectionality, the value of representation in literature and film, and the deeper dives behind the cultural meaning of the vampire throughout history in a way that’s understandable and relatable and puts things into context. It provides just enough nuance that, if a reader wanted to look deeper into a particular topic, the author has given that reader just enough of a hint as to where to go from there. Loved it.
Unfortunately, that means it will likely get banned because Fitzpatrick deigned to bring a “woke” attitude to a classic creature. We don’t want to indoctrinate our children, you hear? ...more
Could NOT put this down. THE BLACK QUEEN is so twisty and turny, I was second guessing myself the entire time. I had the killers pegged from the beginCould NOT put this down. THE BLACK QUEEN is so twisty and turny, I was second guessing myself the entire time. I had the killers pegged from the beginning, but Emill kept throwing these diversions at me I was constantly thinking, “well, maybe not.” He set so many characters up so well to be suspects that even if you think you know, you’ll be guessing until the very end.
I like how Emill didn’t use a killer prologue here. I think it could have fit, but Nova isn’t fodder for a story. She’s a real person who Emill makes you love real quick before ripping her away. I liked that conscious choice to not make her a tool for other characters’ growth right from the get-go.
I also liked how Duchess and Tinsley started the story on these binaries, fitting into these very specific molds, and watching them get broken down over the course of the story. I think Tinsley was a little more self aware about the mold she was in than Duchess, just because Duchess suffered some truths about herself that really rocked her world and put her more in alignment with Tinsley than she ever wanted to be.
Tinsley came off a little wish fulfillment in her character arc, but I don’t fault Emill for having that kind of ideal for people to see the error of their ways. And for how wish fulfillment Tinsley played out to me, I think her situation was completely realistic. A lot of people just will not change course unless they’re facing down something catastrophic, like a murder charge, that puts them in the shoes of the very people they’ve been complaining about in the first place. It’s actually kind of sad that people need to be in these kinds of positions in order to change, and you can only hope it changes them. Sometimes it doesn’t change anything, and it forces people to double down, which we also see in this story.
I loved Duchess’s reluctance to give Tinsley the benefit of the doubt. Especially with Ev in her ear, I don’t fault her for her reluctance, but I’m glad she listens to her gut, even if that means going against the grain everyone expects her to travel on. I also love her grudging acceptance that maybe Tinsley is a product of her environment too. Add in the rather awkward situation of Duchess’s dad being one of the lead cops on Nova’s case and that adds a whole other level of complicated to Duchess’s world view.
It’s just one thing after another in this story. If you’re bored reading THE BLACK QUEEN, we didn’t read the same book. It holds a mirror up to society while giving you this twisty, turny story that you desperately want to solve and will not rest until you do. Every single character will suck you into their story and make you question whether they are what they say they are, regardless of how long they’re actually on the page. And the number of subplots on top of it all. SUPERB. I can’t say enough good things about it.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I found this book on YONDER, the next generation reading app from the WEBTOON and Wattpad family of apps, and I’m so glad it’s available to purchase oI found this book on YONDER, the next generation reading app from the WEBTOON and Wattpad family of apps, and I’m so glad it’s available to purchase outside of the app. POSTER BOY is a fantastic, gripping book with somewhat unlikeable characters, yet you can’t pull your eyes away from them. There is a disturbing similarity between the society unfolding in the book and the one we’re currently living it that I think makes the book all the more chilling and relatable. I think dystopias that play so close to the line like this make some of the best books for that very reason, because it makes us see what a couple more steps in the current direction can get us.
It’s a dual POV story with Rosa and Teresa narrating their own versions of the stories. Rosa is a very lost teenager who has always come in second to her brother, who died and whose death was warped for the needs of the state. Rosa finds herself basically out on her ass with no parental support. No surprise she spirals, but ultimately finds meaning before everything goes completely belly up. Teresa is telling her story on the same timeline, acting as a double agent working for the insurgents trying to overthrow the fascist government while working for said government. Hers is a personality that’s a bit grating, and I think if the entire book were in her POV it would be hard to read because she is so single-minded and comes off rather robotic as a result. She’s not necessarily unlikeable, and it’s interesting watching how far she’s willing to push the “by any means necessary” mantra for her cause, but she’s not the most likeable character either.
The book opens at the end, then reverts back to the beginning with how Rosa ends up on stage with the prime minister with a bomb strapped to her chest. My knee jerk reaction is “why would you give away the ending?” But it’s not quite the ending, and the ending will kick your teeth in. I was wholly sucked into reading about how Rosa got to that point and where her road and Gridless’s road intersects. I often found myself wondering where the story was possibly going. How does THIS end up THERE? There’s not a whole lot of action in the story, and from that perspective it is a more character-driven narrative, but the characters are fascinating in a morbidly curious sort of way that I couldn’t look away from.
The ending was spectacular. Completely unexpected until the very last second. I honestly can’t recommend POSTER BOY enough.
This is 100% a fuckventure. Pure erotica. And probably the only kind of book where I supposed the point of view being in second person. It works.
I havThis is 100% a fuckventure. Pure erotica. And probably the only kind of book where I supposed the point of view being in second person. It works.
I haven’t read a choose your own sexventure in years and I’m glad I came across Cassie’s.
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There is literally something for everyone in this book. Possibly multiple somethings for multiple everyones. I do enjoy learning things about myself with these kinds of books, like what I like and what does absolutely nothing for me. I’ve checked some boxes here.
I honestly don’t know how else to review THE HOUSE. It’s fun. It’s enlightening. It’s sexy af. It revved me up more times that I can count. It delivers on its promises. Go buy it. Money well spent.
Book three in the Dark Ink Tattoo series and I’m still hooked. The tension is still turned up to an eleven and going higher, the plot keeps me guessinBook three in the Dark Ink Tattoo series and I’m still hooked. The tension is still turned up to an eleven and going higher, the plot keeps me guessing, and I’m absolutely never bored. Never a dull moment. Truly.
Jack and Angela’s stories are starting to tie up more than Angela just being Jack’s boss, which is awesome. I was wondering when that was really going to be set into motion. With Jack babysitting Angela’s son, wires get crossed and that Venn diagram starts moving toward a full circle.
I like how Angela lets her wolf off the leash a little, and how it responds to Jack. I honestly wonder how Mark will factor into Jack and Angela, or whether we might be looking as a poly romance (granted, I don’t have high hopes for that one, I don’t think Mark’s the type for that). There’s going to be a boom moment that brings Jack and Angela together. I’m just waiting for that particular shoe to drop.
Of course, the spice was SPICY. As always. I love Cassie’s writing all around, but her sex scenes in particular. To die for.
Cassie keeps delivering with these books. I’m not seeing any mid-series lag, or places where the plot is falling off. The storytelling is tight, the sex is lit, and the drama is high. I can’t ask for much more than that!
5
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more
Yup, the sequel was just as good, if not better, than the first! More saucy interactions, more supernatural shenanigans, and the slowest of the slow bYup, the sequel was just as good, if not better, than the first! More saucy interactions, more supernatural shenanigans, and the slowest of the slow burn romances. I’m here for it!
Charlotte is a gem and I think I like her even more than Daphne, which is hard as hell because Daphne is a fantastic character. Charlotte’s defense mechanism appears to be charm and wit. Whether it’s her natural personality, something she learned at court, or a little bit of both, the reader will probably never know. But she’s a witty, smart, independent woman who doesn’t need no help from no one. Until she does. ...more
Book two in the Dark Ink Tattoo series, and it’s just as good as the first. It’s much heavier on Jack’s story than Angela’s, but Angela’s goes into moBook two in the Dark Ink Tattoo series, and it’s just as good as the first. It’s much heavier on Jack’s story than Angela’s, but Angela’s goes into more of a maintenance mode at a certain point, so it makes sense to focus more on Jack from that moment forward since he has more going on.
Still, the sex is still incredibly hot, the action is sky high, and I couldn’t get enough of the story. Alexander knows how to pack a punch and I’m here for it. PUNCH ME.
I actually really love Alexander’s werewolf lore in this story. I find it fascinating how she’s working within the patriarchal setup of the lore just when it comes to the creation of werewolves. Only men can pass it on to other men by bite (which has its homoerotic undertones to it, which I love), and women basically absorb the change through impregnation. That was actually kind of mind blowing to me. I’d call it really unique, but I haven’t read nearly enough werewolf lore to make that assertion, so I won’t. So basically, if a woman isn’t already born with the gene, the only way she can get it is from a man. Makes me wonder what f/f relationships look like in this particular world, but that’s beside the point. It just really cements the alpha control aspect of werewolves in a way I find truly mesmerizing and I want to see more of it!
Of course, that is the catalyst for Angela’s story, so I won’t go into more detail there so I don’t spoil it. But she has a hard day when she learns the Pack’s secrets, for sure.
When it comes to Jack, comparatively, he had a harder time in his transition into supernatural life. Both he and Angela had it done effectively against their will, whether through coercion or lack of informed consent, it was basically a form of rape. Only Jack’s sire didn’t get jailed the same way Angela’s did. He didn’t get that pass, and it made his life rather difficult for an extended period of time. Living on the run, fighting his new nature, all that fun stuff new vamps have to contend with, all to save someone who’s no longer in the picture anyway.
So much action and drama! Alexander delivers yet again with great characters, a great story, and enough sex to leave you winded at the end of it. I can’t wait to read book three!
5
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more
I never go into a book thinking I’m going to dislike it. But I certainly wasn’t expecting to love THE ASSASSIN AND THE LIBERTINE the way I did! It’s sI never go into a book thinking I’m going to dislike it. But I certainly wasn’t expecting to love THE ASSASSIN AND THE LIBERTINE the way I did! It’s such a wonderfully fun book! I had a hard time putting it down.
Daphne is a wonderful character, pushing the boundaries of her role in society to the breaking point only to pull back once again. She’s a broken individual who’s desperately trying to hold herself together, but comes unraveled in the face of Étienne. Can’t say I blame her.
Étienne is just as broken of an individual, just in different ways. It’s no surprise that he and Daphne are so drawn together. He’s very usual in terms of being the vampire love interest for the scorned duchess, but I have to say it’s a trope I love. I can’t help it. I can read those kinds of vampires all day, and Étienne is no different. He comes off great on page (heh) and I think the chemistry between him and Daphne is spot on. I couldn’t look away.
The story itself was fantastic, sucking me in from the beginning (heh). I didn’t see the plot twist coming, and I found it so fitting once it did. It added a level of sinister to the story and also looped other plot elements in for a more robust tale.
I literally have nothing bad to say about THE ASSASSIN AND THE LIBERTINE. I couldn’t get enough of it and I want to read more. Luckily, I have book two waiting for me.
5
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD completely shattered me. I don’t know how else to say it. Trigger warnings for sooooooo many racist acts of violence against BlackTHE WEIGHT OF BLOOD completely shattered me. I don’t know how else to say it. Trigger warnings for sooooooo many racist acts of violence against Black people. There are so many in here. Jackson has a preface to what she’s addressing in this book, so it’s all laid out. And holy crap, is it rough.
To level set, and I’m going to bare my ass here. I’ve never seen Carrie. Or read it. *runs away*
Of course, I know the story. It’s hard not to. I don’t think I was really missing anything in not having read/seen the source material. Jackson laid all that out loud and clear. What happens to Maddy is a f*cking tragedy. There are elements of creepiness to what’s happening to her when her powers manifest, but it’s so, so, so sad what happens to her. Through no fault of her own.
The genius of THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD is not only in portraying Maddy, but in Jackson’s complete and total ability to lay the various shades of racism bare in the likes of people like Jules and Wendy. Jules is easy, even though it was gross being in her head. That’s the kind of racism people expect out of racists. Wendy is more insidious, the “but I’m dating a Black guy so I can’t be racist” racist. More commonly, the “I have a black friend so I can’t be racist” racist. Where Jules speaks more bluntly (often trying to cover her racism with IT’S JUST A JOKE when it doesn’t land the way she anticipates), Wendy is more coded, but if you know what to look for, you can see the nuance of her language. A lot of us and them, those people, I don’t see color, that kind of thing. Not to even mention Wendy using Kenny as her football-playing meal ticket to a better life, supporting him because she assumes he’ll return the favor and support her. It’s what she deserves, of course.
There are a lot of things that I have no business commenting on in this book because I am a white woman, like Kenny’s dad basically saying dating the white girl will open more doors for him than dating the Black girl. Or how Maddy’s dad basically beat, tortured, and terrorized the Black out of her in an attempt to “give her a better life” because she is white passing. And then all the little things threaded throughout the story, like the secondary plot of Kenny’s sister and her Black Student Union coupled with their dad’s obvious dislike of those activities, or Kenny’s struggles with his complicity in propping up his white friends’ racism with his silence and failing to come to the aid of his fellow Black students.
THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD is a horror novel, but not in the bucket of blood (in this case paint) and slaughter that you’d think in a Carrie retelling. The horror is in everything that builds to that moment. Is the climax rough and gruesome? Absolutely. Jackson does not hold back in the gore there. But watching the dominoes fall into place, for me, was far more horrifying. You can see where the story is going and, as that white person, I was holding out hope that the white people would come to their senses. Some did, when push came to shove. But others didn’t, and even in the face of all their wrongs coming to bite them in the ass, they just doubled down and hated harder. That was hard to read.
Honestly, required reading, especially for white people. It just laid so many things bare and it was so telling and so unapologetically, brutally realistic in its telling that I couldn’t look away. I felt exposed, no matter how reformed I think I am. I saw all the good intentions and jokes and whataboutisms that I’ve tried to shake off for years coupled with a side of the story that I’ve never even considered (primarily pale privilege for Black people and the impact that can have on a person, among so many other things). THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD gave me a hangover. Yeah, it’s a horror novel. But it’s so much more than that, and I hope it gets treated that way.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
What a great book. There’s so much going for THE STARS DID WANDER DARKLING that I don’t even know where to start.
This book is a mishmash of hat tips tWhat a great book. There’s so much going for THE STARS DID WANDER DARKLING that I don’t even know where to start.
This book is a mishmash of hat tips to a variety of different 80s things, like The Goonies, The Lost Boys, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (or a couple of different yet similar type stories), ‘Salem’s Lot (although that’s technically 70s). I could see all these little pieces in this book and I practically squealed every time I saw them. Add in the gothic atmosphere and the gritty undercurrent of a story and it’s a fantastic package.
It’s pegged as middle grade, but it can easily transcend into YA, especially since we’re dealing with characters in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. I’ve read a lot of middle grade in the last month and this book, by far, has the most depth to it. It’s unapologetic in its writing, and even though I found myself thinking that the language may be too above middle grade, I kept reminding myself that I shouldn’t care. It’s a wonderful story, and I was reading waaaaaaaaaay up at that age, anyway. I’m sure many others are, and if they don’t get what they’re reading, they’ll either stop or figure it out. It’s not hard.
I loved the preface that Meloy wrote about writing the book his younger self wanted to find that was for him, not an adult book. And I think he nailed it. It’s a mature story that isn’t kiddie and doesn’t play down to the younger readers of the category. It’s dark, it puts the kids in dark places, and it drags them through some rough stuff. The ending had me a bit gutted and slightly terrified, yet it was a perfect ending. Things were all wrapped up. Mostly. And it’s that mostly that’s still sticking with me.
The only complaints I have are that I wanted a hint more 80s nostalgia in there. Not much. I appreciate that it didn’t shove the 80s in my face and the story treated the time like it should: as if it were natural to the characters. It was seamless. A little too seamless, as I kept losing that the story was set in the 80s and not present day. I guess the reminder should have been the ever-present betamax store, but even that was really seamless. I like this way more than the 80s nostalgia stuffed down my throat, where the book is obviously for the parents reading the story, not the kids. This book is for the kids, and I love it.
Also, the title’s a bit odd. I get it. It all comes full circle at the end, and I wouldn’t want something more kiddie like “Invasion of the Adult Snatchers” or something kitschy like that. Even here, on the other side of the book, it’s a bit odd. It could be that I don’t have a full appreciation of poetry, which is where the title comes from. It’s a minor thing, anyway.
So yeah. Two very minor complaints, but overall I thought this was a fantastic story. Great characters, a totally moody world that fit the narrative, and a simmering refrain of creepiness that bound the story together. I can’t recommend this enough.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
What a sweetly creepy story! I loved THE CURSE ON SPECTACLE KEY! Even though I knew what was coming (a story about a haunted lighthouse), I was sad foWhat a sweetly creepy story! I loved THE CURSE ON SPECTACLE KEY! Even though I knew what was coming (a story about a haunted lighthouse), I was sad for Frank when they had to move from Alabama. It was apparent that he’d basically gotten his hopes up in finally staying in one place, just to have the rug ripped out from under him. That hurt. But the story he wrote for himself on Spectacle Key I think more than made up for what he lost (even though it still hurt a little).
I loved the weaving of genuinely creepy elements, like the mysterious knocking on the door and the moving doll (terrifying, seriously) with something that is more wholesome in Alice, and even Snuffles. Although I have to admit that’s an odd name for a ghost. Granted, when things started going sideways, it created an excellent juxtaposition of a seemingly innocuous name against some rather nasty things happening on the island. It played with my brain a little.
I also loved how the concept of the curse was kind of squishy. Is the island actually cursed, or was it haunted by history doomed to repeat itself if people forgot about it? I guess that is its own kind of curse, right? The curse of oblivion, of not seeing beyond the end of your own nose, whether willfully or otherwise.
Frank’s drive for information was totally relatable, and I loved watching him try to solve problems and sometimes struggle through them. Plans don’t always play out, and Frank learned that the hard way.
And the way Acevedo captured that awkward age where a kid desperately wants to be independent, but when things get tough, they know exactly where to run. That was balanced wonderfully. And how Frank wasn’t alone in the end. The parents were never far from him (kind of rare in young adult and younger books, honestly, not that it’s a problem, it’s just refreshing to see the parents playing an active role in the story) and played an active part in Frank’s life. He had to actively sneak around them and got caught more than once. I guess what I’m saying is there was no distance between them (even though sometimes he felt his parents were a million miles away).
THE CURSE ON SPECTACLE KEY is a great, engaging story that has some seriously creepy elements and balances it with a sweet, and slightly heart-wrenching story about a boy trying to keep history from being forgotten. I can’t recommend it enough.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Another fun adventure with Enola Holmes! I do love these books. I have to go back and read them from the start of the series. I haven’t done that yet Another fun adventure with Enola Holmes! I do love these books. I have to go back and read them from the start of the series. I haven’t done that yet and I feel like, with Cecily especially, that I’m missing some things with this dynamic. It’s not enough to impede the story at all, but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had the full story, as it were.
I have all the same joys in ELEGANT ESCAPADE as I did in BLACK BAROUCHE. I love Enola’s voice, her persistence, her wit, her tenacity, how she operates within the confines of her current society and hates every second of it. It’s all there. Also like BLACK BAROUCHE, the story, if you really look at it, is pretty dark. Cecily is being held prisoner by her father (who is also holding her mother prisoner). She’s developed a psychological disorder (today known as DID, or disassociative identity disorder) from the trauma of having her southpaw tendencies basically beaten out of her. With Enola’s help, Cecily escapes, but now the two need to dodge Cecil’s father and Sherlock until they can come up with a plan to keep Cecily (and her mother) from having to live under the thumb of a tyrant.
Watching Enola problem-solve is a joy. So is watching her run circles around Sherlock, or at least trying to. She is somewhat selfishly driven to help Cecily, because the girl is her friend and she wants to retain access to her friend. But ultimately she’s striving to save Cecily for Cecily’s sake. Enola sees she’s sick, she needs help, and she needs a caring, supportive environment. This is what drives Enola through the plot, and I loved watching it all unfold.
I really, REALLY should read the other books before moving on in this series. But how can I resist? I look forward to the next one, whether that be forward or backward. ...more
Literally everything I’m looking for in YA horror. EVERY. THING. I loved BURN DOWN, RISE UP. This is going to be one of those reviews where I struggleLiterally everything I’m looking for in YA horror. EVERY. THING. I loved BURN DOWN, RISE UP. This is going to be one of those reviews where I struggle with what to say because it’s just going to be me gushing.
I will say that I fully never expected to see Robert Moses’ name pop up in any YA book, but I love how that piece of [racist] history is in there. If you want more history on some of the nonsense Moses did during his reign, listen to pretty much any Bowery Boys podcast featuring something from the 1940s forward. Moses is all over New York City. So if you read this book and ask yourself if the part about building the bridges so low the buses couldn’t get through is true, yes, it very much is. Dude was a dick.
Maybe because I’m still old enough to remember those particular impressions of the Bronx, but I liked how that history was largely unknown to the kids living there today. This community has risen up from the literal ashes of the Bronx and insulated this generation, protected them. So while it’s still not great, they still escaped the horror of what it was, until they all go down into the Echo and relive it first hand.
Loved Raquel as a character. So relatable in her approach to everything. She very much felt like a reactive teenager making the not-greatest decisions at times, but at the same time she kept her head for pretty much everything. Her drive to see everything through and save the girl had me rooting for her.
The book itself is pretty creepy too. Going back to my comment about how this younger generation has been insulated from what happened to the Bronx back in the day, that horror still exists not only in the memories of a lot of the people still alive, but in the Echo. So when Raquel and Charlize go down there and see these horrific memories brought to life, the past is no longer a memory but very real. On top of that, the manifestation of the Slumlord (capital S) as an evil villain is not a far reach for most people. He makes a perfect monster (mainly because they are). Then throw in the nightmare fuel bugs and EW. People trapped in a racist-fueled hellscape for eternity, kept there by the Slumlord, never to get out. You don’t need to reach far to grasp that kind of terror.
I also amuse myself at how I hear stand clear of the closing doors, please when I read it on the page. That voice manifests fully in my head.
Tirado encapsulated New York’s past and present perfectly in BURN DOWN, RISE UP, bringing a wholly reachable and relatable form of terror to the surface for characters that are instantly captivating. I got lost in their version of New York, both the modern day and the Echo, and my heart pounded as some intense moments and I cried at others, mostly in relief. I can’t wait to see what Tirado cooks up next!
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
LOVED. IT. It’s everything I’m looking for in a cozy Christmas mystery: Christmas is basically a character in the story, there’s tension, the main chaLOVED. IT. It’s everything I’m looking for in a cozy Christmas mystery: Christmas is basically a character in the story, there’s tension, the main character is at risk, lots of twists. Couldn’t have asked for more!
I haven’t read any of the other Maine Clambake Mystery books, and this one comes in at 4.5 in the series, so I’m walking into the middle of everything. Yet I’m not lost in the slightest. I know exactly what’s going on at all times, I’m never confused, the character development is on point, and I’m just all around invested in the story.
I liked how the tension in the story unfolded. It started with the guy maybe following Julia home to Maine with Imogen, to her truck getting stolen, and it just snowballs from there. There are so many layers in this story, and with it being so short it just blows my mind how seamless it all is. I blinked and I was finished with the book, a complete whirlwind of a story.
I loved it so much that I want to read the rest of the series despite the other books not being Christmas cozies. That says something! Am I broadening my reading scope here? Maybe dipping a toe in, at the very least. It’s a short story, but so, so sweet (and a little sinister), and I highly recommend it.
LOVED this graphic novel. Every ounce of it. From the art to the story, it’s just downright perfect.
Becca is basically everygirl, just trying to fit iLOVED this graphic novel. Every ounce of it. From the art to the story, it’s just downright perfect.
Becca is basically everygirl, just trying to fit in, especially after just moving to a new school and so late into her high school career. From that perspective she’s instantly relatable, even if you’ve been in the same school with the same kids forever. Everyone (hyperbolically) wants to belong at that age. It’s a story that hits hard for so many of us.
Then it takes a hard turn into female rage territory and I’m grabbing my popcorn and squealing as I get taken for a ride. I’m a big fan of female rage being allowed to flourish, and SQUAD has that in spades. It also does a good balancing act in providing a smattering of repercussions so it’s not full tilt murder spree, but allowing enough to get through in order to get that satisfaction from their mission.
I love the rules the pack needs to abide by, and how the repercussions don’t necessarily stem from the mission they have, but from falling outside the lines. It’s a bitter irony, that. Fit in and fit in and fit in until it no longer serves to fit in, but pay the price for pushing back against it. It’s rough, and I like how it marries those big girl decisions to big girl consequences.
Sort of.
Like I said, what comes back to bite them isn’t what they’re doing, but how they’re doing it. At the risk of spoiling the story even more than what I might already have, I’ll leave it there. It allows everyone to live with a level of peace, but also an understanding of greater responsibility for what they’d taken on. SQUAD isn’t a light story, despite what its packaging might otherwise intone.
It’s a fast read, and the art, like I said, is phenomenal. I loved looking at it, I loved reading it, and I want more of this story, please!
It begins! My new annual tradition of reading cozy Christmas mysteries at Christmastime! Woohoo! Of course, I’m starting with book two in the ChristmaIt begins! My new annual tradition of reading cozy Christmas mysteries at Christmastime! Woohoo! Of course, I’m starting with book two in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series, and it absolutely lived up to TWELVE SLAYS OF CHISTMAS, book one in the series. GOD I adore these books.
The story starts with some distance between Holly and Evan, the new sheriff in town, and I am DESPERATE to find out what happened there. It takes a while for the reason to come out, but it does eventually, and you will be okay with it. I promise.
Then, of course, there’s the murder. How deliciously cozy to find a body in a huge bowl of peppermints! All signs point to Caroline, Holly’s sugary sweet best friend who doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, let alone the will to kill someone. Or does she??? I couldn’t help my mind from going there, but I’m a bit of a cynic. Surely no one can be THAT nice, right? You’ll just have to read to find out!
Then there was the ittiest, bittiest hint of a supernatural element that I adored. Of course, it can be explained away pretty easily, but it’s also a stretch to explain it. So I’ll just accept it, thank you very much.
I love Holly’s drive and busy bee attitude about getting to the bottom of things. This time it’s in the effort of clearing her best friend’s name. She doesn’t stop even when someone tries to stop her, and I love that about her. I also love that while Evan really tried to get Holly to stop doing what she was doing for her own safety, he also kind of acquiesced to the fact that she was going to do what she was going to do and no one could stop her. He didn’t get out of her way, per se, but he would have had to tie her to a chair to keep her from doing things. Glad the story didn’t go there.
A sweet, exciting cozy for the Christmas season. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the holidays than ‘TWAS THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. One more in the series! I can’t wait to read it!
While THE PILOT’S DAUGHTER isn’t in my normal wheelhouse of book reading, when Dutton approached me to review the book, two things sold me: 1. that itWhile THE PILOT’S DAUGHTER isn’t in my normal wheelhouse of book reading, when Dutton approached me to review the book, two things sold me: 1. that it’s Meredith Jaeger (I loooooooooooved BOARDWALK SUMMER) and 2. New York City in the Jazz Age (also mixed with some World War II stuff). So yeah, let’s see what this is all about, shall we?
WE SHALL.
I loved THE PILOT’S DAUGHTER. Jaeger knows how to write an engaging, entrancing story that hooks you in from word one and drags you through to the very end. It’s a multi-layered story that just reveals more and more secrets the more layers you pull back. You thought Ellie’s father’s affair was it, huh? Boy are you in for a ride.
I love how gilded Jaeger made New York City in the 20s. As much as I personally love to romanticize that era, it was all a veneer and Iris, Ellie’s aunt, experienced that first hand, and it was horrific and difficult to read. It was abundantly clear that women were things to own in the 20s, things to prance around like sussed up dolls and dispose of when they weren’t shiny and new anymore. Jaeger did an excellent job of laying that message out bear without ever actually saying it.
I also loved Ellie’s evolution throughout the story, going from having the rug yanked out from under her about her father to waking up to her own rather precarious situation that started to mirror Iris’s a little too closely. Ellie goes on this rollercoaster of emotions, the same as Iris, but they’re riding in very different cars on parallel tracks. All of the twists and turns each woman takes ultimately ends them in the same place: exactly where they need to be.
THE PILOT’S DAUGHTER is a story that kept me turning the pages, had me in tears, and had me riveted to my seat the whole way through. I didn’t want to stop reading and I sooooooooo wanted more story at the end (so cruel to end it there!). Can’t I just follow Ellie and Iris around for a few more books? Please?
It’s historical fiction about two women taking a ride through their pasts and making stark realizations about themselves and the world they live in. I think a lot of women at this time took similar journeys and we don’t see nearly enough of them. THE PILOT’S DAUGHTER is definitely a book that will get re-read. Jaeger’s storytelling is addicting and at this point I’ll read anything she writes. She’s just an amazing storyteller.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
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