Tag: reading

Review | Take It from the Top by Claire Swinarski

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Set at a camp over the course of six summers, this novel dives into the falling-out of two girls from different backgrounds who thought they’d be friends forever. Claire Swinarski, regional indie bestseller of the ALA Notable What Happened to Rachel Riley?, tackles privilege, perspective, and the power of friendship in this page-turning puzzle that readers will devour.

Eowyn Becker has waited all year to attend her sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp. Here, she’s not in the shadow of her Broadway-star older brother; she’s a stellar performer in her own right. Here, the pain of her mom’s death can’t reach her, and she gets to reunite with her best friend, Jules Marrigan—the only person in the world who understands her.

But when she gets to camp, everything seems wrong. The best-friend reunion Eowyn had been dreaming of doesn’t go as planned. Jules will barely even look at Eowyn, let alone talk to her, and Eowyn has no idea why.

Well, maybe she does…

There are two sides to every story, and if you want to understand this one, you’ll need to hear both. Told in a series of alternating chapters that dip back to past summers, the girls’ story will soon reveal how Eowyn and Jules went from being best friends to fierce foils. Can they mend ways before the curtains close on what was supposed to be the best summer of their lives?

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I haven’t read any of Claire Swinarski’s books before, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well crafted this story was. There was a definite emphasis on characters with a lot of depth and identity. This one is definitely on the younger side of YA since a lot of the characters are 13, so there are definitely age specific things and behaviors that are pretty present – which for the target age group is fantastic. It’s not all light topics though, there’s definitely some conflicts and tougher subjects such as losing a parent and grief, and how other people can be affected by the same events. Overall this story was really cute, with those slices of heavier topics, it was really well balanced and a fun read.

Happy reading!

Review | The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall

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Explosive and enthralling romantasy debut from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Howzell Hall…

Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help.

Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting.

As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.

And no one is what—or who—they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself.

I haven’t read a ton of romantasy, but was anticipating this one and excited to read it. I thought the premise had amazing potential and sounded unique, but the overall execution didn’t really hit the highs I wanted it to. I thought the worldbuilding was really well done and though I’m not a huge fan of slow burn all the time, I did feel like this story did it well. There were times where it almost felt like the tone changed a little, almost like it was kind of shifting to more simplistic, so that wavering of tone did break me out of the story and was a distraction. That being said, I would be interested in seeing how the story and world continued to build in following books as the characters were compelling and had depth. There were a lot of good points to this story and I feel it was a solid first venture into romantasy.

Happy reading!

Review | A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson

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Before that awful Saturday, Molly used to be inseparable from her brother, Hank, and his best friend, Tray. The indoor climbing accident that left Hank with a traumatic brain injury filled Molly with anger.

While she knows the accident wasn’t Tray’s fault, she will never forgive him for being there and failing to stop the damage. But she can’t forgive herself for not being there either.

Determined to go on the trio’s post-graduation hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, even without Hank, Molly packs her bag. But when her parents put Tray in charge of looking out for her, she is stuck backpacking with the person who incites her easy anger.

Despite all her planning, the trail she’ll walk has a few more twists and turns ahead. . . .

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is truly a coming of age story among a group of friends who have planned a hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. All of the friends are kind of in different places in their lives and journeys as they navigate the trail. There were a lot of heavier and valid topics that are very current, but at some points some of this felt a little more in your face than it should have been, perhaps a little too intense. With most of the characters you can feel their struggle and it feels very authentic, but some don’t feel as fully fledged or connect as well. Still, this was a great coming of age novel that I think a lot of people will connect with.

Happy reading!

Review | Aisle Nine by Ian X. Cho

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“It’s Black Friday—and the apocalypse is on sale!

Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be.

Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here For You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least here he can be near the girl he’s crushing on—Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard—who seems to hate Jasper for reasons he can’t remember or understand.

But when Jasper and Kyle learn they both share a frightening vision of the impending apocalypse, they’re forced to team up and uncover the uncomfortable truth about the hell portals and the demons that haunt the world. Because the true monsters are not always what they seem, the past is not always what we wish, and like it or not, on Black Friday, all hell will break loose in aisle nine.

Perfect for fans of Grasshopper Jungle or The Last of Us comes Aisle Nine, the debut young adult novel from rising YA star lan X. Cho.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I did really enjoy the humor woven into this story, very dark at points, but I found myself wishing for more of it. The beginning especially was packed with humor, but as the story went on it seemed to fade a little bit and I wanted it to be more consistent throughout the story. That being said I really enjoyed the near-apocalypse world that was created and the stab at apocolypse+retail and can appreciate the blend the author was going for. Some elements were predictable, but I liked the effort that went into worldbuilding and character development, those were definitely well done. I did want more from it, but it was still a fun read.

Happy reading!

Review | Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian

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From Abdi Nazemian, the award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment, comes a suspenseful contemporary YA novel about loss and love.

Fifteen-year-old Kam is head over heels for Ash, the boy who swept him off his feet. But his family and best friend, Bodie, are worried. Something seems off about Ash. He also has a habit of disappearing, at times for days. When Ash asks Kam to join him on a trip to Joshua Tree, the two of them walk off into the sunset . . . but only Kam returns.

Two years later, Kam is still left with a hole in his heart and too many unanswered questions. So it feels like fate when a school trip takes him back to Joshua Tree. On the trip, Kam wants to find closure about what happened to Ash but instead finds himself in danger of facing a similar fate. In the desert, Kam must reckon with the truth of his past relationship—and the possibility of opening himself up to love once again.

Desert Echoes is a propulsive, moving story about human resilience and connection.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

From the description I could tell there were going to be some heavy topics in this book, but I was not expecting it to have the depth that it did. There are so many complex themes packed into this book, from experiencing and getting over your first love to loneliness and loss. There are a lot of important conversations happening here and the dual timelines really make it more impactful as you find out just what happened in the then timeline and how it has impacted the now timeline. It was really a beautiful story that will definitely tug at your heart once things are fully revealed.

Happy reading!

Review | Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

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When Jenine finds an abandoned polaroid camera, she playfully snaps a photo without a second thought. But there’s something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her.

Fixated on her.

Moving one step closer with every picture she takes.

Desperate, Jenine shares her secret with her best friend, Bree. Together they realize the camera captures unsettling impressions of the dead. But now the ghosts seem to be following the two friends. And with each new photo taken, a terrible danger grows ever clearer…

INCLUDES CHILLING NEW BONUS STORIES:

*A woman survives a plane crash in a remote arctic tundra, accompanied only by a stranger who seems fixated on something moving through the blinding snow.

  • A house stands empty. Hungry. Waiting for the children drawn to it like moths to a flame.

*A woman finds a shoebox filled with old VHS tapes. They have a note attached: “Don’t watch. You’ll regret it.”

*And more!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve enjoyed other works by Darcy Coates in the past so I was excited to get the chance to pick this one up and I was not disappointed. There was a really good mix of stories in this collection, ranging from pretty short and sweet to similar to a novella length. They were not all ghost stories but had a great range of different types of supernatural events and creatures, which I found I really enjoyed. It’s a toss up what my favorite story was, between the first and last stories, but there weren’t any that I disliked. Coates’ writing is easy to consume and definitely at points of high tension does a really good job of holding the attention and keeping the pages turning. They are an auto buy author for me already and each book I read just further cements that.

Happy reading!

Blog Tour | The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison | Review

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It’s been twenty-five years since The Midnight Club last convened. A tight-knit group of college friends bonded by late nights at the campus literary magazine, they’re also bonded by something darker: the death of their brilliant friend Jennet junior year. But now, decades later, a mysterious invitation has pulled them back to the pine-shrouded Vermont town where it all began.

As the estranged friends gather for a weeklong campus reunion, they soon learn that their host has an ulterior motive: she wants them to uncover the truth about the night Jennet died, and she’s provided them with an extraordinary method—a secret substance that helps them not only remember but relive the past.

But each one of the friends has something to hide. And the more they question each other, the deeper they dive into their own memories, the more they understand that nothing they thought they knew about their college years, and that fateful night, is true.

Twisty, nostalgic, and emotionally thrilling, The Midnight Club explores that innate desire to revisit our first loves, our biggest mistakes, and the gulf between who we are and who we hoped we’d be.

Buy Links | HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This sounded like an intriguing story from the get go, but I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I found it to be a read that was easy to consume and moved along very quickly. I couldn’t help but think of concepts like Flatliners when reading this, but the concept itself was still unique in its own way. It was definitely a fun ride, and a good read for spooky season. It definitely makes you think, but was a really fun experience overall.

Happy reading!

Review | Necessary Poisons by Andrea Blythe

DeAnneLeave a comment

“The world is automatic

in the courses of its living. Time

keeps the living and the dead

in its pocket…”

A woman troubled by her place in the dark manuscript of her life rediscovers her strength and power in this collection of wicked poems. Poison, plants, bloodshed, and the supernatural collide as Blythe weaves a haunting series of horror poems not for the faint of heart.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Found poetry can be a bit hit or miss for me, it’s not always something I enjoy, but I thought the premise of this collection was good. The imagery in the poems was top notch, but at times almost a little too much. That being said, it didn’t take away from the overall journey of the poetry and the themes were consistent across the collection which made it a quick, enjoyable read.

Happy reading!

Review | A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton

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When legends bite back…

Lemon Ziegler wants to escape rural Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania to attend college―but that’s impossible now that she’s expected to impersonate the town’s lake monster for the rest of her life. Her family has been secretly keeping the tradition of Old Lucy, the famed (and very fake) monster of Lake Lokakoma, alive for generations, all to keep the tourists coming. Without Lemon, the town dies, and she can’t disappoint her grandparents . . . or tell her best friends about any of it. That includes Troy Ramirez, who has been covertly in love with Lemon for years, afraid to ruin their friendship by confessing his feelings.

When a very real, and very hungry monster is discovered in the lake, secrets must fall by the wayside. Determined to stop the monster, Lemon and her best friends are the only thing standing between Devil’s Elbow and the monster out for blood.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was a wild ride. On the surface it seemed like a fun lake monster story, following a trio of teenagers – Lemon, Troy and Darrin – in a town where the claim to fame (and tourism) is a lake monster akin to Nessie or Champ. I really enjoyed that we get a dual POV between Lemon (our main character who has to shoulder a lot of family responsibility) and Troy (one of her best friends who is in love with her). Just when I thought I knew where this story was going it got a lot more twisty and out there. Lemon herself deals with a lot of resentment towards the responsibilities she has to shoulder as well as pressure from her family that results in her feeling like she has to give up all of her aspirations. There are definitely characters I had instant dislike for, her grandfather for example, who had a his way or the highway kind of thinking, but even he had a lot of character growth in the story. Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable story that had a lot more depth than I expected when it came to the characters.

Happy reading!

Blog Tour | The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard | Review

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For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and How to Stop Time, a charming novel by TikTok sensation Alex Howard that follows a cat through his nine lives in Edinburgh, moving through the ever-changing city and its inhabitants over centuries.

Early morning, 1902. In a gloomy Edinburgh tenement, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, a cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat.

This is to be the cat’s last day on earth. But he is going to return… as The Ghost Cat, a spirit-feline destined to live out his ghostly existence according to the medieval proverb of “The Cat with Nine Lives” – For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays.

Follow The Ghost Cat as he witnesses the changes of the next two centuries as he purrs, shuffles and sniffs his way through the fashion, politics and technological advances of the modern era alongside the ever-changing inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement.

As we follow our new spirit-feline friend, this unique story unearths some startling revelations about the mystery of existence and the human condition and provides a feel-good read full of charm for any fan of history, humour and fur-ridden fun.

Buy Links | HarperCollins | Bookshop | Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I was initially drawn to this book because it’s being compared to Before the Coffee Gets Cold and while I can see why that comparison is being made, I will say that the books have completely different feelings to them. They can definitely be compared in that they feature a number of connected vignettes being Grimalkin’s 9 lives. I found this book to be utterly charming and cozy as Grimalkin makes his way through his lives while being a ghost cat. Though we could have used more detail and depth to each life, they were filled with intriguing personalities that I would have loved to see more of. It’s understandable as everything is told through Grimalkin’s eyes and voice, but the different humans he encounters could have built out with more depth.

Happy reading!