When a terrorist is on the loose, the Tactical Crime Division is on the case.
To find out who poisoned medications, two of TCD’s agents are tapped to go undercover posing as a married couple and infiltrate the company. But as soon as Jace Cantrell and Laura Smith arrive at Stroud Pharmaceuticals, someone ups the ante by planting explosives in their midst. Turns out that the small-town family business is hiding a million secrets. Could they unknowingly be protecting a vengeful killer?
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
I’ve really enjoyed every installment in this series, including this one. As with the others, the romance is less important than the suspense, but I found this one to have a good balance between the two. It was fun to watch two characters who are in some ways opposites work together and grown a relationship. I felt this one was especially realistic in it’s portrayal of events and relationships between people. All in all I really felt it was fitting end to the series and though it could be read by itself, I would recommend reading all four books.
Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls–a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place–Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the “Saturday Night Ghost Club.” But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly lighthearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined. With the alternating warmth and sadness of the best coming-of-age stories, The Saturday Night Ghost Club examines the haunting mutability of memory and storytelling, as well as the experiences that form the people we become.
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
I was really excited for this book when I heard the premise of it, but it fell short for me – I think that’s more of an expectation problem where I was hoping for a certain thing and didn’t get it. While I did enjoy the story as a whole, I didn’t really connect with it. It is a coming of age story, but also talks a lot about cancer (specifically in the brain) and trauma to the brain and its effects. We follow Jake primarily during the summer of his 12th year, but also follow him as an adult for part of the book. He spends the summer checking out locations of local legends with his uncle and a couple new friends – the stories themselves, as his uncle tells them, are dark and compelling – but there isn’t as much supernatural as I would have hoped. I had pretty much guessed the reveal (at least the jist of it) about 2/3 of the way through the book, but even having done that there were still some surprise elements. Definite trigger warnings for talk of cancer and tumors, trauma to the brain (and how the brain copes with trauma), talk of brain surgery in detail and loss of loved ones.
“Shark Summer is bursting with vibrant, expressive art….The characters are distinct and relatable…It’s a lovely read!”—Molly Knox Ostertag, author of the Witch Boy series
“Eloquently chronicled in Marcks’s cinematic panels, friendships are formed and repaired, parental relationships articulated, and inner conflicts expressed and resolved. A winning production.” —Kirkus
When a Hollywood film crew arrives on Martha’s Vineyard with a mechanical shark and a youth film contest boasting a huge cash prize, disgraced pitcher Gayle “Blue Streak” Briar sees a chance to turn a bad season into the best summer ever.
After recruiting aspiring cinematographer Elijah Jones and moody director Maddie Grey, Gayle and her crew set out to uncover the truth of the island’s own phantom shark and win the prize money. But these unlikely friends are about to discover what happens when you turn your camera toward the bad things lurking below the surface.
I didn’t know a ton about this graphic novel going in but I was prepared for it to be a fun summer story, and it was! I really enjoyed the story as we followed Gayle as she navigated summer in Martha’s Vineyard, made new friends, dealt with a movie crew on location and dove deep into an old legend. She was definitely a complex character with not only issues that a lot of teens face, but she’s also having a crisis of identity due to what happened in her last baseball game, plus those she thought were her friends maybe aren’t as good of friends as she thought. While the plot has lots of components to it, I felt they were all wrapped up really well by the end of the graphic novel.
Ira Marcks is a cartoonist living in Upstate New York with his wife, two cats, a dog, and lots of books he’s been meaning to read. His love for ancient magic and possible futures has led him to create a warehouse of esoteric objects for the Hugo Award-winning magazine Weird Tales and to tell stories about villainous technology for the European Research Council. Shark Summer is his debut graphic novel.
A feminist comic book history of women’s rights, from the ancient world to modern times, in a giftable, visually stunning package.
August 26, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. And while suffrage has been a critical win for women’s liberation around the world, the struggle for women’s rights has been ongoing for thousands of years, across many cultures, and encompassing an enormous variety of issues. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a fun, fascinating, and full-color exploration of that important history, tracing its roots from antiquity to show how 21st-century feminism developed. Along the way, you’ll meet a wide range of important historical figures and learn about many political movements, including suffrage, abolition, labor, LGBT liberation, the waves of feminism, and more.
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
I really enjoyed every aspect of this graphic novel, from the message, delivery and art. This graphic covered so much of women throughout history who had impacts on the rights of women, while also covering a diverse range of subjects in short, consumable vignettes. I would love if there were more put out by this author since I know this was likely scraping the surface on women and individuals who have made an impact. I also really enjoyed that it covered diverse individuals all over the world, not just in the U.S. – that was a really nice thing to incorporate into it.
Sir Magnus Holmes, cousin to the more famous Sherlock, is asked to investigate the appearance of an otherworldly knight carrying a legendary sword in the cellar of a Victorian London pub.
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
This was my first real exposure to Garth Nix’s writing, even though I have a couple of his books on my TBR and I did enjoy this spin on the Holmes family as well as his writing style. The story does start off rather jarringly as you are dropped smack dab in the middle, getting a vignette really. Perhaps an introduction would have helped, but it was still enjoyable and a fun mini-adventure.
I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.
Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable.
But Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive . . . before they are both lost to the darkness.
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
As soon as I found out this had to do with Malay folklore and culture I wanted to pick it up. I loved learning about the different supernatural beings featured in that culture as the story went on and also really enjoyed the themes of friendship, families (and how experiences can make them different) and grief. All of these played a part in Suraya’s story where we saw a lot of growth in her as well as a bit of adventure when they came up against someone who didn’t have the best of intentions. There are definitely some darker parts to this when it comes to some of Pink’s actions, but that just added more to the story regarding what a pelesit is. While I don’t have any real knowledge of Malay folklore, it’s stories like this that make me want to learn more.
Their collections may clash but their hearts are a perfect match.
Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks.
And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.
Danny has spent years leading with his heart instead of his head. The Beautiful Things Shoppe is his chance to ground himself and build something permanent and joyful. The last thing he needs is an uptight snob who doesn’t appreciate his whimsy occupying half his shop.
It’s only when two of New Hope’s historic landmarks—each as different as Danny and Prescott—are threatened that a tentative alliance forms. And with it, the first blush of romance. Suddenly, running The Beautiful Things Shoppe together doesn’t seem so bad…until Danny’s secret threatens to ruin it all.
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
After reading The Hideaway Inn (the first book in the series) I definitely wanted to pick this one up as well, and I’m not disappointed that I did. This is definitely hate to love and what a fun time it was, while also being really genuine and exploring those moments where someone may not be ready to share their full selves with someone, and overcoming that. I felt it was a really enjoyable story with some wonderfully crafted characters. I would definitely read more in the series if any more were to come out.
When Aeslin Finn was a little girl, her parents read to her from a magical book called The Avalon Chronicles. But that was a long time ago. Now a teenager, Aeslin is about to discover just how magical she and that book really are. Transported to the world of Avalon, she discovers a kingdom in need of a Dragon Knight – and the last dragon, Blue Moon, is waiting for her!
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
While I felt this was a good start to a new series, it didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting. I really liked the premise and the twist regarding the books, but while the beginning and ending went really fast for me, the middle dragged a bit. I didn’t really feel like I could connect with many of the characters and their motivations. Still, for someone looking for a hero’s journey type fantasy quest in a graphic novel, they would probably really enjoy it. For me it was just ok and I probably won’t be continuing with the series.
Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon!
This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil…only this time around, her world looks a lot more like the one outside your window.
Eisner Award winner Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and Russ Manning Award winner Dan Mora (Go Go Power Rangers, Hexed), along with series creator Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers), bring Buffy into a new era with new challenges, new friends, and a few enemies you might already recognize. But the more things change, the more they stay the same as the Gang faces brand-new Big Bads, and the threat lurking beneath the perfectly manicured exterior of Sunnydale High confirms what every teenager has always known: high school truly is hell.
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
Whoa. Going into this I knew that it was a modernization and that it was remixing the BtVS universe a bit, but there are a LOT of changes. You could honestly go into this with no knowledge of the existing Buffy universe and enjoy it, but there are tons of references and Easter eggs if you are a fan of the canon universe. I did really love the modernization but definitely spun for a loop with some of the events that happen in this volume. I’m both excited and scared to see what happens next!
When Benning Reeves’s twins are kidnapped, the frantic father knows who can help: the Tactical Crime Division and Ana Ramirez. Even though Ana once shattered Benning’s heart, the special agent is the only one he can trust. But Ana is still tormented by the unresolved case that brought them together years before — a case somehow entangled with Benning’s children. It’s up to the TCD and Ana to discover why…before it’s too late.
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
I was sucked into this one immediately because the action started from the get go. This was definitely a second chance romance, but the suspense was at the forefront. I felt like it never really slowed down or stopped since there were so many twists and turns, tons of danger and a lot of revelations. It was also a great plot point to see Ana harboring a lot of guilt over what had happened in the past, and then working through it and learning to forgive herself. Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for tons of action with some romance/tension/chemistry mixed in. It was a great ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Wandering Wordsmith 