In the Company of Witches (Evenfall Witches B&B #1), By Auralee Wallace ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coping With Loss and Grief, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 5th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt’s name in this magical and charming new cozy mystery.

For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There’s never been a problem they couldn’t handle. But then Constance Graves–a local known for being argumentative and demanding–dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts. At first, it seems like an accident…but it soon becomes clear that there’s something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.

There’s nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora’s innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier. Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dead–a witch who can commune with ghosts. Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case. But Brynn hasn’t used her powers since her husband died, and isn’t even sure she still can. Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts’ magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers–and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever. (Goodreads)

Once upon a time I used to be addicted to cozy mysteries, and juggled too many series to count on my tbr and then for some reason I drifted away from them. When the publisher contacted me and offered me an advance copy of In the Company of Witches however, the cover and premise proved to be too tempting to resist.

Although I found the mystery a tad predictable there were a couple of things regarding the whodunnit that did catch me by surprise. The characters are marvelously written and have all the quirkiness and idiosyncrasies that I love to see in this genre. The relationship between Brynn and her aunts and uncle was particularly enjoyable, and the way the family tried to help Brynn deal with the tragic loss of her husband was heartwarming even if their efforts didn’t always go smoothly. The New England small town setting is charming and I was so enchanted with Faustus the cat and Dog, the crow, that I wanted more of them. The ending satisfyingly brought closure to not only the mystery of the murder of Constance, but also to Brynn’s grieving for late husband.

All in all, this was a lovely beginning to The Evenfall Witches B&B series, and I’ll definitely be sticking with it. Coming out the first week of October makes this perfect timing for Halloween, and I highly recommend this to cozy mystery fans who are looking for a quick, entertaining tale filled with likable characters.

The Rise of Magicks (Chronicles of The One), by Nora Roberts ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Action-Adventure, Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Romance

Thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 26th, 2019

464 Pages

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of  “Year One” and “a Of Blood and Bone” concludes her stunning trilogy that the New York Times Book Review praised as “A match for end-of-the-world classics like Stephen a King’s ‘The Stand’.”

After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness—if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal—and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny—to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all—she will need an army behind her…

The Rise of Magicks is the spectacular conclusion to the Chronicles of the One trilogy, and is further evidence of Nora Roberts’ writing artistry. The way she juggles numerous characters with their own fully plotted backstories, snappy dialogue, exciting fight scenes, swoon-worthy romance, immersive world building, AND ties everything up in a perfect bow, is simply amazing. There are no empty fillers here. Everything and everyone has a purpose. The only issue I had (and I’m not sure if I’m being overly fussy), is that I had envisioned an epic battle between Fallon and her evil cousin Petra, but when their face-off came, it was a bit anticlimactic. Overall though, The Rise of Magicks is as close to perfect as you can get, and Chronicles of The One is my favorite trilogy by Roberts after her Three Sisters Island trilogy. I highly recommend this and the previous two books—Year One, and Of Blood and Bone—to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, fantasy, paranormal fiction, romance, and adventure.

The Deep, by Alma Katsu ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 10th, 2020

432 Pages

Synopsis: From the acclaimed and award winning author of “The Hunger” comes an eerie, psychological twist on one of the world’s most renowned tragedies, the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sail of her sister ship, the a Britannic.

Someone, or something, is haunting the ship. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the Titanic from the moment they set sail. The Titanic’s passengers expected to enjoy an experience befitting the much-heralded ship’s maiden voyage, but instead, amid mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths, find themselves in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone. While some of the guests and crew shrug off strange occurrences, several—including maid Annie Hebbley, guest Mark Fletcher, and millionaires Madeline Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim—are convinced there’s something more sinister going on. And then disaster strikes.

Years later, Annie, having survived that fateful night, has attempted to put her life back together by going to work as a nurse on the sixth sailing of the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship to support British forces fighting World War I. When she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier, she is at first thrilled and relieved to learn that he too survived the tragic night four years earlier. But soon his presence awakens deep-buried feelings and secrets forcing her to reckon with the demons of her past—as they both discover that the terror may not be over.

Featuring an ensemble cast of characters and effortlessly combining the supernatural with the height of historical disaster, The Deep is an exploration of love and destiny, desire and innocence, and, above all, a quest to understand how our choices can lead us inexorably toward our doom.

I loved Alma Katsu’s previous book, The Hunger which was centered around the Donner party, so I was quite excited to see what her take on the Titanic and the Britannic disasters. With The Deep, Katsu once again takes historical tragedies and skillfully blends them with the supernatural.

The story shifts between the two time periods leading up to the twin tragedies, and while it’s told from multiple viewpoints, the main character that forms a connection between both events is mysterious Annie Hubbley. What adds even more fun to this tale though are some of the real life characters that you get to see like Madeline Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim. And best of all is the inclusion of Violet Jessop, who actually did live through the sinking of both ships, as well as a previous collision between the RMS Olympic and the HMS Hawke. While Violet, who’s portrayed as Annie’s friend, has a relatively minor role here, her real life story is fascinating.

Katsu subtly weaves in supernatural layers to the suspenseful events leading up to both disasters. It makes for a chilling and goosebumps-inducing read that I found impossible to put down. I have to be honest and say I did find the ending a tad anticlimactic, but this is a relatively minor complaint.

Overall, The Deep, will further cement Katsu’s reputation as a storyteller extraordinaire. She’s a refreshing voice in the genres of historical and paranormal fiction, and I can’t wait to see what she writes about next!

 

 

 

The Dark Days Club Blog Tour ~ The Dark Days Deceit (Lady Helen #3), by Alison Goodman

Tags

Dark Days Blog Tour, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Regency England, Romance, Suspense

This is the third and final part of The Dark Days Club Book Tour, hosted by Penguin Young Readers.

Release Date: November 20th, 2018

527 Pages

Synopsis: The thrilling genre-bending conclusion to Lady Helen’s demon-hunting adventures, set in the Regency world.

Lady Helen has retreated to a country estate outside Bath to prepare for her wedding to the Duke of Selburn, yet she knows she has unfinished business to complete. She and the dangerously charismatic Lord Carlston have learned they are a dyad, bonded in blood, and only they are strong enough to defeat the Grand Deceiver, who threatens to throw mankind into chaos. But the heinous death-soaked Ligatus Helen has absorbed is tearing a rift in her mind. Its power, if unleashed, will annihilate both Helen and Carlston unless they can find a way to harness its ghastly force and defeat their enemy.

In the final book of the trilogy that began with THE DARK DAYS CLUB and continued with THE DARK DAYS PACT, Lady Helen’s story hurtles to a shocking conclusion full of action, heartbreak, and betrayal.

I have one word after finishing The Dark Days Deceit: BRILLIANT! Okay, I have a few more like perfect, exciting, heartbreaking, etc. Everything came together perfectly in this thrilling conclusion. I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more.

It had plenty of action and jaw-dropping plot twists which gave me a couple of late nights because I simply couldn’t put the book down. Looking back at the previous two books it’s obvious how much the characters have grown, especially Helen and Darby.

The amount of historical detail the author included again without detracting from the storyline again amazed me. She doesn’t shy away from anything including a character preparing to use a chamber pot.

While the romance once again took a backseat to the action, it was a beautiful slow burning one that had some truly swoon-worthy moments. The bittersweet ending tied everything up, yet left open the possibility of perhaps a spinoff series. I’m hoping this isn’t wistful thinking on my part because I’m just not ready to say goodbye to these characters. The Dark Days Club trilogy has become one of my favorites and if you love Regency fiction, the paranormal, and larger than life characters, I HIGHLY recommend these books!

About the Author: 

Alison Goodman writes in a variety of genres, ranging from the genre-bending DARK DAYS CLUB titles to the EON/EONA fantasy duology, to the YA science fiction thriller SINGING THE DOGSTAR BLUES. She was a D.J. O’Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a Master of Arts degree and mentors emerging writers. A long-time lover of the Regency period, she has a treasure trove of material to be viewed at https://www.pinterest.com/alisongoodman/ She’s online at http://www.darkdaysclub.com and on Twitter at https://mobile.twitter.com/alisongoodman 

The Dark Days Deceit can be found at:

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Deceit-Helen-Novel/dp/0670785490/ref=sr_

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dark-days-deceit-alisongoodman/1128072856;jsessionid=1AEFD2CFCB16

Goodreads – https://goodreads.com/book/show/26061583-the-dark-days-deceit?from_search=true

Week 3 Blog Tour Schedule:

November 12 – Eater of Books ~ https://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com – Favorite Quotes

November 13 – @darkfaerietales ~ https://www.instagram.com/darkfaerietales_/ – Creative Instagram Picture 

November 14 – Darque Dreamer Reads  ~ https://darquedreamerreads.wordpress.com – Review with gifs and Moodboard 

November 15 – My Friends are Fiction ~ https://www.instagram.com/myfriendsarefiction – Review and Creative Instagram Picture

November 16 – By Hook Or By Book ~ https://cadburypom.wordpress.com – Review with gifs

 

The Dark Days Blog Tour ~ Hosted By Penguin Young Readers

Tags

Alison Goodman, Dark Days Blog Tour, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Regency England, Suspense, The Dark Days Club

Penguin and Viking have put this re-read campaign together to get everyone ready for the third book, The Dark Days Deceit which is set for release November 20th, 2018. I’m especially excited to be part of this campaign and blog tour for the next three months because I never got a chance to read the first two books: The Dark Days Club and The Dark Days Pact. They’ve been on my tbr, but somehow I just never found the time. Well, after finishing the first book, I’m now figuratively hitting myself over the head for waiting so long. Without further ado, I present:

Release Date: Available Now

472 Pages

Synopsis: London, April 1812. 

On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears—and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

One thing I always look for in a historical fiction book is whether it actually makes me feel like I’m in that time period. Dark Days Club delivers on this. Alison Goodman has obviously done her research and makes it apparent that the Regency era wasn’t all pretty dresses and balls. There are some “ew” moments like what ladies had to put in their hair to keep their elaborate hair styles, and even what some had to do while waiting the many hours when being presented to the Queen and needed to go to the bathroom. Don’t worry. I won’t share any details with you! Suffice it to say I’m quite happy now to have born in the modern day era.

What I’ve loved about Goodman’s previous books is that she always brings something new and unique to the YA fantasy genre, and she does so with this book as well. She takes the beautiful dresses and balls, and shadows and gritty streets of 19th century London and adds her own creative touch. The world building is phenomenal and the paranormal elements are blended in perfectly. The exquisite detailing helps further bring this story to life. 

Strong-willed Lady Helen Wrexhall is not only dealing with the high expectations of the Ton, but also those of her well-meaning aunt and disagreeable uncle, who have raised her and her older brother Andrew after their parents mysteriously perished when they were young. Adding to this are the gossip and rumors which say that her mother was a traitor. She tries to fit in, but she knows there’s something different that sets her apart. And once she learns what that something is, she has to chose between the role in Society she’s been bred for, and the more exciting but dangerous world of Lord Carlston and the Dark Days Club.

When the dark, brooding Lord Carlston enters the picture, things begin to make more sense, and Helen is introduced to a whole new world where her unusual abilities are desperately needed. Their relationship doesn’t quite evolve into romance, but there’s definitely chemistry between them, and I can’t wait to see how their relationship evolves.

The action doesn’t actually begin until you’re about 150 pages in, and I confess I was getting a little impatient because I wanted to know what was going on, but that’s not to say the preceding pages are boring, especially if you love Regency novels. The ending perfectly sets things up for the second book which I’m now quite eager to dive into.

Overall, The Dark Days Club is a delightful beginning to this series and I highly recommend it for older teens and adults who like historical fiction mixed with paranormal elements. It’s an engrossing and enjoyable read that has left me wanting more! 

~

About the author:

Alison Goodman writes in a variety of genres, ranging from the genre-bending DARK DAYS CLUB titles to the EON/EONA fantasy duology, to the YA science fiction thriller SINGING THE DOGSTAR BLUES. She was a D.J. O’Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a master of arts degree and mentors emerging writers. A long-time lover of the Regency period, she has a treasure trove of material to be viewed at https://www.pinterest.com/alisongoodman/ She is online at http://www.darkdaysclub.com and on Twitter at https://mobile.twitter.com/AlisonGoodman

The Dark Day Club can be found at:

 

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dark-days-club-alison-goodman/1121865109?ean=9780670785476&st

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15993203-the-dark-days-club

~

Tour Schedule:

WEEK ONE

September 10 –  Eater of Books ~ https://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com – Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Read The Dark Days Club

September 11 – @darkfaerietales ~ https://www.instagram.com/darkfaerietales_/ – Creative Instagram Picture

September 12 –  Darque Dreamer Reads ~ https://darquedreamerreads.wordpress.com – Review with gifs & Moodboard

September 13 – My Friends are Fiction ~ https://www.instagram.com/myfriendsarefiction/ -Review & Creative Instagram Picture 

September 14 – By Hook Or By Book ~ https://cadburypom.wordpress.com – Review with gifs

WEEK TWO

October 8 – Eater of Books ~ https://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com – Moodboard

October 9 – @darkfaerietales ~ https://www.instagram.com/darkfaerietales_/ – Creative Instagram Picture

October 10 – Dark Dreamer Reads – https://darquedreamerreads.wordpress.com – Review with gifs & Moodboard 

October 11 – My Friends Are Fiction ~ https://www.instagram.com/myfriendsarefiction/ – Review & Creative Instagram Picture

October 12 – By Hook Or By Book ~ https://cadburypom.wordpress.com – Review & gifs

Week Three 

November 12 – Eater of Books ~ https://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com – Favorite Quotes

November 13 – @darkfaerietales ~ https://www.instagram.com/darkfaerietales_/ – Creative Instagram Picture

November 14 – Dark Dreamer Reads ~ https://darquedreamerreads.wordpress.com – Review with gifs & Moodboard 

November 15 – My Friends Are Fiction ~ https://www.instagram.com/myfriendsarefiction/ – Review & Creative Instagram Picture 

November 16 – By Hook Or By Book ~https://cadburypom.wordpress.com – Review & gifs

Bad Girl Gone by Temple Matthews ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Child Pornography, Murder Mysteries, Paranormal Fiction, Sexual Exploitation of Minors, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

256 Pages

Symopsis: Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she’s in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids.

There’s just one problem: she’s not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of the street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents drive right through her. 

She was right. Her parents are alive, but she’s not.

She’s a ghost, just like all the other denizens of Middle House. Desperate to somehow get her life back and reconnect with her still-alive boyfriend, Echo embarks on a quest to solve her own murder. As the list of suspects grows, the journey of self-discovery in which she learns she wasn’t quite the girl she thought she was. In a twists of fate, she’s presented with one last chance to reclaim her life and must make a decision which will either haunt her or bless her forever.

Bad Girl Gone drove me absolutely crazy! I loved the premise, but throughout the entire story there just seemed to be something missing. It was as if there was magic there right beyond the horizon, but it never quite materialized.

*Before I continue, I need to warn you about what could be triggers for some readers. One concerns the murders of children and teenagers, and the other centers around child pornography and the sexual exploitation of minors. None of these are graphically depicted, but some readers may have issues with these.*

I think most of of my issues were with the characters and the dialogue. I disliked Echo from the very beginning, which made it impossible for me to care about her. To be honest, I felt she was a spoiled brat who took her rather privileged life for granted. At one point, instead of wondering who would want to kill her, I was wondering who wouldn’t want to. And, making things worse is that her “voice” just seemed so flat and unemotional.

There was also an annoying love triangle between Echo, Andy, her living boyfriend, and Cole, her new dead love interest. I actually liked both boys, but I couldn’t figure out why they were so crazy about Echo. Plus, I think I can count on the fingers of one hand, the times that this plot device has worked for me.

There were several interesting secondary characters, with my favorite being Darby who was not what she first appeared to be. The problem was, that because of the relatively short length of the book, there just wasn’t enough time to develop all of them fully.

The story itself would have been much more enjoyable if the author hadn’t decided to add a second plotline involving the head of the orphanage. Perhaps in a longer book this would have been an intriguing and welcome layer, but here it was unnecessary, and took away from the central mystery.

I thought when the big reveal came I’d feel at least a modicum of empathy for Echo, but I didn’t. The villain was predictable, although their motivation took me by surprise. But because of my feelings toward Echo, I didn’t connect emotionally into an event that I ordinarily would have.

In the end, Bad Girl Gone left me cold, and no matter how much I would have liked to, I just can’t recommend it. I’m giving it 2 stars because I like the cover, the idea behind the story, and a few of the secondary characters. As always, please check out other reviews on Goodreads and Amazon before making up your mind as to whether you want to try this. The ending leaves me to believe that there will be a sequel, but I’m just not interested enough in Echo to continue.

 

 

The Things They’ve Taken, by Katie McElhenney ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Paranormal Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

278 Pages

Synopsis: All Lo Campbell wants is to be a normal teenager–to go to one high school, live in one place, and have one real friend. Instead, she travels the country with her mother, chasing the unknown, the what else that’s out there.

Until one day, the what else chases back.

Determined to rescue her mom from whatever supernatural being took her, Lo will need more help than a badly dressed demon obsessed with country music. She’s going to need a Tracker–and lucky for her, she finds one. Shaw is strong, Good-looking, possibly available, and utterly infuriating. Sure he may have secrets, and his help costs more than a brand-new car, but she’ll have to deal with him if she wants to find her mother–and get her home alive.

The Things They’ve Taken has a lot of positives. First there’s the elegantly beautiful cover. Then there’s both the creepy and humorous elements, intriguing characters, a plot that is fast-paced and interesting, and an ending that’s a strong set-up for the next book. Both Dolores, aka Lo, and Shaw have had less than ideal childhoods. Lo obviously loves her eccentric mom but moving constantly according to her mother’s whims has taken a toll on her. I actually admired her because before she meets Shaw, she’s tough and secure about herself. She’s set on rescuing her mom and won‘t let anything or anyone get in her way. Once she hires Shaw though, some of that toughness and security melts away a bit. Suddenly she‘s jealous, quick to anger, and dangerously impulsive. It annoyed me a little because I didn‘t see any reasons for the change. Shaw has a tragic past and hides his hurt and vulnerability behind a tough-as-nails exterior. He also keeps secrets from Lo, which once she discovers them, puts their relationship in jeopardy. As far as the world-building, it’s imaginative and descriptive, and possesses enough uniqueness to make it stand apart from other YA paranormal books. There’s also plenty of action, which had me finishing this in one sitting. In the end, the only thing that prevents me from giving this a perfect 5 star rating is Lo’s and Shaw’s relationship. I truly like them as characters separately, but when they’re together they don’t always bring the best out in each other. Because of this and the sniping and angst it generates, there are times when their issues come perilously close to overtaking the story. I still really enjoyed it though and highly recommend it to fans of YA paranormal fiction. I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel where hopefully there’ll be even more world-building and greater communication and cooperation between Lo and Shaw.

About the Author:

  Katie McElhenney was born in Philadelphia into a big family of curious kids and patient adults. A voracious reader and unapologetic daydreams, she knew she wanted to become a writer someday. With the support of an amazing family, great friends, and some truly spectacular teachers, she has written short stories, poems, and novels. A solar-powered human, she now lives in Los Angeles and uses the great weather for year-round trips to the beach and long runs (where the best inspiration happens). Find out more about her at:

Website: http://www.katiemcelhenney.com

Facebook: Katie McElhenney

Instagram: katiemcelhenney

These Ruthless Deeds (These Vicious Masks #2) ~ By Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 14th, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: England 1883. Still recovering from a devastating loss, Evelyn is determined to use her powers to save other gifted people from those who would harm them. But when her rescue of a young telekinetic girl goes terribly wrong, Evelyn finds herself indebted to a secret society devoted to recruiting and protecting people like Evelyn and her friends.

As she follows the Society’s orders, healing the sick and embarking on perilous recruitment missions, Evelyn sees her problems disappear. Her reputation is repaired, her friends are provided for, and her parents are newly wealthy. She reunites with the dashing Mr. Kent and recovers the reclusive Mr. Braddock ( who has much less to brood over now that the Society can help him to control his power). But Evelyn can’t help fearing the Society is more sinister than it appears…

I think you could probably pick up These Ruthless Deeds, without having read the previous book, These Vicious Lies, but I don’t recommend it because you’ll lose quite a bit of the original context. The story is set in Victorian London, where certain people have evolved and now have powers. It’s very similar to the X-Men. This is a case where I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original book. Actually, I think this is probably going to be one of my favorite YA trilogies. It picks up almost immediately where the first book left off. Evelyn is still dealing with her powers of healing as well as her grief over losing her younger sister Rose. She and her friends are trying to rescue a young gifted girl from a mental institution when they come under attack and wind up being rescued by the Society of Aberrations who was previously mentioned as a nefarious group who were possibly using gifted people for unknown yet sinister reasons. Despite having doubts, Evelyn and her comrades start working with the Society to recruit more “aberrations” in order to protect and save the world. Unfortunately they soon discover that there is something to the rumors concerning the Society and its mysterious leader. These Ruthless Deeds is even more action-packed than its predecessor, with amazing fight scenes. Evelyn continues to be a kick-ass heroine, without losing her compassion for others. There is a love quadrangle/square which (and I feel like such a hypocrite given the amount of time I usually rant about these) I actually like in this book. I love all the characters involved so I think that’s why this doesn’t push my buttons. While there’s still some humorous moments as there were in the first book, this story is much darker, and the surprising  ending is positively brutal. These Ruthless Deeds is really just an exceptional sequel in every way. An exciting storyline which successfully develops the mythological arc of the trilogy and adds in even more fascinating characters, while continuing to further the backstories of the main characters. The tension and drama is upped exponentially and the incredible ending has left me impatient for the next book. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this for fans of the X-Men and alternate historical fiction. 

Revenge Of The Librarian (Evil Librarian #2) ~ By Michelle Knudsen – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Paranormal Fiction, Relationships, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 14th, 2016

215 Pages

Synopsis: Last fall, Cynthia Rothschild saved her best friend, as well as the entire student body, from the demon librarian, Mr. Gabriel, all while executing the most awesome set design for the school musical, Sweeney Todd. But now that all the demon stuff is behind her, Cyn is looking forward to the best summer ever at theater camp with her former-crush-and-now-boyfriend, Ryan Halsey. Once she gets to camp though, Cyn realizes this summer might not be all she’s been hoping for. First, Ryan’s best camp friend is a girl (which Ryan has never mentioned to Cyn) and she just happens to be ridiculously pretty. Plus, it seems the demon stuff is not entirely over as Cyn had hoped. At least any new demons that show up to ruin her summer can’t possibly be as evil as Mr. Gabriel. It’s not like he could somehow come back to life to seek his terrible revenge or something.

I really enjoyed The Evil Librarian, so I was looking forward to this sequel. Unfortunately this has a lot more relationship drama ( including an annoying love quadrangle) without the campy fun that made the first book so enjoyable. Cyn continues to be loyal and protective of her friends, but this protectiveness veers into more controlling behavior when she starts keeping secrets and takes it upon herself to make decisions for them instead. Unsurprisingly, this causes problems not only in regards to friendships, but also adds to the danger that pops up this time around. The aforementioned love quadrangle drove me a little nuts. Cyn spends much of the book moaning and whining over her boyfriend Ryan’s friendship with a girl he’d known for years through the camp, yet she herself harbors some feelings for another camp member. The whole thing came off as hypocritical to say the least. And finally, there’s Mr. Gabriel aka The Evil Librarian, who was thought to have been vanquished, yet proves in this book that you can’t keep a good, er, bad, demon down. While he was scarily funny in the previous story, in this one he’s pretty much a one-dimensional character who’s lost the snarkiness which made him so appealing to begin with. The ending makes it seem likely that there will be a third book, and if this is the case, I hope it contains more of the humor that made The Evil Librarian such a hit. In my humble opinion, Revenge of the Evil Librarian isn’t a bad book, just a disappointing one, that didn’t quite live up to its predecessor. 

Rest In Piece ~ By B.W. Ginsburg – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Suspense

166 Pages

Synopsis: Though decades apart, two young girls are connected in a way that is both fantastical and surreal. When twelve year old Louise Erickson finds out that she holds the key to saving a nine year old who disappeared twenty years earlier, she decides to accept the challenge. Will Louise be able to rescue the girl and the others locked away with her before it’s too late?

Rest in Piece is the debut novel by one of our fellow WordPress bloggers, B.W. Ginsburg, which made me even more excited to read and review it. After finishing, I’d say this is written for tweens. While I didn’t find it a perfect read, it was still fun and enjoyable. The action begins on the very first page and keeps the story moving forward at a pretty fast pace right up until its exciting ending. The storyline is highly imaginative and intriguing with two girls being connected over decades to each other through a mysterious and sinister puzzle. To be honest, the story is actually much better than the synopsis suggests. There were just two main issues I had reading this. The first concerned the characters’ voices, which I didn’t feel were distinctive enough from each other enough. The second concerned the actual world-building which took on more of a “telling” element rather than “showing”. Because of this I had difficulty feeling as though I was “in” the story. Overall though, I think Rest in Piece is a promising debut and it’s one that if I were still a children’s librarian, I’d be recommending to my young patrons who love a good paranormal mystery/adventure. I want to give kudos to B.W. on her debut and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next!

*B.W. has two fun and informative blogs that I highly recommend visiting if you haven’t already.

http://restinpieceblog.wordpress.com

http://gettingthroughanxiety.wordpress.com