Swipe Right For Murder, by Derek Milman ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Homophobia, Humor, LGBT, Romance, Suicide, Terrorism, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to JIMMY Patterson Books for providing an ARC in exchange for and honest review.

Release Date: August 6th, 2019

336 Pages

Synopsis:

On the run from the FBI.

Targeted by a murderous cult.

Labeled a cyber-terrorist by the media.

Irritated by texts from his best friend.

Eye contact with a nice-looking guy on the train.

Aidan has a lot to deal with and he’s not quite sure which takes top priority.

Finding himself alone in a posh New York City hotel room for the night, Aidan does what any red-blooded seventeen-year-old would do—-he tries to hook up with someone new. But that lapse in judgement leads him to waking up next to a dead guy, which sparks an epic case of mistaken identity that puts Aidan on the run from everyone—-faceless federal agents, his eccentric family, and, naturally, a cyber-terrorist group who will stop at nothing to find him. 

He soon realizes the only way to stop the chase is to deliver the object that everyone wants, before he gets caught or killed. But for Aidan, the hardest part is knowing who he can trust not to betray him—-including himself.

It’s only halfway through 2019, but I already know that Swipe Right For Murder is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. An ingenious ode to Alfred Hitchcocks North by Northwest and a poignant coming-of-age story, it tackles some serious issues such as: terrorism, homophobia, an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a teen, and suicide. At the same time it displays a wry sense of humor that had me laughing out loud several times. While Aidan is immature at the beginning, his personal growth expands by leaps and bounds as the story progresses. He’s someone you want to shake and hug at the same time. The plot itself is absolutely crackers, but it’s so much fun that it’s easy to suspend disbelief and just hang on for the wild ride. 

I loved Derek Milman’s first book, Scream All Night, and honestly wondered if his sophomore effort would live up to his debut. I’m thrilled to say that I think it actually surpassed it! Both books blend the world of classic film, with contemporary coming-of-age themes, sympathetic and relatable main characters, and over-the-top (in a good way) storylines. I can’t recommend this author highly enough to both teens and adult fans of YA fiction, and fans of classic films in general. I can’t wait to see what this incredible author comes out with next!

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Reverie, by Ryan La Sala ~ 5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 1st, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: Inception meets The Magicians, except with better wigs and a maniacal drag queen sorceress attempting to unravel the reality of Connecticut (yes, the state) and replace it with something…well something better than Connecticut. 

Ryan La Sala’s debut fantasy is a #OwnVoices story following Kane Montgomery, a gay teenager piecing his life back together after an attack robs him of his memories. As Kane searches for who he was, he uncovers a war for the creative rights to reality itself, each battle played out in an imagined world turned real: a reverie.

Reveries are worlds born from a person’s private fantasies, and once they manifest they can only be unraveled by bringing their conflicts to resolution. Reveries have rules and plots, magic and monsters, and one wrong step could twist the entire thing into a lethal, labyrinthine nightmare. Unraveling them is dangerous work but it’s what Kane and The Others do.

Or did, until one of The Others purged Kane of his memories. But now Kane is back, and solving the mystery of his betrayal is the only way to unite his team and defeat reality’s latest threat: Poesy, a sorceress bent on harvesting the reveries for their pure, imaginative power. 

But what use might a drag queen sorceress have with a menagerie of stolen reveries? And should Kane, a boy with no love for a team that betrayed him, fight to stop her, or defect to aid her?

Reverie is about the seduction of escaping inwards, about the worlds we hide within ourselves, and the danger of dreams that come true.

Oh. My. Goodness! I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve read some pretty amazing books during my lifetime, but Reverie is one that I don’t think I’ll EVER forget!

I knew as soon as the synopsis mentioned a maniacal drag queen sorceress, that this book was going to be different than anything else I’d read before and I wasn’t disappointed. The world building is unsurprisingly phenomenal, but underneath all the glitter and glam is the unflinching exploration of how the world views and treats those who aren’t heterosexual. 

At the center is Kane, who was outed at a young age. As a result, he’s encased himself in a tough exterior shell, but inside he’s a marshmallow who’ll do anything for his friends or anyone else who needs help, as long as they respect him. The members of Kane’s team, The Others are equally intriguing and all have their own roles in regards to the reveries. There’s plenty of teen angst, but this never takes away from the story. And last but certainly not least, there’s Poesy, the dynamic villainous sorceress, who more than lives up to the expectations set by the premise and perfectly rounds out this diverse cast of characters.

The fun and entertaining storyline itself is complex yet easy to follow, and I finished it in two sittings. I actually found myself purposely slowing down because I didn’t want to come to the end. 

In essence, Reverie is a magically flamboyant tale that brilliantly mixes the fantastical with reality. It’s a book that I highly recommend to teens and adults who are looking for something extraordinary and unforgettable. While this is listed as a planned standalone, the ending and its epilogue have me hoping for a sequel!

 

 

 

 

 

Midnight Beauties (Grim Lovelies #2), by Meghan Shepherd ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 13th, 2019

448 Pages

Synopsis: The witches, beasties, goblins, and Royals return in this spellbinding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Meghan Shepherd’s Grim Lovelies duology.

Ever since she discovered her affinity for magic, seventeen-year-old Anouk has been desperate to become a witch. It’s the only way to save her friends who, like Anouk, are beasties: animals enchanted into humans. But unlike Anouk, the other beasties didn’t make it out of the battle at Montelimar in one piece.

With her friends now trapped in their animal forms, Anouk is forced into a sinister deal involving a political marriage with her sworn enemy, a wicked plot to overthrow London’s fiercest coven of witches, and a deadly trial by fire to become a witch. The price for power has always been steep in the world of the Haute. Now it will cost Anouk everything. Wicked and delightful, this spellbinding sequel to a Grim Lovelies is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazel Wood.

Grim Lovelies introduced Megan Sheperd’s latest foray into the whimsical yet creepy, and I quite enjoyed it. While I don’t think Midnight Beauties is quite as good, I still had fun reading it.

The best part of this duology is the world building which is utterly fantastic. Paris is one of my favorite places even though I’ve never visited, so to have that as the setting and then throw one of the most original magic systems I’ve come across in there, made me an instant fan. One Sheperd’s biggest strengths is her ability to bring her worlds to life and suck her readers into them, and once again that’s exactly what she does here. However, one of the issues I have with this conclusion is that she adds a lot more rules to the magic and at times it’s a bit too much and interrupts the flow of the story.

I like Anouk even more in Beauties then I did in the previous book, as I think her character development grows exponentially. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the other characters. Ones who I grew to like in Grim Lovelies, fade into the background, and there are too many new ones introduced that I felt didn’t contribute to the story. 

I have to be honest and say I struggled with the rating. I kept going back and forth between 3.5 – 4.0 stars (even while writing this review), before finally settling on the higher mark. Despite my issues, the world building is phenomenal and Sheperd’s writing so beautifully evocative, that for me, I can forgive the few problems I encountered. I wish she had decided to make this a trilogy instead though, because I think that might have solved just about everything, including the somewhat rushed ending. Overall, I do think Midnight Beauties is a satisfying finish to the Grim Lovelies duology and I think it will please her legions of fans. 

 

 

 

 

The Lady Rogue, by Jennifer Bennett ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Vlad the Impaler, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 3rd, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left alone to sit in her hotel in Istanbul. 

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—in order to possess it.  

The Lady Rogue is the first book I’ve read by Jenn Bennett, but I knew as soon as I saw the gorgeous cover and read the premise that I had to get my greedy hands on it!

While it was a lot fluffier than I expected, it was a fun read which I found somewhat reminiscent of Romancing the Stone. The pacing was a little uneven at times with a few sections making me want to cheat and skim over them, but other than that, everything worked. The banter between Theodora and Huck had me laughing out loud several times, and I loved the chemistry between the two of them. The storyline with its sinister society, coded journals, and wonderful train rides through early 1900s Romania kept me turning the pages. And while the mystery itself was a trifle predictable, everything else was just so much darn fun that I didn’t care. The ending ties everything up neatly but I’m hoping this isn’t the last we see of Theodora Decker and Huck Gallagher. I think this could be the beginning of a fun and exciting series. 

 

 

 

The Furies, by Katie Lowe ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Boarding Schools, Mystery, Supernatural Fiction, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: October 8th, 2019

368 Pages

Synopsis: This page-turning, harrowing debut is the story of a girl trying to fit in, whose obsessive new friends and desperation to belong leads her to places she’d never imagined…dark, dangerous, and possibly even violent.

In 1998, a sixteen-year-old girl is found dead on her boarding school’s property, dressed in white, and posed on a swing, with no known cause of death. What happened to her? And what do her friends know? To find out is is necessary to go back to the beginning.

The school is Elm Hollow Academy, an all-girl’s boarding school, located in a sleepy coastal town with a long-buried grim history of  17 century witch trials. A new student, Violet, joins the school, and soon finds herself invited to become the fourth member of an advanced study group, led by the alluring and mysterious art teacher Annabel.

Annabel does her best to convince the girls that her classes aren’t related to ancient rites and rituals, and that they are just mythology. But the more she tries to warn the girls off topic, the more the girls start to believe magic is real and that they have the power to harness it.

Violet quickly finds herself wrapped up in this addictive new world. But when she comes to find out about the disappearance of a former member of the society, one with whom Violet shares an uncanny resemblance, she begins to wonder who she can trust, all the while becoming more deeply entangled in her newfound friendships.  

Was it suicide, or a foul play more sinister? How far will these young girls go to protect one another…or destroy one another?

You can probably tell from the synopsis that the plot isn’t the most original one out there, but I still found The Furies a fun, creepy read. For those of you who are fans of the 1996 movie The Craft, this is sort of a less campy version of that. Unsurprisingly there’s loads of angst and anger, and when you set that in all girl’s boarding school and mix in witchcraft, well, let’s just say there’s plenty of explosive supernatural shenanigans that ensue! My biggest issue was that I found the author’s writing a bit too florid, but it wasn’t really enough to spoil my enjoyment. I will definitely be on the lookout for any of Katie Lowe’s future books.

 

 

 

 

 

One Word Kill (Impossible Times #1), by Mark Lawrence ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

1980s, Cancer, Coming-of age, London, Romance, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

201 Pages

Synopsis: In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar man—is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in the way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.

I’m a big fan of Mark Lawrence so when I saw One Word Kill on NetGalley I knew I had to request it and I’m so glad I did because it’s further convinced me that this prolific author can do no wrong. Why is this may you ask? Well, there’s the setting of 1980’s London, time-travel, Dungeons & Dragons, and except for the villainous psychopath, a lovable cast of characters. I swear, only Mark Lawrence could successfully combine a terminally ill teen, D&D, and quantum mechanics with a sweet, heart-wrenching, coming-of-age/love story. And, this is all accomplished in just over 200 pages! In essence, read this for the quality of writing, creativity, memorable characters, and page-turning, nostalgic storyline. I’ve already ordered the sequel, Limited Wish, which just came out on 5/28, and I’m preordering the third book, Dispel Illusion which is due out 11/14/19.

 

 

Scream All Night, by Derek Milman ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Child Abuse, Contemporary Fiction, Dysfunctional Families, Humor, LGBTQ, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to Edelweiss and Balzer & Bray for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: A darkly hilarious contemporary realistic young adult novel about growing up and finding your place in the world, perfect for fans of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Running With Scissors.

Dario Heyward knows one thing: He’s never going back to Moldavia Studios, the iconic castle that served as the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult, classic B-horror movies. It’s been three years since Dario’s even seen the place, after getting legally emancipated from his father, the infamous director of Moldavia’s creature features.

But then Dario’s brother invites him home to a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film—The Curse of the Mummy’s Tongue. Dario swears his homecoming will be a one-time visit. A way for him to get closure on his past—and reunite with Hayley, his first love and costar of Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real-life tragedy—and say goodbye for good. But the unthinkable happens—Dario gets sucked back into the twisted world of Moldavia and the horrors, real and imagined, he’s left there.

With only months to rescue the sinking studio and everyone who has built their lives there, Dario must confront the demons of his past—and the uncertainties of his future. But can he escape the place that’s haunted him his whole life?

“This is a house full of misfits, everyone unmoored from the world outside these gates. They don’t belong out there. They live in a constantly moving dreamworld of imagined horrors, spurts of gore, skulking monsters—creatures more aberrant than themselves. After all, it takes true misfits to make believable monsters.” 

Where do I start? Scream All Night is one of the most creative and original, yet totally bonkers books, I’ve come across in a long time. I read it last summer, yet I still remember it like it was yesterday. As the book opens, seventeen-year-old Dario (named after Italian giallo-horror director Dario Argento), finds himself reluctantly back in the bizarre world of Moldavia Studios after having legally emancipated himself from his parents. His mother is in a mental institution and his brilliant but abusive father has planned a live funeral for which attendance is mandatory. Dario has some extremely mixed feelings regarding his childhood and family, so once he returns to deal with some of these larger than life characters, he also has to deal with both the wonderful and the traumatic memories that he escaped from.

“That’s when I learned that with beauty comes a little bit of terror. That pretty much sums up my childhood here: something cool would happen, immediately followed by something traumatic. I could never come to terms with those knee-jerk jumps.”

What ensues is a darkly comedic coming-of-age story that will have you laughing out loud one moment and tearing up the next. It’s a zany mix combining the moving story of a young man facing his childhood demons, with the ludicrous, over-the-top antics of his family. The creepy setting of a castle where B horror movies are made just makes it all even more nuts.

“The spiders will always hatch out of the flowers. But now I like to think of the moments before, when they’re just flowers, blooming and they can be pinched closed so that all that prettiness lasts a little longer before the inevitable horror comes.

Scream All Night is a YA book that I highly recommend to adults who don’t normally read books for teens. It’s quirky and heart wrenching, and you’re bound to fall in love with Dario. Derek Milman’s flawless writing has made me a fan and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

 

 

 

 

 

The Lantern’s Ember, by Colleen Houck ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

416 Pages

Synopsis: Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

I was so excited to read this retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, especially as it’s written by Colleen Houck who wrote the imaginative Tiger’s Curse series. I’m sorry to say that while it wasn’t a complete wash, I was left disappointed.

This is set sometime after the Salem witch trials, but you don’t really get a sense of where Ember lives. Most of the story focuses on the “otherworld” which is much more developed in terms of technology. It’s a little steampunkish which thrilled me to no end, and as usual the author does a beautiful job with world building. What did let me down though, was the lack of thrills and chills. I was expecting so much more spookiness given the story this was based on.

My main issue however was with the characters. First, there’s a love square, and you guys know how much I love those. (Yes that was sarcasm.) And, this was one of those rare stories where I actually liked the secondary characters more than the main one. I didn’t have strong feelings about Ember and Jack either way. They were just sort of  “meh” for me. I loved the others though, especially Deila who’s a kickass pirate captain with a metal tooth. She’s all kinds of awesome and deserves her own story.

And finally, the way The Lantern’s Ember is written, it feels more middle-schoolish even with the annoying romantic entanglements. Ultimately this latest book by Houck just didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m still a fan of the author though so hopefully this is a one off.

 

 

 

I Do Not Trust You, by Laura J Burns & Melinda Metz ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Egyptian Mythology, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

320 Pages

Synopsis: Memphis “M” Engle is stubborn to a fault, graced with an almost absurd knowledge of long lost languages and cultures, and a heck of an opponent in a fight. In short: she’s awesome.

Ashwin Sood is a little too posh for her tastes, a member of an ancient cult (which she’s pretty sure counts for more than one strike against him), and has just informed Memphis that her father who she thought was dead isn’t and needs her help. 

From the catacombs of Paris to lost temples in the sacred forests, together they crisscross the globe, searching for the one thing that might save her father. But the closer they come to saving him—and the more they fall for one another—the closer they get to destroying the world.

I Do Not Trust You is the second book I’ve read by these two authors and while I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as their previous book, Sanctuary Bay, it was still an interesting read.

One of the strengths of the book are its characters. I loved both M and Ash and even though they spend a good chunk of the story not trusting each other, they actually wind up making a pretty fantastic team. As you get further along it becomes obvious that the two are reluctantly getting closer, but having to jump from country to country and trying to keep ahead of the villains, doesn’t leave much time for romance. Which is perfectly fine. I thought the lack of romance made their relationship more believable.

The different cultures depicted are beautifully written  as are the mythologies. The trouble I ran into was the pacing of the story. The first few chapters had plenty of action, but after that it seemed to subside until the last third of the book. Because of their quest and the globetrotting they were doing I expected more adventure, conflict, and excitement but there just seemed to be something missing. Still, despite me wanting more thrills, overall I did think this was a fun read and I would recommend it to fans of authors like Rick Riordan and movies like Indiana Jones.

The Brink of Darkness (The Edge of Everything #2), by Jeff Giles ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: Things have changed for seventeen-year-old Zoe since the otherworldly events that brought her together with the mysterious bounty hunter she calls X. In order to save Zoe and her family, X has done the unthinkable—he’s given up his freedom and returned to captivity in the Lowlands.

X is determined to break the lords’ hold on him once and for all, but being stripped of his power pushes him toward a darkness he’s never experienced and a past he’s never known. The secrets that surface could be the key to reuniting X and Zoe…or they could mean the destruction of everything they’ve been fighting for.

Gripping and full of heart, this epic continuation of Jeff Giles’ series—which already has rave reviews from the New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia, Melissa de la Cruz and Cassandra Clare, among others—will bring readers right to the edge of everything.

When I reviewed the first book of this duology last year, The Edge of Everything, I gave it 4 1/2 stars with my only issue being the insta-love between Zoe and X. In The Brink of Darkness, their relationship  is firmly established even though they spend a good part of the book separated, so I was able to completely buy into their romance. 

The story picks up immediately from the end of the previous book and even though it’s been a year, I was immediately sucked right back in. While X is in the underworld on a quest to find his mother and reunite with Zoe, she’s is back with her family and friends and worrying about X. I absolutely loved this couple and their devotion to one another. Neither lets anything or anyone stand in their way of protecting the other. And just like in the first book, the secondary characters are equally well written. The world building is amazing and readers get to see much more of the underworld, its inhabitants, and how it works. The story unfolds at a fast pace and the ending ties everything perfectly. My only disappointment is that this is the end. I find myself already missing the characters. I highly recommend this duology for teens and adult fans of YA paranormal. It’s original and creative and you won’t be able to prevent yourself from becoming attached to the characters.