All the Books.

"Elsie Fitzpatrick is quite content to live a quiet life, tending her garden, reading her books, and spending time with her best friend Daphne. The peace is soon shattered when her neighbor is found dead, and Elsie is the unfortunate one to discover the body. A news story is soon published, revealing the dark truth of Elsie's past as "Mad Mabel" Victoria's first convicted female murderer at the ripe old age of fifteen. What follows is an often heart-wrenching but also hilarious tale of found family, love, and the truly unbreakable power of friendship." ⭐⭐⭐⭐️⭐ Pros:  Mabel is a saucy beast, and I liked her immediately/Beneath all that irreverence is a woman capable of great love and devotion/Hepworth was great with pacing and suspense.  Cons:  The "big reveal" at the end and Mabel's "inheritance" just seemed rather extraneous.  Full Review: Elsie Fitzpatrick is a crotchety, sarcastic, 81-year-old woman living on a small street in Austr...

"Violet Sorrengail has made it into the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath, a war College, that trains the young people of Navarre to serve their King and Country. She trains to ride a Dragon, hold her own in combat, and in other matters of a military nature. She's, of course, attracted to the tall, dark, and dangerous Xander Riorson, son of the infamous traitor who led a rebellion against Navarre...and the book ended up being as cliché and overdone as it sounds. I should have DNFed this book 500 pages earlier. This was a massive disappointment, and I really don't understand all the hype."  🟊⯪ Pros:  An interesting premise/Some of the challenges were fun/Tairn & Violet's repartee was charming at first, but after 400 pages it became obnoxious.     Cons:  All clichés and tropes in existence lived in this book/ There was no reasoning behind why Jack Barlowe was so intent on killing Violet/ Everyone Violet sees is jaw-droppingly gorgeous/I honestly thought about ...

“When Clay Jensen gets a package of cassette tapes, he has no idea what they mean. When he plays the first one, he hears the voice of a ghost. Hannah Baker killed herself just a few weeks ago, and if you’re listening, then you’re one of the thirteen reasons why. This was a depressing read that emphasized the importance of being kind to others, that every action has a consequence, but also the importance of advocating for yourself. You must ask for help if you're struggling because, though you hope that others will notice, the sad truth is they most likely won't. So, ask for help even though it's difficult."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Dark and intense, emphasizing the importance of being kind to others because we’re all fighting battles that no one knows anything about/How every action has a consequence.  Cons:  Though it’s difficult, you must  advocate for yourself in all areas of your life. Your body, your health. Don’t hope that someone will notice you’re struggling because t...

"It's been six years since Alicia Berenson was tried for the murder of her husband, Gabriel, and sent to the Grove, a facility for the criminally insane. Theo Faber, a therapist, has just transferred there, eager to work with Alicia and try to get her to open up, to actually speak, after six years of absolute silence. Michaelides kept me guessing, and the twist at the end was pretty surprising. Though this wasn't the best mystery/thriller I've ever read, it did keep me on my toes." ⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  I was curious to see why/if Alicia killed her husband. The chapters were short, which I appreciated since they offer convenient stopping points. Cons:   Everyone is in love with Alicia, of course/It all escalated rather quickly.   Full Review: Alicia Berenson is a moderately famous artist. Her husband, Gabriel, is a fashion photographer. They’re a seemingly happy couple. That is, until Alicia is found with her husband, who’s been tied to a chair and shot five times at point-b...

"Ignatius (Ig) Perrish has been living in Hell. It's been almost a year since his girlfriend was brutally murdered, and Ig is still the primary person of interest. One morning, after a particularly rough night, he wakes to find he's grown a pair of horns. If that wasn't terrifying enough, he realizes that the horns compel people to tell him their deepest, darkest secrets. When he goes to his family for comfort, his brother drops a bombshell, and Ig realizes that the horns are the key to unlocking the mystery behind what really happened the night Merrin was killed. This was a brutal, disturbing, and dark read, but Hill has an undeniable knack for grabbing you right from the get go and not letting up until the very last page."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐ Pros:  Ig is a genuinely good person/Though a brutally horrific story, Hill's style is effortless; you can't help but keep turning the pages.   Cons:  It's typical for a man to think a woman's flirting and then lash o...

"Quentin is living his best life as a king of Fillory, but he finds himself craving adventure and excitement again. He gets it and more. Sadly, the characters, especially Julia, were obnoxiously pretentious, and I eventually just wanted the book to be done. This was a massive disappointment." ⭐⭐ Pros: It was Interesting to find out how Julia learned magic.  Cons: Julia was arrogant, conceited, and obnoxious/The end was painfully anti-climactic and unnecessarily drawn out.  Full Review: ***Disclaimer - If you’ve not read The Magicians by Grossman please do so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you’ll know what I’m talking about.*** Quentin, Eliot, Janet and a very distant /barely human Julia are living as the Kings and Queens of Fillory. It’s all Quentin ever wanted, and yet, he finds himself at loose ends, desperate for some excitement.  When they find a clock tree acting strangely in the Queenswood, he thinks perhaps this is it, his chance at an ...