All the Books.

"There is a sickness in the kingdom of Blunder and anyone who's found to be infected is sentenced to a painful, gruesome death. Elspeth Spindle was lucky enough to survive the fever but, her magic, the ability to absorb the powers within a Providence Card, is a secret she's kept for years. When she attends the Equinox ball at the urging of her cousin, she's suddenly entangled in a dangerous, treasonous plot to collect all twelve Providence Cards, perform a ritual and rid Blunder of the sickness and magic forever. Of course, it won't be easy, alliances will be tested, truths will be told and Elspeth will be lucky to survive with her mind and body intact." ⭐⭐⭐ Pros: It had a dark, haunted Moor, atmospheric feel/I liked the character of Elm, he was sly and witty but, of course, had a good heart.  Cons: The idea of the Providence Cards took some getting used to and there were a lot of Cards to remember/Elspeths constant requests for the Nightmare to help her and...

​ “Fern Huang is finally going to achieve her dream of being a published author. She's worked hard to heal from the traumatic bullying she endured at the hands of Haven Lee in high school, a girl who swooped in and stole Fern's best friend, Dani and made Fern's life miserable. She also blames Haven for Dani's suicide, something that's affected Fern deeply. When she joins a debut authors group on Facebook/Slack and finds out that Haven also has a book debuting, her whole world comes crashing down. Add the COVID pandemic and the whole nation going on lockdown to the mix and Fern's obsession with Haven takes on stalkerish, unhealthy and frankly disturbing proportions. The message that no one is truly innocent, that we all have secrets and also, be very careful what you post on Social Media, since you never know how your words might be used against you were all true but in the end, the characters were obnoxious, the constant posts of, "OMG, srsly, whaaat, nooo,...

“Arkady Tsepesh has returned home, to Transylvania, due to his father’s declining health. His very pregnant wife, Mary has accompanied him and is curious to learn about the side of her Husband she’s never seen, the family Dracul. What I thought would perhaps be an origin story of Dracula, was instead a very complex and rather uncomfortable tale of complicated and rather disturbing family dynamics. The big reveal came far too late and the ending just dragged.” ⭐⭐ Pros: A truly unique Vampire Story Cons: The “Indignant British Gentleman” feel of the vast majority of the book and then the complete 180 was the end was really jarring/The ending went on for far too long, actually had me dozing at parts. Full Review:  Arkady Tsepesh is returning to Transylvania after receiving a telegram from his sister, Zsuzsanna that their Father is dying. He brings his young wife, Mary and their as of yet, unborn child with him. Unfortunately, he arrives too late and his father has already passed. Di...

"Cane did his research, basing the separate stories in this book on actual, historical events. It was a stark, painful, gut-wrenching look at the horrors of slavery but at the same time, Cane showed that there was always hope, strength and togetherness. His message that even the smallest spark can start a fire of Rebellion is one that will stay with me for a long time."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  An unflinching look at the deprivations of slavery but also stories of hope and inspiration, proving that resistance against oppression will always find a way and can begin with a single spark.  Cons:    Cane’s writing style felt flat but also almost overdone at the same time.  Full Review:  It begins in Goochland, Virginia on Magnolia Row. Henri, a young slave who has recently been sold to the Raglands, who run Magnolia Row, feels lost and unmoored. He tries to find his place and do his work and finds a few friends, Ruby, one of the Souls who keeps the Master's house, a you...

"What I thought was going to be an overly done teenage romance ended up being a surprisingly genuine and frankly powerful story about connection, fate and, yes, love. Natasha and Daniel's whirlwind day of coincidences and fate in NYC had its moments of laughably teenage melodrama but overall, Yoon's written a remarkable testament to how everything has a cause and effect."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Yoon crafted a fun, informative, intelligent, sad, complex layered love story/I really enjoyed the small glimpses into the lives of the people Natasha/Daniel interacted with/This was a deep and genuine story and it honestly made me tear up.   Cons : I've always found the overly intense, teenage, "love at first sight" cliche hilarious because, come on now, take a minute😂 /The number of rare coincidences began to teeter precariously toward silly by the end but Yoon managed to balance it out in a practical and powerful way.    Full Review:  Natasha is an intelligent, driv...

"It began with a Birthday party and ended in a blood bath. The Folcrum Party Massacre destroyed so many lives and the repercussions of that horrible night are still rippling and making waves, decades later. Though Leewood Folcrum never wavers in his story, that he is innocent, there are those who are determined to find out the truth, no matter the cost. This was an intensely dark, edge of your seat, riveting thriller and I couldn't put it down."   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Torre’s pacing was great and all the big reveals were jaw dropping. Cons: Though Perla was a terrifying character in her determination, she was also creepy in seeing her daughter as competition for her husband's affections.  Full Review Leewood Folcrum is currently serving life in prison for a crime he claims he didn't commit. The Folcrum Party massacre which began as an innocent Birthday/Slumber party for Jennifer Folcrum ended in a blood bath. Leewood was found with his daughters' body in his arms and ...