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Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Shwab

"A unique and darkly fun, gritty, realistic look at the Superhero Origin story with the idea that not all things that seem good are good and not all things that seem bad are bad. Great read, Schwab, so far, has not disappointed." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: An interesting concept, kind of like "Flatliners" meets "X-Men" meets "The Boys"/Gritty and realistic, Shwab does not shy away from the dark parts of humanity/As Mitch says, "There are no good guys in this game" and it's true, but Victor especially is the not so bad, bad guy that you can't help but love, Mitch as well. Cons: The EO transformation for Eli/Victor was sort of glossed over/Both of Eli/Victor's backstories were left vague but I'm hoping that will be remedied in the sequel. Full Review: Victor Vale - Disgruntled product of Self-Help gurus and best-selling author parents, he spends his free time blacking out the pages of his parents' novels and creating dark mess...

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

"The emotionally heavy and harrowing story of Cora, a woman born into slavery, who attempts to escape and find freedom with the help of the help of the Underground Railroad. It turns out that the Railroad itself is an actual series of tunnels that run from State to State and though there are many helpful Station agents, there are always those who won't hesitate to turn in fugitives just to collect the bounty. This was a rough, raw book that didn't flinch from the darker side of our Nation's history and Cora's story will stay with me for a very long time." ⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Cora was fierce, feisty and never broke even under the worst pressure/Some of the "station agents" were helpful, gentle, kind souls and gave you hope that not everyone back then was a close minded bigot. Cons: The fact that people ever thought they could own other people, is sickening. Not a con of the book but of the Country itself/Ridgeway and Homers ending was just odd. Full Revi...

Dead Beat (Ninth House #3) by Leigh Bardugo

"The thrilling conclusion to the House of Lethe and the powers of the Secret Societies of Yale. Bardugo doesn't disappoint. This book is filled with moments of intensity, tension, desperation, joy, love and heartbreak. It was an acceptable conclusion to a great series." ⭐⭐⭐⭐️ Pros: The story does move along quickly and definitely kept my interest/Darlington and Alex's tension is exquisitely painful/The trip to Hell was brutal for everyone and left me teary eyed. Cons: There were times where Alex's ability to pass through doors and enter different times got a little confusing, it took me a second to re-orient myself/For someone not well educated, Alex certainly knows a lot about the classics and old literary references. Full Review ***Disclaimer-If you’ve not read Ninth House and Dead Beat by Bardugo, please go and so so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you’ll know what I’m talking about.*** It’s been a few months since the ...

Hell Bent (Ninth House #2) by Leigh Bardugo

"Once Galaxy "Alex" Stern has a goal, there's no stopping her. And since, at the end of Ninth House she'd made it her mission to figure how to get Darlington out of Hell and back in Lethe where he belongs, well, Hell Bent is the perfect title and as wild of a ride as you can imagine." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Stern and Darlington's chemistry is exquisitely painful/Darlington is the gentleman Demon and I adore him. Cons: Bardugo mixed the Eitan storyline in well but at the same time, you want Alex to be able to focus on one thing at a time/Sometimes too many side quests get this old brain confused. Full Review ***Diisclaimer - if you’ve not read Ninth House please go and do so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you’ll know what I’m talking about.*** It's been a long Summer for Alex Stern. It's been spent mostly reading in the warmth of Il Bastons' safe, secure library and researching everything she can about how to get into Hel...

Life After Life (The Todd Family #1) by Kate Atkinson

"Though this was an extremely interesting and unique premise, of one woman getting a chance to live her life again and again, make different choices and eventually try to change the course of history, overall it went on for far too long and I skimmed the last 100+ pages." ⭐️⭐️ Pros: It was definitely a very interesting concept and Atkinson handled the repeating timelines well/Ursula is intelligent, independent and driven/Her repeated lives help her learn from her mistakes. Cons: There were a number of characters who were mentioned repeatedly but they just didn’t quite stick in my head/Though I liked Ursula, I found her a bit detached emotionally, though that could have been simply the culture of 1930s/40s England/This book went on for far, far, far too long. Full Review Ursula is born but never draws breath, the umbilical cord wrapped around her throat. The doctor was caught in the snow storm and never made it in time. Ursula is born again and...

Ninth House (Ninth House #1) by Leigh Bardugo

"A dark and gripping thriller set on the posh and polished campus of Yale University and within the eight Secret Societies. There's more to these houses than famous Alumni, there's magic but it's dangerous and disturbing and Alex Stern, accepted into the House of Lethe, will learn quickly how far people are willing to go when money and power are involved." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Darlington and Stern's repartee is amusing, since he's so refined and she's rougher around the edges/Though Stern can be headstrong and a little obnoxious, she is a good person to have an ally/The magic in this story is complicated and elaborate but interesting and unique. Cons: Stern is street smart but her unwillingness to trust others gets her into a lot of bad situations/The "I'm the only one who can solve this murder" attitude is kind of overdone/The map at the front of the books is impossibly small, so, whenever Bardugo goes into detail about where Stern is at any...