All the Books.

“Death is personified as a quiet, unassuming man named  Travis. He’s there when people pass over and he’s never cruel or judgmental, just  a steady calming presence. When he befriends the woman across the hall, Dalia and forms a friendship with her and her two daughters he knows it’s foolish but he does it anyway. Though I struggled with the last half of the book, the ending more than made up for it.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:   Some of the deaths were sweet, others crushing. Reeves has a real gift for pulling at the heart strings/Travis was like a genuinely caring person, though he often struggled when faced with difficult emotions/The ending was so well done.  Cons:  It wasn’t told in a linear fashion so much as it seemed to jump around a bit/Dalia and Layla could be rather abrasive at times/I struggled through the last half of the book.  Full Review Travis is death. He finds people and is there when they die. He’s not the catalyst of their death but he’s there to hel...

“Alex, who was nothing but a thief is found in the streets by her Uncle and is soon proven to be the long lost heir to the Serpent Throne. She’s accompanied on the dangerous trek back to her Kingdom of Troy, by the motley crew of the Chapel of the Holy Expediency whom are all prisoners of the Pope. There’s Balthasar, a Magician, Baron Rickan, a Vampire, Sunny the Elf and Vigga the Werewolf. There's also the grizzled warrior Jakob of Thorn and a jack of all trades, Baptiste. Right from the start there’s trouble as Alex’s many cousins attack in order to stop her from taking the throne.What started out as a fun and brutally bloody supernatural Romp was drawn out for far too long and the book could have easily ended 200 pages earlier."  ⭐️⭐️ Pros: Jakob of Thorn is a sturdy, dependable character/Rickan is very dapper for a Vampire/Sunny is silent but she has a good heart/The motley crew does have its entertaining moments.  Cons: Though Abercrombie’s irreverent humor was fun at f...

"It’s the summer of 64 in High Cotton, Texas, a small town that’s struggling to accept the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Tensions are high but Katherine "Corky" Corcoran is mostly oblvious. All she cares about is the girls Summer softball game between the Methodists and the Baptists. And with her new friend, America, a black girl from the Southside of town, Corky knows this is the Summer they could actually win! Unfortunately, not everyone is as open and accepting as Corky and she'll soon learn that the world can be a very cruel place. Though Corky's inability to grasp social cues was extremely irritating, the overall message of the book was a good one."    ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: I liked the bits of history peppered into the narrative. It helped with perspective/I did enjoy the ending, it made up for Corky's complete lack of social graces and gave the reader a bit of hope that things could get better.    Cons: I get it, Corky was a 13 year old girl and just h...

"Tom and Isabel live a quiet, isolated life on Janus Rock, where Tom is the lighthouse keeper. Their attempts to start a family have been met with tragedy and they've all but given up hope of having children of their own until one day a boat washes ashore and in that boat, is a perfectly healthy, baby. They're faced with a decision and the one that they make will cause a ripple effect that will alter the course of not just their lives but everyone around them. This was a deeply emotional, heart-wrenching novel about love, grief, morality and the impossible choices people make for those they love." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros:  Tom such a good, kind, gentle person who would do anything for Isabel/The Piano tuner at the end of Part One, like ❤️😢 Cons:  The choice that Tom and Isabel make isn't necessarily the right one but I completely understand why they did what they did/The ending wasn't the ending I wanted but it worked, in a gut wrenchingly realistic way.   Full Review...

​ "On the day she decides to die, Nora Seed finds hereslf in The Midnight Library. A place where she's given the chance to undo all of her regrets, to live a thousand lives, to be whatever she wants to be. She'll soon find though that nothing is ever that simple, that all of her lives hold some sort of struggle and time might very well run out before she can find the life she feels is worth living."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: It   was definitely a unique idea/It had a good message, that life will never be perfect, nor should it be, without pain you wouldn’t know joy.   Cons: The pacing left something to be desired/Nora was a bit indecisive and frustrating/ Noras' cluelessness when first "starting" a new life got rather repetitive and there always seemed to be some disaster waiting for her. Full Review: Nora Seed feels like a failure. She feels like her life has been one bad decision after another, never committing to anything, constantly letting her friends and famil...

"There's no magic slipper, no Fairy Godmother, no returning home at the stroke of midnight lest the magic wear off. This was a dark and gritty, re-telling of the Cinderella story that showed how the "wicked step-mother" is just a woman doing what she can to keep her family safe. Hocchauser didn't pull any punches and I liked it for its stark and brutal honesty."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros: I liked the character of  Moussa, in a way he was the Fairy Godmother/The intricacies of court were interesting tidbits of knowledge, like how to carry your train over your left shoulder and bow with your right foot leading.  Cons:  Goodness, Elin was painfully useless. I wanted to take her little book of virtue and smack her with it/Characters always think the danger is over when really, they should always have one eye open, sometimes their obvliousness can be laughable.  Full Review:  Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley has been married. Twice and with each husband that's p...

"A heartfelt and satisfying, though rather long winded ending to an entertaining, fast paced, exciting and interesting series."   ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Same cast of characters, so there weren't too many people to remember/The scenes with Ansel were heart wrenching/All the characters have an amusing and entertaining repartee and it's fun to have them all together.   Cons:  Mahurin has a tendency to overuse terms, such as "my legs grew roots" as in, the character was rooted to the spot, so that was somewhat irritating/All of the constant monologuing, the characters never stopped talking/ I wish Mahurin had expounded upon what exactly happened to Claud Deveraux but perhaps that's for another book.  Full Review: ***Disclaimer***If you have not read Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin, please go and do so and then come and read this at leisure. That way you'll know what I'm talking about. Our weary travelers are on their way to Chateau Le Blanc, to face Morgan...

"Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are in fierce competition for the position of Columnist at the Oath Gazette. They write about the war brewing between two Gods, Dacre, God of the underworld and Enva, Goddess of the sky. The war has ravaged the countryside and taken Iris' brother, Forest, away, since she hasn't heard from him in months. When tragedy strikes, Iris decides to sign up as a War Correspondent and head to the frontlines and Roman isn't far behind. This had an interesting, idyllic, WWI, fighting in the trenches feel and though the magic was vague, it was believable and I quite enjoyed it. I'm eager to see how the series progresses."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: It's quite a unique way to introduce the Frenemies trope but Ross did it well/Roman was an intense, gentle, caring soul, a very good character, very likable.  Cons:  Frenemies trope/Iris' cluelessness about Carver made me chuckle/The romance was a bit melodramatic and silly at times.  Full Review: Iris Winno...

“Dolores Price is just trying to navigate the eternal roller coaster of life. She’s has her fair share of ups and downs, Divorce, Mental Illness, Abuse but through it all she keeps plodding along and Lamb, in his honest, heartfelt way makes her journey one that you won’t soon forget.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Though Dolores sometime makes bad choices and can be difficult, you’re rooting for her unequivocally/That gut-punch in Part 3 😞/Lamb is a master at ending and he had me tearing up at times.  Cons: I kind of wish Dolores would stop sabotaging herself at every turn/Her mercurial moods got old/Her relationship with Dante started off badly and just got worse.   Full Review:  This is the story of Dolores Price. We watch as she grows from a child, to a teenager and into adulthood.  Along the way she has to learn how to navigate the tricky parts of life and for Dolores a lot of her life is tricky. Her parents divorce, she learns that her mother is unwell and is soon hospitalized....

"Every day Rachel rides the train into London, gazing out the window at her old street. She often sees a young couple that lives a few houses down from where she once lived, when she was married and happy. She likes to pretend that the couple she sees is passionately in love but when she sees something that shatters that dream, she decides to get involved and is soon entangled in a desperate web of lies, half-truths, betrayal and murder. This book once again had all the hype but for me, it just didn't quite deliver."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Another book that kept me guessing and curious until about 60% of the way through. Since I’ve read that far, I might as well finish it but it’s been a frustrating reading trend lately.  Cons: None of the characters in this book were honest or very likable IMO/Another book that had all the hype but just ended up being obnoxious and tiresome by the end.  Full Review:  Rachel rides the train into London every morning. And every morning she p...

"The final installment in what has been an incredible series but this book, sadly, was a bit of a disappointment. It had its entertaining moments and its fair share of twists and turns but once it all came down to the end, it was a little too perfect and it went on for far too long."  3 Stars Pros:  The same cast of characters except for the addition of Simone and Bradley, two scouts from Viola's convoy/The story did keep me on my toes and there were definitely a few times where I was floored with how things turned out. Cons:  The ending was just a little too rote and perfect, "skipping off into the sunset" for me. I liked it since it wrapped up the series but it all just seemed a little too perfect. Full Review:  ***Disclaimer*** - If you haven't read The Ask and the Answer,  please do so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you'll know what I'm talking about. Starting off right where The Ask and the Answer  left off, t...

"A coming-of-age story where Suzanna runs off to Woodstock with her best friend, Livy and learns about life, love and the Lord. The big reveals hit hard but they all happened very late into the story. Suzannah's shock at the freedom of Woodstock started to get old and she and Livy's constant cattiness was ridiculous. This one was almost a DNF."  ⭐️⭐️ Pros: It had its moments where Suzannah really came into her own/The research into Woodstock was impressive, though became tedious in the end/The reveals all packed quite a punch.  Cons: It's only explained very far into the book as to how Suzannah manages to run off with Lily to Woodstock when her Father watches her every move/Both Livy and Suzannah could be annoying, petty, childish, selfish and immature/It went on for far longer than necessary.  Full Review:  Suzannah Withers is attending the 50th year anniversary of Woodstock with her grand-daugther. Who's just at the cusp of college and all that life has to...

​“Raya and Q are two souls who have lost their purpose in life and are simply getting by, adrift. Lucky for them, The Elsewhere Express sweeps them up and brings them into a magical, immense, imaginative world that's built from all the thoughts, dreams, desires of every person ever. They've been brought on board to find thier purpose. Q is ready and willing to accept all that the Elsewhere Express has to offer but Raya isn't convinced. It had potential but quickly dissolved into aggravation and confusion thanks to Raya's constant questioning and the books' aimless meandering from one train car to the next.” ⭐⭐ Pros: It was a very unique idea/I liked the character of Q, he was a good balance for Raya.  Cons: Raya's constant questioning of whether the Elsewhere Express was good or bad and how she always managed to do the exact wrong thing, all the time, made this book extremely tedious/Though the places they visited were beautiful, there were far too many and it...

"Natalie Heller Mills is #blessed. Her Instagram account, Yesteryear Ranch, paints an idyllic picture of life on the farm with her family, full of photos and videos of home cooked meals, a loving husband and kind, calm, obedient children. Through the filtered lens of Instagram, she seems perfect, so of course, whenNatalie awakes one morning to find herself in the same house but everything is off.  The children are not her children, the house is older, dirtier and there's no modern amenities, such as electricity or running water. And her husband Caleb is now a gruff, stern, serious man.  It would appear that she's been swept back in time to the original Yesteryear ranch, to try her hand at living the traditional life she's always posting about. This book had all the hype but honestly, to me, it did not deliver."  ⭐️⭐️ Pros: The story did catch me and kept me intrigued enough to finish the book because I needed to find out what on Earth was going on.  Cons: Natalie...

“Sentient houses, a magical sourdough starter and a unique friendship between two people who are trying to navigate the pressures of 1920s Hollywood, this book had a bit of everything. It was entertaining until the end when the fantastical elements took a literal turn and things fell into somewhat hilarious absurdity.”  ⭐️⭐️ Pros: It was definitely an interesting premise/The chapters told from the House's point of view were odd but enlightening/ I liked the book more for the friendship of Rex/Fayette and the realities of life in Hollywood in the 1920s.  Cons: Since this was set in the 1920s, some of the jargon was hilariously old-fashioned/The generation gap could be a little jarring/The ending with the house battle went a little too far with the fantasy until it bordered on silly. Full Review:  Fayette Wynne is still trying to process her mother’s death. She's rented a cottage on the Carmel coast for a few weeks to catch up on the work that's piled up. She's determine...

"When a virus makes all animal meat deadly to humans the world quickly changes and Cannibalism is legalized. This story follows Marcos, a man who works at a processing plan, where humans, who are now bred as livestock, are slaughtered. It was a quick but rough and deeply unsettling read." ⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Though the ending was insane it was definitely a shocker.  Cons: The subject matter was rough and some of the scenes were gruesomely visceral.  Full Review:  When a virus makes it so all animal meat is deadly to humans, the world quickly changes and soon Cannibalism is legalized. People need meat, the scientists claim and most people take to eating their fellow humans more easily than one would think.  Marco works at a processing plan, where humans, who are now bred as livestock are slaughtered. He also gets special requests from a game reserve, where people can pay to hunt and slaughter humans and a labortaory that runs experiments on humans to better improve the world....

"A continuation of the events of Serpent & Dove , following our band of star crossed heroes in their desperate attempt to escape the various parties pursuing them and to stop Morgane from basically destroying the world. At times it fell into the "second novel" trap, where the personality traits of the characters became a bit cumbersome but for the most part, it was a good addition and I'm excited to see how the series ends." 4 Stars Pros:  It flows well from the first book/The various epiphanies that the characters had were slow in coming but made sense/Claud Deveraux is an interesting characters indeed/Beau is also a likable if flawed character and one that I think will get more time in the spotlight. Cons:  The various personality traits of the various characters can at times, be a trifle tiring/Lou's hotheadedness/Reid's stubbornness etc/I had to read what happened at the end twice to fully understand it, it was a little complex.  Full Review: ***...

"When Emmett Truesdale is chosen to be a participant in a clinical trial for a new weight loss procedure, he's all in. He starts to shed the weight like magic but, of course, there are side effects, unpleasant, disturbing, frightening side effects. Though the book had many good points about body shaming/the obsession we have over fitting in and being skinny, in the end, the characters and the plot were just overdone and ridiculous."  ⭐⭐ Pros: This was a harsh reality of body shaming and shows the kind of culture that sadly, many people struggle with. If you're not skinny, then you're not worth other peoples time, attention etc. It's a sad fact but it's one that's still very much prevalent.   Cons:  I feel like some of the characters were unnecessarily crass/uncouth, especially Lizette/Emmet himself would always crumble into tears, run away or lash out violently when met with a hard conversation.  Full Review:  Emmett Truesdale is a 300+ heavy man who w...

"Martha Jefferson Randolph is the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson and has spent the last five years in France. She now returns to her mountain-top childhood home of Monticello. She has every belief that the running of the house will be up to her. Things don’t precisely go as planned though when her father announces he’s been nominated to be the Secretary of State. Their life continues, Jefferson moving up the Political ladder and Martha, at home, having to care for eleven children and deal with her husband’s sullen moods and silences. Though Gunning made a good effort and it did hook me because I wanted to see how it ended overall it was vastly underwhelming."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Martha was an honest, open-minded and progressive woman, for her time.  Cons:  The plethora of children (both from Martha and Sally) as well as the multiple plantations was a lot to keep track of, so much so that I just stopped trying eventually//Marth'a extreme dislike towards Sally and her clu...

“It seems like a normal morning in August 1975 at Camp Emerson, a summer camp for wealthy families set far into the Adirondack mountains. Except one of the bunks is empty. The empty bunk is Barbara Van Laars, who just happens to be the only child of Peter and Alice Van Laar. What's more horrifying is the fact that Barbaras' brother, Bear, went missing in these very same woods almost fourteen years earlier and was never found. What follows is a fast-paced, emotional, gripping tale of family, loss, love, grief and self-reliance.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pros: The ending was absolute perfection/The character of Judyta was genuine and driven, I liked her.  Cons: The Van Laar's were a despicable group of people/It took me a bit to get used to the alternating timelines but I eventually got used to it.  Full Review:  Camp Emerson has existed on the Van Laar Preserve, a large stretch of land in the Adirondack mountains for decades. It's a two month long summer camp that caters to the child...

"An intriguing, page turner that picks up right where the first book left off and never lets the reader go."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: The deception of some of the characters is truly gut wrenching, you want to believe that they're good then Ness just takes that theory and turns it on its head, it really keeps the suspense up/All the interwoven intricacies of each characters journey and how everything fits together perfectly Cons: Mayor Prentiss, though undeniably evil, began to be a bit stereotypical villain at the end, monologuing, claiming that he and Todd would be great together, very Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker, "rule the galaxy together as Father and Son" feel, felt unoriginal and forced by the end of it. Full Review: ***Disclaimer*** - If you haven't read The Knife of Never Letting Go, please do so and then come back and read this at your leisure. That way you'll know what I'm talking about. Starting off right where The Knife of Never Letting Go  lea...

"James Willoughby has traveled to Edinburgh and enrolled in the University, in hopes of becoming a pioneer in the new Enlightenment. When he attends a demonstration at Malstrom's surgical school, he's fascinated and knows immediately that Surgery is his calling, only, the tuition is far more than he could ever afford. Fortunatley for him, Aneurin, Malstrom's assistant is willing to offer James a job, since his lodgings are just what Aneurin needs. When Aneurin's "line of work" is revealed, James is both horrified and fascinated and finds himself eager and willing to assist Aneurin in his duties. He becomes a body-snatcher. This was a quick, dark, eerily entertaining read and though not for the faint of heart, it was quite a change of pace and I enjoyed it."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:  I liked when James finally took a stand against his overbearing family.  Cons:  The constant italicized text for emphasis.  Full Review:  Jack Willoughby is the third son of a promi...

​“Magic is real but can only be summoned by the spells held within certain books. Joanna has spent her entire life protecting the small collection that her father has compiled over the years. Esther, her older sister, left home when she was 18 and has spent the last 10 years moving from place to place, never staying in one spot for more than a year. And across the pond, Nicholas, is the last remaining Scribe of the Library, someone gifted with the ability to create spells, ones that must be written in his own blood. This was a complex, intricate and overall entertaining read. It touched upon family, loyalty love and loss and was definitely a unique and interesting take on magic.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: It was definitely a unique and interesting plot.  Cons: At the beginning of the book, it’s explained that technology is weird in the house in Vermont yet later, when they write the spell to break the NDA, Joanna has a printer and a desktop computer. It seemed like a bit of a continuity error...