All the Books.

"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...

"Set in the magical world of Belterra, Louise is a witch but she's been hiding her magic. She's on the run from her terrifyingly powerful and dangerous mother and her "plans" for her only daughter. When she gets herself involved with the Chasseurs, those sworn to the Church and whose sole mission is to hunt witches, Lou, as well as Reid, her reluctant Chasseur husband, will learn that there are gray areas in life, not everything is black and white. It's a riveting, emotional, complex and complicated read."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Lou is foulmouthed, opinionated and brash but likable. And Reid is honorable, complicated and torn by duty and love. It's a bit saccharine but I really enjoyed the love story. And all the other characters, even Beaureguard Lyon, all had their charms and quirks/An interesting take on witchcraft and the different "arts", magic of the land, blood magic etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how Mahurin expands upon it.  Cons:  ...

"If you've ever felt that the ability to hear other peoples thoughts would be enlightening, this book takes that idea and destroys it. In a town where everyone can see into each other's minds, Todd Hewitt discovers a secret, one that turns his entire world, his entire life, upside down. It's an intense, edge of your seat thriller that grabs you from the first page and never lets you go."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: It’s obvious that New World and Prentisstown are settlement’s from space travelers, though Todd’s life is one is simple farm work. Ness keeps the reader hooked by giving away small clues that Prentisstown is not as rural as it seems nor even on the planet Earth by mentioning the twin moons in the night sky and other subtle hints/ How Ness really packs on the suspense by letting the reader know that turning into a man in Prentisstown is a very bad thing but he doesn’t outright say why, the reader is always guessing. Cons: Though it’s understood that Todd i...

“Marcellus McSquiddles, a giant Pacific Octopus, has been a keen observer of humans in his long captivity at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. For the most part, they are silly, vapid and not all that interesting. There is one person though, Tova, the cleaning lady, who is different. When a new man comes to the Aquarium, Cameron, Marcellus knows that this will change everything but he does what he can to help his friend Tova since she has been nothing but kind to him. This was a genuine, heartfelt, fun and funny story about family, love, finding your way and the friends you make along the road-trip of life.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Marcellus is a disenchanted, sardonic observer of humans and finds them rather tiresome. He’s quite non-plussed for an Octopus.  Cons: Cameron's plan to shakedown Simon Brinks for money is asinine/The truth of the mystery behind Erik’s tragedy was never really explained, just hinted. Full Review: Marcellus is a Giant Pacific Octopus. He has been at the Sowell Bay Aquari...

​ “When the FMC finds a strange book with a wood-cut of a dragon in the center and a stack of letters addressed to, "My dear and unfortunately sucessor" in her father's study, she's instantly curious. When she asks her father about them, she's suddenly thrown into a staggeringly detailed account of her father's life as a young man and his desperate search for his missing professor, who he fears may be in danger from the one and only, Dracula.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: Though this was a monster of a book, Kostova was a master at pacing/Every reveal was subtle but mind blowing.  Cons: The narrative became arduous about 75% of the way through/The ending was really rather anti-climactic.  Full Review:  The FMC of the novel has only known life with her father. He's some sort of foreign diplomat and travels extensively and often times she accompanies him on his trips. One night, when she's in his study, she finds a small, strange book that when opened, reveals a woodcut...

"When Mitch Albom sees a Dateline broadcast about an old professor of his, Morrie Schwartz, he's stunned. Morrie, who's been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) has decided that instead of despairing at his inevitable demise, he will embrace it and help others learn to live and love. Mitch, devastated that he's let so much time pass since seeing his Professor, reaches out and they reconnect, their visits becoming their last class together and teaching Mitch and the reader, the most important lessons in life. This was a genuine, heartfelt, emotional read and Morrie's lessons will stay with me forever."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros: Morrie was a genuine and gentle, good soul, he was intelligent, passionate and caring.  Cons: Though Morrie's overall conclusion that love, really is, the answer, he and Mitch's discussions became a little repetetive since, love was always the answer.  Full Review:  When Mitch Albom graduated from Brandeis University, his favorit...

"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,...