Book Review - The Spanish Diplomat's Secret by Nev March

 

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret  by Nev March is about a couple who set sail to England on a cruise ship and they witness a murder. In the summer of 1894, Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife, Lady Diana Framji were going to England for a family visit. Jim is excited to spend some time with his wife as he feels that she has been distant lately.  He hopes that Diana will open up to him and they can repair their bond.

The first evening on the ship, Jim is feeling seasick. As Jim clings to the hand railing of the deck, he crosses paths with another traveler, Don Juan Nepomuceno. The passenger is a Spaniard and a fellow soldier. Jim feels a connection with him and spends a few minutes chatting with Don Juan. Within twenty four hours, Don Juan sent a note to Jim asking to speak with him privately. Before Jim can visit, it is discovered that Don Juan was brutally murdered.

When the ship’s captain learns that Jim is an investigator, he asks Jim to help find the killer before they dock in Liverpool. Jim has six days to find the person behind the crime otherwise the murder can lead to international consequences. Jim’s investigative skills are put to the test as he has to figure out who committed the murder in a locked cabin room and there are over a thousand passengers on board. There were no witnesses to the crime. And to make matters worse, Jim is experiencing seasickness and is struggling to find his sea legs. He doesn’t  want to put Diana in danger but he knows he can’t navigate the high society world of the first class passengers without her help.

When I first saw the book I didn’t realize it was a part of a series. It wasn’t clear to me until I looked up the book online. The book can be read as a standalone but I think certain references to Jim and Diane’s past would have made more sense if I read the previous books.

I was excited to read the book but disappointed at how slow and drawn out the story was. Pages upon pages would go by and nothing new would happen. The mastermind and motive was very obvious but a so-called detective couldn’t see it until the very end. I also didn’t like that the book had so many political details.  I found that it  took away from the story. I did like the historic details about the ship and passengers, though. I felt that I might have enjoyed this book if it was shorter and I got to learn more about the characters, i.e. if I had more details of them from previous books.

Book Review - The Deep by Alma Katsu

 

The Deep by Alma Katsu is about a young woman who travels across the ocean on a haunted ship. Annie Hebley decided that she needed a change of pace. She was in a relationship with someone and it took an unexpected and unwanted turn. When she saw that a cruise ship was hiring for maids, she found herself drawn to the prospect of traveling.

Annie is surrounded by some of the wealthiest people in the world. In her small village in Ireland, people never saw that much luxury as she has experienced on the ship and with the guests on board. As Annie tries to do her job and help the guests, she feels an ominous presence. She feels that something is amiss. It doesn’t help that one of the guest’s errand boys dies mysteriously and things are unexplainably going missing. When Annie feels that she finally understands what is going on, the ship hits an iceberg, plaguing her and her fellow guests into a night they would never forget. 

A few years later after that unfortunate night, Annie is trying to piece back her life together.She wants to overcome the trauma of the Titanic sinking. However, one of her friends, Violet Jessop, a survivor from the Titanic’s final journey,  reached out with an opportunity she thought Annie would like. 

The Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, has been refitted as a hospital ship to ferry wounded soldiers from World War I. Violet and Annie both decide to work as nurses on the ship’s sixth voyage. As she takes care of the ship’s patients, she notices one of her charges looks very familiar. 

It turns out the soldier is no other than Mark Fletcher. He was one of Annie’s charges that she had taken care of on the Titanic. She was excited that he survived that fateful night. She always felt a  romantic bond towards Mark and she hopes that since he is on this ship that they could have a relationship together. As she tries to connect with Mark, she feels that something is off and has an eerie haunted feeling like she did when she was on the Titanic. 

I was very excited to read this book as I have read a few books about the Titanic.The book started off interesting. It alternated between the past and present and it was mostly narrated from Annie’s point of view. They did have some chapters that were narrated by the other passengers from both ships along with articles and a doctor’s journal.  It was interesting to learn that the Britannic and Violet Jessop were based on truth.  However, the book would jump back and forth between the characters and the two different ships that it got confusing at times.

My attention and interest started waning around the halfway mark. There were too many characters and their side stories to keep track of. The book would go on for pages without the story progressing at all. The book was billed as a horror and scary book but nothing scary or horrifying really happened and the events that did occur were so spaced apart that it didn't have any spooky appeal. The book started picking up on the last few pages and got interesting. It tied up all the loose ends between the two story arcs. However, I wish this was done earlier because at that point I just wanted the book to be over with. I felt that I would have enjoyed this book more if it was edited down and had more spooky elements to it.

Book Review - The Swallowtail Legacy 2: Betrayal by the Book by Michael D. Beil

 

Betrayal By the Book by Michael D. Beil is about a young girl who tries to solve a murder. Twelve year old Lark is excited about the upcoming writer’s conference. For a week, Swallowtail Island hosts the Swallowtales Writers Conference that brings writers, publishers, agents, and fellow book lovers together for exclusive book related content.

Lark is ecstatic when she is assigned to be a page for her favorite author, Ann E. Keyhart. Lark  has devoured and re-read Ann’s book several times and Lark considers the book to be one of her favorites. Ann arrives on the island after agreeing at the last minute to do the conference. She brings her bubbly assistant, Didi, with her. However, Lark quickly learns what the saying means about never meeting your idols.

Lark tries to do her job as a page for Ann professionally but Lark can see why many people don’t like her. Ann is pushy, aggressive, and mean to everyone and always needs to get her way. Thus when Didi needs help finding a place on the island, Lark jumps at the chance to help Didi, while Ann gets ready to attend the conference. At least this way, Lark can get a small break from the author.

Didi takes Lark to a special place on the island where Didi decided she wanted to be a writer. The duo bond before Lark takes off to prepare for the conference. Later in the day, Lark is devastated to learn that Didi ends up dead. When the cause of her death is disclosed, Lark feels like something doesn’t add up.

Lark feels that someone else might have been the target instead. As Lark digs deeper into the case, a few things stand out to her, like Ann has tons of enemies and Didi’s computer vanishes from the hotel suite she was staying in. She also finds out that Didi had a glass bird that is very similar to the one Lark’s late mother had. Will Lark be able to figure out what happened to Didi?

This middle grade level book is the second in the series and can be read as a standalone. There is a wider mystery that connects the two books in the series, though. I found the book to be an entertaining read and it was fun trying to guess who was behind the murder and their motive. It was a bit predictable but I enjoyed reading along with Lark and her adventures.

However, the one thing I didn’t like was that the entire book had a lot of coincidences. For example, it just so happens the person that Lark was searching for was in the right area at the right time. Then Didi’s roommate, Suzy, just so happened to performing in the same location that Didi was. It would be fun if it happens once or so but, it was just too many coincidences for it to be realistic. If you liked the first book, then you would enjoy the next book in the series.

Book Review - The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

 

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy is about two lovers who were caught in the middle of World War II, and a daughter's search for the truth.  In Weimar, Germany in 1929, a group of young intellectuals gathered at a party to celebrate life. At the party, two artists meet and find themselves drawn  to each other.

Max Ehrlick is a skilled Austrian Jewish architect and Bettina Vogel is a celebrated avant-garde painter. After meeting at the party, Max and Bettina find themselves spending every moment in each others’ presence. Months later, they feel that their relationship starts to be threatened by the rising threat of the Nazis. As Bettina is a German woman and Max is a Jewish man, they are unable to marry, and have to keep their relationship under wraps. They move to Berlin hoping that they are far enough away to keep Max safe.

They moved to Dachau as life in Berlin had gotten too expensive and they were not able to afford their lifestyle any longer. They figured that Bettina would move back home with her mother and brother and Max would work at the porcelain factory to help save money. They decided that the Nazi regime’s influence had gotten too big and that they needed to escape before it became too late.

The pair decided that they saved enough money after Bettina sold some of her artwork and Max had been putting aside his wages from the factory. They agree to meet at the train station to plan their escape. Bettina patiently waits for him until late at night but Max never shows up. She finds out later that he was arrested by someone close to Bettina and was sent to a concentration camp.

As luck would have it, Max gets reassigned to work back in the factory where he was caught. Max is thankful for his stroke of luck as he managed to befriend someone in charge of the factory. He spends his day toiling away at creating elegant porcelain figures. The people in the Nazi regime love these porcelain figurines and they buy them to show loyalty to the Nazis.  Max knows that his talent is the only thing keeping him from certain death, or hard labor in the camps.

Bettina is desperate to find Max and reconnect with him. She meets with someone from their past and the pair together tries to find out where Max is. She decides to cook up a desperate plan when she finds out where Max is. Bettina is willing to risk everything to find Max and escape Germany with him.

In 1993 in America, Clara, Bettina’s daughter, travels across the country to search for the truth about her father. Her mother has kept her father’s identity a secret from Clara. Clara was never sure why Bettina thought it was important to hide her father’s identity but Clara didn’t want to upset Bettina by demanding that she tell her the truth. The only piece of the puzzle Clara has is a collection of small figurines that her mother treasured. As Clara digs further into  her mother’s past, she realizes that there is more there than her mother  was letting on.

The novel is a love story that spans across continents and decades between lovers that were torn from each other because of World War II. The book is told from alternating points of view: from Bettina in the past and Clara in the present. In the beginning, it was confusing to distinguish the change in time periods and narratives. When Clara was remembering a moment in the past with her mother, it then switched to another moment from the past and it was confusing to me. The story had mentioned conflicting information but I was also reading the uncorrected draft of the novel and perhaps this was fixed when the book is going to be published. 

It was an interesting and emotional read at times. I like reading the dual timelines and trying to figure out who Clara’s father was. Also, I  liked reading about Bettina’s and Max’s romance blossoming and then withering under the Nazi regime. I enjoyed Clara’s portion as she tries to be a dutiful daughter and respect her mother’s wishes but she wants to find out about her own past. I felt for Clara and at times, I wished she pushed Bettina a bit harder to find out the truth as I felt that it could have been a moment for the two of them to bond. I feel that the two women had a fractured relationship. Clara always seemed to be walking on eggshells around her mother and this secret was a missed opportunity to heal past trauma.  If you love epic love stories with a hint of mystery and history, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

 

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton is about a young girl, Ella Durand, who gets to attend a magical school. Eleven year old Ella will be the first Conjuror to attend the Arancum Training Institute. The Arcanum is a magical school that is located in the clouds were Marvellers, people who can use magic, attend to learn and practice their magic.  There are a lot of different types of magic, like blending Indian spices to create elixirs, bartering with mischievous Irish pixies, and even knitting that can see into the future.

Ella is excited to be accepted into the school. However, she knows that being the first for anything isn’t always easy and a lot of people are not accepting of change. She tries her best to fit in but she is met with hostility by students and teachers alike. Ella eventually finds kindred spirits with two fellow students and her mentor, Masterji Thakur. Her roommate, Brigit, is a girl who hates magic and doesn’t want to be at school. She would rather be back in NYC with her guardian. Jason was assigned to be Ella’s guide around school and he likes being around magical creatures.

Just when Ella finally finds a community that is supportive of her, the unthinkable happens. A dangerous criminal, the Ace of Anarchy, escapes from her prison. It looks like she was able to escape with the help of a Conjuror. Everyone is worried what the Ace is up to and Ella becomes a person of interest. Ella’s support system crumbles when Masterji Thakur unexpectedly goes on vacation and isn’t available. She decides that she will have to rely on her friends and her growing powers, if she is to clear her name and find Masterji Thakur.

I thought that the book was an interesting read. I like that the author included characters and food from various cultures. I thought this was going to be a Harry Potter novel copy but it had a lot of good things going for it but the execution could have been better. The author did create an extraordinary sounding world. It seemed like a magical and amazing place. However, I wish the author went into more details about certain things. The author would use world specific terms or talk about something, without going into much detail about it. I felt like a lot of things were left unexplained, such as: why does that elevator appear for Ella? Do the people who lose their powers gain it back? Why were the conjurors left out? I am hoping that the author goes into more detail about it in the next novel.

At times, the book moved very slowly and nothing would happen. Towards the end of the novel, the plot starts to pick up but the interaction with the villain lasts like a blink of an eye. It did seem a bit random because the villain and Ella didn’t know each other. I wish the author went into more detail or provided more action packed scenes. While the characters were interesting and diverse, sometimes I had a hard time liking Ella. She was unnecessarily mean to Jason when he was trying to show her around the school. Then  another time she got mad and jealous over the attention Bridgit got when she won the mini planet toy. I would have liked it if Ella spent some time explaining why she felt certain ways. I am curious to read more about Ella and her classmates' newest adventure.

Book Review - Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

 

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall is about a young woman named Linden James, who is trying to find out the truth about her strange disappearance experience last year. 

The rural Caball Hollow is surrounded by the vast National Forest. It is home to the James family who own a farm and local eatery, the Harvest Moon Diner, in the area. 

The family is well known in the area for their delicious food and it’s an open secret that they’re witches. However, that isn’t the only “secret” they are keeping, this one not so open. Linden and every female in her family tree, is born with an unusual ability. Linden can taste what other people are feeling.

Linden usually loves her gift until it costs her her relationship with Cole Spencer to sour one night. The pair grew up together and then their relationship blossomed into a romantic one. Everything was going great between the two of them, until Linden did something she was told by her family she should never do. She decided to tell an outsider more about her secret ability. She thought Cole would be excited but she tasted his confused and fearful emotions instead. Then he started pushing her away and told her to go back home.

Linden was upset from her interaction with Cole and left him to go back home. She later decides that she shouldn’t let Cole get in the way of her plans. She decides to join her friends in the depth of the forest for a party. Everything was going well, until she woke up hours later in the woods with no memories of what happened that night. All Linden can recall are hazy bits that suggest that a lot more happened to her that night than she can remember.

A few months pass and now, it’s another hot day in summer and one of the hottest summers so far. Things seem to be going well, until another girl, Dahlia, goes missing in the forest. It seems to be very similar to Linden’s experience last year except this time, the missing girl is found dead. When her body is found, it is clear that the girl was murdered.

Linden knew Dahlia and Linden was also the one who found the body. She is determined to find out what happened to her friend. However, as she begins digging, it becomes clear that someone is trying to keep the past buried and they will do anything to keep it that way. Will Linden be able to find out the truth about her friend’s murder and her disappearance last year, and if there’s a connection?

The book was an interesting read and had some vivid imagery. It had some spooky and paranormal elements. However, I felt that the book was dragging some of the time and it took a while before the author got into the meat of the story. At times, there was a lot going on and it was hard to keep track of who was speaking and what was going on and how it related to the story.

The romance between Cole and Linden could have been fleshed out more. It seemed to me that they were once pretty close but then they had a falling out. It seems obvious that they both liked each other and Cole was always still friendly and nice to her even though they didn’t talk. Linden seemed to have feelings for Cole as well. I also didn’t understand why Cole pushed her away that night. If he knew “something”, it seemed that they had a strong relationship and they both trusted each other— It just seems weird that he wouldn’t tell her especially when she was so open with him.

I love the relationships and the scenes with Linden and her sisters and family. The dynamics were fun and most of the time, Linden was open and honest with her sisters. They did things together and they didn’t keep any secrets from each other. I do wish that the sisters had more of a role when Linden was searching for the killer. I did like side plots with Rowan’s and Hadrian’s cat and mouse antics with each other. They seemed like a cute couple and I liked their scenes together.  I also liked the scenes with Linden’s aunt, Sissy, I thought she was a fun character. I wished to learn more about her backstory and why she decided to come back home. The James family are portrayed as strong and powerful witches but they rarely showcased their abilities and didn’t help Linden with her quest to find answers.

I thought I would have been able to guess who the killer was and I was able to guess it towards the end. However, I didn’t get the motivation and that was surprising to me. I wished the author spent more time explaining the ending and certain loose ends.

Book Review - The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

 

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan is about two teenagers surviving a mass murder at a summer camp. Sloan was excited to start her new summer job as a counselor at a local summer camp. It was her chance to get away from her overbearing adoptive mother. At the camp, she meets another counselor there, Cherry. Cherry has everything going for her and is the center of attention at camp. Sloan finds herself drawn to the electric Cherry.

The pair find themselves bonding and are drawn to each other from the first few days of meeting. A few days into the camp session, a group of masked men stormed the summer camp and murdered everyone except for Cherry and Sloan. Months later, the Cherry and Sloan lean on each other as they process their traumatic experience.

Sloan is working with a professional to help her cope with the experience. Sloan’s mind has repressed the traumatic event and she doesn’t remember much from the night, other than what Cherry has told her. As Sloan begins her sessions in hopes of getting answers to what happened, she feels that there is something missing from her newly surfaced memory and that Cherry is keeping a secret from her. Sloan fears that Cherry might have been involved with the murders and isn’t just a survivor like she claims to be. Cherry claims that she doesn’t have any idea what Sloan is referring to and that she (Cherry) was lucky to have gotten out of the camp alive. Will Sloan be able to remember the events from that fateful night?

I was very excited to read the book when I saw the cover. It’s always the perfect time for a good horror or thriller. However, this book was an utter disappointment. The characters were all dull and boring. Even when Sloan found evidence that Cherry might be lying, she still went back to her. She kept acting like a defenseless child and would run into the arms of someone who might actually end up hurting her. The book goes on like this for a while and then the ending comes out of nowhere. The ending in itself was very confusing and I had a hard time understanding what was going on. I felt like the author didn’t know exactly how to end the book. It left so many unresolved questions and I felt like I read an incomplete book. I thought this was going to be a thriller or murder mystery but it was more about two teenagers dealing with trauma. The book could have been executed a bit better.

Book Review - Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

 

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz is about a group of high school students who take a trip together to celebrate their graduation.  Izzy Morales attends an elite private school, where her fellow students are kids of prominent and rich families. She always felt like an outsider because her family is impoverished and her mother works as a teacher in the school.

The only person that Izzy feels has her back is Kassidy, another student at the school. So when Kassidy invites Izzy to an all expenses paid trip to a glamorous manor, she has a hard time saying no. Izzy usually avoids accepting Kassidy’s offers to go on trips together as she doesn’t want to take advantage of Kassidy’s generosity.

This time Kassidy sweetened the offer by inviting Izzy’s crush, Marlow, along with a few of their other friends.  When they arrive Kassidy surprises the group by letting them know that they will be dressing up in vintage clothing and no modern conveniences like cellphones will be allowed. The group gets into some minor squabbles with each other but for the most part, everyone is having a great time, until Kassidy’s boyfriend ends up dead.

His death was ruled a murder and investigators were called to the scene of the crime. Every guest is a suspect. Kassidy is in despair and shocked by his death. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else and is wary that they might be next. However, things look especially bad for Izzy, as she was the one who bought the murder weapon with her on vacation.

The book started off interesting but it ebbed and flowed between interesting to dull. The chapters were told from each character’s points of view. While this was interesting, I felt like this could have been used more to progress the story. Instead, when the police were investigating the murders, Izzy found a secret hideout and found out a lot of secrets other characters were keeping after listening into their interviews. I believe the author was using this method to give the readers new information but I would have preferred to read it from each character’s perspective instead. 

I felt that there were a lot of coincidences and things that came out of nowhere. I still don’t understand why Izzy thought it was a good idea to bring a knife on vacation. The author mentioned the reason but Izzy’s entire plan didn’t really make sense, as a reader. It just seemed like another cheap ploy to make you wonder if she is the murderer or was she being set up. Then one of the investigators who was involved in the case only became involved because they are connected to someone at the manor. I did find one of the investigators interesting and wished they had their own series, but the other one seemed too bumbling to even be a detective.

The ending came out of nowhere and was a bit too unrealistic. The author seemed to portray the character one way and the ending seemed so out of character for them. The book was a bit predictable to who the murderer was but their ending also seemed weird and also too dramatic. Overall, the book was an okay read if one suspended some beliefs on certain elements of the story.

 

Book Review - This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K. Sproles

 

 

This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K. Sproles is about an old woman who is coming to terms with nearing the end of her life and a secret that makes her question everything she holds dear. Minerva Jane Jenkins married when she was just 14 years old. She loved her husband, Stately Jenkins, very much. So much, that when he moved her to an isolated part of the mountains, she didn’t have any objections. She went along with his plans like she believed a good wife should.

When Stately Jenkins passed away fifty years later, he made her promise that she wouldn’t tell anyone about the small box he kept hidden. He told her it was filled with gold and that’s all Minerva knew about it. She promised Stately that she wouldn’t tell a single soul about the box and the treasure within.

Minerva is now ninety four years old and she feels that she is nearing the end of her life. She feels happy that she is going to die because she leads a lonely existence.  She is proud that she managed to keep Stately’s promise of keeping the box a secret, which proved to be harder when a journalist showed up to her door.

Del Rankin is a reporter and wants to know about her story and Stately’s involvement in the gold that went missing.  He promises Minerva that he is only interested in the people involved in the story.  Del’s friend, Colton, made it obvious that he is only interested in finding the location of the gold by any means necessary. Both men think that Minvera is a pushover and would tell them what they need to know, but little did they know Minvera is a firecracker and will stop at nothing to protect her promise to Stately.

The book took a bit for me to get into. Minerva narrates the book in her Appalachian dialect and I had a hard time understanding what she was saying at times. A few times, I would have to go back and reread the same sentence over and over again. The story was slow and plodded along without much happening. However, there were a few heartwarming moments between Minvera and Del that caused me to tear up. The book did have a few surprises and twists towards the middle and end of the book. It also had some humor sprinkled throughout the book. I am glad that I decided to stick it out and not give up halfway through like I originally planned on doing. If you like Christian fiction that takes place in the Appalachian mountains, then you might enjoy this one.

 

Book Review - Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

 

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon is about a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter trio who decide to solve a murder.  Lana Rubicon is known for her killer business skills. She’d caused many people to tremble in their shoes when they knew she was coming. She is proud of the L.A. real estate empire she has built with her keen business intuition and taste.

After having a health scare, she decides to move 300 miles north of the city to a small coastal town where her daughter, Beth lives with her teenage granddaughter, Jack. Lana isn’t used to the easygoing sleepy town vibes. She tries to get used to the slower pace of life instead of fast paced life in LA but it’s a hard adjustment spending her days doing nothing. Lana feels that the boredom might kill her before the cancer does and that she needs something to do to make her feel relevant again.

Jack is independent and loves the slough near their house. She works as a kayak tour guide and wants to save up enough money for a boat to go sailing by herself. While on a tour, one of the kayakers finds a dead body. Jack brings in the group and reports the body to the police. Jack becomes a suspect because she finds the body but she was also out in the slough the day before with another tour group. Beth and Lana are worried that the police will just blame Jack for the murder without actually investigating the crime. Beth wants her mother to focus on getting better while finding Jack a lawyer instead of Lana sticking her nose into the investigation. However, Lana decides that she can’t sit still while her granddaughter is accused of something she didn’t do. Lana will stop at nothing to protect her family while proving that she is still useful. Will Lana be able to find out the truth behind the murder?

The book was a fun and quick read. The characters were quirky with some laughable moments. I liked reading about Lana and her amateur sleuthing journey. I like that the author showed us how Lana was piecing together the clues and her thought pattern behind her deductions. The murderer was easy to guess but their motivation was slightly different than I was expecting.

The murder aspect does play a role but the story also focuses on repairing and strengthening the bonds between the three women. Lana cares about her daughter and granddaughter but didn’t spend any time with them. She has to learn how to bridge the gap that has widened over the years. While Beth is trying to let go control of her daughter and giving her own space and independence.  Beth finds it difficult since it has only been the two of them for years. It was interesting seeing how the characters were trying to navigate the relationships with each other while trying to figure out their needs and the murderer. If you are looking for a murder mystery with a bit of heart, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora

 

Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora is about a young girl who moved into a new house following her parents’ divorce. Evie Archer, her brother, Stan, and her mother move from NYC to Ravenglass, Massachusetts for a fresh start. Evie is excited for a new start and to blend in with everyone. She quickly learns that the house she moves into has a dark history and all the locals know about it. 

The Hobbie House is also known as the Horror House after a young girl around Evie’s age named Holly Hobbie, goes missing from the home. Her body was never found and no one knows how she disappeared as she vanished from her bedroom without a trace.

As Evie begins to investigate the house’s past, she realizes there is more to the story. She learns that before Holly went missing another young girl disappeared in an eerily similar way. Evie wonders if the two cases are connected. As she investigates, she realizes that something insidious is in the house and it’s slowly encroaching on Evie’s life. Evie is starting to have a hard time differentiating what is real and what isn’t. Will Evie find out what happened to Holly or will she suffer a similar fate?

The young adult novel was a quick and entertaining read. The author slowly builds up the suspense and creepiness factor to set the mood. The book is told from Evie’s perspective and her character is well fleshed out. However, the author did not do as great a job developing the other supporting characters in my view. I wish we got to learn more about her mother, Stan, and Evie’s romantic interest, Desmond. The story hints that something happened with her father but, it was much later did we get some idea of what occurred. I hoped the reader got more detail about familial relationships earlier on especially when Evie was struggling at Hobbie House. It would have helped shine some light on Evie’s mental state.

While the book is billed as a horror novel, I didn’t find it scary or spooky. I found that the story was a bit slow to build up and it was very predictable. The romantic element was a bit fast, especially the intensity. It seemed that Evie liked Desmond but then didn’t always keep him in the loop and they went from talking about their sewing class to being madly in love. It seems that a lot of the characters said that Evie was spiraling out of control but didn’t do much to ensure she was okay or vice versa. Her friend, Tina, who got Evie interested in the history of Hobbie House didn’t really play much of a role. I was surprised that the book was going to be a part of the series as I felt like it could be a standalone. I felt like the book took forever to build up and when it finally got to the end, it happened so quickly. However, I would be open to reading more books from the series. If you like young adult horror series, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - The Getaway by Emily March

 

The Getaway by Emily March is about a family trying to move forward after an incident has torn them apart. Genevieve Prentice was unexpectedly widowed at a young age. She has dedicated her life to raising and nurturing her four children. They were always the center of her world. Her kids are now all grown up and have other other obligations than spending the holidays with their  overbearing mother.

Genevieve is ready for a change and decides to put her beloved home on the market. She decides to head to Lake in the Clouds, Colorado with her sister. Together they plan to turn a rustic waterfront lodge into a B&B.  Genevieve and her sister plan to rehabilitate the old lodge to make it ready for guests. As they begin to work on the lodge, Genevieve is shocked when her older son, Jake, makes an unexpected visit to the lodge. 

 

Jake Prentice is known to be the dependable one in the family. He has stepped up as the father figure to take care of the other siblings after his father’s passing. He is good at his job as a consultant but he finds himself stressed out and constantly overworked. He decides to follow his mother’s path and quit his job, and use this new-found time to figure out what makes him happy.

 

This is the first time in a long time that Jake doesn’t have any demands or obligations he needs to work on. He decides to make the most of it. He likes being surrounded by the open sky and enjoying the fresh air while working with his hands. Jake feels that he can stay in limbo forever without having to make a decision on what he wants to do next. That is, until his former colleague Tess Crenshaw appears with an opportunity for a new job. It forces Jake to reassess who he is and what he wants to do.

 

I didn’t really care for this book. I thought it was very boring and it took a while to get to the main story. The author spent several pages describing Genevieve’s serving ware and other mundane things that didn’t really add any value to the story. I didn’t understand why the author felt it was important that the readers knew every single dish Genevieve owned. I didn’t like how the author hinted about a situation that tore the siblings apart but failed to go into detail. By the time we found out  what happened, it was mostly bits and pieces and by then, I had lost interest in the story.

 

I found it hard to relate to any of the characters. Other than Jake and his mother, most of the characters barely had any involvement in the story until the very end of the book. I felt like the author spent a lot of time with details that didn’t really mean much but barely any time with the meat of the story. This was the first book in the series and it didn’t really grab my attention enough that I would continue reading.

Book Review - The Legacies by Jessica Goodman

 

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman is about a group of young socialites who pine to join an exclusive social club. People who have membership to the exclusive Legacy Club in New York City know that it is more than just an honor to be a member. Being a member gives you unfettered access to power and wealth beyond what they can get from attending a prestigious prep school. They are also guaranteed safety and security because members always look out for each other.

For high school seniors to be invited into the club, they will need to be nominated by a committee member and then make it through a week of events and the lavish Legacy Ball at the end. It is not surprising when Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie Kaplan, Skyler Hawkins, and Isobel Rothcroft are nominated into the club. Their families are well connected to each other and the club. The club is not only their safe haven but it also protects the families and their secrets and reputations. 

 

However, things become interesting when Tori Tasso is nominated. She is nothing like other nominees. She received a scholarship to the school and she lives in Queens unlike most of the other students who come from a wealthy background. Everyone is surprised when she is nominated because her family doesn’t have any affiliation in the  club.

 

Tori has a hard time fitting in with her other classmates. Unlike her, they never had to work hard to ensure food was on the table. They have their names on buildings, while doing nothing noteworthy to deserve it, and spend more money on material things than Tori could ever hope to have.

 

As the night of the Legacy Ball approaches, even Tori is wrapped up in the festive atmosphere she knows her connection to the Legacy Cub is her and her family’s ticket out of poverty. However, a betrayal occurs that changes the lives of everyone involved. The night was supposed to be the best night of their lives until one of them ends up dead. Who ends up dead? And why?

 

The novel is told from three alternating points of views: Bernie, Tori, and Isobel. Early on in the book, we learn that Bernie is Queen Bee at the school but she suffers from self confidence issues. She is afraid that people are only her friends because of her status and not because of who she really is. Her best friend, Isobel, seems to have a secret that she is keeping with Bernie’s boyfriend, Skyler. Isobel is afraid of telling Bernie because she feels that it will alter their friendship forever. As we try to piece together what causes the two women to drift apart, we learn about other secrets that could have led to the death on that fateful night. 

 

While I enjoyed reading how their friendship fractured and their journey through initiation went, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. The characters felt bland and stereotypical. I wish we got a glimpse into Bernie’s mother’s past and her motivation between disappearing and where she went. Bernie’s mother was an interesting character but we barely got to know her origins.

 

The book goes back and forth between the past and the present when the murder occurred. I believe it was to keep the reader guessing on who died and the events that lead up to it. However, I felt the dialogue and the story dragged on for chapters with no real progress. The book was a quick read and plot twists felt predictable and boring. I would recommend reading if you like young adult high school dramas.

Book Review - The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

 

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon is about a couple who decides to move to a rural area to live off the land. After Helen’s father passes, Helen misses him deeply and wishes for a way to connect with him. Helen and Nate planned to sell their suburban condo and leave their cushy private school teaching jobs to live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

After searching through countless homes, the pair decide to build their dream house from scratch. They thought it was the best way to pay homage to her father who was a contractor.  He built numerous houses from the ground up. Helen remembers all the pleasant times she had with her beloved father while they were building houses together.

 

Using the inheritance Helen received, they build their house on forty four acres of rural land that is near a bog. While building, they heard rumors of the dark and violent past surrounding the property.  Helen was a former history teacher and she finds herself obsessed with the previous owner, Hattie Breckenridge. 

 

Hattie is a local legend in the area. People are not too sure of the circumstances surrounding her death a century ago but they do know that she haunts anyone who lives on her land. Helen is determined to find out what happened and believes that she has a connection with Hattie. Helen starts to collect artifacts that have a dark and violent history. She feels that these objects are imbued with special energies that can connect her with Hattie.

 

As Helen delves deeper into the story of Hattie and her descendants, she is drawn to these women who died violently at a young age. As Helen gathers the items, the house becomes a safe haven and in-between for the ghosts of the women tied to these artifacts. They connect and bond with their ancestors while Helen helps them find peace. However, when Helen collects all the pieces Hattie requests, she realizes that Hattie is asking her to do something else. Is Hattie asking Helen to save one of Helen’s last living relatives or is Hattie leading Helen to an early death? 

 

I thought the book was an interesting and thrilling read. The book alternates between Olive, a young girl who lives near Helen, and Helen’s point of view. I found both characters well developed and I like reading both of their stories. I felt that the story progressed very slowly in the beginning and towards the middle. There were portions of the story where nothing happened.

 

I enjoyed reading how Helen tries to discover the different artifacts she needs to connect with Hattie. I liked trying to figure out how the clues correlated to the different women and what the main goal of Hattie was. I felt like Helen was a relatable character. I like that she took an interest in something and followed through even though other people didn’t agree with her.

 

The book had an additional side story arc about Olive searching for her mother. Olive is the young girl who lives near Helen. She helps Helen search for clues about Hattie.  I liked reading how Olive went from accepting the story she has been told by others about her mother to actively trying to figure out the truth behind her disappearance. It was interesting seeing how the two story lines intertwined. The novel had a lot of strong women characters who made solid choices based on the information they had. I enjoyed seeing how Olive grew into her confidence to make the best choices for herself. I wouldn’t consider this a horror or spooky book but, if you like reading mysteries with a supernatural twist, then this book would be for you!

Book Review - The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

 

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White is about a young woman who is trying to survive the fallout from her divorce. Merilee Talbot Dunlap’s marriage ended after finding out her husband had an affair with one of their kids’  teachers. She moves with her two children to the Atlanta suburb of Sweet Apple, Georgia and tries to start over. 

Merilee isn’t a stranger to starting over. For this fresh start, she wants to keep a low profile but her efforts to remain anonymous might be dashed when a secret local blogger starts posting about the scandalous events that caused her marriage to dissolve. Merilee tries to settle down and find peace in the cottage she is renting out from the town matriarch, Sugar Prescott. 

 

Sugar Prescott is a feisty elderly woman who is stubborn and temperamental. However, Sugar sees something of herself in Merilee and finds herself opening up to her. Sugar has kept her own tragic past a secret from others and she refused to open herself up to others her entire life. 

 

Merilee enjoys hearing about Sugar’s past and the two women feel like kindred spirits. They bond with each other over their respective trauma. It helps Merilee find a place to belong as Merilee struggles to fit in with the other school moms, who are better off financially than she is. Their lifestyles are also different from Merilee, who has to work to support her family.

 

Sugar is suspicious when Merilee befriends the Queen Bee of the group, Heather Blackford. Merilee finds herself drawn to Heather and enjoys spending time with her even though Sugar is against the friendship. As Merilee spends more time with her neighbors and community members, she realizes that everyone isn’t as nice as they seem and everyone is hiding something.

 

I thought the book was an interesting read. The story has a dual timeline: the present narrated mostly by Merilee and the past narrated by Sugar. Other parts of the story are peppered with the anonymous blog posts.  It was interesting seeing the story told from different points of view. I liked reading the blog posts because they shared little tidbits that we wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. It made me feel like I was a part of the Sweet Apple community reading about the local gossip and how the townspeople were reacting to it. Out of the two storylines, I did find myself enjoying Sugar’s past and waiting to learn more about the grumpy elder.

 

The book started off strong but towards the middle, it became boring and repetitive before picking up again. I did get annoyed at how some characters’ behavior throughout the book. Sugar felt like she was entitled to act a certain way because she was an older woman. It was also infuriating how stubborn Merilee was. For example, she was advised that someone she was close to shouldn’t be trusted and even when the facts were laid bare in front of her, she still didn’t believe it. When she was in hot water and she needed a friend and help, she refused to listen to what other people said even though it was for her benefit. She continuously avoids practicing common sense to safeguard herself. 

 

I also didn’t like that Sugar nor her parents refused to acknowledge when a neighbor was deviant or seek help from cops. I felt like that person knew that he could get away with bad acts which is why he targeted her family. I also didn’t like how Merilee was treated by her family. They treated her so abhorrently but yet she continued to try and seek help from them, but ignored those who have her best interest at heart. I feel like this book was littered with mean characters who were only motivated by their own interests and needs.  

In my opinion, the author didn’t provide adequate closure to the story line and regarding some of the characters. It felt like the author just wanted to focus on the happy parts for Merilee and provide closure for Sugar. Be advised that there is a mystery arc to the novel, if that's something you are interested in.

Book Review - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

 

 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is a spellbinding fantasy about a young girl trying to connect with her estranged father and finding her place in the world. In the early 1900’s, January Scaller was a curiosity and an outsider. She looks and acts different from everyone else. She lives in a giant mansion with her caretaker, Mr. Locke. The house is filled with treasures and priceless artifacts, and January sometimes feels that she is something that Mr. Locke has collected. She is well looked after thanks to Mr. Locke being wealthy, but she always feels ignored and out of place.

One day, January was searching through Mr. Locke’s treasures when she came across an old book. She finds herself drawn towards the book and she spends every free moment reading her newly found lifeline. January is entranced with the characters and wants to use the book as a way to escape from real life.

 

The book tells of secret doors to other worlds that allows people to travel between them. The worlds are vastly different from January’s current world and some worlds even have magic. As January delves deeper into the book, she realizes that the story is connected with her. She first thought the story was a work of fiction but then realizes the story might be true. January decides to follow her heart and search for her own magical door.

 

I thought the book was an interesting and magical read. The story did move slowly during some parts of the book where it describes January getting older but nothing noteworthy would occur. The author wrote in a beautiful lyrical prose that was overwhelming at times. I felt that it covered up the fact that there was little story progression.

 

The first two thirds of the book does move very slowly. The story starts picking up in the last few pages and the twist is very predictable. The evil mastermind is easy to guess very early on. While the book was an entertaining read, I felt like I had a hard time connecting with the protagonist. Instead of the magical doors being a gateway to an exciting adventure, the majority of the time the characters use the doors to reconnect with a loved one. The book does have an opening for a second book which seems like it would be a good read if it focuses on January’s adventures in different worlds.