The Shadows

 The shadows

By:Alex North

*****

Thriller

YA

What a bone chilling piece of work! 

Several times I found myself with goose flesh and felt like I was being watched. Such a great thriller! I usually peg books quickly at what is going to happen but this one.... NOPE!

Charlie is convinced he can become immortal. He gets some friends to try dream walking with him and to record what happens. Until Charlie goes missing and a boy is found dead.

Years later more murders have been identified with the same MO as the one where Charlie went missing and Detective Amanda is assigned to the case. 

Will she solve this long over due case or will she just go home and find another case to solve?

This book was FANTASTIC! I listened to the audio version literally every where I went.

Thank you NetGalley and to macmillan audio for the audio version to review.

The language of ghosts

 The language of ghosts

By: Heather Fawcett

****

This is a great book for 5th-8th grade I would think. I dont think any younger would fully understand unless they had a high reading level. Older than 8th grade and I dont think they would be interested in the genre. BUT to each their own . :)

Noa, Julian and their little sister Mite are on a floating island to survive. They are the last 3 living royals. Julian and Mite have magic and Noa feels like an outcast. She is the only one in the family who does not posses any magical abilities.

Beauty is a sea serpent who unwillingly protects the floating island. She also loves cake, like a lot of cake! 

These 3 siblings need to figure out how to stop "the king" from killing them and taking over the kingdom. 

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc. 

The time of green magic

 The time of green magic

By: Hilary McKay

****

Childrens fiction

It was an adorable book. I probably wont keep it as I dont think my kids would really enjoy it though.

Abby is struggling to share her dad, her granny and a house with her new step family. After some time and tears later she finds herself caring about them and wanting to help with their problems.

Max has a cleaning/bike repair "shop" that he and his friend Danny own.

Louise is just a little guy and misses his mom. He wishes for an owl but gets something much much bigger.

What a magical journey these 3 children find themselves in. 

                    (I bought my copy from Owlcrate jr monthly subscription for around $32.00)

Unplugged

Unplugged

By: Gordon Korman 

*****

Middle grade

Fiction

(Set to be published January 5th 2021)

Anyone who is a fan of Gordon Korman will like this book. 

Thank you Netgalley for the audio version (the arc audio states this is not the final voice and is just a synthetic voice). Once you get past the bland voice it is a great book. This will change when a final narrator is selected.

I’m reviewing this from a middle grade perspective (which I love this genre anyway).  

I think 5th-8th graders would love this book even if they just saw the cover and didn’t know who the author was.

Jett is a spoiled rich kid who is sent to an Oasis to “better himself”. He hates it, but he has to be there. There are no electronics and only vegan food. He becomes “friends” with some of the camp kids and they find a little reptile whom they name Nibbles. They are breaking all kinds of camp rules by taking care of this reptile. Secrets are exposed and friendships are made as Jett exposes the deep rot within the camp. 

Scythe

Scythe (book 1)

By: Neal Shusterman

*****

(If I could give this more then 5 stars I would!)

Ya, fiction

This was a fantastic book! It was set in the future and the year isn’t clear to anyone anymore, they just name New Years after animals. 

Citra and Rowan have nothing been chosen as apprentices to a scythe. This has never been done. They must both prove they have what it takes to become a scythe at the end of their year long apprenticeship. 

Neither one of them want it, and they soon realize they both have a lot at stake if they don’t pass their final test.

In this first book you see the heart ache, the laughable moments and the moments that just pull at your heart strings. I can’t wait to read book 2. 

* I bought my copy from a local book store for $12.99 plus tax and is definitely a keeper.*

Lies like poison

 Lies like poison

By: Chelsea Pitcher

*****

On sale November 10th 2020.

Raven lost his mother to a violent crime and the person responsible was never caught. His grieving father has remarried and now Ravens step mom and Lilly live in their estate. 

Belladonna and Raven seem like the perfect couple with Bella always looking out for and taking care of him. Bella and Poppy try going to the police for the abuse Ravens step mom is doing to him but there is not proof so they assume the girls are lying. Raven is being sent away and Bella has come up with a plan to murder his step mom. They will put flower petals in her tea. Belladonna, Poppy and Lilly. That way the murder can not be traced back to them. One of them chickens out and the whole plan falls apart. Raven gets sent away and 3 years later the step mom is actually murdered with the recipe for murder that Bella wrote all those years ago. 

Now Jack (formally Poppy) is trying to figure out who the real killer is and they dont have a lot of time. So many buried secrets are brought to life and the struggles of the friendships will keep you on your toes. I really enjoyed this book...

*Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster children's publishing for the advanced e-copy for my honest review*

Scritch Scratch

 Scritch Scratch

By: Linday Currie

*****

On sale September 1st 2020

Children, middle grade, paranormal

This was an interesting read. I believe that 5th grade and up would be interested. It has a bit of haunting in it if they are ok with that. Or, an adult that wants a quick light read. 

Claire is a scientist. She doesn’t believe in things she can’t explain but she is still afraid of them. When she goes on one of her dads “ghost tours” she brings back more than she bargained for. She brought back a ghost. This ghost is now haunting her and wants her attention.  She needs to figure out what it wants before she can get rid of it. While trying to save a friendship, not go crazy and not tell her dad about it because he will use it in his bus tour.  There is actual Chicago history in this book which makes it even better. I had no idea those events even happened and I am glad I am now able to actually look into them. *Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks kids for the advanced e-copy to review for my honest opinion.*

The lost wonderland diaries

The lost Wonderland diaries

By: J. Scott Savage

****

On sale September 8th 20202

Children, YA, adventure

This is a spin off basically of the Alice books. I think if a child has a high enough reading interest and enjoys adventure they would like this book. I would say 5th grade and up would be suitable but you know your children better than I do ;)

We follow Celia and Tyrus. Celia is dyslexic and really struggles with reading which is the worst because her mom is a librarian. Tyrus is a book nerd which in my opinion is great. The meet at the library and soon discover a missing diary of Lewis Carroll AKA Charles Dodgeson. Celia is also a great descendent of Charles and Tyrus just thinks that's the greatest thing ever. Celia doesn't believe that its great however.

They stubble into Wonderland and need to figure out how to fix what is wrong. The queen doesn't seem as bad in person as she does in the Alice books and Tyrus is not willing to trust so easily. 

Will they fix what is wrong and restore Wonderland to all its glory or will the trust the wrong person and be stuck there forever. Join these two on the epic adventure. 

*I received this advanced e-copy for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing*

More than maybe

More than maybe

By: Erin Hahn 

****

Fiction

YA

For anyone who had a clue about music and anyone who loves a good romance. I mean it wasn't anything gushy but it was a cute 18 year old crush type.

Luke and Vada are musically inclined and secretly pining for each other. Neither one will admit to the other how they feel. We switch back and forth from POV from Vada to Luke, I normally do not like this type of writing but it works here as they are usually with each other when they are switching.

Luke comes from a family of musicians and his father wants him to also be in the music industry. Luke doesn't want anything to do with it and his twin brother has no music skills to speak of. His fathers legacy falls right on Lukes shoulders.

Vada is a blogger. She blogs about bands and it pretty good at it. She has a high reader following and really wants out of Michigan away from her "father". So she is working at a club in downtown Ann Arbor to save up for college in California. 

We watch Vada and Luke fall for each other and it is great. There is even mention of Hahns previous book characters in here from "You'd be mine". (Also a great book you should check out).

I received my advanced copy from netgalley for my honest review of it when I was finished. It took me a very long time to read as the beginning is a bit slow for me and I was just trudging along wishing for it to pick up and it did. 

Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants

(Themis files #1)

By: Sylvain Neuvel

*****

Sci-fi

I would recommend this to anyone who likes the idea of other beings out there, and robots.

This is also an interview type of book and was new to me. I didn't mind it, others have stated they really do not care for them.

Rose falls into a giant hole the size of her house as a little girl and knocks herself unconscious. When she wakes, she realizes she is in a giant metal hand. Years later she is called back to actually start working on the hand. The want to find all the robot parts to see what it does and if it will be beneficial to mankind. 

The interviewer is a guy who knows everything about everyone. He wont say his name but his knowledge and his pull suggest he is super high up in the chain of command for an organization you and I will never hear about. 

Once all the pieces are together mankind will have to decide if they are going to use this for good or evil. I hope book 2 is just as exciting!! 

I bought my copy off of thrift books for $3.99 and received an ARC by chance! 

By using my code below you will receive 15% off your total purchase after you create an account.  

https://www.thriftbooks.com/share/?code=9tAKZkMOLfD3qiJyVkQ%252b4w%253d%253d

Elysium Girls

Elysium Girls

By: Kate Pentecost 

****

Ya

Fiction

Sal is an orphan in a town called Elysium. The town was created by life and death to play a game that would last 10 years. At the end of ten years a winner would be chosen based on how the town did on their offering and how they maintained civilization. If death wins the town is destroyed, if life wins everything goes back to the way it was. Each side has a wildcard and can use it at anytime. 

Sal is chosen to be the successor to the leader mother Monerva because she has witch powers. Something goes terribly wrong for Sal and she has weeks left of the game to fix it.

Amazon purchase for $14.99

The bone houses

The bone houses

By: Emily Lloyd-Jones

***.5

Ya/Fiction

Zombie fans maybe? I’m not sure who to recommend this to honestly.

Let’s start by saying this book took over a month to read. I have been known to read 2-3 books in one day so that in itself says something. Around page 250 I started to enjoy the book and then it ended just as quickly.

Ren lives with her brother and sister. She is a grave digger which is a bummer since the dead won’t stay dead. A map maker from the capital comes to town to draw a better map and ends up going on a quest with Ren. She wants to find her father and destroy the magic that allows the dead to walk freely. 

I purchased my copy from Owlcrate. 

Mid year book review

We’re half way through 2020! Let’s discuss our reading year thus far and books we’re excited to read before the year is over by answering the questions to the Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020.
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020.
3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
5. Biggest disappointment.
6. Biggest surprise.
7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
8. Newest fictional crush.
9. Newest favorite character.
10. Book that made you cry.
11. Book that made you happy.
12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

*1- Fable by Adrienne Young

*2- Circus of the dead by Kimberly Loth

*3- Elysium girls by Kate Pentecost

*4-Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin

*5- Catagory five by Ann Davila Cardinal

*6- Michigan vs the boys by Carrie S Allen 

*7- Adrienne Young, Kimberly Loth, Amanda M Lee

*8-I don’t really do fictional crushes.

*9- Aisling Grimlock, she is feisty as a firecracker.

*10- Love letters to the dead by Ava Dellaira

*11- Betwixt by Darynda Jones 

*12- Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan

*13* Caraval series by Stephanie Garber

Incendiary

Incendiary

By: Zoraida Córdova

****

YA/Fantasy

This book is age appropriate for younger kids. I think if my 11 year old sat down to read it she would take awhile but maybe 15 would be a good age to read.

We start the book with a character who is not the main character. It is an event that matters later. 

Ren has magic abilities and can take memories from people, if she takes too many memories she leaves the person as a shell of themselves called a Hollow. People with abilities like Rens are highly sought after to use as weapons on the kings court. Ren must figure out how to access her own memories and pick a side.

My copy of this exclusive and is signed, from a subscription called Owlcrate.

A Spectacle of souls

A spectacle of souls

By: Jessica Julien

****

Fantasy

Ya

(Release date: 7-7-2020)

I would recommend this to anyone who likes circus and fantasy. I loved most of the book and the only parts I had issues with was how Cat reacted to situations. She just graduated so I guess maybe she doesn't always think first? I dont know I just had a hard time with that. 

Through the book we follow 3 people:

-Cat who has struggled with headaches pretty much her whole life. She takes medication to help them. Then one day a guy walks into the diner that she has never seen before and hands her a flier for the circus. Her BFF goes with her and her life is never going to be the same.

-The ringmaster who desperately wants Cat to join to harness her power for reasons of his own.

-Daniel, the super cute boy who invited her to the circus and seems to have an attraction to Cat.

Will Cat harness her full powers and live to tell the tale or will she just lose her mind like her father?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC e-copy for my honest review.

Winter wolf

Winter Wolf

By: Martha Hunt Handler

*****

(Release date 7-7-2020)

YA/Teen 

Phew. First off, thank you Net Galley for the advanced E-copy. If you click the image of the cover you will see a bunch of wolf facts all over the wolf. 

We start off the story with Bean struggling to accept her brothers sudden death. Sam is one of her older brothers and she finds him hanging from his closet. Bean is very sad and wants to know what exactly happened to her happy carefree brother who loved everything and everyone around him. 

She is not willing to accept that was happened in the police reports is what really happened so her and her BFF Julie decide to figure it out on their own. Bean is also tasked with taking care of the household now that her mother is of no use to anyone, her father would rather be at work and her last brother at home has so many other things going on. 

While this book has very little to do with actual wolves, wolves are talked about a bit and is the totem for Sam (at least one of them).

I feel for Bean and was happy to go with her on her adventure for the truth. The ending was a bit of a shock and I had no idea that was even a thing but here I am 31 years old learning new things still. 

Second chance magic

Second chance magic

By: Michelle M Pillow

*****

PWF

This was a fantastic read!

I read it in Kindle Unlimited first but then I won it in a promotional giveaway. 

Lornas husband dies. Her and her kids are grieving and then at the funeral she learns he had another wife. The first wife. She takes everything and leaves Lorna with nothing. Lorna is forced to move to get out of the limelight. She finds a cozy job at a dance studio working for Heather. Heather introduces her to Vivian and the 3 become friends. We follow them as they find their "gifts" and see what awaits Lorna.

I am very excited to read the second book in this series. 

Seas the day

Seas the day 

By: Maggie Toussaint

****

cozy mystery

This is the perfect book to relax with a cup of coffee or tea. 

I received this book as a giveaway from Book Warriors Book Club on facebook. 

Let me start by saying I am a person who judges a book by its cover and doesn't read the blurbs about them, I like to be surprised. Sometimes I even just go by the title. I like the mystery of not knowing what the book is going to be about. 

River owns a catering company on Shell Island. She does ok with her clientele and does a few side jobs when things are slow. Her mother has passed away and her brother is getting ready to move back to Shell Island to start his own business. Her boyfriend/almost fiancé  is in California pursing his dream of making it big when it all goes wrong. 

Now Pete is trying to come home and River is looking into the disappearance of her childhood friend. She soon finds out that the family she was so close to wasn't all it seemed to be. River must decide who to trust and who is the bad guy with her new friend Major.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Hopefully we will get a bit more of Pete and Rivers relationship. 

As a bonus there are recipes in the back of the book! :)

House of Salt and Sorrows

House of salt and sorrows

By: Erin A Craig

*****

YA/teen

If you like suspense and mystery I would recommend this book to you. It kept me wanting to read more to figure out what was happening. 

Annaleigh is 1 of 12 sisters. YEAH, 12 sisters! Their mother passed away and now they have their father and a step mom who they dont care for. Each of the eldest sisters is dying off from what is to believed as a curse. Annaleigh is determined to break this "curse" because she is next in line to rule if her sister meets her demise. Will fate allow her to make such changes before it is to late?

 *My purchased my edition from owlcrate and is signed.* 

If you wish to sign up for a subscription from owlcrate it would be appreciated if you used my code :) 

https://www.owlcrate.com/refer/Sarah-FZZPQJZV

Cloudy with a chance of witchcraft

Cloudy with a chance of witchcraft

By: Mandy M Roth

*****

PWF

(Book 1)

I loved this book. This is a new genre that is fantastic.

Poopy moves to Grimm Cove to her grandparents house after her husband tells her he is seeing someone else and has been cheating on her basically for the entire marriage. They have twins and they are not taking it well either. Poppy's best friends also decide to move down there with her. Dana is a top district attorney in NYC and Marcy who is a bit weird in her own way.

Poppy runs into her high school sweetheart on her first day back and things wont ever be the same. 

I am looking forward to the next installments. 

Category five

Category five

By: Ann Dávila Cardinal

***

Release date: 6-2-2020

Ya/teen

I would say this book is geared toward middle school maybe. I am not really sure. 

First off, let me say what happened in Vieques was terrible. I do not even pretend to understand the devastation that took place because of hurricanes. 

That being said, I had to look up quite a few Spanish words since I don’t speak Spanish. I also couldn’t get over the relationship between Lupe and Javier. He was annoyingly controlling. Lupe makes some pretty bad calls when it comes down to it and I don’t think all teenagers are that oblivious to dangers around them.

I am usually a 5 star person but the amount of time it took to get through this book was a bummer. 4 days! If you speak Spanish and don’t mind that silliness of teenagers doing the wrong things than by all means go for it. :) 

Love letters to the dead

Love letters to the dead

By: Ava Dellaira

*****

Ya/teen

Fiction

This was a great Sunday afternoon read. Captivating to read front to back in a day if your a decently fast reader.

Don’t forget your box of tissues.

Laurels sister May, dies. It was tragic and she’s not handling it well. May loved Kurt Cobain so Laurel decides to write to him for her English project. She finds herself writing letters to help process what happened to her and her sister. 

Michigan VS the boys

Michigan VS the boys

By: Carrie S Allen

*****

YA/teen

Fiction

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a page turner.

With a title with the word Michigan (Go Blue!) I had to read this. I was not disappointed. 

Michigan is a hockey player up in the UP (upper peninsula). Due to budget cuts at her school they cut her hockey team and the boys swim team. All of her team mates find other teams or just just don’t care. Michigan loves hockey and will find a way to play even if she has to do things she doesn’t want to do. She finds herself in a terrible situation that she thinks she has no way out of. 

Grab your box of tissues. 

Circus of the dead

Circus of the dead

By: Kimberly Loth

*****

YA/teen

Paranormal

This book I would not recommend to anyone younger than 13. It’s a bit much at some points in my opinion but, as an adult I don’t mind. Zombies, voodoo, alligators, and Ghosts.

This is a first person story and we listen to Callies story. Her story of how her parents shipped her from sunny California to the boondocks to work at a circus for her uncle who claimed he needed help. 

Not everything is what it seems or is it? Callie is having a hard time understanding what is going on around her and a murderous ghost named Benny isnt helping the situation. On top of everything her parents refuse to believe her and tel her to basically stop being dramatic!

Book 2 seems promising. 

The witches of willow cove

The witches of Willow Cove.

By: Josh Roberts

****

Children's fiction

(Possibly YA) 

Release date: 5-26-2020

I would recommend this book to anyone who like reading about the Salem witch trials, likes a bit  of action and like YA book. I am sure it is a stand alone but I am not 100% sure. There were no real cliff hangers so that was good.

The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is because of how long it took me to get into the book.

We have 2 people we follow in this book. We follow Abby and Robby. Abby is a 13 year old who discovered she is a witch among a few other class mates. When you turn 13 you possibly get witch powers. I had a hard time following some points in here and then they clicked. In the end it had some pretty action parts, and it was overall a good book. 

Scary stories for young foxes

Scary stories for young foxes

By: Christian McKay Heidicker

*****

Childrens Horror

YA

I would recommend this to kids age 10 or higher. Younger than that they might not sit through the book long. I would also recommend to adults who like thrill and adventure. It isn't written as a typical children's book which makes is very interesting. 

A 2020 Newbery Honor Recipient!

7 little kits go into the woods to listen to a scary story from the story teller. 

The story is wonderfully written and keeps you in suspense. Each chapter a kit goes home too afraid to continue listening to the story until one kit is left. 

Purchased from Amazon for $13.29

Fable

Fable

By: Adrienne Young

*****

YA

(Pub date 9-1-2020)

**I received this ebook from Net Galley for my honest review.**

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves adventure, pirates and kick butt strong female characters. 

First off lets talk about this cover! I mean come on! STUNNING! Zoom in and there is a ship in her eye. This is a book that needs to be in hardcover on my shelf forever. She also deserves all the stars for it. 

In this stunning piece of work by Adrienne Young we follow Fable. Fable was dumped on an island to fend for herself by her father after their ship The Lark sank with her mother on it. Fable has to get off the island she has been on for four years and find her father to get what is owed to her. Nothing is free and every day is a struggle.  She has learned how to survive and to not trust anyone. Will she trust the crew she is with?

 I look forward to reading more of Fable in her next book. 

Grave Magic Bounty

Grave Magic Bounty

By: Shannon Mayer

*****

PWF (Part of the fab 13)

This is the first book in the Forty proof series by Mayer.

 *Since this release she has changed the title and the cover*.

This is geared toward women who enjoy snarky banter. It has paranormal, mystery, and thrill in it.

I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't like reading about magic, werewolves, or anything else supernatural. 

In this story we follow Bre. A middle aged, divorced strong female. She moves back to her home town and ends up staying with her ex's cousin while trying to figure out how to buy her grandmothers house back. She ends up in a group called The Hollows that is part of a supernatural world to protect humans. Although the group is not fond of Bre she finds herself proving them wrong time and time again.

All out of ducks to give she goes into her new life head first and clumsily. 

Purchased the book from Amazon for $12.59.

All the stars and teeth

All the stars and teeth.

By Adalyn Grace

*****

y/a

teen

I loved this book. I bought it from Owlcrate as a signed first edition.

What drew me in was the title and cover. I did not read the about the book first.

I will be reading the second book when it is released in 2021. 

This book would be suitable for the adventurous and for the young at heart. I would feel comfortable letting my middle school daughter reading it. If you like pirate theme, magic, mermaids, and myths I would recommend this book. I would not recommend this if you are more of a cozy mystery, thriller fan. 

In this first installment by Adalyn Grace we follow a princess named Amora Montara. She lives on an island called Arida and it is the soul magic island. There are 7 islands each with a different magic.

Amora is set to become the next animancer with her fiancé Fredrick. Something goes wrong and she needs to flee. We follow Amora across the seas aboard the Keel Haul with her friends as she tries to save her kingdom. 

Want to owlcrate? Use my link and I think you get 10% off your first box! :)