Title: There’s Someone Inside Your House Author: Stephanie Perkins Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: September 26, 2017 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Love hurts…
Makani Young thought she’d left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She’s found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn’t far behind.
Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.
Review:
Makani has moved in with her grandmother in Nebraska, after a scandalous event in Hawaii. She has a few close friends, and a potential love interest. However, one day a student is brutally murdered. It turns the school upside down. Then, another student is killed. Eventually, Makani gets involved in this serial killing spree, and her dark past must be revealed.
I went into this book without knowing what it was about, and it was a shocking read! It was quite dark at times, with gory murders described in detail. This story was also set in October, so it’s the perfect Halloween read.
One thing that was interesting about this book was the narration style. It was all written in the third person omniscient perspective. The narrator knew what everyone was thinking. Some chapters focused on a random character, who wasn’t one of the main characters, which signaled they were about to be targeted by the killer. This was a little confusing at first because I wasn’t sure who these other people were, but I soon figured out that they were the ones who would be killed next.
This is a thrilling horror novel, perfect for Halloween!
What to read next:
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
Have you read There’s Someone Inside Your House? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“Thelma considered Manhattan her home, though she hadn’t lived there for over ten years.”
Do you recognize this first line?
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And the book is… The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull.
Goodreads synopsis:
For fans of The Paris Wife and The Crown, this stunning novel tells the true story of the American divorcée who captured Prince Edward’s heart before he abdicated his throne for Wallis Simpson.
In the summer of 1926, when Thelma Morgan marries Viscount Duke Furness after a whirlwind romance, she’s immersed in a gilded world of extraordinary wealth and privilege. For Thelma, the daughter of an American diplomat, her new life as a member of the British aristocracy is like a fairy tale—even more so when her husband introduces her to Edward, Prince of Wales.
In a twist of fate, her marriage to Duke leads her to fall headlong into a love affair with Edward. But happiness is fleeting, and their love is threatened when Thelma’s sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, becomes embroiled in a scandal with far-reaching implications. As Thelma sails to New York to support Gloria, she leaves Edward in the hands of her trusted friend Wallis, never imagining the consequences that will follow.
Bryn Turnbull takes readers from the raucous glamour of the Paris Ritz and the French Riviera to the quiet, private corners of St. James’s Palace in this sweeping story of love, loyalty and betrayal.
Have you read The Woman Before Wallis? What did you think of it?
Title: Ghost Squad Author: Claribel A. Ortega Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy Publisher: Scholastic Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: April 7, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy.For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business. Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late. With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.
Review:
Lucley Luna lives with her large family, including cousins, aunts, her grandmother, and her father. However, her father and her are the only living people in the house. The rest of her family are ghosts. One night before Halloween, Lucley and her best friend Syd cast a spell that wakes dangerous spirits in her town. Then, her ghostly relatives begin to fade. Lucley and Syd, along with Syd’s witch grandmother Babette, have to fight these ghosts to save their town.
There was a lot of Lucley’s Dominican heritage in this story. The family would sit down to big meals, even though most of them were ghosts. The food described made me so hungry! There were some words that I had to look up the translation for, such as her aunt’s “chancla” (slipper) that she threatened to throw at anyone. It made these characters memorable and I learned some new words along the way.
The spooky setting mixed with Lucley’s Dominican culture when they came across the historical witches group Las Brujas Moradas. There was a full history of the town developed in this fairly short story. Lucley and Syd were also well developed characters. They were strong girls, but they would admit when they were afraid.
This was a fun, spooky adventure story. I wish this book was around when I was a kid. It’s a great middle grade story, perfect for Halloween!
What to read next:
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Have you read Ghost Squad? What did you think of it?
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she’s less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.
But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he’s taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she’s waiting for?
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) Author: Mara Rutherford Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Inkyard Press Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 6, 2020 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Ever since Nor was forced to go to a nearby kingdom in her sister’s place, she’s wanted nothing more than to return to the place and people she loves. But when her wish comes true, she soon finds herself cast out from both worlds, with a war on the horizon.
As an old enemy resurfaces more powerful than ever, Nor will have to keep the kingdom from falling apart with the help of Prince Talin and Nor’s twin sister, Zadie. There are forces within the world more mysterious than any of them ever guessed—and they’ll need to stay alive long enough to conquer them…
Review:
Nor has returned to her ocean village after trading places with her twin sister to go marry the future king, Ceren. Her return is short lived when the king’s brother, and her boyfriend, Talin arrives. Prince Ceren survived the knife wound that Nor thought killed him. He not only survived, but he’s now more powerful than ever. Nor, Talin, and her twin sister Zadie have to travel to find allies to fight against Ceren.
This was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year. I loved the first novel. This one moved away from the first story, since most of that tension in that book was from Nor going to the city to marry the prince. That book ended with a bang, with Nor attacking Ceren to escape, but that turned out not to be what it seemed since he survived the fatal blow.
This story had steady pacing all the way through. There weren’t many heart pounding moments until the end. I think this steady pacing was because most of the characters got what they wanted, or what they expected. There weren’t many twists like there were in the first novel.
I really enjoyed this story. I’m excited to see what Mara Rutherford writes next!
Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
About the author:
Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world with her marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a master’s degree in cultural studies from the University of London. When she’s not writing or chasing after her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. Mara is a former Pitch Wars mentee and three-time mentor
Have you read Kingdom of Sea and Stone? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer. The expected publication date is November 3, 2020.
Goodreads Synopsis:
In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.
Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate.
Title: Spy x Family, Vol. 2 Author: Tatsuya Endo Genre: Manga Publisher: VIZ Media Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: September 1, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath!
Master spy Twilight is the best at what he does when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions in the name of a better world. But when he receives the ultimate impossible assignment—get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!
Twilight must infiltrate the prestigious Eden Academy to get close to his target Donovan Desmond, but does his daughter Anya even have the academic prowess to get in to the school? But perhaps the truly impossible mission is making sure Anya becomes a school scholar and befriends Donovan’s arrogant son, Damian!
Review:
Twilight is a master spy who has created a fake family to infiltrate an exclusive private school. Twilight’s daughter, a secret telepath, was sent to the private school so she can become friends with his target’s son. However, she has a big fight with the boy on the first day. This mission is much harder than Twilight expected.
This was another fun spy story in this series. This story jumped right into the action, since all of the characters were introduced in the first one. The story in this book seemed to have a faster pace than the first one, probably because the action began right on the first page.
Twilight’s daughter, Anya, was adorable. She can read people’s minds, but her parents don’t know that. Sometimes she would get overwhelmed by listening to her parents’ thoughts and their conflicting feelings. Though she had these complex thoughts, she was still just a little girl. When she got her new uniform she had to run around the park and show it off to everyone there. She was a sweet little character.
This is a great story. It ended with a cliffhanger, so I’m excited to see what happens next.
Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Book Covers with Fall Colours/Vibes. Here’s my list:
1. Fable by Adrienne Young
2. Iphigenia Murphy by Sara Hosey
3. Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
4. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks
5. Lobizona by Romina Garber
6. Mayhem by Estelle Laure
7. The Unready Queen by William Ritter
8. The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
9. Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
10. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
(All photos taken from Goodreads)
What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Title: Premeditated Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries #1) Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Historical Fiction Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 6, 2020 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.
When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes her — not even her father, the town prosecutor.
Review:
In 1893, Myrtle Hardcastle is a twelve-year-old girl who loves to study crimes. Her father is a prosecutor and her mother studied medicine. One evening, she notices some strange activity at her neighbour’s house. She calls the police and they find that her elderly neighbour has died. They think it was natural causes but there are too many clues that suggest to Myrtle that this was murder. With the help of her governess, Miss Judson, Myrtle investigates the murder of her neighbour.
Myrtle is a clever young girl. She reminds me of Nancy Drew and Flavia de Luce. Her family life was also similar to those classic detectives, since she lived with her father and her mother died when she was a child.
This was a great mystery. It could be read by middle grade children or adults. It had some mature themes, with murder and poisoning, though nothing too graphic. One part that was disappointing was that one of the major clues was glossed over at the end. A character’s past wasn’t fully explained. I even went back to reread that section but I don’t think there was a clear answer to that clue.
This is a great start to a new mystery series!
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Title: How to Get Away with Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries #2) Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Historical Fiction Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 6, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Before the train has left the station, England’s most accomplished new detective already is on a suspect’s trail, and readers will be delighted to travel along.
Myrtle Hardcastle has no desire to go on a relaxing travel excursion with her aunt Helena when there are More Important things to be done at home, like keeping close tabs on criminals and murder trials. Unfortunately, she has no say in the matter. So off Myrtle goes—with her governess, Miss Judson, and cat, Peony, in tow—on a fabulous private railway coach headed for the English seaside.
Myrtle is thrilled to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Bloom, a professional insurance investigator aboard to protect the priceless Northern Lights tiara. But before the train reaches its destination, both the tiara and Mrs. Bloom vanish. When Myrtle arrives, she and Peony discover a dead body in the baggage car. Someone has been murdered—with Aunt Helena’s sewing shears.
The trip is derailed, the local police are inept, and Scotland Yard is in no rush to arrive. What’s a smart, bored Young Lady of Quality stranded in a washed-up carnival town to do but follow the evidence to find out which of her fellow travelers is a thief and a murderer?
Review:
Myrtle Hardcastle, her Aunt Helena, and her governess Miss Judson have been sent on a vacation in a seaside town. As soon as they board the train, Myrtle can sense a mystery coming. A priceless tiara is on display on the train, with an insurance investigator on board to protect it. However, the tiara is stolen during a power outage on the first night. Myrtle and the insurance investigator, Mrs. Bloom, search the train for clues. The next day, Mrs. Bloom can’t be found. Her body is eventually found in the luggage car when they arrive at their destination. The murder weapon points to Myrtle’s Aunt Helena. Myrtle doesn’t trust anyone else to investigate the connection between the robbery and Mrs. Bloom’s murder, so she takes the investigation into her own hands.
I enjoyed this story more than the first Myrtle Hardcastle mystery. The first one was a good introduction to the characters. This one had a clear, straight forward mystery to solve.
I loved the classic setting of a train. It is an enclosed setting that limits the people who can be involved. The murderer has to be on the train with everyone else because there isn’t any way to escape the train without getting hurt. This is a great classic setting.
I’m looking forward to reading more Myrtle Hardcastle books in the future!
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Body Under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #1) by Marthe Jocelyn
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce #7) by Alan Bradley
About the author:
Elizabeth C. Bunce grew up on a steady diet of Sherlock Holmes, Trixie Belden, and Quincy, M.E., and always played the lead prosecutor in mock trial. She has never had a governess, and no one has ever accused her of being irrepressible, but a teacher did once call her “argumentative”—which was entirely untrue, and she can prove it. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and their cats. Premeditated Myrtle is her first book for middle-grade readers. You can find her online at elizabethcbunce.com.
Have you read Premeditated Myrtle or How to Get Away with Myrtle? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 