This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading The House of Serendipity by Lucy Ivison.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A lost princess. A dark puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost.
Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive.
When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.
A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.
Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Crown’s Game and The Tiger at Midnight.
Title: You’re So Dead Author: Ash Parsons Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller Publisher: Philomel Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 15, 2021 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A hilarious Agatha Christie-inspired YA thriller-comedy about three best friends who sneak into an influencers-only festival event (gone wrong), only to discover a killer is in their midst–and they have to uncover the truth and solve the mystery before it’s too late. Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Truly Devious .
Plum Winter has always come in second to her sister, the unbelievably cool, famous influencer Peach Winter. And when Peach is invited to an all-expenses paid trip to a luxurious art and music festival for influencers on a private island in the Caribbean, Plum decides it’s finally her time to shine. So she intercepts the invite–and asks her two best friends Antonia and Marlowe to come along to the fest with her. It’ll be a spring break they’ll never forget.
But when Plum and her friends get to the island, it’s not anything like it seemed in the invite. The island is run-down, creepy, and there doesn’t even seem to be a festival–it’s just seven other quasi-celebrities and influencers, and none of the glitz and glamor she expected. Then people start to die…
Plum and her friends soon realize that someone has lured each of them to the “festival” to kill them. Someone has a vendetta against every person on the island–and no one is supposed to leave the island alive. So, together, Plum, Antonia, and Marlowe will do whatever it takes to unravel the mystery of the killer, and fight to save themselves and as many influencers as they can, before it’s too late.
Review:
When Plum Winters finds an exclusive invitation to an influencer festival addressed to her older sister, she has to go. Plum arranges for her two best friends to travel with her to the Pyre Festival to spend spring break with celebrities and influencers. But when they arrive, the festival isn’t what they expected. There are only seven other minor influencers there at the rundown villa on a private island. Then, people start to die. They realize that they’ve been lured to the fake festival in a revenge plot. Plum and the other people on the island have to figure out who is out to get them before they’re killed next.
This was a fun horror twist on a classic murder mystery party. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is one of my favourite books. In that book, the seemingly unrelated people who were invited to a private island are slowly killed one by one over a weekend. This story has a similar plot, though it had different twists. The obvious horror tropes used also made it a funny thriller.
Even though this story was quite dramatic and had some cheesy horror moments, there was an underlying message about cyber bullying. All of the influencers had done something to the killer, but they didn’t know what they did. When everything was revealed at the end, it all made sense. The original plan that the killer had wasn’t obvious at first, but when I thought back to the rest of the story after I knew who it was, it made sense. It’s important to be thoughtful in your actions, because even something that doesn’t seem like bullying or that it’s harming someone else, could leave lasting effects.
You’re So Dead is a funny horror mystery!
Thank you Penguin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Girls Save the World in This One by Ash Parsons
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Have you read You’re So Dead? What did you think of it?
Title: We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 8, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn, a skilled harpist, confessed a crush on Tarek in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response. She’s been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ meticulously planned weddings.
After witnessing so many grand displays of romance, she’s become jaded, and while her parents assume she’ll join the family business after college, she wants to forge her own path, even if she has no idea what that might be yet.
When pastry-chef-in-training Tarek shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. As Quinn’s parents push her to take on more responsibilities, she’s thrown together with Tarek more often than she’d like, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman. Their wedding hijinks spark a tentative new friendship, though she can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence and opens up about her own fears.
Maybe love hasn’t been the enemy—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing she’s ever done.
Review:
Quinn Berkowitz’s family has a wedding planning company. They often work with Tarek Mansour’s family’s catering company. At the end of last summer, before Tarek went to college, Quinn sent him an email telling him that she liked him. But they haven’t spoken since. Now, he’s returned for the summer, which is Quinn’s last summer before she starts college. She’s nervous about seeing Tarek again after sending her email. Quinn has trouble believing in love when she’s seen her parents struggle in their marriage and seeing marriages fall apart after the weddings. She doesn’t want to follow her parents’ dream for her to work at the family business, but she’s scared to admit that to them. Since her family is also busy planning her sister’s wedding, Quinn gets more involved in weddings, which also pushes her to spend more time with Tarek. Being so surrounded by love and romance, Quinn has to figure out if she’s finally falling in love.
I loved Quinn’s character development throughout the story. She had a valid reason for being suspicious about love. She had experienced the marriage problems her parents had when she was a kid, and she knew that not all of the weddings they planned ended in forever marriages. Quinn also had to figure out what she wanted to do in life. She knew she didn’t want to do the same work as her family, but she didn’t know what would make her happy. This is a relatable theme for an older young adult book.
One aspect of this story I really appreciated was the discussions about mental health. Quinn had OCD and anxiety, and Tarek had clinical depression. Their mental health was discussed openly and honestly, but it wasn’t a big deal. They both sought treatment in therapy and medication, but it was just a small aspect of their characters. I liked that this was a casual part of the story. Quinn and Tarek didn’t make a big deal about their mental health because it didn’t take over their lives. I appreciate this kind of representation because it shows that you can struggle with your mental health, but with proper treatment, it can be properly managed.
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This is a fun summer young adult romance!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Misfit in Love by S.K. Ali
Have you read We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This? What did you think of it?
Title: Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War Author: Imogen Greenberg and Isabel Greenberg (illustrations) Genre: Children’s, Mythology Publisher: Amulet Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 22, 2021 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A spunky, feminist take on the myth of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and courage
From the moment she sprung from Zeus’s head, Athena was extraordinary. Even though some doubted her as a young goddess, Athena never backed down from a fight. Poseidon wants to be the patron god of a nearby city? Well, so does Athena! And she’s going to outwit him and found Athens. Perseus doesn’t know how to defeat Medusa? No problem! Athena can give him the knowledge (and shield) he needs to take off her head. Odysseus is lost at sea, seemingly doomed? Not anymore! Athena can get him home. Follow the goddess of wisdom through her adventures with gods and mortals, discover the perils of crossing her, and see how she eventually learned to better understand and aid the human race.
Review:
Athena was a Greek goddess who was born from Zeus’s head. From the moment she was born, she was ready to fight. She was often underestimated because she was a young goddess. However, she was able to hold her own against the gods. Athena defeated her uncle Poseidon to become the patron of Athena. She helped demigods on their quests. She even fought alongside the warriors in the Trojan War and guided Odysseus home. Athena was a strong and determined goddess.
The short stories in this illustrated children’s book show some of the most important moments in Athena’s life. She sometimes got in trouble with her father for meddling in the lives of humans, but she was also clever in finding ways to save people from their mistakes. When the Trojan War was getting out of hand, she persuaded the Greeks to make a large horse to sneak into the city of Troy. Some of these classic images from Greek mythology, such as the Trojan horse and Medusa’s head, came from Athena’s creativity.
Athena is a fun book to introduce children to Greek mythology.
Thank you Amulet Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Ancient Greeks by Isabel Greenberg, Imogen Greenberg
Marie Curie and her Daughters by Imogen Greenberg, Isabel Greenberg
Have you read Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War? 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 You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Resistance: A Graphic Novel Author: Val McDermid, Kathryn Briggs (illustrator) Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction Publisher: Grove Atlantic Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 15, 2021 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A gritty, dark tale of infectious disease gone wrong – the timely graphic novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Val McDermid
‘A brilliant and timely story, told with McDermid’s verve, style and passion. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, even when I could barely take the tension. Wonderful.’ Denise Mina
It’s the summer solstice weekend, and 150,000 people descend on a farm in the northeast of England for an open-air music festival. At first, a spot of rain seems to be the only thing dampening the fun – until a mystery bug appears. Before long, the illness is spreading at an electrifying speed and seems resistant to all antibiotics. Can journalist Zoe Meadows track the outbreak to its source, and will a cure be found before the disease becomes a pandemic?
A heart-racing thriller, Resistance imagines a nightmare pandemic that seems only too credible in the wake of COVID-19. Number one bestseller and queen of crime Val McDermid has teamed up with illustrator Kathryn Briggs to create a masterful graphic novel.
Review:
Journalist Zoe Meadows went to a music festival in Scotland to report on it. She didn’t expect the festival to be the start of a worldwide pandemic. The first cases can be traced back to Zoe’s friend’s food truck. Since Zoe was at the site of the start of the pandemic, so she wants to investigate it herself. The world is in a race against the disease before it takes over the word.
I believe this story was originally written before the pandemic, but it is so creepy to read now. I’ve learned more about pandemics and viruses in the last year than I ever thought I would know. This story seemed much more plausible than if I had read it years ago.
The disease in this story took over in a different way than Covid-19 did in our world. It was more difficult for the medical experts to treat and figure out the disease in the story. I think we were very lucky to have a vaccine developed so quickly. The characters in the graphic novel weren’t so lucky.
I loved the art in this graphic novel. Each page was a separate piece of art. The images were coloured with shades of black, white, and gray. The backgrounds were often collages of different scenes or newspaper articles, but they related to the subject matter in the story on that particular page. This kind of patchwork art reflected the way the characters had to piece together the disease and how to fight it.
Resistance is an honest graphic novel about a global pandemic.
Thank you Grove Atlantic for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
We All Fall Down by Daniel Kalla
An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
Have you read Resistance? 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 Safe In My Arms by Sara Shepard. The expected publication date is July 27, 2021.
Goodreads Synopsis:
The latest novel from Sara Shepard, author of Reputation and the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series. When the principal of an elite California preschool is attacked, three moms—who feel like outsiders among the school’s manicured and ultra-wealthy community—must work together to uncover what she’s hiding, figure out who’s trying to frame them, and make sure their own secrets stay hidden.
Andrea, Lauren, and Ronnie all see themselves as good, loving moms who are trying their best, but they each arrive at the Silver Swans preschool Welcome Breakfast with something to hide. Andrea is running away from a past on the East Coast, which she cannot afford for the other parents to discover. Lauren is recovering from a postpartum condition her husband has warned her not to disclose. And Ronnie is hiding herself and her daughter from the one man who could at any moment appear in their lives and ruin everything she holds dear. They already feel like impostors among the school’s community of polished parents. But then notes appear in their children’s backpacks after the first day at school. Notes that indicate that someone knows their deepest, darkest secrets and needs them gone. Does someone not want them in the community? Or is it something more menacing—does someone know everything?
When the principal of the school is the victim of an almost-fatal attack, it quickly becomes clear that the Silver Swans community is not as flawless as the brochures and website would have you believe. The three moms must band together to uncover the school’s many secrets before the other suspicious parents and town police close in and use their outsider status to blame them . . . and before they lose what they have worked so hard for.
Jill's Book Blog 