Title: Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries #3) Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Mystery Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Thomas Allen and Son Format: Paperback Release Date: October 5, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Myrtle Hardcastle—twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective—is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle.
When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case—and the motivations of a modern murderer.
Review:
When the owner of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning that their Christmas display is unveiled, Myrtle Hardcastle is on the case. She finds a photo of Professor Leighton with her mother near his body, so she assumes there is some connection between them. Leighton had been a professor when Myrtle’s mother was in school, but after a student went missing, his career was destroyed. Soon after, another person connected with Leighton is murdered, pointing to Myrtle’s mother’s old group of friends. Myrtle must race to find the killer before everyone involved is dead.
This was a great whodunnit mystery! Though Myrtle is a young girl, almost all of the other characters are adults, so this series would appeal to adults as well as young readers. The mystery in this story was complex and went back generations. There were some great twists at the end, which made it hard for me to guess the killer. The story was quite fast-paced too, so I had to keep reading it.
Cold-Blooded Myrtle is a great middle grade mystery!
Thank you Thomas Allen and Son and Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!
What to read next:
In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer
Title: Sweet and Bitter Magic Author: Adrienne Tooley Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books Source: Owlcrate Format: Hardcover Release Date: March 9, 2021 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
In this debut fantasy, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.
Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others.
Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret.
When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.
Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don’t kill each other first..
Review:
Tamsin is a powerful witch, but after casting some dark magic, she’s kicked out of the Coven and cursed to never love again. The only way for her to have any feelings of love is to take them from people who need her magic. Wren is a source of magic. People who are sources are required to go to the Coven to be trained, but Wren didn’t want to leave her father alone. Now, her father is sick with a memory-stealing plague, so she approaches Tamsin to help heal him. Wren asks Tamsin to help her find the witch that started the plague to find a cure, and in return she will give Tamsin the love she feels for her father. The two girls must journey into the Coven to find the source of the dark magic.
This was a cute sapphic witch story. I love it when the duality of good versus evil are explored in a story. Tamsin seemed like a dark witch who stole people’s love just to be mean, but she had a traumatic history that made her behave that way. Wren had conflicting feelings about trusting a witch, but she loved her father so much that she was willing to give up that love to cure him. Love was very valuable in this story.
There were some surprising twists in this story that I didn’t see coming. I liked how everything wrapped up at the end. It was a complete ending but there’s also the possibility to return to this world and the characters.
Sweet and Bitter Magic is a great sapphic witchy story.
What to read next:
Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley
Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
Have you read Sweet and Bitter Magic? What did you think of it?
Title: Twelfth Grade Night (Arden High #1) Author: Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Contemporary Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Source: Purchased Format: Paperback Release Date: October 11, 2022 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
The course of true love never did run smooth . . . and neither does high school in this new graphic novel series for fans of Heartstopper and The Prince and the Dressmaker.
Vi came to Arden High for a fresh start and a chance to wear beanies and button-ups instead of uniform skirts. And though doing it without her twin feels like being split in half, Vi finds her stride when she stumbles (literally!) into broody and beautiful poet-slash-influencer, Orsino. Soon Vi gets roped into helping plan the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance, and she can’t stop dreaming about slow dancing with Orsino under the fairy lights in the gym.
The problem? All Vi’s new friends assume she’s not even into guys. And before Vi can ask Orsino to the dance, he recruits Vi to help woo his crush, Olivia. Who has a crush of her own . . . on Vi.
Star-crossed love abounds in this hilarious and romantic story of self-discovery, mistaken identities, and the magic that happens when we open our hearts to something new.
Review:
Vi decided to go to Arden High for a fresh start in high school and to get away from wearing her uniform skirts. Her brother Sebastian stayed at their boarding school, leaving Vi to start this journey on her own. As soon as she walks into the cafeteria, Vi stumbles into the poet influencer Orsino, and she instantly likes him. They spend time together but before Vi can ask Orsino to the Twelfth Grade Night dance, Orsino asks her to ask Olivia out to the dance for him. Things get even more complicated when Olivia reveals she has a crush on Vi. All of these star crossed lovers come together in a mix of mistaken identities at the Twelfth Grade Night dance.
As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. Twelfth Night is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays and She’s the Man is one of my favourite adaptations. This story was set in Arden High, which was full of different Shakespeare characters who will probably be in future books.
Vi was a girl who dressed in masculine clothing, so others assumed that she was attracted to other girls. This also made Vi look identical to her twin brother. Vi’s masculine appearance led to the mistaken identities that are present at the end of Twelfth Night. These queer and gender identities were a great way to adapt Twelfth Night into a modern story.
Twelfth Grade Night is a fabulous graphic novel adaptation!
What to read next:
Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth
That Way Madness Lies edited by Dahlia Adler
Have you read Twelfth Grade Night? What did you think of it?
Title: The Weight of Blood Author: Tiffany D. Jackson Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary Publisher: HCC Frenzy Source: Publisher Format: Paperback arc Release Date: September 6, 2022 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.
When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation… Maddy did it.
An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she’s dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.
After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High’s racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it’s possible to have a normal life.
But some of her classmates aren’t done with her just yet. And what they don’t know is that Maddy still has another secret… one that will cost them all their lives.
Review:
Maddie Washington has always been teased by her classmates for being different. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and has wears old-fashioned clothes. When she’s caught in the rain one day during gym class one day, they learn her biggest secret: she’s biracial. Her classmates bully her even more, making fun of her hair by throwing pencils at her. Some students put out viral videos, which show how deep the racial roots are in this small town. Wendy, the popular white cheer captain, decides to make a change so her racist friends don’t look so bad to the rest of the world. She organizes the town’s first interracial prom, and she asks her popular Black boyfriend to ask Maddie to the dance so that she fits in. However, Maddie has one more secret that will destroy the town.
The Weight of Blood is a retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie. That’s my favourite King novel so I was so excited to read this one. There were some Stephen King Easter eggs throughout the story. The ending of this book wasn’t exactly the same as Carrie, so I was surprised at the twists.
The racism in this story was disturbing. Maddie’s white father tried to make her appear white and kept her away from the Black community. Maddie’s classmates said and did horrible things to her, including dressing in blackface. They even had segregated proms. I find it shocking and disturbing that this kind of thing can happen today. Hopefully, books like this one will promote change in the future.
The Weight of Blood is a fantastic retelling of Carrie with an important message.
Thank you HCC Frenzy for giving me a copy of this book!
What to read next:
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Carrie by Stephen King
Have you read The Weight of Blood? What did you think of it?
Title: The First to Die at the End (Death-Cast #0) Author: Adam Silvera Genre: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Fantasy Publisher: HarperCollins Source: Publisher Format: Paperback arc Release Date: October 4, 2022 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
In this prequel to #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.
It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?
Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming.
Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.
Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.
Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera’s signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.
Review:
2010: Death-Cast is a new service that will call you between 12 AM and 2 AM on the day you will die. On the first night that they’re open, no one is sure if it will work or not, because the creator of Death-Cast, Joaquin Rosa, hasn’t shared his secret of how he will know when someone will die. On that night, Orion Pagan has signed up for the service. He lost his parents in 9/11 and he has a heart condition, so he has accepted that he will die young. Valentino Prince has moved to New York City to pursue a career in modeling after his parents cut him out of their lives for being gay. Valentino’s twin sister had a near death experience in a car accident, so Valentino signs up for Death-Cast to be prepared for his own death. Orion and Valentino meet by chance on the opening night of Death-Cast, which forever changes their lives. One of them gets the call that night, but the other doesn’t. They decide to spend this End Day together, knowing it will only end in heartbreak.
This prequel completely blew me away. I knew it would be an emotional read, which I tend to avoid. I’m so glad I read this one because it was so beautifully crafted. There were cameos from characters from They Both Die at the End that were both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Every character had an important purpose that contributed to the ending of the story.
The First to Die at the End is one of my favourite books of the year, and probably of all time.
Thank you so much HCC Frenzy for sending me this copy!
Title: The Last Hope in Hopetown Author: Maria Tureaud Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, LGBT Publisher: Dreamscape Media Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Audiobook Release Date: October 4, 2022 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A debut novel about one girl’s dilemma over the decision to save her vampire parents or do what’s right for the greater good.
Twelve-year-old human Sophie Dawes lives a good life in Hopetown. There, vampires and humans live in harmony and Sophie and her adoptive vampire moms are living (or unliving) proof. There are a lot of rules that vampires must follow to keep the humans they live around feeling safe, but if regular visits from child protective services and abiding by a nightly curfew keeps their family together, Sophie will do anything to stay with her loving vampire parents. But then, normal, law-abiding vampires begin to go rogue.
After Sophie’s own mother— the sweetest person she knows— goes rogue, Sophie decides it’s up to her to find a cure. But taking matters into her own hands might be way more than she bargained for if it means braving a secret council of vampires, executing epic heists, and facing the true bad guys head on. With her best friend by her side, Sophie will fight for hope, freedom and a family bonded by a love that’s thicker than blood.
Review:
Twelve-year-old Sophie Dawes lives in Hopetown with her adoptive vampire moms. Vampires have to follow a lot of rules to keep the humans safe in their town. When one law-abiding vampire goes rogue, the entire community is put on alert. No one knows what’s causing the vampires to turn on humans like that. Then, one of Sophie’s moms goes rogue, almost killing Sophie and her other mom. Sophie is joined by her best friend Delphine, a three-hundred-year-old vampire in a twelve-year-old’s body, and they hunt for the cure before Sophie’s mom goes out of control.
This was such a fun vampire story. The characters were so original. I loved Sophie’s moms, who were called Mama and The Duke. They were quite original and had fun stories from their long lives. Delphine was also a fun character since she had lived a long life but looked so young. She hated technology, so she wasn’t a typical twelve-year-old.
I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. The story was clear and concise with lots of action. It was also fast paced, so it held my attention the whole time.
The Last Hope in Hopetown is a great middle grade vampire story!
Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this book.
What to read next:
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Have you read The Last Hope in Hopetown? What did you think of it?
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