Review: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1)

Title: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 8, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Review:

This was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2019. It was worth the wait!

I loved the way magic and ghosts were brought into the university life. It reminded me of my time at university, and all the colleges that it was divided up into, like the houses in this book. There were real locations at Yale used in this book. It’s great to see images of these locations, so that the story is brought to life.

There were a lot of thriller elements to this story as well as fantasy. Though there were ghosts, called Greys, and supernatural rituals, there were also murders and lots of drugs. The real gritty underworld of drugs and gruesome murders, mixed with the supernatural underworld of ghosts. These genres blended seamlessly.

I loved this book! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

What to read next:

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

Have you read Ninth House? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I’d Give Different Titles To

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 a Books I’d Give Different Titles To. These are titles that I don’t think suited the books. Here’s my list:

1. Come Find Me by Megan Miranda

2. The Field Guide to the American Teenager by Ben Philippe

3. Very Rich by Polly Horvath

4. Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi

5. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker

6. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

7. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

8. The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

9. Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson

10. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of Books You’d Give Different Titles To?

Review: Frogcatchers

Title: Frogcatchers
Author: Jeff Lemire
Genre: Fiction, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Experience a surreal descent into one man’s psychosis in this haunting and chilling graphic novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Roughneck and Sweet Tooth, “the Stephen King of comics” (Maclean’s).

A man wakes up alone in a strange room with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. The padlocked doors and barren lobby reinforce the strangeness of this place. This is—as he reads from an old-fashioned keychain beside his bed—the Edgewater Hotel. Even worse, something ominous seems to be lurking in one of the rooms.

But when he meets a young companion—the only other soul in this vast, enveloping emptiness—his new friend begs him not to unlock the door. There must be something behind it…but what?

A haunted hotel on the edge of reality, an endless bridge spanning an infinite ocean, and a man and a boy looking for a way out. This is the setting for a boundary-pushing, genre-defying new work of fiction by one of comics’ master storytellers. 

Review:

This was a beautiful graphic novel. 

The story is about a man who is dying. He relives his youth that he spent catching frogs. He goes back to a hotel that he designed in his mind, all while he is lying in his hospital bed, in his final moments. 

I liked the way this old man was contrasted by a young boy. It wasn’t clear at the beginning that the boy was the younger version of him. It only became apparent through their shared memories. 

I loved the art in this graphic novel, too. It was mostly in black and white sketches, which are Jeff Lemire’s classic style. The images in colour represented the present time. This use of colour reminded me of the Wizard of Oz movie, where only Oz was shown in colour. In this case, it was the opposite, since their real life was in colour and the parts in the old man’s mind were in black and white. 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel!

Thank you Simon and Schuster for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

What to read next:

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

Sweet Tooth, Volume 1: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire

Have you read Frogcatchers? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – October 21

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 Frogcatchers by Jeff Lemire.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – October 20

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Blue Lily, Lily Blue

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 Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The third installment in the all-new series from the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. 

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Autumn Coloured Books

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Autumn Coloured Books. Here’s my list:

1. Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

2. Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley

3. Furthermore (Furthermore #1) by Tahereh Mafi

4. Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5) by Tahereh Mafi

5. Giant Days by Non Pratt

6. Golden Hour (Pippa Greene #4) by Chantel Guertin

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Autumn Coloured Books?

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Review: Mooncakes

Title: Mooncakes
Author: Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, LGBT
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Review:

This is a beautiful graphic novel.

There was great representation in this story. Nova wears hearing aids, which isn’t a common thing for characters in novels. She’s proud of wearing ones that are brightly colored so they stand out. Her friend Tam is gender neutral and uses the pronoun “they.” It takes a while to get used to reading that pronoun to refer to one person, but it was a great inclusive addition to the book.

I loved the magical elements of the story. Nova reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch because she lived with her two grandmas, and Sabrina lived with her two aunts. There were also demons, werewolves, and an evil witch. This was an exciting magical story.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Lion Forge for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

Have you read Mooncakes? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – October 19

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I received three books from Penguin Random House Canada:

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati

I was approved for six books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

Chosen (Slayer #2) by Kiersten White

The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson

Heart of Flames (Crown of Feathers #2) by Nicki Pau Preto

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Disney Book Group:

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Skyscape:

The Electric Heir (Feverwake #2) by Victoria Lee

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, Simon and Schuster Canada, Disney Book Group, and Skycape for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Jackpot

Title: Jackpot
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Crown Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin–which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called “a must read”–comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life. 

Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she–with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan–can find the ticket holder who hasn’t claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite…or divide?

Nic Stone, the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martinand Odd One Out, creates two unforgettable characters in one hard-hitting story about class, money–both too little and too much–and how you make your own luck in the world. 

Review:

This book was heartbreaking and beautiful.

There was so much tension throughout the story. I kept holding my breath, waiting for Rico to find the ticket. I hoped she hoped she would find it every step of the way. There was the added tension of Rico’s family’s hardships. Their finances were stuck in a downward spiral, and the only way out appeared to be the lottery jackpot.

There were some lighter parts of the story too. The main narrative was narrated by Rico, but there were brief passages narrated by inanimate objects, such as hundred dollar bills or a wood stove. These little interludes were a funny break from the serious story.

This is another great book from Nic Stone! I loved it!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Odd One Out by Nic Stone

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Have you read Jackpot? What did you think of it?