Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Royal Blood by Aimée Carter
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart
Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond
What books are you most excited for this week?
Happy Pub Day – March 7
Review: Delicious Monsters
Title: Delicious Monsters
Author: Liselle Sambury
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Paranormal
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: February 28, 2023
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.
Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…
A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?
As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.
Review:
Seventeen-year-old Daisy can see dead people. She’s constantly surrounded by them in Toronto, but she manages to deal with it. When her mother gets the news that she inherited a mansion in Timmins, a city in Northern Ontario, Daisy and her mother, Grace, move there. In the mansion, Daisy must confront her mother’s secret past. Ten years later, Brittney hosts a web series about haunted places. She decides that she wants to shape the new series around forgotten Black girls, like Daisy. Brittney and her co-host Jayden go to “Miracle Mansion” to investigate the haunted mansion where Daisy’s tragic story unfolds.
This story started out as a ghost story, but it had a lot more meaning than that. It was quite intense, particularly towards the end. The ending of this story raised the question of what girls are forgotten and who is considered worth looking for. This horror story had an emotionally charged ending. There were extensive trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, which I will include at the end of this post.
One of my criticisms of the story is that I found there was too much back story at the beginning. There was a lot of Daisy’s life in Toronto in the first third of the book, and it wasn’t as crucial to the ending of the book. I would have liked it more if the main story started sooner. There were also many hints to tension points that were obvious by the time they were revealed, which minimized the tension they should have caused.
Delicious Monsters is a horror story with and important message.
Content warnings: child sexual assault (off page), child physical abuse (off page), child neglect, grooming, suicide, killing of a goat, body horror, violence, death
Thank you Simon and Schuster for providing a physical copy of this book.
What to read next:
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Have you read Delicious Monsters? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day – February 28
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Finally Seen by Kelly Yang
Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
What books are you most excited for this week?
Review: The Sanatorium (Detective Elin Warner #1)
Title: The Sanatorium (Detective Elin Warner #1)
Author: Sarah Pearse
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
You won’t want to leave…until you can’t.
Half hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Long plagued by troubling rumors, the former abandoned sanatorium has since been renovated into a five-star minimalist hotel.
An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept.
Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge–there’s something about the hotel that makes her nervous. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her. With the storm closing off all access to the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.
Elin is under pressure to find Laure, but no one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they are all in…
Review:
Le Sommat is a former TB Sanatorium that has been turned into a resort in the Swiss Alps. Elin Warner is an English detective who is on leave from her job. She goes to Le Sommat with her boyfriend Will for her estranged brother’s engagement party. There is a huge storm as soon as they arrive, with the threat of an avalanche. The morning after Elin gets to the resort, her brother’s fiancé, Laure, goes missing. While Elin is investigating Laure’s disappearance, another woman turns up dead. The pressure is on for Elin to solve these mysteries while the storm brews outside.
This was a fast paced thriller. There were a bunch of different mysteries that had to come together with the same solution. The different threads didn’t seem to be connected, so I was really curious to see how the story ended. My only critique is that I don’t think the reader could figure out the ending because there is some crucial information that isn’t provided until the end.
The Sanatorium is a great thriller!
Thank you Viking for providing a digital copy of this book.
What to read next:
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
Other books in the series:
- The Retreat
Have you read The Sanatorium? What did you think of it?
Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
Title: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 14, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.
Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after—and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.
But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.
Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Review:
A man who was a scholar of myths and fairy tales married a mysterious and beautiful woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. Indigo is a wealthy heiress, and she made her bridegroom promise that he would never ask questions about her past. When Indigo finds out that her aunt is dying, they return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams. The bridegroom finds traces of Indigo’s friend, Azure, in the house. Azure disappeared suddenly when the girls grew up. As they spend more time in the house, Indigo’s husband discovers more hints about Azure’s life. He wants to figure out where she went, even if it means breaking the promise he made to Indigo.
This was an evocative, dark, modern fairy tale. The House of Dreams was a character in itself, revealing things about the past to certain people. The story was quite mysterious, with hints being revealed slowly. Once I got into the story, it was hard to put down. I predicted the final twist about halfway through the story, but I was glad that it happened because it made sense for the story.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a dark and beautiful story.
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for providing a digital copy of this book.
What to read next:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Have you read The Last Tale of the Flower Bride? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day – February 14
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
The Canadian Guide to Creative Writing and Publishing by Patricia Westerhof
VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
What books are you most excited for this week?
Review: Fable (Fable #1)
Title: Fable (Fable #1)
Author: Adrienne Young
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 1, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
For seventeen-year-old Fable, the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one, and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.
Review:
Four years ago, Fable was abandoned by her powerful trader father after her mother drowned in a storm. Now, Fable is seventeen-years-old, and is fighting for her life every day by collecting gems from the ocean to trade. Her goal is to return to her father and take a place on one of his ships. Fable is finally able to pay her way out of town on a ship, the Marigold, with a trader named West. However, West isn’t who he seems. Fable has to work with the crew to stay alive in a dangerous life on the sea.
I wanted to read this series because of the beautiful book covers. The story was so great too! I don’t usually like tales about ships, but this one was fast paced and kept me reading. There was a lot of social politics involved, as well as dramatic twists at the end. I’m so excited to read the rest of the series.
Fable is a great start to a young adult series!
What to read next:
Namesake (Fable #2) by Adrienne Young
Other books in the series:
- Saint (Fable #0.5)
- Fable (Fable #1)
- Namesake (Fable #2)
- The Last Legacy (Fable #3)
Have you read Fable? What did you think of it?
Review: Stone Blind
Title: Stone Blind
Author: Natalie Haynes
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mythology
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A fresh take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman.
They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.
The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.
When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene’s temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge–on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon’s actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.
Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon…
In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman–injured by a powerful man–is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa’s story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.
Review:
Medusa was the youngest Gorgon sister, and the only mortal one. After Poseidon attacks her in Athene’s temple, Athene takes revenge on Medusa by turning Medusa’s hair into snakes and making her gaze turn anyone who she looks at into stone. Meanwhile, Perseus is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. When a king threatens to steal Perseus’s mother and marry her, Perseus is given a quest to save his mother by bringing the king the head of a Gorgon. Perseus goes blindly on the quest to get the head of Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon.
Medusa was always portrayed as a villain and monster in Greek mythology. However, this story shows how she was a victim of the Gods. She was attacked by Poseidon, then punished by Athene, who later helped Perseus behead her. Everything that happened to Medusa was done to her, making her a victim, not a monster.
Though this book tells a tragic story, there was also a lot of humor. The humor was often in the banter between the Gods, which usually contradicted each other or made them look silly and petty. This story was focused on the women’s stories. Each chapter was from the perspective of one of the female characters. This was refreshing because history is often through a male lens.
Stone Blind is a fantastic, entertaining story.
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for sending me a copy of this book.
What to read next:
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Have you read Stone Blind? What did you think of it?
Review: Virtually Me
Title: Virtually Me
Author: Chad Morris, Shelly Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A mysterious package.
A new school.
A chance to be someone new.
A new virtual reality school where students get a fresh start.
The pandemic was rough on everyone, especially since school went from being a fun place where you could hang out with your friends to a bunch of heads in small rectangles all trying to talk at once. For Bradley, Edelle, Hunter, Jasper, and Keiko, that’s about to change.
A mysterious box arrives at each of their houses, and they’re invited to attend a virtual school. More than just being online, they’ll be able to create an avatar of themselves and interact with their friends and other classmates in real time using VR headsets.
For each of them, that presents an opportunity to become someone they’re not, or someone they haven’t been. For Bradley, it’s a chance to come out of a self-imposed shell. Edelle hopes everyone will see her for who she really is, not just for how she looks. Hunter is looking forward to pretending he’s still the person he was last year. Jasper wants to get over past assumptions. And for Keiko, it’ll allow her to disappear into the crowd.
For all of them, it’s a chance to see just how much they’ve assumed about each other in the past and maybe an opportunity to become friends.
Review:
The pandemic changed school, going from in person to online. At the start of the school year, some kids have decided to attend a virtual reality school. They are sent a headset and accessories to attend the school from their homes. Each student can create an avatar and name to represent themselves in the game. It can be created from real photos or made up. Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter all came from the same school to attend this virtual reality school, but they don’t realize they know each other. Bradley and Edelle both have fresh starts, using avatars that don’t look like their real selves. Meanwhile, Hunter has changed in real life, but he’s masquerading as the same person in the VR school. Though they each have a different reason for attending a virtual school, they each have to deal with different problems in this new environment.
This is a great story about contemporary issues. The pandemic changed the way school is taught, and I think the effects of that will be felt for many years to come. There have also been new opportunities for learning such as a virtual option. This story took it a step further by having students act like they were at a real school with a virtual reality set rather than sitting in front of a screen all day.
Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter each had different reasons for attending a virtual school. Bradley was uncomfortable with the way he looked and wanted to get away from the bullies from school. He gave himself a completely different look and persona with his avatar at the new school. Edelle got in trouble for bullying a girl at school, and her mom wanted her to learn to be less superficial. She gave her avatar a plainer look that didn’t have the beautifully styled appearance that she liked to have in real life. Hunter decided to attend virtual school because he had developed alopecia and he was uncomfortable with the way he looked. He made his avatar look like he did the year before at school. It was interesting to see how a new appearance at school made the kids behave differently. However, they still had to deal with the same school problems like bullying and peer pressure.
Virtually Me is a great new middle grade story!
Thank you Shadow Mountain for sending me a copy of this book.
What to read next:
Mustaches for Maddie by Chad Morris, Shelly Brown
Have you read Virtually Me? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day – February 7
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Virtually Me by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown
The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder
Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian
Thank you HarperCollins Canada, Shadow Mountain, and Penguin Teen Canada for providing copies of these books.
What books are you most excited for this week?
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