The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Summary from Goodreads:

After solving the case of Truly Devious, Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.

But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display. The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case.

Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders.

But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for. The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims. This time, Stevie may not make it out alive.

Review:

I wasn’t sure what to expect here. I was 90% sure I’d love this. I pre-ordered it when I haven’t actually purchased a book (as compared to checking one out from the library) in months. What  would a non Truly Devious case look like for Stevie? Would it be as good? My husband actually started reading this before me! And he kind of put all my fears to rest. I refused to let him talk about it at all, during the half day head start he had. But, I could tell he was loving it.

Then I started it, and there went my whole day. I was planning on getting a lot more done yesterday…Nope. Yesterday was dedicated to reading. And it was such a pleasure. I had a frappuccino and an amazing book. What else does a girl need?

It was fun to watch Stevie work from scratch. Before, she had years of research behind her. For this case, she was starting fresh. Watching her brain tackle things was great. She’s kind of part Sherlock Holmes, part Monk, part Veronica Mars. Also, this cold case was fascinating! It was part I know What you Did Last Summer, part Blair Witch Project, part spy thriller.

There’s also the classic Maureen Johnson character writing. There’s so much wit and banter between the friends. I loved that Nate started writing again! Janelle was in charge of crafting at the summer camp. There’s tree house libraries, secret cookie jars, lost diaries, cliff jumping, breaking and entering, and secret messages. Oh, and if that’s not interesting enough, there’s a current day murder mixed in with the cold case murders from decades ago. I couldn’t put this book down. Is Maureen Johnson going to write more? I hope she’s going to write more. I’d read more about Stevie any day.

I give this a 10/10. I highly recommend this one and the other Truly Devious books to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Summary from Goodreads:

Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.

As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

Review:

I always enjoy Nicola Yoon’s books. I had no idea a new one was coming out until the last minute, so it was a pleasant surprise! And then to learn it involved ballroom dancing…the ultimate treat for me! I love anything with dancing in it. I started reading this book thinking it wouldn’t be too hard to put down, when another book I pre-ordered came in…I was wrong. I was so involved with this book, I had to finish this before getting into anything else.

On the plus side, I read it super quickly so my pre-order book basically sat waiting for half a day….This book had the formula of a bunch of other books I’ve read and loved already. I reminded me a bit of Beastly by Alex Flinn and A Walk to Remember by Nicolas Sparks, but mixed with lots of ballroom dance practice and plenty of family and friendship drama too. It’s also a little similar to Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, which came out last year. The main character, herself, even comments on the typical romance tropes because she’s read a lot of romances and is familiar with them. So, I think a lot of this intentional. Yoon does give everything a fresher, more diverse spin.

Sometimes too, I just want a fluffy romance, in a trope I’m somewhat familiar with. I want two people who don’t immediately get along, but who have chemistry, to fall in love through dancing. I want the girl who has dismissed love, to not give up. I want her strange (somewhat dark) new super power to teach her a lesson that’s not about how things end, but about enjoying what we have.

The one thing I did not love was the ending. I can’t exactly talk about it without spoiling it, so I won’t. Just know I thought it was unnecessary. I think Evie could have learned what she was meant to, and all the points could have been made without it going that route. I also felt like one element was unresolved. I kind of feel like someone played a massive prank on me at the end. All in all though, I give this an 8/10.

The Oddmire Book 1: Changeling by William Ritter

Summary on Goodreads:

Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind.

Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are. 


Review:

I’m not going to lie; this isn’t the typical book I’d pick up any more. It’s essentially a quest story for 12 year old boys. However, I LOVE William Ritter. I know this author can write a good mystery. I also know he can write humor and the supernatural really well. So, I wanted to see how he did a classical fantasy sounding middle grade book. I was not disappointed. I had trouble putting this story down.

William Ritter definitely knows how to write about supernatural creatures and folklore. Everything from goblins, changelings, and witches, to magic, etc. I also just loved the characters. I loved the boys’ mother. I loved that it wasn’t just a story about the boys saving magic. It was also a family story. Their human mother went on an adventure of her own to bring them back. Often the grownups get left behind. Not here.

And then there’s a witch story too, about saving the forest. She’s not the typical evil witch. There’s also a friendship story about a friend they make along the way. Honestly, this book has a little bit of everything. There’s plenty of little surprises along the way as well.

It’s a sweet story about family, friendship, and believing in yourself. I can easily see this becoming a movie. It reminded me a bit of Serafina and the Black Cloak. The forest in this book is almost as much of a character as it is in that one. There’s a darkness to things, but the wonderful characters constantly fighting for one another bring out so much light. I really enjoyed this. I giver it an 8/10.

A Good Week in Books (226)

I had this crazy realization that I haven’t made one of these posts in a long time! I did receive 5 books for review recently, so I figured it was time to make one. Thank you Hyperion for all of the great titles that came my way recently! Also, I purchased one book (a long time ago for pre-order) that I forgot to put in the picture! And I pretty much read it the day after it arrived on my doorstep. Review will come shortly. I guess I’ll mention that title here: The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson. I haven’t actually bought a book or pre-ordered one in a long time! That was definitely worth the money.

The new books:

Willa of Dark Hollow by Robert Beatty

Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder More

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

The Last Fallen Star by Grace Kim

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James

Summary from Goodreads:

How far would you go to save those you love?

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.

Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice . .

Review:

Okay, you can call me a fan now. Lauren James is a skilled master of the plot twist. I’ve been stuck in bed for the last couple of days with a GI related flare up. Thank goodness for books like this that can keep a girl occupied. It’s been this and season two of the Circle…Any way, this book had one plot twist after another. There was one point where I literally yelled out, “No way!” If I were any where but in my bed, I’d be embarrassed.

The book starts out like the movie Children of Men, and then it branches out into so many other directions. I find it hard to review/talk about without giving away things. So, I’m going to try to be vague here on purpose. Just know the book is part dystopia, part sci-fi, part Indiana Jones style adventure story, part romance, and part political thriller…..It jumps back and forth between the current day (which is actually way into the future when most of humankind is extinct), and the past when people are discovering they can’t have children anymore.

As you can imagine, technology has advanced, a lot. But, also some things have gone to hell. Like whole cities have gone to waste because there’s not enough people to populate them. Apps for raising electronic babies were created in the past (that is after all the mass kidnappings) and Lowrie and Shen are reading about it all while under the ultimate countdown clock to save what is left of the world. If you like a crazy, suspense driven plot, look no further!

Also, being the last two kids (aka: teens) has its downsides. It’s almost expected that they will fall in love. And they do. However, it’s a little complicated. Lowrie is bisexual and doesn’t exactly have the chance to be with anyone else of any other gender (all the other people are so much older). It’s definitely a uniquely diverse book.  Shen has a hearing impairment. I love that he speaks two languages (English and Chinese). There’s a character in the past that’s trans and another who’s pansexual.

And to top it all off, I was reading this at such a strange moment. I’m reading a book about the ending of humanity (due to a global pandemic), at the end  of a real life global pandemic. I literally just read an article about Covid and fertility, and how pregnant mothers should not be concerned about getting the vaccine minutes before starting this book. And it’s kind of eerie sometimes how relatable dystopias are to real life. But, this might have taken the cake. I got this book in Paris (in 2019), before everything all started, so the the author clearly wrote it years before Covid….but still. Sometimes fiction is a little too close to nonfiction. Not that the other stuff in here is happening….just, every now and then I’d put the book down and think about it.

I enjoyed the fast pace. I loved the plot twists. The concept was awesome, if at times a little too close to home. The characters were believable. The romance was good too. I give this a 9/10.

Pawcasso by Remy Lai

Summary from Goodreads:

Middle grade graphic novel. Pawcasso is a basket-toting dog who does his family's grocery shopping on his own. When 11-year-old Jo is mistaken as his owner by a group of kids, she goes along with the lie in the hopes of making new friends. Soon the town becomes divided over whether Pawcasso should be allowed to roam free, and Jo worries that her lies will be exposed—and endanger Pawcasso and her new friendships.

Review:

This was a sweet, light graphic novel with lots of cute doggie moments. I’m not going to lie; I picked this up because of the adorable dog holding a basket on the cover. I’m sure a lot of kids will do the same thing. The art in here was great. If it was a cartoon, I’d watch it. And I don’t watch a lot of cartoons. Everything was bright, colorful, and easy to flip through. I read this super quickly.

The story is about a kid who lies about having a special dog to make more friends. Who can’t relate to a kid who wants to make more friends? But, it also becomes one of those stories where you cringe with embarrassment because the lie she tells gets bigger and bigger and spins out of control. The dog gets her friends, then a free art class and books, then the dog becomes a local celebrity, and then more!

I like how involved the town gets in deciding things about dogs. I can see some people thinking this isn’t realistic, but for me, I related to this so much! The town I work in gets very involved like this, even about dogs (or dog parks). I’m not sure any decisions would ever happen so quickly….but, graphic novels go fast. Anyway, I liked the demonstration of civic engagement. I also liked how prominent books and art were here. There are book stores, ice cream shops, and art classes. This is definitely a book with a strong focus on community, the arts, and dogs. What’s not to like?

Some of the storyline with Pawcasso’s real family felt a little soap-opera-y to me. And I’m not sure I loved how it all went down with Jo and the friends group in the art class toward the end. But all in all, this was a sweet story about friendship, dogs, and community. I give it an 8/10.

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she would wish she’d failed a test until she finds herself holding a thick piece of plastic in her hands and staring at two solid pink lines. Even the most consistent use of condoms won’t prevent pregnancy when your boyfriend secretly pokes holes in them to keep you from going out-of-state for college.

Veronica needs an abortion, but the closest place she can legally get one is over nine hundred miles away—and Veronica doesn’t have a car. Too ashamed to ask her friends or family for help, Veronica turns to the one person she believes won’t judge her: Bailey Butler, Jefferson High’s own little black cloud of anger and snark—and Veronica’s ex-best friend. Once on the road, Veronica quickly remembers nothing with Bailey is ever simple and that means two days of stolen cars, shotguns, crazed ex-boyfriends, truck stop strippers with pro-life agendas, and a limo driver named Bob. But the pain and betrayal of their broken friendship can’t be outrun. When their fighting leads to a brutal moment of truth, Bailey abandons Veronica. Now Veronica must risk everything in order to repair the hurt she’s caused.

Review:

This was so much better than I thought it would be. I read it super quickly. I can see it being a movie, something to watch with my best friends and some wine. It deals with the topic of abortion. But, more than anything, this book is about control. Veronica’s boyfriend literally forced a pregnancy on her so she’d stay home and not go away to the Ivy League college she worked so hard to get into! Veronica’s parents forced her older sister to drop out of  her schooling/career path (aka; stop financially helping her) when she got pregnant, so she could be a mom.  And all along this crazy, coming of age journey/adventures, there are more characters trying to control Veronica and tell her what to do.

It’s not about if abortions are the right thing to do or not. It’s about who’s in control. Why should anyone but Veronica be allowed to decide when and how she gets pregnant? Why should her boyfriend be allowed to force this upon her? Why should her parents get to decide this for her? Why should a pro-life stripper be the one to tell her what to do? Or protestors? And why should she have to travel over 900 miles to take control of her own body?

I started reading this around the time things in Texas started popping up in the news about abortion laws. And it’s like I needed to read this book right now. There are a lot of books out there about teen moms. There’s  even books about teens giving up their babies for adoption. There’s not a lot out there that talks about this choice. And I like that the book centered on what this is: Veronica’s choice.

It’s also a friendship story. It’s about her re-connecting with Bailey, a friend she never should have fallen away from. Real friends are the ones who will drive over 900 miles for you and not judge you for making your own decisions about your own body. This is a serious book that deals with serious topics about sex, choice, abortion, family, coming out, and growing up. But, there’s also a light-heartedness to it, that makes it so enjoyable to read. There’s junk food, oversized elephant statues, strip clubs, limo rides, and so much more. I give this a 9/10.