Big Tree by Brian Selznick

Summary from Goodreads:

The fate of all life on Earth may depend on the bravery of two little seeds in this epic adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Medalist of The Invention of Hugo Cabret . “The tale of the natural world is the greatest story we have to tell, and Brian delivers a brilliant chapter of that tale throughout the pages of Big Tree .” ― STEVEN SPIELBERG “We need brave, big stories like [ Big Tree ].” ― The New York Times Book Review “Has the power to intrigue...affecting.” ― The Wall Street Journal * “An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet.” ― Booklist , starred review * “A balanced and rich book. . . . Powerful.” ― The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , starred and recommended review * “In evocative prose and peppery dialogue . . . the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal.” ― Publishers Weekly , starred review * "A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won’t soon forget." ― School Library Journal , starred review * “Masterful.” ― The Horn Book , starred review "Inspirational, important, and beautiful. A fable for our times." ― Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee and Ground Zero "Hello, stars. I thought I heard you calling me." A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world―filled with dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes!―and the fear of never finding a safe place to grow up. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined! Brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a trailblazing adventure, illustrated with nearly 300 pages of breathtaking pictures. It is Selznick's most imaginative and far-reaching work to date and a singular reading experience for the whole family. The audiobook edition of BIG TREE is brought magnificently to life by Meryl Streep and features music composed by Ernest Troost.

Review:

This was a great book! Sometimes you sit down to read a few pages of something and end up reading the whole book. This happened for me. Granted, a lot of the book is done in beautiful, classic Selznick illustrations. The story, the concept, the artwork, and basically the whole thing was just genius. I’ve never read or experienced anything like this.

The idea of a book from a seedling’s point of view is just so cool. And then to find out that it was going to be a movie? I want the movie also. It’s the kind of story that has me looking up at the trees now as I go for walks with my dog, and also has me looking up at the moon…And while the story had some scary elements to it -there are dinosaurs and explosions in it- I found it very calming and poetic. It has you thinking deep thoughts about the world and how things come to be.

I hope this book gets lots of attention and one day the screen time it was meant to receive. But, in the mean time, I hope more people I know read it, so I can chat about it without spoiling anything. It’s a great story with some beautiful ideas and artwork too.

This gets a 10/10. What will Selznick come up with next?

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

Summary from Goodreads:

Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore.

It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool—like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much—like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of...to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.

Review:

I love Angie Thomas’ YA books. I was so excited to learn she came out with a Middle-grade fantasy book. I practically hugged the book when I first saw it. That being said, I didn’t love this book as much as I was hoping to. Maybe my expectations were too high. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t great either. And I couldn’t help but keep making comparisons to another book that it was very, very similar to, and not as good as (The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton). It had the same mix of prejudice against a main character who has to prove herself in a world she doesn’t know much about…

I loved how fast-paced the plot was. The pacing reminded me a lot of Rick Riordan’s books. There was never really a good moment to put the book down. And that makes for a fun read. I also love a good story with a family mystery. Why did the father do what he did? I needed to know.

I ended up guessing much if not all of the plot twists. I’m not sure a kid reading would be able to do this. I have read a lot of fantasy books, so it takes a lot to surprise me. That being said, I was kind of hoping to be more surprised about the Msaidizi….But, oh well.

I also never really fully felt like I understood or grasped the world of the Remarkables/Unremarkables. There was a never much world-building. Granted, much of the plot involved being on the run in the unremarkable world. However, I wanted to learn/see more as it went. There were some really cool snapshots of things that just weren’t fully mapped out. Maybe they will be in later installments, but I just felt a little cheated at moments where I wanted more (like during scenes where houses were blowing up or wand trees being searched for).

All in all, there were some good things and some not so good things here. I can see kids really enjoying the pacing and probably being surprised by the plot twists. It was a fun read that didn’t fully live up to its expectations for me. I give it a 7/10.

Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Summary from Goodreads:

With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship.

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

Review:

I appear to have taken a hiatus in June…The a/c has been broken and it’s just been too hot and humid to sit for very long at my computer. However, I still have been reading a little. I tend to love books by Becky Albertalli. This one was not my favorite of her novels. However, I read it rather quickly and it helped me get through some awful days so I’m happy to have read it.

As usual with this author, I love the cast of characters. They are all so relatable and authentic. I also loved that the setting was a college campus/visit. This was new for the author. And it lent for more exploration, more finding oneself for the main character, and more opportunities for independence in general. Why don’t more books for YA audiences take place on college campuses?

I also loved the romance. I was doing some serious shipping. When things finally happened,  I might have actually yelled out loud, “woohoo!” and those are my favorite kind of romances.

All this being said, the book had one of my biggest red flags too. I hate repetition, and it was full of it. I get that the main character is a doubter and she needs to go over everything a million times in her head; it’s part of who she is. But, it got a little old for me super quickly.  By the half way point, I kind of hated Imogen. Like the point would have been made, and she would have been the same questioning character with the same doubts if she had maybe half the amount of repetition….She was so worried about coming off queer enough or offending the queer community, she often wasn’t just living or doing anything fun. And again, I get that this was sort of the point. It just was too much. I would have cut that anxiety in half and filled the book with a few more adventures/outings or something new to think about.

All in all a little less self doubt would have made this book so much more enjoyable for me, and just a tiny bit more plot…..But all in all, I still really enjoyed it. I still give it an 8/10.

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel.

Review:

I’m not going to be done with this author for a while….I ‘m super into this series. I started the book after this one already. But, at least I’m almost caught up on my reviews. Almost. This book did some re-capping that I found a little repetitive. The other series didn’t do this so much, but maybe the author learned by the next series. Book 1 had more of a CSI/ X-Men vibe. This Book 2 had a solid Silence of the Lambs feel. They interviewed a serial killer in prison, who was messing with them the whole time.

There’s new characters, a terrifying abduction, more love triangle madness, and lots of profiling. You get to know little bit more about the side characters, but nowhere close to enough. There’s still so much more I want to learn (and I’m in the first half of the next book). But the stakes definitely seem higher. I’m not sure I was into this case as I was into the first case of book 1, but  was definitely into the suspense/high action of the second half of the book. The second half of this book is crazy.

There’s escapes to college campuses, classes on murder, viewings of killer interviews, and just so much to learn about the psychology of serial killers, which I find fascinating! These books are just made for me. Not much happens with Cassie’s mother’s case, but not every book can do that. Some books have to focus on the other character’s crazy families too!

You get to learn a little bit more about the adults in the kids’ lives too. And I found them just as interesting. Again, I want to watch this tv show. Why has no one picked this up??? I can’t wait until I have my time at the end of the day to just relax and read more of this. These are the kind of YA books you can’t wait to get back to. They are addicting, full of suspense and hard to fall asleep at night while you are reading them.  This second book gets a 9/10.  I can’t wait to see where book 3 goes.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Review:

Okay, I swear I read other authors too….Sometimes….But, I also had these books, and after binging that last series, I knew I had to read these books too. Also, I love books and tv shows about serial killers, so how on earth have I not read these books yet? The Inheritance Games was a bit hard to believe because it was a dream come true, and now we have another sort of hard to believe series because it literally involves everything I love to read about in one package. Serial killers, suspense, kids/teens with powers, love triangles, murder mystery, cold cases, and a main character who’s family probably has been killed by a serial killer or was at least abducted in the past.

I think I liked this book more than the other ones…And that’s saying something because I seriously loved the others. This book was awesome! And creepy. It kept me up late with its creepiness and I wish it was a Netflix series or a long-running show on the CW because it would be such a fantastic show.

That being said, it reads like a police procedural in a way, but with teenagers trapped in the same house. And I’m all for it. There’s a bit of an X-Men vibe going on because the teens all have these unique abilities that help them solve cases and essentially be super FBI agents. It’s kind of like X-Men mixed with Dexter, mixed with CSI.

Of course the main character’s past comes into the story, but I was fascinated by the other characters’ pasts and you don’t really learn too much about them yet. I want to to know more about everyone and I hope you get that later in the series. Obviously we learn a little about one, who’s the son of a serial killer. All in all, this book was addicting, lots of fun, full of mystery and hard to put down. There’s another love triangle. And it’s there’s more psychological thriller aspects to it than he other books had. I loved it. I give it a 10/10.

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Review:

Part of what drew me to these books to begin with is the fact that this particular installment won the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award: Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction. I was like  oh, I really do need to read these books. The second book had a crazy, crazy ending. I can’t even believe I said before that I had trouble remembering it. In remembering this book, I am remembering how the one before ended…What is wrong with me? Book 2 was crazy. Seriously crazy.

I of course kind of predicted that a certain character would have to show up in this book. How could she not? I did not, however, predict her involvement in the plot. Just when you think you heard it all about one rich family and their schemes/games, then you learn about another one! There’s this chess match at the end that is so intense, I was literally standing up, reading it.

This author knows how to write suspense. Avery has gotten smarter. She does pick a boy in her triangle, finally…Questions are finally answered….And it reads like a final installment book. So, I was very surprised to learn that there appears to be one more book coming? Am I misreading this news? Maybe I’m wrong….But,  I think more is somehow coming out! Either way, I’ll read it because apparently this author knows how to write books that I just eat up like popcorn. It’s hard to just review her books 1 at a time and not for the series at large.

I’ve also been reading other books for a banned book club that are a little darker and I’ve been listening to some Adult audiobooks that are kind of sad, so having these fun YA books to keep me guessing have really been such a treat. I’m so glad I’ve had these books these past few weeks while moving and going through everything. YA books really have this ability to just relax my mind and keep me happy, and these books have really done that for me. I give this one a 10/10.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

Review:

So, I’m a little behind in my review writing….I literally bought the rest of this series, before completing the first book…Or I guess what was out in the seres because I believe there’s going to be one more! And I’m actually currently reading Book 2 in a different series by this author already… Since I last posted,  I moved and went through some big changes, so here I am several books later, trying to remember this one.

And if that last paragraph tell you anything, let it tell you that these books are extraordinarily addictive. If you want something light, with a little bit of romance, and a big question mark type riddle that will keep you guessing for the whole thing, look no further! Pure fun, is how I’d describe the whole series.

A little more is learned in this installment about the will, about the estate, and I think about Avery’s family. She’s still in a love triangle. There’s still riddles. The stakes seem higher. More folks seem out to get her and her fortune. And I guess part of the fun and suspense of this is just the absurdity. The amount of money is just crazy. It’s such a wish fulfillment/dream kind of book, how can you not want to read this? And throw in the mystery….

I don’t think book 2 is ever the best book in a series, but I flew through it and delved right into book 3. I give it a 9/10.

Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam

Summary From Goodreads:

A tale of unlikely heroes and myths is made real in this debut graphic novel series about a "bad" demon trying to find her place in the underworld. But she'll have to save it first!

Meesh is a bad demon. "Bad" meaning she always sees the good in those around her--which, strictly speaking, isn't how a demon is meant to feel or act.

Bullied by the other demons, twelve-year-old Meesh is more likely to be found poring over Fairy World's magazines and fangirling the fairy princesses. When disaster strikes and her family is threatened, Meesh must journey to the Fairy World to find a healing crystal that can save the underworld. And speak of the devil! She meets a fairy princess right away.

But things in the Fairy World aren't so perfect either. As Meesh makes surprising new friends and unites a band of outcasts--including her bully--she learns there's more to being a demon than being bad.

Sometimes the secret to real power is in loving yourself, faults and all.

Review:

This was a sweet, middle grade graphic novel. I’ve really been loving fantasy stories in this format lately. What really makes this book a standout is the art. It’s stunning. I keep wanting to go back to the book, to stare at the pages. The artwork is what bring this world  (or worlds) to life.

The story isn’t new. The main character is more powerful than she knows. she works with her bully and her favorite fairy princess to save the world (and all the adults who have been turned to stone). There’s magic, a good dose of believing in yourself, learning to work with others, and worlds colliding to make for a fun adventure.

I like that it’s the kids who end up teaching the adults a thing or two. Of course the kids are the heroes and are the ones who are more accepting and less prejudiced. I’m also fascinated by the different worlds and what the kids are all taught on them. I feel like there’s so much unsaid, and I kind of hope more books come after this one.

All in all, it’s the artwork that makes the book special. The story is fun, but not exactly unique. The kid power makes for a happy read. And the overall message is very sweet. I give this one an 8/10.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

Review:

I’ve seen a lot of hype for this book over the last couple of years, and I do tend to enjoy this author, but she’s never been a favorite. Her books tend to be more plot-oriented, less character driven. And sometimes I do like that. I do love a good, suspenseful mystery. However, my favorites are always character-driven stories. That being said, I read a review that drew me back to the book, and I’m glad I finally gave in….I ate this book up!

This was definitely more a suspense-driven mystery than character developed drama. However, the mystery was just so much fun, and such a dream, I couldn’t stop reading. Who doesn’t want to inherit billions of dollars from a total stranger for no apparent reason? And who doesn’t want to all of a sudden live amongst several attractive guys who are trying to solve the same mystery? And who doesn’t want to live in a mansion filled with secret passages and riddles?

This book is part “Knives Out,” mystery, part wish fulfillment, part love triangle, part “Gossip Girl.” I found myself up to 2:30am one work night, going why am I not sleeping??? And it’s rare that a book does this for me any more. There’s nothing ground-breaking here. A lot of the characters feel familiar, like characters almost based off of ones I’ve met before. But, the story was just so much fun, and I needed a good, fun story. The game of it kind of reminded of Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library, in a good way. I can’t wait to read more riddles.

All in all, the book will keep you guessing until the end. And I’m already itching to read book 2. I’m so glad the whole series is finished, so I can just binge it at my own pace. I give this a 9/10.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Bouleley

Summary from Goodreads:

Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2021), Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction (2021)
As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?

Review:

I really enjoyed reading this one. There were a couple of things I did not love, but overall, I had a hard time putting the book down. It was part Breaking Bad, part The Black List, part Nancy Drew, and part Veronica Mars all squished into one YA novel that also focused on an under-represented Ojibwe community in Northern Michigan. How could I not like this book?

I loved learning about the Ojibwe culture. I also found the Northern Michigan culture to be new and interesting. I even learned about hockey. It was awesome to read about a girl hockey player, or former hockey player. That all being said, this was a super dark book. Injustices against Native peoples are not sugarcoated. Daunis witnesses the violent death of her best friend. Drugs are slowly making their way through her community and more and more people appear to be dying as a result. This book has murder, drugs, sexual assault, kidnapping, and racial and social injustice. I can see young people eating this book up. I also loved how important tribal elders were in the book. She’s always driving them, and helping them. At one point they save Daunis’ life, and I found this intergenerational element to be so cool.

What didn’t I like? I didn’t love the romance. The FBI Agent is 22, and Daunis is 18…It just felt icky to me. And while I know she’s 18, her voice comes off as much younger…There’s a lot of things she doesn’t know. And I get that not all 18 year olds are in the know about the same things, it’s the way she phrases things like “secret squirrel” and “Call-Me-Grant” over and over that made me always visualize her as younger than 18, but maybe that was just me reacting now as an adult reader…

I was not too surprised by any of the “big” twists, but I’ve watched a lot of secret agent shows so I kind of feel like I know what to expect at this point. However, I still kept reading super fast, needing to know what would happen. So much happens in the last quarter of the book.  hope Boulley keeps writing more stories. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next. I give this one an 8/10.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Summary from Goodreads:

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.

Review:

I lucked into a free Barnes and Noble gift card that someone did not want….My husband and I split it and I ended up purchasing this book. I have loved Holly Black since I was an actual teenager. And her latest series is probably my favorite. However, I have to admit it took me a little longer than expected to remember who all the key players were when I started the book. I even went online to look up a series recap. Not that you necessarily need to remember much about the previous trilogy to enjoy this book…but I wanted to remember things. I loved that trilogy so much, I wanted to remember why.

I didn’t immediately love this book. It kind of slowly earned my respect. I liked slowly getting to know Suren. She’s not exactly the typical main character -someone who chooses a life of exile in the woods…watching the human family she wishes she could go back to. I immediately felt bad for her, but I didn’t immediately love her. That okay though because I grew to love her once I saw how strong, resilient, and incredibly intelligent she was.

Oak on the other hand? He’s also not the typical love interest…He never tells the full truth and always seems to tricking Suren, and I never really grew to love him. Maybe part of this is because I keep seeing him as the child from the original books. But, also his character is maybe too flawed for me. And I tend to love flawed characters, so I’m not sure what this says. It’s definitely another character-driven story. But, it starts as a quest-type story. Quest tropes aren’t my favorite, so that’s also part of the reason it took me a little while to get into it. But, I’m glad I did not give up on this one. When the book picks up on the world building and character development, and dark twisty suspense plot elements, it’s un-putdown-able. And the ending? It definitely leaves you wanting more. I cannot wait for book 2.

All in all, it took me a while to get into my groove, reading this. But, when I did, I really did. I give this a 9/10.

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

Summary from Goodreads:

James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.
Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

Review:

I’ve had a weird relationship with this series. I didn’t love the first book in the series. But, then I did LOVE book 2. And I guess I should own up to being an avid Cassandra Clare fan. Until this book, I’ve purchased all of the books when they come out. I love the characters and the shippy romances. And I love the shadow world where supernatural creatures blend with humans.

Sadly, the plot of book 1 of this series felt so recycled to me that I almost stopped reading Clare’s books. It was literally half taken from City of Bones and half taken from Clockwork Angel….without a lot of new ideas. But, then I still went and read the sequel and I was glad I did. I needed to read something comforting at the beginning of 2021…Maybe it was a Covid security blanket? Maybe it was just a lot better. I don’t know. And the plot had a serial killer and the characters grew on me. There was a love story with a ghost….And lots of LGBT love happening.

And then this book happened. Maybe for the first time in all of my history of this author, I found myself skimming whole sections of the book….It did not need to be 778 pages (with bonus chapters after that). Again, all of the love stories felt old. The fight scenes felt old. It took what felt like hundreds of pages for James to find his sister and for anything to actually happen. I almost stopped reading because it felt like the book needed an editor.

When stuff finally did start happening, it felt more like a filler book (a book 2 between installments) and less like a finale. There was a death in here that felt unnecessary, almost like the author felt like someone had to go. Everything just felt forced, like Clare didn’t want to be writing it. Even the cameos of beloved characters from the past didn’t feel authentic. Their voices just didn’t ring true to me.

And again, normally I’m a huge fan. This is the first time I didn’t purchase the book (and I’m glad). Maybe this series just wasn’t for me. And maybe I’m just done with the universe for now. I don’t know. I still love this world. And I’ll always have my old favorite books to go back to. But, this one gets a 6/10.

Lockwood and Co 5: The Empty Grave by Jonathan stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.

Review:

So, this is how a series is supposed to be end. I can’t really begin to put to words how epic this book was. It begins with grave digging in a booby trapped tomb. There’s visits to the realm of the dead, there’s HUGE battles with ghosts all over London. There’s teaming up with old enemies. There’s hints or romance, explosions, answered questions about this well thought out world, and one epic throw-down between Lucy and Ms. Fittes.

So much happens in this book, plot and suspense-wise, it’s hard to believe that the world-building and the character development continue to climb as well, but they do. Stroud is a master storyteller. He ties everything together, closes up loose strands of story you thought would go unnoticed, and circles back to concepts from book 1. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

I felt like there were elements of the classic Children’s book heroes in here too.  I could almost see how Stroud was inspired by Philip Pullman, Rick Riordan, and CS Lewis. But, then he adds his own layer of darkness and creepiness that none of those others could do. This whole series has been a treat. The setting for these books has been so creepy and atmospheric. I’m glad Netflix picked up the story. And, the characters are just so real and believable, and flawed in just the right way.

I’m glad the finale didn’t sizzle out. It went out with a bang. I highly recommend these books to fans of YA, middle grade, fantasy and horror. They were fantastic. 10/10.

Lockwood and Co 4: The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

After leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment. Penelope Fittes, the leader of the giant Fittes Agency wants them--and only them--to locate and remove the Source for the legendary Brixton Cannibal. They succeed in their very dangerous task, but tensions remain high between Lucy and the other agents. Even the skull in the jar talks to her like a jilted lover. What will it take to reunite the team? Black marketeers, an informant ghost, a Spirit Cape that transports the wearer, and mysteries involving Steve Rotwell and Penelope Fittes just may do the trick. But, in a shocking cliffhanger ending, the team learns that someone has been manipulating them all along. . . .

Review:

It’ been a while since I’ve written a book review. I’ve been focusing on my work and my art. But, considering how I’m moving again in just over a month, I need to get some reviews out, so I can start packing my books away again! It’ been a while since I read this book, so my mind is a tiny bit foggy on the finer details. I know I LOVED it. I honestly think this is one of my all time favorite middle grade series.

I remember being a little hesitant to start reading this book because Lucy branches out on her own…And so much of the magic in these books stems from the relationships between the characters.  However, this thankfully does not last long. And believe it or not the character with the most guilt trips for Lucy’s leaving is not Lockwood; it’s George! I love Lucy and George’s friendship so much. This book definitely had a strong focus on friendship and the bonds between all of the characters, and I was all for it. It reunites Lucy with her chosen family. It solidifies Holly as part of their team. And the skull becomes one of Lucy’s closest allies whether she wants to admit it or not.  Okay, I guess the details are mostly coming back to me…

I don’t remember a ton of the details about the ghost story/mystery plot. I do know the Fittes Agency got Lucy back involved with the team. And I remember the ending to this one. I wish I could say I was shocked by it, but I had my suspicions for a while about a whole bunch of things. Let’s just say I’m glad the characters are all more in the know by the end of this book, and it’s literally impossible not to jump from this book to the last one if you have them all in your possession.

This book was great for character development. It was was good for much needed answers. It was definitely great for setting up the plot for the final installment. I remember flying through this book despite being a little nervous about it. All in all I give it a 9/10.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Summary from Goodreads:

n 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

Review:

I’m so glad this book exists. I chose it for the February book in the Banned Books Book Club I started several months ago at my library. It’s currently the number 1 banned book in the country. So far, one member of the book club, which meets this Friday, came up to me and told me thank you for picking this book because she’d never have picked it up otherwise and now she feels like she understands some things a little bit better. Honestly,  feel like maybe I do too. I’m excited to talk about this book with a group of people from multiple generations.

There were things I related to. I remembered my first pap smear, and my first period. I remembered feeling like there were things everyone else seemed to know that I didn’t. And I remembered figuring things out about myself as I dated. This book has that ability to make you think back on your own experiences. And I can’t help but think how much harder my journey would have been if there were things I didn’t know about myself and my body, and I could’t find anyone like me in the books I was reading or the shows I was watching. I’m so glad Maia found eir tribe amongst what seemed to be really good, supportive friends.

One of my favorite parts of the book comes in the introduction of the version I was reading. ND Stevenson in November 2021 writes in the introduction, “At the time of writing this, parents in Texas and other states have pushed to have Gender Queer banned from school libraries. It’s not enough for them to rigorously restrict what their own children read, as my parent did; they insist that they have the right to make that choice for everyone. I understand -more,  I think, than they think I do -why they want this. It’s a last, desperate attempt to hammer an infinitely complex world into a small, unthreatening shape; to enforce a fantastical reality where challenging subjects simply don’t exist; to hole themselves up in a crumbling fortress as the the floods come in and let there own children pay the price.”

This book isn’t an instructional manual. It’s also not the typical graphic novel. It’s an autobiography of one person’s journey of self discovery. The book lets the world know that it’s okay to take time to figure out who you are, and it’s okay to be who you want to be. What better message is there?  I give this book a 10/10.

Lockwood and Co: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

As a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. There is a new spirit of openness in the team now that Lockwood has shared some of his childhood secrets, and Lucy is feeling more and more as if her true home is at Portland Row. It comes as a great shock, then, when Lockwood and George introduce her to an annoyingly perky and hyper-efficient new assistant, Holly Munro.

Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.'s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. Can the team get past their personal issues to save the day on all fronts, or will bad feelings attract yet more trouble?

Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

Review:

I’ve had a weird journey with these books. I fell in love with the audio versions of book 1-2 on my very long road trip to Chicago with my husband and dog. We basically didn’t want to leave the car because we had to know what was going to happen next. Then sadly, after downloading book 3 on the Libby app, we found ourselves with a new narrator. We could not get into it! Why switch narrators? Why???? We get that these things happen, but sadly then we switched book series and  kind of somehow forgot about this series until I saw a trailer for the show on Netflix!

I wanted to re-read from the beginning because reading the book is different than listening to the book while driving and some time had past. My wonderful husband gifted the whole series to me for Christmas. It was my goal to finish all of them before the show came out…..That did not happen. I finished the first two, which I had already listened to. Then,  watched the show, which thankfully only covered the first two books. And I have to say, I was mostly impressed with Netflix… hope they keep making more.

Now, I’m finally up to book 3, a story that’s totally new to me, and I think this is my favorite in the series so far. SO much happens in it that I feel like I’m still wrapping my head around it all. Lucy’s powers grow even more. There’s a new girl in the group who’s an assistant who actually tidy’s up the house….more on this later. There’s definite romantic tension entering the plot. And there are several big jobs the characters go on, all of varying degrees of importance to the overarching plot. I also have to throw in that Lucy and the skull/ghost in the jar are developing a closer bond, which I find interesting and at moments hilarious.

The only element to these books that I don’t like is the ever slight element of sexism. When listening to them, I was confused about the time period. The sexism and maybe British turn of phrase made me think they took place decades ago, but nope. They take place today, just after a ghostly disaster took place. And maybe that ghostly disaster turned things in a negative direction for women? Like if girls aren’t fighting with swords to the death along with the boys, then they must be expected to clean houses? And maybe it’s just part of Lucy’s character, but I really hated the antagonism between her and Holly. It felt so icky….Like I kept wanting them to support each other, not put each other down….

All that aside, the plot in this book was the best so far. There really was never a good moment to put the book down. The suspense was crazy. There was an ending that kind of punches you in the gut. And I’m itching to start the next book already. Also, some of the ghost stuff was so creepy, I’m almost afraid for what Netflix can do with this. All in all, it gets a 9/10.

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and artwork by Jason Griffin

Summary from Goodreads:

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

Review:

I’m not 100 percent sure what I was expecting from this book, but WOW, this wasn’t what I thought it would be….This is better. It’s a quick read. I read the whole thing in one sitting. You kind of have to. It’s literally only several sentences long. And it’s kind of like one art installation in a museum. And you don’t want to skip any part of it. You want to experience the whole installation, the way it’s mean to be experienced, beginning to end….If that makes sense.

It’s about one black family experiencing the last 2 years, surviving Covid and racial injustices. And each page, each word makes you feel something. It’s not about making you re-live 2020-2021. Though, it might make you remember some things…It’s about this moment for one kid, one family. And it’s about the power of breathing, the power of oxygen.

I didn’t understand all of the art. Some of it made me scratch my head. Some of it is impossible not to understand. Some of it is just words on a notebook page. And some of it belongs in a museum. Maybe all of it. But together, this book not only captures the feeling of this moment in time, but it opens a window in a such a unique, beautiful way.

In all honesty, I have not allowed myself to think too hard about the last couple of years. I have lost people I care about. And I have found myself in this past month reading 2 books that have almost forced some self-reflection out of me (this one and Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry) and I know I will at some point have to reflect and unpack some more.  I guess what I’m saying is if a book can pull this out of me, it’s a strong one. This book has the ability to make people reflect, feel, and communicate. I hope lots of people read it, talk about it, and reflect on it. I give it a 10/10.

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

Summary from Goodreads:

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Review

For a girl who grew up reading Tamora Pierce, this book jumped out to me right away. However unlike in Pierce’s novels, Aiza wasn’t penalized for being female and she never had to pretend otherwise. Instead, she pretended she was from a different background. She hid her tattoo that marked where she came from. There were other girls fighting for places in the military.

Still, the story was a familiar one. Aiza’s people were shamed and had stories being told that were not true. She had to endure falsehoods and hide things in order to be accepted. But, you also can’t help but love her. She’s a dreamer that flocks to other dreamers and she accepts everyone.  She works hard, trains hard, and fights for what she wants, despite all the obstacles in her way.

The graphic novels has many lessons in it. There are trials of friendship, propaganda, strength, and power. There’s also a sense of history and politics to everything. And when the group of fighters/dreamers/friends all truly come together for the right cause, everything is kind of magical.

I’m not sure the bad guy element needed to be in there. That was the one part that felt a little forced and too much like a typical cartoon story. I wanted something a little less cliche to go with  with everything else being so fresh. But, I get that there needed to be a conflict to get the characters away from what was happening….Oh well.

The artwork is stunning. It’s what really will draw the readers in. It’s what drew me in. The desert landscapes make for a unique background to the story. I would read a whole series that takes place here, just to see more. I hope more gets made. I give a 9/10.

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary from Goodreads:

This is the story of the Lynch family.

Niall and Mór escaped their homeland for a new start, and lost themselves in what they found.

Declan has grown up as the responsible son, the responsible brother--only to find there is no way for him to keep his family safe.

Ronan has always lived on the edge between dreams and waking... but now that edge is gone, and he is falling.

Matthew has been the happy child, the brightest beam. But rebellion beckons, because it all feels like an illusion now.

This world was not made for such a family--a family with the power to make a world and break it. If they cannot save each other or themselves, we are all doomed.

Review:

It took me a while to get into this story. I think part of it is my age finally catching up to me, and maybe part of it is the last couple of years finally catching up to me, but it’s getting harder to remember where I leave off in series. The book opens with the main character in a sort of coma and I had no recollection for how that happened….I had to go online and get some recaps.  That all being said, once I had more of my footing, and I had some idea for who all of the characters were, the book swallowed me whole.

No-one else writes quite like Stiefvater. She has this stream of consciousness element to her that fits so well with a series that focuses on dreams. And who can not be fascinated with characters who can literally pull objects, creatures, and people out of their dreams? This book finally gives some back-story and some history to the entire process too. We get the story of Niall and More, the story I didn’t know I wanted, but I did. I thought I wanted Ronan/Adam love story and I guess I did, but I also really wanted to know Ronan’s family. Why can they do what they do? What is the extent of what they can do? And this book gets to the heart of everything. Finally.

Throw in some amazing other characters, art heists, an apocalypse, bombs exploding over Boston, tragedy, love stores (plural), an epic action sequence to end all action sequences involving Declan, mythological creatures and a scene that had my jaw on the floor, and a final ending that will melt your heart.

For a book that had me scratching my head in the beginning, it certainly had me on my toes later. Honestly, I just feel lucky to to pick up books by this author. I have grown up reading her, and I hope she continues to write because I will continue to read all that she puts out. i give this a 9/10.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

 
Summary from Goodreads:

Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

Review:

I love these books. I honestly think Maureen Johnson is becoming the new Agatha Christie. There is something so compelling about Stevie, the teenage sleuth with panic attacks. I loved having the chance to watch her solve a British mystery this time. It was like stepping into a PBS show with some of my favorite characters. Thanks, Maureen Johnson.

This British mystery was also soooooooo good. I had to know what happened in 1995. I knew right away it wasn’t some random burglar. And when the aunt character disappears….I was hooked. The murder mystery was a good one. That being said, this book had a lot of other things going on too.

The kids are all at that dramatic age where they have to figure out what comes next. Where do they go after Ellingham? And while it’s sometimes hard for me to remember they are all kids because of how brilliant they all are, Johnson doesn’t let you forget it in this book. Colleges are on their minds and so are the inevitable separations of the group. And while I can see this being a pain for some readers, and I guess I found some of it painfully dramatic too…thinking about it now, it makes it all more believable and real.

There was also one point where I got so mad at Stevie that I literally had to stop reading….I put the book down for a while…I guess this is a sign that you know and love characters? You feel like you know them so well you can get upset at them. Of course I forgave her, and so did everyone else. I had to know what happened too.

There were moments where it felt like I was in London, or in a country estate finding clues. It’s not just the mystery that’s good and the characters you feel like you know. You physically get transported to these places in these books. Maureen Johnson is a skilled master at storytelling.

This latest installment (and yes there has to be more after this one…) was not my favorite book in the series so far. Some of the drama was a little much for me. I also wish there was more time with some of Stevie’s other friends. However, even my least favorite in this series ranks higher in the scheme of things than a lot of other books I’ve read just because of how skilled of a writer this author is. All in all, this gets a 9/10.

Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green

Summary from Goodreads:

he 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:

This was a really sweet graphic novel about crushes, dances, and growing up. The artwork and premise reminded me a little of the Heartstopper books by Alice Oseman. Though, these have a bit of fantastical element. And the character development for me was never quite as strong as it needed to be. I never loved the characters like I love everyone in the Heartstopper books.

Right away, there’s a lot going on here. I love Shakespeare. I love twin stories. I love stories about false misconceptions. I think maybe there was too much going on, so not enough time was focused on the things that mattered. I was a a little confused  by the presence of the fairies. At first I was like, are we supposed to think they they are real? Are fairies and magic real in this world? Why is nothing else magical if that is the case? And it kept taking me out of the plot whenever the fairy characters came to play….

The other thing I kept doing was trying to relate the story to the Shakespeare story it’s named for…but, I don’t think I was supposed to do that. There’s not too many connections besides the obvious ones. And then there are the fairies from a Midsummer’s Night Dream. Again, this took me out of the story…. I guess this could have been fixed if the book was just called something else. Maybe Shakespeare High was taken?

This all being said, I loved the idea for the book and the art was top level. It’s really stunning to look at. The crush story about going to the dance and the twins finding their way away from each other was nice on its own, but there’s just so much other stuff going, it got a little much for me. All in all, I give this one a 7/10.

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

Summary from Goodreads:

A historical mystery about a girl who risks everything to track down a vicious serial killer, for fans of The Enigma Game and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.
 
To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.

Review:

What a way to start 2023! I remember really liking the mysteries this author wrote before, but none of them come close to comparing to how compelling this book was. One of my “Drop everything” books came out while I was reading this book, but I did not drop this book…I couldn’t. This book is so good, any favorite author could have released a book and I would not have stopped reading. That in itself is a big statement for me.

(Side note: this review is taking me forever to write…I have a dog that interrupts every sentence for me to throw a ball for her….)

If the spies, the feminism, the LGBT love story, the serial killer, the friendship story and the girls trying to solve the murder mystery isn’t enough, then add in some racial conflict, secret codes, actual quotes from female codebreakers from World War II, and fun nights out at night clubs and political social functions in DC. When I say this book is un-put-down-able I’m not kidding. I was up way too late reading, knowing full well I’d be exhausted the next day at work. These are the best kinds of books and there are so few of these any more for me.

The other shocking thing for me was I did not guess who the murderer was immediately. I was pleasantly surprised a few times throughout the story. Mystery readers, suspense readers, and historical fiction readers will all enjoy this one. It does go a bit dark; it involves a serial killer after all…and racism, and antisemitism. But, that makes the mystery that much more intense and interesting. The setting is very unique too. It takes place at at a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia for women. And the characters are fascinating! The main character has a secret that absolutely cannot get out.

I read this book remarkably fast. It’s the kind of book that kept me up late, and I sincerely hope this author keeps writing. I give it a 10/10.