I’ve really been craving a solid historical fiction lately so I had high hopes for this one – a story following an aspiring archaeologist as navigates two wars as a nurse. While I appreciated the writing style, the subject matter, and the historical attention to detail, unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. (Warning. Spoiler below.)
The story goes back and forth between the events that led Betsy to the first war and the events that led her to the second, and I actually enjoyed the second war story. However the first one was difficult for me, just because it had a lot of elements I really dislike: age gap romance, cheating, and < spoiler>
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a secret baby she gives away, ugh. < /spoiler> While I appreciated Betsy’s growth as a character between the first and second war, I found her character in the first war timeline and her friend Ava’s really difficult to root for. I did though, enjoy some of the other characters like Holt and Kit.
Overall, this one wasn’t for me, but if you enjoy well-researched historical fiction, you might want to check it out!
I was really excited to read this. A lock-picker, WWII backdrop, German spies, mystery and a bit of romance? Right up my alley. Unfortunately, the main character, Electra, felt like an mostly unhelpful little sister begging to tag along on the adventure, and her relationship with the Major just didn’t quite work for me. However, the plot was interesting and fast-paced and the audiobook well-narrated, so if you’re into WWII spy mysteries, I recommend giving it a try.
Weirdly, I felt very similarly about this book as I did my last one (A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver.) A girl (Audrey Rose) interested in forensic medicine gets mixed up in the Jack the Ripper investigation along with a very flirty Holmes-like teenager (Thomas Cresswell.) While there were some interesting elements here I enjoyed, unfortunately, I couldn’t abide Audrey Rose. Her relationship with Thomas seems needlessly hot and cold, and I felt like he didn’t have the depth he should’ve had. Audrey Rose felt more like a tag-along little sister railing against the patriarchy, than the main character, and I feel like that prevented me from enjoying the storyline. But I know a lot of people enjoyed this one, so if you’re interested in a YA hist-fic mystery with a Holmes-like character, I recommend you give it a try!
This is another book I picked up on a whim, not at all realizing I was familiar with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River (which I liked), Gone Baby Gone (which I didn’t), and Shutter Island (Which I loved.)
Small Mercies follows a mother in Southie in the 1970s when her daughter goes missing amidst the backdrop of desegregation protests.
I loved this book and have already recommended it to at least five people. The writing is crisp, the themes are deep, the characters are deeply flawed and yet somehow I couldn’t help rooting for them. The setting was so vibrant I felt like I was there, and while it is dark and gritty, the ending left me satisfied and thoughtful.
An incredible book and perfectly narrated. I’ll definitely be looking up Dennis Lehane’s others that I’ve missed.
A well-written YA fantasy with a unique premise that imagines a world of lucid dreams where danger and adventure await. The audiobook narration was awesome and on the whole, this adventure definitely gave me strong Peter Pan vibes, with the mysterious Steggie Belle as the fearless leader of a band of children exploring a new, fantastical world. It’s told from first-person past POV with the main character looking back on his adventures as an adult, which I felt distanced us from the action, but that’s just a personal preference. I did have a little trouble with the pacing and found myself wishing for deeper relationships between the main characters. Though they were all likable, I felt like I wanted to know more about them. The world was well-developed though, and I definitely think this book would appeal to those looking for a YA fantasy with a classic feel revolving around a whimsical world of dreams. Thanks so much to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review! More information below!
⭐⭐⭐ ½
The author: Elias Pell
Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors Audiobook is available for pre-order now!
Published by candlelight—surrounded by chanting Druids—at midnight on Summer Solstice back in 2020, this is Elias Pell’s debut novel. A semi-autobiographical Fantasy which delves behind the world we know, or like to tell ourselves we know.
Now, on the Autumnal Equinox—September 23rd, 2023—the unabridged Audiobook read by Jay Forrester arrives, pulsing through a pair of earphones near you! Listen to Zoofall’s incredible confession as the candlewax melts away and the shadows encroach ever closer upon the fragile, dwindling flame.
“What if our understanding of dreams is just a poor reflection of another place…
a real place?”
During a storm, a man who calls himself Zoofall has barricaded himself inside an attic. He has only seven candles worth of time to reveal his extraordinary secrets. How, when he was a child, he discovered the existence of a wild other world, where Reality and Mythology meet, beyond the limits of Lucid Dreaming.
As a boy, after a freak accident results in him making a peculiar acquaintance, a lengthy initiation follows, and Zoofall finally finds himself welcomed into a group of other young dreamers—who call themselves the Freedivers. They teach him hidden truths and the long-forgotten, true history of humankind. Of how the dream and waking worlds, although now separated, were once united as one, until the “cross-overs” began. They show him that the stuff of ancient myths and fairy tales, of folklore and urban legends have never been imaginary at all. These beings had simply migrated for their own safety, away from the waking world, and that these “crossings” are by no means one-way.
Within this magical and terrifyingly real realm, Zoofall must figure out if his own unusual powers make him a possible saviour or a dangerous burden. As dark forces rise up, threatening to engulf their group, he must uncover the greatest mystery of all. Who their incredible leader—Steggie Belle—really is, how she became so powerful, and if by any chance she can be saved?
About the Author:
Elias Pell is a London-born, previously published poet and self-confessed dreamer. Disguised as an adult (children have somehow always been able to see through this facade) Elias left England in 2016, putting all his savings towards the dream of writing full-time. Since then, he has sat, scribbling away on a rooftop in Barcelona, spurred on by the raucous cries of seagulls circling overhead.
Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors is Elias’s debut Fantasy novel: a story inspired by his own lifelong Lucid Dreaming experiences. In 2020, it was awarded as a Finalist in the Fantasy category of NIEA’s global annual competition (the only self-published novel to reach that shortlist).
Elias has also published a collection of short stories for adults, entitled Scapegoats & Crowbars, and is currently working on the sequel to Steggie Belle, alongside other new writing projects. He is currently seeking representation, and can be contacted directly at elias.pell75@gmail.com.
Picked this audiobook up from the library on the whim and it was such a pleasant surprise! The book follows 13yo Thomas as he apprentices with a Spook to learn how to deal with the frequent paranormal disturbances in their medieval-like world. Fast-paced, dark, and tense with interesting characters, I really liked this quick read, and thought it totally nailed an upper-grade (or lower YA) dark fantasy. Totally recommend and would definitely pick up the second book.
After enjoying Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard, and on a romance kick, I wanted to try some of her earlier books. The premise here is a Sam is a librarian at a quirky little school that gets a tough new principal who wants to change everything and take away the school’s unique color. Sam has worked with him in the past when he was fun, so she tries to change his mind.
I enjoyed Sam’s character, the light, breezy writing style, and the fun, quirky town the story is set in, but ultimately the chemistry between Sam and Duncan wasn’t quite there for me. Would recommend to fans of Katherine Center or someone looking for a light, sweet romance.
I’ve read quite a few of Karen McManus’s books now, and I think fans will definitely enjoy this latest one. The plot is pretty simple – three kids witness a murder, and there’s a lot of doubt as to if they told the truth. Brynn, determined to prove herself on her true crime internship, investigates.
As always, I really appreciated the quick writing style and the unexpected twists throughout the story. But, I wasn’t quite as drawn to these characters as I have been in past McManus books, and the relationship chemistry wasn’t quite there for me.
Would recommend for McManus fans and those looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven YA murder mystery.
This book follows serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell as they’re recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers, and then get tangled up with an active case of a serial killer who targets teenagers.
Enter Simon, a teenage serial killer with a history with Travis, and an interest in Emma. This basically felt like Silence of the Lambs meets YA. Weirdly, Simon was my favorite character, and thought the audiobook narrator did an amazing job with him.
While I liked Emma and Travis’s backstories, I honestly thought their young ages were a little hard to believe. I feel like they should’ve been 21 or 22, but since the New Adult genre still isn’t a thing they were aged down. I wish we could’ve gotten a little more depth into their characters, and developed their buddy-cop relationship a little more. Their original assignment was sidelined super quickly, and I feel like Travis didn’t get as much air time as he should have.
All that said, the writing was wonderful, I enjoyed the pacing and the story, and the audiobook narration was awesome. This book feels like it’s setting up Emma and Travis’s (and Simon’s) partnership up for more adventures and I would totally read them! Definitely recommend to anyone interested in a fun YA crime story.
After loving Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard, I went back an picked up some of her earlier work. After rising tension with her mother, the Libby and her two young children move to the Texas country to live with an estranged aunt. The story follows them as they struggle to adapt to their new surroundings and finally heal… and of course there’s a handsome farm manager with his own baggage.
While I enjoyed this sweet romance, it was a little heavier than I like my romances, and the chemistry between O’Connor and Libby wasn’t quite there for me. The writing is lovely and well-paced but O’Connor’s backstory felt a little off. I did like the side characters though, and the ending is satisfying. Recommend for fans of sweet romance that’s a little heavier. You can also check out the movie with Josh Duhamel, which I feel was very faithful to the book… and thus I would give it the same rating.
⭐⭐⭐ ½
If it’s romance, for me, it’s gotta be light and fun!
Hayley Reese Chow 