Sunday, March 31, 2024

Book Reviews: How to Solve Your Own Murder + Dead Girls Walking

 


Check out my thoughts on these 2 new releases below!


*eARCs provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  I am an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate so I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase through one of my links


How to Solve Your Own Murder
By Kristen Perrin
Pub Date: March 26, 2024 (Dutton)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller 

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

▪️Synopsis:

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.


My Thoughts:

Do you enjoy reading murder mysteries? Do you like mysteries set in the English countryside at a sprawling estate? Are you a fan of Knives Out or Agatha Christie? If so, I recommend reading How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. This was an entertaining and cozy murder mystery. I think this would be a perfect book to read on a rainy day curled up on the couch with your cat (or your dog, or your hamster..you get what I’m saying).

There are many interesting characters in this story. I thought Annie was a relatable character and I enjoyed following along with her as she tried to solve the mystery. I loved the English countryside setting and the Knives Out vibes of this book. This story features two timelines (present day with Annie and the mid 1960s with Frances) and I thought both timelines were interesting. There were some surprising twists that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were some slower parts in the story, but overall, I had a fun time reading this book. I think this is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading the next one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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Dead Girls Walking
Pub Date: March 26, 2024 (Amulet Books)
Genre: YA Horror 

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

✍️This author is included in All These Sunken Souls: A Black Horror Anthology 
▪️Synopsis:
Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.

Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.

But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.


My Thoughts:

Dead Girls Walking was a creepy, fear-inducing read that I really enjoyed. This story gave me all the Friday the 13th, teen summer camp horror vibes. I think this would be the perfect book to read during the summer. It felt like I was watching a horror movie while reading this book.

Temple was a kick-ass main character who did not take crap from anyone. She knew how to defend herself from not only the mean girls, but also from the undead and her crazy family.

There’s some gore in this book, so be prepared for some disgusting imagery. I really liked the author’s descriptive writing.

This book is aimed at young adults, so there were was a lot of teen drama that I didn’t care for, but I still think adults will enjoy this story. If you love teen slashers or zombie flicks, definitely pick this one up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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Thanks For Reading!

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Book Reviews: Book, Beast and Crow + Under This Red Rock

 


  Check out my thoughts on these 2 young adult books below!


*eARCs provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  I am an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate so I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase through one of my links


Book, Beast, and Crow
Pub Date: March 12, 2024 (Quill Tree Books)
Genre: YA Fantasy

🔗Book Links:

✍️Also by this author: The Grave Keepers

▪️Synopsis:
Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jersey—where frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban-legend-like beast who dwells in the walled-in swamp at the center of town—can have that effect on people. But for Anna, it’s more than that. Since she was a child, she’s been plagued by “episodes” where she sees things others can’t see. Feeling different is one thing, but actually being different is another. If it weren’t for her best friend, Olivia, Anna’s not sure where she’d fit in.

But any hopes of having a normal senior year come to a halt when Olivia is attacked in the woods, bitten, and left for dead by a whirling cyclone of claws, fur, and teeth. Though Olivia survives, a sinister entity makes it clear that the mark had been set on Anna…and the miss has set in motion a catastrophic shift that will change Anna and her friends’ lives forever.

With dashes of mythology, fantasy, and suspense, this genre-bending novel from Elizabeth Byrne will leave readers breathless.


My Thoughts:

This book took me forever to read. I found it interesting as I was reading it, but it took me forever to get through. I thought the story was fine, but nothing spectacular.

I would say this is definitely more of a fantasy than a horror story. I didn’t think any part of the book was scary. There’s an alternate world/reality, banshees, talking animals, and beasts. The alternate world had a Narnia-like feel to it.

I liked the friend group in this story, and I especially liked the strong friendship between Anna and Olivia. I enjoy stories that feature female friendships.

I felt the ending was a nice and satisfying conclusion. Overall, this was a decent read that I would recommend to fans of YA fantasy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Under This Red Rock
Pub Date: March 19, 2024 (Katherine Tegen Books)
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

✍️Also by this author: A Long Stretch of Bad Days, The Initial Insult 

▪️Synopsis:
Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble.

With a history of mental illness in her family, and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There she can find peace. There she can pretend to be normal. There . . . she meets Mila.

Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.

When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open, and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.

My Thoughts:

The two words I would use to describe this book are dark and disturbing. In “Under This Red Rock”, McGinnis tackles mental illness, SA, suicide, trauma, death, grief, murder, and the darker side of human nature. I love McGinnis’s writing and I’m always excited when she releases a new book. Her writing is so unique and immersive, and her characters are raw and complex.

This was a dark and bleak read that left me feeling sad. There are so many heavy topics explored and it was hard to read certain parts. I thought Neely was an interesting main character, the ultimate unreliable narrator. She has an undiagnosed mental illness where she has auditory and visual hallucinations. She often has a distorted sense of reality. Could she have been responsible for her new friend’s death? The murder mystery in this book kept me guessing until the end.

This wasn’t my all time favorite book by McGinnis, but I would still recommend it to YA mystery lovers. If you liked McGinnis’s other books, you’ll most likely enjoy this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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Thanks For Reading!

Monday, March 4, 2024

Mini Book Reviews: The Devil and Mrs. Davenport, Listen For The Lie, One Last Breath

 



Check out my thoughts on 3 new releases below!  All 3 books are available on March 5, 2024.


*eARCs provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  I am an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate so I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase through one of my links


The Devil and Mrs. Davenport
Pub Date: March 5, 2024 (Lake Union Publishing)
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Mystery

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

✍️Also by this author: The Witch of Tin Mountain | Parting the Veil

▪️Synopsis:
The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the voices.
Missouri, 1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquillity—until a local girl is murdered and Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination. Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening. Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse.
With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work. As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead, Loretta must first save herself.


My Thoughts:

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport revolves around a seemingly content 1950s housewife whose life turns chaotic when she starts having visions of a murdered girl. As if life wasn’t scary enough for a woman back then, the main character in this story starts to experience terrifying visions, all while enduring physical and emotional abuse from her husband. There were parts in this story that made me so angry. The way Loretta was treated by her husband and society was horrible. I thought Loretta was a strong and likable character. It was hard at times to read about what she had to experience.

I definitely recommend this book, especially to lovers of historical fiction and paranormal fiction. I loved the author’s writing and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Listen For The Lie
Pub Date: March 5, 2024 (Celadon Books)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

✍️Also by this author: All These Monsters, Ruined

▪️Synopsis:

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it


My Thoughts:

This was an extremely interesting mystery thriller. I loved the podcast element and I definitely want to listen to the audiobook version soon. I think this will be an entertaining audiobook.
 
The mystery was compelling and I had a fun time trying to figure everything out. I liked the main character, but I loved the MC’s grandmother (she was hilarious!). There were some things that I predicted but other moments that I did not see coming.
 
I definitely recommend this book, especially to mystery/thriller lovers. I look forward to reading more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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One Last Breath
Pub Date: March 5, 2024 (G.P. Putnam Sons Books for Young Readers)
Genre: YA Mystery, Thriller

⚠️Check out content warnings here

🔗Book Links:

✍️Also by this author: Dark and Shallow LiesSecrets So Deep

▪️Synopsis:

Mount Orange, Florida, is famous for two things.

The spectre of Bailey and Celeste's murders cast a permanent darkness over sunny Mount Orange. Tru has always lived in that shadow. Sometimes, it seems like she knows the long-dead Bailey, feels the dead girl in her bones. Now she's supposed to head to FSU in the fall with her boyfriend, but those unsolved murders - and the death of her own sister - invade her every thought. It’s only in the shadowy deep, 100 feet below the surface of Hidden Glen Springs, that she can breathe.

When a strange girl named Rio rolls into town, hell-bent on figuring out who killed Bailey and Celeste, Tru can't resist entangling herself in the thrill of solving the decades old mystery any more than she can resist her familiar, aching attraction to Rio.

As the summer heat ignites, so does the spark between Tru and Rio...along with their other-worldy connection to Bailey and Celeste. But when someone begins stalking them, the girls become convinced the killer is back in town. And if they keep digging into the past, Tru and Rio know this time, it could be their blood that makes the springs run red.

My Thoughts:

I am bummed that I didn’t like this book. The premise sounded so good, but this story just fell flat for me. The mystery was pretty interesting in the beginning, but I guessed who the killer was early on in the story. I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters and I just didn’t care what happened to any of them by end of the book. There was a heavy focus on the main character’s romantic relationships and I couldn’t care less about that stuff. There were some supernatural elements which I loved and I wish there were more of those moments in the story. 

If you enjoy young adult mystery thrillers, you might like this book, but this book was not for me.


⭐️⭐️

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Thanks For Reading!