A haunted escape room, four contestants, and the murder that impacts them all.The story revolves around the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room that allows the actors to touch and do what they want to you. The house is famous for offering $60,000 to teams of 4 people who complete each room without using the safe word, and the fact that only one group has ever one. in 1997, one team makes it to the final room, and before finishing a man breaks into the house and brutally murders one of the contestants. The story is told from court transcripts after the murder, from the rooms as the contestants progress, and through various POVs that lead up to the murder. There is commentary on racism, identity, sexism, and so much more. It’s a lot, I went into it expecting a sort of horror/thriller mystery but it was just a bit more bleak and slow paced than what I had wanted. The story is told from the perspectives of Kendra (Bryan’s cousin who works at the house), Leonard Grandton, a hotel manager with links to the house, and Jaidee Charoensuk, a contestant and international student from Thailand. There are some horror-esque chapters and the retelling of certain events certainly does intrigue, but overall it was a bit repetitive and dragging. Overall, sadly this one just did not work for me.

A Detective Inspector, a art collector who is supposed to be dead, and a luxury liner en route to New York. This is the fourth book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone, to note, I read this as a standalone and have not read any of the previous books before. The story starts off with DCI Warwick on a cruise, spending some time with his wife on their holiday trip, however he is dragged back into solving a murder on board (what can I say, these things have a way of finding people sometimes haha). DCI Warwick is part of the new Unsolved murders Unit ( a cold case squad that is dedicated to catching the criminals no one else can). His team each has their own particularly cases and the story is told from different POVs including that of the main villain, Miles Faulkner ( art collector who faked his death). There are many cases told in this story and it definitely gives off a collection of short stories vibe. The ending is a bit rushed but it does wrap up the book and case. While I didn’t particularly connect with any of the characters and found many cases and characters to sort of blend and not really make me care for them, maybe that’s just my case. Definitely give this book a go if you liked the the other books in the series.

Being a perfectionist isn’t always the best...especially when it lands you in trouble. Elfie Oster is getting a fresh start at the Hampshire Academy, a start to make new friends and to have the perfect school experience, but immediately on the first day she finds that she is getting expelled. Now Elfie has to go back to her old school where she doesn’t have friends and feels like no one likes her. This is the start of Elfie finding herself and understanding that imperfection is also an okay thing. It’s a cute story about understanding how things aren’t always as they seem and sometimes we just have to take a closer look and open ourselves up.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Shadi is dealing with a lot right now, from the fact that she is living in a time (2003) when the US has officially declared war on Iraq, hate crimes rising, FBI agents inflitrating local mosques, and the Muslim community being harrassed and targieted.... she just wants to keep a low profile. To top it off her best friend has cut her out of her life, the death of her brother has torn her family apart, her father is sick, her mother is falling apart, and her relationship with her ex-best friend/crush is straining. Shadi is in extreme emotional turmoil, dealing with the sadness, the anxiety, and the stress that is taking a physical toll on her. Her world is crumbling and she is just trying to navigate through the various relationships of her life while finding some sort of stability. This book explores the tumultuous pains of dealing with grief, finding your identity, and falling in love in a time where things are difficult. The ending was a bit abrupt and I would have liked an epilogue or two more chapters to sort of wrap up everything that has happened in the book, especially with her relationship with her family, her ex best friend, and even her love interest Ali. Ali was a sweet character and the care he has for Shadi throughout was sweet. The depiction of grief impacting Shadi and her family was well depicted and the pain is visceral. The regret, the loss, and the way that each of the family member dealt with their grief was well shown. Overall, this was a nice read that explores grief and I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for an emotional read.

Like the title of the book this story is exactly like a kaleidoscope, with so many facets and fractures all mixed into one. The heart of this story is about two people, their bond, and the nature of grief and love that lingers between them. Originally this is a children’s/middle grade level book but I definitely think it would work for an older audience too. It’s a bit confusing and at the same time there is something just so whimsical and magical about it. It has fractures between reality and fantasy, and portrayals of emotions. It’s filled with gorgeous artwork that is also shown as if examined through a kaleidoscope.

Melody McIntyre is a stage manager for her high school’s theater and she is determined to put on the best plays... to the point where her and her crew rigidly follow all the superstitions... including the newest one which is that Melody is not allowed to date or fall in love with anyone until after their newest play is done. They believe that every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end up catastrophically. Melody agrees to this new rule... except when Odile Rose, the rising star in the acting world who is back in town, auditions for the play and soon Melody and Odile find themselves falling for each other. Too bad everyone on the crew is determined to keep them apart and more and more things are going wrong, and now Melody is starting to think the curse is real and that she might have to actually break up with Odile, despite her growing feelings. This story is heavy on the theater kids aspect, and filled with theater stuff such as call sheets, emails, planning, schedules, and so forth to add a bit of emersion into the story. It dragged on for a bit and despite being a theater kid myself, I just found it a bit exaggerated and kind of infuriating what Melody was allowing to dictate her own love life and the fact that these superstitions were getting a bit out of hand. I also found Melody to not be that likable as a character, and the only person I actually liked throughout this 400+ story was Odile. She did not deserve what happened to her. All the other characters got on my nerves, especially with how they treated not only each other but also Melody and Odile, and how Melody just never really did anything. She kind of let herself get walked on by her entire crew and it just got to the point where I definitely thought Odile deserved better. I was so excited to read a theater kid rom com with sapphic love interests... but it definitely did not live up to my expectations.

A new take on the classic tale of Rapunzel, particularly the newest Disney version with our favorite rogue Flynn. The story asks... what if instead of the sundrop flower that had all healing abilities... Rapunzel was impacted by the moondrop flower that destroys, even kills everything. Rapunzel is now considered a danger to her family and even the kingdom and is sent off to live with a caretaker... aka Mother Gothel. However this Mother Gothel has much more sinister plans than simply using Rapunzel’s hair to maintain her youth. Rapunzel is still determined to see the floating lantern lights on her birthday but as the events went, Mother Gothel is having none of that. Cue a mysterious crown stealing thief who catches Rapunzel’s eye, especially his wanted poster. Now Rapunzel will need to team up with Flynn and her new friend Gina in order to not only see the floating lights but to uncover her identity, her “mother”s intentions, and survive the upcoming journey. This is told from the perspective of a brother retelling the story to his sister who is in the hospital. It was definitely a unique take on the story and had a much darker undertone. I did enjoy Flynn and the sweet moments between them. I did like the addition of Gina as a best friend for Rapunzel. I found the book to be an enjoyable take on the disney version and would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney-Hyperion for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Get Out meets Gossip Girl.... sign me up! Niveus Private Academy is the school to be at, where the top of the top go, where perfection is at. Money fills the halls, but for two students, they’re about to find out that this school is not as perfect as it seems. Devon is a talented musician who comes from a poor home and lives in a place where if he was outed for being gay he could be beaten up daily or even killed. Chiamaka is popular, beautiful, smart, and determined to get into her dream college, but she has a deep dark secret that could destroy everything she’s worked for and even send her to prison. Both Devon and Chiamaka are the only black students in a school filled with white students. When a new principal comes to the school, something strange happens, an anonymous texter calling themselves “Aces” starts revealing Devon and Chiamaka’s dark secrets to everyone.. and just theirs. School becomes a dangerous place and soon both of them must figure out what is happening and who is doing this to them before it’s too late and they won’t make it out of this school year alive.... filled with suspense, secrets, and consequences this was such an interesting read. It had me invested til the end and it definitely was a thrilling read!

Picking up where Raven (1) and Beastboy (1) left off the two have finally met in his story! Featuring a few unexpected cameos and a very unexpected addition to the cast, this was a fun mesh of the story. I have always been a huge Teen Titans fan from the t.v. show to the new Justice League and comics. While I absolutely adored the artwork and the cute insta-love between Raven and Gar... and of course the little cameos of the other titans... my one big gripe was

Spoiler

*Damien*, yes you heard me... Damien Wayne/Al-Ghul. While the story has him aged up and definitely changes a lot of his characteristics, he seemed more Dick (Robin) than Damien version of Robin. I adore the bat boys, and Damien is one of my favorite robins, from the bratty, hostile, and volatile personality to the soft side he reserves for his love of animals. This Damien just doesn’t feel like Damien. Normally I’m pretty fine with different takes on characters but the changes seemed pretty drastic to the point where all the things I adored about Damien just weren’t really there.

So despite this one particular point, I did love the continuation of the story and can’t wait to see where the gang heads next and would love to see the other titans join too. I have always had a soft spot for Raven and Gar and this book definitely hits all the points when it comes to them. It’s a cute read and the story picks up pretty well. Definitely check it out!

*Thanks Netgalley and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

In a world where there is a massive labyrinth built in order to protect an isolated desert town one girl is about to wander into it in order to rescue her friend. This town is separated by “Blanks” and “Skilled”, blanks being people with no powers and skilled being people with abilities. If you are a blank you are viewed as lower class and essentially hated and mistreated by the other skilled. Zadie is a blank and has had to work as an indentured servant since the age of 6 in order to buy a pass to live in the town. Growing up her best friend is Landon, a skilled, popular, and beautiful boy loved by the town and known as the town’s hero. The labyrinth is known to be filled with monsters and a particularly skilled and feared boy known as the Devil of the town, also named Dex, is someone who has vast amounts of power but lives in the labyrinth. He is feared and dangerous and is known for trying to kidnap blanks into the labyrinth. However after Landon goes missing Zadie makes it her mission to enter into the labyrinth and she needs Dex to help guide her through it as he is the only one who knows it. Soon she uncovers secrets and finds that maybe the boy known as the devil isn’t as evil as he seems and maybe her best friend isn’t as heroic as he appears. This story started off pretty slow for me and maintained a slow pace and ends with a bit of a big open ending. It definitely leaves a LOT of room for more and seems as if there would be a sequel to the story. It kinda just ends at a cliffhanger. I couldn’t find myself caring for much of the characters and tried really hard to connect to Zadie. I did like Dex and felt sympathetic to what he had to go through and what he has to do in order to try and save his sister. In fact, I was more invested in Dex than any of the other characters. The whole Landon thing was meh at best for me. While this didn’t work for me, maybe it’ll work for someone else.