I wasn't a fan of the whole being linked to emotions concept. So I may have to come back to this one...

First, I wanted to read this because of the whole mythological aspect. It had me at War God! I also absolutely loved the prequel short story!

Theo and Cassia, what can I say? I loved them! Theo was a complex character that slowly built his way into my heart while Cassia ripped it out from the beginning with her incredible strength. Their chemistry was great! 

I could feel each and every emotion with Cassia when she became a sacrifice. From there I followed an intriguing story that I wasn't able to put down. The book swept me in from the beginning with the writing and world building and didn't let go until the very last page! 

Oh, I really liked this one! I loved the werewolf concept—it felt original and unique and all around cool!

As characters go, Mercy was a strong and fierce thirteen-year-old girl. I mean, seriously, she was one tough cookie with extra chocolate chips! She was smart, quick thinking, and did what needed to be done.

This was a quick read with great writing that felt more developed than some of the six hundred page books I have read. It also had The Walking Dead type vibe of a setting, minus the whole zombie thing!

What the heck just happened? I have found this whole series addicting with its craziness. I absolutely loved Easton’s last book with his screwed up self! But this one still left me with questions. The book felt rushed. There was one part that I wasn’t expecting, though. But with all the things that were going on, it all felt too hunky dory! I was expecting Easton’s demons to be super dark in this one based on the last book, and for Hartley to help him battle them. Instead, it became a Lifetime meets Hallmark movie!!

I thought this was a pretty good start to the series and had an original feel to it. Anouk and four other "beasties" live together with a witch who gave them human form. After finding the witch murdered, Anouk and the other beasties leave their home. Anouk has never been out of the house, and I found her quite adorable in certain parts as she learned her way. There was also mystery: who killed the witch, where was one of the missing beasties, and will they be able to stop from turning back into animals?

There was also a cute side romance. It wasn't a big part of the book, but I found Beau quite cute and protective at times. He also made me mad at times, too! But I liked him and Anouk together.

Overall, the writing is well done and the descriptions were on point. I'm curious to see what happens next as it does end on a cliffhanger.

I'm hungry for the red velvet cake!

These stories all had their witchiness! But as with almost all the short story anthologies I have read: you have the good, the bad, and the middle man that I’ll call Sam, because I like that name. I definitely preferred the ones that weren’t modern day. And I did expect more from this, but if you like witchy business then I’m sure there will be some here that will be your cup of tea... milk... soda... or whatever the heck it is you drink!!

I really enjoyed the fun vibe of this one. Quirky main character in a town full of Stepford Wives weirdness, check. So that’s right up my alley! I read this one pretty quickly to try and figure out what the heck was up with this town! I was hoping for a spoonful of darkness to be revealed and while that didn’t quite happen, there were still unexpected things! I also liked that these teens felt like real teens! The romance evolves at a pace that felt real in the high school world, and I loved the 90’s nostalgia!

I absolutely loved Leech's other Wait For Me, so this one looked just as good. Plus there were lumberjills and lumberjacks!

What I love most about Leech's contemporaries is the setting. The 1940's is a great escape from the modern day world of today where teens spend the majority of their time  staring at a phone screen. These teens from before are ones to look up to and respect with all the hardwork and hardships they had to deal with, and they didn't take anything for granted. I have an eight-year-old, and I'm pretty fearful of the world of today where teens feel everything is owed to them.

I felt Maisie was a strong character, and I liked the romance between her and John, but she didn't put up with his crap when he wasn't letting her in. Yet she was there for him when he needed it. John felt real. His struggles were real. The more you learn about him, the more you understand why he is the way he is. And even though it was during the 1940's, what he faces is still happening today.

This book is not a fluffy contemporary, it's strong and well written. I'm hoping that Leech writes more from this era because it's fabulous.

I absolutely loathe middle grade books for the most part with the exception of a couple of books including Furthermore. I find them not gritty enough, however, I'm fine with like children's picture books. Yes, this book was dark... yeah darkly awesome. People need to calm down. Did anyone not read Scary Stories back in elementary school? That pretty much had cannibalism going down! Lol! I have an eight-year-old myself who has already read all the Harry Potter books, so I would have no problem with her reading this.

I feel like kids that haven't had the best upbringing could also relate to the main character, because she has had a hard life herself. The struggle is displayed very well through Mafi's beautiful words. The originality and world is what had me captivated the entire book.

My one request is dear God let their be a YA book or NA book on these characters!!

Review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/2017/11/23/review-whichwood/