debbilynn42's Reviews (654)

A bit too predictable for my liking, and the story moved so slowly! I could see the twists coming already at 35% of the way in, and it took forever for things to unfold. 

This was a fun ensemble cast mystery as we follow the residents of Marigold Cottages as they navigate life and the aftermath of a Murder on their property. With the many different resident POVs, plus the Detective, it can take a while to settle into the dynamics of this eclectic group of people. In the end though, we see them pull together to support not only their beloved landlady, Mrs B, but also integrating their lives together into a community. Both mysterious and heartfelt, this was a nice cozy mystery to unravel along with them.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC for my review.

Unfortunately, neither the romance nor the Olympus politics plot captured my attention nor did either carry the book. I think if Icarus and Poseidon's dynamics played out over more elapsed time it might have worked for me, but instead it felt like insta-love without us having enough time to develop Poseidon's character. I'll still finish out the series since I've come this far, but the overarching plot is already feeling overly drawn out.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC for my review.

This was a powerful story of finding and maintaining a sense of community even when facing unwanted changes from the perspective of a teenager. 

I found the format of the novel in verse to take some getting used to, especially trying to keep track of the conversations and dialogue. 

Thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC for my review. 

The story starts slow, but the tension builds until the final page. I found the characters appropriately written for their age and circumstances, and the story did keep me engaged throughout.

I was both grateful and bummed by the content warnings at the beginning. I probably wouldn't have requested this book if I'd known of these subjects, but in the end they weren't as prominent as I'd feared they could have been. Unfortunately some were also spoilers for the story twists ahead, especially as people were eliminated but some of those plot points hadn't come up yet, so it made the ending more predictable. 

In the end, a better read than anticipated, but still not the perfect book for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC for my early review.