Force of Nature by Jane Harper is a suspenseful story filled to the brim with twists and turns that will get you on a thought path that winds up as far from the truth as these women were from their hiking path!

I have to admit, when I heard that The Dry was going to be a series, I was very hesitant. I thought The Dry was incredible as a standalone and I was nervous that the second book wouldn't live up to my expectations.

I'm so happy to say that this one surpassed my expectations! I actually enjoyed this book more than the first. I loved every second of it and really struggled to put it down! And of course, now I want to go back and re-read the first one again!

Right away this synopsis totally grabbed me. When I finally got my hands on a copy and read the first paragraph of the prologue... I knew I was in for a treat:

Later, the four remaining women could fully agree on only two things.
One: No one saw the bushland swallow up Alice Russell.
And two: Alice had a mean streak so sharp it could cut you.

I enjoyed seeing Aaron Falk back in action! I found the feelings I had about Falk to be totally different from the first book. In The Dry, I felt like I couldn't really trust Falk. There was just something a bit off about him that I couldn't put my finger on. However, in this book, I was much more trusting of him and I was very excited to learn what had occurred between the two books. We got a bit of a glimpse, but he's still a bit of a mystery himself.

The book had more of a creepy tone when compared to The Dry, and of course I loved that! The way that the chapters were organized was so wonderfully done. This can be the kiss of death with a lot of books for me, but this organization added to the suspense and mystery. I really enjoyed when the two main story perspectives merged early on, and I was so anxious to see how both of the storylines would turn out in the end!

Toward the end, the book was nearly impossible to put down. I loved that the chapters that switched between present day and the previous few days got shorter and shorter to flip back and forth faster as the action picked up and we got closer to solving the mystery.

While there were a few mentions in regard to Falk's hand that had suffered from burns, and one additional scene toward the end, this second novel was written in a way that didn't rely too much on the previous book. I've found that this is something that I really love about some series! After all, as much as I promise myself I'll re-read the first book in preparation of reading the second book, that rarely happens. But with this one, I was able to dive right in and didn't waste any time questioning things.

This novel was written so well in my opinion. I truly loved everything about it; the theme of being lost in the wilderness, the cattiness of the coworkers, the sense of dread, the drama and fighting, and of course the mystery of trying to figure out what happened. As I stated in my opening sentence, Jane Harper has an excellent way of adding in details in such a perfect order... one minute you think you have everything figured out, but then you're given another tiny bit of information and you're thinking, "Oh now I think I know what happened!" But then it happens again and you're off on a different path!


My favorite passages:
"...Alice could start a fight in an empty room..."

Her stomach lurched as hope was snatched away like a rug pulled from under her feet.


My final thoughts:
I absolutely loved this read. I'm totally sold now on this being a series. I cannot wait to see what Jane Harper does next!

If you enjoy crime thrillers or books about being lost in the wilderness, I highly recommend this one!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn is a very stressful suspense novel filled with twists and turns, some of which you may see coming and some that will totally shock you!

Be warned: This book is incredibly addicting!

The beginning of this novel dragged just a bit while we settled into the story. But even so, I thought it was an addicting read from the very start! And the action picked up soon enough!

The main character was one that I liked and disliked equally from very early on. Overall, I thought her agoraphobia was explained pretty well and I really felt for her there, but I had a really hard time reading about her mixing alcohol and pills. Of course the main character did mention how stupid it was and it was clearly included to help the plot along, but it was very difficult for me to read.

I thought all of the side characters were interesting! I enjoyed learning more about each of them, even if their involvement was rather light.

I absolutely loved the writing style. A.J. Finn is a very talented writer! While reading, I had picked up on a few things here and there that I had a feeling would show up again later. Sure enough, I was able to predict a couple of the reveals. However, the reveals and twists that totally blindsided me greatly outnumbered the ones I had guessed. Bravo, A.J. Finn!

I also really enjoyed that when things started being revealed, so many other things became more obvious. Unfortunately, I don't dare give any examples because I want everyone reading this to be able to fully appreciate each reveal. So I'll just say that I cannot wait to go back and re-read this book to see if I can pick up on more little hints that the author dropped throughout!


My favorite passages:
Some nights I haunt her room like a ghost. Some days I stand in the doorway, watch the slow traffic of dust motes in the sun. Some weeks I don’t visit the fourth floor at all, and it starts to melt into memory, like the feel of rain on my skin.

“Thanks.” He clears his throat, coughs. “Sorry,” he says, sipping his water. “I’m allergic to cats.”
I stare at him. “Why didn’t you say so?” I glare at the cat.
“He’s so friendly. I didn’t want to offend him.”

I took the ice bucket from the minibar beneath the television, walked into the corridor, spotted an old Luma Comfort model humming in an alcove a few steps away. “You sound like a mattress,” I inform it.


My final thoughts:
A must-read for fans of character-driven light thrillers that will keep you guessing! This is a book that you can pick up and get totally lost in.

Like I said above, I already cannot wait to re-read this one to pick up on things I had missed the first time around! This is another great thriller that I would love to see turned into a film!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert was one of my most anticipated releases for January 2018. While the synopsis sounded really interesting, it was a miss for me.

While reading, I was never hooked. I unfortunately wasn't even that interested. I didn't like the characters, the plot fell flat, and I didn't care for the writing style. The pacing was also a bit difficult to keep up with. Some bits dragged on, some felt super rushed, and others were wicked jumpy.

There were so many times that I found myself skimming because I was bored. I should have called it when I realized that I didn't want to pick the book back up whenever I took a break from reading. But of course, I was stubborn and I pushed through.

I don't necessarily regret taking the time to read it. There were a few passages I enjoyed. But overall, this is unfortunately a very forgettable book for me. It hasn't even been 24 hours since I finished reading it and I feel like I'm already struggling to remember anything about it.


My favorite passages:
Because if you’ve spent your whole life running, how do you learn to stand still?

My stepsister was a sexy, zaftig motormouth who made me feel like an awkward breadstick.

An old woman wearing fur and pearly lipstick tried to scowl at me, but Botox took all the mean out of it.

My own nerves were raw as rope, almost rubbed through.

The dodgy pronouns still had me convinced I was walking right into Ron Weasley's worst nightmare.


My final thoughts:
I can definitely see why some people love this book. But this one just wasn't for me.

The King of Average by Gary Schwartz is a story filled with adventure, a talking goat and other intriguing characters, and locations with very interesting names. This book was also packed with lessons about growing up and figuring out your purpose.
I loved the plot of self-discovery. For a middle grade novel, this topic is certainly very important!

The characters were all so fun and different! For example, there was Mayor Culpa, a "scapegoat" that took the blame for everything. And there was Monsieur William Roget, the optimist, and Kiljoy, the pessimist, who were constantly trying to make the situation better or worse, depending. There were also the Nervous Nellies and the Ninnies, both tribes of very small people. How fun!

The overall location, the Realm of Possibility, was so interesting to me! I loved that the names of the regions were all titled in the same fashion. There was the Flatterlands, Eureka, Lake Superior, Epiphany, the Unattainables, and so on, each of which had it's own positive or negative connotation. Eureka was one of my favorites! I loved that in this region you could literally go into a mine and dig for what you were seeking.

Overall, the play on words was by far my favorite element! It was so much fun to learn about new people or locations. This book was certainly very well thought out, and it shows in the writing!


My favorite passages:
A real live goat! The neighborhood had its share of dogs and cats, but never any farm animals. Especially one in fancy clothes!

Somehow, in a flicker of an instant, everything had changed.

His shiny black mustache was well groomed and thin. It was tightly wound and waxed at the ends, so much so that it looked like checkmarks framing the man's long nose.

"Giddyap!" said James.
"What's 'giddyap'?" asked the mayor.
"It's how we tell animals to get a move on where I come from," explained James.
"Oh," said the mayor. "We just say 'let's go.'"
"Well, let's go, then," said James, urging the goat forward.

The butterflies in his stomach were zooming around like jet planes.

Did giving voice to you innermost desires make things happen? If so, he'd consider saying a lot more things.

"Wwrawwk! How should I know? I'm no fortune-teller!" said the bird. "I'm instinctual."
"You can say that again!" said Kiljoy, pinching his nose. "Phewww-wee!"

James watched him pull back into his shell like a stubborn turtle, refusing to hear another word n the subject.

James took a sip of juice and sighed. He just was. And, for the moment, that was enough.


My final thoughts:
Overall, I did enjoy this read. I really loved the names of the groups of characters as well as the locations. I appreciated all of the lessons and such, but unfortunately I think I was just too far outside of the target audience to really love this one. Of course, that being said, if I had picked this up when I was younger, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

If you're looking for a great book for a middle-grade reader, I would definitely recommend this one! I know it will definitely be one that I recommend from time to time when someone is looking for a book at this level!

The synopsis of Tales of the Lost by Richard Howard states: This collection will not disappoint.

After picking up this book and being totally captivated by the tales inside, I can confirm that statement. This collection of tales is absolutely incredible.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

When I go into a collection of stories, I'm always a bit hesitant. I usually rate each story individually, and those ratings are usually all over the place. And as you all know, I am very stingy with my five star ratings. But with this collection...

I was blown away by this collection of tales. I loved that each story was about being lost in one form or another, and yet each story was so unique! Each tale was so wonderfully written. The pacing and plot of each were so well done and the characters were perfectly developed for their tale. I really loved that a few of the stories came full circle, which I am a total sucker for. Many of the stories also had twists that totally threw me for a loop or made me gasp. More than once, when I finished a story that had a twist, I had to set the book down to really digest the story.

In many of the tales, the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I just love when authors drop in a sentence like this: He looked over the brief introduction he’d just written for a talk he was due to deliver in London two weeks later ~ a talk he would never give.

Below are my reviews and quick notes for each story. There are verrrrrrry slight spoilers, so feel free to skip through to the end.

Blood Moon
I LOVED this story! It was a bit suspenseful and unnerving as I anxiously waited to see what happened. When the story came to it’s conclusion, I stopped and closed the book. I wanted to stand up and clap. I adore stories that are organized this way. The paranormal twist was also fun!
5/5

The House Of Dreams
What an interesting idea! I loved the premise of this one and that the story took a turn that I totally wasn’t expecting!
4/5

Mirage
Stories set in harsh environments always make me so nervous! This one was so thrilling! Loved that there was a use of repetition that really put an awesome twist into the story!
5/5

The Kiss
This is definitely one of the best vampire short stories I have read. I loved the plot and the pacing! It had just enough development to keep things interesting. And the ending!!
5/5

Dust
I love stories where wishes are granted. Especially when the result is rather spooky!
4/5

The Life And Purpose Of Mr Henry Dod
Trigger warning here: suicide. I almost skipped this one because of the topic… but I’m glad I didn’t. The end put a very interesting twist on things. While I was reading, the story really got my blood boiling, but the end was worth it.
4/5

Outrage
WOW! This one was so intense. A bit repetitive, but it made sense with the situation. I loved the ending!
5/5

Nemesis
Such a bittersweet tale! The beginning of the story wasn’t for me, but the second half was great!
4/5

Jump
Trigger warning again here: suicide. So dark!
3/5

It’s Only A Myth
I loved this one; it was equal parts intriguing and terrifying! I loved the references to myths throughout. And what a great set up for the ending!
5/5

Flora’s Return
This story was so suspenseful!! I loved the old fashioned horror vibe, and what awesome characters, both good and bad! And such a spooky plot!
5/5

Fight or Flight
Wow! This one totally hooked me. How terrifying and heartbreaking.
5/5

The Encounter
Oh! This one was equally terrifying and heartbreaking.
5/5


A few of my favorite passages:
In that instant, it mattered to me not which flight I took, so long as I could gain distance from whatever it was I now convinced myself was in pursuit of me.

She always began making her cup of tea at three o'clock. It was the habit of a lifetime and today would be no different.

Maybe even the dead need closure. The living certainly seem to. And maybe if one sees one's body left to rot in a field, there's a torment in that.


My final thoughts:
If you read through my ratings above, I'm sure you can already guess what my final rating will be :) This collection was absolutely incredible. I loved the majority of the stories so very much. There was only one story that was so-so for me simply because of the topic.

The stories in this collection are stories that will certainly be sticking with me for a long time. I will definitely be re-reading soon!

If you enjoy short stories of a wonderful variety that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you need to pick up this book!

When I first read the synopsis of Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of the book; it just screamed murderino!

But unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

Honestly, if I had known this was a trilogy, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. I was so frustrated with the pacing and then with the "To be continued..." at the end. Ugh. The very last page was so out of the blue it left me more annoyed than anything.

The characters also fell a bit short for me. I didn't like the main character much at all, so of course that put a major damper on my reading. But I also didn't care for any of the side characters either.

I thought the pacing was wicked slow and I found myself getting frustrated with that. There was also quite a bit of repetition and many errors with formatting and grammar that I noticed. On numerous occasions, I realized that I had no interest in picking the book back up when I had taken a break. But of course, I stubbornly pushed through.

The book didn't really interest me until I was very close to the end. But then, of course, when things started being revealed, it felt rushed and a bit sloppy to me. And then it just abruptly ended, much to my disappointment as I didn't know that this was a trilogy.

Overall, I think this is one that I enjoy the idea of more than I enjoy the actual work, unfortunately.

I'm on the fence with whether or not I'll continue with the series. Part of me is interested to find out what happened both in the current timeline and in the past, but a larger part of me just doesn't care. But who knows! Maybe I will read the second book and have better luck.

Let's end this one on a better note with some passages that I really enjoyed:

Let if go, for real. Go full Frozen.

Stevie had no fears of the dead. The living, however, sometimes gave her the creeps.

There is something about early mornings that changes your perceptions subtly. The light is new; no one has put on the defenses of the day. All is reset and not quite real yet.

Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry is a refreshingly original thriller that kept me totally captivated (but also incredibly nervous!) throughout. I just couldn't wait to see how this story played out!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this one, but holy cow! What a crazy ride! It was exciting and thrilling, but it was also a bit heartbreaking. All of the various elements that were included in the storyline were woven together so nicely. The plot was quite different from anything else I have read, which was very refreshing. Besides having a great idea behind it, it was also so wonderfully written! Examples can be seen in my favorite passages section below.

I also really enjoyed the characters. Each of the them were so perfectly developed for their roles. Of course we mainly focused in on Rain, as she was the main character. But for all of the supporting characters, I thought that the author gave us just enough information about each. I really loved that we saw a few chapters sprinkled in here and there that were from the other characters perspectives here and there, all of which were tales of Doctor Nine coming to them in dreams and then later being haunted by him.

Be warned, this book is very difficult to put down, especially when you get closer to the end!


Beware, the (slight) negatives:
Only two very brief negatives for me personally.

First, there were a couple of sexual scenes that seemed very unnecessary to me. I do understand why they were included, but eh. I think the story would have been better without them. Luckily they were very brief and the other sexual scenes were much better!

Second, the crack in the glasses on the cover doesn't align with any situation the glasses found themselves in in the story. It drives me crazy when these things don't line up. But this one was especially bad because I found myself imagining the glasses as they appeared on the cover and it kept throwing me off! I had to highlight this passages so I could keep going back to it when I had starting imagining the glasses as they appeared on the cover: They were old-fashioned, with horn-rims and a tiny hairline crack along the side of the left lens...


My favorite passages:
Her alarm clock always sounded like an outraged cricket. It yelled her awake and then seemed to dodge her flailing hand until she finally caught it and slapped it silent.

Every single one of them had walked away from a train wreck of their own making.

The usual neighborhood suspects loitered in doorways, hoods pulled up, hands in pockets, heads tracking to follow everything that moved. Some of them nodded to Rain; one guy called out a crude comment to Yo-Yo, but she fired back a suggestion that he go do something that was improbable, obscene, painful, and which involved close relatives and livestock.

The car vanished into the pale gloom, whipping curtains of heavy mist around it like something out of a horror movie.

The darkness is bigger now, thicker. It smells of old sweat and oily rags. She doesn't turn on the bedside light, because she knows it offers no protection, even against the darkness. When you turn on the lights, the dark things just hide behind chairs and under the bed frame. They don't really go away.

It was like watching smoke - always changing and yet always smoke. Waves were like that, she thought, and fire. Always moving, never the same, and yet constant in important ways.

It's no more real than feeling powerful by wearing a Batman costume at Halloween. You may look the part, but you're a long way from saving Gotham City.

Life is what you dream it is.


My final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I was so happy that it had a refreshing plot that kept me totally captivated throughout. I can't wait to read it again to pick up on foreshadowing that I may have missed during this first read.

I highly recommend this book to thriller fans who love character driven stories with very dark and interesting elements of the paranormal.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden was such a fun and beautifully written tale filled to the brim with magic, family, monsters, and darkness.

When I saw this was one of our book club options, I voted for it immediately. I had heard such great things about it! So when it won the overall vote for March, I went out and bought a copy immediately.

This book did not disappoint. In fact, I loved it so much that the minute I finished reading it, I jumped on my computer and ordered the second book and preordered the third! I cannot wait to read them both to see what happens next!

Right away I have to admit that it took me awhile to get really invested in the story. But phew... once I hit page 85, I was hooked! Up until that point, it seemed like there was just too much going on; there were so many characters that had two, three, or four names who were all doing different things as the years passed... So I found it a bit difficult to keep up. But after page 85, I struggled to put the book down!

There was a great focus on Russian mythology, a topic that I don't know very well. But this definitely got me interested! I cannot wait to read more in this area. The tales that were told within this novel were so interesting and dark! And we all know I'm a sucker for the darker tales!

The main focuses were on the story of Vasilisa the Beautiful, which I had only heard of once before, and Father Frost (Morocco), which I hadn't heard about at all. In this novel, we begin with a character named Dunya telling the tale of Father Frost to the family. This story really sets the stage wonderfully! If the book hadn't started with a tale with magical elements, I don't think I would have gotten on board with the plot as quickly. But as it was, when the magical things began to be more prominent, I was so excited to learn more!

I loved the focus on family and loyalty. But of course, with most fantasy stories, it was also bittersweet... but no spoilers here!

I really enjoyed the main character, Vasya. Right from her childhood, I found myself most interested in her storyline so I was thrilled to see that the focus really shifts to her later on. She was wonderfully unique in her world; tomboyish, outspoken, unyielding, brave, and a bit wild. Of course that didn't sit well with the local townsfolk, so there was a bit of unease there as well.

And the book design... I mean, look at that cover!! The script on the spine under the dust jacket was also lovely!

There are so many other things that I would love to discuss here, but I don't want to spoil the magic!


My favorite passages:
When the light struck her black hair it did not gleam bronze as Marina's had, but dark red, like garnets caught in the silky strands.

Fall came in a burst of glory that quickly faded to gray.


My final thoughts:
If you're a fan of tales that take an old tale and give it an awesome spin, I highly recommend this one! Even though I was a bit lost at the beginning, I'm so very excited to re-read it. I'm sure the first 84 pages will make much more sense to me now that I have all the characters down!

Of course because this story is a play on Vasilisa the Beautiful, I couldn't help but think about Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter. Both stories are incredibly interesting, and VERY different, so I would highly recommend checking them both out!

Hug Chickenpenny: The Panegyric of an Anomalous Child by S. Craig Zahler is a wonderfully bizarre but heartbreaking tale filled to the brim with symbolism.

This is one that you should not read alone! Trust me. You're going to want to talk about it! I'm so glad that this was the book pick for my work book club. We had such an amazing conversation about it.

Phew, what a read this was! No matter how long I've tried to organize my thoughts... I just keep wanting to type out the same things; this is definitely a very unique tale! So my apologies, my thoughts below are quite choppy!

Full disclosure, I didn't actually read the synopsis before I started reading the book. Reading it now, I highly doubt I would have given this book a chance if I had. My coworker, April, had told me that it was pretty dark but really interesting. But other than that, I had no idea what I was getting myself into...

Hug is such an amazing character! I couldn't move forward with this review without shouting that out! He is a character that I know will stick with me for a long time to come. Hug was so unique and otherworldly. Right from the synopsis you can tell that he doesn't have an easy life. But no matter what was thrown his way, he remained hopeful and positive. Needless to say, he was a character that I really rooted for! And I just loved that he went around saying, "Don't be mean."

I don't want to dive into all of the symbolism and spoil things, but I will say that my favorite element was the amethyst. During our book club chat, I looked up what amethyst has symbolized throughout history, and each explanation totally fit into to the story! There were also elements added into the tale that seemed wildly inappropriate, but created wonderful talking points!

Saying that I "enjoyed" this book doesn't really fit. I started out very confused and from there, things got more and more peculiar as the events of Hug's life unfolded. Some of the situations he was forced into made me cringe or got my blood boiling. Other situations were very strange. But some were enjoyable and quite lovely!


Beware, the negatives:
My two main complaints are centered around repetition and flow. The writing was a bit repetitive at times, though it did seem to be done on purpose. It's just my usual reading irk! As for the organization of the storyline, it just felt so choppy, especially in the beginning as Hug grew up. I found it really difficult to gauge how much time had passed.


My favorite passage:
Floorboards slammed into her left hip and outstretched palms. For a moment, the dull thud of her arrival echoed throughout the library.


My final thoughts:
This was such a quick read! It's definitely one to read over a weekend because you won't want to put it down. While I didn't really enjoy it, per say, I do definitely appreciate the story and I can see myself re-reading it for sure!

This book reminded me of the bittersweetness of A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. So if you enjoy novels that are a bit strange and frustrating, you will love this one!

Sentinels of the Stone by T.L. Branson is yet another amazing short story inspired by the world and characters of the upcoming release of the first book in the Soul Stones series, Soul Render.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

In this story, we meet Riley, a princess who is given something very valuable from her mother, the Queen of Berxley. Protecting this item is crucial, but little does Riley know, her life is about to change... Alexander Drygo is closing in. Luckily, Ocken is there acting as the sentinel and he is focused on protecting Riley.

Oh. My. Goodness... This is another story that certainly starts with a bang! I love the way that T.L. Branson is able to totally captivate readers with just a couple of the opening sentences! Right from the first few lines, I was hooked. This is definitely something that you're going to want to dedicate an hour or so to, because you will not want to put it down.

What a rollercoaster of emotion! I was afraid, heartbroken, hopeful, thrilled, and so very anxious throughout. Even spending just a short amount of time with Riley, I immediately loved her. She's another character that I would love to see come back in other works!

The pacing was perfect and the storyline flowed so well! I didn't want it to end!