Starry Messenger by Ethan Howard, the first book in the Opportvnvs Adest series, was an interesting combination of romance, spirituality, science fiction, and, of course, the battle between good and evil.

This one wasn't exactly in my wheelhouse, but I did enjoy the read!

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.

While this one wasn't wasn't super in my wheelhouse, I still found it quite interesting! The author certainly added in a number of elements that really got me thinking.

I really enjoyed the main characters and Quentin was especially interesting. I liked that as a reader we got to see his internal struggle as he tried to adjust to his human form.

If you think a sci-fi novel centered around a relationship that is heavy on spirituality sounds interesting, then this will definitely be your cup of tea!

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins is a YA Horror novel that you won't want to read if you're home alone...

Whenever I see a book labeled YA Horror, I'm always a bit hesitant. However, with this book... it had way more gore than I was expecting! Phew! Many of the descriptions were actually quite brutal! I enjoyed seeing how each victim was left after the killer was done with them, as dark as that sounds! Yikes! But it just showed how much thought went into each killing, even though from the outside, each attack seemed so random.

The overall premise also really creeped me out. I don't want to give anything away about that aspect, but I will say that it had a bit of the Golden State Killer feel to it... and not going to lie, I totally lost sleep overthinking this book one night when I had been up late reading!

I didn't love the characters, but I did find them interesting. I wish Makani had been just a little less selfish, but it did work with her teenage persona!


Beware, the negatives:
My main irk was about the massive build up for Makani's big secret. This was hinted at so frequently that I thought it was going to be something really intense. But I have to say, the reveal was a bit of a let down.

There was quite a bit of repetitiveness, but that was mainly in regard to Makani's big secret, her fearful thoughts, and the POV's overlap every now and again.

I also didn't super care for the romance, but of course, with YA there just has to be an angsty, miscommunication-filled romance. I will say that it wasn't too overdone, however, and it did really work well with the story overall.

The ending... I was enjoying how quickly everything was happening. I felt like I was totally caught up in a whirlwind of suspense and gore, but then I turned the page fully expecting to see more, but there wasn't anything there... It was just too abrupt for me.


My favorite passages:
The thought churned inside Makani’s stomach like a rotten apple.

They talked for hours. Until Makani’s hands were cramped from gripping her phone and even the singing crickets had gone to bed.

Makani peered over her grandmother’s shoulder and out the large window that looked across their front lawn. She scanned the yards for the boogeyman, the Babadook, Ted Bundy. The street was empty.

Her attacker – it was intolerable for her to think his name right now – had reduced her to a child afraid of the dark. She wanted her stuffed animals. Perhaps they could have kept her tethered to these more simple fears as opposed to her current reality.

It felt chillingly empty without the tick of the grandfather clock. The heart of the house was dead.


My final thoughts:
Overall, this book really creeped me out! I loved how terrifying it was as the characters tried to figured out the killer's motive. Equally terrifying was how the killer moved around and what he did before he killed; that bit scared me the most!

However, I could have done without a lot of the elements that put this book firmly into the YA genre. Even so, this was still a great read! I would definitely recommend it if you're a fan of YA Horror with quite a bit of gore.

New Hampshire Book of the Dead: Graveyard Legends and Lore by Roxie J. Zwicker is such an interesting and well written collection of tales from the beautiful state of New Hampshire.

When I saw this book sitting on a shelf at Deadwicks in Portsmouth, New Hampshire while on my bachelorette party trip, I just had to snag it!

The introduction drew me right in! I loved that I the author touched on why she visits cemeteries and how important it is to remember our history.

While reading, I couldn’t help but let the narration in my head sound a bit dramatic like one of the history channel specials. This certainly made the read even more fun!

I learned so much from this book!

Right from chapter two I learned that the oldest cemetery in the state of New Hampshire is in Rye; Old Odiorne Point Cemetery located in the woods at Odiorne Point State Park. I learned that in Pine Grove Cemetery in Hampton, headstones appear and disappear when the weather shifts the sand and dirt. I learned that at the Point of Graves in Portsmouth, there is a rare turnstile that are not frequently seen in New England as well as purple headstones that would have been shipped here from England. Also at Point of Graves is a headstone for Elizabeth Pierce, which is said to be an active location spiritually.

Later on, reading about a cemetery very close to where I currently live was heartbreaking! There is so much history with the Valley Cemetery in Manchester... and hearing about how many areas have been vandalized with graffiti really got my blood boiling!

The rest of the book covered tales and lore from other New Hampshire towns. Whether I was reading about an old cemetery or a horrible tale of injustice, this book had me totally hooked.


My favorite passages:
New Hampshire is also proud of its scenic (albeit tiny) seacoast, where visitors from Europe visited the shores as early as the sixteenth century. Here, seeds of revolution were sown in the eighteenth-century, and the echoes of the past can be found in the old town neighborhoods.

For some people, graveyards are uncomfortable places, and this sentiment is usually tied to superstitious belief. But what we should really be fearful of is forgetting where we come from. There is much to lean and see among the forgotten stones, if you dare to look.


My final thoughts:
A must read if you live in, or have visited, New Hampshire and enjoy learning about spooky things. I'm so happy I picked this one up and I know that I will be rereading it time and time again. This book also made me want to visit some of the areas that the author wrote about!

DNF.

From the synopsis, this book sounded so fun and interesting! But yikes, it was a total miss for me. I made it about a quarter of the way through and had to call it.

I just didn’t care about the characters or where their relationship was going in the slightest. Each time I put the book down, I didn’t care to pick it back up.

Overall, I will agree that writing was lovely. However there was a lot of horrible comments about characters bodies going on that seemed really unnecessary; specifically in regard to weight.

The thing that really ruined this one for me was the pacing of the story; it was much too slow for me. I also had a very hard time with the overall storyline because it just seemed to ramble on and on about elements that didn’t add to the story at all.

Soul Shade by T.L. Branson was an absolutely wonderful addition to the Soul Stone series. I keep thinking these book can't get better, but somehow... they do! I had SO much fun reading this!

I've said it before... If you're a fan of brilliant fantasy novels with wonderful characters, a dash of humor, and a splash of brutal violence, you need to check out this series by T.L. Branson!

In chapter one, I love that we start with a bang. We’re with Khate and she is running through an alley, being chased. During that chase, we get a quick two paragraphs that recap what had happened in the first book in a short, but very effective way! I just love when authors do this! It's so helpful to the readers.

In following chapters, when we are reintroduced to the other characters, there are very short bits added in to recap previous events as well. I especially appreciated the quick sentence or two that the author included here and there which reminded the reader of the specific soul stone and the related goddess each character had.

I really enjoyed the new character we met, Sowena Restarick! She was so stubborn when it came to what she believed in. She attracted quite a bit of poor luck, but she was so brave! I really loved how much she adored and looked up to the queen.

I loved learning more about the soul stones and how each of them worked! I especially the Stone Mirror and I was so happy to see how the power from that one played into the story.

Throughout the book, the chapters jump between groups of our favorite characters. Toward the middle, I began to get really antsy to see how it would play out. I couldn’t wait to see if they would all eventually come together or if they would keep just barely missing one another.

One of my favorite elements of the story was how well each storyline was added and when in the overall organization of the chapters. It flowed SO well. However, it also made it impossible to put the book down as many chapters ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I just couldn’t wait to see what happened when we saw that character again a few chapters later!

Speaking of flow, I love how the author made use of the method where one character is thinking about something or doing something, and then we immediately move to another character that is thinking about or doing something similar. One example of this was in one section of chapter 24. In this chapter, Ocken was thinking about Khate, wondering if she was still in Celesti or if she had moved. He thinks to himself “Maybe they lived in Penrythe now for all he knew.” Shortly after that, the chapter breaks and we’re with Khate, who was walking off of a ship and entering a town a few miles from Penrythe.

This book didn’t hold back at all when it came to the action and brutality. And my goodness, the deaths of some of the characters came as a total shock to me! Especially one near the end. That one is going to take me a while to get over...


My favorite passages:
Ascending the lone step, she pushed open the door. A cacophony of terrible music, raucous laughter, and clattering mugs greeter her - the pungent odor of sweat and stale beer accompanying it.

Most everyone knew that if a sea captain wasn’t on his ship, he was at the bar.

The time for dreams was over. Now was the time for action.

It all felt like a dream to her. In some regards it seemed too fanciful- like it was straight out of a novel. Lava pits, dragons, magical stones, and a narrow escape? A year ago, Khate wouldn’t have believed any of it. Well, besides the magical stone bit. Those dastardly things had a way of pushing into her life.

Robert's face was flat and stalwart, staring straight ahead as he walk. He was five feet in front of Ocken but he looked a million miles away. If Ocken didn’t do something fast, Robert was going to go into shock.

He could play the “What if” game all day long. He knew he shouldn’t. He understood that dwelling on hypotheticals would only lead to guilt and depression. He couldn’t change the past so there was no use dwelling on it.

“Besides, I could use a little spice in my life.”
“If you had any more spice you’d have to change your name to Basil,” Bryn said.

The shadows were her element. It’s where she went to unwind and get away from the stresses of life. Stepping up onto a crate, she hopped over onto a wooden awning that stood out over someone’s back door. One giant leap upward and her fingers grabbed the lip of the rooftop ledge. Khate pulled herself up and lay down on the stone wall, crossing her arms behind her head.

Ocken roared and charged, picking up an elf and using his body as a shield as he barreled his way though, punching a hole for Will, Robert, and Sowena to slip through.


My final thoughts:
A wonderful follow up to the first book in the series! I very highly recommend checking out both Soul Render and Soul Shade as soon as you can.

And yet again... I just cannot wait to see where this story goes next!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab is a fast-paced tale about two men who met in college and became quick friends. Though during their senior year they turned enemies when they discovered a very powerful thing while working on their theses; how people with ExtraOrdinary abilities are created.

I loved the storyline and the organization of the timeline. The author did a wonderful job organizing each chapter; each flashback to the past slowly paved the way to help the readers fully understand what went wrong, and how we ended up where the two main characters were in the present. I really enjoyed that halfway through the book, we caught up to where the story had originally begun; with Victor and Sydney in the cemetery. However, after that, there are still various flashbacks that give us more information.

The writing style is so lovely. It's very easy to read, and it will just draw you right in! The pacing is quick, so you really won't want to put this one down; you'll just want to keep reading to see what happens next!

The idea behind the creation of the EO and how their power is a result of their wants, wills, and last thoughts is so interesting to me! I loved learning about each of the character's backstories and what occurred in order to grant them their specific power.

Speaking of the characters, they were all incredible!

Eli was frustratingly stubborn with his very strong belief about EO's. Reading some of the sections where the author gives us a glimpse into Eli's mind are a bit difficult to read just because of how convinced he is that he's right.

Victor was a bit obsessive and occasionally a loose-cannon, but he was also very smart and brave. I loved how he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to people; he just knew who was good and who wasn't. I found him so interesting and couldn't wait to see what he would do next. And I just loved how he created a little family with Mitch and Sydney.

Mitch was one of my favorites! He was your typical gentle giant. I loved how interesting his backstory was. And of course, his obsession with chocolate milk was a fun addition.

Sydney was so brave. Watching her become more aware of the nastiness of the world was tough, but she handled it wonderfully.

Dol (the dog) was so loyal! I loved how sweet he was with Sydney from the start.

Serena was a wonderfully spooky character. Her power is just terrifying to think about.

My favorite passages:
All Eli had to do was smile. All Victor had to do was lie. Both proved frighteningly effective.

It was like watching two people, one hiding in the other’s skin. And their skin was always too dry, on the verge of cracking and showing the color of the thing beneath.

Eli had as many different smiles as ice cream shops had flavors, and this one said he had a secret.

"I think we want to prove things, in life, more than we want to disprove them. We want to believe.”

“You asked me if I ever wanted to believe in something. I do. I want to believe in this. I want to believe that there’s more.” Victor sloshed a touch of whiskey over the edge of his glass. “That we could be more. He’ll, we could be heroes.”
“We could be dead,” said Eli.
“That’s a risk everyone takes by living.”

The moments that define lives aren’t always obvious.

Eli rubbed his thumb over the fresh skin of his palm, but Victor was he first to speak, and when he did, it was with an eloquence and composure perfectly befitting the situation.
“Holy shit.”

I want to believe that there’s more. That we could be more. He’ll, we could be heroes.

Eli hesitated. “I can still see the line from your hospital bracelet,” he said at last. “At least wait till you’re feeling better.”
“Actually, I’m feeling fine. Better than. I feel wonderful. I feel like roses and sunshine and glitter.”
Victor Vale did not feel like glitter. His muscles aches, his veins still felt strangely starved of air, and he couldn’t shake the headache that had trailed him since he’d opened his eyes beneath the fluorescent white of the hospital lights.

“Mitchell,” said Victor. “Tell Sydney what you were in prison for.”
“Hacking,” he said cheerfully.
Sydney laughed. “Seriously? I had you pegged as more of a beat-someone-to-death-with-their-own-arm type.”

Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.

"And those who ally themselves with monsters are little better than monsters themselves."

The building itself towered, unfinished, a steel and concrete skeleton draped in layers of plastic sheeting like gauze.

My final thoughts:
If you haven't picked this one up yet, I highly recommend doing so! I thought that this books was SO good! I loved the storyline, the organization of the timeline, the writing, and the quick flow. The characters were all incredible! I absolutely loved learning about the characters backstories and their powers.

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab is the long awaited follow-up to Vicious, which is one of my all time favorite novels!

The opening of the book focused on a new character, Marcella Riggins. I gotta admit, I wasn’t loving her at first. In fact, I thought she was a bit irritating. However, she ended up growing on me a bit! I especially enjoyed her character during one particular scene, but then after that, she got pretty annoying again.

After the opening scene with Marcella, we met up again with Victor and where he is in the present. I was pretty shocked to see that this book picked up five years after the first book ended! I was immediately curious as to what had happened in the time gap. Soon enough, however, we jumped right into a scene from the past, which picks up right where we left off in Vicious.

I was so thrilled to see that the author followed the same jumpy timeline as Vicious. This format is one that I usually have a very hard time with, but V.E. Schwab has mastered how to organize the story to make it not only work, but work really well. I just love that this format gives the reader more and more information as the story slowly progresses.

I say "slowly" there because there is a ton of back and forth that is constantly switching between the present and the past, and anywhere in-between, but don't worry! The story is not truly slow. Instead, it is action packed and filled with twists and turns! There was also a lot more blood, power, and villainy in this one compared to the first. Some of the deaths were quite graphic and brutal... and I loved it!

In Vengeful, we were introduced to a few other characters, though not many of them stuck around for very long. One really interesting character that had a pretty significant role in this book was June. I loved her character from the second we met her and she quickly became one of my favorites! I really hope to one day learn more about what happened to June to give her the power that she ended up with!


Beware, the negatives:
The first slight negative that I had with this book was how much time we spent with Marcella versus our favorite four- two EO's, one human, and the faithful pup. With the time we did get to spend with them, it felt like something was... off. I can't quite put a finger on it, but there just wasn't the same oomph of their chemistry from the first book. It felt a little... flat.

Another negative for me was that there were a few elements included in this book that I really could have done without. One was a drugging that seemed so out of character. The other was the strange sexual related bits. Neither of these things added to the story for me. Instead, they felt out of place and really unnecessary.


My favorite passages:
Distance wouldn’t save him, but it might protect them.

From here on out, we leave absolutely no trace, and that means before we go forward, we have to go back.

Mitch had that look on his face, that carefully blank look that adults got when they were trying to convince you everything was fine. They always assumed that if they didn’t tell you a thing, you wouldn’t know it. But that wasn’t true.

The thing about mistakes was that they weren’t always big, or obvious. Sometimes they were simple. Small. The decision to keep walking. The turn left instead of right. Those few extra steps in the wrong direction.

There was a rager going on in one of the nearby warehouses, the heavy pulse of the club’s bass blanketing the streets. Nick couldn’t hear his own heart over the beat, let alone the footsteps coming up behind him.

“You crazy bitch,” he bleated as she bent down and wrapped her hand around his mouth.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady,” she said, digging her nails into his skin. It withered in her grip, flesh peeling back to reveal bone that thinned and cracked until the slightest pressure made it shatter.
Marcella straightened, dusting her palms. She swore softly. There was a crack in her manicure.

People can see an awful lot, and believe none of it.


My final thoughts:
If you enjoyed Vicious, I definitely recommend giving Vengeful a read! It was so much fun to dive back into the world where Victor, Mitch, Syd and Dol live.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this! I hated to put it down when I had to go to sleep or go back to work after a lunch break; I just wanted to know what was going to happen next! Unfortunately I can't say I loved this one quite as much as I love Vicious, but still a wonderful read!

Of course, I still cannot wait to see where the story goes next, if there is a third book!

Under My Skin by Lisa Unger is a novel that is unsettling right from the start! From the very first page of the prologue, I was nervous for the female character and it only got worse and worse as the prologue progressed. Then we dive right into the story, which is just a rollercoaster of the present, the past, resurfacing memories, dreams, and lots of confusion.

My goodness, the author does an amazing job describing people and places; each to the point where you feel like you are looking right at the individual, or standing in the same space as the character, breathing in the same smells and all! This author has such wonderfully vivid writing. While reading, I couldn't help but imagine everything really playing out in my head like a film.

The pacing was just perfect. I really enjoyed how lost I felt at times; as the story jumped back and forth from the present and the past, from being half awake and dreaming, there were times that I felt just as confused as the main character, but in a good way. With this organization, there was also quite a bit of repetitiveness, but again... it was a good thing. The repetition worked. It really gave the reader more insight into the main characters shattered mind.

The characters were so perfect! I really felt for Poppy, the main character, right from the start. I cannot imagine the grief that she was dealing with. But I was very happy to see that she had truly great support. Her assistant Ben was warm, organized, and very thoughtful. Her friend Layla was generous, protective, and always there when Poppy needed her. Even the investigator, Grayson, was wonderfully protective, but in a professional cop-like way. Then there was Noah, a character that I liked immediately, but then later, wasn't sure what to think about him... There were also a handful of characters that played smaller roles, some of which were powerful but rather fleeting, while others were more involved in the crazy web of this tale than I would have predicted.

As for the plot, I loved it. I loved how difficult it was to watch the main character try to piece things together. However, I'd say that this is another book that you want to go into pretty blind, so I will leave it at that!

My favorite passages:
I wonder if anyone notices that I am a ghost in my life.

But– honestly– I’m scared; fear tickles at the back of my throat. There’s a white noise of anxiety in the back of my head. It’s not just the man in the shadows, on the train. He is scary, sure. If there really is someone following me, then yes, it’s weird and frightening. What’s scarier though, given my history, is if there isn’t.

Living in opulence or squalor, under the skin people are just the same. Everyone suffers. Everyone struggles. It just looks different form the outside.

This happens. I’m okay where I am and then suddenly I just need to be alone, like I can’t hold the pieces of myself together anymore.

Yellow mustard and white silk are not friends. Actually, white silk is no one’s friend. Wearing it is like a dare to the universe: go ahead, bring it on– coffee, ketchup, ink – I can take you.

The eye, the memory – they’re the trickiest liars. Only the camera lenses captures the truth, and just for a moment.

It reminds me of how everyone looked at me after my breakdown, as if I were a china cup tumbling, eternally in mid-flight from hand to floor. Something about to shatter.

Maybe you can tell how someone feels about you by the image they capture, the moment they choose to snap the shutter.

But that’s the trick of the abuser, soft one moment, a monster the next. Unpredictability is his best trick.


My final thoughts:
This is definitely one you'll want to add to your October reading list! It was so wonderfully unsettling. It will throw you for a loop time and time again as you try to figure out what is going on. When it all starts coming together, you'll wonder how you didn't see it earlier. Bravo, Lisa Unger!! This novel is just screaming for a film adaptation! I already cannot wait to read it again to see what I pick up on during the second read through.

Book #1 of Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey was a quick and fun read!

I cruised right through this book! It only took me about fifteen minutes to read it. Granted I was so anxious to see what was going to happen next, I didn't take my usual time looking at the artwork. So of course, when I finished the story, I went back to get a better look at the art... Which of course, I just loved!

I was very excited to see that this was fully colored! When I read the preview, I was curious to see if this would be full color or if we would go back to the black and white style of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Jun Asuka. I really enjoyed how dark the Halloween Town panels were, especially when compared to the brighter panels from Christmas Town!

Overall, I thought that the story was interesting! I like that Zero ends up back in Christmas Town where he learns more about the holiday first hand. Jack is clearly still a bit obsessed with the holiday!

Where this book ended just killed me! I cannot wait to see where this story goes next! I wonder if we will get to see some of the other holiday towns...

If you're a fan of the film or books, I definitely recommend checking this one out!

River Bodies by Karen Katchur is a totally engrossing read that I struggled to put down.

If you enjoy lighter thrillers with a heavy focus on characters and their relationships, and just a dash of gore, then this is one that you definitely have to pick up!

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

So first things first... THAT COVER!! I'm obsessed. I hope they don't change a thing about it when it's properly released. I love the leaves in the water and the font and textures that they chose are just perfect!

Oh my goodness, the storytelling in this book was just wonderful. I really enjoyed the way that the family drama was woven into the mystery. I also really enjoyed that the story was told from varying perspectives so you could really learn more about each character and how each of their brains worked. That really added a lovely complexity to the story!

While labeled a thriller, I would definitely say that the main focus was on the relationships between the various characters.

The relationship between Becca and Matt had my blood absolutely boiling; Matt was such a garbage person. I could not stand him from the second he was introduced, and his character only made me angrier and angrier the more he was mentioned. He was so uncomfortably controlling and selfish.

On the flip side of that, the relationship between Becca and Parker was adorable and heartwarming. Even though I disagreed with one of her choices... I did enjoy the majority of their interactions; some stressful and some just adorable.

The relationship between Becca and her father was a bit triggering for me with my family history... So I found quite a bit of that difficult to read. However, it was wonderfully done. The author really captured a lot of the heartbreak, distrust, and pain that goes along with a rocky situation like that.

The relationship between Becca and John was interesting. I loved the varying emotions I had as we learned more about the two of them through the chapters and sections that jumped back into the past. At first I was totally weirded out by John, but then it was a rollercoaster of emotion toward him after that.

Of course, there were various other side characters, each of whom were interesting in their roles!

Overall, the writing style was a style that I really enjoyed! There were a few typos here and there, but as this was an ARC, I'm sure they'll be fixed before the book is released on November 1st.

When I went to log this book on Goodreads and saw that it was labeled as "Northampton County #1," I wanted to cheer! I would love to see where this story goes next!


My favorite passages:
It only took a second for a tragedy to occur.

It had taken all the courage she could muster to bring up her childhood, where the dark corners of the past lurked.


My final thoughts:
While a bit triggering to me at times with my family history, this one was a book that I really struggled to put down! I just loved the characters and I found the storyline so interesting! I loved how everything played out in the end and how the main character worked through all of her troubles.

I definitely recommend giving this one a read! This is yet another thriller that I would love to see turned into a film!