Missing Dead Girls by Sara Walters

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Twisted mean girl behavior turns into deadly deception!
The book opens with a text accusation and a photo of a dead body that states, “Tillie Gray killed Madison Frank”. Time moves back to when 17yo Tillie moves to Willow Creek and she’s trying to find her place in this new town. For some reason that Tillie can’t comprehend, Madison befriends her and they become more than friends. Both girls have secrets that they’re keeping that could destroy their lives. Little by little, the secrets are revealed and they’ll need to decide how far they will go to keep their secrets hidden.

Likes/dislikes: A very ominous ending left me with a feeling of mean girls to the core in this book. The premise is creepy and disturbing. I like the author’s notes that state how important each of us are, and our experiences are valid, and we’re all deserving of respect and love.
Mature Content: R for detailed sex (violates Utah legislation HB-374), underage drinking, drug use.
Language: R for 77 swears and 79 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and murder suicide.
Ethnicity: Sienna has brown skin , Emma is white, Madison is white, Gigi is Korean American.

Butterfly Bruises by Palmer Smith

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Reflective and visionary!

Butterfly Bruises book is different from most other poetry books I’ve read. I became lost and confused with some of the poems but others were insightful and healing. My favorite is found in the section “Short Stories: Miscellaneous” and it’s entitled “Grief”. This story shares a brother’s diagnosis and eventual death from cancer and the despair and grief that entails. I appreciate the author sharing her work with me and many readers will relate to the content of the poems and stories found within these pages.

The Chaperone by M. Hendrix

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Will her plan implode?
Stella is a 17yo teenager living in New America with her mother, father, sister Shea, and 60 year old Sister Helen, the family chaperone. When Sister Helen collapses and dies, after giving Stella a pendant and saying the word Angel, Stella is distraught. Stella knows that she needs to stay pure so she’ll be eligible to marry soon, since girls don’t have many options besides becoming a wife and having children. She searches for reasons to continue to live at home but doesn’t find much that keeps her happy. When Stella discovers a way to get out of her situation, can she trust it or will her plan implode and make her life worse?
Likes/dislikes: The author repeats the concept of having to be pure for marriage as though readers won’t understand the first few times it’s mentioned. Dystopian novel that didn’t really pull my interest. Violates Utah HB374 legislation.
Language: R for 50 swears and 4 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage drinking, implied gang rape, drug use, implied rape/assault, violation of Utah Legislation HB-374: touching genitalia.
Violence: PG-13 for homemade bomb description, missing girls, death by poisoning.
Ethnicity: Bonita is Black, Mateo is Latino and Stella is white.

Holly Horror by Michelle Jabes Corpora

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Ghoulish Ghosts!
16yo Evie and 10yo Stan just moved into Hobbie House in Ravenglass, Massachusetts with their divorced mother. The locals call it Horror House because of a death and disappearance happening to its residents. The story alludes to something that happened to Evie in the past and one of the reasons the family of three moved to have a better life. Evie sees a shadow, hears voices and sees creepy things that make her feel that the house is haunted. When the hauntings start taking over her life, danger comes for Evie and Stan. When Stan goes missing, Evie does everything in her power to find him.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the spookiness of the story. I like how the author portrayed each family member as individuals with different personalities and issues. I like the evolution of the mystery.
Language: PG for 22 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for brief kiss.
Violence: PG for mention of death by shotgun wound, no details.
Ethnicity: Evie is white. Desmond is black. Tina is Latina and Birdie is Korean.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Another great book with a twist!
Mariana reminisces about her late husband and their memories as she tries to hang onto him a little longer. She’s a group therapist and has one patient she and the group struggle with, Henry. Henry has anger issues and was overcoming the extreme childhood abuse inflicted by his father until he began college. Then college overwhelmed him. Marina has a niece, Zoe, who’s attending Cambridge and calls Mariana when her friend Tara goes missing. As Mariana is traveling on a train to meet Zoe, she encounters Fred, a young man who kindly insists that they will meet again. After Mariana arrives at the college, she’s pulled into a belief that a professor is a murderer and she wants to prove it and goes to great lengths to do so as young women are murdered. The story alternates with the background of an abused victim and eventually the reader learns who it is. Another great book with a twist from Alex Michaelides, 5 stars!

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Magic born abilities!
18yo Io lives with her sister Ava in the half-sunken city of Alante. The eldest sister, Thais, raised them after their parents died but left abruptly two years ago to be on her own. The three sisters are descendants of the Fates who decide the lives of others. Io is an investigator trying to solve murders and Ava is a performer at the Mob Queen’s casino. Thais is the fiancé of Io’s number one suspect and high ranking politician. When Io finally discovers the truth behind the murders, it’s going to alter her life and all that she believes in.
Likes/dislikes: So many descriptions of magic born abilities that it became confusing. Slow building story, so it took a while to draw me in. I enjoyed the characters Io and Edei and the prophecy that ties them together.
Language: R for 107 swears, no f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for detailed kissing.
Violence: R for bleeding, dead security guards, bloody injury, bloody death with details, bloody shootings, torn out throats.
Ethnicity: Edei had brown skin but ethnicity predominantly falls to white.

Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Beginning of an intriguing new series!
Wren is competing in the Bonewood Trials where her father instructed her to not just pass, but pass spectacularly to impress her grandmother, the overseer of the trials. When Wren is double crossed, she’s exiled to the Breachfort which is pretty much ignored by everyone because it’s supposedly desolate. She’s doing her guard duty diligently and when the visiting Prince Leo is kidnapped, Wren goes after him to save him. Julian is an ironsmith with the group who kidnapped Prince Leo but when the group tries to assassinate Julian, he and Wren end up falling in a deep crevasse together. The two of them are born enemies but are forced to work together to save themselves, rescue the Prince, and figure out why someone was targeting Julian.
Likes/dislikes: Amazing world building. I enjoyed the character depth, development and growth. I love the characters of Wren, Julian and Prince Leo.
Language: R for 39 swears and 9 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for passionate kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Wren is fair skinned. Julian has pale skin. Prince Leo has caramel colored hair and light brown skin. Wren’s father has olive skin. Commander has ruddy brown skin.

You Won’t Believe Me by Cyn Balog

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Interesting ending!
17yo Willow wakes up chained to a bed in a house she doesn’t recognize. She doesn’t understand her circumstances or surroundings but her memories come back a little at a time. Her captor tells her the pandemic has gotten worse and created zombies and the only way they can stay safe is to stay away from the rest of civilization, if there’s anyone else alive. Willow goes along with it all until things don’t seem to be adding up. When Willow makes a few discoveries of her own, she becomes determined and desperate to escape.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the details about the Everglades. This is a quick read book. The storyline is interesting, especially the ending.
Language: R for 62 swears and 1 f-word.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for abduction, gaslighting, catfishing, bloody deaths, electric shock.

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Pets, D&D, and real life!
17yo Wren is waiting for her friend Kamala to finish her shift at the coffee shop when Asher and Dale arrive to meet a girl that Dale assumes is catfishing Asher. Dale wants to document Asher’s disappointment when the girl doesn’t show up but Wren steps in and pretends she’s the girl that Asher is waiting for, in hopes of sparing him the humiliation. Wren and Asher hit it off and she actually starts to like him. He shows up later at the animal shelter where she works and the dog that hates everyone except Wren ends up liking Asher too. The charade keeps going until Wren is afraid to tell Asher the truth because she likes him and it’s mutual.
Likes/dislikes: An absolute delightfully fun read. I like how Wren had to deal with real life issues because of her mom abandoning them when she was ten and having to work with trust issues by learning to set up healthy, realistic boundaries. Bean is the funniest dog.
Language: G for no swears.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Violence: none
Ethnicity: Asher is white, Kamala is Indian, Wren is white.

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A thoroughly enjoyable read!

Violet is forced to attend the Dragon Rider ritual by her mother, the Commander, even though she’s small, has some health issues, and wants to be a scribe instead of a rider. Several other students hate her because of the fact that her mother killed their parents for rebelling. Little do they know that Violet is nothing like her mother.
Violet keeps getting through the different challenges and shows her integrity by standing up for others, even the small featherlight dragon that three bullies try to kill on Threshing Day. Tairn, one of the deadliest dragons in Navarre, steps in to help protect the small golden dragon and chooses Violet as his rider.
Many students die daily through the grueling challenges and several bullies enjoy picking on Violet. She trains hard to strengthen her body and temperament so she can survive and she loves her dragons. A third year wingleader, Xaden, takes notice. He observes Violet and approves of her hunger to do well and her integrity and gives her the nickname, Violent.
An action-packed and exciting fantasy adventure that lives up to the hype!