The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

Posted on by lynndellwatson
The adventure never ends!

The prologue opens with inspiration and excitement for things to come and then ends with horror and devastation. Anthia’s world falls apart when her homeland, Rhodaire, is attacked by Illucians. Her mother is killed and so are the large, beautiful, magical crows that shared their world. Her land is decimated because without the crows’ help, nothing flourishes or grows. Her sister, Caliza, is now queen and has betrothed Anthia to the Illucian Prince Ericen. Of course, neither sister is happy about the deal but they don’t see any other way to try to mend their broken land. Before Anthia leaves her home, she visits the towers where the crows once lived. She finds and hides an egg then takes it to Illucia with her. She has no idea how to get it to hatch but she’s not leaving it behind. She’s searched everywhere for information on the crows and she’s hoping she’s going to figure it out soon. Ericen is difficult to read and Anthia is unsure about trusting him. He seems very loyal to his mother, Razel, the Illucian Queen. Razel is terrible and loves cruelty. She wants to conquer all of the other countries also and doesn’t care about who she harms in the process. Anthia accidentally meets rebels and inadvertently makes new friends in Illucia. She manages to enjoy some of her time there until she discovers a secret of Razel’s. The action and intrigue continues in the sequel, Crow Rider. I enjoyed several characters, their flaws and quirks: Anthia, Kiva, Ericen, Caylus, and the adventure that never seems to end, 5 stars!

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Posted on by lynndellwatson
A great mix of mystery and historical fiction!

The setting is early 1800’s. Hazel is fascinated with science and specifically medical applications. She sneaks in to watch a medical lecture because women aren’t allowed to attend. Jack scrapes by with odd jobs, such as digging up recently buried bodies to sell for medical studies. Hazel and Jack meet when he helps her sneak into a medical presentation. Hazel later disguises herself as a young gentleman so she can attend classes to become a physician. She’s found out but the professor makes a deal with her and gives her some help to prepare for the physician’s exam. Her family is away so she can study as much as she wants. She also begins treating people that aren’t taken care of by the hospital. She ends up treating patients with Roman Fever; a plague that seems to be appearing again. Jack brings exhumed bodies to Hazel for studying and live patients for her to treat. Jack and Hazel become close, even though she’s been betrothed to a viscount’s son since she was a child. Jack and Hazel get involved in the horrible experimentation of an eccentric doctor and everything gets turned upside down for both of them. I love Jack and Hazel. They’re both strong and selfless and they have an adorable relationship. I would love a sequel to be written to continue the story but at this point, I can’t see any sign of that happening. A mix of mystery and historical fiction to be enjoyed, 5 stars!

The Companion by Katie Alender

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Creepy, suspenseful fun!

Margot is the sole survivor of a tragic family car accident. She ends up at the Palmer orphanage until a rich family chooses her as their ward. When she first arrives at the mansion, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton are kind and treat her as if she’s special. Margot is soon told about their daughter Agatha who doesn’t speak or show emotion. Agatha used to be a normal teenager but then she became angry and eventually shut down. Mrs. Sutton tells Margot that doctors believe a brain infection caused damage to her frontal cortex and changed her personality. Margot meets Agatha’s brother, Barrett. He’s protective of his sister but eventually warms up to Margot. The longer she’s in the Sutton home, the more strange things she discovers and the foreboding keeps growing. I like Margot and rooted for her throughout the book. Creepy, suspenseful fun, 4 stars!

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Interesting young adult mystery!

Five students get detention because of phones they didn’t know they had. Someone set them up. Cooper, Bronwyn, Simon, Addy and Nate arrive at detention but only four make it out alive. An allergy to peanuts kills Simon, who started and continuously posted to his online gossip site. Because of this site, many people have motive to want to hurt Simon and keep him quiet. The students in detention with Simon immediately become suspects. They’re interrogated several times but the mystery remains until one of them is arrested. The students have become somewhat tight knit after secrets about each of them are revealed. So, when one is arrested, they work together to figure out what really happened. No one is expecting the truth that they discover. An interesting young adult mystery, 4 stars!

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

Posted on by lynndellwatson
A beautiful story!

Zofia returns home to Poland in hopes of finding her younger brother Abek after WWII ends. She arrives to an empty home and unwelcoming neighbors. She learns of a camp that helps survivors retrain for jobs they can do so they can move on with their lives. She’s hoping to find Abek near there. It takes a few weeks to travel to Germany but Zofia is welcomed into the camp while she searches for her brother by visiting nearby camps, writing letters and making phone calls to organizations set up to reunite family members. There, Zofia meets Josef and makes friends that show her how to overcome the trauma she’s been through. Her mind plays tricks on her and she’s unsure if some of her memories are real or skewed. A post WWII story that encompasses PTSD, perpetual hope and the importance of support in all its forms. A beautiful story, 5 stars!

The Damned by Renee Ahdieh

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Fantastic sequel to The Beautiful!

As the tale unfolds, the background story of each member of Bastien’s unique family is revealed. The mystery surrounding the Court of Lions unravels. Celine now works as a seamstress in a shop with Pippa and two other women. Odette is the benefactor of the shop but Celine has no other memories of Odette or anything surrounding Sebastian. Celine does keep having intense dreams about a man she doesn’t recognize and they make her wonder who he is. Pippa mentions the restaurant Jacques’ and Celine’s memories click a little, so she goes to the restaurant expecting answers, only to be turned away and even more confused. As Sebastian searches for a way to be unmade, he learns who Celine truly is and becomes part of the deal to return her to her heritage. Another secret reveals itself and brings the Brotherhood (werewolves) and the Fallen (vampires) to a chaotic frenzy. Fantastic sequel to The Beautiful! 5 stars!

The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Tugs at the heartstrings!

The Smell of Other People’s Houses is a historical fiction story set when Alaska was just barely made into a state of America. Young acquaintances tell their points of view of their lives and their perspective of each other’s. Ruth ends up pregnant with Ray’s baby, Alyce spends her time on the family fishing boat with her father and uncle, Dora lives with Dumpling and Bunny after their father protects Dora from her abusive father and Hank and his brothers stowaway on a ferry. Selma doesn’t know her birth parents but lives with her loving adoptive parents. All of their lives intertwine in different and unique ways. This book is a fairly quick read that pulls at the heartstrings and builds empathy, 5 stars!

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Wonderful character building!

Hanneke lives in Holland with her mother and father. She’s a young woman who has lost her boyfriend in the war, who works as the undertaker’s receptionist and also helps the undertaker with black market dealings. Her jobs support her family. On one of her deliveries, an elderly woman confides in Hanneke that she’d been hiding a Jewish teenage girl, in her home, in a secret compartment behind her pantry. The girl is missing and there’s no evidence of how she left the house. The woman pleads for Hanneke to help her find the teenage girl, Mirjam. Hanneke reluctantly agrees to help so she starts searching for any information she can find on Mirjam. As she’s searching, she inadvertently ends up at a resistance group meeting and becomes accidentally involved in a delivery of a Jewish baby, to an adoptive family, after the baby’s family had been detained by the Nazis. Hanneke learns about all of the ways that young adults around her have been helping with the resistance and she sees how selfish she was by keeping to herself and not becoming involved but that changes during her search for Mirjam. The young adults work together to find Mirjam and help everyone they can in this inspiring story of young heroism and perseverance. A wonderful character building historical fiction book, 4 stars!

It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh

Posted on by lynndellwatson
Disturbing…

It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh is based on the true story of Lizzie Borden. Disturbing… Charlotte and Maddie miss their mother who died months ago when her heart supposedly stopped. They hate the young woman their father is now engaged too. They despise their father quite a bit also. The two sisters don’t trust anyone and sometimes not even each other. The cover isn’t my favorite and the voices in Charlotte’s mind become repetitive and annoying (which is the point, I’m sure). I found it difficult to care for Charlotte but Maddie felt more relatable. The ending made the reading worthwhile. I appreciate the author’s note which brought sense to it all. I feel like the story drug on with repetition and then the resolution was too quick. Interesting take on a twisted historical event, 3 stars!

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Posted on by lynndellwatson
High creepiness factor!

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson opens as a family is arriving at their new home. They’ve moved away from problems and into a house with problems of its own. The family includes a teen girl, Marigold, her younger brother Sammy, and their stepsister Piper. Marigold’s and Sammy’s mother married Piper’s father. Mari has a past that she wants to forget. Sammy is an honest and loyal brother. Piper seems to be favored by her father. When weird things start happening in their new home, they don’t know what to think. Mari thinks she might be hallucinating when she’s sees a blackened hand reach into her shower but suspects Piper when items are misplaced. The neighborhood is odd and no one really will talk to them. They just stare. Creepy house, creepy neighborhood and something just feels off to Mari. This is a creepy read that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend! 5 stars!