Social media stunt turns deadly!
I couldn’t put the book down!
Adele enters an online live adult hide and seek competition. The winner receives one million dollars and she can really use it for her family after her husband left them when he embezzled funds and ran away. Her son Blake and daughter Violet support Adele completely and want her to be safe and win too. The game site is a decrepit, condemned hotel on an island and all seems fine until the game begins and a storm heads their way!
Slowly unraveling mystery!
Lia and Diana have been friends since the first day of kindergarten when Diana introduced herself to Lia. They have grown up together as best friends but things have been strained lately. Lia is tired of hearing all about Diana and the pageants she wins and constantly prepares for. When Diana goes missing, Lia thinks Diana is playing a joke on everyone and will show back up soon. As days go by, Lia becomes worried and desperate to find her friend.
Likes/dislikes: I liked how the author kept me guessing as I read the story. The conflict between Lia and Diana and within Lia herself, made the suspense grow and the story more interesting. Suspicion was everywhere!
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 38 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting, abduction and off page death.
Ethnicity: falls to white.
Who can be trusted?
Isla leads the Wildlings and she meets all leaders of the other realms for a competition at Lightlark. Celeste is the Starling leader and Isla’s good friend and together they want to break the curse that settles on every realm. When Isla slips and falls into the sea, King Oro saves her from drowning even though her death would be taken as a sacrifice for the realm to lift the curse; one of the realm leaders must die at the Centennial celebration to satisfy the curse. Grim, the Nightshade leader, seems taken with Isla but she’s not sure if he’s sincere or conning her. Isla has stolen clothes to be able disguise herself as a woman from the other realms so she can enter their libraries and search for the bond breaker that can break the curse for everyone. Her life is endangered at every turn as she tries to hide that she’s completely powerless. She has no idea who she can trust.
Likes/dislikes: I love the beautiful descriptions and the variety of interesting characters. The author creates an amazing world and I didn’t want to stop reading. New and refreshing fantasy.
Mature content: PG-13 for touching and kissing.
Language: PG for 1 swear and 0 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: a mix of fantasy people and different colors of natural skintones.
Mean girls thriller!
Brooke is an overachiever who comes from a long family history of overachievers. She’s determined to get into Yale and has pushed herself into all work and no play since the lake party where a classmate drowned months ago. The investigation ruled it as accidental but Brooke has been getting harassed by an unknown person who’s been calling her, slashing her tires, leaving lake water in her locker, and covering her car with newspapers featuring the article about the incident. Her friend Jena wants her to attend a lake party to blow off steam and celebrate reaching her goals. A seemingly harmless party quickly turns into a horrific nightmare for Brooke.
Likes/dislikes: This book is a suspenseful thriller that I couldn’t put down. Twisty fun. I love how the author portrays the characters and how everything spirals to the ending. It was also a quick read at 272 pages.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking, kissing.
Language: R for 263 swears and 143 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for death
Ethnicity: mixed; Jena is Black. Brooke is white.
Follow your destiny!
Natasha and Elodie travel back to 1998 to meet Natasha’s dad before she was born. Natasha is able to convince her father that she’s really his daughter from the future. He shows her the generations’ old Timekeeper rooms that take up a floor in the building where he resides as a struggling college student to hide who he truly is. He also trains her as much as he can in the short time they’re together so she can handle her Timekeeper abilities and use them to stay safe and continue the mission of her ancestors. Natasha realizes why Arthur is determined to remake the world- he lost the love of his life. Arthur will do everything it takes, including murder, to get what he wants and Natasha will do whatever it takes to stop him.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the quotes from historical intellectuals. The character development is well done. I enjoyed learning about real artists and their work throughout history. The story kept my attention and it is action packed.
Mature content: R for on page sex.
Language: R for 56 swears and 18 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting and bloody death.
Ethnicity: Mason, Natasha’s best friend, is Black. Natasha is white.
Time travel to Italy’s Bonfire of the Vanities, 1497!
Natasha has been planning on visiting Renaissance Italy with Braxton but when she gets to the portal, Arthur shows her she’ll be tripping with Killian; Natasha is angry but Killian is thrilled. Braxton seems to be keeping something from Natasha and Killian keeps making remarks alluding that Braxton is hiding a terrible secret from her. She has strong feelings for Braxton but she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. When Mason is recruited to Gray Wolf, she’s happy to see him, her trusted best friend, but worried that he’s blaming her for taking him away from his life. She’s struggling to understand her new life but now she’s even more worried on Mason’s behalf.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed learning about the true history mixed in with the time traveling events, like the Italian Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497. The quotes from Shakespeare and other intellectuals and historical figures are awesome. The author notes at the beginning of the book that all artwork and ancient artifacts mentioned in the novel are real piqued my interest.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex, off page, and underage drinking.
Language: R for 83 swears, 25 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fight.
Ethnicity: mostly white. Mason, Natasha’s best friend, is Black.
Mystery-filled fantasy!
Natasha is slowly giving up on herself, her life and her future. Mason, her best friend, tries to keep her afloat by always being there for her. Mason tells Natasha to steer clear of Elodie because she’s shallow and doesn’t care about anyone but herself. Elodie talks Natasha into skipping school to go to a club. This choice is going to change Natasha’s life forever.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed Stealing Infinity because it’s a fantasy that has several mysteries hidden within. I also liked the book because it encompasses many genres including fantasy, mystery, science fiction and historical fiction. Natasha is a dynamic character as are Braxton and Elodie.
Mature content: PG-13 kiss.
Language: R for 87 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and attempted rape.
Ethnicity: Mason is Black, Natasha and Elodie are white, Keane has dark skin, Javon has golden brown skin, Hawke has bronze skin , Oliver has white skin, Song is oriental, Braxton has a European accent and is white.
Great ending to this fantasy trilogy!
Meren has been overcome by shadows that left Reven, her bondmate, and now they’re torturing her. The shadows take over her mind and appearance if she gets too stressed or they get upset. Reven has completely forgotten Meren and he has no memory of them being in love. Meren has collected most of the amulets needed to stop the king. She needs one more plus the help of her dedicated companions to save their kingdom. She’s determined to help save the kingdom and Reven’s memory, even if she has to sacrifice herself to do it.
Likes/dislikes: I like that the characters are complex and diverse. The characters are each flawed in their own way, which makes them interesting. The mythology created by the author is imaginative. This book is the third in the trilogy and it’s much better than the second book.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex, on page.
Language: R for 93 swears and 10 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting, deaths, and a bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.
Reality can be harsh…
Bella is fifteen and she tells herself she needs alcohol to handle her arguing, demanding parents, school stress and her recent breakup. Her friends see her going downhill and her best friend Amber tries everything she can think of to help Bella. Bella has a job, works hard in school and helps her parents with pretty much everything and the breakup has pushed her over the edge. She tells herself that she just needs this drink to get through the day but one drink ends up being many and when Bella is dropped off and left for dead (overdosed) at 2 AM by people she was at a party with, the addiction comes out in the open. The nurse tells her she’s damaged her liver and that she fell on her porch cracking her cheekbone. Bella is in pain, on an IV and being prepared for rehab. She has a struggle ahead of her and she has to deal with it on her own.
Likes/dislikes: The author’s note and resources, at the end of the book, are insightful and helpful. This story helped me to understand what addicts go through, especially when they’re truly trying to recover and make a better life for themselves. I grew to love Bella and my heart broke for her and opened up to her as the story was told. Other characters’ experiences broadened the scope of addiction and included how their caregivers treated them which helped Bella realize that she can ask for help because we can’t get through struggles all alone. She also learned that she has to protect herself because no one else will be there to do it for her, as we all need to know.
Mature content: PG-13 for drug use and underage drinking.
Language: R for 190 swears and 28 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: falls to white.
Unique and intriguing mystery in this YA fantasy!
Ana is a Fantasist living in the Kingdom with seven of her princess sisters. The Fantasists’ jobs are to blend into the Kingdom park, please the guests and do as they’re instructed. Their purpose is to make dreams come true. When Nia tries to drown a child, the sisters are scrutinized and evaluated and Ana becomes heartbroken but adamant to understand what happened to make sweet Nia commit such a horrible act. When Eve, the first sister, disappears, the park becomes strict and Ana becomes scared. Ana has found a friend in a maintenance worker, Owen, and he seems to be understanding of Ana’s confusion and wants to help, but Owen has a secret of his own.
Likes/dislikes: Snippets of wisdom can be found throughout the book, such as, “Neutral is best. Neutral is safe.” I thought the book would be a fluff story and I’m pleased with how much more interesting it turned out to be than I expected! I enjoyed the alternating timelines and how they revealed the mystery.
Mature Content: G for innocent kiss.
Language: PG for 9 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.
The Thought Spot 