The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Excellent spooky read!

Theo swerves to miss raccoons crossing the road. He stops to make sure the raccoons are fine but he is shaken by what he discovers. Freddie is logical and strives to find facts in all situations and when a dead man is found, she knows there’s an easy explanation and that the curse hanging over her community for centuries isn’t real. Theo and Freddie cross paths when Freddie calls the police after she hears screams and unknowingly alerts the police to a rival school teen party in the woods. She instantly becomes her school’s hero and hated by the rivals. Weird events keep happening that can’t be explained away and Theo and Freddie get completely wrapped up in the danger and the curse!

Likes/dislikes: An ominous poem at the beginning of the book lends to the creepy setting. Humor, charm, cleverness, strong friendship and the spooky vibe made this book fun to read and it’s a perfect YA book for getting into the Halloween spirit. I love the chemistry between Freddie and Theo. They’re from rival schools and have a rollercoaster relationship.
Mature content: PG-13 for fervent kissing, mention of teens smoking and drinking.
Language: R for 78 swears, (mostly hell and god) and 7 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with side characters having different shades of brown skin and a Black girl.

The Blood Phoenix (Fall of the Dragon book 2) by Amber Chen

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Unique use of technology in a fantasy world!

Ying and her fellow engineering competitors are called back together to help the kingdom fight off the pirates and stop the deadly attacks that are occurring. Ying and Ye-Yang haven’t spoken and they both continue to have feelings for each other. Ying isn’t sure if she can get over his past deception. Ying enjoys working with her engineer friends and wants to stop the pirates from killing anyone else. She discovers there’s more to the attacks and the Blood Phoenix than the rulers think and it puts her friends and loved ones in terrible danger.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the friends from the engineering competition are brought together to help the kingdom fight off the pirates. The comrades work well together. The relationship between Ye-Yang and Ying is topsy turvy and adds to storyline. I love how much Ying and her sister Nian care about each other.
Mature content: PG for urgent kissing, drinking.
Language: PG-13 for 18 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Oriental with pearl skin and bronze skin mentioned.

Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon Book 1) by Amber Chen

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Can trust stay unbroken?

Ying witnessed her father’s murder and she’ll do anything and everything to avenge his death. She also wants to be an engineer like her father. She disguises herself as a boy and enters the engineering competition in the capital. Her sponsor ends up being a prince and she’s completely surprised by this. When Ying becomes part of the competition, she’s also thrown into politics and danger. Will she stay her course and avenge her father?

Likes/dislikes: The names of the royals were confusing at first. I like the dynamics between Ying and Ye-yang. The science fiction and engineering aspects were fun and added an extra element to the story.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 17 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: based on historical Oriental culture.

A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A fun, spooky YA read!

Mazzy and Nora love to learn about harmless spells, especially living in New England. Their idea of spells being fun changes when they find a dead body with missing hands after casting a simple spell and Nora starts to feel the spirit taking over her mind. Nora starts changing and gets more and more interested in and pulled into the dark side of magic which seems to involve the body they found. More bodies are discovered with missing hands and Polaroid pictures of the victims when they’re alive are being left for Nora and Mazzy in random places. The friends want to solve the mystery and help the police but they’re being threatened and pulled into danger.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author sets up for the supernatural setting of the book. Tough issues are brought up with some of the side characters and I like how the characters help each other deal with them. The underlying cause of the magic, the Egyptian cult, added an extra element of creepiness to the story.
Language: R for 56 swears and 5 f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing, vaping and drinking mentioned.
Violence: PG-13 for gunshot, dead bodies found with missing hands.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Enemies to lovers clean romance!

Nikha is a heartsooth, a person with abilities to heal themselves and others. When she finishes healing a person as requested, the man turns her in and calls the Butchers. They cage her and take bids from buyers that visit her cage. She’s sold to a young woman who offers a huge amount of money for Nikha, Mimi Congmi. They travel to the Congmi manor where Nikha is asked to heal Hendon, the only witness to Mimi’s father’s death. Mimi and her brother believe he was murdered. When Nikha heals Hendon, the information he offers throws them all into a whirlwind of danger and deception.

Likes/dislikes: The mystery grabbed my full attention. The world building and character development brought the story to life. I enjoyed learning about Nikha’s background.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 17 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody violence- stabbing, gunshot wounds.
Ethnicity: Nikha has golden brown skin. Nikha’s grandmother has skin a shade darker than hers. The Congmi family has pale, rosy skin.

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

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Twisted fairytales!

Clara is determined to save her lost mother from the Forest Grimm where she wandered into three years ago. Her best friends Axel and Henni join Clara and they want to save Henni’s lost sister also. The Forest Grimm changed when a curse happened in Grimm Hollow and twisted the magic that used to be helpful to the villagers. The three are in danger of becoming lost themselves because the Forest moves and changes. They are surrounded by creatures who want to cause them harm. They can only trust each other and hope that trust is enough to save them.

Likes/dislikes: Axel’s gift for finding silver linings in any situation is charming. I enjoyed the story of the young ghost, Ollie. It adds a bit of spookiness and melancholy. The author wove a creepy tale of twisted magic.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 3 swears.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Forest King’s Daughter by Elly Blake

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Friends to enemies to love interests!

Zeru is from the underground. Cassia is a princess from the forest. Their kingdoms are enemies. When Zeru and Cassia were seven, they accidentally found each other in the forest and became friends. Zeru took a ring from a family jewelry box and gave it to his new friend Cassia, inadvertently creating a bond between the two of them. He also unknowingly started a war between their kingdoms. Ten years later, the battles continue and Cassia is captured by Zeru, so he can recover the ring for the queen of the Cryptlands.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author placed mythological statements at the beginning of each chapter, giving insight into what would happen during that chapter. I love Cassia with her gentle personality and loving kindness. The realm of Welkincaster was fun to “see” change and grow into a beautiful sanctuary.
Mature content: PG for gentle kissing.
Language: PG for 3 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting.
Ethnicity: fantasy creatures.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

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Will the killer be found?

At the Meadowbrook Boarding School, Amy is enjoying the senior week before the underclasses arrive on campus. She’s looking forward to spending time with her best friend Sarah and her boyfriend Joseph, who attends school in town. After a party the night before, Amy wakes up and knocks on Sarah’s door. When there’s no answer, Amy opens up the door to find Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan dead in a bloody bed. The school is shocked to the core and every student is terrified that they’re going to be the next victim. Amy is moved to room with Liz, the school newspaper journalist, who has high ambitions for reporting the news, on and off campus. Will the killer be found? Will the killer be stopped?

Likes/dislikes: I like how the characters each found a true friend when they didn’t expect to at all. It just shows that you never know where you’ll find a friend. Liz meets her journalistic hero and she learns quite a lot from her. Great character development.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex and underage drinking.
Language: R for 66 swears and 19 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Jewish, Black, White are all mentioned.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Magical cards abound!

When Elspeth was nine, she caught the dreaded fever that gave unwanted magic to the people who became sick. If you became infected, you would have to hide your symptoms. After the infection, Elspeth gets a monster in her mind that speaks to her and manifests itself to protect her. One night, Elspeth has a dream and she sees a man in golden armor with yellow feline eyes. When he sees her, he disappears and the nightmare takes his place. He recites a poem that sounds like he’s the man in golden armor, the king, and Elspeth, a young woman; the two of them together make up the Nightmare. Elspeth has been hiding her infection for eleven years. When she meets Rayvn, the Captain of the Destriers, who are ordered by the king to get rid of those who are infected, Elspeth is terrified. There’s more to Rayvn than meets the eye.

Manga Classics: Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Wonderful rendition of A Study in Scarlet!

I struggle reading Manga because it takes me a moment to adjust to reading the opposite direction of what I’m used to but I enjoyed this rendition of Sherlock Holmes’ book, “A Study in Scarlet”. The art is done well and the story is true Sherlock Holmes! A delightful mystery and it was fun to tag along with Sherlock and Watson as they solved the case. The suspense was perfect. The illustrations were eye-catching and pulled me into the story.

Likes/dislikes: I love the artwork! This is a manga that I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m impressed with this rendition of “A Study in Scarlet”!
Mature content: PG-13 for smoking.
Language: PG for 2 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG for off page death.
Ethnicity: White.