The Deathly Grimm

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Conclusion to the Forest Grimm twisted fairytale duology!

Clara and Axel follow a group of sisters in a trance as they’re being called into the cursed forest. Clara and Axel want to save the sisters from the curse which will cause them to go mad or die. As they follow them, Clara meets Harlan, an enchanted frog, and she frees him with a kiss that turns him back into his human form. Harlan helps Clara have visions which give her clues to the person who murdered a Grimm Hollow villager, causing the curse. Clara and Axel sift through the clues to discover the murderer, which will ultimately break the curse on their village and they need all the help they can get. Harlan seems to be helpful but can he be trusted?

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed how the author incorporated fairytales into the story and how she twisted them a bit. I liked unraveling the mystery behind the curse and how the author used Clara’s incomplete visions to
create uncertainty about the suspects. Axel is still so kind and caring but he also shows insecurities and frustration.
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing.
Language: PG for 2 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody violence.
Ethnicity: Clara and Henni have pale skin and Axel has tawny skin. Lila has bronze skin.

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.

Warrior of Legend by Kendare Blake

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Heroes and Villains!

After losing her hero, Reed has thrown herself head first into serving the Aristene. She has sent three heroes to their glorious death in less than a year. When her fellow Aristene, Lyonene, is called to help a hero, she begs Reed to take her place. Lyonene wants to stay with her hero, prince, and husband Alsander. What Reed and Lyonene don’t know is how much this one decision will change their lives.

Likes/dislikes: I liked the dynamic between Reed, her mentor, her hero and her fellow Aristene. This series will have more than two books. The story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but it left me wanting to know what’s to come.
Mature content: PG-13 for off page sex and implied sex, off page.
Language: PG-13 for 15 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for attempted sexual assault, off page murder, bloody violence and bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: white, tan, and olive skintones are mentioned.

One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielsen

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Intense historical fiction!

Atlas and his parents love to climb mountains together. When his mother gets sick, the doctors suggest taking her to stay with grandparents who live in Utah because the air is dry and should help her. When Atlas and his father leave to climb King’s Peak, he says a casual goodbye to his mother, not realizing that will be the last time he speaks to her because she dies while they are away. Atlas and his father throw themselves into mountain climbing after that and end up in Nepal to climb Mt. Everest. They join a team set to reach the unreachable, the Summit of Mt. Everest. Atlas will face the fight of his live and must make the toughest of choices.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author includes a definition at the beginning of each chapter. The setting is extremely interesting with the threat of World War II hanging over the story. The characters are believable.
Mature content: G
Language: G for 0 swears.
Violence: G
Ethnicity: predominantly white

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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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.

Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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Feels like a warm hug!

Kiela lives in Alyssium and loves her job as a librarian. The only social interaction she gets is with Caz, the sentient spider plant that resides in the library too. When the library is burned, Kiela and Caz take as many magical books as they can and sail away to Kiela’s birthplace, Caltrey, which she hasn’t been too for a long time. They move into her parents’ abandoned cottage and hope that they won’t be found hiding the restricted magical books. Kiela has always enjoyed being alone and antisocial but her new neighbors see things differently and will try to break down her barriers any way they can.

Likes/dislikes: This is a sweet book. Charming, innocent and full of fantasy. The book was so relaxing to read and it truly was comforting.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: G – no swears.
Violence: PG for prejudice.
Ethnicity: A variety of races, species and colors.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

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What choice would you make?

The Crown Royale virus seems to be everywhere and it either becomes fatal or creates a happy mindset in survivors. Mariel and her mom are homeless and she believes that the virus would make life great but her mother doesn’t. Ron, the youngest of six children, hosts his rich father’s Airbnb and welcomes people to stay for four nights at the beautiful penthouse for a very cheap price. This will be the last stay before the penthouse closes. His father is wanting to live in isolation so they don’t catch the virus and give all their money to charity because they’re out of their right minds, all caused by the Crown Royale virus. Morgan reaches her internship meeting, where she meets with a very rich woman who has recently been diagnosed with Crown Royale and wants to bequeath everything to Morgan to eradicate the virus. Ron becomes an alpha-spreader, Mariel is immune, Morgan wants to do everything possible to eradicate the virus and after inheriting tons of money and partnering with Ron’s extremely rich father, she has the means to.

Likes/dislikes: I love the inclusion and representation of several different ethnicities and cultures. The stories of random people and encounters intrigued me and helped cement the nature of the virus and its effect on people. I enjoyed how the author explored the choices people made and their actions. Interesting story.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 65 swears and 6 f-words.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: Ron is of Spanish descent. Morgan is Eurasian, Mariel is white.

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

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Coincidence or deception?

This is a mystery with many layers that continue to unravel as the story progresses. I couldn’t put the book down!

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

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Is anything real?

Mullory feels alone and helpless. Her mother left her to take care of her terminally ill grandmother, leaving her with this warning, “Run if the strange finds you”. She starts receiving letters and doesn’t want to open them but when Elliot, a family services worker, arrives and tells her he’s checking in on Mullory and her Gran and seeing how difficult their situation is, might have a solution to help them. Elliot tells Mullory to open the letters. Inside is an invitation to Stoutmire Estate to participate in a game of mystery to win an inheritance. When she arrives at the estate, Mullory discovers that Elliott is actually Edwin and serves the estate owner, Xavier Stoutmire. Then things become more strange because a murder has been committed and a game has been created by the deceased that’s outlined in the will. The players must unravel the mystery with magical clues, riddles and illusions full of danger.

Likes/dislikes: The book is definitely written for YA with the quips and easy crushes. I like how the author added literary quotes to broaden the impact. Flashbacks are sprinkled throughout the story as echoes that the characters can see. The author created an eclectic mix of characters.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 86 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: predominantly white.

Skyshade by Alex Aster

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More to come in this series!

Isla struggles with leaving Oro behind but knows it’s best for the sake of Lightlark. She’s still angry with Grim for erasing her memories but odd and destructive incidents help them work together to save the realms. Isla discovers a feather that writes on its own leading her to learn about skyres, items that hold soul pieces. Zealots are disguised and Isla begins trusting them. She also starts to think that she’s the person causing destruction. Is Isla the traitor?

Likes/dislikes: I like the mystery surrounding the unknown traitor who’s wreaking havoc. I don’t really feel that Isla loves Oro as she loves Grim, who seems to be her soulmate. I enjoyed the author’s world building.
Mature Content: R for on page sex.
Language: PG for 7 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Isla has tanned skin, Oro is golden and Azul is dark brown. Others have light brown skin and white skin. Remlar is blue skinned.