A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance

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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 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.

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte

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Cayder is interning at the law offices. He’s been interested in becoming a lawyer since he used edem magic when he was a child and the Regency officials came to his home to investigate. The Regency was formed by scientists researching edem. Since using edem causes unpredictable and sometimes fatal effects, it’s illegal to use its magic. Cayder’s sister Leta is arrested for using edem that started a fire causing three hundred fatalities. The lawyer he interns for takes Leta’s case but then he’s assigned to the princess’s case. She’s accused of killing her brother, the king. Cayder manages to get the lawyer they want and need, as well as doing his best to help the Princess. The trial is a roller coaster swaying from side to side. The Regency seems to always fix things to work in their best interests, no matter what the situation is. After the trial mishaps, Cayder and the Princess need each other’s help more than ever. Things grow chaotic and secrets are exposed and are shocking to Cayder’s group of rebels which includes the Princess, Leta, Kema the guard and Jey, another Vardean inmate. Conspiracy theories, political intrigue and teamwork make up this fantasy story, 4 stars!

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

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Return to the Empire!

Aiz has burn scars from an orphanage fire ten years prior and wants vengeance for the victims of the fire. Prince Quil is heir after the Empress, his Aunt Helene, and he loves to be under the radar and roams the streets with anonymity. Bani al-Mauth, the holy figure Chosen of Death, meets with Quil after a homeless boy is killed by having his heart burned out of his chest. She wants Quil’s help in stopping the murders that have taken place. Sirsha is a poor jewel thief trying to survive the slums and earn enough to move away someday. She’s running from a violent gang and barely escapes when she’s found by a man who wants her help. Their paths will cross and danger follows.

Likes/dislikes: It was nice to be in the world of An Ember in the Ashes again, over a decade into the future. Instead of learning about a new world and trying to navigate it, I was revisiting a world I was very familiar with. The new main characters are complex and each has a story to tell.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex on page.
Language: R for 37 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: mentions brown and white skin.

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine

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Whoa! That ending!!!

Olivia is curious about who her biological father is after she finds out her parents have been keeping secrets from her. Reagan continues to move with her mother who is a suspect in the Camp Lost Lake murders of 2008. Olivia and Reagan both end up at Camp Lost Lake looking for answers and meet by accident. Little do they know that they’re walking into another murdering rampage as the Witch of Camp Lost Lake returns. They will get answers but will they survive?

Likes/dislikes: Creepy, twisty, mysterious fun! I couldn’t put the book down after chapter 5! The ending was intense and a shocker and left me wanting more to read!
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 75 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is predominantly white and Jack is Asian. Hazel is a Jewish Jamaican. Sawyer has tan skin.

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

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Apocalyptic USA!

The Tick is rampant and turning people into zombies but there’s a new medicine that turns the effects around, as long as it’s taken consistently. 17 yo Mara has turned and then been given the medicine so she’s now considered one of the Altered. The Altered are coherent and human acting while taking the medicine consistently but if they miss a few doses, they can turn and become dangerous.
Mara is brought back to her godparents since her parents are dead. The community doesn’t trust the Altered but circumstances change quickly when a human makes decisions that are deceptive and dangerous.

Likes/dislikes: The author created an interesting world. The dystopian premise and zombies will intrigue young adult readers. I enjoyed the suspense that came along with the mystery of the killings.

Mature content: PG for kissing, mention of underage drinking.
Language: R for 75 swears and 7 f-words.
Violence: R for repeated bloody violence and deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white with a brown skinned side character.

One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain

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Multiple mysteries within!

18yo Tru doesn’t know what she wants for her future, not even whether or not she wants to leave her hometown of Mount Orange, Florida. She feels stuck until 18yo Rio shows up in town. Rio is a female diver like Tru and they instantly become friends. They both want to solve the twenty year old cold case murders of Bailey and Celeste , who were teenagers when they were killed. Tru and Rio feel a deep connection to Bailey and Celeste and when they dig into the evidence and ask questions, their lives become endangered.

Likes/dislikes: I love that there’s more than one mystery inside this story. The suspense was great and kept me riveted. Tragic and scary and such a good read.
Mature Content: R for sexual related nudity.
Language: R for 164 swears and 52 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths
Ethnicity: white

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang

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A fun, spooky read!
Tabatha apprentices for the famous and magical Solomon. He states, through several prophecies, that he will die. It’s a shock to everyone when he actually dies and it’s a brutal death. Tabatha is told by Solomon, before his death, to only trust his son Callum and no one else. Callum and Tabatha try to solve the murder mystery but get swept up in the unknown along the way.

Likes/dislikes: This book is such a fun read! I loved the spooky atmosphere and the mystery. Tabatha is a strong, persistent, interesting character.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 50 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG for deaths.
Ethnicity: The Solomon family members are white and Tabatha is Chinese American.

Curses by Lish McBride

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Wonderfully descriptive and charming characters!

17yo Merit is cursed to be a beast until she agrees to marry someone who her mother approves of. She meets 19yo Tevin, a professional conman, and they strike a bargain. Merit’s mother has set her up with three worthy candidates and Tevin is going to help Merit navigate their intentions because she doesn’t trust her instincts after being jilted by her boyfriend Jasper. Jasper left Merit after her mother offered him money to leave. Merit feels trapped by her mother and she doesn’t feel anything for the three candidates. As she confides in Tevin, the two of them become friends and more. As they work together, they unknowingly walk into danger and discover deception and they’re going to have to rely on each other more than they realize.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of the setting. The humor is cute and funny. I grew to love the charming characters.
Mature content: PG for brief passionate kissing.
Language: PG for 7 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death of an animal.
Ethnicity: Merit is white, other characters are of mixed ethnicity, including fairy.

The Queen’s Secret by Melissa de la Cruz

Posted on by lynndellwatson

The kingdom’s balance is shaken in this duology finale!

The kingdom’s balance is shaken in this duology finale!
In the imaginary world of Avantine, Lilac is now married to King Hansen. The kingdom’s citizens blame her for the odd and scary events that take place. They believe she’s a witch with dark magic. Strange deaths shake the balance in the kingdom and when her mother’s palace is destroyed, no one and nowhere feels safe. Cal and his cohorts have to work quickly to solve the problem and help rebuild their kingdom’s safety.

Likes/dislikes: The repeated mentions of past events became tedious. The relationships fell into place too conveniently and quickly towards the ending of the book. I would have liked to have more background on Jander and the demon wreaking havoc in the kingdom because that would have made the world building stronger and the story more interesting. The unwanted marriage between Lilac and the king overshadowed everything.

Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex, gentle kissing, urgent nondescript kiss.
Language: PG for 4 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths by stabbing and falling; messy, bloody death of a horse.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed.