Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I thoroughly enjoyed Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy! The dedication builds suspenseful excitement and I love the quote that opens the story: “Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?”-Edgar Allan Poe. I fell into the story immediately because the intensity begins in the first chapter with an angry attack, which leads to murder. I thought I may have figured out who the murderer is but as the story progresses, things change and so does my perspective. The points of view are interesting because it’s mostly Penelope with others’ randomly thrown in. This makes the action and anxiety more erratic showing us how the community must feel knowing there’s a murderer in their midst. Also, through the killer’s point of view, we get a glimpse of incentive and motive. I read this book straight through with fervor and the story doesn’t disappoint! 5 stars for this young adult murder mystery!

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Shatter by Kaitlyn Davis

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Shatter, by Kaitlyn Davis, is book four of the Midnight Ice series. The story dives right back into Pandora’s life and where the third book left off. Little does Pandora know that Samael is not completely gone and that Jax is a prisoner in his own body! Pandora, once again, has to feel her father’s disregard for her feelings and well being when he flat out tells her he doesn’t love her. Pandora’s hurting, but she remains strong and relies on the help of her trusted friends. I enjoy the alternating points of view and the different perspectives shown, which build the suspense. The strong characters and loyalty continue to grow and the ending of this book is beautiful and heartwarming! I love being back in Pandora’s world and enjoy the beautiful, descriptive writing of Kaitlyn Davis. 5 stars for this supernatural read that I couldn’t put down!

Shatter Teaser

Check out the amazing writing of Kaitlyn Davis with her entire Midnight Ice series!

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S’more to Lose by Beth Merlin

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Ink Monster for the opportunity to read and review S’more to Lose by Beth Merlin! Four years after the first book, this sequel finds Gigi and Perry in London and at an impasse in their relationship. They have moved on from their relationship, by all appearances. Perry is famous for writing a popular musical and Gigi and Jamie have built a growing, productive designer business, G-Malone. Prince Alexander and Victoria Ellicott are planning their wedding and want G-Malone to design the wedding dress and wedding attire for the upcoming royal wedding celebration. Gigi meets Gideon and they gradually fall for each other and all is well until paparazzi create a gossip story under false pretenses and blow everything out of the water. Tumultuous and romantic with the added bonus of artistic creativity build into a very enjoyable story; 5 stars!

One S’more Summer by Beth Merlin

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Ink Monster for the opportunity to read and review One S’more Summer by Beth Merlin! This is a fun story filled with summer camp adventures and relationship struggles. Gigi is at a rough place and becomes a camp counselor to escape and hopefully regroup before she heads back to her regular life as unemployed and single, after a confusing affair. Perry has been a summer counselor for four years and he’s dealing with his own supposed skeletons in the closet. Gigi treats Perry with only anger, assuming he’s arrogant and immature when she hasn’t even given him a chance. Over the summer and in spite of their bad start, Gigi and Perry began to confide in each other and realize they have a lot in common. Gigi can’t seem to get away from her past and she faces everything head on, thanks to the support of her friends and family. The ending is cute and hopeful after the tumultuous distrust and intensity. One S’more Summer weaves a realistic and rocky story of how relationships come and go and how we handle them and how we deal with the in-betweenness of being single. 5 stars!

Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross! Fletcher seems to have many things he wants to hide and Haley has a good heart and great values. The two of them are working on a class project together and sometimes get along fairly well and at other times they can barely tolerate each other. I enjoyed Off the Ice (the first book in the Juniper Falls series) immensely and Breaking Ice is just as good, dealing with bullying, sexuality, family, learning disabilities and the stressful experience of intense allergies. Unique aspects of solitude and the consequences of social and parental pressures are addressed also. I love the dancing and the teacher who’s willing to work with and help her students based on their individual needs! The only drawback is the often used f-word, which I felt was unnecessary to the story being told. 4.5 stars for a thought provoking story!

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden! This sequel to Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderful fantasy with beautiful descriptions and fascinating legendary characters of Russian heritage. Vasya is still uniquely interesting and after surviving different adventures, she meets her niece, Marya. The two of them have a great deal in common and Vasya finally has someone she can share her magical sights with, until they are forbidden to spend time together because of the impropriety of Marya showing her face in public. She truly is a girl locked in a tower. Their lives scatter out of control when a secret Vasya has kept quiet is revealed and everything spirals downward from there. I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book and even more. The ending left me wanting more and I sure hope there’s a third book planned. I noticed on Goodreads that the next addition to the Winternight Trilogy is set to be published August 2018 and is entitled The Winter of the Witch! The Russian information and resources in the Author’s Notes helped with the understanding of legends, vocabulary and names. I am also interested in researching more of this section of Russian history, thanks to the sources mentioned. This beautiful story rates 5 stars for its atmospheric descriptions and dynamic characters!

 

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Saints and misfits by S.K. Ali. Janna lives in a Muslim home with her mother and brother. Her dad is remarried and has young children with his new wife. The story opens with Janna at the beach with her dad’s family. She needed to get away from her home and her friend’s cousin who tried raping her. Janna calls him Monster. It seems that she has told no one. The story backtracks weeks before and shows Janna and her school, home and community life. Janna is frustrated that everyone thinks Faroq, Monster, is a wonderful and good person. She finally confides in someone and she takes matters into her own hands. Then it all gets thrown back in her face. Relatable characters and events make this book a part of reality. 4 stars for a story about society’s expectations and the complications that go with them.

Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover by Audrey Penn

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover by Audrey Penn. Chester spends the day with a group of friends. When it’s time for bed, Chester can’t sleep. He ends up going home and falls asleep contentedly. The story is cute and happy with some humor also. 4 stars for this addition to the story of Chester Raccoon.

Suspect Red by L.M. Elliot

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review Suspect Red by L.M. Elliott! Chapter One is entitled “June 1953”; the book opens as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for giving the Soviet Union U. S. atomic bomb technology. More factual information is given: the reason for the Berlin Wall and censorship with books, before the story begins. Set in the Cold War era, Richard enjoys reading about spies and other topics that the government frowns upon at the time. His father works for the FBI and was active in the military during wartime. The story alternates between true historical moments and photographs to the fictional characters of Richard and his family and their lives. Eye-opening and relatable, the timeline of the fictional story flows with Cold War history as it is laid out. It’s crazy how much one person affected an entire nation in such a negative way. Suspect Red is an interesting, entertaining way to gain knowledge about the state of our nation during the Cold War, 5 stars!

Dare to Sketch by Felix Scheinberger

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Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the opportunity to read and review Dare to Sketch by Felix Scheinberger. The descriptive Table of Contents built my interest in reading this book. Advice and instructions on sketch pads and their uses, drawing tools, different perspectives in drawing and the subjects of drawings are included. I especially like the page entitled, “Drawing is a Global Language”, which advises artists to observe respectfully. The art reminds me of Roald Dahl’s style. 4 stars for a helpful art book with personality!