The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

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Stop the goddesses from destroying the world!

In Otera, 17yo Deka and her group of Alaki women warriors, set out to free Melanis who is the Light of the Alaki. They find her being burned in the temple. Once freed, male warriors enter the temple to stop her escape and to kill the alaki that helped her. As soon as Melanis is freed from the fire, her body begins to heal and her wings sprout just in time to save everyone from the vicious warriors but then they resurrect and fight again. The alaki can’t fathom how they’re coming back to life but the Goddesses tell them it’s the power of the golden throne, the Angoro. Deka will face the unknown and discover more about herself than she has ever imagined as they search for the mysterious Angoro.

Likes/dislikes: I feel that the story is drawn out. I do like the ending. The characters are a nice variety of personalities.
Mature Content: G for kiss.
Language: PG for 6 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Deka is dark skinned, Brita is pale skinned and the following are all mentioned:
copper skin, midnight dark skin, reddish brown skin, bluish purple skin, and bluish black skin.

The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy

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I could not put this book down!

Lauren just moved to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania to get away from the horrible experience she had during her junior year in California and will be starting her senior year in high school soon. She’s seeing Robbie secretly and uses their time together to escape the guilt of harming her ex-boyfriend in California and disfiguring him permanently. When school starts up, Lauren learns about Robbie’s past and she becomes afraid of him. Robbie and his brother Trevor are both suspected of killing their girlfriends. The more Lauren learns about the murders, the more danger she gets pulled into!

Likes/dislikes: I could not put the book down! It was so interesting and the suspense continued to build as I read the story. Two mysteries, with a third added in, made the book intense.
Mature content: R for on page sex, repeated underage drinking, smoking, and drugs.
Language: R for 105 swears and 53 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death, mention of murders, arson, and abduction.
Ethnicity: a mix of white, brown and black characters.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

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Another great mystery read from Holly Jackson!

Rachel Price, mother of 18yo Bel, has been missing for over sixteen years. Bel’s father needs money to care for his elderly father, so he decides to participate in a documentary about the disappearance of his wife, Rachel Price. Bel doesn’t want to rehash everything over and over again but she wants to help her dad. She wonders if the documentary will help find her mom by rekindling the investigation. Also, Bel can’t shake the thought that her mom abandoned her all those years ago and that she just might be alive somewhere. The documentary is just the beginning of the chaos that’s to come.

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! The character development was interesting and the author showed Bel’s coping mechanisms of cruelty and shoplifting small items as a way to deal with the abandonment she’s had in her lifetime. The documentary idea was great as it helped show the changes in the family and Bel’s perspective of the situation.

Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 53 swears and 121 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for assault.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with mention of a brown skin background 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

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Honest, heartbreaking realistic fiction!

17yo Kate and Ben have been friends since elementary school and now she wants more than that. They began dating and everything is going well until accusations of assault start happening to Ben’s teammates. Many people want to hide the evidence and pretend nothing happened but Kate can’t get the wrongdoing out of her head. Secrets come out after a video was shared. The aftermath will drastically change lives and the community of Coral Sands, Iowa.

Likes/dislikes: I’m frustrated with the situation the community is dealing with. I’m also frustrated with some of the main character’s actions. The author represents entitlement and community politics well.
Mature content: R for sexual assault
Language: R for 79 swears and 5 f-words.
Violence: R for rape.
Ethnicity: predominantly white, an African American deputy mentioned.

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Historical fiction fantasy!
18yo Hazel lives in her family’s manor and continues to help those in need of medical care until she’s arrested for murder. She’s released and brought to the ailing princess to heal her. Hazel still has to fight the societal standards that believe a woman isn’t capable of intelligent work, let alone being a doctor. While at the palace treating the Princess, Hazel receives an invitation to a Companions to the Death meeting. She’s astonished at what she discovers!

Likes/dislikes: The romance is sweet. Intense parts kept me glued to the pages. I wish there was a third book in this series.
Mature Content: PG-13 for kissing.
Language: PG for 6 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is predominantly white with mention of a Black man.

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

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Delightfully creepy!

17yo Emer is a curse writer that gives spells to women that are afraid and want protection. 17yo Jude has a demon following her and she’s suffering physically from the toll it’s taking on her. 17yo Zara wants to reanimate the sister she lost a year ago when she was murdered. The three young women end up working together to solve the murder mystery of a serial killer the police are calling the London Ripper. They get themselves in deeper than they bargained for and hopefully they won’t be the next victims.

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the twists. I was spooked a few times by the creepy descriptions. I like the strength and perseverance of the three main characters, Emer, Jude and Zara. Jude adds humor to the story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for mention of drug use.
Language: R for 162 swears and 27 f-words.
Violence: R for repeated bloodshed and deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mostly white with some Black, brown and olive skin tones included.

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.

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A perfect ending to this historical fantasy duology!
Two weeks after 18yo Iris was forced to watch her husband struggle against a gas bomb in the attack on Avalon Bluff, she’s back in Oath living with her brother Forest. 19yo Roman is trapped in Avalon Bluff under Dacre’s watchful care with no memory of who he is or his past. Iris manages to get her hands on the Alouette typewriter in the museum and uses it to search for Roman or anyone who may be using one of the other two Alouettes. Roman unknowingly writes back and forth with Iris as he gets his memory back a little at a time. He also sends a warning that Dacre will be invading the area that Iris is staying at while writing war correspondence. Roman is terrified that Dacre will learn of his secret messages and Iris is terrified of an invasion.

Likes/dislikes: Beautiful story telling. I love the brave and loyal characters. A riveting story and I didn’t want to put the book down.
Mature content: PG-13 for nondescript implied sex
Language: PG for 7 swears and no f-words
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fights and bloody wounds
Ethnicity: The ethnicity falls to white.

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Alternating timelines in this engrossing mystery!
15yo Sana moves into a decrepit large house in Africa with her father. The other residents say it’s haunted and this makes Sana curious. She asks the other residents questions about the house and its past and she explores everything and every place in the house. In the attic, Sana discovers a diary and she reads until the ending. What she finds, haunts her and she hopes there’s more of the story to unravel.

Likes/dislikes: The book is slow and builds the setting and characters until the second half when the mystery piqued my interest and grabbed my attention. I found it fascinating that Sana was a conjoined twin but she’s the only one who survived and now Sana sees and hears her dead sister. I loved discovering the background of the haunted home that is the setting for this story.
Mature Content: G for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 14 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Indian and African with some white.