The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

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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 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.

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.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

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Clever imagery in this intense YA horror!

Cade is a smart, kind young man who’s working towards an NFL career. He has received a scholarship to a prep school that will help him with his goals. He’s tall, muscled and Black and people seem to always be afraid of him even when he’s just trying to help. One night he gets off of the subway after being accused of trying to steal a lady’s purse when he was only trying to keep her from falling over when the subway lurched. He ends up in a random neighborhood where he’s watched with suspicion by a couple walking their dog and police officers driving by. He enters a pawn shop to get off the street, purchases a $5 Superbowl ring replica and as he’s leaving, he states that he wishes people weren’t scared of him. Little does he know, he made a wish that will come true that will cause tragic consequences.

Likes/dislikes: Cade and his family have integrity and humility even though they’ve done well. The family unit is represented as an important part of life throughout the book. The nuggets of wisdom from Cade’s father were refreshing. The struggle through Cade’s father’s terminal cancer is handled respectfully, honestly and tactfully. I enjoyed this mysterious and interesting YA horror story.
Mature content: G for parents kissing.
Language: PG for 5 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Black and white.

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

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Intrigue and magic!

Marlow is a curse breaker who is helping her past crush, Adrius. Adrius has been given a curse that forces him to obey any orders given to him. He only trusts Marlow when he doesn’t even trust his own family. Adrius comes from a rich, powerful family who values money and power above all. When Marlow discovers who placed the curse on Adrius, she also reveals a secret that will change her life forever.

Likes/dislikes: The mystery behind the curse is fun to watch unravel. Marlow’s perseverance is admirable. The secrets revealed are intriguing and make me excited for the sequel, Masquerade of the Heart.
Language: R for 54 swears and 5 f-words.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: predominantly white. Adrius has warm brown skin. Corrine has dark skin.

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.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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Charming and full of humor!

Tress has left her home of Diggen’s Point to rescue the Duke’s son Charlie from a forced trip to meet and marry a worthy woman of royalty. He’s actually been sent to the Sorceress to die. Tress disguises herself as an inspector to board a ship and when the ship is attacked she boards the winning ship, Crow’s Song. Tress has adventures involving curses, dragons, magic and surprises in store. She also discovers her strengths and loyalties and how far she will go to take care of the people she cares about.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the humor throughout the book. The snippets of wisdom were fun. I like the unknowns of Tress’ adventures. The prose is charming and the world building is imaginative.
Mature Content: PG for brief kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 12 swears, no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicities: The book contains a variety of ethnicities. Tress is presumably white.

The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa

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In Tigang, Narra wants her mother to stay home but she insists on going to the capital to confess that she kept her marked daughter alive even when the law stated she must die. Narra is the marked daughter because of the birthmarks on her neck, which people believe makes her cursed. Her mother is imprisoned and Narra enters the competition that takes place every ten years to find a new ruler. She wants to win the competition so she can rescue her mother. Narra enters the trials with no magic, no weapons and no help. It takes all of her willpower and wits to get through it all.

Likes/dislikes: The vocabulary in the world building and introduction of characters gets confusing but it makes more sense as the story goes on. The story felt disjointed because of the competition, the past lives and the magic not necessarily blending well together. I did like Narra, the main character, and her companions, Virian and Dayen, and how they worked together and helped each other.

Mature content: PG for brief kissing
Language: PG-13 for 19 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG for cuts on palms of hands as a gift of blood to begin a ceremony and a nondescript beheading.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with the following: olive skin, brown skin, deep russet skin, dark Tigangi skin, and dark brown skin.

Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli

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Mystery, fantasy, adventure and romance!

Emeline Lark lives in Montreal where she’s trying to leave her forest hometown of Edgewood in the past. She’s on the verge of becoming a singer with a recording company but as she performs she sees signs of the Edgewood Forest creeping onto the stage. Emeline sees a mysterious hooded stranger in the audience who becomes the key to her past and future, unbeknownst to her at the time. Pa, her grandfather, has dementia and when she goes home to take care of him, she’s pulled into the Edgewood Forest and her life is thrown into upheaval and danger. To free herself from the evil and corrupted Wood King, Emeline will have to dig deep and get to the bottom of the forest curse.

5 solid stars!!! Mystery, fantasy, action and romance.

Likes/dislikes:
The writing pulled me into the story with incredible world building and mysterious surroundings and characters. Hawthorn is a fascinating character. The story has action, tenderness and a roller coaster of emotions.
Language: R for 14 swears and 3 f-bombs
Mature content: R for Sex on page 295 that doesn’t mention genitals and is described vaguely; non-detailed oral sex on page 340. The relationship between the two characters is a loving one and the sex is because of this love for each other.
Violence: PG for Stabbing of the Shadowskin creatures, no blood involved; danger and Shadowskins chasing people.
Ethncity: Predominantly white in Montreal and Edgewood but mixed colors of skin in the otherworldly forest of the Wood King.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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A wonderfully immersive story, 5 stars!

Ryn, Gareth and Ceridwen are siblings living alone since their mother died and their father went to the copper mine and never returned. Ellis is a mapmaker traveling in the mountains when Ryn finds him being attacked by a dead man that’s risen and she promptly saves him. The three siblings are barely scraping a living but they’re loyal to each other. Ellis wants Ryn to be his paid guide through the mountains so he can make a map and try to discover his origins. Ryn agrees because she wants to search for her father in the mine and also stop the rising dead, the bone houses. They travel together through dangerous terrain with bone houses all around and find the reason behind the curse. A wonderfully immersive story, 5 stars!

Language: PG for 8 swears, no f-bombs

Mature content: PG for kissing

Violence: PG for dead bodies rising and trying to harm people. Axe and sword cutting of the risen dead.

Likes/dislikes:
I love this tale of bravery, mystery and loyalty set in a fantasy world. Ryn and Ellis are my favorite characters even though they’re very different from each other. I like that the author wrote this story out of respect for Lloyd Alexander’s books and the love that she has for his writing since her childhood.

Ethnicity:
Mixed

Setting:
An imaginary village, Colbern, is where Ryn lives with her siblings.