Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer

Posted on by lynndellwatson

The most dangerous enemy…

Enola is at the graveyard and hears a chiming bell. She finally pinpoints the sound at a burial site and when it’s dug up, a young woman, Trevina is inside. Trevina doesn’t remember her name or how she ended up in the burial site. Enola takes Trevina to her helpful acquaintance Florence Nightingale to nurse her back to health and hopefully recover her memory. While Enola helps Trevina regain health and memories, she also wants to help Sherlock with his nemesis, Moriarty.

Likes/dislikes: I love how the reader is introduced to Florence Nightingale and we get a glimpse of her home. Enola is as persistent and intelligent as always. The whole Moriarty mystery is interesting and ominous.
Language: PG for 3 swears.
Mature Content: G – none.
Violence: PG for attack and kidnapping.
Ethnicity: Falls to white.

The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston

Posted on by lynndellwatson

The Revenant Games #1

How far would you go to save a loved one?

Bly loves her sister Elise and appreciates how Elise does the things Bly doesn’t want to do, like helping their parents with their work. When Elise is trapped by a witch’s spell, Bly will do whatever it takes to get her sister back. The sister’s mutual and lifelong friend Emerson is willing to help. They enter the Revenant Games to win Elise back and become entangled in the witches’ and vampires’ play for power. Emerson has a witch acquaintance who he believes will help but she may have an agenda of her own. When Bly is surrounded by a group of dangerous vampires, a mysterious vampire saves her and she later learns that his name is Kerrigan, a vampire prince. Will Bly and Emerson get lost in the midst of the violent Revenant Games?

Likes/dislikes: I noticed a few typos and also an incorrect use of the word waste, should have been waist and I wondered about the editing process. I liked the journey of Bly discovering what she truly wants in life as she matures. Kerrigan is an interesting character and I enjoyed learning about his background and reasons for his actions.
Language: R for 9 swears and 6 f-words.
Mature content: PG for gentle, sweet kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting, beheading, bloody death.
Ethnicity: Emerson has dark brown skin. Bly has pale skin.

The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Posted on by lynndellwatson

I could not put this book down!

Hazel feels like a loner in her school. She’s placed with Becca and her popular friends for a group homework assignment. They decide to research the local condemned school for troubled teens that closed about thirty years ago when it caught on fire; the school is supposedly haunted. Becca, Amber and Simon play a prank on Hazel and then she falls off a roof and breaks her arm. Before she fell, she heard whispers and followed them out onto the roof. Once Hazel is home, she feels different and notices that she’s acting strangely and doesn’t like the same colors or foods that she did before the visit to the school. She also feels angry all the time. Hazel decides to investigate the history of the school and what she finds shakes her to the core.

Likes/dislikes: I was pulled right into the story and didn’t want to put it down. I love the character development and Hazel’s, Quint’s, and Deidre’s stories. Hazel’s life is hopeful, Quint deals with abuse from his family and Deidre’s life is tragic. I appreciate the content warnings the author put in the front of the book. I enjoyed the added supernatural elements tremendously. The author provides her research notes about the real schools for troubled teens that she based this story on.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 40 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for physical and emotional abuse by parent and at the school for troubled teens. Death
Ethnicity: Hazel is from Puerto Rican and Polish descent, Becca and Quint are white. Amber is half Thai and half white. Simon is half Jewish and half Afro Latino. Varying ethnicities were at the school for troubled teens.

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Is Armand capable of murder?

Mallory is a tour guide for the haunted House Saphir, the home of Bastien Le Bleu, a man who murdered several of his wives over a century ago. She’s also a con artist, along with her sister Anais, and together they run their family shop of fake magical treasures. During one of her tours, a young man named Armand, claiming to be a descendant of Le Bleu, asks for Mallory’s help in ridding his family mansion of Le Bleu’s evil ghost. Mallory and Anais are barely scraping by, so she happily takes Armand up on his generous offer to pay her for her assistance, thinking it will be easy money. Mallory soon learns that she’s in over her head and she’s put herself and Anais in danger.

Likes/dislikes: The charming banter between Mallory and Armand is a lot of fun. The spooky setting is a perfect backdrop for the storyline. I enjoyed the mystery and the main characters, Mallory, Armand and Anais.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 7 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody violence and bloody death.
Ethnicity: Mixed and the main characters fall to white.

The Forest King’s Daughter by Elly Blake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Friends to enemies to love interests!

Zeru is from the underground. Cassia is a princess from the forest. Their kingdoms are enemies. When Zeru and Cassia were seven, they accidentally found each other in the forest and became friends. Zeru took a ring from a family jewelry box and gave it to his new friend Cassia, inadvertently creating a bond between the two of them. He also unknowingly started a war between their kingdoms. Ten years later, the battles continue and Cassia is captured by Zeru, so he can recover the ring for the queen of the Cryptlands.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author placed mythological statements at the beginning of each chapter, giving insight into what would happen during that chapter. I love Cassia with her gentle personality and loving kindness. The realm of Welkincaster was fun to “see” change and grow into a beautiful sanctuary.
Mature content: PG for gentle kissing.
Language: PG for 3 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting.
Ethnicity: fantasy creatures.

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A monster hurricane changes the world!

Nonie lives in the American Museum of Natural History in New York because of the immense hurricane and other intense storms that have swept over the world. When a huge flood hits the museum, Nonie leaves with her sister Bix, their father and their family friend Keller. They are heading to their Aunt Clare’s house. On the way, they fight nature as the storms increase in strength, the wild and unknown. They try to stop for rest from the river and shelter from the rain but meet Lost, two men that only seem to want to harm. Father gets shot, Bix also gets shot and Keller gets pneumonia from jumping into the dirty river to rescue their boat from the strong currents. Will any of them survive?

Likes/dislikes: The story has an interesting premise and dystopian plot. The author made the main characters flawed and relatable. I like that the story was carried on by hope, even when everything seemed lost.
Mature content: G for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 13 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Ben is doing a podcast about Lucy who supposedly murdered her friend Savannah five years ago. Lucy was found bloody and beaten and can’t remember anything about what happened. Savannah was found dead, bloody and beaten. There wasn’t enough evidence to convict Lucy but most of her Texas hometown thinks she’s guilty.

Lucy heads home for her grandmother’s birthday and after her grandmother’s request, meets Ben. He wants to find out the truth about what happened to Savannah. Ben interviews many people and, little by little, Lucy regains some memories. Is Lucy a murderer or not?

Magnificently narrated audiobook and an interesting story!

Fledgling by S.K. Ali

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Complex fantasy in a dystopian world!

Third person telling of five main characters in a world trying to survive; Upper Earth claims to want peace and unity and Lower Earth claims to want the same but with transparency, honesty and equality. The rebels believe Upper Earth wants to oppress Lower Earth even more than it has been for decades. Raisa is betrothed to Lein; Raisa has been raised in Lower Earth and Lein was raised in Upper Earth and they’ve been betrothed by their parents to bring the division together. Nada and Nayf are twins released from prison and they want to protect Raisa, even though Lein is their cousin. Musaid is Lein’s friend and he and Nada are in love. Their lives entwine and the danger builds while political intrigue and untrustworthy rulers cause havoc. Will the five survive?

Likes/dislikes: This story is a complex fantasy in a dystopian world. The author develops the characters well. There are many characters to keep track of but the author paces the introductions well to help with keeping track of each one.
Mature Content: PG-13 for off page sex.
Language: PG for 8 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for torture, bloody injuries, and bloody death.
Ethnicity: brown skin, dark brown skin, and olive hued skin.

Chasing Eternity by Alyson Noel

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Follow your destiny!

Natasha and Elodie travel back to 1998 to meet Natasha’s dad before she was born. Natasha is able to convince her father that she’s really his daughter from the future. He shows her the generations’ old Timekeeper rooms that take up a floor in the building where he resides as a struggling college student to hide who he truly is. He also trains her as much as he can in the short time they’re together so she can handle her Timekeeper abilities and use them to stay safe and continue the mission of her ancestors. Natasha realizes why Arthur is determined to remake the world- he lost the love of his life. Arthur will do everything it takes, including murder, to get what he wants and Natasha will do whatever it takes to stop him.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the quotes from historical intellectuals. The character development is well done. I enjoyed learning about real artists and their work throughout history. The story kept my attention and it is action packed.
Mature content: R for on page sex.
Language: R for 56 swears and 18 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting and bloody death.
Ethnicity: Mason, Natasha’s best friend, is Black. Natasha is white.