Chasing Eternity by Alyson Noel

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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.

Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Mystery-filled fantasy!

Natasha is slowly giving up on herself, her life and her future. Mason, her best friend, tries to keep her afloat by always being there for her. Mason tells Natasha to steer clear of Elodie because she’s shallow and doesn’t care about anyone but herself. Elodie talks Natasha into skipping school to go to a club. This choice is going to change Natasha’s life forever.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed Stealing Infinity because it’s a fantasy that has several mysteries hidden within. I also liked the book because it encompasses many genres including fantasy, mystery, science fiction and historical fiction. Natasha is a dynamic character as are Braxton and Elodie.
Mature content: PG-13 kiss.
Language: R for 87 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and attempted rape.
Ethnicity: Mason is Black, Natasha and Elodie are white, Keane has dark skin, Javon has golden brown skin, Hawke has bronze skin , Oliver has white skin, Song is oriental, Braxton has a European accent and is white.

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

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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.

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso

Posted on by lynndellwatson

I highly recommend this mystery for young adults!

16yo Paige and 16yo Audrey are summertime best friends. Paige is looking forward to seeing Audrey and 18yo Dylan, Paige’s long time crush, this summer when they all arrive at Clearwater Ridge. Audrey starts off the summer by talking about jobs and her goal to save enough money to buy her own horse, since she’s always wanted one and spends so much time at the equestrian club. Since Audrey is busy and growing distant, Paige and Dylan get to spend more time together. One summer night, Audrey never returns home and she becomes a missing person case and a year later there’s still no evidence or help in finding her. Dylan and Paige take it upon themselves to find Audrey and the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the situation becomes.

Likes/dislikes:
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage drinking.
Language: R for 61 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and abuse.
Ethnicity: predominantly white.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A perfectly enjoyable read!
18yo Iris works at a newspaper to help support her mother after her brother Forest was sent to war. She dropped out of college to work and she’s hoping for a promotion to columnist. 19yo Roman, Iris’ competitor for the columnist promotion, is rich and discovers that he’s been betrothed to a daughter of his father’s business acquaintance completely against Roman’s will. Iris and Roman have an unusual connection that he soon discovers but Iris is oblivious to. The mythological war soon takes over their lives and they have to fight to stay alive and get closer to the battle than they ever expected.

Likes/dislikes: I adore the slow burn romance. The fact that this book has very few swears is refreshing. I love Roman and Iris and enjoyed getting to know them and I also enjoyed the mystery of the letters.
Mature content: PG for kissing and implied sex, on page.
Language: PG for 5 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for grenade explosion in battle; bleeding from chemical weapons.
Ethnicity: Falls to white and the Bed and Breakfast owner has light brown skin.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Beautiful prose!

18yo Effy loves literature and desperately wants to attend the literature college but has settled for the architectural college where she’s the only female student. Her advisor has taken advantage of her and holds it over her head and now she’s shunned by the other students. She applies for the chance to draw plans for her favorite author’s new home, partly to escape the stigma surrounding her at school and mostly to get the opportunity to meet the late author’s family and see his home where he wrote her favorite works. She’s surprised but thrilled when she’s chosen. When Effy arrives at the manor, she’s shocked at its dilapidated state and the darkness that seems to surround it. She meets Preston, a literature student writing his thesis on the same author, and Ianto, the enigmatic son who runs the manor and wants Effy to quickly draw the blueprints for the updated manor. The mysterious surroundings pull Effy and Preston into dangerous territory and they have to fight for everything they believe in if they’re going to survive.

Likes/dislikes: An absolutely perfect example of magic realism. Effy is a strong character struggling with the lack of rights for women. Preston is a gentleman through and through.
Mature Content: PG-13 for sex with minimal detail
Language: PG-13 for 14 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for sexual harrasment and bullying by classmates.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity is predominantly white. Preston has fawn-colored skin.

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Suspense, romance, science fiction and fantasy in one!
In the Year 775 Guangzhou, China, 17yo Zilan lives with her aunt, uncle and two cousins who have all accepted her as part of the family. She has the ability to resurrect people and brings extra money to the family with this skill. She wants to be a royal alchemist and travels to the palace to fulfill her wish. She survives trials against prejudice with her cleverness and some help from the prince. Once Zilan begins to train, she’s named the Scarlet Alchemist and she discovers how dangerous and awful the Empress is, what she’s using the alchemists for and why she needs Zilan.

Likes/dislikes: I love the Prince because he’s funny, innocent and has a kind heart. Zilan is an interesting character because of her skills and background. I enjoyed reading the book and the suspense, romance and the science fiction made it easy to dive into.
Language: R for 29 swears and 2 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for kissing.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Chinese is the main ethnicity. Zilan had a Chinese mother and a foreign father.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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A haunting that takes the reader into the mind of a killer!

In 1982, 20yo Vivian opens the story as she arrives at work for the night shift in Fell, New York at the Sun Down Motel. Thirty five years later in 2017, Vivian’s niece, 20yo Carly, arrives in Fell to investigate her aunt’s disappearance. Vivian is one among several women that are surrounded by unknown circumstances, four others were found murdered. This begins a haunted story that will take Carly through her Aunt Vivian’s last days and into the thoughts of a killer. Excellent story, 5 stars!

Likes/dislikes: Spooky hauntings and great writing with alternating points of view between Carly and Vivian.
Language: R for 127 swears and 17 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex by mentioning getting rid of virginity.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: predominantly white.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Den of thieves, con artists and Grisha!

17yo Kaz leads a group of thieves in Ketterdam. He has built himself up from solitude, poverty and despair since he was nine years old and his brother died. Kaz wants revenge on the man who took everything from him and his brother by swindling them and he’s gaining power for this purpose. Kaz and his mismatched crew are attempting the biggest and craziest heist ever to gain more leverage and to get control of the person who has created a drug to make Grisha even more powerful. Kaz is good at keeping secrets and information quiet and it just might drive his crew apart.

Likes/dislikes: I love the intensity of the characters and the story itself. The background building of each character is fantastic. The danger and suspense make it a fun read!
Language: R for 34 swears and one f-word.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody stab wounds, and dead bodies impaled on pikes.
Ethnicity: The ethnicities included are the following: Kaz is white, Inej is bronze skinned and Suli descent, dark skin Jesper, Nina from Ravka with green eyes and white, Matthias is also white.