Darkly by Marisha Pessl

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Extremely interesting and unique story!

Dia Gannon is applying for an internship at Darkly, once a game making enterprise, now lies dormant after the owner died thirty-nine years ago. Dia is suspicious of the internship announcement because there’s no hidden clue, message or riddle, which is nothing like the owner Louisiana Veda who did everything mysteriously.
Dia receives a letter announcing that she is one of the seven internship winners that have been chosen from across the globe and will be flying to London for the summer to complete the internship with the others. Dia meets Poe, the 17yo French winner, on the flight to London; Poe has a Darkly game inside a briefcase cuffed to his wrist. They meet the five other interns when they arrive at the boat that will take them to the Louisiana Veda factory near Thornwood, England. Dia feels deceptive vibes and she’s worried about what she’s gotten herself into.

Likes/dislikes: I was immediately immersed in the story due to the voice of the main character, Dia. Dia is quirky, smart, and tough. The book was extremely interesting and unique and I couldn’t stop reading once I started.
Mature content: G for kissing.
Language: R for 16 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death by shooting.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with characters from around the world.

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.

We Did Nothing Wrong by Hannah Jayne

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Slowly unraveling mystery!

Lia and Diana have been friends since the first day of kindergarten when Diana introduced herself to Lia. They have grown up together as best friends but things have been strained lately. Lia is tired of hearing all about Diana and the pageants she wins and constantly prepares for. When Diana goes missing, Lia thinks Diana is playing a joke on everyone and will show back up soon. As days go by, Lia becomes worried and desperate to find her friend.

Likes/dislikes: I liked how the author kept me guessing as I read the story. The conflict between Lia and Diana and within Lia herself, made the suspense grow and the story more interesting. Suspicion was everywhere!
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 38 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting, abduction and off page death.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Lightlark by Alex Aster

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Who can be trusted?

Isla leads the Wildlings and she meets all leaders of the other realms for a competition at Lightlark. Celeste is the Starling leader and Isla’s good friend and together they want to break the curse that settles on every realm. When Isla slips and falls into the sea, King Oro saves her from drowning even though her death would be taken as a sacrifice for the realm to lift the curse; one of the realm leaders must die at the Centennial celebration to satisfy the curse. Grim, the Nightshade leader, seems taken with Isla but she’s not sure if he’s sincere or conning her. Isla has stolen clothes to be able disguise herself as a woman from the other realms so she can enter their libraries and search for the bond breaker that can break the curse for everyone. Her life is endangered at every turn as she tries to hide that she’s completely powerless. She has no idea who she can trust.

Likes/dislikes: I love the beautiful descriptions and the variety of interesting characters. The author creates an amazing world and I didn’t want to stop reading. New and refreshing fantasy.
Mature content: PG-13 for touching and kissing.
Language: PG for 1 swear and 0 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: a mix of fantasy people and different colors of natural skintones.

The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Mix of Hunger Games and Under the Dome!

Emerson lives in the Burrows, the poorest part of the city, with her young brother and oblivious father. She steals money to buy food for her brother Kester, who is nine, deaf, and has genius level intelligence. She’s apprehended for starting a fire at the school she was robbing and she’s offered a deal; agree to participate in a competition where one contestant will receive money and status or she can go to prison for arson. Emerson doesn’t want to take the deal but Kester talks her into it because it could change her life for the better. When she arrives, Emerson discovers forty-nine other competitors and the details of the games – gain the most social media followers to win, the lowest ranked person is sent to life in prison. The youth all have to participate in crazy and dangerous games or the poisonous capsule placed in each of their wrists will be triggered to kill them, one by one.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the descriptive surroundings and I felt suffocated when reading about Emerson being under the sand. Emerson has unconditional love and loyalty for her brother. The story is similar to Hunger Games.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 41 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

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Mean girls thriller!

Brooke is an overachiever who comes from a long family history of overachievers. She’s determined to get into Yale and has pushed herself into all work and no play since the lake party where a classmate drowned months ago. The investigation ruled it as accidental but Brooke has been getting harassed by an unknown person who’s been calling her, slashing her tires, leaving lake water in her locker, and covering her car with newspapers featuring the article about the incident. Her friend Jena wants her to attend a lake party to blow off steam and celebrate reaching her goals. A seemingly harmless party quickly turns into a horrific nightmare for Brooke.

Likes/dislikes: This book is a suspenseful thriller that I couldn’t put down. Twisty fun. I love how the author portrays the characters and how everything spirals to the ending. It was also a quick read at 272 pages.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking, kissing.
Language: R for 263 swears and 143 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for death
Ethnicity: mixed; Jena is Black. Brooke is white.

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.

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte

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Cayder is interning at the law offices. He’s been interested in becoming a lawyer since he used edem magic when he was a child and the Regency officials came to his home to investigate. The Regency was formed by scientists researching edem. Since using edem causes unpredictable and sometimes fatal effects, it’s illegal to use its magic. Cayder’s sister Leta is arrested for using edem that started a fire causing three hundred fatalities. The lawyer he interns for takes Leta’s case but then he’s assigned to the princess’s case. She’s accused of killing her brother, the king. Cayder manages to get the lawyer they want and need, as well as doing his best to help the Princess. The trial is a roller coaster swaying from side to side. The Regency seems to always fix things to work in their best interests, no matter what the situation is. After the trial mishaps, Cayder and the Princess need each other’s help more than ever. Things grow chaotic and secrets are exposed and are shocking to Cayder’s group of rebels which includes the Princess, Leta, Kema the guard and Jey, another Vardean inmate. Conspiracy theories, political intrigue and teamwork make up this fantasy story, 4 stars!

Ruling Destiny by Alyson Noel

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Time travel to Italy’s Bonfire of the Vanities, 1497!

Natasha has been planning on visiting Renaissance Italy with Braxton but when she gets to the portal, Arthur shows her she’ll be tripping with Killian; Natasha is angry but Killian is thrilled. Braxton seems to be keeping something from Natasha and Killian keeps making remarks alluding that Braxton is hiding a terrible secret from her. She has strong feelings for Braxton but she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. When Mason is recruited to Gray Wolf, she’s happy to see him, her trusted best friend, but worried that he’s blaming her for taking him away from his life. She’s struggling to understand her new life but now she’s even more worried on Mason’s behalf.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed learning about the true history mixed in with the time traveling events, like the Italian Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497. The quotes from Shakespeare and other intellectuals and historical figures are awesome. The author notes at the beginning of the book that all artwork and ancient artifacts mentioned in the novel are real piqued my interest.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex, off page, and underage drinking.
Language: R for 83 swears, 25 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fight.
Ethnicity: mostly white. Mason, Natasha’s best friend, is Black.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Jewish mythology and history combined with Russian culture!

Liba, Laya, and their parents live a happy life together on the outer edge of town, away from scrutinizing villagers. They enjoy their privacy and freedoms. When their father’s brother comes knocking at the door to request that he returns home, everything the girls have known changes completely. They discover that their parents were shunned by their own families because of their differences, despite that, they’ve made a good life on their own with Liba and Laya. When the girls are left on their own so their parents can travel to see family, danger arrives. It’s up to the sisters to protect each other and remember what their mother told them above all, it’s their choice what they do with their lives and to not let anyone take that choice away from them.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the story is told in alternating points of view and that Liba is strong and her words take up the whole page while Laya’s words are in a thin column, delicate like her. Jewish mythology and Russian culture abounds in this story. I appreciate the Author’s notes about the true history this book is based on.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 4 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for killings, rape and injured off page.
Ethnicity: pale skin, Russian and Jewish.