Two YA Reviews: Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone and City of Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

I am a teensy bit behind on getting the reviews posted for these books. They came out this past week, and I meant to have them read ahead of time.  I'm hoping that the new plan I've set in place with my blogging calendar will help me to get things posted before the publishing date.  I'm good if I've set an actual review date with a tour or the publisher, but I don't always hold myself to the same standard when the review is not part of a schedule that someone else has given me.  Bad me, as long as I've been blogging, I should know better. But I will now be putting those reviews on my calendar for myself.  Anyway, both of these books were suggested and sent to me from Disney-Hyperion.  One was the sequel to a book I'd read this same time last year, and the other was by an author that is new to me.  I enjoyed both.

*The gifting of these advanced reader copies did not influence my opinion in any way.

Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone:

Genre:  YA Contemporary
Published:  June 5th, 2018
Source:  Physical ARC from publisher
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:
Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Not since the fight—the one where they said things they couldn’t take back.

Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places—and people—for answers to the difficult questions she’s suddenly facing.

No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can’t. Not anymore.

Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.

In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship and the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.

My Review: 
My first book by this author is not a disappointment.  I really enjoyed it, had trouble putting it down as I was reading.  There was a lot of great character interaction in this story.  I had a tiny inkling what might have happened to cause the rift between Hannah and Emory, although really, it was pretty much downplayed because of how the talk with Hannah and her dad sounded.  I couldn't quite imagine what Hannah would have whispered in Luke's ear that could have caused him to think what he did, until he said what it was.  In that instant, things made sense.  Everyone's lives and stories were woven together so seamlessly that it ended up being a great ending, happy, yet realistic, in my opinion.  

I could totally see why and how Hannah's doubts developed.  It seemed fair to me.  And I mean, come on, she was a teenager!  That's the time all of that usually does take place.  Emory's detachment and negativeness toward her relationship with Luke was frustrating, until we find out just what had happened the day she and Hannah's friendship ended.  Then, it was understandable, even if I don't agree with how she always dealt with things.  Again, probably what she did was more realistic than the romantic in me that wanted her to give a chance to things that weren't likely for couples of that age, couples getting ready to go away to college, in different states.

I do wish we'd gotten a little more about Emory's mother earlier in the story.  As it was, not knowing kind of made me not like her more throughout the book, whereas if I'd known, I might have been more understanding with her decisions much earlier.   

Overall, a good story, and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

City of Bastards (Royal Bastards #2) by Andrew Shvarts:

Genre:  YA Fantasy
Published:  June 5th, 2018
Source:  Physical ARC from publisher
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:
Tilla, bastard of House Kent, has it made. Safe from her murderous father in the dazzling capital of Lightspire, she lives a life of luxury under the protection of the Volaris King, alongside her boyfriend Zell and best friend, Princess Lyriana.

So why isn’t she happy? Maybe it’s the whispers and stares that follow her wherever she goes, as the daughter of the traitor waging war against Lightspire. Or maybe it’s the memories of her beloved brother, Jax, who lies cold in his grave even as she tries to settle into a life in the city's prestigious University.

Then, Tilla stumbles upon the body of a classmate, a friend. The authorities are quick to rule it a suicide and sweep it under the rug, but when Tilla herself is attacked by a mysterious man with terrifying powers, she’s convinced of a conspiracy. Her friends beg her to stay silent; what she's suggesting is impossible... and treasonous.

But Tilla can't, won't, let it go. And the deeper she digs, the more questions she uncovers. How is the West beating the supposedly invincible Lightspire Mages in battle? Is it connected to the shadowy cult wreaking havoc in Lightspire? Nothing is as it seems in the glorious capital, and Tilla’s presence might just be the spark that sets the Kingdom aflame.

My Review:
First, if you haven't started this series yet, you may want to stop here before I give any spoilers, and go check out my review of the first book in the series, Royal Bastards.   If you're caught up, please, read on!

One nice thing was that the author did a great job of weaving details from book one throughout the story as it started, so that I got caught up quickly with what happened in the first book, even thought it had been a year since I'd read it.  I will concur with a fellow blogger, Nicole over at Feed Your Fiction Addiction who said that this one did not suffer from the usual sophomore slump that a lot of second books in a series have.  There were a lot of twists and turns in this that I didn't necessarily see coming.  There were betrayals galore!  Some from people that made you very sad, and some from others.  And in the end, some of those weren't quite as bad as I'd felt at first, and then the others were pretty major!  Lots of mystery and intrigue in the court of the Lightspire king.  Not to mention that the whole myth and reality of the magic the mages and people of this capital used was a big lie.  

This was a good fantasy story, continuing an original idea from book one, and I'm now going to be eager to read book three.  I guess I've got a year to wait! 
 

ARC Review with Giveaway: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Book info:

Title:  The Belles
Author:  Dhonielle Clayton
Series:  The Belles #1
Genre:  YA Fantasy
Release Date:  February 6th, 2018
Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion/FreeForm
Source:  ARC from Bookish First
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. 

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

My Review:
This was such a beautiful book. The world was dazzling and I took my time reading so that I could picture every word and detail in my head.  That's often not the way I do things.  A lot of time when I read, I tend to skim through the descriptions to just get to the story itself.  But the author has created such a unique and fantastical world that it was impossible not to hang on every word on the page.  Now, before you read much further into my review, I am not going to be able to promise no spoilers.  I'll do my best, but there are a few things I might give away as I think they might be important in my thoughts.

Basically we're dropped right into the heart of the story, the exciting ceremony where each Belle tries to be chosen as the favorite to stay with the royal family.  Unlike often happens in this type of a story (spoiler), our main character, Camellia, is not chosen as favorite to start.  Even with her extremely inventive and impressive debut, she is not chosen because the queen does not feel that she followed directions, and that is what the queen is wanting. 

Camellia starts out in the best salon and tea house however, where things aren't quite as she assumed.  There are noises of crying at night, and there seem to be other Belles.  Which is unheard of, at least as far as Camellia or the general public knows.   Right when she seems to be in the position to try to find out what is really going on and figure out these strange people, Camellia is whisked back to the palace and is suddenly the favorite.  No one will tell her why, or why her sister who had been the favorite was suddenly switched places.  There is one of their sisters, Edelweiss, who has run away.  

Soon the princess must be prepared to become the heir, but there are two princesses.  The older one is in a coma-like sleep, and it is unknown what is causing it, or how to cure her.  The younger princess is a bit of a terror, has evil ideas, is petty, and uses her power as princess to make horrible things happen to people who displease her.  Camellia finds out just how evil she is, but doesn't know how she can help keep her from becoming the royal heir.

Then, there is the boy Auguste, who introduces himself to Camellia on the first night.  And then he keeps showing up and flirting with her, asking her questions, wanting to get to know her, something she isn't allowed to do.  Boys and marriage and all of that are no-nos for a Belle.  And while there's something about him that of course is intriguing, he's also one of the four suitors for the princess.  As the royal Belle, Camellia gets a bodyguard named Remy.  Now Remy, you have to like him, especially when you see him with his sisters.  

I guess I didn't realize it was a series, so at the last 100 pages I was all ready for seeing how the story could wrap up, how things could be saved.  And for a while, I thought it was going there, but then, things collapsed, a betrayal, a twist, and Camellia and her sister had to go on the run.  Now, I will be eagerly awaiting book 2, on the edge of my seat, needing to know what will happen next.

Giveaway:
So, somehow I ended up with an extra finished copy of this book.  I'm keeping the beautiful ARC for myself.  One of the finished copies I got is being donated to my school where I am a librarian, and the other finished copy I'm putting into a giveaway for you, my wonderful readers and followers.  Unfortunately I'll have to make it US only due to shipping costs.  :-(  But if you are US, or have a US address I can send it to, please enter in the rafflecopter below!

  
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ARC Review: This is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell

Book info:

Title:  This is Not a Love Letter
Author:  Kim Purcell
Genre:  YA contemporary
Release Date:  January 30th, 2018
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion
Source: ARC received from Publisher
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
One week. That's all Jessie said. A one-week break to get some perspective before graduation, before she and her boyfriend, Chris, would have to make all the big, scary decisions about their future--decisions they had been fighting about for weeks.

Then, Chris vanishes. The police think he's run away, but Jessie doesn't believe it. Chris is popular and good-looking, about to head off to college on a full-ride baseball scholarship. And he disappeared while going for a run along the river--the same place where some boys from the rival high school beat him up just three weeks ago. Chris is one of the only black kids in a depressed paper mill town, and Jessie is terrified of what might have happened.

As the police are spurred to reluctant action, Jessie speaks up about the harassment Chris kept quiet about and the danger he could be in. But there are people in Jessie's town who don't like the story she tells, who are infuriated by the idea that a boy like Chris would be a target of violence. They smear Chris’s character and Jessie begins receiving frightening threats.

Every Friday since they started dating, Chris has written Jessie a love letter. Now Jessie is writing Chris a letter of her own to tell him everything that’s happening while he’s gone. As Jessie searches for answers, she must face her fears, her guilt, and a past more complicated than she would like to admit.

My Review:
Okay, so, this book really had a little bit of everything in it.  And while it started off a bit slow, after a short bit, it got to the point where I couldn't put it down.  In fact the way the story was slow makes a lot of sense, because it is spent with the characters, waiting on any scrap of news or clue as to what happened to the  missing boy, Chris.  The author kept me guessing for most of the way through the book, something that I really enjoy when reading.  Every character in this book had their own cross to bear, their own sins - their own demons.  Just like in real life, there usually aren't going to be cut and dried "bad guys".  That doesn't mean that the people in this book that are the bad guys don't do terrible things.  They do, and while you may feel some sympathy for them after certain facts come to life, they still do things that make them the bad guys. Not only that, there is a character that you probably won't like.  I didn't.  Jessie didn't. But in the end, along with Jessie, you will realize that maybe that person isn't quite the horrible person they've been made out to be.  Maybe they do deserve a little leeway and understanding of their own situation. 

As I started out saying, this book touches on so many different topics, very heavy ones as well.  Depression, bullying, racism, family issues, and LGBT issues, just to name a few.  While reading, I kept imagining who could be responsible, what could possibly have happened to Chris.  And even though I knew that with the feel of the book, something bad had probably happened to him, I couldn't keep myself from imagining what ways he could possibly still be alive, and that in the end we could have an unexpected, highly unlikely, happy ending. When the news that I knew was coming no matter what actually was delivered in the story, tears began streaming down my face.  The way the characters were written, the emotions and reactions they had to the news just hit me so hard.  I knew it had to be going that way, the more clues and background information that we got.  But I kept hoping so hard, even after it was pretty much assured what was coming, that some way, some how, we could get Chris back without any heartache.  Because with all the flashbacks and memories of Chris, I kinda fell in love with him, and really wanted the chance to meet him in the present day of this story.

A great story, an author I look forward to reading more from in the future.  Definitely a book I want to add to my high school library collection, and one I will recommend when I work at my part-time job at the bookstore. 

Cover Reveal with Giveaway: The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass

Today Eliza Wass and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for THE LIFE AND DEATH PARADE, which releases June 26, 2018! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win an ARC!

On to the reveal! 

Book info:

Title: THE LIFE AND DEATH PARADE

Author: Eliza Wass

Pub. Date: June 26, 2018

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 256

Find it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, TBD, Goodreads

Synopsis:
One year ago, Kitty's boyfriend Nikki Bramley visited a psychic who told him he had no future. Now, he's dead.

With the Bramley family grieving in separate corners of their home, Kitty sets out to find the psychic who read Nikki his fate. Instead she finds Roan, an enigmatic boy posing as a medium who belongs to the Life and Death Parade--a group of supposed charlatans that explore, and exploit, the thin veil between this world and the next. A group whose members include the psychic... and Kitty's late mother.

Desperate to learn more about the group and their connection to Nikki, Kitty convinces Roan to return to the Bramley house with her and secures a position for him within the household. Roan quickly ingratiates himself with the Bramleys, and soon enough it seems like everyone is ready to move on. Kitty, however, increasingly suspects Roan knows more about Nikki than he's letting on. And when they finally locate the Life and Death Parade, and the psychic who made that fateful prophecy to Nikki, Kitty uncovers a secret about Roan that changes everything.

From rising star Eliza Wass comes a sophisticated, mesmerizing meditation on the depths of grief and the magic of faith. After all, it only works if you believe it.

About Eliza:

Eliza Wass is an author, journalist and the wife of the late musician Alan Wass. Her debut novel, The Cresswell Plot, was published in 2016 to critical acclaim by Disney-Hyperion. She has contributed articles to The Guardian, Grazia, NME, Shortlist and THE FALL.

​

Her second book with Disney-Hyperion, The Life and Death Parade, will be published in June 2018.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

• 2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE LIFE AND DEATH PARADE (when they become available), US Only.

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Review: Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Book info:

Title:  Royal Bastards
Author:  Andrew Shvarts
Genre:  YA fantasy
Release Date:  May 30th, 2016
Source:  Requested ARC from publisher, Disney Hyperion Teens
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:

Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . .

My Review:
My rating:  4 stars

I had been seeing this book around many blogs earlier this year on the Waiting on Wednesday posts, and I'd been intrigued by the idea behind it, especially with the tiny hint of  Game of Thrones aspect to it.  So I emailed the publisher and requested it.  I am so glad that I did, because I really enjoyed it!  The characters were very interesting and ones that you wanted to know more about.  I loved the sibling relationship between Jax and Tilla.  I empathized with Miles and his obvious unrequited love for Tilla, but also was intrigued to find out more about Zell, the boy who did catch her attention.  The princess, Lyriana, was not the princess that might have shown up in this type of a story, she wasn't the type that would be annoying and make those around her roll their eyes in the frustration of dealing with her.  Not that she was in any way prepared for what happened when their little group had to run.  She had always been pretty much pampered and taken care of, as she was a true heir, not a bastard like Zell, Tilla, Miles, and Jax in his own way.  There were real losses in this story, people you really did grow to love and want to see them go on and escape the mess they had found themselves in.  I don't know if this is going to be a series or not for sure.  But it ended in a way that makes me want more story.  Not all the loose ends were tied up, not all the issues were solved  But it did end in a way that I guess will work in case the author doesn't get a sequel.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it isn't going to end this way though.  
One funny thing I want to mention, when they talked about their ancestors, the Titans.  Something about the description, as well as their "origin" myth in this world, made me think that maybe there might be more to the story than just a fantasy world.  Of course, it could just be my crazy imagination with it, and I don't want to say exactly what I was thinking, because I'm probably just being crazy.  If you read it, and get any weird thoughts based on those two things though, come back and tell me!  We can discuss it.  :-)
I definitely recommend this one.  The title may be a bit shocking, and I wonder how well it will go over in my school library, but it is one that I really do want my students to have a chance to read if they get the chance. 

Review: Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn

 Book info:

Title:  Kill All Happies
Author:  Rachel Cohn
Genre:  YA contemporary
Release Date:  May 2nd, 2017
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion
Source:  Received ARC from publisher for honest review
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:

Last Call at Happies! Tonight, 8 P.M. Senior Class Only! Please with the Shhhh…. 

This is it. Graduation. And Vic Navarro is throwing the most epic party Rancho Soldado has ever seen. She’s going to pull off the most memorable good-bye ever for her best friends, give Happies—the kitschy restaurant that is her desert town’s claim to fame—a proper send-off into bankruptcy, and oh yes, hook up with her delicious crush, Jake Zavala-Kim. She only needs to keep the whole thing a secret so that her archnemesis, Miss Ann Thrope, Rancho Soldado’s nightmare Town Councilwoman and high school Economics teacher, doesn’t get Vic tossed in jail. 

With the music thumping, alcohol flowing, bodies mashing, and Thrope nowhere to be seen, Vic’s party is a raging success. That is, until Happies fans start arriving in droves to say good-bye, and storm the deserted theme park behind the restaurant. Suddenly what was a small graduation bash is more like Coachella on steroids with a side of RASmatazz pie. The night is so not going as planned. And maybe that’s the best plan of all.

My Review:
So, once again, I have read a contemporary YA book that really blew me away!  This was such a funny book!  A very quick read, but one that was hard to put down, so that could be why it was such a quick read.  The characters were all so unique.  That even though they may have started out seeming to be stereotypical, you soon found out that no one was exactly as they seemed.  And in a way that is kind of the lesson.  In a story that takes place at a time when teens are starting to figure out who they are, learning that someone you thought you knew well isn't who you thought they were comes as a really big eye-opener in more ways than one.  From Vic's best friends, the Cuddle Huddle girls:  Fletch and Slick, who may not be exactly who Vic's always had them pegged as, to her own brother, as well as her friend's brothers, everyone has a bit of a secret up their sleeve, or a side of themselves that Vic either hasn't seen, or has chosen not to see.

It was fun to have the added chaos that came from all the fans of the restaurant, the Happies, showing up at the graduation party and making it spill over from the closed down diner into the amusement park behind it.  I like that while some of the issues between characters were settled or figured out in the end, not all came to happily ever after conclusions, which really seems more realistic.  

My only problem with the book is one that probably really marks me as the square that I have always been, and that has to do with alcohol and drugs.  I'm not so blind as to realize that teens don't drink, and that there isn't use of marijuana or other drugs among them either.  For the most part I don't feel it was glamorized in the story, just that it was a part in what was probably a realistic manner, especially for this generation, and for teens in a small, failing town.  I feel that there were definitely some of the consequences from those things shown in the story, so that was also a plus for helping me with that aspect of the story.

As I said before, a quick, fun read, definitely another  hit by the author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.  And just like that book, I could totally see this as a fun teen movie! 

Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway: The Killer in Me by Margot Harrison

Book Info:

Title:  The Killer in Me  
Author:  Margot Harrison
Genre:  YA Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Contemporary
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published:  July 12th, 2016
Source:  Netgalley  


My Review: 
The synopsis of this book sold me right away. When I saw the tour, I signed up right away because I'd already been very interested in the story.  Honestly, I wasn't disappointed in this at all.  While it wasn't a perfect story, it was a very good one.  

We have two main characters that we get the story from. First is Nina.  She is a 17 year old girl who lives with her adoptive mom.  Nina has had dreams her whole life where she seems to see through a boy's, who is now a man's, eyes.   And it seems that while in the past, most of what she saw was pretty normal life things, she's begun to see murders, and other bad things that he is doing.  She knows that if it is real, she needs to do something. But she doesn't know how.  She's tried anonymous tips, but they didn't help.  It seems anonymous tips in the way she tried aren't really taken seriously by the cops.  And there's only so much she can do, without becoming a suspect or accomplice herself.  But this time, this time she thinks that she may be able to save an older couple that she sees the man that she called "The Thief" scoping out.  And she ends up getting one of her old friends, Warren, to help her out.

Warren is the other main character.  A long time ago he and Nina used to be like best friends.  But Warren's family is made up of some interesting, yet dangerous characters.  His father for one, and all of his brothers.  In fact there was one time that one of Warren's brothers said something to him when Nina was there about how he wondered if Warren had gotten with Nina, that she had a good body.  It was at that point that Nina became uncomfortable being around them, and really kind of stopped hanging out with Warren.  She'd only gone to Warren since then to get ahold of drugs, drugs that she used to keep herself from sleeping and dreaming about these horrible murders.  But that all changed when her mom found the drugs and made her get clean. But now she's gone to Warren because she wants to get a gun and go hunt this killer that she sees in her head.  

Nina gets Warren to help without actually explaining things, but when he catches on to the couple she's taken him to their house being missing, he thinks she is crazy, and wonders how she is involved with this most likely crime.  She tells him the truth, about her dreams, and of course he doesn't believe her at first.  But eventually she gets him to kind of give her dreams a fair chance.  And in doing so, convinces him to take a summer trip to go find  him, and take care of him in any way possible, even if killing him is the only way to do it.  Warren goes with her, to try to keep her from doing that very thing.  Also on the trip is being able to meet her birth mother who has reached out to her, and that gives her the excuse to go with her mom.  

But the trip to the desert will hold some really big surprises for Nina, she will run into the "Thief", or Dylan Shadwell.  She will end up being around him and getting to know him.  In which case she wonders if what she was seeing was real.  She even gives him lots of tests to see if maybe he can see back in her dreams at the same time she sees into his.  

In the end it all comes to a big head, as this type of story usually does. And it is such a great way that it comes around.  I could totally see this as a movie, one that I would be sure to go see.  This is such a great serial killer story, along with the strange ability of being able to see someone else's actions through your dreams.  Along with that, the connection that pops up between Dylan and Nina really makes the story.  I highly recommend this, and can't wait to purchase it for my school library for my students to read.

BOOK LINKS:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26095500-the-killer-in-me
Amazon paperback: http://amzn.to/29SZ9wE
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-killer-in-me-margot-harrison/1122915326?ean=9781484727997
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Killer-in-Me-Margot-Harrison/9781484727997?ref=grid-view
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/es-es/ebook/the-killer-in-me

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was raised in the wilds of New York by lovely, nonviolent parents who somehow never managed to prevent me from staying up late to read scary books. I now work at an alt-weekly newspaper in Vermont, where my favorite part of the job is, of course, reviewing scary books and movies. The Killer in Me is my first novel.


AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: https://margotharrison.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14215617.Margot_Harrison
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargotFHarrison 
Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/margotfharrison/ 

Giveaway:

• Prize: Win a finished copy of THE KILLER IN ME by Margot Harrison and some swag (US Only)

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You can check out the rest of the tour by clicking on the logo below to go to the schedule.

Review - Mary: The Summoning (Bloody Mary #1) by Hillary Monahan

Thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  Now, I'm not one who ever played Bloody Mary.  While I do enjoy watching scary movies, and even going to supposedly haunted places, I'm not a fan of doing something like that.  I'll admit that in college I did play around with a Ouija board with my sorority sisters, but never by myself.  And I was a little uncomfortable having it in my house after awhile.  I live by myself, and have for about 18 years now, and just got to be a bit scared, more nervous than scared.  Mainly because of all the scary movies, as well as beginning to watch shows like Paranormal State.  So I did pass it on to someone else about 6 years ago.  This book was definitely a good scary story.  And I could totally see it being made into a movie.  It had all the good events and descriptions of Mary to really scare someone watching a movie like this.

The main character is really Shauna, although the whole story centers around her other 3 friends, as the four of them together play the Bloody Mary game.  Jess, really Shauna's best friend, is the one who did all this research on Mary from the town where her grandparents live. And it is her idea to play the game in the first place.  Then there is Anna, whose house they play at the first two times.  And Kitty, who is really best friends with Anna, and also used to date Bronx, who is best friends with Jess's boyfriend.  The first time is really creepy, the kind of see Bloody Mary in the mirror.  But when Kitty gets really scared and tries to let go of Shauna's hand, the stop the game.  As you probably know, to get Bloody Mary there, you have to say her name three times in front of a mirror in a room lit only by a candle.  Or one person does at least, and in this case it is Jess.  And she also gets rid of Bloody Mary with the words "I believe in you Mary Worth."  But it has to be her, at least according to all the information Jess has found on the ritual.

The 2nd time they do it because they want to actually see more than the shadow and tips of fingers.  And they get it.  They see all of her.  Now Jess knows you must put the salt in front of the mirror to keep Mary there, as well as they must not let go of each others' hands during the ritual.  But this second time, Jess has put the salt in a line, but left a little room between it and the mirror.  And Bloody Mary uses this space to start to crawl out of the mirror, in what I pictured as the girl crawling out of the tv in the movie The Ring.  She seems to be able to keep coming out, even as Jess tries to yell the words that should send her away.  Only Shauna grabbing salt and throwing it at both Mary and the mirror is able to get her back in.  The only problem?  Bloody Mary scratched Shauna, and has the smell of her blood.  And now, Shauna is haunted.  Any shiny surface can bring her out.  Now the girls must figure out how to end the haunting for their friend Shauna.  And as each thing happens, it seems that Jess knows more than she is letting on.  Making their friendship more and more strained, only keeping them together to try to save Shauna.  They will research back in the town where Mary supposedly lived when she was alive, and also talk to the last person haunted by Mary.  And Shauna's friends will be in danger as well.  Not only does Bloody Mary want to injure and hurt Shauna physically, she wants to take away her friends, and anything that makes her happy.

I just have to say I loved Mary's back story in this.  I know I'm an outsider, but I caught on to Jess having some reason for doing all this pretty quickly, she was just very suspicious to me.  I know I mentioned how one scene reminded me of a movie, and that's why I say this could be an awesome horror movie.  Such vivid, scary scenes, I could picture them in my head.  Now the ending is a bit abrupt you could say, and doesn't necessarily solve the problem for all the friends.  But since this says it is #1 in a series, I think that was done for a reason.  And I liked the ending the way it was.  Once again the problem with reading e-galleys, now I have to wait sooooooo long for the 2nd one, because I read this one early!  As the 80s song says, "It hurts so good!"

Review: Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

First, thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I've only read one other title by this author, Deadly Little Secret, and I really enjoyed that one (which reminds me I need to finish that series!).  So when I saw this available, and read the synopsis, I was really excited to read it.  For the most part I was pretty satisfied and enjoyed this book.  I had one or two issues, but they weren't anything big enough to make it not a good read.

The story is about 7 people teens, who have entered a contest to share their worst nightmare, and then go be part of a show with a popular horror director and have him help them "face" their nightmares.  Maybe even helping them to get over it.  First is Ivy, who has a nightmare based on a real event in her life, her parents' murder.  She even came almost face to face with their killer, who only left her alive because they could hear the sirens of emergency vehicles arriving thanks to her 911 call.  Compared to her nightmare, you have the fake dream of Parker, who wants to be a film maker, and so he makes up a dream that he thinks will help him win the spot to get to meet a great director.  The others all seem to have real nightmares though, Shayla, who found her best friend dead after committing suicide.  Natalie, who had a twin brother that was born dead.  And ever since then she's been obsessed that he is still around, and her parents have treated her horribly, of course we don't know how much of that was based on how she was already.  But she mutilates herself, by pulling her hair out, as well as getting tattoos of things from these horror movies.  And then there is Frankie, who had his nightmares start with the death of his uncle, right about the same time his mother left him and his father.  The name that is immediately one to laugh at, Garth Vader.  His father called him a baby for having nightmares and being scared of horror movies, since his father was such a huge fan.  For Garth, it became a love of his, all the horror movies, just something he did to overcome his fears.  And finally there is Taylor.  Although she is gone from the house as soon as the others start showing up.  So we really don't get to know much about her, other than we do get her nightmare at the end of the book.  And it has something to do with her taking off on a hike in the woods, kind of. 

The bed and breakfast they are all staying at is designed just like the house in one of the horror movies, and there are characters and other things plucked from the scenes.  For most of them, it is easy to point out. For Ivy who is only there to try to rid herself of her nightmares, most of it is new, as she's never watched those movies.  They will all end up at a place where they must each go in and face their nightmares, and then be part of the next movie, as well as getting to meet the director.  But if they go in to anyone else's nightmare, they will be cut from the movie.  One of them will find that out the hard way.  And as their nightmares seem to be coming true, and in deadly ways, it seems that maybe this isn't actually done by the famous director.  This movie is actually going to be filmed with what happens to them.  Who will survive, and who will succumb to their nightmare?

Really, I love the idea of this, and I can totally see it as a movie, or maybe a tv show where they could do a different group of people each season?  My biggest complaint is probably with the formatting of the Kindle copy I downloaded from Netgalley.  It was hard to tell when a new person was narrating.  Because other than Taylor, we do get to see this through each person's view at some point in the story.  The narrator's voices were different enough once you got a few lines in, but it would have been nice to have something else to point out it was changing.  Otherwise it was a bit confusing until you got that identifier.  I'll be interested to look at a finished copy and see if they do differentiate in some way.  And I do agree with one point that I saw another reviewer make on Goodreads.  What about Taylor?  I'd like to know more about what happened to her.  Maybe they found her somewhere when they were facing their own nightmares?  I don't know.  But I did read that there is going to be a 2nd book, so maybe it will be in that one?  When I said I could see this as a movie, I almost feel this story might lend itself better to something more visual like that.  I think that all the ideas were really good, and the description of things was also great, but I'd love to actually see it somewhere besides in my head. 

A fun, easy (depending on formatting) horror story read.  Anyone looking for anything "deeper" should consider that it is about a B movie type of horror film maker, so the way it was told was really just about perfect!!!  It fit that format perfectly.

Review: Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore

First I have to say thanks to Disney-Hyperion for sending me an ARC of this title when I requested their Summer of Chills titles.  While it was a pretty good read, I find it interesting that this was the one I was most excited about receiving, yet the other 2, Don't Look Back, and Far From You, I actually ended up liking a lot more than I really liked this one.  But don't let that change your mind about this one if  you are looking forward to it, it was still a fun read.

The main character is Thea Holder.  She's only 16, but she has to work because her mother has what is called Bound-Sickness.  When people used to get married, they often would be bound, a type of magic spell.  And what that means is that when one was away, they missed them physically.  Thea's father died in the war.  The place she works is called the Telephone Club.  They have musical shows like a cabaret, and famous or rich people often come in and eat there.  Her best friend is named Nan.  She meets a handsome boy named Freddy at the beginning of the story when he is dining at the club.  He's very intriguing, both personality wise, and also looks, as his hair is white, yet he is about the same age as Thea.  At one point, Nan disappears.  Then, Thea's mom gets so bad, and it is noticed by those people around them, and so she is taken away to a mental health center to help her get better.  But someone in the city is reviving the dead people.  Including Nan.  We catch up with Nan when she wakes up from being dead.  She is now underground, and is working.  She can't remember quite who she is, or what happened.  And there is some serum she is supposed to take or else supposedly she will die again.  And they even see people in cages that are being punished by not getting the serum.  And those people turn into basically blood thirsty zombies.  All the main characters, Thea, Freddy, and Nan, must figure out their own part of the mystery, and do what they can to survive.  Even Freddy has a secret that will be a big shock to Thea, but can also help to solve some of the issues.

An interesting story.  I'm going to be ready to read the next one to answer some questions about this world.  The magic is there, almost like it is just an every day normal thing.  so is this a future of our current world?  Or a whole different world altogether?  I hope to learn more in the next book, and as I said, look forward to reading it when it comes out.

Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

First, thanks to Disney Hyperion Teens for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.  This was my first book by this author that I see everyone else seems to love.  And let me say, I can finally say I see what all the fuss is about.  I LOVED this book!  And I am not normally the biggest mystery or contemporary fan.  But the suspense in this book kept me hating every minute that I had to put the book down in order to do things like go to work, sleep, even sitting at the awesome Captain America 2 movie last night, I kind of wanted to be able to finish my book.

The main character is Samantha.  She wakes up at the beginning, not remembering who she is, or what has happened to her.  She and her friend Cassie disappeared.  Cassie has yet to turn up, and Sam can't remember anything from that night.  But as far as everyone knows, Sam was the last to see Cassie alive.  Cassie comes back to a life that she doesn't know how she ever was a part of it.  You see, Sam, and her best friend Cassie, were the mean girls.  Samantha's family was rich, and while Cassie was not, she was pretty like Sam, and they just seemed to be a perfect pair. This "new" Sam hates how she treated people, and soon isn't sure if she wants to keep her old friends.  Her boyfriend Del, who she can't remember, doesn't really seem to be the kind of guy she now can see herself with.  But Carson, the gardener's son, is extremely attractive to her, like there is a connection between them.  While Sam has amnesia, she occasionally will have a vision, or hallucination that seem to be flashbacks either to that last night with Cassie, or else things from her past that help her to slowly put the pieces together.

Then, Cassie turns up dead, and with no memories, she is of course the most likely suspect to the police, and maybe the kids at her school.  And, Sam keeps getting these notes warning her that she doesn't want to remember, not to let "him" know what she remembers.  And soon Sam is trying to figure out if there was someone else there that night.  She seems to see someone in these hallucinations, but there are even things pointing to maybe Sam could actually be the killer.

This story had me guessing at who really killed Cassie, or was it an accident.  While I did have hints at who it turned out to be, I must say I can't believe I didn't figure out the little twist, or reason why it was that person.  But it all wrapped up so well.  So many people that I suspected as I read, but then doubts, so, so good!!  Let's just say Jennifer L. Armentrout will now be moving to the top of my TBR list, and I can't wait to meet her at BEA this summer!