Review of Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd

Goodreads Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.

Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.

From New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd, Grim Lovelies is an epic and glittering YA fantasy. Prepare to be spellbound by the world of Grim Lovelies, where secrets have been long buried, friends can become enemies, and everything—especially humanity—comes at a price.

My Thoughts

Thanks to the character named Cricket the story got a extra star she was my absolute favorite. This book was all types of wrong. After finishing it I thought what the hell did I read. I really was looking forward to this book and ooooo man what a disappointment. Like for starters we find out one of the main characters is gay towards the end of the story then he dies a chapter or two later.........

Review of Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Goodreads Synopsis:


Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.


Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.


Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.


Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.


Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now

My thoughts:

When I attended Bookcon this year Sawkill Girls was one of the top books I needed but couldn't snag. So I requested this book at my local library and picked it up on release date ''you win some you lose some''. 
I must say this has to be one of my top three favorite books of 2018 I think Claire did a awesome job with this spooky story.
The setting/place of the story was its own character. Yes Sawkill Rock had a mind of its own and it made the story more shocking.
I loved the characters, manly Zoey. She is so hot headed lol I loved it! She has a ex-boyfriend named Grayson and he will have you all tangled up in your feelings by the end of the story. Reading about Zoey was interesting because I never read about a a-sexual character. I feel like Claire did great illustrating Zoey's sexuality. 
I think this was my first time reading a scary story with so much feminist flowing through the pages. Many horror stories have that "damsel in distress" trope I cant stand.
I also listened to this on audio book and when the MONSTER parts came up with him changing from a little boy to a complete monster had me shooked.
If you want to be scared read this and check out the audiobook it was entertaining and scary as hell with the different voices.

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

That quote still gets me every time!!!!!

Review of Space Boy by Stephen McCrainie

Goodreads Synopsis: To Amy, everyone has a flavor. Her mom is the flavor of mint--sharp and bright. Her dad is like hot chocolate--sweet and full of gentle warmth.

Amy lives on a mining colony in out in deep space, but when her dad loses his job the entire family is forced to move back to Earth. Amy says goodbye to her best friend Jemmah and climbs into a cryotube where she will spend the next 30 years frozen in a state of suspended animation, hurtling in a rocket toward her new home. Her life will never be the same, but all she can think about is how when she gets to Earth, Jemmah will have grown up without her.

When Amy arrives on Earth, she feels like an alien in a strange land. The sky is beautiful but gravity is heavy and the people are weird. Stranger still is the boy she meets at her new school--a boy who has no flavor. 

My Thoughts: This graphic novel is what I needed after reading a couple over 400 page novels recently.

The story was so unique and realistic. The way Amy is feeling is exactly how a teenager would feel if she had to  be frozen for thirty years to return back to earth and still be the same age. I think her mom was kinda pushy on the subject of her calling her best friend who is now thirty years older than her. I cant blame Amy for blowing up like that towards her mom. The title confused me until we were introduced to the boy with no flavor so I'm hoping to learn more about him in part two. Such a great read I definitely think the series is worth a try.

Review of Check Please by Ngozi Ukazu

Goodreads Synopsis:  Helloooo, Internet Land. Bitty here!

Y’all... I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.

A collection of the first half of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: #Hockey is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life. 

My Thoughts: Bitty I love you so much. He has to be one of my favorite characters of all time. I was smiling from ear to ear and sometimes laughing out loud from start to finish. I never read a story that is surrounded by hockey and I have to say it wasn't that bad. Im more of a football girl. GO STEELERS! 
I adored the art work and the flow of the comic. Bitty's blog internet format was very creative but I felt like there were too many gaps between his post like months later he would update us about his life.
I just wanted more updates about his cooking and his love life. UGHHHH that ending sent me straight to bed lol I was so upset. Hopefully there will be more comics to come.

Review of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Goodreads Synopsis: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.

But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.






My Thoughts: I'm giving this a solid 4 stars.
Look I'm going to need some names labeled some where for the POV change like come on there are three main characters. Sometimes while reading I would have no idea who was speaking it was a bit frustrating most of the time. I will say I absolutely loved this story if you are a big fan of fantasy stories I think you would love every moment of this. I would have to say Wanda was my favorite character out of the three but Irena and Miryem are also amazing. I have a soft spot for Wanda and her brothers I truly cared about them so much. I have no idea how they managed for so long with the jerk of a father they have. Okay enough said I almost slipped up with a spoiler there lol lol . Please if you have the time to read over 400 pages of high fantasy with amazing writing give this one a try.

Review of Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Goodreads Synopsis: Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest.

Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early.

Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out.


My Thoughts:

3.5 WOW! I would have gave it a 4 but the audiobook confused me. Definitely read the physical book because there are tons of flashbacks and you can’t tell when the switch is happening on audio. The writing was superb and the story was so entertaining and original. Thanks to the publisher for approving my E-ARC request on Edelweiss

Review of Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Goodreads Synopsis: Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

My Thoughts:

WOW THAT WAS AMAZING I really hope a sequel is in the works. If you like to read a book with a whole lot of adventure and has a POC main character grab this and read. I read the ARC and sometimes listened to the audiobook during my work commute. Thanks to the publisher for providing the ARC at Bookcon 2018.

I went to BookCon 2018

So what is BookCon? Is is an annual fan convention that started in 2014 in NYC. At this event you get to meet people from many different literature company's, authors, celebrities, bookish vendors and book lovers like myself. Also let me not forget the booktubers, bloggers etc.

This was my second year going to BookCon and I did feel like it was a little more organized than last year. I did feel like there where lines for every single thing including the women's bathroom. Let me tell you how I was doing the most intense pee-pee dance ever on that line. HAHAHA

I do want to shout out the people at the publisher booths, I don't know where they get the energy to deal with soooo many people from Wednesday-Friday for BEA then BookCon from Saturday-Sunday.

BEA is the largest annual book trade fair in the United States for more of the business aspect of the publishing world. 

At BookCon you can possibly snag some ARC's (Advanced Reader Copy) if you plan your day accordingly and be willing to stand on a line for about hour or more. I will insert a picture below of what I picked up. I was very determined to snag some bookish tote bags this year since I'm starting to have a tote bag obsession. One issue I noticed was the fact I didn't see much people that looked like me. Im a 29 year old african american women and I saw way too many white faces that it sort of made me feel uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong I love my white people and have many white friends. I just wish BookCon/BEA and all the publishers would reach out to us and bring some spotlight to black/african american Book Bloggers, Bookstagramers and Youtubers out there. If you never been to BookCon I really think you should at least experience it once as a Booklover.

I was lucky enough to meet and get my books signed by some great authors they are listed below.

Girls of Paper and Fire:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34433755-girls-of-paper-and-fire

Escaping from Houdini:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30375937-escaping-from-houdini

Restore Me:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34992929-restore-me?ac=1&from_search=true

Fawkes:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36576048-fawkes

The art of losing:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35883613-the-art-of-losing

The runaways Vol 1:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35249910-runaways-vol-1

City of ghosts:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35403058-city-of-ghosts

I bought a house!!!!

I bought my first house on April 13, 2018. YAYYYYYY 

My goal was to buy my first house before I turned 30 years old and I just made it before the dead line of December 21st.

One of the best parts of buying my house was creating a book room/library.

Review of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Goodreads Synopsis 
You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…

Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.


My Thoughts 

Rating 3.5 

The writing was superb and had me feeling “lonely” & mentally paralyzed.

The way the author describes Marin’s dorm room makes you feel like your standing right beside her and the shared feeling you get when Marin has a panic attack about going into the elevator was well illustrated.

If you decide to pick this up don’t forget to bring your highlighter and tissue box.

Review of When My Heart Joins The Thousand By A.J Steiger

Goodreads Synopsis

Obviously I’m not what most people would describe as happy. But that has nothing to do with anything. Happiness is not a priority. Survival is.

Alvie Fitz doesn’t fit in, and she doesn’t care. She’s spent years swallowing meds and bad advice from doctors and social workers. Adjust, adapt. Pretend to be normal. It sounds so easy.

If she can make it to her eighteenth birthday without any major mishaps, she’ll be legally emancipated. Free. But if she fails, she’ll become a ward of the state and be sent back to the group home.

All she wants is to be left alone to spend time with her friend, Chance, the one-winged hawk at the zoo where she works. She can bide her time with him until her emancipation. Humans are overrated anyway. Then she meets Stanley, a boy who might be even stranger than she is—a boy who walks with a cane, who turns up every day with a new injury, whose body seems as fragile as glass. Without even meaning to, she finds herself getting close to him. But Alvie remembers what happened to the last person she truly cared about.

Her past stalks her with every step, and it has sharp teeth. But if she can find the strength to face the enemy inside her, maybe she’ll have a chance at happiness after all.

My Thoughts
*E-ARC* I wanna thank Harper collins for approving my request.
I absolutely loved this book. I wish we had more Alvie's in this world. I honestly never heard of Aspergers before reading this so I was pulled in from the start. I really feel like  there needs to be a better system in school for children that are a bit different. If Alvie's mother was educated and maybe had more guidance about her child's mental disorder I believe things would have been extremely different.

I LOVED Stanley's motivation and patience when it came to Alvie. My favorite parts of the story are the scenes with Alvie and Stanley. From the computer messaging to the park bench conversations.

I teared up many times reading this, I really hope to read more about Alvie & Stanley.
Bravo to the author A.J Steiger your writing is magnificent. 

Review of Slasher Girls And Monster Boys by Multiple Authors

Synopsis

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

My Thoughts

For the Halloween season I thought this would be a great pick. I choose to listen to this on audiobook and OOOOOO man I sure did make the best decision. In the Forest Dark and Deep by Carrie Ryan. 

was my favorite story it has a Alice and Wonderland feel and it was creepyyyy . The writing was fascinating the way she described the setting I could picture it. I would definitely recommend this for the Halloween season.