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September 3, 2017

Beastly Bones by William Ritter: A Book Review

Title: Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)
Author: William Ritter
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality . . .

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, members of a particularly vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens. A day later, their owner is found murdered, with a single mysterious puncture wound to her neck. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing, and an unidentifiable beast attacks animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Policeman Charlie Cane, exiled from New Fiddleham to the valley, calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

In true Jackaby fashion, this book does not disappoint. I read the first book over a year prior and when I picked this up to read I wasn't lost and was easily pulled back in to a world where the unexplained paranormal exists and coincides with every day life and right under our noses.

Abigail Rook and R.F. Jackaby are pulled into a case of shape shifters, chameleomorphs to be exact. While on the case they get side tracked with yet another case that takes them to Gads Valley where bones have been unearthed, strange deaths have happened and police officer Charlie Cane resides.

We get to see more in depth traits on all characters including Jenny Cavanaugh the friendly specter who resides with the detective and Abigail. We also get to see Abigail develop some boldness when it comes to the handsome police officer.

I'm very anxious to read the next book and find out about Jenny's death.

Find my review of Jackaby here

At the University of Oregon, William made questionable choices, including willfully selecting classes for the interesting stories they promised, rather than for any practical application. When he wasn't frivolously playing with words, he earned credits in such meaningful courses as Trampoline, Juggling, and 17th Century Italian Longsword. These dubious decisions notwithstanding, he regrets nothing and now holds degrees in English and Education with certificates in Creative Writing and Folklore.

He currently teaches high school Language Arts, including reading and writing, mythology and heroes. He is a proud husband and father. When reading aloud, he always does the voices.

Jackaby is his first novel. It was born in the middle of the night and written on two different hemispheres. It has survived typhoons and hurricanes, and was fostered into publication through the patient care of many hands.

Find William: Website | Twitter

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

**Book info obtained through Goodreads.

***Book Cover Obtained through Goodreads.

****Author photo obtained through author website.

Lock & Mori by Heather Petty: A Book Review

By Erin N 9:09 PM // No comments

Title: Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1)
Author: Heather W. Petty
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Retelling
Release Date: November 1st 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.

I'm a huge Sherlock fan. So it went without saying that I needed to read this book. Although, now that I have read it, I have mixed feelings about it.

I thought it was a clever take on the classic Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty relationship. Having them play the opposite sex, with a love/hate type feeling coming from Mori towards Sherlock. Does she like him? Does she not like him? I can tell you that Mori had a lot of personal demons in this book that she was unwilling to let go of from the start. A lot of hatred building up inside her as well.

The story was alright. The reader gets a lot of back story and flashbacks that seems to blend too much with the current story or drone on and on. One point we were in the present and then a memory comes up and 2 pages later we are back to the present. Another point the past blended with the present and you didn't know where you were. This, I was not a fan of whatsoever. The story also was pretty predictable from the first murder on. I pretty much saw where all this was going right away, which I like to be guessing for a while instead of being hit with it right away.

All in all I have to give this 3 stars simply for creativity. However, I will not be revisiting the rest of the series.

YA author of the LOCK & MORI series (available from S&S BFYR). Awkward Witch of the Forest. High Cat Lady of Reno. Kdrama addiction specialist.

Find Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

3 Star Review: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver #3Star #BookReview @OliverBooks #giveaway

By Erin N 5:00 AM // 3 comments

Title: The Shrunken Head (The Curiosity House #1)
Author: Lauren Oliver, H.G. Chester
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: September 29th 2015
Source: NightOwl Reviews
Purchase: Amazon

What you will find in this book:

– A rather attractive bearded lady

– Several scandalous murders

– A deliciously disgusting Amazonian shrunken head

– Four extraordinary children with equally extraordinary abilities

– A quite loquacious talking bird

Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife- thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.

This sensational new series combines the unparalleled storytelling gifts of Lauren Oliver with the rich knowledge of the notorious relics collector H.C. Chester.

What you will NOT find in this book:

– An accountant named Seymour

– A never-ending line at the post office

– Brussel sprouts (shudder)

– A lecture on finishing all your homework on time

– A sweet, gooey story for nice little girls and boys.

I have never read a book by Lauren Oliver. To be honest I was a bit skeptical about it. I have read too many reviews where people have complained about her writing style, or she didn't do her research on some books, but that wasn't the case with this one.

It starts out by welcoming you to the Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, , Oddities and Wonders. Almost like you are at a circus. Then it takes you in and starts to introduce you to the characters and then there is a bit of an information drop. It's like the reader at parts of this book gets way too much information about everything before it finally gets back into the story.

I did, however, enjoy the plot of the story. These 4 extraordinary children decide to take the law into their own hands and investigate the stolen shrunken head from their museum and the unexplained deaths that seemed to go along with it. They get into trouble along the way and meet some shady characters. But the ending seemed to fit quite nicely with the story. Except for one part, which might be cleared up in the second book.

Overall, this was a pretty great book. Once you get into the book, you get sucked up into the adventures.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Lauren Oliver is the author of the YA bestselling novels Before I Fall, Panic, and Vanishing Girls and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages and are New York Times and international bestselling novels. She is also the author of three novels for middle grade readers: The Spindlers; Liesl & Po, which was an E. B. White Read Aloud Award nominee; and Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, co-written with H. C. Chester, and a novel for adults, Rooms. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU’s MFA program, Lauren Oliver is also the cofounder of the boutique literary development company Paper Lantern Lit.

Find Lauren: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads

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5 Star Review: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir #5Star #BookReview @TimelessAlex

By Erin N 12:01 AM // 1 comment

Title: Suspicion
Author: Alexandra Monir
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

"Take The Princess Diaries and add magic, murder and mystery, and you've got SUSPICION. A delightful read!"— Amy Plum, author of the of the international bestselling Die For Me series

"If Hitchcock had directed Downton Abbey, the result would have been this book. Alexandra Monir takes us on a gripping, nonstop thrill ride with just the right amount of supernatural and an ending that you definitely won't suspect. I devoured it in one sitting."— Jessica Brody, bestselling author of the Unremembered trilogy

This was my first Alexandra Monir book, but it most certainly will not be my last! And although this did start off a bit slow, it certainly did not fall anything short of amazing!

This book is laced with mystery, romance, fantasy, and everything else you could hope for. The characters are also quite believable and the author took her time to research such aspects of British heritage and lineage as well as some of the slang and other details.

There was also a plot twist that I didn't see coming. I suspected some things, but was pleasantly surprised at the end with the certain twist that comes into play.

Overall, I am definitely pleased with the story, the characters and the overall story. I can't wait to pick up the author's next book.

Alexandra Monir is an author and recording artist in her twenties. Suspicion is her third novel published by Random House. Her debut was the popular time-travel romance, Timeless, followed by the 2013 sequel, Timekeeper. Alexandra currently resides in Los Angeles, where she is at work on her next novel, while also blogging for The Huffington Post and composing an original musical. Her music can be found on iTunes, and you can visit her website at www.alexandramonir.com.

Find Alexandra: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | iTunes

#BlogTour: Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt @tiffanyschmidt

By Erin N 12:00 PM // No comments

Welcome to my stop on the Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt blog tour hosted by FFBC Blog Tours! Today I have a review and a giveaway for you!

Hold Me Like A Breath

By Tiffany Schmidt

Release: May 19, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Bloomsbury

Hold Me Like A Breath was a pretty interesting read from start to finish. I went into this one not knowing what to expect. I really didn't expect a romance, but that is what I got, but I wasn't disappointed. And adding the romance in with the mystery aspect, and you have a great book.

I was pretty disappointed with the mail character, Penny. I mean, at first I wasn't. I really did like her character, but she did have some flaws that I wasn't too particularly fond of. She is seventeen years old, and yes, she was sheltered all her life due to her illness, but she was pretty immature at times and sometimes not very understanding of certain people. It was very irritating. If I went into it more, it would give away the story, and I don't want to do that.

The story itself was pretty good. I haven't read too many stories about crime families, so this was a refreshing change. I also liked that they weren't like your normal crime family too. They didn't deal with hits and killing people. They dealt with organs and organ transplants. So they were helping people, but mainly the wealthy people like politicians and the like.

I do recommend this one, it will suck you in.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Tiffany Schmidt is the author of Send Me a Sign, Bright Before Sunrise, and Hold Me Like a Breath. She’s found her happily ever after in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles.

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4 Star Review: My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal #BookReview @BethDazzled @fsgbooks

By Erin N 12:56 AM // No comments

Title: My Last Kiss
Author: Bethany Neal
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Teen, Mystery, Paranormal
Release Date: June 10th 2014
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

Bethany Neal’s suspenseful debut novel is about the power of first love and the haunting lies that threaten to tear it apart.

5 Star Review: Find Me by Romily Bernard @crossroadreviews @RomilyBernard

By Erin N 7:30 AM // No comments

Title: Find Me (Find Me #1)
Author: Romily Bernard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Mystery, Teen, Thriller
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon

“Find Me.”

These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found . . . dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.

Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.

But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.

Because it just got personal.

3 Star ARC Review: The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall #Giveaway #NightOwlReviews @MaggieEHall

By Erin N 3:53 PM // 3 comments

Title: The Conspiracy of us
Author: Maggie Hall
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genre: Teen, Mystery
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Source: Night Owl Reviews
Purchase: Amazon | TBD

A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Ally Carter

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.

Book Review: Jackaby by William Ritter @Willothewords @AlgonquinYR

By Erin N 10:32 PM // No comments

Title: Jackaby (Jackaby #1)
Author: William Ritter
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Genre: Teen, Mystery, Paranormal
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Source: Books-A-Million
Purchase: Amazon | TBD | B&N

Summary from Goodreads:

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

I went into this now knowing what to expect. Sure, I read the synopsis and concluded that it was a historical mystery book, but that is pretty much all I got from it. I actually had not heard of this book before spotting the lovely cover on the shelf of my local Books-A-Million book store.

When reading this all I could picture was a crazy Johnny Depp from the movie From Hell where he was a crazy detective type person solving Jack the Ripper murders. Throw a bit of paranormal, faeries, werewolves, trolls and the like into the mix, and you got R.F. Jackaby. Along with newly arrived, Abigail Rook, you have yourself a detective team.

The story went well. I mean, I read the first 10 chapters in a flash and couldn't wait to read more, but once you got past that, it seemed as if the story started to fall flat and drag on. After about 6 or 7 more chapters of that, it started to pick up again and then towards the end it started to come together quite nicely.

All in all, I would say this is a great first book to what seems like a truly one of kind series. I hope the next book stands up to this one.

Find William: Website | Twitter

[Review] Oblivion by Sasha Dawn + Giveaway @_SashaDawn

By Erin N 2:46 PM // 7 comments

Title: Oblivion
Author: Sasha Dawn
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Genre: Mystery, Teen, Contemporary
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Source: Publisher

Summary from Goodreads:

One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.

Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.

As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.

I don't know what to say by this one. I was totally blown away! I took part in the blog tour about a month or so ago but never got the chance to read the book until now. I am so glad that I did, this was out of the norm for me in a lot of ways. And sometimes it's good to break out of your comfort zone to experience new things.

This book was all about mystery, romance, horror and suspense. It left the reader wondering if Calliope really did commit murder or if she was going mentally insane. I, for one, was left second guessing everything in this from beginning to end. I was thinking that she did it but blocked it from her memory to maybe her mom did it, or her ex-boyfriend Elijah, her boyfriend John or even her foster sister, Lindsey. Everyone was suspicious in their own way, which made this a very awesome read that you just couldn't put down until the shocking ending that left you with closure to everything that happened.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller and page turner.

Q: Why did you chose to write about graphomania?

A: Graphomania chose me, in a way. Oblivion was a premise I wrote for years before I found the best canvas on which to tell the tale. Callie always wrote obsessively, but in earlier drafts, it was more akin to her wanting to organize her thoughts with a journal. Diana Dru Botsford (Sci-Fi extraordinaire) suggested during a critique session that I make Callie's writing more compulsive than obsessive, and it worked!

Q: Most writers when they create characters they reflect a little of themselves into that character. Is there any similarities between you and Calliope?

A: There is a little bit of me in every character I write. Callie and I have a few things in common: When I was in high school, I didn't live with anyone in my biological family. I know how it feels to subsist on the kindness of others, and I also know the conundrum of attempting to stand up for myself while essentially sponging off another family. I borrowed clothes, ate as little as possible, and like Callie, I wondered about the sanity of my parents. The circumstances surrounding Callie's relationship with John is loosely based on my experience in finding myself drawn to a guy my pseudo-sister had claimed as hers, despite the fact that he obviously had no interest in her. That said, none of the tale is autobiographic.

Q: What is the significance with the color red? (i.e. red felt tip pen, red writing on walls, ruby baby ring, crimson door, etc)

A: I don't know. Some things happen without my consent. Greg Ferguson at Egmont suggested Callie always write with the same type of pen, and the red felt tip raised its hand. The ruby baby ring: I have a small marquise ruby ring. It fits on my little finger. I might've been wearing it when Callie needed something to fiddle with.

Q: A little off the book. What is with your fascination with Thomas Jefferson?

A: TJ is my boyfriend, and my fiancé Joshua is extremely supportive of the relationship. Who doesn't love a six-foot-two-and-a-half farmer/ architect/lawyer/doctor/designer?

Q: What's up next for you?

A: Another book, of course! Stay tuned for the announcement, coming soon!

Sasha Dawn resides in her native northern Illinois with her daughters. She teaches writing at community colleges and offers pro bono writing workshops to local schools. When she isn't writing, she enjoys art and history, home improvement and restoration, and tap, ballet, and Latin dance.

Follow Sasha on: Twitter