How the heck is it the end of July?!!?!? I am in stunned shock, because it also means I AM DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL!! I am just waiting on official grades now, but I’m done! Free!!! Free to be a librarian! (This includes a lot of shelving!)

Anyways….! July was an epic month of reading!

Read Books

TitleAuthorRating
Book of NightHolly Black⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kill the QueenJennifer Estep⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Happened to the BennettsLisa Scottoline⭐
Protect the PrinceJennifer Estep⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crush the KingJennifer Estep⭐⭐⭐⭐
For the ThroneHannah Whitten⭐⭐⭐⭐
The MaidNita Prose⭐⭐⭐
Abandoned GirlLexie Winston⭐⭐⭐
Broken GirlLexie Winston⭐⭐⭐
Capture the CrownJennifer Estep⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tormented GirlLexie Winston⭐⭐⭐
Her Majesty's Royal CovenJuno Dawson⭐⭐
Shades of WickedJeaniene Frost⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wicked BiteJeaniene Frost⭐⭐⭐
The Last GraduateNaomi Novik⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sisters of the SnakeSasha Nanua⭐⭐⭐
Wings of ShadowNicki Pau Preto⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brutal VowsJ.T. Geissinger⭐⭐
Forging Silver into StarsBrigid Kemmerer⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Merciless OnesNamina Forna⭐⭐⭐
BravelyMaggie Stiefvater⭐⭐⭐
The GuncleSteven Rowley⭐⭐⭐⭐
This Vicious GraceEmily Thiede⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Prince's Poisoned VowHailey Turner⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dead RomanticsAshley Poston⭐⭐⭐
The Drowned WoodsEmily Lloyd-Jones⭐⭐⭐
The Echo KillingChristi Daughtry⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read Arcs

TitleAuthorRating Publish Date
One Dark WindowRachel Gillig⭐⭐⭐⭐October 18, 2022
Back to the GardenLaurie R. King⭐⭐⭐⭐September 6, 2022
The Couple at Number 9Claire Douglas⭐⭐⭐⭐August 2, 2022
BelladonnaAdalyn Grace⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐August 20, 2022
Three Kisses, One MidnightRoshani Chokshi⭐⭐⭐⭐August 30, 2022
The King Will Kill YouSarah Henning⭐⭐⭐August 2, 2022
These Fleeting ShadowsKate Alice Marshall⭐⭐⭐August 9, 2022

ARCs Received

  • The Luminaries
  • Unseelie
  • Queen Among the Dead
  • Witcha Gonna Do?

Reading Stats

This month I read: 33 books total!

Fantasy Books – 59%

  • 20 total
  • 9 Young Adult
  • 11 Adult

Mystery/Thriller Books – 18%

  • 6 total
  • 1 Young Adult
  • 5 Adult

Romance Books – 20%

  • 7 total
  • 1 Young Adult
  • 6 Adult

Other Books – 3%

  • 1 total
  • 1 Adult

On the Blog

Once more, July was me posting reviews of upcoming ARCs! I’m VERY excited to post some of the ones coming out in August!

Around and About

Working on getting myself onto a schedule…is not working. Lore Bookclub will be taking a break in August — then we’ll plan out the fall/winter books we want to read!

My favorite book this month was as tie between This Vicious Grace and Belladonna. I’ve been into more adult books recently, but these are both published as YA. The characters are all 18+ in both, but these two books have a stranglehold on me and I need to know what happens next. My next favorite was probably a tie between One Dark Window/Forging Silver Into Stars/The Prince’s Poisoned Vow. All were stupendous in their own ways.

August Hopefuls

🤷‍♀️Who knows? Probably finish the Harper McClain series, and read some more book box books.

Author: Claire Douglas
Series: n/a
Series #:
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: adult
ARC?: yes

t was the house of their dreams. Until the bodies were found . . .

BODIES FOUND UNDER PATIO

When pregnant Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with boyfriend Tom and sets about renovations the last thing she expects is builders uncovering a body – two bodies, in fact.

POLICE INVESTIGATE

Forensics indicate the bodies have been buried at least thirty years. Nothing Saffy need worry herself over. Until the police launch a murder investigation and ask to speak to the cottage’s former owner – her grandmother, Rose.

OWNER QUESTIONED

Rose is in a care home and Alzheimer’s means her memory is increasingly confused. She can’t help the police but it is clear she remembers something.

A KILLER AT LARGE?

As Rose’s fragmented memories resurface, and the police dig ever deeper, Saffy fears she and the cottage are being watched.

What happened thirty years ago?

Why did no one miss the victims?

What part did her grandmother play?

And is Saffy now in danger?

Review

H O L Y

I don’t even have WORDS for this book. I was addicted from the very start. We have a multi POV book, in which we’re getting the story from multiple perspectives. I was frantically turning pages to find out what happened because I was STUNNED.

When I got to the end I had to sit and think for a few minutes. My brain was going WHAT over and over and over again. This book is mind bending in the best of ways. I loved how we get pieces of the story and the plot that link together through the different characters, and as they draw closer to the answers, the tension gets amped up. Douglas did this well — she drove the story forward in a way that made sense and was interesting enough without being too complicated.

I really enjoyed the writing in this, and was FASCINATED with the mystery aspect. In a few moments we get a bit of back and forth between past and present, and it was brilliant. Honestly, I can’t even believe this book. Definitely one of the best mystery books that I have read recently. It kept me on my toes and guessing. It also made me remember how much I enjoy a good mystery book.

I still don’t know what else to say — it’s hard to when you don’t want to give away the different plot points. This book is best read going into it blind.

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Author: Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, Sandhya Menon
Series:
Series #:
Genre: romance
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: yes

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

Review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

“Byron Frost might have the name and face of a poet, but he had the soul of a mechanical pencil.”

The BANTER oh my god.

AND THE NAMES IN THIS BOOK. MR. BRIGHTSIDE IS MARRIED TO ROSS GRIMJOY.

“Alexander the Great-Looking”!!!

“’Since no one got all ten right, no one gets the extra points. Alas. Maybe this upsets you, but I have found that bitterness only enhances the sweetness of existence…’ Mr. Brightside paused to look dramatically out the window.”

I am literally keeling over in stitches.

“Practicing my lurking. I’m interning with Krampus for the holidays”

I literally…cannot breathe.

And then you had beautiful lines like,

“She made him feel all five senses at once, and the bright light of her spirit consumed him.”

“Even though she was scared of the house, Ash swore he could smell the beginnings of Halloween magic in the air — clove and honey with a hint of moonlight to come.”

“The words dissipated from her suddenly dry mouth like fog burning up in the sun”

“I think Orion Parker may be my ‘solid, mortal man’ and I may indeed prefer him to the centaur I was holding out for”

This book was amazing. Normally I don’t like YA contemporary romances. But THIS BOOK. I was smiling and sighing all the way through it. I cannot explain how cute and atmospheric it is. This will be the perfect fall/Halloween read.

I loved ‘The Coven’ and their friendship. I like how supportive they were of each other, and in general I felt that the authors did an incredible job of selling both the friendships and the romances. I feel that their styles merged so wonderfully together, as they already had similar styles. It was a seamless blend that just hit the right tone and spot.

Plus, all the amazing one liners in the books. Onny’s story was definitely my favorite (I have a soft spot for “enemies-to-lovers” and grumpy hero. This was just so adorable and I can’t stop loving it.

A PERFECT witchy read for October.

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Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Series:
Series #:
Genre: horror, mystery/thriller
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: yes

The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out in a bid for an inheritance that will leave Helen Vaughan either rich…or dead.

Helen Vaughan doesn’t know why she and her mother left their ancestral home at Harrowstone Hall, called Harrow, or why they haven’t spoken to their extended family since. So when her grandfather dies, she’s shocked to learn that he has left everything—the house, the grounds, and the money—to her. The inheritance comes with one condition: she must stay on the grounds of Harrow for one full year, or she’ll be left with nothing.

There is more at stake than money. For as long as she can remember, Harrow has haunted Helen’s dreams—and now those dreams have become a waking nightmare. Helen knows that if she is going to survive the year, she needs to uncover the secrets of Harrow. Why is the house built like a labyrinth? What is digging the holes that appear in the woods each night?And why does the house itself seem to be making her sick?

With each twisted revelation, Helen questions what she knows about Harrow, her family, and even herself. She no longer wonders if she wants to leave…but if she can.

Review

I so wanted to like this book, it sounded like the perfect horror/mystery book. I’ve enjoyed other YA horror books, so I went into this one with an open mind. Yet…something about it just didn’t work for me overall.

I loved the book Hill House, and I’ve never seen Knives Out (so I can’t say how it compared to that), but I felt that the book was a tad bit…boring? I liked Helen, just felt that as a reader I wasn’t invested with her. What I did like was her relationship with Bryony. It was a bit of an insta-love romance, but I liked it anyways.

I even liked the atmosphere of the book. At times it felt a little campy and reminiscent of the original Dark Shadows TV show, but I liked that aspect of it.

There is a weird connection with the house and ghosts — and those are things I absolutely adore in books. I am still not sure how I felt about them in this book.

I think one of the issues I was having was with the writing style of this book. It just didn’t jive with me. I felt some aspects of the dialogue were stilted, and just awkward to read.

I liked Desmond a lot in this book and how he was helping Helen. Some of their interactions were really amusing.

There was a twist I wasn’t expecting; and I did enjoy that part. It kept me reading until the end of the book!

The book was good and I think it is going to appeal to a lot of people, it just didn’t end up being the best book for me.

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Author: Sarah Henning
Series: Kingdoms of Sand and Sky
Series #: 3
Genre: fantasy
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: yes

The epic tale concludes with The King Will Kill You, as the newly-crowned Queen Amarande and Luca, her one true love, seek peace among the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky. Wartorn and regicidal, all five kingdoms must confront the power-mad king determined to seize control of the continent–and kill Amarande and Luca in the process.

Review

What did I think of this final book in the series? I was underwhelmed. The first book was so good, and I had high hopes for the rest of the series. My one major problem with this book was it was pretty much the same plotline from the first two books recycled. I felt that it didn’t add anything new, or any more depth to the story.

Much like that, I felt the characters themselves were rather static. I quite liked Ferdinand and I used to love Luca and Ama. They weren’t bad characters by any stretch of the imagination, I just didn’t feel that they were the best. Ama was still a fierce warrior and still determined, but it was like all the other books. Nothing new was added that made me want to root for her.

Sure, this book had politics, but I felt that the politics were the most interesting of the parts of the book, and even then it was slightly boring. I had really wanted this book to end on a high note, but it just didn’t hit right to me. There was something I felt missing from the book.

All in all, I feel like this trilogy could have been a duology. There was so much repetitive parts.

What I did continue to like in this book was the world building. I think Henning is a talented world builder, and that continued in this book from the previous two. She is also an excellent writer.

For me, I wanted more. One of the good aspects of this book is we do finally get to see Ama and Luca interacting more. The previous two books it was like they weren’t together for the majority of the book. In this one, we finally get to see how they love each other and respect each other. I enjoyed those parts as well, since it was a long time coming and very drawn out!

In the end, I liked the book’s ending. I felt it was appropriate for the story, and while I would have liked to see more expanded upon, I am pretty happy with how the book ended. I just wish the villains had been more in this book — or not included.

A solid three star book for me.

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Author: Foz Meadows
Series:
Series #:
Genre: fantasy, romance, queer
Age Group: adult
ARC?: yes

Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

Review

WOW. What do I even say about this book? I don’t think it is at all possible to encompass how much I loved this book. I could not put it down. I may or may not have spilled enchiladas on my arc as I was reading it…

This is my first book by Meadow’s but I’m going to have to go back and find more of their work. Because it was stupendous. I mean, it was two things I love:

a) queer and

b) fantasy!

I mean…what could be better?

Enemies-friends-romance trope? Check.

Super inclusive? Check.

Witty banter? Check.

Great dialogue? Check.

Interesting supporting characters? Check.

Interesting plot? Check.

This book checks off all my wants and needs in a book. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance will not leave my brain. I can’t do anything but think about it. It is my new obsession. I just LOVED the characters in this book. I mean ughhhh. I cannot even think because this book just was amazing.

You know how hard it is to write a review and list everything a book has done that you loved? Yeah, that’s me right now. I need like thirty special editions of this book. SERIOUSLY.

Vel was the best.** I loved reading his POV. Cae was amazing too. Just, Vel I felt for him. I wanted to keep him safe. Hug him. Vel and Cae’s relationship? It was one of the best developed romances that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Meadows did a great job on that, and the balance she maintained between the romance and the plot? Excellent.

The plot was much more political intrigue and action than I expected. But it worked so well.

As mentioned this book is inclusive, and while one country feels very much like ours, the other is very open and accepting and normalizes being queer. We have relationships of all types, of all genders and it is incorporated seamlessly. There is also disability representation – one of the characters is mute! And the others learn sign language to communicate with him.

If you are looking for a queer fantasy? This is it. A huge round of applause for Foz Meadows because this book is going to be in the top of my top books of the year. I kinda want a sequel? Can I get a sequel? I mean I feel that the world building in this was such that there is so much to explore.

I will say that there are some content warnings to be aware of:

These include: rape, attempted rape, violence, gore, punishment, homophobia, suicide, suicidal ideation

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Hello all!! I hope June treated you well. Sadly, America seems to be going back in time – so I’m a little scared and nervous. On the other hand I’m halfway through my last 2 MLIS classes. Good news for me. I had an amazing month of reading! I finally felt motivated to read a bunch, mostly due to KU and getting obsessed with some book series and wanting to read book box books! All total I read 37 books this month!

Read Books

TitleAuthorPublish DateRating
The Intended K. M. Rives⭐⭐
The Replacement K. M. Rives⭐⭐
Wicked SoulsKatie Wismer2021⭐⭐⭐
The MarionettesKatie Wismer 2021⭐⭐⭐
Faking with BenefitsLily Gold2021⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dinosaurs, Disasters, and Albert EinswinrSedona Ashe
The Other FamilyWendy Corsi Staub2022⭐⭐⭐
The Stardust ThiefChelsea Abdullah2022⭐⭐⭐⭐
BurnSuzanne Wright 2015⭐⭐⭐⭐
Together We BurnIsabel Ibanez2022⭐⭐⭐
Star EaterKerstin Hall2022⭐⭐⭐
The Royals Next DoorKarina Halle2021⭐⭐⭐
A Soul to Keep : DuskwalkerOpal Reyne2022
The Blood is LoveKarina Halle2021⭐⭐⭐
Black SunshineKarina Halle2021⭐⭐⭐
No Offense Meg Cabot2020⭐⭐
MaliceJohn Gwynne2012⭐⭐⭐
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not DatingChristina Lauren2018⭐⭐⭐
Watch Over MeMila Gray2019⭐⭐
High VoltageKaren Marie Moning2018⭐⭐⭐⭐
FeversongKaren Marie Moning2017⭐⭐⭐⭐
FeverbornKaren Marie Moning2016⭐⭐⭐⭐
IcedKaren Marie Moning2012⭐⭐⭐
The Atlas SixOlivie Blake2022⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bone Shard EmperorAndrea Stewart 2021⭐⭐⭐⭐
Such a Quiet PlaceMegan Miranda2021⭐⭐⭐
Wild and Wicked Things Francesca May2022⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Relative MurderJude Deveraux2022⭐⭐⭐
Lightbringer Claire Legrand2020⭐⭐⭐⭐
Graduation and GiftsHeather Long2021⭐⭐⭐⭐
Defiance and Dedication Heather Long2021⭐⭐⭐⭐
Legacy and LoversHeather Long2021⭐⭐⭐⭐
Songs and Sweethearts Heather Long2021⭐⭐⭐
Trials and TiarasHeather Long2020⭐⭐⭐
Brazen and BreathlessHeather Long2020⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hangovers and HolidaysHeather Long2020⭐⭐⭐⭐
Farewells and ForeverHeather Long2022⭐⭐⭐

ARCs Received

  • Belladonna

Reading Stats

This month I read:

  • 14 fantasy books — 2 young adult and 12 adult
  • 3 mystery & thrillers — 3 adult
  • 20 romances — 1 young adult and 19 adult

This months statistics are:

  • 37% Fantasy
  • 9% Mystery & Thriller
  • 54% romance
  • 8% Young Adult
  • 92% Adult

On the Blog

I posted quite a few reviews this month; mostly for ARCs! Here they are:

Around and About

Not too much else has gone on, I’m almost through all my requested ARCs, and I made it through most of my physical TBR.

July Hopefuls

I want to read Her Majesty’s Royal Coven with the Lore Book Club. And then everything else is sort of up for grabs!

Author: A.C. Wise
Series: n/a
Series #: n/a
Genre: retelling, fairytale, fantasy
Age Group: adult
ARC?: yes

Once invited, always welcome.
Once invited, never free.

Captain James Hook, the immortal pirate of Neverland, has died a thousand times. Drowned, stabbed by Peter Pan’s sword, eaten by the beast swimming below the depths, yet James was resurrected every time by one boy’s dark imagination. Until he found a door in the sky, an escape. And he took the chance no matter the cost.

Now in London twenty-two years later, Peter Pan’s monster has found Captain Hook again, intent on revenge. But a chance encounter leads James to another survivor of Neverland. Wendy Darling, now a grown woman, is the only one who knows how dark a shadow Neverland casts, no matter how far you run. To vanquish Pan’s monster once and for all, Hook must play the villain one last time… 

Review

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book I got excited. I hadn’t read the book Wendy, Darling, but when I started this book I felt like it was a sequel to the other book and that I was missing something. I pretty quickly got into the book. 

Wise’s writing is great – there is very much a VE Schwab vibe to the writing and I very much enjoyed this writing style. There was something about it that made it feel that it was from 1939 when the book took place, or a more fantastical feel to when we got flashbacks to Neverland. 

The combination of that worked for me. The concept of the book worked for me. The overall plot of the book worked for me. However…I was a little stymied by the pacing of this book. There was nothing outrageously wrong with it. There was something about it though that didn’t sit perfectly with me. There were some moments I was like, “this is dragging on…when is this going to pickup?”

I wanted to get more out of this book, and I’m not sure what it was exactly that I was looking for that this book didn’t deliver. I think it was because I got 176 pages in and felt like nothing had happened. All the main characters had met, we’d gotten a brief history of what happened to various characters, but that’s it. So…I was asking myself where is the plot going to come in? What is going to happen? 

I will certainly give it to this book, there is a whole section of Wendy reflecting on what Peter did to her, and I LOVED that bit. It felt so real and wonderful, and I loved how Wise turned something that seemed okay into the reality that what he was doing wasn’t necessarily good. Wendy got more agency in this book. It was a nice change from her character who is always a “follower”. She got to be a bit of a leader in this book instead. 

As I mentioned I enjoyed the overall concept/plot of the book, I felt it lacked a bit in execution. 

The action came in the last 50 or so pages of the book. It felt a bit underwhelming I suppose, since the lead up I felt didn’t do it justice. 

Overall, I think the book was good, but it isn’t something I’d be keen to read again. This book wasn’t the perfect fit for me, but I definitely think it is one that a lot of people will really enjoy! Especially if they like fairytales or feminist retellings of classics. 

TW: emotional abuse, death, war, kidnapping

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Welcome to Throwback Thursday #5! As always please feel free to submit your suggestions! You can do so at the first Throwback Thursday post here or by emailing me!

This weeks throwback is to David Eddings. David Eddings was a prominent fantasy writer in the 1980’s. His first epic fantasy series was *The Belgariad* . It had a sequel series *The Mallorean.* He also wrote prequels for this series as well. While uncredited for much of the books written Eddings wife, Leigh, contributed to all his early work as well.

The series I remember him most for is his Sparhawk Universe series. I think I read those books so much, and I still have the original mass market paperbacks my parents had. *The Elenium* is a trilogy and the first three books in the Sparhawk universe. It features knights and magic. Overall, I really enjoyed the series! It’s one of those that has stuck with me over the years.

Author: Kelly Devos
Series: n/a
Series #: n/a
Genre: mystery, thriller, horror
Age Group: Young Adult
ARC?: Yes

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets, this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is going to be a huge draw for teen readers! It combines many things that are relatable: being an influencer, struggling with college decisions, getting rejections, dating, issues with parents and so on. To top it all off it is a murder mystery. A murder mystery in a Romanian castle that has to do with Dracula. Sounds intriguing right? And I think for teens it will be. In many ways the style of this book reminds me of Tom Ryan’s I Hope You’re Listening, Kit Frick’s I Killed Zoe Spanos, the Truly Devious series and the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. This is a YA book, however it does remind me some of Riley Sager’s adult books. For me it is almost the teen version of those. IIt goes back between present and the past (where the main events took place) and it is interspersed with Alex’s interviews with the police in the aftermath. 

I found 90% of the characters unlikeable, and I don’t know if that was intentional. I also think that they were supposed to represent real teens, teens who are flawed and are jealous, who are still learning about themselves and what they want from life. So to me, this was a realistic representation of them. Even if I didn’t like them, it wasn’t like they were written badly! 

The writing style is easy to follow, and this book is a fairly quick read (for me). There is a lot of build up to the actual events at the castle. But there’s a lot of tension, not knowing how we get to the end. 

I guessed what was going on from the very beginning. There certainly were some red herrings thrown in, but overall I found it easy to guess. But the read itself was engaging and kept me entertained until I got to the end of the book. In some ways I wish that it had gone differently – that it hadn’t been as I expected. Alas. 

This book is going to be for anyone who enjoys slasher/final girl etc types of books and movies. It definitely lands more on the horror side of the mystery/thriller aspect, so just be aware of that. There isn’t anything overly descriptive in this book (or at least not too much), but more generalized descriptions. 

Overall, this book was a solid three star book for me. I enjoyed the book, but I think that teens (and tweens) will enjoy it far more than me! 

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