Every Thursday, I will post a new book review here. Check back for the latest reads.
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Dreadful: A delightful tale
Gav wakes up with no eyebrows and no memories, and soon realizes he is actually the Dark Wizard who owns this castle, complete with moat squid, goblin servants, and a kidnapped princess in the dungeon. Now he has to bluff his way through his supposed evil plans without anyone catching on…while he also experiments with…
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Ordinary Monsters (Book 1): For the adults who loved Miss Peregrine’s
In 1880s Scotland, there is an Institute for children with special magical talents. An evil entity wants to eat these children, and only a select few can stand in its way.
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Lies We Sing to the Sea: A decent YA debut
Leto’s story begins with her death. After she is sacrificed to the sea god, she finds herself transformed – and saddled with a mission to kill the prince.
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House of Flame and Shadow: The finale
This is the conclusion to the Crescent City series (barring any spinoffs we’ll get in the future). Bryce and co. must face extreme odds in their battle to defeat the Asteri.
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The Book of Essie: Compelling and interesting
Essie, the youngest daughter in an evangelical family with a reality TV show called Six for Hicks, is pregnant. Now she must orchestrate her freedom.
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The Maidens: Entertaining enough
After a murderer strikes the college her niece attends, psychotherapist Mariana feels determined to discover the killer.
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Ruthless Vows (Book 2): An okay sequel
Iris and Roman deal with the fallout as the war front heads toward Oath.
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The Six Deaths of the Saint: The best short story
The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom’s greatest warrior.
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Malibu Rising: Lackluster and slow
This story follows the four Riva siblings over the day leading up to an infamous party that will result in a wildfire.
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The Paris Apartment: An excellent audiobook
Jess arrives at her brother’s apartment in Paris where he’s supposed to be expecting her, but he’s not there. Now she must engage with the strange inhabitants of the building – and their secrets – if she’s going to find out what happened to him.
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One Dark Window: Duology review
In a kingdom where magic is confined to decks of cards and the use of magic comes with a cost, a young woman stumbles into a family that aims to change everything.
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The Heiress: Quick and easy
Camden, the heir to a wealthy estate, and his wife Jules are pulled into the fold of Ashby House, where his despicable family still lives. But questions begin to arise about his adoptive mother, her four dead husbands, and her own mysterious past.
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Throne of Glass: Full series review
This series follows a young assassin with a mysterious past who was raised by an infamous Assassin’s Guild leader. Everyone wants to use her unique skills for themselves – or otherwise eradicate the threat she poses. As she struggles for freedom, she is also forced to confront her deepest secrets.
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An Education in Malice: Atmospheric and vampiric
In this erotic horror retelling of “Carmilla” set in the 1960s, Laura is a new college student in St. Perpetua’s writing program, where she is swept up with the seductive and alluring Carmilla, a fellow student, and the professor she’s obsessed with.
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Bluebeard’s Castle: Subversive, but long
A gothic romance writer, Judith, finds herself swept up in a romance with a mysterious man named Gavin who feels like he came right out of one of her books, except it’s not quite what she expected. This is a story about what the reality of a “gothic romance” might look like.
