Waiting on Wednesday

 Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

A new YA psychological thriller from the author of What We Buried is about four teenage girls who descend into a dangerous underground cave system in search of a lake of local legend is said to reveal their deepest fears.

When the cops arrive, only a few things are clear:
- Four girls entered a dangerous cave.
- Three of them came out alive.
- Two of them were rushed to the hospital.
- And one is soaked in blood and ready to talk.

Amelie Desmarais' story begins believably enough: Four girls from a now-defunct thrill-seeking group planned an epic adventure to find a lake that Colorado locals call "The Sublime." Legend has it that the lake has the power to change things for those who risk—and survive—its cavernous depths. They each had their reasons for going. For Amelie, it was a promise kept to her beloved cousin, who recently suffered a tragic accident during one of the group’s dares.

But as her account unwinds, and the girls’ personalities and motives are drawn, things get complicated. Amelie is hardly the thrill-seeking type, and it appears she’s not the only one with the ability to deceive. Worse yet, Amelie is covered in someone's blood, but whose exactly? And where's the fourth girl?

Is Amelie spinning a tale to cover her guilt? Or was something inexplicable waiting for the girls down there? Amelie's the only one with answers, and she's insisting on an explanation that is more horror-fantasy than reality. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between?

After all, strange things inhabit dark places. And sometimes we bring the dark with us. 

Why I'm Waiting: Very few things actually freak me right out, caves are one of them. So this one might force me to pace a little bit.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor—the seventh-most haunted town in America—with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn’t have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her.

There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie must embark on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls.

HAPPY READING!!

Summer TBR

Finally, finally, summer is here. We got a full week of sun here in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the rain comes back. But! For now, I plan on enjoying it. I have my cute little folding chair and a gloriously sunny spot on my patio where I can soak up some sun. Plus, if I'm outside the cats are less likely to nose dive off my patio after birds. They can seriously not be trusted. But I digress because warm weather means a summer TBR!

First up, and my current read, is I Know What You Did Last Summer! I read this way back in Junior High, and I don't really remember much about the book. However, I do remember the movie because it is a classic, and I will die on that hill! As for the others, most are from Night Worms because I'm so behind on reading my books from them. 

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

  

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.

Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.

King’s storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy—and his dog—must lead the battle.

HAPPY READING!!

Hawkins Horrors - Review

Author: Matthew J Gilbert

Genre: Horror / Young Adult

Format: Hardback

Pages: 208

This collection is set between Season Three and Four. The Party is gathered at Family Video in a blackout telling scary stories when their movie night gets ruined. So I'm going to review each short story along with the book itself. This is one of the stories within a story, so this will be a review within a review!

A Little Voice (4 Stars)

There was no way I wasn't going to like a story set in Pennhurst. The asylum setting already sets it up to be creepy as all get out. I was a hundred percent ready for his to be a ghost story. What I wasn't expecting was the twist at the very end. Which I think was more creepy than an actual ghost haunting some poor guy. This was a great story to kick this collection off with it, even if Nancy isn't my favorite character. I'll give her this, she told a good ghost story. I still think she's kind of the worst though...

Do or 20-Sided Die (2 Stars)

Oh Dusty-Poo, why did you let me down! Of the Party, Dustin is my favorite character. But, this story was just not for me. I got bored pretty quickly. It had potential, and I loved that his story had a cursed 20-sided die. But, yeah I kept getting distracted by other things instead of focusing on the story. It bummed me out that Dustin's story fell short. And maybe I'm a little bummed that we could have gotten an Eddie cameo in this story, but was denied this for another Dungeon Master.

Lovers' Lake (5 Stars)

Steve and Robin for the win! I'm a sucker for a scary story that features a lake monster. For me, nothing is creepier than was lurks in the water. I like this story was almost a Hawkins Urben Legend as well. Something that Steve and Robin had heard growing up. The story was solid, gross, so very gross, and a hundred percent Robin and Steve. I love that they stopped their own story to argue about what it was in the lake. I loved everything about this.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (4 Stars)

Max taking us back to Hawkins Lab and bringing us all the way back to season one. I do miss the Demogorgons, they were creepy AF. Their height, the oversized limbs, the flower petals with teeth, and the noise they made! I'd love to see more of them in the current season, but it was great to see them pop in one here. I thought the story was solid, nothing is more creepy than the dark, especially when you are stuck in the woods with a creature after you. Mad props for the mention of the satanic panic and the 20/20 special that helped spur the chaos. It was almost a small nod to The Craft in places, which I appreciated. I enjoyed this one.

Don't Be a Pest (3 Stars)

Oh, Erica! I'm so glad this character got a larger role after season two. Her story was told in the vein of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. Definitely very creepy for younger readers, but just a classic spooky tale for older ones. I enjoyed this one and its main character. I'm not a huge fan of bugs, so it hit the gross factor for me. I also really liked how clever it was, especially toward the end. Because for half a second I thought the killer might be the mom!

Two Lunches (3 Stars)

Lucas' story was also solid. I really liked that everything kept coming back to Pennhurst in some way. This was the third story to center around the inmates at Pennhurst. This was a classic spooky store of two brothers, and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It definitely feels like a story Lucas was told as a bedtime story by his dad, or around the campfire. The best part of this story is how it ends because it doesn't really. 

Talk Back (4 Stars)

While personally the Wheeler's are my least favorite characters of this show, both Mike and Nancy had solid stories. This one plays on my theory at all Furbies and Teddy Ruxbins are evil, but also with a little hint of Chucky. This one was definitely on the creepy side with a solid wrap-up. There's a sort of 80's horror movie vibe to it which I liked considering when the show is set. This was the prime horror movie era.

In all, I enjoyed this one. It was a fun read after shifts to wind down, and a great way to fill the time until volume two got released.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

Set in a planet-sized matriarchal city where magic and technology freely bleed together, a male courtesan’s quest for vengeance against his aristocrat father draws him into an ancient struggle between dragons, necromancers, and his home district’s violent history.

In the world-sized city of Jadzia, magic and ancient science merge into something dark and wondrous.

Koré’s life is consumed by power, politics, sex and vengeance, and as courtesan to the wealthy and powerful, he is privy to all manner of secrets. He knows meddling in politics is dangerous─still, he is willing to risk everything to stop his father from seizing the Imperial Throne of the War District. But Koré soon finds the corruption runs far deeper than just one man.

During a tryst in an ancient tomb─in the pursuit of political influence─Koré encounters a dying god, who imbues him with the powers of one of the city’s sacred dragons. Suddenly Koré finds himself a hunted man, threatened with becoming a pawn by whoever finds him first.

If the wrong person discovers his secret and lays claim to his powers they would plunge their world into war, unleash untold horrors and destroy the city─and the two people he has come to love.

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds like it will wreck me emotionally, but I'm gonna be okay with it...

HAPPY READING!!

A Spindle Splintered - Review

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Genre: Retelling / Novella

Format: Hardback

Pages: 128

Only dying girls like Sleeping Beauty.

And, little girls obsessed with dragons and ravens. It's the only princess movie I remember watching on repeat, and it had very little to do with Briar Rose. I'm a sucker for a good villain and sassy side characters. So I'm always down for retelling any version of Sleeping Beauty, and A Spindle Splintered has become a favorite. 

Zinnia Gray is the kind of the main character that immediately makes your heart bleed for them. She's dying and there's nothing anyone can do to change, and we meet on what is supposed to be her last birthday. It also makes her a great narrator because this adventure means something to her because, in theory, it's her last one, and just maybe it could give her the happily ever after she's been secretly hoping for.

There were three things I really loved about this book. The first is the relationship between Zinnia and her best friend Charm. Not only did the author find a clever what to give us a Charming of some kind, she also made this Charm fearless. A best friend who is trying to find a way to cure her best friend, but has also found a way to help Zinnia live life like she isn't dying. I feel like Charm is why Zinnia is as brave as she points out after meeting the Princess. 

Combined with a hope that at least one can be free of their curse.

The second thing I loved is sass and humor. There are so many pop culture references and inside jokes between Charm and Zinnia. At random times you find yourself laughing out loud despite how heavy parts of this book are. Personally, I felt this kept the book from getting too dark and heavy. It also wasn't just gallows humor from Zinnia. There were some great laugh-out-loud moments. Plus there are bonus points given for the author sliding in a great Princess Bride reference.

Third, I really like how this book ended. We did get a happily ever after, just not the one I really wanted. I was rooting for Zinnia to her magical ending, but I can't say I'm upset with how everything tied up for her. I really like that she found a purpose for herself at the end of this adventure. Sure her story ended on an open note, but a second book was just released last week. So maybe there is still hope yet for Zinnia's curse.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump this month, and this book pulled me right out of it. I already have the second book, A Mirror Mended, put on hold at the library. I cannot wait to see what kind of shenanigans Zinnia gets up to next.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

  

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Washington D. C., 1925

Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during her darkest moments in a Washington D. C. jail. Now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So, when the Empress, the powerful spirit who holds her debt, offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, a desperate Clara seizes the chance. The task: steal a magical ring from the wealthiest woman in the District.

Clara can’t pull off this daring heist alone. She’ll need help from an unlikely team, from a jazz musician capable of hypnotizing with a melody to an aging vaudeville actor who can change his face, to pull off the impossible. But as they encounter increasingly difficult obstacles, a dangerous spirit interferes at every turn. Conflict in the spirit world is leaking into the human one and along D.C’.s legendary Black Broadway, a mystery unfolds—one that not only has repercussions for Clara but all of the city’s residents.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories -- she's come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there.

Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them, and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

Why I'm Waiting: Sarah Gailey is one of my favorite authors, so I'm really excited about their new book.

HAPPY READING!!

Ham Helsing: Monster Hunter - Review

Author: Rich Moyer

Genre: Graphic Novel / Middle Grade

Format: eBook

Pages: 240

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I adored the first book in this series, Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter. So was beyond excited to get the chance to read the next book in the series a little early. The entire characters are back for Volume Two, except this time they're all at summer camp. 

Just like in the first book where Moyer played with the story of Dracula, in volume two the story sort of plays into the Creature of the Black Lagoon. Which I loved because I'm a sucker for classic creature features. But, Ham Helsing: Monster Hunter is its own story where the monster isn't so monstrous.

While the book is targeted for younger readers, it's also great for those young at heart. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon and curled up reading this one. It's a fun story with great artwork, that is bright and adds wonderful details to the story.  It's a goofy, fun-filled read with hijinks and the return of the evil brother Chad. Who might not be so evil anymore... 

It was great to see all of the characters I loved from the first book come back. Even little Eugene and Lobo! It was even great that Malcolm got a bigger role in this book, and that book three will be more all about him! I really enjoy that bumbling vampire!

I enjoyed the main story as well. All Ham wanted to do was keep those kids safe and protect the camp from whatever was lurking in the lake. This is a great story about how you can't judge people by how they look. The creature may look like a monster, but it was just protecting the little fish in the lake. 

This was absolutely adorable and I'm glad I got a chance to read it early! It was just as fun as the first, and I cannot wait for third installment. 

Ham Helsing: Monster Hunter is out today and perfect for all ages!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

  

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

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.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Mail - Night Worms

It's my favorite time of the month, it's Night Worm day! This month's theme is At The Cemetery Gates. While I'm always excited for this package to arrive, I've been a little more excited this month. All three of the books are new to me authors, which makes this all the more exciting. I haven't heard any of the books I haven't done a lot of research on them. I have full trust in Ashely and Sadie, the women who run Night Worms, to pick amazing books! 

One of my goals this summer is to catch up on my Night Worms reading. It seems I've fallen behind because somehow there are always more books than time. 

HAPPY READING!!

Most Anticipated Releases of 2022 pt.2

The year is already halfway over. On one hand, it doesn't seem like we should be so far into 2022 because my mind seems to be stuck in March. Of course, on the other hand, a lot has happened this year so it sort of makes sense. Though it doesn't matter because it's June, and I've read zero books from the first half of the year. I own two of the books and have one checked from the library, but shockingly enough I haven't read them. Still, there are plenty of books I'm looking forward to not reading. These are the books on the top of this list!

What new releases are everyone else looking for?

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

Dive into this revealing portrait of Stranger Things fan favorite Lucas Sinclair and get to know Lucas like never before.

The thrilling adventure of Stranger Things continues where season three left off, with fan-favorite Lucas Sinclair finally telling his own story in his own words.

Why I'm Waiting:  I really like Stranger Things, it's one of my favorite shows and I'm already caught up on the first part of season four. So I'm interested to see everything through Lucas' pov!

HAPPY READING!!