Enter the Body

Enter the Body

by Joy McCullough

Under the stage, beneath the trap door, the women of Shakespeare's plays wait to be called up to die again in yet another retelling of their stories. But on this day, three of the women take the time to tell their stories and maybe even change the narratives.

Cordelia, Ophelia, and Juliet share their sides of the stories for which they are famed, while also showing that they are more than what one man put on the page.

Final thoughts: This is a sometimes glorious and sometimes draining read, but the worst of it is the inaccuracy. This is meant to change the course of the lives of the women that Shakespeare created, and I get that. What I don't get is changing the ages of characters. For a fan of The Bard, getting Hamlet's age so terribly wrong is practically a sin. In the play, Hamlet was approximately 30 when his father died, but he is referred to a boy in this book and written like a teen who couldn't become king because of his age (and totally forgetting that Denmark has an ELECTED monarchy, regardless of age). Ophelia is also portrayed as a teen and both of these ages are not only inaccurate, but those errors affect the story McCullough is trying to tell. Let's also add in that McCullough states Ophelia would never have been able to marry Hamlet even though, in the play, Gertrude specifically mentioned that she had hoped Hamlet would marry her. Confusing Rosaline and forgetting that she is a cousin of the Capulets makes the very ending a little incestuous. This might be an interesting addition to the reading list for an Advanced Placement Literature course, but it relies heavily on knowing the original plays and may not be accessible to those who are unfamiliar with Shakespeare's tragedies.

Rating: 2/5

The Gravity of Lies

The Gravity of Lies

by Dorothy Deene

Skye Lark Perry has never had a normal life. Ever since her uncle died, she and her mother have gone from place to place, shelter to shelter, and have even spent more than a few nights in their car. For the past three years, all Skye has known is that she has to take care of her mother because her mother can't seem to take care of her.

Skye is homeschooled so that she can go to various auditions around Los Angeles, which are booked by a not-so-trustworthy "agent". The few jobs she gets are the only money coming in for her and her mother and she knows starvation far too well.

When the opportunity comes for her to be in a small reality TV show, which is designed to find the next cast members for a new drama, Skye is forced to participate. While she's not eager to be there, she is eager for the opportunity to possibly find her father, a person about which she knows nothing.

With twists and turns, Skye finds that her life may be something she never thought possible.

Final thoughts: Clunky and stuttering narration plus a lack of any real chemistry among the characters makes this a difficult read at times. The twists about Skye's life are just very strange and hard to track. It was unbelievable both in plot and in relationships among the characters.

Rating: 2/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Their Vicious Games

Their Vicious Games

by Joelle Wellington

After a small mistake has the very large consequence of having all of her college acceptance letters revoked, Adina Walker is forced to compete in The Finish, an annual set of games sponsored by the Remington Family. Winners are guaranteed a full ride to any school she chooses and the power of the Remington name behind them for the rest of their lives. 

But The Finish has never been discussed beyond a few rumors and Adina has no idea what she's getting in to. Additionally, this year The Finish has an extra goal of finding the wife for the future head of the family and that means that the stakes are much higher.

It's not just about school anymore. It's life or death.

Final thoughts: Interesting premise with a combination of The Hunger Games and the movie Ready or Not. It's a slow and awkward start to the book but once it gets going, it's a real ride. Will not be surprised if this gets made into a movie or Netflix series.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Chosen

 

Chosen

by Shade Owens

 

TL;DL: Avoid this book. It's a blender version of Hunger Games, The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, Brave New World, etc... and it's only the stuff that floated to the top after the blender was off for a day or two. 

Rating: 1/5

Simon Sort of Says

Simon Sort of Says

by Erin Bow

Simon O'Keefe and his family have just moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, which is a National Quiet Zone in America. There is no Internet, no WiFi, no cell phones, and no microwaves. The town is the location of a giant satellite dish that is studying sounds an phenomena from space.

Where most people might struggle with this type of drastic change in lifestyle, Simon finally feels like he will be OK. Simon has spent the last two years dealing with the looks, the stares, the pity, and more from everyone who sees him. 

Simon was the only survivor from his 5th grade class after a mass shooting. Even though the school and the people in it did everything right to keep themselves safe, Simon's class was the one the shooter found and Simon was found later buried under the bodies of his classmates.

So getting away from all that infamy is exactly what Simon needs. 

Finding friends and learning how to be a kid again may now be possible. Or maybe not. His new friends have their own quirks and plans that might bring him attention all over again.

Final thoughts: I hate that this book had to be written at all, but it seems to do a decent job dealing the aftermath for a survivor of something so horrible. No one can ever really know what it's like for these survivors, but this does help develop a little empathy and understanding.

Rating: 3.5/5

 

The Comeback

The Comeback

by Lily Chu

 

Ariadne "Ari" Hui is a Chinese Canadian working her way up the ladder at a prestigious law firm that her dad helped her get into. She's devoted to her job and works constantly to get ahead. But two things suddenly get in her way. First, her clientele are reassigned to the new caucasian associate who was literally just hired. Second, her roommate's cousin, Jihoon, comes to stay at their apartment after a "breakup" and Ari starts to fall in love. 

Hopes of becoming more than friends get dashed when she finds out that he's an "idol". He's one member of a worldwide phenomenon K-pop group and people have figured out where he's been hiding. 

Now Ari has to choose what is more important to her: her life in law and her reputation or her possible future with one of the members of Starlune and all of the baggage and fame that comes with it.

Final thoughts: Too much tell with not enough show. No real chemistry between Ari and Jihoon. And it feels like she's being very honest with her reservations, while he never listens but blames her for running.

Rating: 2/5

Not Your Ex's Hexes

Not Your Ex's Hexes

by April Asher

TL;DL - Enemies to lovers trope romance with some good moments but inconsistent writing and characterization.

Rating: 3/5

The Neighbor Favor

The Neighbor Favor

by Kristina Forest

TL;DL - Cute BIPOC romance with some hidden identities and secrets. Decent read.

Rating: 3/5

 

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

by Sarah Hawley

Sleep No More

Sleep No More

Jayne Ann Krentz

TL;DL - The paranormal and psychic combine in this 80's style police procedural. Some good ideas and some very awkward writing.

Rating: 3/5

Bookish and the Beast

Bookish and the Beast

by Ashley Poston

 

TL;DL Retelling of Beauty and the Beast filled with references to books and movies of the past. Tropes are poorly used and characters aren't realistic.

A Thousand Heartbeats

A Thousand Heartbeats

by Kiera Cass

TL;DL - Enemies to lovers romance with some decent moments but too much telling instead of showing and some major logistics/consistency errors with time and travel.

Rating: 3/5

The Do-Over

The Do-Over

by Lynn Painter

It's February 14th and Emilie is determined to have the absolute best Valentine's Day ever. It's the 3-month anniversary of dating her perfect boyfriend and he's perfect because he literally checks off all the items on her "perfect boyfriend" list. It's time to tell him the L-word.

Things start off a little awkwardly at home, but she won't let it worry her. She drives to school, gets distracted, gets in an accident, and is forced to accept a ride in the truck of the guy she hit.

But she's still going to make this day work.

Then her scholarship is revoked due to a mathematical error. She has to deal with the school mean girls. And her perfect boyfriend kisses his ex in the parking lot. 

Day ruined.

To make it all much worse, she gets home after school to find out that her dad, stepmom, and half-brothers will be moving to Texas and leaving her behind. 

So she goes to her grandma's house to cry and sleep only to wake up in her bed at her dad's house and it's all starting again. It's her own personal Groundhog Day.

Through the many repeated Valentine's Days, Emilie learns more about herself, the people around her and about the boy whose truck she kept crashing into. 

Nick is nothing like she thought and everything that she might need.

Final thoughts: Total cotton-candy book with fluff and strangeness. The only fully built characters are Emilie and Nick; the rest of the characters are one-day only versions of themselves with no real depth. Nick is awesome and there is some chemistry between him and Em. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Dirty Lying Faeries

Dirty Lying Faeries

by Sabrina Blackburry

 

After getting into an exclusive party with the help of her best friend, Thea has been exposed to a little too much fae influence, which causes her to start the change into a fae changeling. Her change was a mistake, but she's taking to it pretty well for someone who didn't even know that the fae really existed.

It helps that she's bonded to the Lord of the Winter Court, Devin, and he's going to do everything he can to make sure her accidental change works out well, especially because she is now his Lady.

But someone out there is not fine with Thea's change and has been actively shutting down all similar changes and opportunities for hundreds of years. Thea, Devin, and other friends (and enemies) must work together to stop the "rotting one" from destroying all fae forever.

Final thoughts: There are some great moments here but the whole story is pretty disjointed and incomplete. The world building is nice and fairly well-done, but that building comes at the sacrifice of a fuller story. Additionally, the title just doesn't match the content of the book itself. It just doesn't fit. 

Rating: 3/5

Me and Banksy

Me and Banksy

by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born

Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born:

How Buffy Staked Our Hearts

by Evan Ross Katz

Uberfan Katz has written an amazing background book about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just over half of the book goes into depth on each season of Buffy, followed by the rest of the book breaking down the relationships both on and off of the set, accusations about Whedon, and (most importantly) the show's impact on individuals and culture as a whole.

There are a number of real issues in television culture that are covered from LGBTQ+ issues to the lack of POC. Those issues are discussed in both the positive as in Tara and Willow's relationship to the negative as with the "bury your gays" trope.  There is an entire section devoted to the depiction of POC in the show and the lack of representation there. 

But most of the book is about the positive impacts of this show on the people who watched it when it first came out, the people who are watching it now, television as a whole, and what it all means to people. 

Rating: 4/5

When Life Gives You Vampires

When Life Gives You Vampires

by Gloria Duke

After a night that she doesn't remember, Lily awakens to discover that she's now a vampire. Apparently made undead by accident, Lily and her maker, Tristan, must navigate vampire politics and try to avoid being killed permanently.

Between her BFF and font of all fiction vampire lore giving her advice, a work colleague who suddenly seems to really hate her, a backstory that Tristan refuses to share, and a master vampire threatening her, Lily has quite a bit to learn and she must learn it in just a few days.

Final thoughts: Messy. No chemistry and the constant use of the phrase "obvi" is extremely frustrating by the end. This could have been cute but it just doesn't gel.

Rating: 2/5

Big Bad

Big Bad

by Lily Anderson

In an alternate dimension Sunnydale, the skies over the town are permanently dark and the vampires and demons rule the newly named "Demondale". As the Trio work together to try and help Warren ascend, a teen girl appears and Warren ends up in pieces around the room.

The teen girl is Buffy and she's determined to destroy all demons in all dimensions.

It's up to Jonathan, Andrew, Anya, Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla to try and save their dimension and all the demons and vamps who live there. 

With all of the various characters from the Buffyverse making appearances, they must work together to stop the slayer.

Final thoughts: This is mediocre fanfic that's jammed up reference after reference, which takes away from actual storytelling. Pretty much every demon and vamp who Buffy fought over seven seasons are at least mentioned in this novel. The ending doesn't feel like it fits in with the character who we've grown to love over seven seasons. Those who don't know the Buffyverse and/or aren't fans won't get into this and those who are fans may just be distracted by the references without being able to enjoy the plot.

Rating: 2/5

Bring Me Their Hearts

Bring Me Their Hearts

by Sara Wolf

Three years before, Zera was killed by bandits who also killed her parents. A witch who was near took Zera's heart from her and then reanimated her as a Heartless. After avenging her parents' deaths, Zera stays as the servant of the witch her "saved" her, unable to go far from her heart in the witch's lair.

For the past three years, Zera and two other Heartless have served the witch and been her thralls.

When all signs point to the king preparing for a new war against the witches, a plan is hatched to give Zera the ability to leave her small home, travel to the city, and try to capture the heart of the young prince, Lucien.

Literally.

If Zera can kill him, take his heart, and help to turn him into a Heartless, her heart and the hearts of the two other current thralls will be returned to her, allowing her to be human once more.

Getting to the city is easy. Convincing everyone that she's not a monster will be much harder. Capturing the heart of the prince, could be the most dangerous thing Zera has ever tried to do.

Final thoughts: This one had a nice concept but was a slow build. I almost gave up a few times at the start because I was struggling to get into it. However, once I was in I was all in. Zera is fascinating and many of the other characters are fleshed out well. Lucien was great and I felt for him by the end. There was an obvious twist early on but it actually was revealed to all of the characters early so it didn't bring down the book much. My biggest complaint was the cliffhanger so I'm off to read the next book.

Rating: 4/5

Becoming a Queen

 

Becoming a Queen

by Dan Clay

 

Mark has always been sure of two things: he is gay and his older brother loves him no matter what.

What Mark isn't sure of is how he will feel wearing a dress. He feels like he will love it with all of his heart but he's not sure that anyone else will. 

Luckily, Mark's brother supports him 1000% with the encouragement to, "Be yourself! Your full sequin-y self.”

Just as Mark is starting to find his footing and figure out who he may be, tragedy strikes and he must start to find himself all over again.

Final thoughts: Poignant, sad, sometimes depressing, and sometimes frenetic, this book has a real 'voice' and is a solid story. Some of the moments were a little odd and others just didn't always read well, but the overall story is well done. This book can be very raw and real and there should be some trigger warnings somewhere, but it's worth the read.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Not Here to Stay Friends

 

Not Here to Stay Friends

by Kaitlyn Hill

Sloane and Liam have been BFFs since their early childhood but they were physically separated after Liam's parents got divorced and he was forced to move from Tennessee to Los Angeles. Even with the miles between them, they have still been super close. They talk/text/Facetime daily and live for the teen soap, The Cove.

Five years after their physical separation, Sloane is invited to spend the summer with Liam and his dad in Los Angeles and she has plans to do the whole touristy thing while there.

When Liam picks her up from the airport, they both realize the difference that five years can make on their besties. While trying to adjust to their new realities in that sense, they must also adjust to the fact that Liam has been roped into working as a production assistant (PA) for a reality show based on The Cove.

What's worse is that one of the girls scheduled to be one of the dates on this reality show has dropped out and Liam's dad bribes Sloane to be the replacement.

Now Liam and Sloane must not only deal with their own changing views of each other, but also with the fact that Sloane seems to be the one person that star Aspen Woods wants to see win at the end. 

Final thoughts: There are some cute moments here and it's full of tropes but it doesn't always come together well. The thoughts of the characters end up being repeated on a loop as if the author has almost copy/pasted them and then changed the order of the sentences. Some of the ideas are good but they never come off as great.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A Hard Day for a Hangover

A Hard Day for a Hangover

by Darynda Jones

Just a week after her daughter survived a murderer, Sun is back on the job and trying to solve a series of crimes in her small town. These crimes run from a single break-in to an attempted murder. 

As Sunshine works to get the town back to the calm it was before she ever took the job as sheriff, her daughter is once again trying to help out by doing research and asking questions that put her in the sights of someone dangerous. 

In the middle of all of this is the changing relationship between Sun and her eternal crush, Levi, who she finally remembered saved her from her own kidnapping and attempted murder fifteen years before. 

With everything both coming together and falling apart, Sun and her somewhat crazy colleagues and family members must solve the mysteries and protect the teens who both help and hinder their investigations.

Final thoughts: Another solid entry from Jones, which is supposed to be the last for this trilogy but ends with a comment/question that left me hanging. I am truly hoping there is a short story from Levi's PoV that finishes this whole thing out. Speaking of Levi, I have a difficult time with some of the character shifts for him in this book. For the other two books (and much of this one) he has been pretty broody and uncommunicative. We've known that Sun has crushed on him for years, but it's been fairly one-sided. Jones has shown that Levi cares, but he just doesn't speak much. In this book, there are a couple of scenes where Levi is downright chatty in comparison but then goes back to practically silent again. It just feels like we need his PoV on something just to see how he feels since he's not expressive as a character.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Soul Taken

Soul Taken

by Patricia Briggs

When people start disappearing, the wolf pack of the Tri-Cities area takes it seriously. When vampires start disappearing, that wolf pack gets very serious about protecting those around them.

During a meeting to discuss one issue, the magic around them is broken and a damaged ally appears with an ultimatum for the pack, and especially for Mercy. Find the vampire, Wulfe, or be blamed for his demise.

On the hunt for the missing vampire and trying to make sense of the other disappearances, Mercy and her pack are introduced to the legend of the Soul Taker, a sickle that is possessed and possesses those who hold it. It needs souls to reach its goal of releasing an ancient god and Mercy's soul may just be the last one it needs.

With time running out and the people around them starting to blame the pack for the dangers, Mercy needs to solve yet another magical mystery before it's too late.

Final thoughts: I LOVE Mercy, but this one was a mess. It's choppy. It lacks direction. The characters are all just a little off from their normal state. Was this meant to be messy? Is this just a setup for the final book or two? There are issues with timing and timelines, as well as her just ignoring some issues that keep coming up like the phone calls that can't be tracked. It's possible that my re-read of the series before I read this one tainted my overall view of this story. There are so many better ones before this and this just felt like Patty was distracted as she wrote this.

Rating: 3/5

Grave Things Like Love

Grave Things Like Love

by Sara Bennett Wealer

 

All of her life, Elaine has been the good girl. She has given up many of the things that other juniors in high school get to do because of her parents' business. She is asked to pick up the slack and help out whenever things go wrong, which seems to happen often.

Elaine's parents run the local funeral home and Elaine is being groomed to take over just like her dad did before her and his dad did before him. Their home and their business have been in the family for generations and it's expected that Elaine will continue that tradition.

When new guy, Xander, shows up, it's a breath of fresh air for Elaine and a reminder that she might not want to just always do what's expected of her.

When she and her friends accidentally wake up a ghost in her home, things get even more weird... 

Final thoughts: While billed as a ghost story, this really isn't one. The ghost seems to only be there to help move the motivation of the main character along rather than do anything on her own. Xander's entrance to the group is a little confusing since he's only just arrived but some people act like they've known him for years. The love triangle goes through all of the typical trope points, which isn't necessarily bad but doesn't breathe any new life into it all.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Strictly No Heroics

Strictly No Heroics

by B.L. Radley

Riley has never had the best luck. Raised by a drunk and abusive mother who died in a fiery car crash that left Riley traumatized and her half-sister disabled, she is just trying to get survive a world of superheroes and villains who battle for supremacy in her city. 

When Riley offends the wrong supe at her job, she is suddenly unemployed and desperate to find something to pay for the therapy that she needs, as well as help her sister's dad take care of the three of them financially after he took the girls in. 

A flyer promising that they hire everyone comes her way and Riley discovers that she's hired herself out as a henchman for the Villain Council of the city through a group called HENCH. With just a few days of training, she's ready to fetch coffee, build lairs, and construct lasers shipped like IKEA furniture. 

It's difficult for her to admit to her family and friends that she's technically a bad guy now. It's also difficult for her to come out to those she cares about regarding her sexual orientation. How does one find the perfect girl to date when working for someone who may be trying to destroy the city you love?

Final thoughts: Nice complementary story to How to Date a Superhero by Christina Fernandez, though it's probably just completely coincidental. One is a college girl dating a supe and one is a girl just trying to survive the damage they do. While the story is decent, it lags from time to time and many of the characters stay flat throughout. The best part for me was the fact that many things just... were. Her LGBTQ status is acknowledged and then left alone with no one bullying or criticizing her. This had a diverse cast but that wasn't pointed out for each character as a direct statement; the author just hinted at diversity through physical descriptions.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.