Archive for November, 2022

We Were Kings by Court Stevens

Published November 28, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Nyla and her mom have struggled her entire life because it is just the two of them and they did not have much money. Her mother’s best friend, Frankie Quick, was convicted 20 years ago for murdering Cora King, the daughter of the well known King family in their small town. Since that time, Nyla’s mother has spent every waking moment trying to prove Frankie’s innocence, but time has run out. They recently passed a new law that will expedite the death penalty for anyone in Frankie’s situation. Frankie now has 30 days before her execution and Nyla’s mom is not handling the news well. For the first time, Nyla starts to put together some inconsistencies in the murder investigation and begins to suspect Frankie is indeed innocent. Along with her friend, Sam, who actually gives tours on the island of the now notorious Cora King murder, Nyla begins a new YouTube Channel called Death Daze and tries to get to the truth of what happened to Cora King. Along the way, Nyla uncovers some truly surprising twists in this case as she meets all the suspects, including the King family. Can she prove Frankie is innocent? Can she do it in time to save her? Is it possible Frankie really is a murderer? If not Frankie, who could’ve done such a heinous crime?

This mystery pulls you in right from the beginning as you follow Nyla along on her journey to discovering the truth. There are numerous surprises and exciting events as people try to keep Nyla from discovering the truth. Each time she hits a roadblock, though, she actually takes that as a sign that she is in fact going in the right direction. Frankie, whom she has known about her entire life, but only recently met, has become very important to her and she feels it is highly unlikely she is a murderer. Fans of mysteries who want a truly captivating and unique store will enjoy this title.

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

Published November 21, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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In this prequel to We Were Liars, Carrie narrates the story of the first summer on the Sinclair island after they lost their beloved sister, Rosemary. Carrie, Penny, and Bess, the three remaining Sinclair sisters, are all doing their best to cope with the loss of their baby sister and each doing it in their own way. Carrie seems to be struggling the most as she had to undergo painful jaw surgery during the school year that has led to a pill addiction now. She is very much looking forward to her cousin coming to join her for the summer, but when Yardley finally comes she is joined by her boyfriend and two other boys. That greatly changes things as Carrie has never before had a boyfriend of any kind. As they frolic on the small island, she begins to form a relationship with Pfeff, but every time she gets her hopes up he always manages to disappoint her until they reach a breaking point. Will she look back on this summer with affection or not? Will she come to regret some of the things said and done during that fateful summer? Will she ever make peace with losing her baby sister?

Fans of the original story will enjoy learning more about the famous Sinclair family and how things got to be so difficult. There are a lot of twists in the plot of this story and the writing style is very descriptive and rich, but sometimes can be a little hard for struggling readers. It is refreshing to meet the sisters at such a young age and learn about some of the things they struggled with before they became adults. There is definitely a lot of pressure on them to be perfect in every way to the outside world. The characters in this story will leave readers thinking about them long after the book is finished. Recommended.

Mere Mortals by Erin Jade Lange

Published November 14, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Charlotte (Charlie) and her brother Reg have been immortal vampires for over 100 years, but a recent unfortunate incident has led to them being severely punished… by becoming human again. They have no memories of their lives before they became vampires, so life as a human teenager is all new to them. They are taken to live with a former slayer who agrees to watch over them as they get acclimated to life as a high school student, but they are not interested in staying human. They desperately want to think of a way to get their status reversed, but in the meantime they are forced to attend school in Nowhere, Iowa. Charlie feels like Reg is adjusting easier than her because he has joined clubs and made friends, but he never wavers whenever she voices her desire to return to the vampire life. She worries that when or if they get that chance that he might choose to stay human. Meanwhile, she’s slowly adjusting as well. She’s on the Halloween Hoopla committee and enjoying time with new friends as well, but she believes that if given the chance she would do anything to become a vampire again…but that choice might be harder than she thinks. Can Charlie and Reg really leave their new life as humans and all the human memories behind? Will they ever adjust to life in Nowhere, Iowa or is it just not the life for them?

This fun fantasy starts a little slow with the pair adjusting to life as humans after a 100 years as vampires, but soon the characters develop and it’s easy to get pulled into their lives. The ending in particular is fun and exciting as several questions are answered regarding the vampire life and how it coexists with the humans. It is not predictable and the end will leave you wanting to know more about all of the characters in this climactic ending. Recommended for fantasy fans who do want too much suspense or gore.

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Published November 7, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Historical Mystery

In this fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Lizzie is desperate to work for her father’s law firm, but he has kept her to the side working small office jobs because he doesn’t think it’s proper for a young lady to aspire to become a lawyer. Meanwhile, the heir to his estate, a dour Mr. Collins, is working at the firm and frequently takes credit for Lizzie’s work as he seems to have very little work ethic himself. Lizzie’s mom would love to see one of their five daughters marry Mr. Collins so that they will not be turned out of their house when Lizzie’s dad eventually dies. Lizzie has made it clear she has no interest in Mr. Collins and finds him rather repulsive. When Lizzie learns that there has been a murder and a Mr. Bingley has been accused of the crime, she immediately feels this is her shot to prove to her father that she can be a valuable asset to the firm. She goes to the jail to meet Mr. Bingley, but is not there very long before a Mr. Darcy arrives to post bail for his client and good friend. Mr. Darcy is not amused that Lizzie is inserting herself into this case, but Mr. Bingley is desperate for anyone to help him out of this predicament. The man who was murdered was Mr. Bingley’s brother-in-law and it was well known that the two were not getting on very well at the moment and that Mr. Bingley’s sister was planning to leave him. Lizzie decides she needs to prove her ability to solve a case by continuing to investigate and comes across a young man working as a runner named Mr. Wickham who seems very eager to help her. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy has made it very clear that he doesn’t want her meddling in his case. Who can Lizzie trust to help her get to the truth? What secrets are the Bingley’s hiding? Can Lizzie every prove to her father that she is more valuable than Mr. Collins?

This fun retelling will interest anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. Fans of the original will have fun seeing how each character fits into this version. The mystery itself is very engaging and has some serious twists and turns leading up to its big finale. Mystery fans will not be disappointed by the resolution of the mystery. Lizzie’s character is true to her original nature, but pushes her to be even more forceful in her wish to find the truth for Mr. Bingley. There are several characters who do not play as big of a part as they did in the original, but that doesn’t detract from the interesting plot of the mystery. It was thoroughly entertaining throughout and it will be fun to see more in this series in the future.

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