The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson: ARC Book Review

If you’re a fan of Carrie, then have I got a new book recommendation for you! Based on Carrie and a very real news article that reported on a small town in the states that continued to hold segregated proms into the 2010s, The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson brings the classic paranormal horror story into the 21st century with a fresh take that introduces some relevant themes including racism, poverty, and social media to the well-known tale.

I have to admit, this book was a little different than I anticipated. It followed Carrie a lot closer than I expected going into it. I don’t know why, because from the get-go, between the synopsis and the cover art, I should have assumed as much. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Unfortunately, for me anyways, this was a bit of a drawback from the novel, because I was hoping for more “novelty” I guess (see what I did there? 😉).

Advertisement

Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino: Blog Tour & Book Review

Not Good for Maidens was a new release I was excited for, but also a little hesitant of. The premise sounded intense, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect going into this one. But I actually think that was the best way to experience it! Not Good for Maidens has a lot of adventure, intrigue, and horror within its pages, and much like Lou herself, it’s impossible to fully know what you’re getting into until you dive in head first.

Not Good for Maidens takes place across two timelines. One set present-day, following Louisa Wickett-Stevens whose world turns upside down when she finds out her teenage aunt Neela has been trapped in the nefarious goblin market her mother had intentionally kept secret from Lou her entire life. The second takes place 18 years earlier and follows Lou’s aunt May, a witch in training, as she begins a dangerous but exhilarating romance with Eitra, a goblin from the market.

Both find themselves venturing into the depths of the goblin market, with all its danger and gore, to save the ones they love. But venturing into the goblin market means there’s a very real risk they might never return…

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna: Blog Tour & Book Review

Deka returns once again, her friends in tow (a found family of deathshrieks, alaki, and ex-jatu alike), and the recently awakened goddesses behind her – a true force to be reckoned with. But things in Otera are never how they may first appear. And more is brewing under the surface than even Deka the Nuru, the daughter of the goddesses, realizes. Revelations that will once again shake Deka to her core, and send everything she thought was true crumbling to pieces…

In The Merciless Ones, Forna takes Otera, a world already filled to the brim with a vast, rich, and diverse culture, and expands it even further! Through the sequel to The Gilded Ones, Deka’s world is further explored, more locations visited, more residents introduced, and even more of its history brought to light.

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda: ARC Book Review

The Last to Vanish tells the story of Cutter’s Pass, a small, mountainside town infamously known for the string of disappearing visitors spanning back decades. The protagonist, Abby Lovett, is a relatively new resident to Cutter’s Pass, or that’s what it feels like to her anyways. Despite having lived there for the last 10 years, Abby still feels like an outsider – and like the rest of town is keeping their secrets from her.

But the most recent disappearance, that of Landon West, a reporter investigating the town of Cutter’s Pass, takes the entire town by surprise, Abby included. When Landon’s brother, Trey West, shows up, trying to uncover what led to his brother’s unlikely disappearance, things hidden in Cutter’s Pass begin to shake loose. And it seems like Abby, both insider and outsider, may be the only person able to put all the clues together…

Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard: Blog Tour & Book Review

Firstly, what. a. concept! The book kicks off with Maude in the throws of committing pseudocide (i.e., faking her own death). She’s been playing the part of the perfect student, daughter, and girlfriend all the while secretly working side jobs, procuring fake but inscrutable fake IDs, and creating her new British identity, Elizabeth. She has it all planned out and is ready to set it all in motion during her step-family’s annual trip to Hawaii.

That is – until her step-cousin catches her in the act.

But Frankie is battling her own demons, and rather than rat Maude out, she wants in herself. But Maude never anticipated a tagalong on her journey, and her intricate planning quickly unravels under the stark reality of their situation. But the girls are in it together now. And there’s no going back.