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e-ARC REVIEW: The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore - 3.5 stars

Title: The Perfect Place to Die

Genre: Young Adult Historical Thriller

Author: Bryce Moore

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Zuretta had resigned herself to a quiet life in Utah. But when her younger sister, Ruby, travels to Chicago during the World’s Fair, and disappears, Zuretta leaves home to find her. She has a little bit of money, a faith in the famous Pinkerton detectives, and a burning hope she’ll find her sister soon.

But Chicago is more dangerous and chaotic than she imagined. Even with the help of a dashing stranger and a friendly hotel maid, Zuretta doesn’t know where to start. Until she learns of her sister’s last place of employment…a mysterious hotel known as The Castle.

Zuretta takes a job there hoping to learn more about her sister’s final days. And before long she realizes the hotel isn’t what it seems. Women disappear at an alarming rate, she hears crying from the walls, and terrifying whispers follow her at night. In the end, she finds herself up against one of the most infamous mass murderers in American history—and his custom-built death trap.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication: August 3rd, 2021

Cover Rating: 4/5

Reading Format: Provided e-ARC

Goodreads | Amazon

The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore is the story of Zuretta and her search/investigation into the disappearance of her sister, Ruby, after Ruby fan from their father and moved to Chicago. This is a beautiful story about the love of a sister, the pain of loss, and the fear of a killer.

I LOVE anything and everything about serial killers, especially Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes, so when I say that one of my favorite publishers was putting out a book about H. H. Holmes I knew I had to jump on that. 

Zuretta is a pretty headstrong female character, especially for her time. She actually reminded me a lot of myself, the whole won't-leave-her-abusive-father-to-save-herself-but-will-leave-when-her-sister-stops-sending-letters-to-find-her thing is definitely something I could have seen myself doing. Etta did NOT have a strong sense of self-preservation and when she set her mind to something she was going to see it to the end even if that meant HER end.

Having a lot of previous knowledge about H. H. Holmes and the murders, I expected a lot of things and found myself yelling at Etta throughout the book. Also, having seen pictures of the man, I could not picture him as handsome like he was portrayed in the story. Aside from these things, it was an enjoyable enough read. I think a lot of the plotline was pretty much men not listening to women, thinking us inferiors and prone to hysterics and those things lead to a lot of lost lives.

In the end, sadly, this book just didn't fully hit the mark for me. I enjoyed it for the most part but the fact that it was pretty slow and the ending was kind of lackluster just made the overall experience of the story not what I was hoping for. I was REALLY hoping Etta would have told the Pinkertons where to shove it and she and Phebe would go off and start their own company.

Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.

e-ARC REVIEW: 14 Ways to Die by Ralph Vincent - 4/5 stars

 

Title: 14 Ways to Die
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
Author: Vincent Ralph
Synopsis:

Ten years ago, Jess's mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims but not the last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she's using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication: June 1st 2021
Cover Rating: 4/5
Reading Format: Provided e-ARC
Goodreads | Amazon

14 Ways to Die by Ralph Vincent is the story of Jess and her hunt for the Magpie Man, the man who killed her mother 10 years ago. This is a crazy book but I know if someone harmed/killed someone I love I would stop at nothing to make sure justice was served.

Jess was seven when her mother was brutally murdered in the alley right next to her house. Her mother became the first victim of a serial killer her father would later name the Magpie Man. Being a seven-year-old, there wasn’t much Jess could do in the ways of seeking justice but now that she is seventeen and is offered a chance to become a YouTube reality star she will stop at nothing to make sure this horrible monster is caught and that no other family has to suffer the way she and her father have.

There are a lot of character building moments throughout the book. Jess grows from a girl who has a one-track mind to a girl who starts to see the bigger picture and realizes that she and her dad aren’t the only ones who have been torn apart by this tragedy. Jess also comes to realize that she has been very selfish in thinking that her dead mother trumped everyone else’s problems.

The beginning of the book is a tad boring as it is setting up everything and giving us the backstory but once I got to about the halfway point I flew through the rest book in about an hour. 

In the end, this was a fun and twisty book and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this early from Sourcebooks Fire.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.

REVIEW: You trilogy by Caroline Kepnes - 5 Stars

Title: You, Hidden Bodies and You Love Me

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: Caroline Kepnes

Synopsis: 

When a beautiful aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. 

Publisher: 

Publication: August 28th 2018

Cover Rating: 5/5

Reading Format: Owned Physical

Goodreads | Amazon

Book 1: You- this book is crazy good! Joe is a psycho but also has an amazing story to tell. I was captivated by every page and the ending introduces a new character for book two! 

Cover rating : 5/5

Rating : 5/5

Book 2: Hidden Bodies- this book amped up the craziness! Joe’s fascination with Amy was even more than Burke. The ending though was a huge cliffhanger. This book had me cheering for Joe to get away with his murders which is insane but true. Haha. 

Cover rating : 5/5

Rating : 5/5

Book 3: You Love Me- this book found Joe a little more calm, trying to settle down in a small town until he meets Mary Kay. Then his antics start up again! I loved this book and it was worth the 5+ year wait to see what happened next. 

Cover rating : 5/5

Rating 5/5

I highly recommend this series. A solid 5 star series from me! 

REVIEW: Fairytales from Verania by TJ Klune - 4.5 stars

Title: Fairytales From Verania

Genre: Fantasy

Author: TJ Klune

Synopsis: 

New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you back to the land of Verania in a new collection of short stories starring the beloved characters from the Tales of Verania series.

In the opening story—The Unicorn in the Tower—Gary is a princess trapped in a stone tower by the evil Lady Tina DeSilva, who plans on sacrificing him on the first full moon after his eighteenth birthday. With help from his friends—a bird named Tiggy and a mangy weasel called Sam—Gary interviews potential suitors to rescue him and love him above all others, as he so rightly deserves.

The Unicorn in the Tower is followed by Sam and the Beanstalk, wherein a poor farm boy exchanges his family’s bull for magical beans and the promise of treasure in the sky. But when he climbs the beanstalk, Sam finds things are not as he expected them to be.

The Good Boy sees Todd and his immaculate ears taking center stage. When Todd’s father dies, he leaves his son in the care of his evil stepmother and two stepsiblings who live to make Todd’s life a living hell. It’s not until the household receives an invitation to attend a ball for the mysterious Sir that Todd begins to wish for a life beyond what he knows.

David’s Dragon, the final—and only canonical—tale, is set a thousand years before the rise of the Dark wizard Myrin. It begins simply: a lonely boy in a small village befriends a dragon. What follows is a story of love and sacrifice, hope and heartbreak, and what it means to earn your place amongst the stars.

Welcome back to Verania. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.

Publisher: BOATK Books

Publication: April 27th 2021

Cover Rating: 5/5

Reading Format: Owned eBook

Goodreads | Amazon

The first story is what kept the rating from 5 stars. The first story just seemed so off the wall ridiculous and in your face. I almost didn’t finish the book. I’m glad I did though. 

I will say that I haven’t read the other books in the series and that may be why the first story was so weird for me. 

After that, the book seemed to get better with each story. The last story was my favorite and was heartbreaking. 

Overall 4.5 stars

Weekly Wrap-Up #8

Here are the books Jenny and Daniel read this past week. If you wish to learn more about any of the books below just click on the photo and it will take you to the Goodreads page.

Date: April 22nd

Pages: 645

Rating: 

Page Total: 645

Date: April 23rd

Pages: 31

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Date: April 23rd

Pages: 87

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Date: April 23rd

Pages: 93

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Date: April 23rd

Pages: 18

Rating:

Date: April 23rd

Pages: 32

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Date: April 23rd

Pages: 36

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Date: April 23rd

Pages: 31

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Date: April 24th

Pages: 645

Rating: 

Date: April 25th

Pages: 376

Rating: 

Page Total: 1349

REVIEW: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - 5 stars

Title: Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Genre: Young Adult LGBT Historical

Author: Malinda Lo

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Publisher: Dutton

Publication: January 19th 2021

Cover Rating: 5/5

Reading Format: Owned Hardcover

Goodreads | Amazon

I really enjoyed this book!! The author did a great job of describing some of the hardships and roadblocks that not only the LGBTQ community faced then, but also Chinese Americans. I really recommend adding this to your list of “summer reads”!