Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Synopsis:

Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

Rating:★★★½

Review:

Necromancy + Royalty + Zombies = An amazing Fantasy!!

I loved the immediate jump into action from the opening of the book. Also, I liked how we get bits and pieces of the world building here and there piecing it all together instead of taking two and three chapters to do it all at once. Avoiding brain overload!

I felt like the characters were missing something and needed a little more development. I don't feel like I have a real relationship with the characters but at the same time when something bad happens to them, I'm somehow emotionally tied to them. I wish I had more of a background on the other Necromancers, seeing as they are a part of the main cast it would make more sense. I hate that Odessa had a suicidal attitude, like Bella & Tris, but I like that I got to see her hit rock bottom then pull herself together without needing help from another love connection like most YA books. Speaking of love connections I'm not a fan of the romance AT ALL!! Not because of how it was built but because of who it was built between. I just think it's weird, but not far fetched, and disrespectful and you'll see why once you read the book.

I think Sarah Marsh did a good job setting up and explaining how the Necromancers retrieved the spirits. She set up a really good adventure just from taking us through the gates to traveling through the Deadlands, and that's not mentioning the time spent in the real world. However, I wish she went into more detail about the other types of Mages. We only get a real lesson on Necromancers and Beast Masters but that's only 2 out of 5 of the KNOWN/BASIC Mages, not including however many hybrid mages there are that were also mentioned but we know nothing about. We get a crash course on Weather Mages but only mentioning that they can manipulate the weather and I have no idea what the other mages even are. Why mention something you're not going to explain or use? 

But I hope it's different in book 2 because overall I did really like this book.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Synopsis:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I loved this so much!!!! This trilogy has been on my radar for so long and I honestly don't know what took me so long to actually start reading this. 

It's been a while since I read a time traveling novel that I actually like and I really really REALLY liked this one. The time travel itself, how it was incorporated into the story and how it evolved throughout the whole of the book, was handled with perfection. I loved how it started out uncontrolled but at same time it was explained where we as readers knew what was happening and we weren't left confused because of bad transitioning.  

I also loved the family dynamic. Not speaking of the obvious favoritism for whoever they thought had the time traveler gene but because it was a relatable family. Being that they're not perfect but not overly cruel, they just have the normal ups and downs of a real life family.

I love the friendship between Gwen and Leslie and how the author kept their friendship constant throughout the book, not letting it fade into the background or be over shadowed by everything going on with the plot. Their relationship is just so pure and I want it to stay that way. #FriendshipGoals 👭

I don't really care for Gideon or his an Gwen's budding "romance" and I pray for it not to be a thing. I don't feel like this book needs a romantic relationship, at least not between these two characters. I almost feel like it's a forced relationship and it just makes things awkward. #HellNaawwToTheNawNawNaw 👎🚫 #NoThankYou 🙅😷 #NotONMyWatch ⌚


I absolutely loved the Narrator! She made me laugh so hard when she voiced some of the characters and she just did an amazing job with everyone in general. The epilogue blew my mind and I'm still sitting here mind blown to pieces wondering what in the hell's going on and what did I just hear. I already downloaded Sapphire Blue and I'm ready to jump back into the mystery ASAP!!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

Rating:★★★.75

Review:

This book needs a new synopsis because the story I thought I was getting and the actual story I got were two different things. I felt cheated out of some magic because I expected more magic throughout the entirety of the book when sadly we didn't start to see any magic until a little past fifty percent of the way through. I hate that it took so long for the magic to take off but at the same time I still liked how the story started, just not for this book. The first half of the book did a good job giving us background on Alice and her mothers but it stretched on longer than needed. 

Alice is okay as a character, unlikable but relatable. She can be annoying and selfish, constantly voicing her anger issues as if that's supposed to scare people away or as if it can be used as an excuse for her outburst. I wish Finch's character had more to go on and more to do in the book. I also feel like he was forgotten about and his development lacked. 

I loved the thriller like elements that were thrown into this story; characters going missing, the paranoia, and the look-over-your-shoulder feeling you get in the pit of your stomach. The world building was wonderful as well, I just wish a little more was done when we reached the Hinterland. There I wish Melissa Albert went the extra mile because I know the Hinterland could have been so beautiful & creepy if it was described in better detail. At the end the tales started mushing together and I was unimpressed with the "shocking secret" because it was obvious from it first being mentioned in the story. 

I enjoyed this but I don't know how I feel about a book two. I kind of like where book one ended, I feel like it pretty much wrapped itself up, and I'm okay with stopping my Hazel Wood journey here.

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

Synopsis:

When the Lightning Girl’s spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother’s web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare’s heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

** POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT** 
I started off physically reading this book about half way through then, I picked up the audiobook so my husband could stop rushing me because he wanted to start reading it. Audiobook wise: it was okay but one of the narrators sounded really mechanical, almost like a machine talking and not an actual person, and unfortunately they did the voice of Mare. Also, the narrators didn't do the best jobs voicing the male characters so in actuality I would have to give the audiobook 3 stars.

I don't have much to say seeing that this is the 3rd book but I'm relieved because what I thought was going to happen didn't happen, thank god you saved me from a knife in my back, but oh my word did I love all the action! I loved the fight scenes, especially the last battle, I was on the edge of my seat and all I could keep thinking was that this would make an awesome movie if Marvel got it's hands on it. (Just throwing that in the universe, do with it what you will!!)

Character wise: I feel like all of the characters have grown immensely since Red Queen and it's hard to believe that it's only been a couple of months and that these are not adults but still teenagers. I was really shocked by Evangeline's whole situation she had going on but I loved it. I just hope that her sexuality has always been apart of her backstory from the beginning and not something that was thrown in just because the big "diversity" movement is going on. And I hate to say it because I love Victoria Aveyard but I can't help but be honest with how I feel. But on a more positive note, I'm kind of craving a novella about Evangeline now.

P.S. Evangeline I wasn't expecting to hear from your point of view but I loved it. I can understand why you are the way you are but I still don't trust you and I'm still giving you the side eye.

***Nothing to do with the book but don't y'all think it would be really cool if there was a limited collectors edition guide where there are select new bloods and silvers that we get a chapter long backstory detailing how they found out about their abilities and what their life was like before all the craziness started happening?

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Synopsis:

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever. Dhonielle Clayton creates a rich, detailed, decadent world of excess and privilege, where beauty is not only skin-deep, but a complete mirage. Weaving deeper questions about the commodification of women's bodies, gender equality, racial identity, and vanity with high-stakes action and incredible imagery, The Belles is the must-read epic of the season. 

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2018

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I received this novel from Disney Hyperion and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is officially one of my favorite novels of the year and may go down as one of my all time faves. The Belle world was so beautiful, though it was not ideal, it was still set up as a very colorful and magical world. The attention to detail that the author gave in in this book was so freaking phenomenal I could cry. Sometimes I did feel like the imagery in some areas was a bit in the overkill zone but on the other hand everything was described with such A-1 detail it really makes you wonder how creepy it would be if people really came out looking like the Gris and depended on beings like the belles to make them beautiful. Beauty hurts.

Even though I really appreciated all of the world and character building sadly, I think this made the plot take off a little slow for me. I thought the tale of how "The Belles" came to be in the beginning of the book was really cute and a good way to start the book off. By starting off in a light hearted manner then slow getting more intense throughout the plot really has a way of keeping your attention in the story.

Character wise I'm glad that we kind of glanced over most of the older Belles seeing that it wouldn't have made sense to go into detail about characters that weren't going to make a difference in the plot. Thank you Dhonielle for not wasting our time. Cameilla is definitely a love to hate character as in everyone can relate to her but at the same time everyone will also judge her for the exact same reasons why they relate to her. My favorite character, hands down, had to be Remy. He's 100% fictional husband material and I'm not even sure if my attention was supposed to be drawn to him but I love him 😍😍!!! Also, being in the presence of Princess Sophie was like walking on nail and trying not to breathe too hard because it might piss her off and I'm going to leave it at that.

I really hated reading this and seeing these girls be legit slaves their entire existences to people that act like they're more of objects than human beings.(Que the flashback to slavery times) And I'm using the word hate as in it hurt my feelings to know from the time they were created, they never got to live and do what they truly wanted and never got the chance to learn from their mistakes.

The betrayal was so real, even though I caught a hint of it from the start, with everything going on it slipped my mind and it really hurt to see it play out. I loved the climax at end so much. There was just so much tension and action going on I felt like I couldn't breathe until I read the last word. I think it goes without saying I can't wait for book two and I hope I don't have to wait too much longer.

Allerleirauh by Chantal Gadoury

Synopsis:

In the kingdom of Tranen, a king makes a promise to his dying wife that he'll only remarry a woman who possesses her golden hair. In time, the king's eyes are turned by his daughter. Realizing her father’s intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick him by requesting impossible gifts: dresses created by the sun, moon and stars, and a coat made of a thousand furs. But when he is successful, Aurelia sacrifices her privileged life and flees her kingdom, disguised by the cloak and a new name, Allerleirauh. 

She enters the safe haven of Saarland der Licht, where the handsome and gentle Prince Klaus takes her under his care. Hoping not to be discovered by her father’s courtiers, Allerleirauh tries to remain hidden under her new identity when she finds unexpected love with Prince Klaus, even though his arranged marriage to the princess of a neighboring kingdom approaches. Risking everything, Allerleirauh must face her troubled past and her fears of the future along her journey to self-acceptance in this triumphant retelling of the classic Grimm Fairy Tale.

Publishing Co.: The Parliament House
Release Date: August 22, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I was sent an eARC copy of this book from the author, Chantal Gadoury, and Parliament House publishing company in exchange for my honest review. I waited to read this book until December because it seemed like good 'wintery' type read to get me in the winter spirit.

I loved some many things about this book but there were a few things that I didn't like. I loved all of the rising action leading up to the climax of the story and I mean you could really see the build up to the big bang. I really feel like the amount of imagery used in this was very well done because I could close my eyes and visualize just about everything I was reading.

I genuinely caught feelings for the characters, good for some & bad for others. Chantal did a good job of making you want to get involved in the story, just to slap some sense into some of the characters. I got pretty emotional for some parts, especially the rape scene because it was a quite graphic and brutal scene. *Which brings me to warn those of you who may have rape triggers, even though there's only one scene I wouldn't feel right not mentioning it* I really appreciated the fact that Allerleirauh didn't open up right away to prince Klaus instead she actually was relatable and struggled with the fear of revealing herself and her past. 

Now lets get into what I didn't like about this book. I just find it really hard to believe that no one recognized her once she was out of the coat, it was just too much naiveness for me to handle. I also started to grow tiresome and bored of Klaus and Allerleirauh's courtship of sorts, it started to drag on in some places and it felt a bit dry. But at the same time I'm glad it was not love at first sight and there was no love triangle, which I was expecting to happen. 

I was expecting more of a search party from Tranen once Allerleirauh disappeared, seeing that she was only in the next town over, but it's almost like she was forgotten by the kingdom until it was convenient for the story. I stared to feel like I was reading almost an entirely different book once Allerleirauh escaped from what I was reading when she was still in Tranen. I also wish I got more of that feeling of urgency to actually hide from Allerleirauh, mind you it had only been a few days, not months, before she decided to do away with the coat.

Thankfully, by the end of the book I was grinning from ear to ear at 2:30 in the morning. Also, the ending reminded me a lot of One Night With the King. 

To sum everything up, this was savage yet swoon worth, and sorry but a little of the story was expected(but it didn't really bother me). I think the good of this story outweigh's the bad, or at least balances it out, so I definitely recommend this wonderful retelling.

And I Darken By: Kiersten White

Synopsis:

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

     I absolutely loved this book! This is the first book in The Conquer's Saga and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. This book was very character driven for me so majority of what I will be commenting on will be based on the characters personalities and actions. First I want to start off by saying I went into this completely blind, being that this was a title I randomly picked out of my Ravenclaw Recommended Reads Jar. So, I had no idea that this was supposed to be a retelling of Vlad the Impaler in gender reversal, who I knew nothing about anyway.

     I was a little skeptical at first because I was afraid when I saw the words "dracul' because I thought I had been tricked into a vampire story and I was not in a vampire mood but that confusion was quickly washed away. Lada's whole family made an insane first impression as in if they were in modern times 90%, with the exception of Radu, would be institutionalized. Vlad, Lada's and Radu's father, is the definition of abusive to everyone including his children. Lada, Vlad's and Vasilissa's Daughter, is a psychopath and my opinions did not change of her by the end of the book. Vasilissa, Lada and Radu's mother, in my eyes are suicidal and depressed as clear as day. Radu, Vlad's and Vasilissa's, son, is just damaged goods from having a traumatizing childhood resulting from witnessing all of the craziness from his family.

     Lada wasn't my favorite character in the whole wide world at first but I did enjoy the gender reversals. Lada was more tough and unforgiving like a boy, while Radu was more sensitive and delicate like a girl. I very much appreciated Lada more after I got to know her and see why she was why she was. She is the epitome of  a "bad bitch".

     I was not expecting at all some of the scenes in this book, and if you have read this book you know exactly what I mean, but I feel like they were done very nicely. The drama and the action in this book was awesome, filled with a lot of "bad and boujee" women, but I did feel at some points the plot got a little dry and I wanted to skip through some pages to get to the next climax in the story.

     This book is way more than recommendation worthy!!!

The Wiccan Waltz By: Pragya Vishnoi

Synopsis:

Anika is a young, impulsive girl who hopes to solve the mysteries of life by following Wicca. On this path, she encounters the joy of first love, the fear of uncertainty and the power of complete surrender. This is not as simple as it seems, hidden in the shadows are conspiracies, secrets and betrayals. Will Anika be able to survive in this mysterious world?

Rating:★★½ 😩

Review:

     I was sent this book by the author in exchange for my honest review and I was a little disappointed since I am very interested in hearing stories revolving around witch craft because it can be such a magical topic. The author had the right idea and had the right makings of a good book but could use some work on a few things.

     First, I absolutely hated the scene transitioning! At the beginning for example; one chapter we were following Anika in her home as she was wondering what her parents would think if they knew she wanted to practice Wiccan then in the next chapter we jump to her in college and living in a hostel all of a sudden, with no explanation in between. This lost me a few times and I found myself just trying to catch up with everything that "may" have happened in between chapters. I didn't really care for the vampires and wolves in this story but I guess I must face the fact that where there are witches there will always be vampires and some kind of wolf. I also didn't care for the love triangle which unfortunately is what the whole story was centered around, so much so to the point that I honestly believe that if there was no triangle of love there would be no story. 

     The plot had potential as well as the character relationships. I just wish the plot wasn't relying on the love triangle to survive and I wish the relationships between the characters were a little more developed. There were a lot of action and the plot twist was really good and unexpected.

     It was sort of like reading a low budget version of The Underworld.

I won't be continuing with this series but I am thankful for the opportunity to review this book.    

A Torch Against the Night By: Sabaa Tahir (Bk. 2)

Synopsis:

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

Rating:★★★★★😍

Review:

     There is not much that I can say about this book being that it is the 2nd book in a series but I will say I loved this so much and I'm feeling so many different emotions right now that its ridiculous. So far this series is doing more than great in my eyes. Not only did the characters deliver up to my expectations but the plot delivered as well. The action kept my mind running in circles, the plot twist just blew my mind, and even though I was on an emotional roller coaster the whole book, I was not disappointed at all. I just need book 3 and a novella about Izzy and I should be well fed and satisfied. 

"Failure doesn't define you. It's what you do after you fail that determines whether you are a leader or a waste of perfectly good air." 

Cinder By: Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles Bk. 1)

Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Date Started: Jan. 3, 2017

Date Completed: Jan . 14, 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Characters:

     I always try to visualize the characters in my head while I'm reading a book and the visuals of the characters in this book was inspired by Jenny from My Life as a Teenage Robot, I-Robot, a little bit of Cyborg from Teen Titans. Seeing that I didn't really care for the original Cinderella to begin with because I don't like push overs, I absolutely loved the new and improved version of her. I loved the mysteriousness surrounding Cinder's past and she just had this spiciness and spunk about herself that made it hard to dislike her. The level of realness that she had with herself was well appreciated because it's not a quality you get very often in many characters. 

      I really liked that in this version of the "fairy tale" the two step sisters had two totally different personalities, unlike the original story where they were pretty much the exact same person.

      Prince Kai reminds me a little of Elias from An Ember in the Ashes By Sabaa Tahir. His strong willed personality just swept me away and I love that aspect in a male character.

     The only issue I have, character wise, is I wish the stepmother's character, Adi, had a nastier personality. From my point of view, her character was a little under developed when it came to the fact that she was supposed to be an evil and mean stepmother. I just felt that a little more work could have been put into her character's personality and actions to make her into that hateful character we
all know she should have and could have been.

Overall:

     I loved the overall plot of this book, I never had a dull moment. I felt like I was always on the tip of my toes, craving what would happen next. The story building was absolutely amazing, nothing was obvious; I felt that I caught on to certain plot points exactly when I was meant to and not a moment sooner. I just felt giddy and excited the whole way through. 

     The world building was also something I love to see in fantasy and sci-fi books. The mix between old world and futuristic world is one of my favorite settings to see and reminds me a lot of my favorite book Red Queen.

     I also really liked having the race against time with the letumosis disease. It added something extra for us to worry about besides the actual characters we already had to worry about.

     I recommend this read to everyone, especially fans of retellings, because this one will knock your socks off and make you wonder why this is not the original background of Cinderella. I can't wait to continue this series and see what other treats I am in store for. 

The Accident Season By: Moira Fowley-Doyle

Description: 

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably and unavoidably accident-prone. Some years it's bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it's just a lot of cuts and scrapes. This accident season—when Cara, her ex-stepbrother, Sam, and her best friend, Bea, are 17—is going to be a bad one. But not for the reasons they think.

Cara is about to learn that not all the scars left by the accident season are physical: There's a long-hidden family secret underneath the bumps and bruises. This is the year Cara will finally fall desperately in love, when she'll start discovering the painful truth about the adults in her life, and when she'll uncover the dark origins of the accident season—whether she's ready or not.

Date Started: Dec. 12, 2016
Date Completed: Dec. 21, 2016
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

     I just recently rechecked out this book from the library to finish what I started a few months ago and all together it is a "nice" read in which I gave 3/5 stars to. Just from the titled and the synopsis of the book I already figured going into it that it would be dealing with something magical or witch-crafty, which was a good thing, just a predictable aspect of the book.

     I actually liked the mysterious factor surrounding the character Elsie throughout the story. Alice was a bitch to me at first just because of her denial and her shooting down people who were just trying to help and be understanding to the accident situation. I didn't like when the realization hit me that our main characters are basically of high school age but already have so much access to alcohol and drugs. They pretty much are getting drunk or high everyday and that brings up the question of what type of parent their mother is that she doesn't even notice all the alcohol missing from the house or that her kids are always drunk or high. So there was definitely no real life relatability going on in this book, at least not for me. 

     This was just a very weird, awkward, but I will say different family and friend relationship set up all together.  I can admit, even though I have gotten through the whole book I still don't get why the accident season happens even with the elaborate heart wrenching story from the mother. I also didn't see a need for the "romance" that took place I would have been perfectly fine without it. But I did like the mysteriousness and the unexpected drama that popped up throughout the book and ultimately I don't regret reading this because it was a somewhat fun, less serious read at the end of the day.