Spotlight Post: Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell

Oct5

Hey everyone! Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell (November 5, 2019 – Margaret K. McElderry Books) releases in ONE MONTH!!!!! Have you checked it out/pre-ordered it yet???

A girl searches for a killer on an island where deadly sirens lurk just beneath the waves in this gripping, atmospheric debut novel.

The sea holds many secrets.

Moira Alexander has always been fascinated by the deadly sirens who lurk along the shores of her island town. Even though their haunting songs can lure anyone to a swift and watery grave, she gets as close to them as she can, playing her violin on the edge of the enchanted sea. When a young boy is found dead on the beach, the islanders assume that he’s one of the sirens’ victims. Moira isn’t so sure.

Certain that someone has framed the boy’s death as a siren attack, Moira convinces her childhood friend, the lighthouse keeper Jude Osric, to help her find the real killer, rekindling their friendship in the process. With townspeople itching to hunt the sirens down, and their own secrets threatening to unravel their fragile new alliance, Moira and Jude must race against time to stop the killer before it’s too late—for humans and sirens alike.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Book Depository | IndieBound

Review: Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Oct2

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Guts by Raina TelgemeierGuts by Raina Telgemeier
Series: Smile #3
Published by Graphix on September 17, 2019
Pages: 213
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A true story from Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts!

Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she's dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina's tummy trouble isn't going away... and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What's going on?

Raina Telgemeier once again brings us a thoughtful, charming, and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face -- and conquer -- her fears.

As a bookseller, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Raina Telgemeier from the droves of kids who come in asking for her books. Guts was the first book of hers that I’ve read – and it certainly won’t be the last.

Guts was so ridiculously relatable, I just can’t even… Reading it was like an emotional rollercoaster. I swear, Raina was telling my story, not her own. I found myself nodding in agreement a lot… And also crying a lot. Very early in the beginning, Raina described herself as being a “Nervous kid. Self-conscious. Shy. Quiet… Most of the time” – the “most of the time” being the moments when she was talking about something she was excited for/obsessed with. This was 100% relatable.

Another really relatable thing? When Raina was being bullied by Michelle. The few times Raina lost her temper and lashed out at Michelle, RAINA got yelled at for being disruptive, but Michelle didn’t get yelled at for the bullying. I found this INFURIATING because it happened to me ALL THE TIME in elementary school.

When Raina goes to the therapist for the first time, there’s this great visual representation of what goes on in your head when you have depression and anxiety. Without giving away too many spoilers, the therapist asks Raina why she’s there, in her own words. The illustration shows ALL this stuff going through Rainas mind, but she just says “…I dunno.” This was suuuuuch a mood. Sometimes, it’s so hard to articulate what’s going on in your mind when you’re dealing with depression/anxiety/etc, so this was just SO SO relatable.

Also, I never realized fear of vomit was a thing until I read this, and it explains a lot!

So yeah.. As a reader, I highly recommend this to anyone who deals with mental health issues. It was just SO beautifully done, I can’t even put it into words. And as a children’s bookseller, I HIGHLY recommend this one to those who enjoyed Raina’s other books – you’ll DEFINITELY enjoy this one, too. It’s especially great for kids who are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues. It can be difficult for kids to talk to adults about this kind of stuff for various reasons, and I think this book is the perfect gateway for kids to open this discussion. I think it will help them feel less alone.

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Favorite Quotes:

“Can you be sick even if you’re not sick? Can you be healthy even if you hurt?”

“Thoughts can exist. Feelings can exist. But words do not exist.”

“It sounds like you have a lot of stressful things going on in your life!”

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

“You … only have control over yourself … “

five-stars

Bookish Delight #20: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Oct1

Bookish Delight of the Month (Bookish Delight for short) is a monthly feature in which I’ll spotlight the number one book I’m most anticipating at the beginning of the month it releases. This could be a book I don’t have yet, or have an ARC of already – even a book I’m already reading (which is the case this month!) because it doesn’t matter whether I have it or not, or have read it or not – this is just all about me spotlighting the book I’m most excited for in a given month.

So, without further adieu, let’s get started!

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The book I’m most highly anticipating in October is… Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo! I mean, duh? Does this even surprise anyone??

The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

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Also.. Okay, I KNOW this feature is supposed to spotlight ONE book. But I just wanna say that it was REALLY hard to pick which book I wanted to feature this month, and The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh came in at a VERY close second. IT HAS VAMPIRES AND IT IS SET IN NEW ORLEANS OMFG I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!

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So, what is your most anticipated book of October? Share it in the comments!

Blog Tour: Elizabeth Webster and the Court of Uncommon Pleas by William Lashner (Excerpt)

Oct1

 
Hey everyone! I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the blog tour for Elizabeth Webster and the Court of Uncommon Pleas by William Lashner (October 15, 2019 – Disney-Hyperion)! October is my favorite month because I’m OBSESSED with the spooky, creepy, scary epicness that is Halloween and everything that comes with it! So, clearly, this book is right up my alley! For my post today, I’m sharing an awesome excerpt with you! First, here’s more about the book:

Welcome to Elizabeth Webster’s world, where the common laws of middle school torment her days . . . and the uncommon laws of an even weirder realm govern her nights.

Elizabeth Webster is happy to stay under the radar (and under her bangs) until middle school is dead and gone. But when star swimmer Henry Harrison asks Elizabeth to tutor him in math, it’s not linear equations Henry really needs help with-it’s a flower-scented, poodle-skirt-wearing, head-tossing ghost who’s calling out Elizabeth’s name.

But why Elizabeth? Could it have something to do with her missing lawyer father? Maybe. Probably. If only she could find him. In her search, Elizabeth discovers more than she is looking for: a grandfather she never knew, a startling legacy, and the secret family law firm, Webster & Son, Attorneys for the Damned.

Elizabeth and her friends soon land in court, where demons and ghosts take the witness stand and a red-eyed judge with a ratty white wig hands out sentences like sandwiches. Will Elizabeth’s father arrive in time to save Henry Harrison-and is Henry the one who really needs saving?

Set in the historic streets of Philadelphia, this riveting middle-grade mystery from New York Times best-selling author William Lashner will have readers banging their gavels and calling for more from the incomparable Elizabeth Webster.

Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | Audible

B&N | iBooks | Kobo | TBD

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And now for the excerpt! Enjoy!

Elizabeth Webster and the Court of Uncommon Pleas, PAGES 1 – 5 by Jaime Arnold on Scribd

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About the Author:
 
William Lashner is the New York Times Bestselling creator of Victor Carl, who has been called by Booklist one of the mystery novel’s “most compelling, most morally ambiguous characters.” The Victor Carl novels, which have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages and have been sold all across the globe, include BAGMEN, KILLER’S KISS, FALLS THE SHADOW, FATAL FLAW, and HOSTILE WITNESS. He is also the author of GUARANTEED HEROES, THE BARKEEP, which was an Edgar Award nominee and a Digital Book World Number One Bestseller, THE ACCOUNTING, and BLOOD AND BONE.

Writing under the pseudonym of Tyler Knox, Lashner is also the author of KOCKROACH, described as “roaringly entertaining,” by Publisher’s Weekly, and “an energetic tour de force,” by USA Today. As Tyler Knox he has written a number of book reviews for the Washington Post Book World.

Lashner was a criminal prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. before quitting the law to write fulltime. A graduate of the New York University School of Law, as well as the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he lives with his wife and three children outside Philadelphia.
William Lashner Photo © Sigrid Estrada

Website | Goodreads

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And now for the giveaway! 3 winners will receive a finished copy of ELIZABETH WEBSTER AND THE COURT OF UNCOMMON PLEAS. US Only. To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Elizabeth Webster and the Court of Uncommon Pleas

Week One Blog Tour Schedule

Week One:
10/1/2019 – Pandora’s Books – Excerpt
10/2/2019 – Southern Girl Bookaholic – Review
10/3/2019 – Shelf-Rated – Review
10/4/2019 – BookHounds YA – Excerpt

Blog Tour: A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney (Favorite Quotes)

Sep27

Hey guys! I’m SO SO SO excited to be on the blog tour for A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney (September 24, 2019 – Imprint)! The first book in the series, A Blade So Black, was one of my favorite books of 2018, so I was SUPER PUMPED to read the sequel! And it did NOT disappoint! It was SUCH an incredible book, and I’m begging all the Literary Gods for a third book in the series because I NEED MORE!!! Review to come soon!!

So for today’s blog tour stop, I’m going to be sharing with you my favorite quotes from the book! I tried to keep them as spoiler-free as possible! In some cases, this meant excluding page numbes and not sharing who said the quote. But if you’re curious about a certain quote, leave a comment with a way for me to reach you (email, social media, etc), and I’ll tell you what page (in the US ARC because that’s what I read) and I’ll tell you who said it.

ALSO… Some of the “quotes” aren’t technically quotes that people said.. They’re just sections of text that I enjoyed for one reason or another and decided to share. That still counts, though, right?? Right??

*Clears throat.* So, first, here’s a quick rundown of what the book is about:

Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady’s rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wits end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her.

There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice’s budding abilities—as their own.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself.

Goodreads

And now, without further adieu, here are my favorite quotes!!!

“Alice tried to approach her mom after dad died, but the woman either retreated so far into herself it was like she was looking for Narnia, or she threw herself in the opposite direction and got lost in her work.”

 LOVE the Narnia reference here. That’s legit the reason I included this. I just love when authors use literary references in their books.

~*~*~

“Begin at the beginning.”

 I can’t explain why, but I just find this quote.. comforting. I know that sounds weird, maybe. But as someone who has anxiety, my brain is often going in 20 different directions, so going back to the beginning and focusing is important – yet difficult – to do. And this quote made me think of those moments when I just need to stop, take a breath, focus, and start over.

~*~*~

“I will rip that horn out and choke you with it, lil girl!”

 I just love Alice’s mom, bahahaha. And out of context, this is hilarious! Good luck speculating what it is, bahahaha *evil grin.*

~*~*~

“Maybe it’s some weird Wonderland shit.”

 I mean.. Accurate, bahaha. Eveything to do with Wonderland is weird shit. BUT IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!

~*~*~

Alice: “Can we not talk about my nonexistent sex life? Thanks.”

 

Mom: “You shouldn’t be able to spell sex life.”

 

Nana K: “Oh, come on, Missy, she’s not a baby. Next year she’ll be old enough to vote and go off to war. Those aren’t half as fun.”

~*~*~

“I’m a legit superhero.”

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“The boogie man probably wasn’t as dangerous.”

~*~*~

“You’re half right. But mostly wrong.”

 I just really love this. I don’t even have a reason why. I just do.

~*~*~

Alice: “You’re telling me I just dropped out of the sky?”


Character X*: “Like a sexy comet.”


 
*Name changed to avoid spoilers

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“So I’m just supposed to hide while you’re playing Xena?”

~*~*~

Character X*: “Knight. Are you conscious?”


Black Knight: “Yes, though if you get any closer, you won’t be.”


 
*Name changed to avoid spoilers, of course. But yeah.. This quote just made me chuckle

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And there you have it!! My favorite quotes from A Dream So Dark! So, have you read this book yet? Do you have any favorite quotes? If not, did any of these quotes make you WANT to read the book? Which quotes? Share with me in the comments!

Bookish Delight #19: Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Sep23

Bookish Delight of the Month (Bookish Delight for short) is a monthly feature in which I’ll spotlight the number one book I’m most anticipating at the beginning of the month it releases. This could be a book I don’t have yet, or have an ARC of already – even a book I’m already reading (which is the case this month!) because it doesn’t matter whether I have it or not, or have read it or not – this is just all about me spotlighting the book I’m most excited for in a given month.

So, without further adieu, let’s get started!

~*~*~

So… Where did September go???? Like, it was JUST summer and now it’s almost October and idk what happened… I 100% forgot about Bookish Delight because I had pre-written and scheduled, like, three Bookish Delights at one point and didn’t have to worry about them for SO long that I forgot I had to do September.. Eeek! Also, September has a LOT of amazing releases, so it was REALLY hard to pick just one this time. I mean, I could list FOUR books in this post. But I can’t because of my own stupid rules and having to pick just one.. Sigh. So..

The book I’m most highly anticipating in September is… Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall!!! This book is supposed to be like The Blair Witch Project in book form and YOU GUYS!!!!!

In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister–at all costs.

Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her–and who won’t make it out of the woods?

It’s been exactly one year since Sara’s sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn’t know whether her former friends no longer like her…or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to “play the game” and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca–before she’s lost forever. And even though she’s hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends–and their cameras–following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.

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So… Okay, I’ve NEVER been good at following the rules, so I’m gonna share the other three books I’m beyond excited for, as well:

The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams: This was described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Adventures in Babysitting… Need I say more?!?!?

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones: Another Buffy comparison!! This one was described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep!!!!!

American Royals by by Katharine McGee: I mean.. It’s a book about royalty. Of COURSE I want to read it!

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*Clears throat.* So, what is your most anticipated book of September (even though it’s almost over)? What books have you read and loved this month? Share it in the comments!

Spotlight Post: The Last Dragon by James Riley

Sep21

Hey everyone! The Last Dragon (The Revenge of Magic #2) by James Riley (October 8, 2019 – Aladdin) releases in LESS THAN A MONTH!!!!! Have you checked it out/pre-ordered it yet???

Fort Fitzgerald is determined to uncover the truth, but a new student at school and the secrets he has to keep complicate matters in this second novel in a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!

Fort Fitzgerald can’t stop having nightmares about the day his father was taken from him in an attack on Washington, DC. In these dreams, an Old One, an evil beyond comprehension, demands the location of the last dragon. But other than some dragon skeletons dug up with the books of magic on Discovery Day, Fort has never seen a dragon before. Could there still be one left alive?

And weirdly, Fort’s not the only one at the Oppenheimer School having these nightmares. His new roommate, Gabriel, seems to know more than he’s letting on about this dragon as well. And why does everyone at the school seem to do whatever Gabriel says? What’s his secret?

Fort’s going to need the help of his friends Cyrus, Jia, and Rachel, if he’s going to have any chance of keeping the Old Ones from returning to Earth. Unless, the Old Ones offer something Fort could never turn down…

Goodreads | Amazon

The Book Depository | IndieBound

Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (Blog Tour)

Sep4

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (Blog Tour)The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
Published by Aladdin on September 3, 2019
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

Magic is harder than it looks.

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.

Hey, everyone! I’m SO excited to be on the blog tour for The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (September 3, 2019 – Aladdin)! Without further adieu, here’s my review!

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As a kids bookseller, I’m a HUGE proponent of graphic novels, and love explaining to parents all the benefits of letting their kids read them. Yet, personally, I actually haven’t read that many. I always shrugged it off and said they just “weren’t for me.” But then the email for The Okay Witch slid into my inbox and the description had me hooked! And boy, am I glad I gave this one a shot! It was absolutely incredible! I read it in one sitting, could barely put it down, and now desperately want the sequel!

Moth was adorable and super relatable. I loved going on this journey with her. Mr. Laszlo, the talking Jewish cat, was definitely one of my favorite characters. He was hilarious and snarky and I love him! Move over, Salem, you’ve been replaced – Mr. Laszlo knocked you out of the number one spot in my “Favorite Talking Cats” list, hehe :) I also adored Charlie. He had a great character arc! I didn’t trust him for awhile in the middle, but I like how his story ended. I can’t say much more about him without spoilers, though.

The town name “Founder’s Bluff” reminded me of Mystic Falls for some reason, so I got some Vampire Diaries vibes thanks to that. I had some Hocus Pocus vibes, mostly because witches, I think. I also had MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR Halloweentown vibes!! Moth reminded me so much of Marnie – the part human/part witch whose mother hid her magic from her, and who is now eager to learn about magic and her powers.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the illustrations in this. Since it was an ARC, only the first few chapters were in color and then the rest of it was black and white, so it goes without saying that I’m super anxious to get my hands on a finished copy and re-read it in all it’s colorful glory.

Overall, I REALLY adored this book – if you couldn’t tell from my excited, ramble-filled review. I can officially see why people love graphic novels, and why they sometimes use graphic novels to break reading slumps. It was so nice finishing this in one sitting and enjoying it as much as I did. That hasn’t happened in a LONG time. I also feel more confident about recommending graphic novels at work, now that I’ve read one! And I definitely plan on reading more in the future!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves graphic novels, witches, and awesome coming-of-age novels/movies.etc. Sabrina fans will definitely enjoy this, as well!

five-stars

Spotlight Post: Slay by Brittney Morris

Aug24

Hey everyone! Slay by Brittney Morris releases in just ONE month on September 24, 2019 (Simon Pulse)! Have you checked it out/pre-ordered it yet???

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

Goodreads | Amazon

The Book Depository | IndieBound

Review: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Aug9

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Wilder Girls by Rory PowerWilder Girls by Rory Power
Published by Delacorte Press on July 9, 2019
Pages: 353
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-stars

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

This book was such a wild ride. I honestly still don’t really know how I feel about it. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it but it was weird but it was intriguing but but but… I really don’t even know. I think this is the most conflicted my feeling have been over a book in a VERY long time, if ever. The writing was very choppy and hard to follow in the beginning, but I got used to it after awhile. I was kind of meh on the characters, but started really enjoying it when we got Byatt’s POV.

I really loved the idea of the Tox and wanted more. I wanted to know what it was, how it came to be, why it effected everyone so differently, etc. When it came to the Tox, I was suspicious of literally everyone and everything. I kept thinking there was going to be some kind of huge reveal about it, like that the government had released it by accident (re: The Crazies), or maybe even on purpose. I was truly intrigued by it, and I’m still not sure if I was satisfied or not with the final reveal of what it was. Plus, I was a bit thrown off by some of the science and logistics because some of it really didn’t make sense. I can do the whole “suspension of disbelief” to a certain extent, but there were too many questions with this one.

The last 80-100 pages were the most thrilling/intriguing. A lot happened, a lot was revealed, and a lot was left unanswered. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say the ending was left pretty open-ended. It almost reminded me of a horror/thriller movie where they do the same thing, and you’re left with more questions than answers.

So, overall, I think I liked this book more than I expected to, but it still had some meh moments. I think it would make an excellent movie. It’s very visual and I’d like to SEE some of that visual. I also want more stories from this world, but I want DIFFERENT stories from DIFFERENT characters. Even different time periods, like before the Tox (but like BEFORE Hetty, Byatt and Reese were on the island.. Maybe we’ll find out this has happened before). I’d also like to see a story that’s set after the events of the book but with different characters. My favorite would be if there was a sequel set maybe 50 years later, and the island is abandoned and then some teens decide to spend the night partying there and share ghost stories of what happened, and then they all suddenly get infected or get haunted by the spirits of the dead, or the wildlife and animals attack them, or the girls who went “feral” are there and attack them or or or… *Clears throat* Can you tell I watch too many made-for-TV horror movies? Hehe. But in my defense, this really would all make an EXCELLENT horror movie.

Anyway.. So, yes.. I think I can safely say I recommend this to anyone who loves creepy thriller horror dark books and movies. This one will def leave you with lots of thoughts and questions. I don’t recommend it if you don’t like cliffhanger endings in stand-alone books, though. Because it definitely leaves you guessing.

three-stars