The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Title: The Sun Down Motel

Author: Simone St. James

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Paranormal Thriller

Pages: 326

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Can’t Wait to Give Someone!

Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary.

Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.

I was hesitant coming into this book (I have a horrible track record with thrillers), but this one was deliciously creepy and kept me entertained. I hate when books claim to be creepy, but they are actually just plots with something vaguely suspenseful. This one is completely creepy and I loved every page of it. We get real ghosts! I love it when we get real ghosts in books. I was even hesitant to read this before bed due to the creep factor. Perfect! Beyond that aspect, I didn’t mind the modern storyline in this one. Usually I find that one of the sides of the story isn’t that interesting or boring, but Carly is a decent character in her own right. She’s not just driven to find out what happened to her Aunt Viv, but also exploring her own relationships in this new-to-her town. I really enjoyed this one!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Title: The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3)

Author: Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Pages: 640

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Currently Reading - So Good I Didn’t Want It to End

Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?

The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

What a ride! I was a little scared going into this book after the shocking conclusion to the second book. I should not have been scared. Right away, we’re pulled right back into the storyline following all of our favorite (or hated) characters. I was excited that we get even more Greyson in this book and the introduction to another amazing character, Jeri. I couldn’t wait to see how our beloved characters would take down Goddard’s new order and restore some type of harmony to the world. And then there was the question of the Thunderhead and it’s intentions. I loved that we got to see more inner workings from the Thunderhead. I did not guess it’s ultimate goal until after Anastasia’s first message. From then, I was so excited to see how it all ended. I loved every page of this series. A must read!

Arc of a Scythe:

Next up on the TBR pile:

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Title: Girl, Serpent, Thorn

Author: Melissa Bashardoust

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 325

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading RC - Takes Me to Another World; Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.

Now this is an excellent fairy tale retellings incorporated different myths and legends. I have read so many not well executed retellings and was hesitant to pick this one up. Thank goodness I did! In it, we get a beautiful combination of various Persian tales as well as elements of more western tales like Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel. Bashardoust weaves a beautiful story that feels both historical and fantastical. We follow Soraya on her journey of identity from the poisoned princess locked away to the poisoned princess free. I was so hoping that her ending would not involve being a simple human and thankfully we get a very different ending. Beyond Soraya we get wonderful characters including my favorite cameo, Nasu. If you read this, make sure to read the end notes about Bashardoust’s inspirations. I learned so much and now really want to read a book of Persian tales.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tales for the Hinterland by Melissa Albert

Title: Tales from the Hinterland (Hazel Wood #3)

Author: Melissa Albert

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 240

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Makes Me Feel Cozy

Before The Hazel Wood, there was Althea Proserpine’s Tales from the Hinterland...

Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans alike, Melissa Albert's Tales from the Hinterland features full-page illustrations by Jim Tierney, foil stamping, two-color interior printing, and printed endpapers.

Finally we get the amazing stories that created the basis for The Hazel Wood. All those dark tales from the Hinterlands are collected into one beautiful volume. It might sound strange to put this volume under my “Makes Me Feel Cozy” challenge, but dark fairy tales are my cozy reads. I love curling up for a cup of tea and a cozy blanket and falling into these strange tales. I must buy my own copy of this soon! I loved every single story, but I do have my favorites. I love the whimsy (until it’s not) of “The Clockwork Bride” and the utter devastation of “Alice-Three-Times.” “The House Under the Stairwell” actually scared me a bit. The imagery is so incredibly vivid that I felt like I was traveling the stairwell to the underworld. Albert does a delightful job in immersing the reader into these tales. I loved it!

The Hazel Wood

#1 The Hazel Wood
#2 The Night Country
#3 Tales from the Hinterland

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Title: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Publisher: Viking 2020

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 299

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Someone Wants Me to Read

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Such buzz about this book! I have heard so many people talk about how deeply affecting it was and how they were tears by the end of the book. And I did not have that reaction. Overall, I think this is a very decent It’s a Wonderful Life-esque book. I was interested to see how different choices would shape the different lives of Nora. I was hoping that at least one would result in her being together with Ash. And I felt that the ending was very fitting. it was an enjoyable book. But it did nothing for me emotionally. It might be because I have read so many of these types of books or it could be that the writing just didn’t speak to me. Either way, I didn’t shed a single tear while reading this one, but I did come away feeling that it was a worthwhile read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

Title: Confessions on the 7:45

Author: Lisa Unger

Publisher: Park Row 2020

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 315

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Everyone Loves on Bookstagram

Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

Then the nanny disappears.

As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…

This has really cemented the idea that I do not like thrillers. I’m just always so incredibly disappointed and the twists and turns seem so predictable. This particular book had too many coincidences for my taste. I just couldn’t get behind all the silly things characters, especially Selena, did throughout the story. I got to the end of the book and felt like I had wasted my time.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreaker #3)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 415

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Reflects the Season

Face your fears, fight the battle.
Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone--even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to peace.

Fight the battle, save the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But after enjoying decades of peace once magic was driven out of their lands, some of her subjects are angry Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and a magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara questions if she can be the queen her country needs.

As the two kingdoms come closer to conflict, loyalties are tested, love is threatened, and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series.

Argh! I absolutely adored the first book in the series and very much disliked the second one. I felt like all the characters completely lost all growth and their actions did not align with their motivations. Those same issues continue into the last book in the trilogy. I was so incredibly annoyed by Rhen and Grey and their constant ultimatums and black-and-white view on the situations. Harper and Lia Mara fare much better, but they still annoyed me so much. I just wanted everyone to take a breath and think about what they were doing and who they were doing it to. But no. They just keep barreling through making the same mistakes over and over again. Plus, I very much disliked the rushed feeling of the conclusion. I don’t need a drawn out resolution, but this one just felt like we don’t get anything to explain. So does Harper stay in Emberfall? Is Rhen going to be Grey’s advisor only? Where does he live? Are Lia Mara and Grey going back to Syhl Shallow or staying in Emberfall? Too many unresolved questions. Disappointing.

Cursebreaker Series

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Widow by Fiona Barton

Title: The Widow (Kate Waters #1)

Author: Fiona Barton

Publisher: Berkley 2016

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 331

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Read with Buddy

There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.

Now her husband is dead, and there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.

The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything...

Boring. That’s my one work review for this book. It was billed as a thriller, but there’s nothing thrilling about it. We are told in the first few chapters what happened and then are strung along for the rest of the book until everything is revealed. I don’t love books that have multiple unrealistic twists, but this one felt so very boring without any surprise or twist. To be fair, there is a surprise revelation towards the end of the book, but I guessed it in the first chapters. Not a real surprise. And the characters were all limp dishrags. I didn’t really care about any of them. Plus, we say practically no character growth throughout. Boring boring boring.

Kate Waters

#1 The Widow
#2 The Child
#3 The Suspect

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Title: The Once and Future Witches

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Publisher: Redhook 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 529

Rating: /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; Currently Reading - Kept Me Turning Pages After Midnight

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters―James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna―join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote―and perhaps not even to live―the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

I’ve been waiting on this one since i read The Ten Thousand Doors of January and it was definitely worth it. I immediately fell into the story of the Eastwood sisters. I loved that it wasn’t simply a story of bringing back witchcraft, but that we get a story of bringing three sisters back to each other. Agnes was my favorite sister, but all have some great moments. The first 60 pages are a bit slow, but once we really get into the story, I couldn’t wait to figure out the mysteries of the Lost Way of Avalon and Gideon Hill. Seriously, every time he appeared, I shuddered. So incredibly creep! And I loved his dog. Once the tower gets called back, the story kicks into high gear and I had trouble putting it down. Lots of fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

Title: The Day of the Trifids

Author: John Wyndham

Publisher: 1951

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Lost in my TBR

Triffids are odd, interesting little plants that grow in everyone’s garden. Triffids are no more than mere curiosities—until an event occurs that alters human life forever.

What seems to be a spectacular meteor shower turns into a bizarre, green inferno that blinds everyone and renders humankind helpless. What follows is even stranger: spores from the inferno cause the triffids to suddenly take on a life of their own. They become large, crawling vegetation, with the ability to uproot and roam about the country, attacking humans and inflicting pain and agony.

William Masen somehow managed to escape being blinded in the inferno, and now after leaving the hospital, he is one of the few survivors who can see. And he may be the only one who can save his species from chaos and eventual extinction . . .

CW: Sexual assault

I had been meaning to read this one ever since I saw the original 1962 film. Unfortunately, the book was not a winner. The plot was a bit slow (surprisingly) with too much random narration instead of showing what happened. There were too many action sequences (seems contradictory to my previous statement, but they are both true!), and twists to the storyline. I appreciate how the movie streamlined a lot of the narrative to focus on a few groups of characters. Lastly, I was not here for all the sexual assault and misogyny. Not surprising for a science fiction book written in the 1950s, but I didn’t need to read it. Pretty disappointing.

Next up on the TBR pile: