Feed Your TBR - Serial Killer Support Group

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

March 18, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: After her sister is murdered, a woman infiltrates a support group for serial killers in this biting queer feminist debut thriller, perfect for fans of The Final Girl Support Group and My Sister, the Serial Killer.

When Cyra Griffin’s younger sister is murdered by a serial killer, Cyra knows better than to expect justice from the hands of the police department. With the investigation already dying its own slow death, Cyra follows the blood trail and finds her own way forward. 

Using insider information (don’t ask) Cyra infiltrates a support group for serial killers by pretending to be one herself in the hopes of finding the person who ended her sister’s life. Proving herself to them comes at a cost, but it’s one Cyra is willing to pay in the name of revenge.

Unfortunately, the dangerous men in the group aren’t the only obstacle in Cyra’s path for vengeance, and the further Cyra descends into the deadly world of serial killers, the harder it becomes to hold on to her own humanity. 

This dark, witty debut novel is a cunning homage to women’s wrongs that will have you wondering exactly how many monsters walk unseen among us.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love books featuring serial killers and someone infiltrating a group of one sounds like it could be a lot of fun.  I also have to admit this author's first name caught my attention - such a unique one and I personally love it.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???  

Pretty Drastic Noise Control Technique

 

TITLE: The Blonde Dies First

AUTHOR: Joelle Wellington

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

PUBLISHING DATE: July 30, 2024

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games , about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies. 

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon? 

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle. 

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon's, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?

MY THOUGHTS: I read this as a choice for a Facebook horror book club I belong to.  I've been interested in it for a while, but I have to admit, it wasn't what I expected, and I sort of struggled to get through it.  

Devon is trying to plan an epic summer.  School is out and her twin sister, Drew has graduated a year early.  Devon knows her brilliant sister is moving on to bigger and better things so she wants their friend group to have one last hurrah.  However, the summer starts with a party at the home of Drew's elite private school classmates.  Devon's friends don't know what to expect but attend anyways.  They expected pretentious kids, drugs and some alcohol but never planned for an encounter with a Ouija board which starts the summer off with a demonic filled fight for survival. 

I thought this book was a slasher. I mean, the cover screams slasher right?  However, the friend group is trying to navigate the tropes of a supernatural demon movie, all the time trying to survive.  This book didn't make a whole lot of sense at time.  They were trying to follow the rules of a cult famous horror movie they loved, but every twist and turn throws something in the way.  And while I appreciated the inclusiveness in the book, it also felt like the author was trying too hard to check off all the right boxes.  I didn't really care for any of the kids and the relationship drama between Drew and Devon was oversold and quickly became redundant. The ending was also a letdown and the motivation behind everything weak at best.

I think anyone who enjoys YA horror would be interested in at least giving this one a go.  I think the author did a lot of job talking about classism and provided some good social commentary, but sometimes, this gal just wants some good old slasher excitement.

MY RATING: 3 Paws

Feed Your TBR - Overgrowth

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 6, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I can't recall ever having a bad experience reading a Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire book (well, the Wayward Children book featuring the Sugar place wasn't a hit, but I still didn't HATE it). So I'm pretty much game to give anything she writes a try.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

What If Frankenstein Was a Moody Young Adult?

 

TITLE: Helga

AUTHOR: Catherine Yu

PUBLISHER: Page Street YA

PUBLISHING DATE: August 20, 2024

PAGES: 354   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Helga is not the obedient science experiment her father intended. And though she has only just awoken, he leaves her in the care of his lab assistant Penny to go on a business trip. 

Bursting with curiosity, Helga quickly escapes from the well-meaning Penny and heads into Amaris City. There Helga finds she is as untamable as the invasive blackberry vines overtaking the island. And because of the misdeeds of her father’s scientific community, the natural world grows more volatile.

Helga soon discovers the night market, rowdy clubs, delicious food, and cute boys. Enamored with city life, she’ll do anything to find love—but she has only two weeks until her father gets back, and besides there are ominous rumblings from the volcanic island that could put her dating schemes, and even her own life, in grave peril.

MY THOUGHTS: I picked this up because one I was curious about it when I first saw it and two, I need a book that starts with "H" for an October Reading Challenge.  I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into, but it ended up being a solid read.

As the book opens, Helga awakens in a lab and is met by her "father" and his lab assistant Penny.  Helga is part of an experimental program on the Asian Island, Amaris City.  She quickly becomes acclimated to everything around her due to her "cog" programming which is whole reason her birth was such as a success.  Amaris City is divided into two communities, the elite one and the poorer but more exciting one.  Helgas wants to experience all the island has to offer but her father wants her to become his proper lab assistant and has some pretty intense rules she needs to follow - including the fact that he has named her Marietta and refuses to call her Helga.  Obviously, Helga starts to rebel.  She meets a boy named Clyde who is a loser from day one but has a typical "bad boy" quality.  Even though things don't work out with Clyde, their "relationship" leads her to find her ultimate soulmate, even if she has to create him herself.

Helga shares a lot of social commentary on classism and societal expectations.  Amaris Island is very quirky and its evident that the whole island has been negatively affected by the lab's experiments.  I enjoyed seeing Helga experience the world and really loved the relationship she builds with Penny, who is also trying to find her way in life.  And I dare to say the ending is perfect and sends a perfect message about classism, love and friendship.  

At its core, Helga is also about found family, so if you enjoy that trope, you might want to check this one out.  It really doesn't contain as much horror as I was hoping, but it still hit the mark and is one I would recommend if someone wants to experience a new take on an old classic.

MY RATING: 4 Paws

Feed Your TBR - The Baby Dragon Cafe

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

January 16, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from selling dragon-roasted coffee.

Aiden is a local gardener, and local heart-throb, more interested in his plants than actually spending time with his disobedient baby dragon. When Aiden walks into Saphira’s café, he has a genius idea – he'll ask Saphira to train his baby dragon, and he'll pay her enough to keep the café afloat.

Saphira’s happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t seem to do anything but irritate the grumpy-but-gorgeous Aiden, except that everywhere she goes, she finds him there. But can this dragon café owner turn her fortunes around, and maybe find love along the way?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Cozy baby dragons.  Need I say more?

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Alliance Vampires

 

It took us a while, but Vamptember have Stormi and I the extra push to pick up the next novel in the Alliance Vampire series by Shannon Drake (aka: Heather Graham).  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads for hers.

 

TITLE: When Darkness Falls (Alliance Vampires #2)

AUTHOR: Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)

PUBLISHER: Zebra

PUBLISHING DATE: October 1, 2000

PAGES: 432   

SOURCE: Own

FROM GOODREADS: WHEN DARKNESS FALLS... 

In a windswept Scottish cemetery, Jade MacGregor's carefree vacation abroad is marred by a seemingly random tragedy. A year later, back home on a shadowy French Quarter street, she glimpses an oddly familiar face. Coincidence--or something far more disturbing? 

AND TERROR TAKES HOLD... 

Surrounded by her friends and engrossed in her work, Jade should feel secure. But somebody is dogging her every move. Somebody who knows what she saw on that long ago afternoon. Somebody who will try to rescue her from the evil that is waiting to destroy her. 

INNOCENCE DIES...

MY THOUGHTS: I must have purchased a really old Kindle copy when I was looking for this book (for some reason, none of my Libby cards had access to it) because it was full of typos and punctuation errors, and I found it often pulling me out of the story. However, all that aside, once I did manage to focus on the plot and not the small details (although is proper editing a small detail?) I really liked it.

Jade was visiting Scotland a year before the majority of the book happened, doing research for one of her books.  While on a tour, she and several other people are led to a dark cemetery and an incident happens which ends in major bloodshed and dismemberment for some of the other tourists, and almost death for Jade.  She is basically saved by a mysterious dark man and when she comes to, has a hard time grasping what actually occurred.  Fast forward a year and similar killing sprees are happening in the US.  However, upon closer look, the victims are people who survived the Scotland incident.  Jade keeps having dreams about the man who saved her and soon her shows up in New Orleans and introduces her to a world she never thought existed, one of vampires and ancient vampire history. Can he save her before it's too late?

I won't lie, Jade kind of grated my nerves.  She made some stupid decisions and even when faced with the fact that the man she was falling in love with was a centuries old vampire, refused to believe what was staring her in the face.  I also didn't like that Jade had a perfectly good cop boyfriend who she cheated on with Lucien, her vampire love interest.  On top of that, while he on his deathbed with a mysterious illness.  Yet I did love Lucien, who played a major role in book one, and I did enjoy learning more about his history and seeing him finally fall in love and find a mate.  We get to see the main characters from book one quite a bit which I enjoyed, and I found Jade's family and friend group interesting as well.  

Overall, I'm glad I continued on with this series and would probably have given this a higher rating if it wasn't for the issues I mentioned regarding editing and Jade's cheating.  If you like vampires or enjoy Heather Graham and have never picked up this series, it might be something you want to consider.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - The Whisperwood Legacy

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 27, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Knives Out meets The Hazel Wood in this twisty contemporary fantasy about an amusement park shrouded in dark secrets—and the family desperate to inherit it at any cost.

Welcome to Whisperwood, a sprawling theme park nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where thrilling rides and picture-perfect scenery bring cult-classic fairy tales to life. Or at least they did until eighteen months ago, when the family matriarch, Virginia Strauss, suddenly shut Whisperwood’s gates and the beloved park was left to wither away along with the family’s dwindling fortune.
 
For seventeen-year-old Frankie Strauss, Whisperwood's closure has been a blessing in disguise. After seeing three generations of wealth’s corrupting influence, she is more than ready to shed the Strauss-family's gilded handcuffs.
 
But when Virginia goes missing, Frankie realizes that her family might be guilty of something much worse than mere dysfunction. With the help of the mysterious and handsome groundskeeper, Jem, Frankie sifts through a web of near truths and outright lies, uncovering a reality where nothing is as it seems, and fairy tales aren’t just real—they’re deadly.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: So, I admit it was the cover that initially caught my attention.  And while I am a bit concerned this is YA, it is tagged as horror and does mention a decrepit theme park so that sold me.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

So, I Could Be Convinced to Adopt Lucy

 

TITLE: Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2)

AUTHOR: T.J. Klune

PUBLISHER: Tor

PUBLISHING DATE: September 10, 2024

PAGES: 416   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything. 

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one. 

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children. 

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve. 

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart. 

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story. 

MY THOUGHTS: I adored the first book in this duology so it was safe to say that the one book which could put a pause on my September vampire reads, it would be this one.  I grabbed it from my library when I saw a physical copy sitting on the "New Releases" shelf last Saturday and immediately dove in.  

Beyond the Sea picks up after the events in the first book.  Arthur, Linus and the children are still living on the island, but Arthur has been summoned to testify in front of DICOMY and he is finally ready to tell the story about all the abuse he faced as a youth. Arthur soon learns that DICOMY has ulterior motives and in fact, they are sending someone to the island to inspect the orphanage as they fear Arthur is filling the children with unreasonable hopes and dreams - that despite their magical and physical differences, they can be just as "normal" as everyone else.  But seriously, why be normal when you can be special?

What follows is a tale on unacceptable world views, love, pranks, and important messages all disguised in a fairy tale manner that Klune seems to have perfected with these two books.  All my favorite children were present, including 7-year-old Lucy, the antichrist and a new child, David, the yeti.  David is new to the island and is trying to find a place to belong. The lessons he learns from Arthur and the rest of the island inhabitants are ones all children should be taught, and Arthur and Linus want nothing more for this "monster" to feel he belongs. 

I love the found family trope and to be honest, it may have been "The House in the Cerulean Sea" which opened my eyes to that.  If you loved the first one, reading this one is a no-brainer.  And if you haven't started this duology, what are you waiting for?  Prepare to fall in love and enter a magical world where being extraordinary is much better than being ordinary.  

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)

 

Another month, another Dresden Files book.  This one really picked up for me after the last one and I might have been one of my faves so far.  Read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see what she has to say.

 

TITLE: Summer Knight

AUTHOR: Jim Butcher

PUBLISHER: Dutton/Signet/span>

PUBLISHING DATE: May 31, 2003

PAGES: 446   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower. 

The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man. 

And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name. 

It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything...

MY THOUGHTS: I'm not big fan of fae in books.  I like them well enough but there has to be something else in the book grabbing my attention for me to enjoy the book overall.  Luckily, Butcher seems to have that format down pat.

Once again, the book opens up with Harry is a big load of trouble.  This is par for the course with Harry so I'm thinking I might be repeating that sentence a lot as I progress with my series read.  Harry is still reeling from what happened to his girlfriend in the last book and the vampires which appeared in Grave Peril have a bounty on Harry's head.  Harry's fairy godmother, who basically "owns" Harry should he ever land in the Nevernever has sold her interest in him to Mab, the Queen of Winter Fairies.  Mab needs Harry's help finding out who killed the Summer Knight because all fingers are pointing at her.  In addition, the young lady Harry grew up with and died years ago shows up very undead and Harry spends the whole book wanting to help her while struggling with how much he can actually trust her.  Throw in a bunch of other fairies, the young gang of werewolves led by Billy from book two, and the Council, who always wants to put Harry out of commission, and you have a wonderful installation to the series. 

I think I recall Stormi telling me I would probably love Toot the fairy and she wasn't wrong.  He and Billy were my favorite characters in this book besides Harry.  I'm glad to see the werewolves reappear and it was a nice change of pace to have Murphy, the detective from the Chicago Supernatural Division, show up to assist Harry.  I missed her in the last book.  If you love urban fantasy, they definitely give this series a chance.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Scuttle

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

October 8, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: A brand-new horror novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, for fans of Stephen King, Catriona Ward and Chuck Wendig. Your worst nightmare is about to come true…

When an overnight camping trip in the woods on Halloween night goes wrong, and a girl ends up dead with what looks like animal wounds, the whole neighborhood is shocked.

How did it happen?

And more importantly what was it that killed her?

Carrie meets The Cabin in the Woods in this terrifying Halloween horror novel!

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Spooky season is in full swing here at Booker T's Farm.  This one takes place during Halloween and Carrie meets Cabin in the Woods?  Not sure how those two concepts mesh but really want to find out!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Can Fandom's Be Bad for Your Health?

 

TITLE: Fang Fiction

AUTHOR: Kate Stayman-London

PUBLISHER: Dial Press Trade Paperbacj/span>

PUBLISHING DATE: October 1, 2024

PAGES: 400   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, she spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days curled up with her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. Tess even dabbles in online conspiracies that Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist… 

Until one walks through her door. 

It turns out Blood Feud is real, and the sexy villain of the novels is trapped. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help rescue him, and soon she’s in a fantasia of lavish palaces and enchanted forests, on a secret island where the sun never shines and she’s surrounded by deadly vampires—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with one of them. (And unbeknownst to Tess, her estranged best friend is having a sapphic affair with a beautiful vampire of her own back in New York.) 

Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but will Tess be able to outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out whether it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.

MY THOUGHTS: So, let's get my trivial thoughts out of the way.  I don't think this cover does this book any favors.  It kind of gives of rom com vibes which this book really isn't, and it doesn't give off urban fantasy vibes, which this book kind of it and it definitely doesn't adequately portray all the trauma and trigger warnings the book might evoke.  For the record, I don't rely on trigger warnings, but I know some people do and the author does address them early on before the story starts.  And last but not least, why is the blood black?  I don't get it, and someone please do this author a favor and do a cover redesign stat!

Good thing I really loved what was INSIDE the cover.  Tess is the night manager at a fancy hotel in her town.  She was once a grad school literature student, but when something happens which she shared with no one, including her best friend and roommate, she suddenly moves out without any warning or explanation.  Tess still loves reading though and has totally immersed herself in the Blood Feud series (think Twilight for the next generation). Blood Feud has a whole fandom and even a podcast where people speculate about the mysterious author's identity and whether or not it is based on actual events.  Spoiler alert (not really) - it is.  Something happens and Tess find herself sent to the Blood Feud world to deliver a message.  She ends up getting stuck there and finds out quickly not all vampires are nice, romantic and sparkly.  Will she be able to finally overcome some of her past trauma and will her old roommate be able to bring her back to the "real world?"

This book was some serious fun.  I loved Tess with all her flaws and trauma and enjoyed the "lore" surrounding the whole "is it real, or isn't it?" Blood Feud fandom. Tess runs into some real bad vampires, and it was fun to see the author didn't strictly rely on the romantic sparkly kind of vamps.  Tess meets some truly interesting characters along the way and exhibits a lot of character growth and self-discovery as the book progresses.  The ending was exciting and satisfying, and I wouldn't mind seeing a companion book sometime in the future. 

If you love vampires and enjoy seeing them in their real element and not just light and fluffy, then please give this book a chance. It was a perfect addition to my #Vamptember reads.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

2 Bloggers 1 Book - My Vampire Vs. Your Werewolf

 

To celebrate Vamptember, Stormi and I decided to buddy read a new Middle Grade book that just released.  She loves MG books, and I enjoy them from time to time so the timing of this one was perfect.  So read on to see my thoughts and the hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see hers.

 

TITLE: My Vampire Vs. Your Werewolf

AUTHOR: Paul Tobin

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Children's Books

PUBLISHING DATE: September 3, 2024

PAGES: 272   

SOURCE: Own Library

FROM GOODREADS: Gabe and Hayden have a vampire.Joon and Tradd have a werewolf.And they're going to fight.

After modern society pushed monsters into hiding, the Crafters Guild formed - an organization of humans and other creatures intent on creating community amongst these exiled beings and combating the decline in monster mental health. Their solution? A no-holds-barred clash of the titans, where two monsters can fight it out with no limits. With young coaches like Gabe, Hayden, Joon, and Tradd to guide them, the monsters must prepare for a battle that will test their strengths, smarts, and special abilities. But it's just a friendly competition-nothing could possibly go wrong…right? 

My Vampire vs. Your Werewolf is the first in an epic horror series from bestselling author Paul Tobin featuring all your favorite monsters--from mummies and ghosts, to dragons and zombies, and witches and warlocks--daring to answer the Who would win in a fight?

MY THOUGHTS: I'm not really sure I know how I feel about this book.  Being middle grade it was a fairly quick read, and it features my two favorite supernatural entities so it should have been something I loved.  However, that didn't turn out to be quite the case.

So, we have two sets of youngest who are all no older than ten.  Two are teamed together to locate a vampire and the other two, a werewolf.  The book starts with the kids finding their creatures and explains a bit about how they use medallions to control them.  Once located, they are moved to another location where they plan to have their monsters battle each other.  I will say that once the battle started, the book picked up and it actually encompassed the last 1/3 of the book so if you like action, there is plenty of that.  The team that wins the battle gets to keep their medallions and when you collect three, you earn the wish of your choice.  These wishes are mentioned periodically and some of the kids have very concrete desires, but I don't know that they were fleshed out enough.

I had three major issues with this book.  First of all, the author portrayed these kids at 10 going on 40.  They did things way beyond an average 10-year-olds capacity and I had to keep reminding myself of their ages.  Second, the author style of writing also didn't fit a MG book.  He used words and concepts I just couldn't see a middle-grader understanding.  And finally, there wasn't enough backstory, and it took me at least the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book to figure out what was going on.

The action and the fact that we have a creepy vampire, and a fun werewolf named Redd really saved this one in the end.  I don't know if I will continue the series but for the most part, I am glad I gave this one a chance and it was a fun buddy read.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 27, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Two mundane parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter they try to fit into a privileged society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale. Big Little Lies goes to magic school, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Olivia Atwater and Heather Fawcett.

When Vivian's kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden cross-country move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian reels from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents' WhatsApp group. And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it's about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: This book sounds hilarious, and I love the idea of buying chew toys for your daughter. 

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK??? 

Be Careful Who You Fake Date

 

TITLE: My Vampire Plus-One

AUTHOR: Jenna Levine

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: September 17, 2024

PAGES: 400   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date. 

After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better. 

As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the follow up novel to the first in the series "My Roommate is a Vampire" which I ended up loving last year.  I remember wanting more Reggie in that one and was so glad to see this sequel focusing on him.  You could technically read this without going back and picking up the first one, but it was a great book too so why would you?

Amelia is an overworked accountant trying to survive tax season.  When she finds out her cousin is getting married, she feels pressured to find a date because her parents are always hassling her about being single.  She happens to literally run into Reggie outside her building one evening and he ends up owing her a favor.  She calls it in and asks her to be her wedding date.  Amelia is physically attracted to Reggie and finds his oddness endearing but she really has no the extent of his oddness. Reggie on the other hand is running from The Collective - a group of vampires out to punish him for something that happened hundreds of years ago which he may or may not have done.  What ensues is a whole lot of fun and quite a bit of drama.  

As I mentioned, I love Reggie.  He is very upfront and honest with Amelia, and it is not his fault she thinks he is joking half of the time.  I enjoyed seeing their fake relationship develop into something more and I think their differences made them that much more enjoyable together.  We also get to see Cassie and Frederick a bit from the first book, and it was nice to see how things were progressing with them.

If you love vampires and rom coms, then I really think you should check out this series.  There is an element at the end which makes me believe there may be a third book on the horizon following a side character who is mentioned a few times in this one.  I don't know how I feel about her but I'm willing to give it a shot if the author does decide to pursue it.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS