r.bookish

hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the box in the woods by maureen johnson. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly really liked this book, but i feel like a lot of this book was kind of a mess, and i feel like so much of this book didn’t happen in this book.

trigger warnings- death, murder, violence, child death, drug use, gun violence, panic attacks / disorder, blood, gore, car accident, grief, body horror, medical content, mental illness.

personally, i really liked how that this book was really addicting and i think it was such a good book. like, i feel that this book was so easy enough to read and that it was really easy to get into and to get into this mystery. and i also think that this was a really good book with how they kept it all together and to have this new mystery.

i also liked that the mystery in this book was really good. like, i feel the mystery of the first three books it wasn’t that good. like, it definitely was good mystery, but there wasn’t enough happening in each book, like the who done it. but, i feel like, in here you know what is happening and how each thing is going to pan out and to see how it all is happening. like, i think it was really cool to see the mystery happen in one book.

another thing i really liked was how this book did have the whole back in forth, with stevie’s plot and her pov and then the pov and plot with the kids that were killed. i think this book was really good and i honestly really liked it and to see that it was a really cool book. and i think it was really cool to see them and the both plots with it and to see how the murders actually happened.

like, i think that this book didn’t really dumb to much info with stevie and with stevie finding everything out, like i think it was cool that we got to see the actual murders happen and to tell what it was all happening. and i mean, i think it was just so cool and that it was a really good book with seeing that all happen. and also that the characters all had a personality when they really didn’t have that much of a plot outside the back story.

i also think that the whole camp murders could have been it’s own book if you really wanted it to, kind of like the fear street movie. like, i feel like it could have been a cool book to see them get murdered in the camp and the lead up to the murder and all of that. especially if they have it be dual povs with them having both of the sisters get a part of the book, so one sister with the actual camp and then one with the people finding they were murdered.

but, i also feel like there was so much about stevie in this book that i literally just didn’t like. i mean, i feel like most of this book is stevie getting into arts and crafts and then going on long bike rides and thinking about her boyfriend more about the murders. and i think it was just so crazy that we had this, instead of having stevie be the stevie from this book. like, i mean i think it was a complete 180 of stevie in the first 3 books.

i also think the whole who did it was kind of bad. like, there was no like, oh my god they did this, since it was just so boring and not this big moment. like, they could have totally done it better, which i think was so annoying because they could have made it be so much better. and i feel like the whole ending could have been so something that was so cool, but instead it was just so boring and bad. and like, i wish they had something that was more climatic.

granted, i think nate was the biggest reason i kept reading these books since i feel like he was just so deadpan funny. and like i think that he was just so funny and i honestly really liked him and just all of his humor throughout this book. and i think it was just honestly one of the best parts. and he carried this book on his back, for the most part.

anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really liked this book, and i honestly hope that this series got to have more books in it, since i think it would be really cool.

hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about when you get the chance by tom ryan and robin stevenson. i gave this book 3/5 stars. i honestly wished i liked this book more, since i feel like it had such a cool premise, but i feel like it wasn’t the best book in my mind.

trigger warnings- homophobia

first thing, i didn’t really like mark in this book. like, he has one of the POVs and is the main character in this book, so i kind of wanted to like him and his plot. but, i feel like he was supposed to be a bit of self absorbed asshole, which they obviously did, but i think it was just kind of annoying cause he never came out of that. like, i feel like he should have had this moment that he got better and not to be a dick anymore. but, i feel like he was just such an asshole and so self absorbed and just selfish, which i think should have honestly been changed.

next, talia, who had the other pov in this book. i honestly liked her, since i think she was just one of those messy queer characters that don’t apologize about being like that. but, there was still moments of this book that i didn’t care for her, and that i still wanted to slap her, but i still wanted to slap her less than i wanted to slap mark. and i did like that she still challenged him and wasn’t a dick about it all.

the best character in this book by far was paige. i don’t normally like kids in books, since i feel like they always over age the characters, and i think that it was done really well though. like, i think she was just so funny and cute and i completely loved them with it all. and she also had a bigger personality and was more mature than talia and mark combined, which is always good for a 10 year old.

but, i think overall that the biggest issue with this book is just the characters. like the plot is fine, but i just feel like that a lot of the characters in this book were just unbearable to read about, for the most part. and i think once you kind of get over these characters it’s a better book and that it was a decent book. like, i feel like there was just so much drama happening with these characters that just don’t make sense, and i feel like that could have been cut out.

i also feel like with this book, and the description, i feel like they really talked about the family dynamic. like, i feel like this book really talked about the plot with this family and to talk about this family becoming close again and all of that. but, the family aspect was just not there. like, i think there wasn’t enough plot and enough full family moments with all of them. and i feel like so much of the family plot was just half assed and that we never get to see it. which, i think was just so annoying and i literally didn’t like it.

but, i feel like this book was easy enough to read and the writing was honestly so simple that i really liked that part of it. but, and i feel like because this book was so short and it was easy to read, it honestly helped this book so much and was something that i really liked that one. since, it was just so easy to finish, especially that the plot was so ‘basic’ in away.

anyway, that is all for today! i honestly wished i liked this book more, since i feel like it had so much potential, but i think it still was a decent read for what it was trying to give out.

hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the castle school for troubled girls by alyssa b. sheinmel. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly liked this book, and the message that it was trying to get across, but i think that there wasn’t really a plot in this book, and that there wasn’t really to much happening in this book.

trigger warnings- self harm, grief, addiction, cancer, death, eating disorder, mental illness, terminal illness, blood, alcoholism, drug abuse, medical content, forced institutionalization, body horror, confinement, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt.

i think my biggest issue with this book was that so much of this book didn’t have this plot. like, i feel like it could have had this plot about how bad the girls school was, but i feel like that was it and i feel like not to much happened in this book. and i feel like in the end, there probably some message, but i feel like there was no real plot in this book, which i feel like was annoying, and i think there wasn’t anything in here.

and i also just expected to have this book to have more tension or like mystery in this book. like, i feel like there would be something there, and that i think that there would be something in there. but, i feel like this book is a more mental health journey, i feel like there should have just been something more there, and i think they needed to have some sort of issue with everything.

like, this book is marketed as this thriller or like this mystery book, where i feel like the real theme of this book were grief, recovery, and then friendship and bonding together. like, i think that they needed to honestly change how it was marketed, since i feel like with going into it thinking it was going to have this mystery plot, i think it kind of messed with what i thought it was going to be like. and i kind of wish this story was a bit more creepy and mysterious and even a little sinister or something.

but, i did like to see how they did have each girl have some sort of mental illness, or some some of struggle. like, i feel like it was just cool that we got to see each of them and to have them all kind of go through it all and just to have them each get a chapter for them and kind of see where it all came from. i honestly really liked it and to see it all kind of happen and to see where they started and then where they end up at the end of the book.

and i also really liked the exploration of mental health throughout this book. like, i feel like in a lot of YA books they’ll bring up mental illness or talk about how it’s so important. but, i think it was something that was cool that none of the girls got shorthanded and that they always talked about each girl and than how we got told all of their journey and that we really got to know each of them.

but, i feel like a lot of moria’s issues was that her best friend, nathan, died. which, i think was cool to kind of see her go through the trauma and the grief of all of that happening. like i feel like it was something that they talked about a lot, but i feel like it was something that they should have explored a little more, especially with nathan and just build up their relationship and to talk about them together before and just to build up their relationship more. since, i feel like they could have used that and just to see them and to know more about their relationship.

i did kind of like that we got to see a bit more of moria’s mind, seeing that this is in her pov. but, i do think that there was something that was happening and to see them from an outside perspective. like, i think there could have been something more to explore or to show if this book was in third person or something. like, i did like seeing her mind, but they just explained everything in this book, and it kind of got annoying to be stuck in moria’s mind all the time.

and i also think that the whole vibe of the school. like, i think it was just so cool to see them and to see them have this kind of dark academia plot, but it’s not a real dark academia plot. like, i feel like the whole atmosphere of this book was honestly so good and so cool. like, i really liked the whole plot of them being in this boarding school, and i really liked it. and i think it was done so well and i really liked seeing it and seeing this all play out with it being in this secret mountain school.

anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really liked this book and i feel like it was just such a good book with all the mental health journey i really liked it. but, i am honestly kind of excited to pick up the other books by this author.

hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about all the books i’ve read in october. i honestly read a ton of books, even if it didn’t really feel like that for me, since i feel like i read like 5. but, i honestly read so many good books this month, which i’m so excited to talk about.

the atlas six by olivie blake. i gave this book 5/5 stars. i honestly loved this book so much. like, i think these characters were done so well and i completely love all of them, even if they were kind of a dick. like, i feel that the plot and the characters and this world was done so well, which i think was just so good and i honestly really think was so cool. and also that most / if not all are all queer, i honestly loved that and i can’t wait to see that grow in the next two books.

act cool by tobly mcsmith. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly liked this book, but i feel like some of the actions of some of these characters weren’t it. and i think that some of the things they said / did could honestly be improved and change. i also listened to this book via audio book, which i think just took away from the story a little bit.

the violent season by sara walters. i gave this book 3/4 stars. this book was kind of a mess, but i guess it did have some good moments. i didn’t really like the one stage sex scenes and the graphic rape scene, since i feel like it was just kind of a mess. but, i feel like there was so many unanswered questions in here, and i think they should have made this book bloodier and kind of spookier.

the crusible by aruther miller. i gave this book 4/5 stars. this is probably one of the better school reads i’ve had to do, in my opinion. and i honestly feel like this would be such a great halloween read, and i think it was just a really good book with the witch trials and kind of telling each of the characters stories.

people we meet on vacation by emily henry. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly really liked this one, but i don’t think it lived up to the hype completely for me, cause some of the characters actions weren’t my favorite and annoyed the hell out of me. but, i feel like so much of this book they weren’t together, and when they actually got together, they were together till they fought and broke up, and then got back together. and they were together for what feels like 10 pages.

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reed. i gave this book 5/5 stars. i honestly loved this book so much, and i loved all the characters and to see how they grew threw this book. and i also loved how we got to see each of the kids mirror their parents and/or their relationship in someway, which i thought was so cool. and i think each of the siblings had such a good story and i liked to see each of them. and i especially like nina, since she definitely had the best story.

the sum of all kisses by julia quinn. i gave this book 4/5 stars. honestly, i liked this book, but i feel like the wedding plots in this book were kind a mess, since they planned into the other books. so, having them also be in here was just a little bit of a mess. but, i do think the romance was honestly done really well and i feel like how they got together and all of that, was really cute.

the lucky list by rachael lippincott. i gave this book 3/5 stars. overall, this was a decent book and had a decent plot. but, i feel like it was kind of messy, in the end. like, i feel like there was way to many open questions, in the end of the book, which kind of just annoyed me. but, i feel like emily was also really annoying, and she honestly just got on my nerves after awhile, especially with all her drama surrounding literally every aspect in her life.

the ivies by alexa donne. i gave this book 3/5 stars. again, it was a decent book, but i feel like the who done it was revealed way to early in the book, which i feel like just took away from the book. and i feel like there wasn’t a real mystery after awhile because it was reveled way to soon and just was a hot mess. and everything that happened in this book was just way to easy for everyone, like with were they were going and who they were seeing and finding, just ended up being to easy for every party involved, when this is supposed to be a mystery.

the secrets of sir richard kenworthy by julia quinn. i gave this book 1/5 stars. the easily way to talk about about this book is to flat out say its terrible and it sucks. like, he really lived up to his namesake, since he was such a dick and there was so many communication issues between the two of them. and they were also just so abusive towards each other. like, they constantly said that someone was grabbing someone and they yelled out in pain or something along those lines, and i don’t know who let that slide past.

the obsession by jesse q. sutanto. i gave this book 3/5 stars. this had a lot of issues and plot holes, nonetheless though, it was a fun and easy read. like, the plot moved quickly and i think it kept you interested enough through the book and the story. but, i also think so much of this book is unbelievable, cause you’re telling me that not a single person on the block had cameras in their backyard, especially their neighbor, who apparently had one but they didn’t see anything. it just wasn’t believable.

house of hollow by krystal sutherland. i gave this book 4/5 stars. this was honestly a really good book and i didn’t expect this when i went into it, i honestly just thought it was going to be about a sister going missing in the real world. but, i honestly really like the fantastical take on it all, and i think it was just super cool and well done. and i would honestly kill to see more stories set in this world, but with different characters, since i think the world is super interesting.

seduce me at sunrise by lisa kleypas. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly really liked this book, and i think they did very close friends / to borderline family to lovers really well and i honestly really liked to slowly see them embrace their emotions and feelings to each other. but, kev was a bit of a dick and i feel like some of his actions were annoying as all hell. but, i still really liked them together and to see them get married and all of that.

anyway, that is all for today! i honestly think i had a really good reading month, and i hope this month is good so i can cram a lot of last minute reading in.

hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about all the books i hauled this month, which is quite a lot. like, i feel like i got so many arcs this month, which probably happened because i hit 80% on netgalley. so, this is going to be a bit of a longer post.

jade fire gold by june cl tan. ahn is no one, with no past and no family. altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child. when they meet, altan sees in ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her arcane magical abilities. but they may have to pay a far deadlier price than either could have imagined.

fable by adrienne young. for 17 years, fable, who is the daughter of the most powerful trader in the narrows, the sea is the only home she has ever known. it’s been 4 years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. the next day, her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. to survive, she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one, and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. the only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place besides him and his crew, to do so fable enlists the help of a young trader named west to get her off the island and across the narrows to her father.

this is where it ends by marieke nijkamp. 10:00 am, the principal of opportunity, alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02, the student gets up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03, the auditorium doors won’t open. 10:05, someone starts shooting. in 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes and darkest fears, as they come face to face with the boy with the gun.

love and other disasters by anita kelly. thank you forever for an arc of this book! recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, dahlia woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show, chef’s special. too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying-not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. still, she’s focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money. after announcing their pronouns on national television, london parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. they’re there to prove the trolls- and the fellow contestants and their dad- wrong, but falling in love was never part of the plan.

portrait of a thief by grace d. lie. thank you tiny reparations books for an arc of this book! across the western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. will chen plans to steal them back. a senior at harvard, will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parent’s american dream, but when a shadowy chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible, an illegal, job offer, will finds himself something else, the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless chinese sculptures, looted from beijing centuries ago.

once upon a k-prom by kat cho. thank you disney books for an arc of this book! elena soo has always felt overshadowed, whether by her successful older sister, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. but she is certain about one thing, she has no interest in going to prom, while the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that’s always made her feel like she belonged. so when the international k-pop superstar, robbie choi, shows up at her house to ask her to prom, elena is more confused than ever.

bravely by maggie stiefvater. thank you disney books for an arc of this book! one princess, merida of dunbroch needs a change. she loves her family, jovial king kergus, proper queen elinor, the mischievous triplets, and her peaceful kingdom. but she’s frustrated by it’s sluggishness: each day, the same. merida longs for adventure, purpose, and challenge, maybe even, someday love. two gods, but the fiery princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of feradach, the uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in dunbroch on christmas eve with the intent to demolish the realm, and everyone within. only the intervention of the cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year, or suffer the eternal consequences.

happily ever island by crystal cestari. thank you disney books for an arc off this book! head in the clouds romantic, madison and driven pragmatist, lanie, are unlikely best friends, but the two would do anything for each other. so when madison’s life starts to fall apart, lanie agrees to join madison for the test run if disney’s newest resort experience during their first college spring break: happily ever island, an immersive vacation destination, where guests can become their favorite disney character for a week. madison decides to go as the iconic princess herself, cinderella, with lanie as bow wielding merdia. it’s not lanie’s idea of fun, but she knows madison needs her, and besides, she could use the break from her strenuous course load anyway, plus she might get to shoot things.

meet me in the margins by melissa ferguson. thank you thomas nelson publishers for an arc of this book! savannah cade is a low level editor at pennington publishing, a prestigious publisher producing only the highest of highbrow titles. and while editing the latest edition of the anthology of medieval didactic poetry may be her day job, she has two secrets she’s hiding. one, she’s writing a romance novel. two, she’s discovered the book nook, a secret room in the publishing house where she finds inspiration for her ‘lowbrow’ hobby. after leaving her manuscript behind one afternoon, she returns to the nook only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. savannah’s first response to the criticism is defensive, but events transpire that force her to admit that she needs the help of this shadowy editor after all. as the notes take a turn for the romantic, and as savannah’s madcap life gets more complicated than ever, she uses the process of elimination to identify her mysterious editor, only to discover that what she truly wants and what she should want just might not be the same.

the wedding crasher by mia sosa. thank you so much avon for an arc of this book! just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, solange pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. it’s an easy gig, until she stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the paris isn’t meant to be. what’s a true-blue romantic to do? crash the wedding, of course. and ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life. dean chapman has his future all mapped out. he was about to check off “start a family” and on track to “make partner” when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, dean claims to be in with the woman who crashed his wedding. now, dean has a whole new item on his to do list: beg solange to be his pretend girlfriend, and she feels a tiny bit bad about ruining dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along.

love from scratch by kaitlyn hill. thank you delacorte press for an arc of this book! this summer, reese camden is trading sweet tea and southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp costal air. she’s landed her dream marketing internship at friends of flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in seattle. the only problem? benny beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball cap wearing culinary intern, and her main competition for the fall job. reese’s plan to keep work a no feelings zone crumbles like a day old muffin when she and benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet’s newest ship. audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at friends of flavor are happy to deliver. soon reese and benny are in an all out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown, while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch.

the liars beneath by heather van fleet. thank you wise wolf books for an arc of this book! after a tragic accident that ends her best friend’s life, 17 year old becca thompson succumbs to grief the only way she knows how: by wallowing in it. she’s a fragment of the person she once was far to broken to enjoy the summer before her senior year. but, when ben mccain, her best friend’s older brother, returns home, becca must face her new reality head on. she isn’t interested in ben’s games, especially since he abandoned his sister during the months leading up to her death. but when he begs for her help in uncovering the truth about what really happened that night of his sister’s death, becca finds herself agreeing, hoping to clear up the rumors swirling in the wake of her best friend’s accident. an unhinged ex boyfriend, secret bucket lists, and garage parties in the place becca calls home soon leads her to the answers she’s so desperate to unveil. but nobody is being honest, no even ben. and the closer becca gets to the truth and to ben, the more danger seems to surround her.

castles in their bones by laura sebastian. thank you delacorte press for an arc of this book! empress margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. princesses sophronia, daphne, and beatriz will be queens. and now, at age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes. beautiful, smart and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides, because margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. which is a grave mistake, sophronia, daphne, and beatriz ae no innocents, they have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a signal goal, to bring down monarchies and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.

anyway, that is all all for today! i am honestly so excited to read these books, next year, or later this year, depending when they get published. but, anyway, thank you for reading!

hello everyone! happy freak week day 7! today i am going to be doing the hyped for halloween book tag. and honestly can’t wait to do this since it just sounds so fun and fitting for halloween.

WHAT BOOK GAVE YOU THE CREEPS?

house of hollow by krystal sutherland. i finished this books a couple days ago, and honestly this book was just so creepy and that i feel like with how the author thought of all of this, it is just so crazy and it honestly was something that was just a creep book, especially the end.

WHAT BOOK GIVES YOU THE BEST HALLOWEEN VIBES?

stalking jack the ripper by kerri maniscalo. this was honestly something that just gives me the biggest halloween vibes. like, i think i read this book around halloween the first times, so i honestly think it was just so crazy and i feel like it was something with them stalking threw the night, i just think it is the biggest halloween book.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE VAMPIRE BOOK?

i honestly don’t think i’ve ever read a vampire book, besides twilight, that i did like. which, i do want to read more of them, since there is a few cool ones that came out recently.

WHAT BOOK SCARED YOU SO MUCH YOU SLEPT WITH THE LIGHTS ON?

as good as dead by holly jackson. i didn’t sleep with the lights on, but it did honestly scare me and that it honestly made me really paranoid, and i feel like it really put me on edge a lot, and i think it was just so creepy and that it was something that was just so weird.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK ABOUT WITCHES /GOBLINS /GHOST / DEMONS?

cemetery boys by aiden thomas. this was honestly such a cool book and i think that this was just so good. and i feel like it was something that was just kind of cool. and i feel like this is by far one of my favorite books with ghosts.

WHAT’S A BOOK YOU WISH WAS SCARIER THAN IT WAS?

survive the night by riley sager. as much as i like those books, but i feel like it was definitely something that was a bit spooky, but i think that it should have been something that had a little bit more scary moments.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK THAT TAKES PLACE IN OCTOBER?

i honestly can’t think of a book that takes in october.

anyway, that is all for today! happy last day of freak week and happy halloween! this was such a fun post and i honestly really liked talking about it.

hello everyone! happy freak day 6! today i am going to be talking about the spooky books that i want to read next, and just to talk about some of these. there honestly isn’t that many, but there still is enough to talk about these books.

a lesson in vengeance by victoria lee. in the catskills mountains, the centuries old ivy covered campus was home, until the death of her girlfriend. now, after a year away, felicity is returning to graduate. and she even got her old room in the godwin house, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirit of the five dalloway students, who are believed to be witches. the school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do, and before her girlfriend died, felicity was drawn to the dark, and she is determined to leave that behind now, all felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and to graduate. but, it’s hard when dalloway’s occult history is everywhere, and when the new girl won’t let her forget. it’s ellis haley’s first year at dalloway, and she already has a following, a prodigy novelist at seventeen, ellis is a so called ‘method writer.’ and she is eccentric and brilliant, and felicity can’t shake the pull to her, and ellis asks felicity to help research the dalloway five for her second book, and felicity can’t say no.

the secret history by donna tartt. under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever and eccentric misfits at an elite new england college discover away of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existences of their contemporaries. but when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal and at last, into evil.

a deadly education by naomi novik. there are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow it’s students to leave until they graduate or die. the rules are deceptively simple: don’t walk the halls alone and beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. el is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. she may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power, strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. it would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. and the problem is that her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

ace of spades by Faridah Abike iyimide. welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways and the students are never less than perfect, until now. because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students’ dark secrets to light. talented musician devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can’t escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. and head girl chiamaka isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has to paid for power. someone is out to get both of them, someone who holds all the aces and they are playing way more than a stupid high school game.

every single lie by rachel vincent. nobody in beckett’s life seems to be telling the whole story. her boyfriend, jack, keeps hiding his texts and might be cheating on her. her father lied about loosing his job before his sudden death. and everyone in school is whispering about her and her father behind her back. but, none of that compares to the day beckett finds the body of the body of a newborn baby in a gym bag, jake’s gym bag, on the floor of her school’s locker room. as the word leaks out, rumors that beckett’s the mother takes off like wildfire in a town all to ready to believe the worst about her, and as the police investigation unfolds, she discovers that everyone has a secret to hide and the truth could alter everything she thought she knew.

all these bodies by kendare blake. summer 1958, a string of murders plague the midwest. the victims are found in their cars and in their homes, even in their beds, their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere. september 19th, the carlson family is slaughtered in their minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: the 15 year old marie catherine hale is found at the scene. she is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor, but not a drop of the blood is hers. michael jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small town. he never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall onto his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to. as marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to michael to find the truth: what really happened the night that carlsons were killed? and how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

the woods are always watching by stephanie perkins. best friends, neena and josie spent high school as outsiders, but at least they had each other. now, with college and two thousand mile separation looming on the horizon, they have one last chance to be together, a three day hike into the woods of the pisgah national forest. simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare, and then into something far worse. something that will test them in horrifying ways.

anyway, that is all for today! there isn’t honestly so many books that i really want to read like these, but i’m really excited to get to these, hopefully before the end of the year. but, happy freak day 6! and hopefully i’ll see you tomorrow for the final post!

hello everyone! happy freak week day 5! today i am going to be doing the monster mash book tag. i don’t think i’ve ever done this tag, so i’m honestly so excited to do this post and to talk about these different prompts and books.

“i was working in the lab late one night“- what’s a book that kept you up at night?

as good as dead by holly jackson. this book is like 560 pages long, and i read this in like day, which was so crazy and i feel like it probably wouldn’t have happened if this was any other book. and i feel like this book was just so amazing and this book was just so amazing.

“my eves beheld an eerie sight“- what’s the weirdest or creepiest shit you’ve ever read in a book?

the mary shelley club by goldy moldavsky. this was so weird with the whole scream plot going on, and just with all the different masks they wore was just something that i think it was just so creep and just a mind fuck. and i think that if a bunch of people came at me with masks on, i would freak out.

“get a jolt from my electrodes.”- name a book that completely shocked or surprised you.

she’s too pretty to burn by wendy heard. this book was just so crazy, and especially at the end of it. i feel like the ending of this book completely made the book up, and i feel like it was just so crazy and honestly kind of a mess. and i think this book was just something that i have no clue how heard thought of this ending. and i think it was just so crazy.

“the guests included wolfman, dracula, and his son.” – name your favorite monster or villain from a book.

stalking jack the ripper by kerri maniscalo. i’m not going to say the actual name of the villain, since it would be a major spoiler, but i honestly really liked the villain in this book and all the talk and build up till we get to see who it actually did it, was just so good and i really liked it. and i feel like it was just so cool.

“whatever happened to my translvania twist?” – name a book that was super hyped when it came out, but no one talks about it anymore.

lost in the never woods by aiden thomas. i feel like this could go for a lot of books, mainly thrillers since i feel like a lot of people never really reread and continue to hype up thriller books. but, compared to the hype cemetery boys continues to get, i feel like this book gets literally zero hype and nobody talks about this book anymore.

“they did the monster mash.” – name your favorite book that is a mash up of two or more genres.

hunting prince dracula by kerri maniscalo. i feel like this is a mash up of historical fiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, and thriller spun into one book, which was done so well. and i don’t think to many authors could put all those genres into one book and have the book actually make sense.

“it was a graveyard smash.” – what is your favorite horror novel?

survive the night by riley sager. i honestly don’t read to much horror, and i’m not sure if i’d even consider this book to be a horror novel, but it is like the only book i read this year that is kind of close to being one.

“the scene was rockin,’ all were digging the sounds.“- what’s your favorite song based on a book?

honestly, i don’t know any songs based on books.

“tell them boris sent you.” – what’s your go to book recommendation?

a good girl’s guide to murder by holly jackson! i talk about this book 24/7, so it’s not really a surprise that i recommend this book a lot. but, yeah, it’s probably this book.

anyway, that is all for today! this was such a fun tag and i honestly loved doing this post. and i feel like this was just such a cool tag with these different prompts. and hopefully i’ll hopefully see you tomorrow for day 6!