January 2020 Wrap up

Wow, it's already the end of the first month of 2020! I've had a pretty good reading month with a total of eleven read books. Let's go to it!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black: ★★★★

Thunderhead/The Toll by Neal Shusterman: ★★★★★/★★★

Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison: ★★★★

One of Us is Next by Karen McManus: ★★★★

The Institute by Stephen King: ★★★★

The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup: ★★★★

Hollow by Rhonda Parrish: ★★★

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James: ★★★★★

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones: ★★★★ (more of ★★★ and half)

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer: ★★★★★

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young: ★★

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer
Published: Bloomsbury, 2019
Pages: 496
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

“Have you not figured it out yet? The curse torments us all.”

About the book

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Review

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I initially didn’t want to read this book because I thought it’d be the typical, run-of-the-mill YA fantasy that’d be centered on a terrible beast who learns how to love and him and a young woman ride off into the sunset. 

I could not have been more wrong.

What really surprised me in this novel was the focus on character development, not romance.

Harper is a timid young woman used to staying the shadows. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her mother, who’s dying of cancer, and her brother, who is forced to deal with loan sharks following the abandonment of their father. While on the lookout for her brother, Harper is taken by a stranger and transported into a literal fairytale. To save those around her and get back to her family, Harper must tap into her inner strength and project the confidence she didn’t know she had. I absolutely love Harper’s character. Strong, independent woman are among my favorite character types. 

Rhen is a prince who, after spending the night with a mysterious woman with secret powers, is cursed to find a woman to fall in love with him or turn into a terrible, vicious beast who kills everyone in sight. The young prince cycles through hundreds of seasons through which he terrorizes his kingdom and brutally murders his own family before Harper lands before him. The mage who cursed him then declares that this will be his last season, meaning he has to make Harper fall in love with him or be turned into the beast forever. Rhen comes off as arrogant and entitled, though slowly Harper learns that Rhen is in deep mourning for his lost family and is extremely loyal to his people.

What makes A Curse So Dark and Lonely pop is the development of Harper’s and Rhen’s relationship throughout the story. I found this book to be more of a character development than a romance, though there are romantic aspects through the plot. 

Grey was also a great addition to the storyline. He’s fiercely loyal and provides another dimension to the two main characters. 

The ending also reveled a big twist and concluded in a way that leaves readers SHOOK. 

I really enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely. When I finished the book, I rushed over to the library to place a hole on the second installment. Looking forward to diving into it!

WWW Wednesday: 1//29/20

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:


What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?


This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading A Curse so Dark and Lonely which is basically a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it at first because I'm not a big fan of retellings, but I heard many good things about it so I decided to give it a try. I'm enjoying it so far!

What did you recently finish?

I made it a little over half way through Children of Virtue and Vengeance, the follow-up to the Children of Blood and Bone, but I ended up DNF'ing it. I felt the characters to be shallow and the writing dull. I recently finished an ARC, The Only Good Indians, which I did like and gave a good rating but I believed the author's sentence structure to be awkward at times. Click here to read my full review on The Only Good Indians.

What do you think you'll read next?

Here's what I'm considering reading next. I've had The Cure for Dreaming on my TBR for several years now. I just recently purchased it, and the illustrations are cool. I'll probably be picking it up soon. I'll also be diving into Bring Me Their Hearts and The Girl the Sea Gave Back.

What does your WWW Wednesday look like? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Covers of Books Published in 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Cover Freebies, for which I decided to share my favorite covers of books published in 2019 that I've read. I already posted my all time favorite covers so I decided to shake things up a bit. I'm going in order of most favorite to least. 

1. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Honestly, this is one of the most STUNNING covers I've ever seen. I love how the young woman is cut with flowers coming out. The book itself was fantastic as well. Click here to read the full review.

2. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

I love how the book's title is inside the key hole. Also the silver part of the cover in real life is shimmery and beautiful. I also loved the story itself. Click here for the review.

3. The Institute by Stephen King

This cover is really appealing to me. I like how there's a room inside the train, which speaks to the actual storyline. My favorite covers are the ones that not only look great but is also relevant to the story itself. Check out my full review on The Institute here.

4. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

At first glance, this cover may seem dull but when you're holding the physical form of the book, you notice additional details, such as the octopus arms. I really liked this book as well!

5. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I really enjoy this cover. It gives off the edgy vibe of fictional character Daisy Jones. I didn't enjoy the book so much; I felt like the format was strange and better suited as an audiobook. Click here for the full review.

6. The Wicked King/The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

These covers, as well as the cover for the series's first installment, are really pretty! The series is awesome too... wasn't too much of the final book, though. 

7. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Really pretty and simple, the cover for The Fountains of Silence is the main reason why I picked up this book, along with the interesting plot. I enjoyed the storyline way more than I thought I would. Read the full review here.

8. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I ended up DNF'ing this book. I don't think Erin Morgenstern's writing is my cup of tea. The Starless Sea is, however, beautifully illustrated! 

9. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is a really appealing cover, and the book itself is also great!

10. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

This is an attractive cover that explains the basic plot of the book: an aspiring rapper who wants to leave behind the ghetto she grew up in.

What do you think about my list? Let me know in the comments below!

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

The Only Good Indians

by Stephen Graham Jones
Published: Gallery/Saga Press, 2020
Genre: Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

The sound was the crust of snow, crunching.

She was staring at him again. Not dead. Her breath was raspy and uneven, but it was definitely there, somehow, when no way should it have been. Not after having her back broken, half her head blown to mist.

About the book

The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

Review

The Only Good Indians is a good ole horror with a twist of Native American culture. 

Four American Indian friends are trespassing on Elder land when they shoot a herd of what they believe to be elk… ten years later, they pay the price for their actions when a terrible entity seeks revenge. 

Gory and creepy, the storyline and atmosphere of the novel is dead on. The structure of the story strays from the mainstream which is what makes the book work so well. 

There is a downfall to The Only Good Indians that leads me to give the book a lower rating. The writing has certain phrasing and sentence structure that makes it awkward to read. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, so I’m unsure if that his writing style or maybe just how this particular book is written. “Like” is also used often in strange places. This could be a cultural difference. 

Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the writing style but other than that, The Only Good Indians is a solid horror/thriller. I would recommend it for those who enjoy horror… just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean it isn’t yours. 

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel

by Simone St. James
Published: Berkley, 2020
Pages: 336
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

“Some of us like the dark. It’s what we know.”

About the book

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

Review

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is a captivating paranormal thriller that you won’t want to put down.

Reeling from the death of her mother, true crime fan Carly leaves college to investigate the disappearance of her Aunt Viv from Fell, New York thirty-five years ago at the Sun Down Motel. Carly arrives to find to the motel unchanged, and Viv’s job as night clerk open; she takes the job in order to get closer to finding out what really happened the night her aunt went missing. Carly soon learns that there’s more than just dust and empty motel rooms at the Sun Down as doors start slamming open, lights flicker on and off and a mysterious smell of smoke appears… and it turns out there’s more to Viv’s disappearance. 

Alternating between the perspectives of Viv and Carly, the story is creepy and so so interesting. The plot is my favorite part of the book; a sinister, run down motel in a small town where a young woman disappeared over thirty years ago. St. James’s writing is engaging and addictive. I devoured half this book in one day. There are twists and turns that left me dazed! 

There’s another aspect I loved about the book: the thought that we can have a dark part of ourselves that’s attracted to the wicked, whether it be horror movies or ghastly true crime stories. I feel like I have this as well. I’ve always loved grotesque horror and the sinister unknown.

I’ve also read The Broken Girls by St. James, and I like the Sun Down Motel better because I enjoyed the storyline more. 

The Sun Down Motel is definitely worth the read if you’re in the mood for a good ghostly thriller!

RATING (out of five puppies)

Hollow by Rhonda Parrish

Hollow

by Rhonda Parrish
Published: Tyche Books, 2020
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

That moment of absolute clarity, of peace, becomes a weapon in this world which seems to thrive on people's pain and suffering. Not a physical weapon, like a sword or a gun, but a weapon just the same. I feel it. I am it.

About the book

A car accident shattered sixteen-year-old Morgan's family. Now her brother’s dead, her mom's paralyzed in more ways than one, her dad lives at work and her seven-year-old sister Amy tries too freaking hard to salvage everything. What’s more, high school is its own special kind of hell, where her ex-boyfriend delights in spreading rumors that shred her reputation and make her feel like a loser. When she finds an old camera in a creepy abandoned hospital, it seems like her luck is finally changing. And it is changing--from bad to worse. Because of course it is. Each time Morgan photographs one of her classmates they become corrupted versions of themselves. It's like the camera steals their goodness, their essence, and leaves them hollow. Then her sister uses the camera to take a selfie. No matter what the cost, Morgan will find a way to reverse the effects of the cursed camera and save Amy, before her already-fractured family completely self-destructs.

Review

Morgan is an average teenager whose live was changed forever when a car accident killed her little brother and left her mother paralyzed. Several months later, she’s battling with guilt and shame when she finds an old Polaroid camera in an abandoned hospital. Morgan soon discovers that with each photo she takes, those pictured become angry… VERY angry and aggressive, like they’re becoming corrupted versions of themselves. In order to save her friends, Morgan must face her own guilty conscious.

Hollow isn’t a bad book, but it is just OK. I mean, it’s an overall fast, enjoyable read. My main complaint is that the story is slow and the plot is thin. I’m also confused how a photography obsessed teenager doesn’t know the name of the Polaroid camera, but that’s just me being nick-picky. 

The theme of the novel is what liked the most. Morgan must first face her fears and the guilts over the car accident and her failed relationship with Keith before she’s able to save those around her. I feel like this epitomizes the importance of forgiving yourself which is one of the first things I learned in therapy. You can’t control everything that happens to you but you CAN learn to control how you react to it. For this reason, I’m giving Hollow a higher rating than what I was planning originally. 

RATING (out of five puppies)