Amity

First of all, thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy!

Four Found Dead starts with a group a teens on their last night at Riverview Theater, the last remaining business in the otherwise abandoned, dilapidated mall that is scheduled to be torn down. They plan on locking up and leaving their job - and their unstable supervisor, Clayton - behind them as they all move on to hopefully bigger and better things. But after an almost-violent encounter between Clayton and his angry wife and a major power outage, the group gets separated and finds that one of them has been murdered. What follows is a fight for survival, and as the title implies, not all of the remaining characters will make it out alive.

Hmm, so, okay...the good: I love the setting! A giant abandoned mall is a GREAT place for a slasher. Malls in general are great when utilized in the horror genre. I mean, look at Dawn of the Dead or the even more highly-rated classic, Chopping Mall:



Sadly, no killer robots to be found in this book.

The main problem with this is it's way too long, and the suspense is undercut by repetition. I took to annotating every time certain things were mentioned / phrases were repeated almost verbatim, but I was running low on sticky notes by the end and had to give up. It was also very tell tell tell, which is fine to an extent in YA books but teens aren't stupid, they can figure things out without holding their hand every step of the way.

I feel like I'm being overly negative! There were positives. Again, there was the fun, creepy setting, and I appreciated that it was pretty fast-paced (things start happening right at the 10% mark, which I think is perfect for a slasher) and the interspersed news clippings and such were fun. For me this was a two-star read, but I could see teens being entertained by it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to them if they are already fans of the genre.

Apparently I read this almost exactly ten years ago! And guess what, it still slaps. Maybe the pacing is a little weird at times, and the “which boy do I like more” is a little overdone (especially when Johanna Mason is RIGHT THERE, throwing axes and being mean and cool and generally winning over my heart) but dang, it is still so good. 4 wedding dresses going up in flames out of 5.

Great art, great story, and I don't think anyone will ever be cooler than Bats. Also, kudos to King for making Riddler legit creepy and menacing. 4 bad days out of 5

“...if these adorable kitties snuggle with a human, the human is transformed into yet another cat.”

Well, I'm toast, since I usually sleep with approximately 15 pounds of adorable dumb cat on my face:



But honestly, as far as apocalypses go, this one doesn't sound half-bad. 4 precious floofy terrors out of 5.

The same experience I had with Hallett's previous works (a solid premise with fun solve-it-yourself mixed media elements with a narrative that tends to drag a bit in the middle) is ALSO true of this one, but dang do I have fun once the reveals are, er, revealed! This one made me a bit sadder than the others, for some reason. Maybe it's the homages to Michelle McNamara? I don't know, but I will continue to read Hallett's books as long as they continue to have satisfying conclusions. 3.5 WhatsApp convos out of 5, rounded up.

Not QUITE as good as the first volume but I still liked it overall...some minor complaints but mainly still pretty good! 4 altered memories out of 5.

EDIT: I just read that maybe this will be it?? If so, kiiiiiiind of a letdown of a nonending, but oh well!

Not completely what I expected, but a sweet read. Everyone was very loveable and the banter was cute. A gentle, heartwarming meditation on what it means to be human. 3.5 Rambos singing out of 5.

I think this was my favorite one since [b:In an Absent Dream 38244358 In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children, #4) Seanan McGuire https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525436165l/38244358.SY75.jpg 59926216] because apparently I like to be miserable? But much like that book, I understood the world the Door led to much more than a lot of the others (do I secretly want to just live in a cluttered thrift store forever? signs point to yes), and Antsy was such a lovely character that I wanted to hug. It was very sad, and I appreciate the CW that McGuire included, but there was a whimsy and hope to it that I feel soothed some of the rough edges of the ending. Definitely take caution if grooming / gaslighting is triggering to you in any way, though! Overall, 4 life-sucking Doors out of 5.

I might have to come back and change my rating...it's hovering between a 3 and a rounded-up 3.5. There was so much to like here: some genuinely spooky moments, a great atmosphere, a compelling plot...but it also fizzled out a bit toward the end, and there were maybe too many character perspectives? I will definitely read more from this author as I liked this and have previously liked his NoSleep Podcast work but for now I'm giving this 3 spooky ghost kids out of 5.

Hmm, okay, so....not as gripping as the first one, and it seemed sort of repetitive at times? I don't know, Bardugo is so talented and there were certain scenes and lines that made me stop and appreciate what a gifted writer she is, but the plot here was....ehhh. And normally, I can handwave wonky plot stuff in favor of good characters, because that's what I really look for in a book, but I didn't feel the connection with any of the characters like I did in the first one. It felt like their personalities sort of...stagnated, I guess? Even Demon!Darlington was still basically the same and tbh I found him a bit cringey when he was acting more demon-y.

I still like the magic and the world-building, and I'm vaguely interested in the next book. Mostly because I want to see Turner just have a good day. Y'know, maybe get some ice cream, pet some dogs, pop some bubble wrap, anything to get him away from those meddling kids and their secret societies and magic. Overall, 3 Cosmo the Cat appearances out of 5.

Mindy McGinnis does it again. Compelling characters and an authentic small-town feel, all tied together with an intriguing mystery. My only complaint is that I wanted Lydia and Bristal to smooch, but I guess we can't have everything. 4 bad days out of 5.

EDIT: I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION UNEVEN STEVEN! Definitely in my top favorite fictional felines. He gets 80 fafillion stars out of 5.

A new small town with new characters, a new monster who has mouths and eyeballs where they shouldn't be, and an over-the-top creepy antagonist on Erica's trail! Lots to like in this one, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out. 4 hot springs out of 5.

A spooky-yet-sweet little story. Some truly grotesque imagery coupled with a quiet meditation on marriage. 3 rotting appendages out of 5.

I was going back and forth on how to rate this one. It is very readable and the story it lays out is fascinating (plus, I love his love of libraries/librarians), but I'm not sure how it holds up as a work of nonfiction. Emerson is definitely not an unbiased author and his decision not to include citations is worthy of a side-eye. It's not that I particularly mind his bias - I'm certainly no defender of Sparks and his asides often made me laugh - but coupled with the lack of citations, it makes me hesitant to give it any more than a 3 “"”anonymous””” “"”real””” diaries out of 5.

I feel like this could have benefited from being less of a retelling of [b:Carrie 10592 Carrie Stephen King https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166254258l/10592.SY75.jpg 1552134] and focused a bit more on Maddy as a character, but it was still a good Halloween read and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to YA readers. 3 old-timey movie references out of 5.

On a bike ride up a remote mountain road, sixteen-year-old Georgia gets hit by a car. Upon waking, she finds herself on the side of the road near the dead body of a young girl named Ashley. Her life changes forever as she investigates the mystery with Ashley's older sister Nora, all while navigating the pressures of her new job at an elite resort and still dealing with the grief of losing her mother.

The newest book from Sadie author Courtney Summers is an unflinching, raw portrayal of the power imbalances and unfairness that make up our patriarchal society. It is a challenging read, though the developing relationship between Georgia and Nora and the connection between Georgia and her brother adds a measure of hope and lightness to an otherwise necessarily dark story. I had a few minor quibbles, but overall this is an easy 4.5 out of 5, rounded up. Thanks to Goodreads for sending this ARC to me!

Apparently I'm going to read this approximately every two years! Nora/Pez/June is the true OT3 of our dreams. Still 4 out of 5, still cute, still here for the kissing.

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Y'all, this book was so dang cute!

Okay, so here's the thing: if someone talks to me for more than 5 minutes, they will realize I am a giant, sappy romantic, the kind of person who believes true love conquers all and other such nonsense things. This is the flip-side to my horror-obsessed, gothy self. I am a study in opposites! Such a complex woman!

The point is, while I don't often gravitate toward romance novels - fanfic is generally where I get my sappy romance fix - I am most assuredly a sucker for a cute love story. And Alex and Henry are actually the cutest? I am 100% here for all the enemies-to friends-to lovers tropes, and their developing friendship is so adorable. Any relationship based on relentless teasing will instantly destroy my heart.

I cannot believe even mortal peril will not prevent you from being the way you are.

Henry heaves another almighty sigh. He's always sighing when Alex is involved. It's amazing he has any air left.

That is the kind of flirting I am here for!

There are a lot of other things I liked about this novel outside of the love story: Alex has a really strong friendship with his sister, June, and I love the idyllic world where a remarried, Democratic woman with biracial children from her previous marriage is president.

There were problems, of course, the main issue being that the writing was often very “tell” and not “show” which made the dialogue occasionally clunky, but who cares? I'm here for the kissing. 4/5 adorable, kissy stars.

this book was pure pain and anguish and i loved it. adam is best boy 5ever

i'm too emotional right now to formulate an actual review so: 4 dreamers out of 5

I didn't love this one quite as much as the first, but it's still like how I feel about a sugar cookie versus a chocolate chip cookie: both great, one is just preferable. But I'll eat them both? I lost track of where I was going with that tbh

ANYWAY! All our beloved characters well, the ones who survived from the first book are back, with a few newbies including Jerri, who was a welcome addition. Jerri, you have never done anything wrong in your life ever, and I love you.

I also know I'm fully an adult because young me would have swooned over Rust and, while I still adore him as a character, adult me has heart-eyes for Glenn. Such a good dad, such a huge doofus. <3

All in all, another banger full of retro-fun and social commentary and cool characters. 4 haunted corn mazes out of 5.

Beautiful art paired with a fun alphabet story. I want to push around a stroller filled with wee baby crocodiles. 4 crocodiles in overalls out of 5.

Today is the day for crying at picture books I guess. 3.5 axolotls watching keyboard cat out of 5.

Following the unfortunate deaths of their parents, estranged siblings Louise and Mark reunite in order to plan the funeral and figure out what to do with their childhood home. Their strained relationship becomes the least of their problems as they unearth long-buried memories associated with their mother's enormous collection of puppets and dolls and try to figure out why, exactly, the attic is boarded up...I have to hand it to Grady Hendrix, his stories rarely play out the way I expect them to; though there are some “well, obviously” moments in this book, so much of it was a surprise to me. And a pleasant surprise at that! I've never disliked any of the books of his I've read, but I often find myself feeling like they're missing something and while this one wasn't perfect, it was quite good and probably my favorite after [b:We Sold Our Souls 37715859 We Sold Our Souls Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527975643l/37715859.SY75.jpg 59355324]. I found the journey through the grieving process and mending family ties to be the most effective part of this story, but there are plenty of spooky-fun or downright creepy moments as well. I laughed out loud at a couple bits and highlighted a few passages only to comment “Grady why” or “no thank you” which is a good sign for a horror novel when you're a horror superfan like myself. At any rate, I'm giving this a solid 4 out of 5 creepy puppets. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Oof, this was a tough read, but also funny sometimes? She has a very deadpan sense of humor even as she details her childhood trauma as well as her addictions and disorders. I hope she continues to recover and that her writing career flourishes, as she is clearly talented and passionate. A difficult but important read. 4 stars out of 5.

This was a very gentle read with lovely art. It was light on plot, instead relying on ~vibes~ but I enjoyed it. 3 necromancers gardeners out of 5.

I was so excited to receive this ARC from Sourcebooks! Opening my mail that day was free serotonin. Many thanks to them!

When we last left Luc and Oliver, they were transitioning from fake relationship to real relationship, with a lot of bumps along the way. This story picks up two years later, and we find out what they (and their group of friends) have been up to. Luc and Oliver are happy and stable, with Luc essentially moved into Oliver's house, and their friends are making big life steps like adopting a child and getting married. With everyone around them moving forward, they (especially Luc) feel like they need to be following suit and get to their “I dos” already.

But this being a rom-com, there will be of course be a lot of hijinks along the way.

I didn't like this one quite as much as its predecessor, and felt like it had some pacing issues, but overall it was charming and made me laugh a lot. Luc and Oliver have fantastic banter and feel like realistically flawed people, and their friend group, while occasionally less nuanced, is still great (especially Priya, my beloved). I'd recommend this for fans of the first one who wanted a bit more closure on Luc and Oliver's relationship. 3.5 rainbow balloon arches out of 5, rounded up.