Andrea Ward
I fell for every single red herring, but by the end I figured out what was going on just before Jenna did. I liked the amount of the detective's life we get and the amount of investigating as well. At the end, there is even discussions between people that suspected each other. That was a great touch at the end.
I LOVE this book!
I love everything I have read from Justina Ireland. Her plots are compelling. Her characters are strong and capable. The world she creates is scary because the conclusions feel like realistic outcomes of the events she sets up.
As Laura discovers her powers, we get to understand the world without an info dump and we get to experience the awe from the magic as well. The inclusion of the pictures and parts of Skylark's report make you keep reading because you want to know how it all comes together.
Read this book!
By the end of the book, I really fell in love with the characters. Some of the ways the author was building the world took me out of the story. The focus on having babies for Neptune's army also took me out of the story at the beginning. I'm glad I stuck with it because it did make the stakes higher for the romance part toward the end. I'm curious to see what happens next because there is a bigger story that is being set up.
First of all, Gabe is back! That brings lots of drama. And then there are secrets, a steamboat, and a wedding! I don't want to say anymore, so I don't spoil anything.
The mystery is unique. It seems so straightforward, but I couldn't figure out how it all came together. It was clever.
If you like this series, this one will make you squeal with all the drama and secrets.
I loved how much Miriam gets to be a foodie and discuss history and societal issues. We get such a good feel for Puerto Rico. It is not just the setting, but also the issues facing the island and how people are trying to make it better. And Miriam is the perfect voice for us to learn through.
The mystery is complicated and twisty. I loved uncovering all the pieces and seeing how it tied into the issues we are learning about. The use of Spanish felt authentic and the narrator did a great job seamlessly using both Spanish and English.
If untranslated language isn't your thing, you might not enjoy this one. Also if you want a murder and investigation, this one is not your typical murder and investigation cozy.
If you like a strong sense of place and lots suspects, you will like this one. If you like lots of suspicious actions and Miriam's food anthropology career, you will love this one.
I was along for the ride with Miriam, so I loved the story and the audiobook.
Hylee is an interesting character and the way she learns about everything is unique. It isn't easy because there isn't one character with all the answers. So she has to ask around and then figure out some things for herself. Her relationships with family and friends are complicated and she sometimes makes the wrong decisions. But she doesn't give up and that makes a difference.
Quick powerful read
In some ways this is a typical kids winning a crazy contest in order to help out their parent, but as I kept reading, I fell in love with Hope, Gordon, Jennifer, and others. As the book moves along, we also get to know other Winterton family member and the tragedies from their past. If you like a book about kids solving puzzles to win a contest, pick up this one. If you like families trying to deal with grief, pick up this one.
The description of a fantasy Jane Eyre retelling is accurate. You can see the bones of Jane Eyre with some fabulous additions. I really loved the way that the female characters are given more agency and power in this story. The parental tragedies of Jane Eyre are there, but there is a little more hope infused in there. I loved the horror parts with the Manifestations. There is not a total answer wrapped up in a bow, which leaves me thinking about the story. The twist was a surprise that I didn't see coming, but is perfect. This is a fabulous book,
We get to see so much more of Misty's family! We also get to see a few unique mountain characters as well. There is lots of snow and some winter sports too. This is one is super cozy!
As to the mystery, I knew who it was right away, but I didn't know why or how. So there was still mystery to be explored. This book really helps to develop Misty and Rocky into more rounded characters with a history. It makes for a great addition to the Mountain Lodge Mysteries.
I loved the character of Asher Gale. He reminded me of hard boiled detectives like Phillip Marlowe. That can be a tricky characterization to get right and Hincker hits the nail on the head. The addition of Asher Gale's ability to see different ultraviolet colors made his investigation unique. We get some answers to the mystery, but there are still other answers out there to be had, so it makes you want to keep reading the next novel.
If you like detective fiction and propulsive narrative, you have to pick this book up.
This was an interesting mix of stories. We see the murder mystery as well as the history of Belle Vie. While Caren is trying to manage the plantation and trying to solve the mystery, she is also digging in to her own history. There were times when I got into one plot line and forgot about the other. I'm not sure if I liked that or not. Overall I love the themes that this is dealing with and that will keep me thinking about this book for awhile.
I did not expect the turns this book took! I wasn't sure if I liked the characters at first, but I fell in love with them as I learned more about them, which made the plot points more powerful. The horror elements surprised me and were the exact perfect way to tell the story. I would have liked a little more about her grandma because there were a few things I had to guess at, but that was a tiny distraction.
Tananarive Due fit so much into this book and surprised me in so many good ways. I will definitely have to read more of her works.
I loved visiting Mistletoe, Maine for another Christmas. We got to see some reindeer games and a blizzard as well as a wedding. I loved the Christmas feel of this book! The wedding is a good payoff for Holly and Evan. It was so good to see everyone coming together to help them.
The mystery was interesting. The first time we see the victim, Tiffany, is when she is dead. Then we learn about her as they investigate. It was a bit hard to keep some of the ballerinas straight, so I was never quite sure which of them was a suspect. The murderer made sense in the end. I also liked the stalker mystery and how Evan's sister had to work through that.
Amazing setting, wonderful characters, and pretty good mystery.
I love these friends! The idea of an innocent kids game plunging them into a dark and dangerous world made the story feel timeless. I liked the way they had to investigate and put the clues together. The way the kids fought back against the creature was clever. And Justin was an amazing narrator. He really gave the story a depth I didn't expect.
Margaret is such a unique narrator! Margaret kept me off balance through most of the book. I was totally sure I knew what was going on and then something unexpected happened. Some of the twists I knew, but others were a surprise, especially the resolution. It made the reading experience so much fun that I read the book in one day. I haven't done that in a while.
The secret of the house isn't much of a secret, but the how to deal with it was what I wanted to discover. The way the secrets are unveiled and the layers are pulled back kept me listening to the audiobook. The sense of gothic darkness around the house definitely came through the audiobook as well. It is a great creepy book, but not as scary as I had hoped.