REVIEW: Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Ivy Jensen survived the Dark House once, but can she make it out a second time?

Two months have passed since Ivy narrowly escaped the Nightmare Elf’s grip, but the memories of Parker, Natalie, Shayla, Frankie, and Garth continue to haunt her. Their killer is still out there—somewhere. The police trail has gone cold, though, and it’s up to Ivy to piece together the clues to find him.

When a cryptic video arrives in her inbox, Ivy soon finds herself back in the spotlight, this time on a twisted scavenger hunt through the dark, ancient halls of a long-forgotten Gothic school building. Ivy’s not alone, either. Taylor Monroe has returned to the scene. But can Taylor be trusted? Or is she another pawn in the Nightmare Elf’s deadly game?

Laurie Faria Stolarz crafts a mesmerizing thriller that will leave readers looking over their shoulders.

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NOTE: This is a sequel. To see my review for book one, look here.

MY THOUGHTS

After reading Welcome to the Dark House, I definitely needed to read this book. This was a great conclusion to the duology. I still didn't love it, but it did make an entertaining thriller.

Ivy escaped the Dark House, but it still haunts her. She may be alive, but what happened to the others? What happened to Parker? And the one who orchestrated the game is still out there. When she receives cryptic messages, Ivy realizes that the game is not over. She might be able to save the others, but now she has Taylor, the girl who was supposed to be in the game, there to help her.

The ending of Welcome to the Dark House had quite a few unanswered questions. This book definitely attempts to answer them. Ivy is a very different character than book one. She has just survived another terrifying event and she is obsessed with solving the mystery of what happened to the others and who was behind it, but the professionals aren't getting anywhere near solving it. This frustrates her so she takes matters in her own hands. This causes her to make some questionable decisions because she is so desperate to help her friends. It is hard to relate to her at times, but it is understandable that her head is not in the best place.

It is interesting that we finally meet Taylor. Taylor was meant to be a part of the Dark House, but she ran off when she realized something was up. Even though she did not go through the terrifying events of book one, she is still in a tough spot. Many of her classmates blame her for what happened because she could have prevented the tragedies. I don't think she could have done anything to stop it, but this is their logic. I loved that we got to meet Taylor and the odd friendship that pops up between Taylor and Ivy, as both girls certainly need friends. The book is dual perspective between them but, unfortunately, their voices were very similar. Taylor has some sarcasm and spunk, but that didn't always show through. It was especially difficult to tell them apart within long dialogue scenes.

I absolutely loved the amusement park scenes in book one and found them both terrifying and thrilling. In this book, we get the classic creepy house, with a mix of scavenger hunt. This was also very terrifying, and even though I guessed at some things ahead of time, I really had no idea where the book was headed! The first half of the book was a bit slow, but once the characters were in this new setting, the pace really picked up! I think I still found the setting in book one more thrilling and different, but this was still a thrilling end.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did like this book. It won't go down on my favorites list, it has its fair share of problems, but I did find this book and the previous book entertaining.

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

REVIEW: Zenith by Julie Bertagna

The thrilling sequel to internationally acclaimed Exodus.

In this compelling continuation of Julie Bertagna's timely trilogy, the search for a future remains a terrifying fight for survival. Sixteen-year-old Mara and her ship of refugees are tracking the North Star in search of land in the mountains of Greenland to call home. A Gypsea boy named Tuck, orphaned when Mara's ship plows through his floating city, becomes inextricably linked to their fate. Meanwhile, back in the drowned ruins at the feet of the towering sky city, Fox begins his battle with the cruel, corrupt rulers of the New World. Forced to make their own new beginnings in a savage world, three teens must struggle to make sense of the past, overcome the harsh dangers of the present, and build a future worth living. 

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NOTE: This is a sequel. To see my review for book one, look here.

MY THOUGHTS

While I did not love Exodus, I was curious enough to see what would happen next. There are some interesting developments in this book, but I still have an indifferent opinion on the series.

This book starts where Exodus left off, with Mara leading the ships to Greenland in hopes that that will be a safe place to settle, without fear of the ocean overtaking them. But things are still not going to be easy for Mara. Meanwhile, a young boy, Tuck lives in a floating city of ships and becomes orphaned after Mara hits his city. And the Fox lives below New Mundo in hopes to dismantle the city's corruption.

The plot is pretty similar to book one, with Mara going on an adventure through various settings. She, of course, encounters more problems. That's a big reason why I kind of thought Exodus was fine by itself because sequels always bring more conflict and I would be fine believing that Mara was living happily in Greenland. One of the main reasons why I continued was because there were still threads to tie-up in New Mundo, but that was never resolved in this book. We see the Fox, but it's mostly him just hiding in the old university and worrying about Mara. He doesn't do anything, so his scenes frustrated me. We do see new characters, such as Tuck, and I do think the series does a great job of showing the different types of societies that crop up after an apocalyptic event.

It took me a while to get into this book because, like book one, the pacing is slow, but once I got about midway through the book I became intrigued by this cast of characters. There are a lot of difficult and hard situations in this book, but that is to be expected. Near the end of the book some major plot points came, which really drew me in, but the last few chapters were a bit confusing.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this was an okay read. I did like it and I think it had a lot of interesting elements, but I felt like some areas dragged and like the last book I felt disconnected. The book left off on a curious and odd note, but the third book was never published in America so it's unlikely that I will read it.

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

REVIEW: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back.

But Naomi picked heads.

After her remarkable debut, Gabrielle Zevin has crafted an imaginative second novel all about love and second chances.

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MY THOUGHTS
This book wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought this was going to be a mystery, but it turned out to be a dull contemporary. It wasn't bad, but not much happened.

When Naomi takes a fall down the stairs, she wakes up without any memory of the last four years. She doesn't remember her best friend, her boyfriend, her parent's divorce, moving, or even skills like driving. She has to keep going to school and continue the extracurriculars she started before her accident, but it's hard to go on when you don't remember so much of your life.

I honestly expected this to be a mystery, though I'm not certain why. So if you are wanting to read a mystery, then don't pick this up. This book is really just a contemporary book. It's a coming of age story where the MC is dealing with memory loss. I did like this angle (even though I had some trouble with how amnesia was handled. More on that later) and it did make this book a little different than other contemporary YA books I've read. But while the book focuses a little on Naomi's memory, the last half of the book really just feels like a slice-of-life book and the pacing was a bit slow.

Naomi is an interesting MC. I didn't agree with a lot of her decisions, especially when it came to telling people things, but she's a teenager so she's bound to make mistakes. It is clear how she is struggling with her memory loss. To her, four years have passed in a blink. She has the memories of a twelve-year-old, but she's doesn't feel twelve. The book does delve into how she feels different from the pre-amenia Naomi (the Naomi of the memories she lost). She tries out new things and breaks away from people that she doesn't think are good for her. I wish the differences between the Naomis was explored more because I think that is an interesting idea. Could she be a different person without those four years? But I feel like this topic was dropped pretty quickly.

This brings me to my issues with her amnesia. [highlight to view spoiler] She remembers everything very quickly and fairly easily. It was pretty much SNAP, and her memories were back. Her personality didn't change at all when the memories were back (no one could even tell they were back). I expected more of the Naomi vs. Naomi thing, where the Naomi with her memories back realized how much she had changed or how odd her actions were to her, etc, but of course, that didn't happen. It just felt lackluster and was only used as a way for Naomi to hide the fact that she remembers everything again. [end of spoiler]

As far as relationships, I loved Naomi's relationship with Will (or, at least, Will's relationship with her). I loved their repertoire and they seemed like great friends, but of course, Naomi had to ruin that. This book does have romance but it did not read like a contemporary romance. Naomi has a boyfriend at the start of the book who she does not remember. But the book makes it clear that their relationship doesn't work, so she is interested in another boy, James. I didn't really like either boy, to be honest, but in both cases, the book really focuses more on what the characters think they want rather than what they really need. It was a different type of relationship than I am used to seeing in YA [highlight to view spoiler] and even though the book ended with Naomi not in either relationship, I oddly liked that because it didn't force an unbelievable high school relationship. [end of spoiler]

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I found this book to really just be okay. It really just wasn't what I expected and it didn't focus on the elements that I thought it should have focused on. It is a little different than other contemporary books I've read, but the story kind of dragged and it didn't feel like much happened.

I hereby give this book

2.5 Stars

Meaning: I almost liked it, but not quite

Waiting on Wednesday: Rewritten by Tara Gilboy

Waiting on Wednesday (or Can't Wait Wednesday) is a weekly meme, hosted by Wishful Endings, where we talk about the books we're waiting (a bit impatiently) for!

This week I am waiting for...

After learning the truth about her own fairy tale, twelve-year-old Gracie wants nothing more than to move past the terrible things author Gertrude Winters wrote about her and begin a new chapter in the real world. If only things were going as planned. On the run from the evil Queen Cassandra, the characters from Gracie’s story have all been forced to start over, but some of them cannot forget Gracie’s checkered past.

Even worse, Gracie discovers that as long as Cassandra has her magical book, the Vademecum, Gracie’s story is still being written and none of the characters are safe, including her mom and dad. In a desperate attempt to set things right, Gracie finds herself transported into another one of Gertrude’s stories—but this one is a horror story. Can Gracie face her destiny and the wild beast roaming the night, to rewrite her own story?

Release Date: April 7th, 2020

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Why am I waiting?

I really liked the first book but I also think the concept of this book sounds really interesting! While the last book featured the MC going into her own book, now she is going into another book that is a completely different genre. I am really curious about how this will show on the page.
What book are you waiting for this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Reads So Far This Year

Hosted each week by That Artsy Reader Girl, it's a meme for listing the top ten for everything bookish.

Today's topic is "Characters I’d Follow On Social Media" but since 1) I have trouble remembering characters and 2) I don't really use social media, I decided to instead just list some good books I've read so far this year.

*In no certain order*

What are some great books you've read so far this year?

REVIEW: Exodus by Julie Bertagna

It is 2099 - and the world is gradually drowning, as mighty Arctic ice floes melt, the seas rise, and land disappears forever beneath storm-tossed waves. For 15-year-old Mara, her family and community, huddled on the fast-disappearing island of Wing, the new century brings flight. Packed into tiny boats, a terrifying journey begins to a bizarre city that rises into the sky, built on the drowned remains of the ancient city of Glasgow. But even here there is no safety and, shut out of the city, Mara realizes they are asylum-seekers in a world torn between high-tech wizardry and the most primitive injustice. To save her people, Mara must not only find a way into the city but also search for a new land and a new home...

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MY THOUGHTS

I've had this book on my TBR for quite a few years and I've finally got around to it. It makes an interesting apocalyptic book, and it is still relevant, but the book didn't fully draw me in.

Mara lives on the island of Wing, but her island has been slowly swallowed up by the sea over the last few decades. Hoping for a new home for her people, Mara sets off to find the sky cities, cities that were built when the ocean first started taking over the land. But the journey comes with lots of risks and in the end, is there a place that is safe from the ocean?

This book was published eighteen years ago but the apocalyptic environment depicted is still relevant. Fears of global warming, climate change, and melting ice caps are even more prevalent now. In that sense, this world is even more frightening today because we can still see this future as a possibility. I did feel that the book was more focused on coastal areas and islands, which makes sense as this was first published in the UK. As someone who lives in a landlocked area, I was really curious how landlocked places were affected because the book makes it seem like the entire world is underwater. Still, the book did a great job of creating this future.

It took me a bit to get into the story. I think that mainly comes from the fact that I am just not as interested in dystopian/apocalyptic books anymore. I did eventually get more invested in the story, but the pacing of this book is strange. It felt slow, yet some important areas were sped through. Maybe that was just the writing style, but Mara travels through a variety of settings. From Wing, to the ocean, to the Treenesters, to New Mundo, etc. While we go through these settings very quickly, it did show how different these settings were from one another, while also letting Mara get familiar with the issues in every setting.

There is romance in this book and I was not a big fan. Up until the romance, this book read like MG, or young YA, which made the romance seem strange. It was very fast and I just didn't see the chemistry between them. They said they loved each other, but they weren't together very long.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did like it but the story couldn't always keep my interest. I do think the concept is still relevent. The ending felt like it could have made this into a standalone if it weren't for some of the unanswered questions in New Mundo. But Mara's story felt pretty concluded. Still, there are two more books. I own the sequel, so I'm going to go ahead and read it. 

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

New Releases in YA! (February 23rd-29th)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!

Did I miss any books?

What books, if any, do you plan to read?

Short and Simple Reviews: The Farm & The Lair

This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.

Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

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Review

This was a reread because I needed to refresh my memory in order to read book two. My feelings are pretty much the same as the first time I read the book. This book is a dystopian vampire book featuring a society where zombie/vampire creatures are all over the country and teenagers are put into farms for "protection". I think this book has some interesting ideas, but it does read a lot like other dystopian books. This follows three characters, Lily, Mel, and Carter. Lily and Mel are twin sisters living in a farm and Mel is autistic. I really liked Mel's perspectives and how there was an autistic character because that is something I don't often see in YA. I can't say how accurate her portrayal is though. Lily is your typical dystopian protagonist, trying her hardest to survive, to protect her sister, and everyone seems to think she is special. Carter is her love interest. Even though I am kind of tired of dystopian books now, I did like reading this book. I do think there are other books that do a better job of a vampire dystopian (like The Immortal Rules) but I overall did like this book.

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

In the battle against the vampiric Ticks, humanity was slowly but certainly headed for extinction. For months, twin sisters Lily and Mel had been “quarantined” with thousands of other young people being harvested for their blood—food for the Ticks. Finally escaping with a few friends, the twins are separated—and must continue the fight on their own . . .

After making it to a resistance base camp in Utah, Lily learned to survive at all costs. But when a Tick attack decimates the fighters, Lily and her pregnant friend, McKenna, decide to make the hard trek north to Canada—and safety.

Meanwhile, Mel is being taught how to survive by the very vampire that turned her. Living without her sister is hard, but dealing with the fact that her autism was cured by the vampire bite is an even bigger challenge.

But when a monstrous betrayal places Lily in mortal danger, Mel must set out to find her, save her, and begin to unravel the empire of destruction that the Ticks have built.   

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Review

It took me a bit to get into this book. While the series has some interesting dystopian ideas, this book follows a lot of the typical middle-book plotlines. The characters are now part of a rebellion, trying to survive outside what they just escaped, and the main couple separates for most of the book. This made me not as interested in the book because I could tell there would be middle-book syndrome. Thankfully, though, the pace picks up and even when the characters are separated and there are some high stakes scenes. This book changes up the narration a little and I'm not sure why. We still follow Lily, Mel, and Carter, but Carter's is in first-person for some reason instead of Lily. As for Mel, I had some problems with her portrayal in this book. *Highlight for Book One Spoilers* Mel is autistic and at the end of book one, she is turned into a vampire. In this book, it is clear that her turn effectively made her no longer autistic which didn't sit well with me. She does show that she is upset by this change because she was fine with who she was before and didn't want to be anyone else, so the book acknowledges the issue, but I didn't like how the book took the autistic character and tried to "cure" her. *End of Spoiler* Anyway, I also found the romance annoying. Carter spends most of the book being overprotective of Lily, even though she proved in the last book she can do things for herself. I just didn't really care about their relationship. The book does get interesting near the end and ends on a pretty big note, but I honestly don't think I will read the last book. It's not at any of my libraries and I am not invested enough to want to buy a copy. Also, I get the feeling that Mel and Sebastian will be a thing and no, I do not want that to happen. 

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

REVIEW: Blueberry Pancakes Forever by Angelica Banks

Winter has fallen in the world of story, and at Brown Street, Tuesday's typewriter lies silent. Far away in the Peppermint Forest, Vivienne Small fears that she will never again feel the touch of the sun... But when the mysterious Loddon appears in Vivienne's treehouse, he brings with him terrible danger. Without warning, Tuesday is swept up into the world of story as she has never seen it before. In this forbidding and unfamiliar place - and without her beloved dog Baxterr at her side - Tuesday becomes Loddon's captive. But who exactly is this strange boy? And will she find a way to defeat him?... Blueberry Pancakes Forever will capture the hearts of everyone who is entranced by the power of story.

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NOTE: This is the third book in a series. Look here for my review of book one and here for my review of book two.

MY THOUGHTS
After reading, and loving, A Week without Tuesday, I immediately wanted to read the next book in the series! This book had an entirely different tone than the previous two books, but it takes the world of story in an entirely new direction and discusses some more difficult topics, all while still in this fantasy world.

Tuesday can't write. The words won't come to her. Her mother is in the same boat. But it's not just writer's block, they're grieving. Tuesday's father has died suddenly and she is having trouble getting herself to write. But they can't stay away from the land of stories. While Tuesday's mother goes into the land of stories to try and bring herself back, Tuesday is taken by Loddon, a character who thinks that Tuesday is his writer.

While the last two books were fun reads, this book takes a completely different turn. Tuesday's father dies before the start of the book (this is not a spoiler), so the book begins with us seeing the grieving family. When I read these scenes, it hit me hard, and I knew that this book would not be the same as the others. This book honestly just captures grief in such a different way, but it still felt authentic. It shows how grief can make everything hard, even making it hard to do the things you usually love to do. The land of stories even illustrates how it affects the writing process, to the point where the author's world is frozen. It made the book read like a fantastical book, while also making us able to relate to the character's journeys.

Like the other books in the series, this book approaches storytelling in a unique way. I wasn't sure how it would be expanded after the fantastic last week, but it does do a great job. We see more about how a story is created in this world in the first place, and the unfinished books in the world. We see how much the characters affect the authors, and not always in a positive way. I wondered about unfinished/abandoned books ever since they were briefly mentioned in the library in the first book. It was fascinating, and even a little frightening, seeing how this was shown in the book!

The main characters are so well-developed in this book. There are some minor characters that felt like they were there just to move the plot forward (example: Collette), but many of the main characters, and even characters that show up again from previous books, felt even more developed. They have grown and changed since book one. Tuesday certainly has changed and we see her as a very different person from the start of this book to the end. I really loved Tuesday's and Serendipity's relationship. In this book more than others, both Tuesday and her mother are going through their own journey's and they really must come together. We even learn more about Serendipity's childhood.

The ending was absolutely beautiful. It was incredibly sad and boy did it make me cry (I'm teary-eyed just thinking about it), but it was such a fantastic end to the book. Even though it was sad, it did warm my heart and was just the perfect end to the series.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I am a bit sad that this series is over with. This was such a wonderfully imaginative series and I am so glad that I picked it up! I didn't like this book quite as much as A Week Without Tuesday, but I still loved the book and I think it was just a beautiful end to the series. I think this series will stick with me for a while.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

Waiting on Wednesday: What Stars Are Made of by Sarah Allen

Waiting on Wednesday (or Can't Wait Wednesday) is a weekly meme, hosted by Wishful Endings, where we talk about the books we're waiting (a bit impatiently) for!

This week I am waiting for...

Twelve-year-old Libby Monroe is great at science, being optimistic, and talking to her famous, accomplished friends (okay, maybe that last one is only in her head). She’s not great at playing piano, sitting still, or figuring out how to say the right thing at the right time in real life. Libby was born with Turner Syndrome, and that makes some things hard. But she has lots of people who love her, and that makes her pretty lucky.

When her big sister Nonny tells her she’s pregnant, Libby is thrilled—but worried. Nonny and her husband are in a financial black hole, and Libby knows that babies aren’t always born healthy. So she strikes a deal with the universe: She’ll enter a contest with a project about Cecelia Payne, the first person to discover what stars are made of. If she wins the grand prize and gives all that money to Nonny’s family, then the baby will be perfect. Does she have what it takes to care for the sister that has always cared for her? And what will it take for the universe to notice? 

Release Date: March 31st, 2020

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Why am I waiting?

I love middle-grade books and this looks like a fantastic one! This looks like it will be bittersweet, but it looks like it will have amazing messages and I already love the MC.
What book are you waiting for this week?

New Releases in YA! (February 16th-22nd)

Every week I list all (or almost all) of the YA books (and the occasional MG) that are coming out within that week!

P.S. Click on the book's cover for the Goodreads page!

Did I miss any books?

What books, if any, do you plan to read?