Tower of the Arkein - Chase Blackwood

I actually want to give this book 4.5 stars but we all know that isn't an option. I was given a free e-book copy for a review so here we go! 

Do you have to read the first one to understand this one? Nope. Do I now want to go read the first one? Yep. Will I snag a copy of the next one so I can find out where Aeden is? You bet I will!

Favorite quote of the entire book: "Does your ass ever become jealous by the amount of shit that comes out of your mouth?" I literally laughed out loud, took a photo, and uploaded to Instagram.  LOVE! 

The Kan Savasci Cycle is a coming of age epic adventure about Aeden.  All you need to know for this entire story is Aeden.  This is part two of the series with part one being background information apparently. 

This portion of the Kan Savasci Cycle is all about the Annalist trying to find Aeden...also know the Kan Savasci...also know as the Scourge of Bodig.  I'm definitely going to read the first and third books because I want to know more about why we need to find Aeden so badly...why is he the hope for the world? I mean, we see he's a badass but I want to know more.  The Annalist first meets with Neri, a priest and former brother monk of Aeden, and learns of Aeden's time in the desert of the A'sh.  Aeden was bought as a slave but you learn there's a much larger plot unfolding.  I was drawn into this alternate world and navigating my way through the life of a 15 year old boy.  Honestly, the only reason I deduct half a star is because it's hard for me to imagine Aeden being so young.  He goes through a lot of shit and I just kind of feel like he shouldn't be just turning 16 at the end of the book...I feel he's more on par with at least an 18 year old but hey...it's not a big enough deal to not enjoy the book.  

After meeting with Neri, the Annalist meets with the former Abbot of Aeden's former monastery.  This kid has seriously lived so many lives!  Through the Abbot we learn of Aeden's interactions with the Archduchess of Bodig and of course...there's a deeper plot unfolding there...not to mention Aeden pisses off the wrong dude.  I get that the Archduchess too is like his first love, but I'm ready for him to move on.  I want to tell him he will have other loves in his life and they will be reciprocated. I want to tell him his badass self is worthy of love and he deserves it for sure!  

And finally, we learn of Aeden's whereabouts from a former classmate named Thea.  It's during this time we learn about his time at the University of Galdor.  This was probably one of my favorite parts because I'm a nerd and feel like I would be a kindred spirit with Aeden and all of his reading.   

Every bit of this book is action packed, it's an amazing plot, and Blackwood has a way of drawing you in to where you just keep turning pages because, like the Annalist, you want to know where Aeden is.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Aeden's life and I really just want to give him a hug...but he's also a badass and already a man at only 15 but I need him to be older so I can have a book boyfriend in him.  He's such a conflicted individual who has been dealt a very bad hand but he's trying to make the best of it and just survive.  

The book is well written and has a great layout to it to keep you going.  I never once got bored or bogged down in extraneous information or detail which can sometimes happen when dealing with epic fantasy/adventure novels.  I never would have picked this book up but I'm so glad and grateful it was sent to me. 

I highly recommend it and if you're looking for a new adventure novel/series...look no further! 

Be sure to head to Amazon or Chase Blackwood's website to learn more about all of the books, both current and upcoming, in the Kan Savasci Cycle series! 

Book 19 - Ruler of the Night by David Morrell

The final novel of the Thomas DeQuincey trilogy does not disappoint!  I have absolutely loved every single book in this trilogy and I highly recommend them for anyone who enjoys mysteries and the Victorian era.  I am so upset that this is only a trilogy!  I could read more from these characters forever...legit. 

In the final installment, we find the opium-eater, Thomas DeQuincey, receiving a letter than his precious books are to be auctioned off!  This speaks to my spirit and I understand his need to rush to his books...I get it Thomas...I get it.  So he and his faithful daughter, Emily, board a train...and so do two other men.  One man carrying a briefcase, and another arriving just as the train is about to leave.  The two men in one compartment, Emily and her father in the other.  During the train ride, Emily and DeQuincey hear some commotion from the other compartment, and Thomas, having opened the window for some fresh air, is soon splattered in the face by blood.  Not being able to do anything until the train stops, Emily and her father spring into action, once at their destination, demanding their train compartment be opened at once.  However, when the other compartment is opened, there's no one in it; but there is blood...the briefcase is also absent.  The train though must keep its schedule and it has to leave before the constables can be summoned.  DeQuincey has the railway security man send a telegram to London asking for Scotland Yard detectives Ryan (swoon for the Irish) and Becker to come at once.  He and Emily set off down the tracks and find the body of the man who carried the briefcase.  Ooooooo train murder!  

Ryan and Becker arrive and the investigation begins.  They eventually find the killer gave his coat away to some homeless man but it is covered in blood.  Ryan trades his own coat for the killer's coat so it can be used as evidence.  The coat leads them into the town where a fire has been set at a hay barn...all of which is a distraction so the killer can break into the local clothing store and steal a coat...the best coat.  OOOO a clue!  The killer then makes his way back to London in the same coach Ryan and Becker used to arrive at the crime scene...'ello irony.  Eventually Ryan and Becker have done all they can and the crew heads back to London.  After some investigative work, they learn the identity of the dead guy is that of a notable attorney...an attorney who knows the secrets of parliamentarians, nobility, and even the Prime Minister.  So whose secret was in the briefcase that warranted killing?  And what was the secret? 

While the investigation is ongoing and more shit pops off, Thomas meets a friend from his past.  Carolyn was a young girl when Thomas knew her but she gave him shelter when he was homeless in London in his early teens.  When she was a child, he showed her how to make a rat poison cake because the home she was sheltering in with her 'guardian' was infested with them and she could always hear the rats scratching at the walls.  She learns from the Prime Minister that it is DeQuincey who is helping with the case and she seeks him out under the pretense that they are old friends.  Well...she's actually kind of up his ass...wanting to take him and Emily out to dinner, have tea with them, go to a water clinic in Sedwick Hill where the doctor is said to work wonders.  I must say the water clinic is in the same town that the attorney was headed to.........just store that in mind for later.

Thomas and Emily go with Carolyn to Sedwick Hill to see her daughter and this awesomesauce clinic.  At the same time, Ryan and Becker are headed to the same clinic due to some leads.  It is worth noting that Carolyn's daughter married an old ass man and he had a horse riding accident that has left him paralyzed and incapable of speech.  However, prior to his accident, Stella, Carolyn's daughter and the old man's wife, became pregnant and she gave birth to a son.  Meanwhile, the old man already had a grown son.  While Thomas and Emily are visiting, Stella's husband dies and she immediately blames the adult son.  Stella says she saw him coming out the room and when she entered, her husband was dead...he also had particles of snuff on his chest and of course the adult son uses snuff.  Well he loses his shift, rightfully so, and kicks them all out into the cold.  After all, he is now Lord of the manor and can do as he sees fit.  The crew then heads to the clinic to seek shelter.  When they arrive, who answers the door?  Why Detectives Ryan and Becker of course!  

Through a side plot that doesn't matter to the overall purpose of this synopsis, the clinic is set on fire.  Our major players manage to get out but it did add some excitement to the plot for a while.  It is worth noting however that Carolyn owned the clinic...

Everyone heads back to London and after a murder on a train, a bomb in a train station, and other shenanigans, the price of railroad shares has plummeted. However, someone keeps buying stock so that when all of this blows over, the price will rise and someone will be richer.  

Eventually Ryan, Becker, Emily, and Thomas all put the pieces together.  Carolyn's husband has been buying the stock, and he's also the murderer and the one who set the bomb off in the train station.  Why did he murder the attorney though?  Well...a private investigator, hired by Stella's stepson, found out he didn't have the same father as the new baby.  Stella had been fucking another man, at the insistence of her mother, so she could become pregnant and have a male heir.  Then, they would murder Stella's husband, pin it on the adult son, and inherit the estate and money.  Always with the money!  Stella, though, was fucked up mentally and emotionally because she saw her mother get pawed every night while she was working as a prostitute back in the day.  So Stella killed the first child she had, a daughter, but everyone thought it was just bad luck since the child died so young.  In actuality, Stella didn't want her daughter to have to endure a life of men.  Stella also doesn't like being touched by men so she kills the man who impregnated her.  She eventually ends up in Bedlam.  Carolyn's husband ends up in jail for murder.  And Carolyn commits suicide because she's crazy.  Her crazy kicks in again after her world falls apart and she hears the rats clawing at the walls and floors again.  She also writes Thomas a letter in which she admits to killing Ann.  THAT JEALOUS BITCH!  Learning she did that just made me dislike her even more.  If you read the first two, you'll learn well who Ann is.  She is the long lost love of Thomas.  He had to take a trip, back in his younger days, and upon his return he would meet Ann at a specific location and time but she never showed.  It is something that has haunted him for damn near 40 years.  I was so glad he was able to get closure, but I was also so pissed at Carolyn.  My heart hurt for him.  

So in the end Thomas gets his closure, he got a little pay day for solving so many murders, but Emily is still left to care for her father, potentially without her own little happy ending.  But wait...that's not so!  Detective Ryan...with his astute intellect, veteran police self, and Irish red hair loves Emily.  He's spent a lot of time thinking the age difference would mean she would be better off with someone else her own age, but he's finally ready to throw that logic in the trash.  When Emily boards the train and it begins moving, he hands the commissioner his badge and takes off running to the train.  YEEEEESSSSSS!!  My romantic self was hoping she'd end up with him!  Age difference be damned!  You go Emily and Ryan!  Now, I just need Morrell to write me up another book about them...please and thanks!  

I loved this trilogy, I loved the characters, I loved the plots and subplots, the twists and turns...I just loved them all.  I'm so sad to see it done but I'm so happy with the way this finale turned out.  Thank you for the closure and happy ending!  

     

    

Book 18 - I, Ripper by Stephen Hunter

I've had this book on my shelf for a while now and given the other Ripper novel I read prior to this one, I figured why not keep the theme going?  The author is the same who writes the Swagger series so this is a bit different for him, apparently...at least that's what I was told by an Instagram commenter.  While I've never read any of his works prior to this, it made me a fan.  I also realized I had been reading a ton of either young adult or contemporary fiction because I had to kick my brain back on with the language in this one.  None of which is a bad thing, it is just a different writing style than what I've been reading lately.  

I LOVED this book.  It's written in the form of diary entries from Jack the Ripper and as Memoirs from a journalist who came to acquire the diary and has put all of it together to form this book.  Now, sometimes that style can be tedious but Hunter keeps the pace moving along quite well.  He doesn't spend hours with one over the other, which is great because a couple of times, the diary entries from Jack almost made my skin crawl...almost.  It takes a lot to get me to shudder...I've seen autopsies and crime scene photos after all...but this one, because of just the warped psyche of Jack made me go Holy Shit a couple of times.  It was so real.  It was so real that I could actually believe, given his crimes and the mutilation of the women, that this could legit be the diary of Jack the Ripper so for that, well done Mr. Hunter. 

Like most Ripper novels, the unknown allows for liberties to be taken as to who Jack was and what his/hers/their motives were.  I suppose now I should tell you *SPOILER ALERT*.  In this version of a Ripper theory, a writer for the Star used to write on musical performances but he gets a chance to make a change but in doing so he must also change his name, and thus Jeb is born.  Jeb chooses this name because his sister could never say his name which was actually his initials, G.B. Jeb's memoirs are part of the story and he gets to tell his side of the story.  I often wondered through part of the book if Jeb was also the Ripper...no he didn't seem to fit but hey...would've been a great plot twist.  Jeb gets his own plot twist though that made me go SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!  So...Jeb gets the break and makes a name for himself so he becomes the first reporter on the scene to the Ripper's crimes and he is the only reporter allowed to actually see the bodies up close and personal.  He writes the stories which in turn sensationalizes the Ripper.  He, along with an American reporter, come up with the Ripper letter.  In this particular novel, it was all made up by the media because there had been a lull in newspaper sells when the Ripper got quiet for a bit.  They needed to sell papers so they made up the letter.  Rather than pissing off the real Jack, he's actually quite impressed.  

Around the time Jeb gets his break, he's invited to the boss' house for a party where he meets Thomas Dare...a professor who is quite eccentric and has his own thoughts on a Utopian society.  One in which language is the basis.  He theorizes that we should all speak the same language and live the same, thereby being uniform.  It's a weird theory but hey...go with what you feel.  He's also outrageous and Jeb instantly likes him.  Dare, however, knows that Jeb is the man standing in front of him.  He knows, based on the language, that the man who used to write the performance pieces is also the one writing of Jack's crimes.  Okay...I can believe that.  It's hard to switch up writing styles and patterns.  It isn't until Jack leaves his message on the brick wall about JUWES that Dare and Jeb's relationship changes.  Dare, being the linguistic mastermind, thinks Jack is dyslexic.  Jeb and Dare begin working on a profile of who Jack could really be and they come up with a military man who is dyslexic and had been in a certain area during the Crimean War and with this profile they come up with 3 suspects.  They begin sleuthing on their own to follow the men to see if any of them could be Jack.  They initially suspect a horn dog of a man but eventually it turns out not to be him.  Their suspicion then shifts to their final suspect, Colonel Woodruff.  He honestly fits the bill...served in the suspected area in the Crimean War, has dyslexia, is unassuming, and spends a bit of time in Whitechapel. Jeb and Dare believe they've found their man and they set out to make him pay.  Confrontation ensues and they believe they have killed the Ripper.  It isn't until the next day that Jeb is confronted by a man on the street holding a knife to his gut and that man turns out to be Woodruff.  

It turns out Woodruff has all of the answers.  Jack the Ripper is none other than Thomas Dare!  Honestly, I had suspected him for a time.  Woodruff and Dare knew one another, even roomed together at one time so obviously Dare would be able to develop a profile to pin the murders on Woodruff.  He knew so much about the man.  Dare, during his twisted time, had taken a woman and tried to make her into the perfect woman for himself, regardless of what it did to her.  Woodruff, not liking what Dare was doing to her, offered her a way out and she took it.  Dare considered this the ultimate betrayal and ended up actually killing her but Woodruff left before he could kill him.  So, Dare set up a way to extravagantly exact revenge by pinning a murder on him.  Which is ultimately what happened.  However, Jeb and Woodruff work together to take Dare down.  And they do.  Jeb confronts Dare and he admits to the murders.  Before he can kill Jeb, Woodruff shows up and shoots him.  It was all very much more climactic but that's what happened in a nutshell.  Jack/Dare is dead so that's why the murders stopped, but I think in his plot to get revenge, Dare would have continued to do what was necessary until Woodruff ended up hanging for murder.  The dude was wickedly twisted, guys.  He just puts off a weird vibe to me from the beginning...both as Dare and as Jack.  

I really liked this little twist on who Jack was and what his motives were.  It was a new take on things and given how many theories there are, it's often hard to make an original fictionalized Jack story.  I would recommend this if you're an avid Jack the Ripper fan!  

Oh and Jeb's plot twist...turns out he is none other than George Bernard Shaw.  😃

Book 17 - Between Two Worlds: Lessons from the Other Side by Tyler Henry

I am not an avid tv watcher.  I'm more of a wait until the series becomes available on Netflix, Amazon, HBO, etc and then binge watch the whole thing at one time, kind of girl.  However, there is one show that I DVR and watch weekly when it's on and that is Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry.  If you've never heard of it, I suggest you look into it...believer of that sort of thing or not.  

Tyler is a clairvoyant psychic medium so he sees more like images and symbols and presents that information to the person he's reading.  He just delivers what he sees and works with you to try and piece it together in a way that makes sense...to you.  He even admits that if it doesn't fit specifically for you, ask a family member because all he knows is that the message is for you or someone you know.  He is merely the conduit to allow someone to come through.  A lot of what he does is reading your energy and your body language, but also I think there's a level of legitimacy to him.  To be only about 20 to 21 years old, he has this genuine spirit about him that I find endearing.  Now, I know it's tv and some things are scripted but also, I feel like some of the reactions of these people can't be faked.  Maybe I'm just gullible.  I have to admit though, there are loved ones I've lost and it makes me wonder if I were in the presence of Tyler, would they come through and have a message for me?  It's something that crosses my mind with regularity when I watch his show.  It's actually something I long for when I watch the show.  Now that can't be healthy and I'm sure I should have been in therapy 9 years ago immediately after my father passed unexpectedly...but I like my hole in the sand thank you very much.  I've gotten good at carrying this around.    

I really enjoyed this book because Tyler explains his process, his first experience with speaking with those who have passed, and how he has tried, over the years, to gain a grip on his ability.  He provides some really great perspective on life and death, and seems to exhibit a wisdom well beyond his years.  You have to go into this with an open mind because if you don't, you'll be miserable through the entire book.  However, if you open your mind and just let yourself read his perspectives, some of what he says has some resonance.  Do I agree with everything he says?  No.  Does that make him wrong and me right?  No.  Does that make me dislike him in any way? Definitely not.  Sure we have a difference of opinion, but that's okay.  

I just ultimately really liked that he didn't spend time rehashing the episodes of the shows that I've already seen.  He provided a greater world of information and I'm glad I picked up this book.  It's definitely outside my usual niche and probably considered a little alternative for me.  However, I look forward to what the future holds in store for this young man.      

Book 16 - The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Lo Blacklock is a writer for a travel magazine and she has been granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to board a luxury yacht to travel to Norway to see the northern lights.  Now, she's only been given this opportunity because her boss is pregnant, but you know...beggars can't be choosers and that sort of thing.  A few nights before she is set to leave, she wakes up with a massive hangover and realizes her bedroom door is shut and her cat is acting weird.  She doesn't remember shutting the door before she went to bed but she gets up to check things out.  Upon opening her bedroom door, she comes face to face with an intruder in her home.  They stand there and stare at each for a moment but he simply slams the door in her face, leaving her cheek bruised.  He also locks her ass in there, finishes taking what he wants, and walks out the front door.  She is, of course, traumatized and can't sleep...like for days.  She walks around in a blur always seeing the latex gloves the man wore on his hands.  It fucks with her mind and she's honestly a fucking trainwreck.  She decides to go stay at her boyfriend's house because he's out of town but she doesn't feel safe in her own space anymore.  He comes home in the middle of the night, tries to wake her up, but she's caught in a nightmare and thinks she's being attacked so she bashes him with a fucking bedside lamp.  I'm telling you...she has become unhinged.  Now...she's gotta get on a boat and try to do her job.  Before leaving to catch the boat though, her boyfriend, Jonah, tells her he turned down a job for her and that he loves her...but she's so fucked up in the head she basically just leaves.  Really bitch?!  Some of this just made me not like her.  I don't know.  I have never, thank you Jesus, been broken in on and I can definitely imagine it's traumatizing and it's an invasion of space...but I don't get her putting so much distance between herself and Jonah.  I don't get it...the man said he loves you...he turned down a job for you...and you start freaking out even though you've been together for years.  I get that you probably want your independence, God knows I love mine, but like...don't just leave the guy hanging there because you're about to lose a good man.  You've gotta learn to communicate with him and I guess maybe that's why I don't like her.  She doesn't actually talk to him about what or how she's feeling about any of it.  Anyway...so yeah...I started off on rocky ground with Lo.

She eventually boards the vessel and meets the rich motherfuckers on board.  All of them dripping in money...some snooty, some not.  And she can't relate to any of them...and now she has learned that her ex-boyfriend is on board.  Well, fuck.  She goes about getting ready for the formal dinner and realizes she doesn't have her mascara...it was in her purse...which was stolen during the break in.  She hears a toilet flush from the cabin next to her, cabin 10, so she knocks on the door to see if maybe the guest has mascara.  Lucky for her, an impatient young woman opens the door, looking a bit surprised that she is standing at her door, but ultimately giving her a mascara and telling her she can keep it.  She pushes it from her mind and gets ready for dinner.  She proceeds through the drinks, dinner, and dessert...getting a wee bit sloshed in the process and then finally makes her way back to her room.  Her ex, Ben, tries to put the moves on her and she knees him in the crotch and goes into her room.  She finally manages to fall asleep but is abruptly woken by something, she's not sure what, and then hears a splash.  She steps out onto her balcony and sees what she is sure is a smear of blood on the partition separating her balcony from the balcony of Cabin 10.  She immediately calls the 'front desk' and tells them what she has heard and they send security to her room.  Once security arrives, we learn there is no longer a blood smear, nor has there ever been a guest in cabin 10.  The guest who was supposed to be there had something come up and wasn't able to make it.

Now, Lo has to spend all of her time proving she's not crazy, meanwhile some shit keeps happening that makes her doubt even herself.  No one, except Ben, will listen to her...and to make things worse, no one from the staff or passengers is missing.  There's a lot of run around and not knowing who to put her trust in and a lot of suspects and she just can't seem to let it go.  All of which gets her ass in trouble because she won't shut up about it.  She eventually finds herself knocked in the head and held captive in a room in the lowest level of the boat.  Eventually we find out the owner of the ship, Richard, was married to a very wealthy woman who has breast cancer.  He 'accidentally' killed her...no he didn't but you know...and had his mistress impersonate her for the duration of the trip.  Well she's a dumb bitch because you know he's going to kill you too.  The wife and all traces of her must be dead and gone or else he doesn't get her wealth.  Well, when Lo saw the mistress and heard the body of the real wife being thrown overboard, she fucked up their plans.  Eventually the mistress gains a conscience and lets Lo go through yet another complicated plot and it takes the bitch a while to make it home.  At this point in the book I was like just end it already.  It was moving along steadily but once I knew what was going on, I was like okay wrap it up already.  The ending just kind of dragged along a bit too long for my tastes.  She makes it back home to Jonah and she's all don't turn down the job in New York, I love you too, let's move there together, blah blah blah.  Well glad it took you almost dying to realize what you had.  I never got around to actually liking Lo...as you can tell.

Great concept, good plot...slightly poor execution of the ending in my opinion.  Maybe that's just me and there were several loose ends that needed tying up but still.  So overall...4 stars.  Not quite sure it lived up to the hype that I had heard about it...  

Book 15 - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Two things about me...one you probably already know.  First, I LOVE Victorian London...I swear my spirit was there in a previous life. Second...I am OBSESSED with all things Jack the Ripper.  The theories, the what ifs, and the whys...I'm just obsessed with it all.  I will literally read anything involving Jack.  So if you have recommendations...comment away because I would love to read them!  

Stalking Jack the Ripper is the first novel written by Kerri Maniscalco and I look forward to many more from her.  It is also the first novel chosen by James Patterson to be part of his Young Adult publishing group.  If you ask me, it was an excellent first pick.  

Maniscalco lures you in from the very first page because she opens on someone cutting open a cadaver...well helloooo...right up my alley.  We learn that the person doing the cutting is Audrey Rose Wadsworth and the doctor overseeing her work is her uncle.  Dr. Wadsworth is a teacher at the medical institute for boys and he agrees to allow Audrey Rose to attend his classes as long as she looks the part of a boy and doesn't speak.  However, it is in her first class that she meets Thomas.  Thomas makes her heart beat fast and her palms sweat, but he's also an intelligent, arrogant ass so she's conflicted...also...it's love at first meeting :)  They just don't know it yet.  I honestly would love it if Maniscalco makes this into a Thomas/Audrey Rose series.  Anyway...

Dr. Wadsworth actually has the bodies of Jack the Ripper's first victim in his 'morgue'...his basement which doubles as his lab.  He's helping to consult with Scotland Yard in hopes of providing information that would be useful in catching the killer.  I'll spare you the details on the victims...if you've ever read about Jack, you already know about them...and if you haven't well then google.  Do a bit of research before you jump into this book.  I can say though, Maniscalco did her homework.  She wanted to be accurate with the forensics and methods of the time period and that was refreshing.  I'm glad she made sure it was consistent.  So...with Dr. Wadsworth having the bodies and helping consult, Audrey Rose and Thomas becomes his apprentices.  They begin, especially Thomas and Audrey Rose, to see if they can figure out who the killer is.  Now, early on in the book, I had my suspicion on the identity of who Jack was...at least for this book...and I thought that would lower my rating on the book if I turned out to be correct.  However, while I was correct, it didn't lower my rating because of the motive.  The plot twist thrown in there as to WHY the killer did what he did kept my rating at 5 stars.  

The list of suspects that Audrey Rose and Thomas come up with is quite lengthy honestly...and all seem to somehow be connected to the Wadsworth name.  Audrey Rose suspects her father, her uncle, and even Thomas.  She knows, though, her uncle didn't do this even though he turns out to be Scotland Yard's prime suspect.  However, if you've read anything about the Ripper case, they had so many motherfuckers in jail for the crime...they honestly had no clue.  I never once suspected it was her uncle, and Audrey Rose and Thomas are able to exonerate him and get him out of Bedlam.  I'm going to be honest, I did kinda suspect Thomas for a split second.  I didn't want to suspect him and eventually the suspicion went away completely...somehow I just knew it wasn't him.  And I honestly never even suspected her dad.  He's a jackass because of his grief of his wife passing away years prior, but he's also too much of a germaphobe to commit murder...especially the gruesome murders of the Ripper.  His wife died of sickness, thus the germaphobe part.  His attitude toward his own brother, and even his children is legit proof of why you should complete the grieving process and move on.  You can't continue to hold on to the death of a loved one...you'll never be at peace.  I'm not going to tell you who my suspect was...because as I've already said, I was right.  :)  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was fast paced, interesting characters, forensically accurate, details were correct...and it had an awesome plot twist as to Jack's motive...it deals with organ transplants...just to give you a hint.  It was a refreshing theory that I had not yet heard of so that really drew me in.  You really must read this if you like murder, Jack the Ripper, plot twists, Victorian London, strong willed young women who don't give a fuck what society thinks, and just good young adult books.  I'm now a fan of Kerri Maniscalco and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.  I was very impressed with the concept of this book and it was incredibly engaging.  

5 Stars and 2 Thumbs Up  

      

Book 14 - Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

I don't know about you but I adore Anna Kendrick.  She's so talented with her acting and singing...and I've always wondered what she was like...not her characters...but Anna, herself.  After reading this book, she's someone that I would like to hang out with...but in small doses.  Now, that's not a bad thing.  I love the shit out of my best friend but if I saw her every single day, we would kill each other.  I kind of have that same feeling with Anna Kendrick.  

Anna gives us a little inside peak into her life, how she rose to fame, and honestly who she truly is as a person.  She's funny, witty, tells it like it is, and is a little weird...all in the good way.  She's at least honest about her weirdness and has a potty mouth so I absolutely adore her.  I found myself relating to her on several levels, honestly.  She didn't grow up rich, and she actually finds the money involved with stardom to be a little uncomfortable.  She struggled, even when she was working, and it was honestly refreshing to see that she had Ikea furniture and roommates.  It definitely 'humanized' her and took her off that celebrity pedestal...all good things.  I think that's something she wanted to convey with this book.  She's just like the rest of us and she hasn't forgotten her roots.  She acknowledges how blessed she is and she is grateful to her parents for taking her to New York every weekend so she could go to auditions.  It was just...super refreshing to read this book.  

If you've ever seen any of her films or theater, or if you follow her on Twitter...you'll want to read this book.  A few times she made me laugh out loud, and a couple of times I said YEESSSS...preach it!  I also want to attend every single holiday party she has in mind...if you read the book, you'll understand that.  I just kept thinking...YES!  That is how that holiday is supposed to go!  YES!!  

I thoroughly enjoyed this look behind the curtain at Anna Kendrick and I read this book in 2 days.  I couldn't put it down.  She provides information and detail but she doesn't drone on and on and on about shit.  She keeps the pace going and doesn't dwell to the point where you're like, fucking move on already!  She kept me turning the pages, learning more about her.  Two thumbs up from me, as far as autobiographies go.  Well done, Scrappy, well done!!    

Book 13 - Heartless by Marissa Meyer

O.M.G. SO GOOD!  I read this book in roughly uhhhh 3 days!  It was chosen for the December book for this Instagram book club (Social Book Club) I recently started taking part in.  Needless to say, I finished the book days before the first discussion was scheduled.  

A little background on the book:  You ever wonder how the Queen of Hearts from the Alice in Wonderland stories ever came to be the way she is?  You know...angry...always screaming "Off with their heads!!".  Well...Meyer gives us something to think about.  Her own twist on maybe...just maybe...what went wrong.  And I have to say, I got so wrapped up in this that it broke my heart even though I knew going in, based on the title and previous information on the Queen of Hearts, that it would happen.  You would think walking in with your eyes wide open would prepare you for the heart breaking moment, but it didn't.  My heart still hurt.  And by the way, SPOILER ALERT.  Don't read this if you don't want to know the ending...

Prior to becoming the Queen of Hearts, Catherine was the daughter of a Marques and Marchioness.  She was born into wealth and privilege and the responsibilities that come along with that...and the insufferable lack of free will.  Her mother disregards any dreams she may have, especially if they are 'beneath' her station.  Catherine has dreams of owning her own bakery...the greatest bakery Hearts has ever seen.  And she dreams of her maid being her business partner.  Her maid, Mary Ann, has a head for numbers and would be the perfect partner to make sure the business didn't go under due to financial neglect.  However, being the daughter of a Marques and Marchioness makes this impossible.  Her mother has dreams of seeing her married to the King of Hearts even though he is a foot shorter than Catherine and dim witted to boot.  Sure he's sweet and all but just ugh.  He's not a manly man and who the hell wants a pansy as a husband?  My proverbial dick is huge but my man's should be bigger...I'm just sayin'.  He's got to wear the pants, not me.  After all, pants are overrated.  Anyway...the King is an idiot and thinks throwing the next big bash will distract the people from real issues, like the Jabberwork tormenting people and carrying them off.  However, mommy dearest will accept nothing less than Catherine marrying him.  Ughhhhh.  Her mother proves this when she has Cath wear a red gown to a black and white ball, which Cath doesn't realize until she gets there.  Cath is horrified to find she's sticking out like a sore thumb, but all is exactly how her mother planned.  She'll never be able to hide from the King if she's in a red dress...

It is at the black and white ball that Cath meets the love of her life...she just doesn't know it yet.  Jest is the new court joker and his stunt at the ball is entertaining and magical.  Every eye in the place is on him, especially Cath's.  Following the joker's performance, Cheshire shows up to tell Cath of the King's intentions to propose to her.  Cath absolutely freaks out and begs the Cheshire to create a distraction so she can get away and put off the King's proposal for at least another little while.  The Cheshire pulls a stunt by landing on a girl's head and Cath uses the distraction to run out into the gardens....where she promptly faints from her corset being too tight...too much sampling of her own baked treats.  Jest revives her and they have a pleasant conversation and he eventually escorts her to a carriage which takes her home.  It isn't until hours later she is awoken by her parents coming home freaking out because there was a Jabberwork attack on the palace and no one could find Cath.  She doesn't mention meeting Jest or knowing anything about the King's intentions.

Over the next few days (weeks, months?), Cath must attend certain teas and garden parties at the palace because of her mother, but all she can think of is seeing Jest at each of these events.  They convince the King...who remember is quite dim...that a lady should be courted rather than straight out proposed to, no matter how much power one's station holds.  Yes it means she still has to suffer through interactions with the king, but she gets to see Jest on those occasions and it buys her some time.  Jest is doing a little courting of his own...with her.  He gets her to sneak out with him one night and they go to visit Hatta....the Hatter...who hasn't gone Mad yet, but Time is catching up to him and he's well on his way.  So everything is going great for Cath and Jest...if only she didn't have to marry to the King.  

We eventually learn that Jest is a Rook from Chess...a guard to the White Queen and he was sent to Hearts to steal the heart of the Queen.  Problem is, he actually loves Cath and she loves him.  This has doomed written all over it.  They eventually decide to run away to Chess together and on their way they arrive at a room with a looking glass that will take them to Chess, but there's also a door back to Hearts...and through the door Cath can hear her maid, Mary Ann screaming.  Along the way of Catherine and Jest's love affair, Mary Ann betrayed Cath...but she was still once upon a time her best friend so she tells Jest and Hatta to stay where they are and still will go check on Mary Ann.  The door opens into a pumpkin patch...that of Sir Peter...a vile man.  You remember the nursery rhyme...Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, had a wife and couldn't keep her...Well he's in this story.  And he's the bad guy.  Cath tries to find something to get Mary Ann out of the pumpkin but Peter shows up and then the Jabberwork shows up.  Turns out, the Jabberwork is Peter's wife...bitch ate a lot of bad pumpkins and it turned her into the Jabberwork.  A clusterfuck ensues, Jest and Hatta show up despite warnings that if they crossed through a door Hatta would go mad, and Jest would die.  

And that's exactly what happens...Peter kills Jest...dun dun dunnnnnnnn.  Fucker.  I knew something bad was going to happen but fuck.  It still hurt my heart when this bullshit happened.  No wonder the Queen of Hearts is so hateful.  Cath walks around being hateful and cold to everyone.  She agrees to the marry the King because what else is she to do?  It isn't until her wedding day that her parents think to ask her what would make her happy.  If only they had asked that months ago.   

The only silver lining in her new station as Queen is the power to bring Peter to justice.  Eventually Peter is brought in, and for the first time, at least in regards to a human, she gives a decisive "Off with his head!".       

This story was a fantastic twist/retelling.  I think there are so many tales and alterations of Wonderland, but this one was completely refreshing.  I loved that there were some of the same characters, but there was no Alice!!  Meyer is a wonderful story teller and she keeps it fast paced.  Of course I have left out loads of details and plot.  That's for you to go read about!!  I blew through this book and highly recommend it.  Not just to young adults but grown ass folk like myself.  This book has spurred me on to go read the Lunar Chronicles, also by Meyer.  I absolutely LOVED this book, even though it made my heart hurt. 

5 STARS AND 2 THUMBS UP!               

Book 12 - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Sooo...loved this book.  Really heavy issues that can be related back to our present day society.  But...I'm not so sure I like the main character, Mare Barrow.  There's just something about her...she's a little too naive to me but wants to act like she's nobody's fool...but she gets played.  I don't know...maybe my feelings will change when I read the second book.  

In the world of Mare Barrow, there are two kinds of people, divided by the color of their blood...those who bleed Red, and those who bleed Silver.  Those who are Silver have unique abilities depending upon their family and it is typically the father's ability that is passed on to offspring.  The Samos family have the ability to control metal, the Jacos family has the ability to control fire, the Osanos family controls water, and so on and so forth.  If it's an element, it can be controlled by some Silver family.  And even worse is the Queen who is what is known as a whisper...she has the ability to read minds and manipulate them to make anyone her puppet.  Now THAT is FUCKING TERRIFYING!  And...she's the Queen...so you know she's used that shit.  Plus...we all hate her...but I've gotten ahead of myself here.  So the Silvers are the aristocracy and basically their shit doesn't stink.  Then you have the Reds.  They are treated poorly, typically they are servants, and even their electricity is rationed, if they're fortunate enough to have a home with electricity.  The Reds are also the soldiers that are fighting a war started by the Silvers and basically, no one remembers why there is even a war still going on...it's been over 100 years now.  The Red soldiers are on the front line and still they get no respect from the Silvers. 

Mare Barrow is Red born, her younger sister Gisa has talent with silk, needle, and thread, and her three brothers have been conscripted to war...a path she herself will soon take since she has no apprenticeship or job.  Her sister Gisa will be safe but the rest are doomed for war.  She thought her best friend, Kilorn, would be safe from the war that killed his father since he had a job, but when his boss dies, even Kilorn is doomed to go to war.  Mare vows she will find a way to save them from the war.  She goes to see a man named Will about smuggling them out of the area so they won't be found when the legionnaire comes to gather them up but he instead introduces her to a woman named Farley.  Farley wants 1000 bucks to smuggle them and Mare seeks out to obtain the money the only way she knows how...pickpocketing.  Unfortunately she picks the wrong pocket...or maybe it's the right pocket.  I honestly think it's the right pocket, but you can judge for yourself.  She happens to pick the pocket of the Prince, Cal, only she doesn't realize he's the prince and he doesn't tell her.  He instead gives her money and walks her home.  The next day, a maid from the palace shows up with Sentinels (guards) to take Mare to the palace as she has been given a job. She arrives at the palace and begins going through the motions of being a servant when the day arrives for the princes to meet their potential princesses.  It's a big ta-do in a huge area where every Silver House shows up in their finest clothes and blah blah blah.  Since only the strongest of the princesses can marry the princes, Cal (to be king) and his half brother Maven, they must provide a demonstration of their abilities.  In order to do so safely, an electrified net is placed between the show and the people...think Gladiator style arena.  Well one princess, already chosen to wed Cal, is Evangeline Samos and she is a magnetron...that's right...she controls metal (nice work if you thought of Magneto from X-Men).  She tries to be smart and starts fucking with the rebar in the concrete box that one of the houses is sitting in...she's trying to pull the box from the rest of the structure.  Mare happens to be serving the family at the time, and since she isn't seated in a cushy seat and has anything to grab on to, she begins falling toward the edge and then out of the box completely.  She is sure she is going to die but as she lands upon the electrified net she finds she does not die.  Sure...it burns all of her clothes off so I'm sure naked in an arena full of people is awkward, but she actually feels ALIVE.  The electricity courses through her, and for the first time in her 18 long years, she finally feels alive.  But wait...she's Red!  Red's don't have power...wellllllllll she just proved you wrong.  Now what are they to do with a Red girl with power to not only control electricity but to create it?  They can't kill her...millions of Silvers saw her...they would notice her missing.  Maybe they can use her...oh here we go...let's link her up with Maven!  So we'll have Cal and Evangeline get married and take the crown, and we'll have Mare and Maven get married and be the prince and princess forever.  

So...they change her name to Mareena and make up some story that she is the long lost daughter of this decorated Silver general who was raised Red when her parents were killed in battle and just that day discovered who she really was.  Changing a name doesn't change the person.  Dressing her up like Silver doesn't change the fact that she bleeds Red...but alright...we'll play your game.  Problem is, Mare is involved in a deadly game and she has no idea the rules or really the players.  

Side note about our princes.  Cal is the son of King Tiberias and his first wife.  She is said to have been a good woman and devoted mother; however, she was murdered.  Can you guess by whom?  Maven is the son of King Tiberias and his second wife/queen murderer.  I will say this now and keep it in mind...he is his mother's Son.  And Cal is his mother's son.  Can you tell which one I would trust more?  However, Mare is not me, nor I her.  

Once she has been inducted into the role of Mareena, the Silver daughter who can control lightning, she is contacted by Farley again.  Throughout all of this, we learn there exists the Scarlet Guard and they are rebelling against the Silvers.  Farley is the leader of the rebellion and she wants Mare to join.  Mare could potentially be an influential position to help the rebellion and she agrees.  She wants a cause and she wants change...change for the better for the Reds.  However, she's not alone in joining the rebellion...Maven too, it seems, has joined the cause.  Thinking she's found an ally, Mare begins to trust Maven and begins to see Cal as the enemy.  She should have listened to her initial instincts about the brothers.  She should have kept Maven at a distance.  I told you he is his mother's son.  

Through many ups and downs, and a lot of shed blood, both Red and Silver, things do not end well.  The tables are turned by Maven and his bitch of a mother.  Cal becomes hunted because he killed his father...not of his own free will but by the will of his step mother.  She turned him into her puppet.  Now Cal and Mare are on the run from Maven who has now assumed the throne.  However, the rebellion is not crushed.  And Mare learns a valuable lesson from her teacher...there are others like her.  Red AND Silver...and stronger than both.  

Now that Maven is king and Cal has been forced to join the rebellion, I can't wait to see where things go from here.  I'm hoping Mare has grown up a bit and has learned to trust her first instinct.  She instinctually liked Cal from the moment she tried to pick his pocket but she let others influence her.  I hope she listens to her gut a little more and I hope she learns to trust Cal.  Cal may have his faults but I think he's just torn between two worlds...trying to keep the kingdom from falling completely apart.  I think in his perfect world all would be equal and Mare would be his Red Queen...but wouldn't we all be equal in a perfect world?  

I highly recommend this book...so many parallels between the Red/Silver world and our own.  I don't think I'm really rooting for one side or the other but more I'm hoping for a peaceful balance...but I'm sure that's too Utopian of an idea...

Book 11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

I was browsing the shelves of New Fiction in my local Barnes and Noble store when I stumbled upon this interesting cover.  I mean...it's like a yearbook...who doesn't love yearbooks?!  And then I read the title...I mean hellooooo...everything about this book says READ ME...so I did!  I seriously flew through this book.  Once I sat down and really started reading it, I was drawn in.  The first few pages were a little dreary because it was background on the two main characters, Abby and Gretchen.  They met when they were children and Abby had a birthday party at the local skating rink.  She invited all of the kids in the classroom, including new transfer student Gretchen, but then Margaret Middleton with her rich ass self invited the whole class to her horse farm...on the same day as Abby's birthday party.  Bitch.  Gretchen was the only one who showed up to Abby's party and though rough for the first hour (because Gretchen's mother made her give Abby a children's Bible as a present), the girls eventually came around to one another and have been best friends ever since.  

Cut to 10ish years later and the girls are roughly 16.  They're popular, they're inseparable, and they're weirdly good friends with Margaret...yes the same rich bitch who ruined Abby's birthday party.  Isn't it funny how time changes people and situations?!  Completing their clique is Glee, a genius girl who you wouldn't think would fit in with them but somehow she just rounds out the group.  

One night, the four girls are at Margaret's lake cabin when they drop acid but hours later still don't feel anything...so to excite the night they decide to go skinny dipping.  Gretchen takes off running for the pier, stripping as she goes, when they yell at her not to jump because the tide is out but Gretchen goes off into the water anyway.  It's pitch black dark out and they can't see her.  They start yelling her name and Glee thinks she sees her a ways down the bank walking into the woods.  Abby goes and grabs Gretchen's clothes and goes into the woods to find her.  She emerges where they saw Gretchen go into the woods and she begins trying to track where Gretchen would have gone.  She arrives at a little clearing with an old run down shack with graffiti all over it and she swears she sees something black standing inside of it.  While she's staring at the figure in the window, she hears a man's voice say "Abby" and she takes off running back toward the direction of the house, sure that someone will reach out and grab her at any moment.  She gets back to the cabin, but there's still no sign of Gretchen.  She grabs a flashlight and after psyching herself up, she returns to the woods to look for Gretchen.  It won't be long before dawn is here so she feels a little more comfortable with going into the woods.  She finds Gretchen walking toward the house, naked except for her shoes, dirty, freezing, and when Gretchen sees her she breaks down crying.  They get back to the lake house and leave but something isn't right with Gretchen.  She's spaced out and can't seem to figure out exactly what she's doing.  

Within the next few weeks, Gretchen isn't herself.  She looks a mess, she keeps wearing the same clothes, she smells bad, her breath is rotten.  Abby knows something happened in the woods but Gretchen won't tell her what.  Through a series of events, and Gretchen's admissions of some of the things currently happening to her, Abby surmises that Gretchen was raped in the woods and she keeps having flashbacks, reliving the night and she's hurting herself as a coping mechanism.  I'm sure at this point you know she's been possessed.  Abby goes back to the shack in the woods and sees the name of a band spray painted on the building.  The same band that Margaret's boyfriend, Wallace, was recently in.  And Wallace has had some beef with Gretchen now that she's all possessed and junk.  Abby believes now that Wallace has raped Gretchen.  When she tries to talk to Glee about, she does the typical mean girl three way call routine and has Margaret on the line.  Of course Margaret flips her shit and tells Abby to fuck off and never come around them again.  Wouldn't you know it though, the next day Gretchen shows up to school practically glowing.  She's got on new clothes, her hair is polished and shiny, and her make up is done impeccably well.  It's as if nothing ever happened and she's had some sort of post puberty makeover.  This new and improved possessed Gretchen begins fucking around with people.  She starts flirting with Wallace, she gives love letters to Glee who thinks they're from a teacher she has a crush on, and she gives Margaret these shakes that are supposed to help her lose weight.  She also further pushes Abby away with her nonsense.  

During all of this angst and turmoil, an assembly is had at school...they go to a Christian academy so every month they have some sort of assembly about God.  This month it's the Lemon Brothers Fitness show...they're body builders who lift logs and stuff and spread the message of God.  I've seen something similar to this at my old church and it's actually quite fascinating.  One of the brothers, Christian, happens to be talking about demons that affect us...sloth, greed, pride, etc.  But he happens to point to Gretchen and tells her he sees the demon that is weighing her down.  Abby is immediately intrigued and goes to find him after the assembly.  He tells her yes he has the power of discernment and can tell she is possessed.  Abby takes a pamphlet with their information but they have to leave before she can really talk to him about it.  

A few more weeks pass and things continue to get worse for the people around Gretchen.  Abby finally makes up her mind to talk to Christian again after attempts to speak with any other adult fail.  She's not just trying to save Gretchen's life at this point but her own as well.  Gretchen is doing everything she can to get Abby kicked out of school and ruin her life...or at least ruin it in terms of how a 16 year old would feel her life has been ruined.  Abby meets up with Christian at the food court and they decide that based upon the evidence, Gretchen is indeed possessed.  Christian tells her when she's ready to do something about it, let him know.  

Abby finally decides something needs to be done before Gretchen kills someone, because of some shit that pops off with Glee and Margaret, and she calls Christian.  They devise a plan to drug Gretchen, take her somewhere, and perform an exorcism.  Well things don't go so smoothly...of course not...they never do.  But eventually they get her somewhere and begin performing the exorcism.  Well Christian isn't a priest...while he may be a man of God who has seen deliverance services before...he's not an exorcist.  The struggle is real.  It's a cluster fuck of an exorcism and eventually he flees with his tail between his legs, leaving Abby alone with a possessed Gretchen.  

So...is Abby able to exorcise the demon?  Does Gretchen die during the process?  Do they get their happily ever after?  Do they remain besties?  What happened with Glee and Margaret?  Well...I'm not gonna tell you.  You'll just have to read the book and find out for yourself.  If you like 80's music, demonic possession, teen angst, and Charleston, South Carolina, you'll like this book.  It's a quick read and it's actually really quite good.  I enjoyed it but again, I'm weird and my literature choices are as varying as my musical choices.  

Happy Reading!        

Book 10 - Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

WHY OH WHY do I start a brand new series when I know I'm going to have to wait FOREVER...okay, realistically a year...for the next one to come out??!!  I'm ready for the next one in this series right this minute...give it to me...NOW!  Okay...now that I've said that, let me tell you a little bit about this book.  I can't give too much away though because...PLOT TWIST!   Oh how exciting! I LOVED this book!  

You know, let me just take a second here to say that there are some exceptional young adult books out there.  Like this one.  But for real though, I find myself reading more "Teen Fiction/Teen Fantasy and Adventure" than I do normal Fiction.  Anyway...

This little gem of a book takes place on an island named Fennbirn that is separated from pretty much the rest of the world.  There are a select few on the 'mainland' that know of this island and the people who inhabit it, but it's a very small few.  On this island, there are triplet daughters born to the queen and her king-consort.  As soon as the triplets are born, the queen and her man peace out to somewhere else, the triplets are split up between the three different regions of this island, and raised up there by foster families.  In Wolf Spring, there are naturalists.  They make shit grow, have animal familiars, and like to hunt.  Arsinoe calls Wolf Spring her home.  Then there's Rolanth, home of the elementals.  They control earth, wind, fire, water, and all of that cool shit.  Mirabella calls Rolanth home.  Then there's Greavesdrake Manor, home of the poisoners.  Not only do they poison other people but they consume poison and most are pretty immune to it.  Katharine is the poisoner queen.  Now that you know the triplets...on to their issues.

Katharine's biggest issue is she's deathly ill because she's not immune to the poisons even after years of ingesting it.  She's a bit more able to deal with it now than she used to be, but basically she's not a very good poisoner and the people fear she will fail as a queen.  She's not the only one with this seemingly 'giftless' problem.  Arsinoe can't bloom a flower to save her life.  She has no naturalist power whatsoever, and despite calling it every day, she still does not have a familiar.  Her people fear she will fail as a queen.  Mirabella, however, seems to be fairly strong in her power in controlling the elements, just don't make her do too much with water...

The point of all of this is that there can only be one queen.  One queen has to kill her sisters in order to gain the crown to rule the land of Fennbirn.  Well things aren't looking too good for Katharine and Arsinoe, so the Temple, priestesses who are supposed to be neutral, are backing Mirabella.  Mirabella is the only one who seems to have any gift so obviously the Goddess has chosen her to be the queen.  Eh...Mirabella is a softy who still has memories of her sisters from when they were children...before they were taught that they hated each other and would one day kill one another until only one was left.

Katharine is treated so poorly in Greavesdrake Manor that I immediately joined her side.  I root for her.  I want her to kill these bitches and I want her to kill the Arrons...the poisoners who rule the Black Council...think Parliament.  There's a queen and all but they make most of the rules and decisions.  There's been a poisoner queen for the last 3 generations so the Arrons are flipping their shit that they may be ousted if their queen can't get her shit together...and quit vomiting everywhere due to the poison she's consuming.

So, when the girls turn 16, on their birthday, there is a celebration for them to demonstrate their awesomeness.  Arsinoe can't do shit.  Katharine gets sick in the middle of the ballroom in front of all of the poisoners.  And Mirabella is able to wow the people of Rolanth with her thunderstorm, wind, and fire.  I think because she does have some measure of power is the reason that I just don't like her.  Well that and she fucked Joseph...but I'm pissed at him too for fucking her.  So Joseph...follow this flow chart children.  Arsinoe's best friend and foster sister is Jules.  The girls are sent to a family that will help teach them the art of their power and how to use it.  For Arsinoe, that was Jules' family.  Jules is an incredibly powerful naturalist and her familiar is a cougar which is holy shit balls powerful in the naturalist world.  So Jules, Joseph, and Arsinoe were bff until they tried to sneak Arsinoe off the island and Joseph was banished.  He's back now though and he and Jules are in love or appear to be and they've always held out hope for one another and knew they would be reunited and blah blah blah hearts and kisses everywhere (barf).  So when this dude fucked Mirabella, I was pissed.  Like put the book down for a week kind of pissed.  I know the bitch saved you from drowning and you were confused but fuck off.  Now...having said all of that, I'm really confused now that I've finished the book with how I feel about Joseph and Mirabella.  It's like I don't want him around Jules because he can't seem to keep his mind or dick off of Mirabella so I'm starting to kinda feel like just go on with her somewhere.  You hurt Jules so just go.

Now that I'm done rambling about that...after the birthday celebrations, the following year there is the Quickening ceremony where they meet potential suitors that come from the 'mainland' and they basically show off their powers again.  And once again, epic failure abounds.  I don't want to give it away but it's a disaster.  People die...a queen dies which is, in itself, a plot twist I didn't see coming...and then there's another plot twist that showed up.  It got super plot twisty right there toward the end which was good because I really, really, really want to read the next book now!  The whole point though of the Quickening is after it...it's game on to try and kill your sister!  So...any bets on who gets killed first and by whom?  It could be like a game of Clue!

For a young adult book...two thumbs up.  5 stars.  I'm ready for the next book.  If you're into a little supernatural but with a monarchy and also people trying to kill each other...totally read this book.  It's a super fast read and I would have finished sooner had I not gotten in my feelings about Joseph and Mirabella doing the dirty dirty.

And...now that I'm done...I'm still on Team Katharine!  Make me the shirt and bumper sticker.

LOVED IT!      

Book 9 - The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

I don't know about you, but I'm an avid HGTV watcher and one of my favorite shows is Fixer Upper.  Chip and Joanna Gaines are a married couple in the Waco, TX area who help their clients find a house within their budget that needs some renovations.  They then fix up the house in order to turn it into their client's dream home.  Okay...not that unique of an idea...but really with these two, there's just something different.  There is this vibe they put off that they're good people, down home people, people you want to get to know.  So...given that I'm obsessed with them and every design idea Joanna has, I HAD to pick up this book and boy am I glad I did!  I LOVED reading their story and finding out a little bit more about them. 

Their book takes you from the beginning with a little background on where they grew up told from their own perspectives and you also get a little background on how they met.  Turns out, neither one was what the other thought they would end up with as a significant other.  Joanna didn't think she would end up with a talkative, rambunctious man and Chip didn't think he would end up with a shy, introverted girl...but they just knew somehow that they were meant for each other.  You can really feel the love they have for one another throughout the pages of the book.  They eventually lead you into how Chip had an entrepreneurial spirit and several lawn care businesses that then developed into renovating homes and through many years developed into something more.  Joanna never pictured herself being a designer but somehow that's where she ended up.  

They are both very candid in explaining that it wasn't always sunshine, butterflies, and unicorn farts.  There were real struggles and certain times when they thought they would hit rock bottom, but it always worked out.  They're so incredibly candid in their belief in God and I found that incredibly inspiring.  As someone who personally knows the power of God's timing, this book really spoke to me.  Joanna continually expresses throughout the book that just when they thought things were falling apart, God would come through at just the right time.  It was so refreshing to hear that from complete strangers.  It's one thing for me to talk about my experiences with trusting in God and His timing with my mother, but it's just further validation in my own beliefs to hear about it from others.  

There is truly a genuine quality to these two that shines through in their book.  You find that they are people you want to know, you want to hang out with, get to know.  They're hard working, honest, and just GOOD people...and good people are hard to come by sometimes in today's world.  When I was finished with this book, I wanted to meet them, I wanted to visit Magnolia Market in Waco, and I felt my faith restored in people.  They are legitimately setting a good example for their children and even their community...but the thing is, they were doing that before there was ever a camera on them.  It truly is God's blessing, I think, that they were given the opportunity to shine their light into the world.  Their story really is an inspiration.  

Thank you, Chip and Joanna, for sharing this beautiful story with the world.         

Book 8 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I finally joined the bandwagon and read this book!  I've been wanting to for a while now...way before I found out they were making it into a movie.  Bad thing is though...I probably won't be able to watch the movie.  I get super judgmental of movies after I've read the books...to the point I can't enjoy the movie!  Anyway....

We begin our journey with a young fellow named Jacob recounting stories told to him by his Grandpa Portman; a man of Polish decent who was fought in WWII and who's parents were killed prior to the war.  Grandpa Portman showed photographs of his friends from his childhood, some of whom were an invisible boy and a levitating girl.  Cut to many years later, Jacob is 16 and working at one of his family's drugstore chains...Smart Aid.  It is during one of his work days he receives a phone call from his Grandpa, freaking out, wanting the key to the weapons cabinet.  The family had long ago locked up the weapons cabinet because they feared Grandpa was losing his mind due to senility.  Grandpa had been claiming there were monsters but the family just assumed he was lapsing back into memories and days of the war.  Jacob would soon discover his grandfather was perfectly in his right mind.  By the time Jacob gets to his grandfather's house, he knows something isn't right.  After searching the house Jacob wanders out into the backyard and further into the bordering woods where he finds his grandfather...barely alive...chest bleeding from scratches that looked to have been made by an animal.  That's what the police said...animal attack.  Jacob, however, sees a different monster in the woods...one with tentacles for a tongue and sharp claws.  Jacob knows it is this creature that has killed his grandfather.  With his last breath, Grandpa Portman tells Jacob a few things that at the time make no sense to him, but eventually turn out to be clues.  After the death of his grandfather, and seeing the creature, Jacob slips into a depression and honestly believes he himself is going crazy.  It isn't until he goes to therapy that things kind of start improving.  

Finally, on Jacob's 16th birthday, his aunt gives him a book she found when cleaning out Grandpa Portman's things.  It is a book of Ralph Waldo Emerson's works and inside the cover it says For Jacob...Emerson was one of the clues provided to him from his grandfather's last words.  It's not so much the book though, but rather the letter found in the book.  Grandpa used to always talk about the children at Miss Peregrine's school and within the Emerson book, a letter from Miss Peregrine falls out.  Jacob starts to believe maybe his grandfather wasn't making it all up.  Maybe, just maybe, he needs to visit the place the letter was postmarked from to see if the school is still there.  Upon the encouragement of his psychiatrist, Jacob and his father go to the island...his father to bird watch and Jacob...well Jacob goes to see if he's lost his mind or not.  Once on the island, Jacob learns the location of the school and when he gets there all he finds is a ruined house with floors rotting and walls missing...not to mention part of the house completely gone from a bomb falling on it during the war.  It isn't until one day Jacob finds a trunk full of pictures like the ones his grandfather showed him that he thinks he may on to something.  It's also during the time he's going through these pictures that he starts to hear people talking to him.  He looks up to find several children around him but when he tries to explain himself or ask them anything, they all take off running.  He manages to give chase and follows one girl, Emma, into a cairn.  When he enters the cairn, there's no one there, but when he climbs back out, he has stepped back into time.  September 3, 1940 to be exact.  Of course he doesn't know he's entered a different time until he tries to go back to the one inn on the island and they have no idea who he is, nor does he see anything remotely modern.  Emma eventually finds him, holds a knife to him until he answers why he's following her, and takes him back to the school which now that he is back in 1940 is standing once again.  

Back at the house, he meets Miss Peregrine who begins to explain a few things.  When the war came, she created a time loop so basically they repeat the same day over and over again.  All of the children are indeed 'peculiar'.  Emma creates fire and light with her hands.  Miss Peregrine turns into a falcon and can manipulate time.  Hugh has bees that come from his mouth.  Bronwyn has super human strength.  Fiona can grow trees and flowers.  Millard is the invisible boy.  They all really do exist.  His grandfather wasn't lying.  The bad thing is though, if the children leave the loop and enter the present for an extended period of time, they will begin aging rapidly to their actual age so they must always remain in the loop.  But like everyone, the peculiars have enemies...other than humans.  They are known as the hollowghast...these subhuman creatures with sharp teeth and claws and tentacles for a mouth.  They feast on peculiars and after eating so many of them they can become somewhat human and become what is known as a wight.  Wights have no pupils and they try to find peculiars or really anyone for the hollowghast to feast on.  Jacob's grandfather could see the hollowghast...as not all peculiars can.  Monster sight was Grandpa Portman's peculiar talent...and he has passed it down to Jacob...

Jacob spends his time on the island traveling between present day and 1940 until one day another peculiar from another time loop shows up frantic.  Her loop was infiltrated by a wight and the children were killed.  She barely managed to escape.  Turns out the wights are trying to find all peculiars who can alter time in hopes of creating a great peculiar species that could rule the world.  Isn't that everyone bad guy's goal?  Power?  It also just so happens a wight has showed up on the island in the present time.  Turns out the wight can take many disguises and has infiltrated himself in Jacob's life for basically his entire life...first as a school bus driver, then as his grandfather's neighbor, and then as his psychiatrist!  He knew if he persuaded Jacob to go to the island to find answers, he would be able to follow him, find the other peculiars, and get Miss Peregrine since she can manipulate time!  The children fight back though and are able to rescue Miss Peregrine...bad thing is though...she can't turn back into a human and the loop has broken.  At the end, for the first time in over 60 years, it is September 4, 1960.  The children, along with Miss Peregrine in falcon form, leave behind all they've ever known to go in search of other time loops and those who can manipulate time in order to form an army that can battle the hollowghast and the wights.  

Knowing he never really had much, Jacob goes with them.  He tells his father the truth, knowing his father may never believe him...but either way he leaves.  He has a new family now...one that understands him...and one that he somehow understands.  He finally has a purpose and an extraordinary life.  

It takes a while to get to Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children but to me the book needed the background stuff.  You needed to see Jacob struggle through his conflicts about his grandfather.  Was he crazy?  Was he cheating?  You needed to encounter all of that just so it restored your faith is his grandfather just as much as it restored Jacob's faith.  Even though we spend a lot of time getting to know Jacob's life, it was still fast paced to me.  I feel Riggs had an overall goal and he knew he wouldn't be able to tell Jacob's story with one book.  I look forward to following the peculiar children in their next adventure.