Review: The Lost Village

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this creepy thriller. When an aspiring documentary filmmaker decides to gamble it all on a project detailing the strange disappearance of every resident of a small miming town, she soon realizes that the years-old mystery may not want to come to light. Alice has been obsessed with what might have happened in 1959 in Silvertjarn mainly due to the fact that her great-grandparents and great-aunt were part of the missing residents of the town, and she would like to find out exactly what happened to them. She convinces a small group to go out with her to scout the location for her prospective documentary, and the group very soon fears that someone else may still be in the town, and doesn't want them there.
This book is incredibly creepy and the author does a great job of giving the reader chills at the perfect times. A pervading sense of unease and wrongness give the reader a feeling of eldritch eeriness. Even though some of the characters make questionable decisions at times (the usual go-into-the-abandoned-building-alone type of stuff), they still have rooting value and the reader can identify with their motivations.
I did not want to put the book down and was never sure what would be the final cause of the mass disappearance, or what would happen to Alice's group of visitors.
This was a quick, fun, creepy read, and I would recommend it!

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Review: Only Truth

Only Truth by Julie Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I would give this book 4.5 stars. This was a gripping unsettling thriller that I could not put down. The main character, Isabel, is a complex interesting woman who suffered a horrible trauma as a young teenager that completely changed her life and causes lingering problems as an adult. When her husband convinces her a move to the countryside will be just what they need, Isabel goes along, albeit a bit unwillingly. Their new home feels oddly familiar and very threatening to Isabel, causing her to fall into old behaviors of anxiety and instability that threaten her ability to function, and even her sanity. Sometimes she is unlikable, sometimes she is very sympathetic, but she is always someone the reader roots for.
Conversely, the reader knows there is a killer out there. He has killed in the past and has now set his sights on Isabel. As the book goes on the reader finds out more and more about this mysterious man and what his reasons for obsessing over Isabel might be.
The author did a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere of tension, anxiety, and impending doom. What I enjoyed even more was the fact that there were several "suspects" who might be the mysterious killer. The reader knows one of these people is the one menacing Isabel, and that the author has written in such a way that the author knows that the reader knows. And so as each clue is revealed the reader gobbles it up, comparing what information has been shared before with what is now known, to try to whittle down the line-up of suspects. By the time I was half-way through the book, I could not put it down and stayed up much to late to find out how everything would turn out. It was so hard not to skip ahead to see who the "bad guy" would turn out to be.
I usually enjoy more domestic suspense, and this book contains some very violent and graphic crime. This book was great, though. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers, suspense, and mysteries.

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Review: A Curse of Ash and Embers

A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This was a good book, and I enjoyed it, but... I just really wasn't into it. There was nothing in it to really draw me in and keep me there. While I was reading it, I liked it, but when I had to put it down, I did so with very little reluctance. And when it was time to read it again, I didn't find myself wondering about what would happen next or looking forward to returning to the story. It was missing something. I am just not sure what that is. There are many out there who might really love this book, though, so give it a try. It might be for you; it just wasn't for me.

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Review: Tall, Duke, and Dangerous

Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this. book.
I did not enjoy this book. As far as the action and plot went, it should be fine as a stand alone book. But as far as character development goes, I really felt like I was missing out on who the two main characters were and their motivations. Although towards the beginning of the book it is revealed that the two MC spent very little time together, as soon as they saw each other they were instantly in love. And then all that Nash did was "grunt," and all Ana Maria did was have inner monologues about how oxymoronic she was. It got tiresome. Then there were plot points that just didn't make sense. Nash felt as though he had to completely ignore Ana Maria so he would not be tempted to abuse her. And yet he did not ignore his other friends. Nash's grandmother came and told Nash he HAD to get married so his reprehensible relative wouldn't inherit the title. But I kept thinking, "this guy's still going to be reprehensible, whether he's got a title or not. If he's going around beating people, shouldn't that be the bigger issue...?" And then why would Nash say, "Okay, I'll go find myself a wife," just because his grandmother tells him he should? It was a VERY flimsy plot point that the book seemed to hinge on from the beginning. Speaking of, Ana Maria did quite a few things that would not have been very proper for a lady during that time period, including showing up at Nash's house multiple times alone so he could teach her how to defend herself using hand-to-hand combat. Really? I found myself skimming through pages.
This is not a book I would recommend. It had too many things that just did not gel.

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Review: A Lady's Formula for Love

A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.

In my opinion the first few chapters of this book--which I assume were supposed to start off the action with a bang!--were kind of a mess. There were way too many characters, a flurry of activity, and so much going on, that I was just confused. After a bit everything seemed to calm down and I began to enjoy the story and the two main characters. But then again, after about half-way through, the book seemed to lose it's focus. I couldn't tell if the author was trying to give us clues to the "mystery" in a much too heavy-handed manner, or if things were already being set up for sequels, or what. The main conflicts between the two main characters were confusing, as well. I really didn't understand what the big deal was about why they couldn't be together. This book was just not for me.

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Review: The Perfect Couple

The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This was a quick read, and it did keep me interested, but once I got to the last part of the book, the story kind of fizzled for me. The author did a good job of ratcheting up the tension and suspense, and I had no idea what was going to happen next. I knew someone was harassing Emily, but I had no idea who exactly it was--her new husband, Rupert; her old flat-mate, one of her new "best friends;" her ex-boyfriend, or even her new husband's supposedly dead wife. Once I did figure out what was happening, I was eagerly awaiting the exciting climax and conclusion, but all I got was a "twist" that, while I wasn't expecting it, didn't really seem to fit in with the rest of the book. I didn't think, "What! Oh my goodness! Oh yeah--it makes sense now!" I instead thought to myself, "Oh. Really...hmmm. Ok."
I would probably recommend this book, but don't expect it to knock your socks off. It's just a fun quick read.

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Review: Little Thieves

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed this book--I have not read a YA Fantasy that I liked this much in a REALLY long time. This twist on the fairy tale "The Goose Girl" was intriguing, compelling, fun to read, and hard to put down.
Vanja, a maid servant to a gorgeous and pampered aristocratic girl, has found a way (by means of enchanted pearls) to impersonate her former mistress. Vanja is now living in a castle, engaged to a powerful man, AND...stealing jewels to fund her escape from her godmothers: Death and Fortune. If that's not enough, after stealing from the wrong person, not only does Vanja find herself under a fatal curse, but she discovers she is being pursued by a determined detective who somehow suspects Vanja is not what she seems.
I liked so many things about this book, but Vanja was my favorite. Too many times in YA Fantasy books, the main character turns out to be just plain annoying--they snark and pout and make DUMB self-centered decisions to the point that I can't stand them. But not Vanja. She has JUST THE RIGHT mix of pluckiness, sarcasm, self-preservation, capability, and vulnerability to make her relatable, realistic, endearing, and a character you want to root for, despite her mistakes.
I also really liked the tone of the book. The "fairy tale" interludes were beautiful, evocative, and poetic. Starting the book off with one of these little chapters before jumping right in to Vanja on a jewel heist completely drew me in and made me want to know more about Vanja and where her story would go.
The secondary characters were also great. Everyone from the shape-shifting "guardian" to our dogged detective totally added to the story. This, added to the wonderful world-building and completely immersive descriptions allowed me to become totally lost in the story. I could totally see everything playing out in my head, like a movie.
I just really loved this book. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I would absolutely recommend it to any one who enjoys Fantasy, fairy tale retellings, YA, or YA Fantasy.

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