#BookTag Saturday: The "Aside from Books" Tag

I'm way behind on my tags over on Bookstagram so this week I'm doing a book tag that I recently caught up on over there...

1. Favorite Hobby

Baking

2. Favorite Drink

Iced Tea

3. Favorite Food

Pasta of any sort

4. Favorite Color

Black & Lime Green

5. Favorite City I've Visited

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

6. Where Would You Dream Home Be

Somewhere in the south, maybe New Orleans?

7. Favorite Accessory

My Ouija board planchette necklace

8. Favorite TV Show

Vikings, Midsomer Murders, and Criminal Minds

9. Marvel or DC

Neither, I don't read comic books

10. Last Movie Watched In Theaters

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (yes, that long ago!)

Book Review: Play by Kylie Scott

Play (Stage Dive Series #2) by Kylie Scott

Blurb:

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn't plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn't count on finding the one right girl. 

Anne Rollins never thought she'd ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn't end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

My Review:

I previously read and loved Played by Kylie Scott in July 2015, so this is just an adding on to my previous review. 

Anne is the type of person who always wants to fix other people's problems. She gave up her teen years to take care of her mother and raise her sister after her father died, she always takes on extra shifts at the bookstore she works at if her boss (and secret crush) Reece has a date, and she fronted her roommate money when she couldn't pay her half of the rent. How does that roommate repay her? By moving out while Anne is at work and taking half of their furniture. 

When Mal Ericson - drummer for the famous band Stage Dive - overhears Anne's phone conversation at a party that his band-mate David and his wife Ev are throwing (that Anne can't believe she's attending to begin with) Mal devises a plan to help them both out. Mal needs a fake girlfriend, Anne need to save herself from getting evicted for nonpayment of rent. 

It was just supposed to be a business arrangement. They weren't supposed to become a real couple. But Mal is wild and unpredictable and the closer Anne gets to Mal the more she wants to be with him, and the sexual chemistry between the two is scorching hot. Can this rock and roll fairy tale last? Or will her fear of commitment and his unpredictable ideas be the end of them?

Let me start by saying, I love Mal. He is my favorite book boyfriend of all time. He's funny, he's crazy, he's the life of the party. The first time I read this book I hadn't read Lick first so this time around I got to enjoy seeing Dave and Ev's relationship continuing in the background and their history makes sense. 

Anne is a character I can relate to in many ways, so she's my favorite of all the women that get paired up with the men of Stage Dive. I loved watching Anne and Mal fall in love all over again. The reader also gets to see the groundwork for Lead - Jimmy and Lena's story, my only confusion is the timeline... the end of Play shows Jimmy and Lena's story toward the end of Lead, but perhaps it was meant to be that way. 

Overall Play is the type of book, as well as the other books by this author, that you could read over and over multiple times and still love the story. A true favorite.

My Rating:

★★★★★

5 of 5 Stars!

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #93

It's been a long, stressful few days for me both personally and creatively and that flowed over into my reading. I tried three books over the weekend before finally starting and loving...

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Blurb:

Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I was so excited to get an ARC of The Wicked Deep! When I first heard about it, it went to the top of my 2018 TBR list. Initially, I was trying to make myself wait until October because I thought it would be a great book to read around Halloween, but I needed something I could sink my teeth into and get lost in for a while. Let me tell you, The Wicked Deep is definitely the perfect book to get lost in! The writing and worldbuilding are fantastic, the legend and history are well plotted, and I honestly don't want to put it down. But enough gushing, this is an ARC read and I don't want to give too much away! All I can say is - this is a book you NEED to read! 

{Release Day Blitz} CHARM by J.A. Armitage

I am so excited that CHARM by J.A. Armitage is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by USA Today Bestselling Author J.A. Armitage, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a Cinderella Prize Pack courtesy of J.A. So if you’d like a chance to win, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

Title: CHARM

Author: J.A. Armitage

Pub. Date: September 26, 2017

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Pages: 291

Formats: eBook

Find it: Amazon, Goodreads

You all know the story of Cinderella... 

The kingdom needs an heir and Princess Charmaine is quite aware that the job rests solely upon her shoulders. The problem is, she has no intention of ever getting married, let alone pushing a child out of her ladyparts. When her elder sister dies, Charmaine has to take her place at the ball designed to find her a husband. The problem is, she doesn't want to choose between a hundred eligible bachelors. She just wants to live her life in peace and find love in her own time. 

Cynder knows about the impending war between his people and those of his masters, but working as an underpaid servant in the palace kitchens leaves him with little power to do anything about it. On one hand, he's a staunch supporter of his own royal family, but he can't deny the attraction he feels for the daughter of the king and queen he works for. 

Charm is the first in the Reverse Fairytale series by USA Today bestselling author J.A.Armitage. Take everything you think you know about fairytales and turn it on its head.

Excerpt:

My mother smiled. Her smile had a way of putting people at ease. I’d seen her use it countless times on nervous subjects. That’s what made her a good queen. She flicked her eyes towards my father who just nodded and then she turned back to me. Reaching forward and taking my hand in hers she spoke softly to me. Another trick of hers to keep me calm. I wondered briefly what exactly she would need to keep me calm for.

You already know

The little voice was persistent.

“We cannot cancel the ball. Too much is at stake and, while it is unfortunate timing, it would be madness to stop it at this late stage. Your father and I have talked extensively about this and we have decided that you are to take Grace’s place.”

I opened my mouth in shock. We had only just begun the official mourning for Grace and here they both were, asking me to take her place at some stupid party.

“You mean dance with the men?”

“Not just dance with them. We need concrete ties. The country is in a period of great instability and we need a leader to take our place when we are gone. We need you to choose a husband.”

About J.A.:

Born in Leeds, I lived a very normal life until I got bored one day and decided to travel the world. Since then I've worked on a Banana Plantation, cleaned ACDC's dressing room and been a professional clown.

I climbed to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top of Kilimanjaro. Nowadays you'll find me being a climbing frame for my two young children, working in a school, and renovating my home.

Did I also mention I wrote some books?

I hope you enjoy them!

For my free books, just sign up to my newsletter here http://www.subscribepage.com/v7o8k4

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

*****CHARM GIVEAWAY*****

I'm giving away a Cinderella swag pack, print copies of Charm and a $20 Amazon voucher.

1st prize: Cinderella Swag Pack with NYT bestselling book, DVD and print copy of Charm

2nd Prize: $20 Amazon Giftcard and Ecopy of Charm

3rd Prize: Print copy of Charm

Just click the link below to take you to the entry form

GOOD LUCK :)

https://www.jaarmitage.com/giveaway

Book Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Blurb:

A dazzling novel that captures all of the romance, glamour, and tragedy of the first flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald. 

When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the "ungettable" Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. 

Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral and take the rest as it comes. 

My Review:

Z begins with a wild, flirty, rebellious young girl living in a conservative household who falls for a man with big dreams. 

During the first part of this book, I felt sorry for F. Scott because Zelda acts like a flighty girl just playing with his feelings. Zelda is wild and kind of crazy but she's accustomed to a type of living that at first F. Scott cannot financially provide for her so she won't marry him until he "becomes something." F. Scott is a piece of work in his own right as we learn as the book goes on.

At first Zelda's story about marrying F. Scott and their life together in the early days was interesting, but then it seems to just be repetitive as all they seem to do is drink, party, spend money, and get kicked out of places. Then things get just plain depressing as Zelda's mental state begins to crumble.

Overall I liked this book, but at times felt like it dragged. I thought it perfectly portrayed the era in which Zelda and F. Scott lived and it was interesting to see glimpses of the life of the man behind Gatsby and his fascinating wife, but in a way it made me lose respect for him, as well as other people of that era. The ending was probably my favorite part as we learn about F. Scott and Zelda's tragic end. They were two people who lived life hard, if not to the fullest and in the end it took a toll on them both.

My Rating:

3.75 of 5 Stars

Book Review: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Blurb:

Three students: dead. 

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace. 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere." 

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson. 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it. 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

My Review:

I first read this book about two years ago when it first came out. At the time, reading it late at night gave me such unsettling vibes that I couldn't finish it but I loved the cover so much that I couldn't get rid of the book. 

About a year ago I read Dawn Kurtagich's sophomore novel, And The Trees Crept In and loved it. Deciding that since I got through that book I'd give this book another try. One thing is abundantly clear after rereading The Dead House again: I clearly did not read the entire book the last time and the sections that terrified me I had read out of context. 

Rereading The Dead House was a breeze. This book is easy to read because of the format it's written in - comprised of journal entries, video and interview transcriptions with plenty of creepy photos, illustrations, and notes. 

This book is really more psychological than gory horror and it makes you think about what you believe as you read it. Is Kaitlyn the alter or is Carly really the alternate personality - or are they really what Naida believes: "two souls in one body." Are Carly and Kaitlyn really insane or is there something more sinister at work? Did Naida and the others help the situation or just make it worse; would any of it have even happened without the introduction of Mala?

I have my own opinions, I like to think Kaitlyn was the main personality (since we mostly see things in her perspective, not Carly's) and that the paranormal stuff was plausible, but I'm a fool who wishes to believe in the narrators of the books I read. 

Overall, this book was much better the second time and I can truly say that I loved it! Once I got started reading it I kept telling myself, "okay you'll go to sleep after this chapter ends," but with such short chapters I knew I was lying to myself. I devoured all 400 pages in no time at all! Allow this book into your life, let The Dead House infect your mind I dare you - you won't regret it! 

My Rating:

★★★★★

5 of 5 Stars!

Movie Adaptation Review: Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Last weekend I watched three YA book-to-movie adaptations on Lifetime. The first two didn't do much for me: Ten: Murder Island (which was like a take off on And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie crossed with 13 Reasons Why although it is based on Ten by Gretchen McNeil) and Drink, Slay, Love (based on the novel by Sarah Beth Durst); but it was the third one I was looking forward to....

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.
There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.


Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

My Review of the Movie Adaptation:

I haven't read this book, but I did put it on my Amazon books-to-buy-later list when I first saw the preview. 

The premise of the Movie was appealing enough; a girl moves to an island to live with her estranged mother after her father's death. There she learns about the mythical Seawalkers (basically mermaids), grabs the attention of the local "it" boy and pisses off his popular girlfriend while herself being drawn to the mysterious boy she's not supposed to be with. (Though the movie sounds nothing like the book's blurb describes it as!)

So it should have been something I would like, right? Instead, the movie was a huge letdown. The first hour and fifty minutes were spent mostly on stuff that didn't matter while everything important was crammed into the last ten minutes of the movie.

The movie left more questions than answers. Was Miranda a seawalker? Did her father die because he stayed out of the water too long? Was T.J. a seawalker Hunter? Did Leo really die at the end? What was up with Amelia and the trident?!?! 

I'm in no way blaming the book since I haven't read it yet. It just feels like a lot of the meat of the book might have been left out in the making of the movie. 

Did I enjoy the movie? Sure, but I felt like I spent most of the movie waiting for something to happen then the ending was a rushed mess that let me down. Do I still want to read the book? I probably want to read it more now after seeing the movie to see what was left out.

My Rating:

Movie Overall: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Acting: 4/5 Stars

Story Adaptation: 2/5 Stars

The idea was there, the movie just didn't live up to it.

#BookMail Thursday #33

Sadly other posts have delayed my usual Thursday #BookMail posts, but this way I have way more books to show you than just my once a week post...

Book Mail the week of September 1, 2017

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

I was so happy to finally get my signed copy of Because of Lila! I ordered this book way back in July thinking I'd get it by my birthday but for some reason, it took more than a month to get to me! 

Book Mail the Week of September 4, 2017

Tower of Dawn (Target Exclusive Edition) by Sarah J. Maas

Tower of Dawn (Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition) and The Assasin's Blade by Sarah J Maas from Good Choice Reading's virtual signing

Enchantment Lake and an ARC of The Clue In the Trees by Margi Preus courtesy of University of Minnesota Press

Book Mail the Week of September 18, 2017

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

September Waiting On:
Signed Copies of:
- Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
- The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #92

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm trying to break out of my book slump by rereading a book I'm not sure I gave enough credit to the first time I read it. I'm reading the horror debut of an author I've since come to love...

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Blurb:

Three students: dead. 

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace. 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere." 

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson. 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it. 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

Why I Chose to Reread This Book | What I Think So Far (This Time):

The first time I read this book I didn't like it. It gave off a creepy vibe. I decided to reread this book because it's been two years since I last read it and since then I read and love Dawn Kurtagich's other book, And The Trees Crept In so I decided to give The Dead House another try. 

This time I have a completely different view of this book. I haven't encountered the parts that made my skin crawl the last time, so maybe I will still get the chills, but I'm better prepared to handle it now. This time I find myself feeling sorry for Kaitlyn. What if she isn't just an alter? Or what if she is the main personality and Carly is the alter? I don't care for Carly this time around, she's as they described her in the section I just read: clingy.

The way this book is set out also makes it an easy read. 

{Blog Tour} Book Review: The Clue In The Trees by Margi Preus

The Clue In The Trees (Northwoods #2) by Margi Preus

The Clue In The Trees
Northwoods #2
by Margi Preus
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Blurb:
Francie’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It’s a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.

But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.


In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.

The Clue in the Trees takes place in a small town in northern Minnesota, though which side of the state it doesn't specify (probably not the Wisconsin side in my opinion). If you're looking for a book that's a short, easy read that perfectly describes the atmosphere of the northern Midwest, this is definitely your series. But as for mystery? I'm not so sure.

We meet our heroine (or re-meet if you've read the first book.) when she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds her long-lost brother sitting in the living room of her apartment at 3 am. Two things immediately sprung to mind as I read this:

1. Someone let themselves into your apartment at 3 am and you don't question that? Especially when they tell you to follow them to a gift shop? At 3 am?!?

2. What 17-year-old has their own apartment?!?!

Anyway, it isn't long before a murder occurs. But even though Francie has been compared to Nancy Drew, she's not really what I'd think of when I think girl detective. Probably because she keeps telling everyone she has no interest in solving the murder and because she doesn't seem to have the curiosity needed for the type of character she's supposed to be. Don't you want to find out what happened?

Most of this book seems to steer away from the murder investigation, instead focusing on Francie's missing or possibly dead mother and a missing silver box. The author also off-shoots into things like crude oil pipelining, protesting the pipelining, a Greek play the school is putting on, and a bunch of stuff one could do in a small country town in northern Minnesota. Then the ending and the motive for the murder was just so ridiculous it was comical.

 There wasn't just enough mystery for me. I thought this book would be more in the line of a teenage sleuth reminiscent of Mrs. Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, or even something along the lines of Texas Gothic or Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore.  I also didn't feel like the characters felt like modern teenagers. The phrases they used, like "skedaddle", sounding more like someone in the 1950s or 1960s would use, if even then and their use of things - whether social media or computers or cell phones seemed lacking. 

What this book did remind me of was something one of the local authors in my north-central Wisconsin area would write, something that might get sold in a local store for a 'flavor of the area' type thing. And if I didn't know this book was set in Minnesota I would have been more apt to believe it was more likely set in Yooper-land (Northern Michigan).

Despite all that, I can't exactly say how I feel about this book. I neither loved it nor disliked it. It did move fast, which is always good, but I just feel sort of indifferent about the book as a whole. It was made to sound like a YA novel, but I believe it is much better suited for a Middle-Grade audience. 

My Rating:
3.5 of 5 stars

Grab a copy of The Clue In the Trees for yourself! 
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo

About the Author:

Margi Preus is a New York Times bestselling author of several books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor book, Heart of a Samurai, the Minnesota Book Award-winning West of the Moon, and Shadow on the Mountain, a Notable Book for a Global Society. New in 2015 is Enchantment Lake, a Northwoods mystery, and The Bamboo Sword, which Bookpage says is “historical fiction at its best.”


“Margi Preus has a remarkable ability to create fascinating, page-turning stories that transport readers to faraway times and places. Whether she’s evoking Norway during World War II or 19th century Japan, Preus combines impeccable research with strong characterization and plot—the very elements that draw readers into history and spark the curiosity to learn more.” Bookpage, Sept. 2015

Connect with Margi Online:
Website- http://www.margipreus.com
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/262456.Margi_Preus
Twitter- https://twitter.com/MargiPreus
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/MargiPreusBooks

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:
• 1 copy of THE CLUE IN THE TREES by Margi Preus
• It can be read as a standalone
• US Only

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Direct Link to Giveaway

September 18th

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club & Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

September 19th

Bittersweet Enchantment- This or That/10 List

Taylor Fenner's Bookish World- Review

September 20th

Hauntedbybooks13- Review

Bloggin' 'Bout Books- Review

September 21st

Lisa Loves (Books Of Course)- Promo

Never Too Many To Read- Review

September 22nd

Cuz I'm a Nerd- Review

Life Within Pages- Q&A

September 23rd

Here's to Happy Endings- Review

The Critic Uncritical Bookworm- Review

September 24th

Will Read Anything- Review

Pink Polka Dot Books- Review

Book Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco

Blurb:

In this hotly anticipated sequel to the haunting #1 bestseller Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

My Review

I dove into this book blind after seeing the cover and having instant cover love and reading an excerpt from the first chapter on Entertainment Weekly. I hadn't read the first book, although I have since rectified that, but I found this book easy to get into. 

The world-building in Hunting Prince Dracula is fantastic and the story-telling was enchanting. I felt as if I stepped right into the pages and was living the story. Audrey Rose is the definition of a strong female lead, a term I find to be overused lately but the term definitely describes Audrey. She's brave, fearless, unafraid to get her hands dirty, and easily proves that girls can do all of the things that guys can do. I find sometimes that some characters take some time to like, but I liked Audrey instantly. 

Audrey and Thomas reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their investigative skills blew me away and I loved all of the details of late-nineteenth-century autopsies and forensic studies, the author definitely did her research. 

I loved both the setting (having read other books set roughly in the same region and time period and loving those it felt like I was returning to something familiar) and the secondary characters that brought the story together perfectly. I never saw the ending coming! 

Overall, I was hooked on Hunting Prince Dracula from the first page. I didn't want to put it down and I'm already eager to read the next book! 

My Rating:

5 of 5 Stars!