Review: The Apartment by S.L. Grey

~ megs14malloy

The ApartmentThe Apartment by S.L. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After masked men break into their Cape Town home in the middle of the night, and subsequently terrorize them as they ransack the place, married couple, Mark and Steph are understandably traumatized.

Although they, as well as their 2-year old daughter, weren’t physically harmed, the emotional scars run deep. They are having an extremely difficult time returning to life as normal in the aftermath.

Troubles sleeping, paranoia about leaving the house unlocked, feeling like someone has been inside; all classic PTSD-home invasion symptoms.

Confiding in a friend one evening over dinner and drinks, she suggests to them that they may need some time away to heal and regroup; a house swap site is mentioned and Steph’s interest is piqued.

While they really aren’t in a financial position to take a trip, if they participated in a house swap, they just might be able to pull it off.

Mark doesn’t seem as into the idea, so Steph, naturally, creates a profile behind his back and begins the search.

Finding a match, Steph ends up convincing Mark to take the leap. Paris here they come!!

Arriving in Paris, Steph and Mark quickly discover the apartment is not quite as advertised. Not by a long shot. They fear there has been some sort of mistake, but gradually come to accept that they have been had.

It’s dirty, creepy, terribly furnished and under-provisioned. There’s even mold. Plus, don’t even ask what’s in the closet.

Unfortunately, for the couple, circumstances are actually much worse than they appear. Not long after settling in, strange things begin to happen in the apartment building and their minds.

I picked this audiobook up after a friend of mine had listened to it and really enjoyed it.

She seemed so excited about it and I wanted to be able to discuss it with her. I hadn’t really heard any hype for it, so was pretty jazzed once I read the synopsis and realized it was just my kind of story. Creepy and weird.

The audiobook was fantastic. The narrators did a wonderful job of believably protraying Mark and Steph’s sides of the story; which you alternate between.

There was a constant feeling of dread, even when nothing overtly scary was happening. I always enjoy that type of narrative. When I am just waiting for the dark truth to unfold.

I felt Grey did a solid job steadily building tension throughout. With this being said, the story actually disturbed me from the very start; it had a great tone.

It was like when you are watching a slightly scary movie and the cinematography is very dark, or sepia-toned, and you’re just kind of squinting the whole time, anticipating what is going to be coming next. What’s just outside the lense that you can’t see. I love that.

In addition to the many real-world issues Mark and Steph were struggling with, I enjoyed the darker supernatural elements to this story as well. The ending was satisfying to me and I can definitely picture this being adapted into a movie.

The Apartment certainly may not be for every Reader, but I really liked it. It was especially fun to read with a friend and discuss the different disturbing and crazy occurences plaguing Mark and Steph.

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Review: The Sisters of Reckoning (The Good Luck Girls #3) by Charlotte Nicole Davis

~ megs14malloy

The Sisters of Reckoning (The Good Luck Girls, #2)The Sisters of Reckoning by Charlotte Nicole Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sisters of Reckoning is the sequel to Charlotte Nicole Davis’s 2019-release, The Good Luck Girls; it’s one I have been very highly anticipating.

Truly a powerful follow-up, I felt like Davis’s writing really blossomed within these pages!

Set in the fictional world of Arketta, the action takes place close to a year after the conclusion of the first book. Please note, as this is the second book, there may be some mild spoilers within this review.

Proceed with caution.

After successfully fleeing their Welcome House, Aster remained in Arketta and has become a Lady Ghost, while her fellow Green Creek girls have now settled themselves in the country of Ferron, across the border.

With her work as a Lady Ghost, Aster continues to assist Good Luck girls to escape from their various Welcome Houses; but the progress is slow.

When Aster hears that her enemy, the despicable landmaster Jerrod McClennon, is planning to open a brand new Welcome House, as well as lower the age nationwide that girl’s will experience their Lucky Night to 13, she knows she has to do something.

It is no longer good enough to try to save one girl at a time. Aster wants to free all dustbloods from the the landmasters who oppress, abuse and degrade them.

She plans to hit them where it hurts; their money sources. Gathering up the old crew, as well as some bold new allies, Aster leads a movement, known as The Reckoners, who are willing to fight for a new system for Arketta.

Sacrifices will need to be made and the fight may be long and bloody, but Aster and friends, feel like they have nothing left to lose. They are tired, they’re frustrated, but they are not weak and they will not rest until they get the justice they deserve.

Y’all this is an impactful story. Davis did a great job of expanding and building on the groundwork that she laid in the first book.

There is a ton of thoughtful social commentary woven throughout the narrative; it’s not subtle and I appreciated that. The issues Aster and the other Good Luck Girls are dealing with are not unique to them; they’re systemic and Aster realizes they must tear down the system in order to build a new one where dustbloods can be free.

I loved watching Aster grow in confidence and leadership ability. She was still suffering from PTSD related to her time in the Welcome House and that was handled beautifully as well.

My only slight criticism would be somewhere in the middle, it began to feel a little drawn out. The pace decreased a bit and some of the circumstances felt repetitive, but overall, this is an incredible continuation to this story and I loved the ending!

If you haven’t picked up The Good Luck Girls yet, you really should. It would be the perfect time to binge the two back-to-back!! I personally would love to see more from Davis in this world.

A hearty thank you to the publisher, Tor Teen, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. Davis is so talented and I definitely plan to pick up anything she writes!!!

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Review: The Dead Boyfriend (Fear Street Relauch #5) by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

The Dead Boyfriend (Fear Street Relaunch, #5)The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Dead Boyfriend tells a story of teenage love infatuation gone terribly wrong.

Caitlin falls for Blade, the mysterious new boy, at first sight. She can’t believe her luck when he seems to be into her too. Like really, really into her.

They fall hard and fast, like many first loves do. Caitlin couldn’t be happier. That is until the night Blade cancels a date with her and she catches him out with another girl.

Caitlin confronts him, but he acts like she means nothing to him. She can’t believe it. How can he do this to her!?

Unable to let it go, she heads to his house to wait for him to return at the end of the night. When Blade arrives, he is acting completely normally, like nothing happened. It’s like their blowout didn’t affect him at all.

Caitlin sees red. Literally, on her hands. Blood. Blade is dead and she’s to blame.

Told mostly through a quasi-epistolary format, with the majority of the novel being presented as Caitlin’s diary entries, this story gets real wild.

In addition to the craziness with Blade, who make no mistake, doesn’t stop bother Caitlin just because he dies, there’s also her bizarre interactions with Deena Fear, of the infamous Fear family.

While I didn’t enjoy this story quite as much as I enjoyed, The Lost Girl, it is still a fun Teen Scream.

Brittany Pressley is the absolute PERFECT person to narrate these new Relaunch audiobooks. She is so believable as these characters; I am really caught up by her voice.

Overall, this is a solid YA-Horror; exactly what you would expect from a Fear Street book. The nostalgia is real!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to listen to. I had so much fun hearing Caitlin’s story and am looking forward to more Fear Street Relaunch audiobooks!!!

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Review: The Blade Itself (The First Law #1) by Joe Abercrombie

~ megs14malloy

The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The First Law series has been on my radar for a long time. It’s one of those Fantasy series that seems to stand out as a favorite amongst Readers.

After completing this, I can absolutely see why.

With a lush, Grimdark Fantasy setting, extremely well-constructed characters, magic and a ton of intrigue, I was fully immersed within this story when I was reading it.

Even when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. I had no clue where the story was going, but was perfectly content to sit back and let Abercrombie’s genius wash over me.

In this first book, the main cast of characters is introduced and we watch as the spheres of their worlds begin to merge.

Logen, Bayaz, Glokta and Jezal were all incredibly compelling. Each one of their stories was one that I wanted to know more about. Often, I feel like character work can be uneven; like there are characters you are more drawn to than others. In this case, I loved each and every one of them!

There is a lot of ground work being laid in this novel, but in spite of that, it never felt like a slog. It always felt exciting and important.

I really enjoyed the level of magic that Abercrombie included. It wasn’t overdone, or relied upon too heavily as a plot device, but I feel like we are just scratching the surface of the powers available in this world.

I love how this ended up, with the intrigue higher than ever and it appears we are heading out on a quest. One of my favorite tropes in Fantasy.

I cannot wait to get to the next book!!!

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Review: The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

~ megs14malloy

The Guilt TripThe Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Rachel, Jack, Noah and Paige are a friendship foursome with a lot of history. Rachel and Noah have been best friends since college and there was a time when they considered being more than friends.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Now twenty-years later, Rachel is happily married to Jack, while Noah is married to Paige.

When Jack’s brother, Will, decides on a destination wedding with his flamboyant fiance, Ali, the foursome, with Ali in tow, travel to the beautiful country of Portugal for the event.

It never takes long for drama to arise when Ali is around. It seems to follow her everywhere, and as predicted by the friends, is created before they’ve even left the airport.

Ali’s exuberant, over-the-top nature gets under everyone’s skin. There’s never a break with her. It’s always something.

Rachel is unnerved to observe that Ali seems to be paying special attention to her husband. While Jack doesn’t appear to be recipricating her advances, Rachel still begins to wonder, what exactly is going on there?

As they settle into their cliffside villa, things continuously get worse. Ali flaunting herself around is making everyone uncomfortable, especially now that Jack has revealed to the friends something he heard about her from a work colleague.

Is this even a woman he wants his brother to marry?

But Ali isn’t the only one with secrets. Everyone has something to hide and as suspicions begin to creep across the group of friends, all is threatened to be revealed.

This was a compelling story. I definitely had fun reading it; particularly the first half. I’m all for excessive domestic drama. I love long-buried secrets, deceptions, betrayals; it’s addicting. The setting was great and I loved the whole destination wedding scenerio.

I was hooked. Nevertheless, there were some finer details that didn’t sit quite right with me. It’s a good story, but not perfectly suited to my tastes.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked it. I’m not mad I read it. It was interesting, it was shocking, wild and not a bad way to spend a weekend!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

I think if you love quick, domestic suspense stories, you should definitely give this one a shot!

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Review: The Dare by Lesley Kara

~ megs14malloy

The DareThe Dare by Lesley Kara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two things have greatly influenced Lizzie’s life: her epilepsy and the tragic death of her best friend, Alice, when they were just 13-years old.

Twelve years later, Lizzie has finally found contentment. She has successfully moved out of her parent’s house and in with her fiance, Ross. Her parents couldn’t be more happy. Lizzie is engaged to a doctor, the perfect person for her.

Whilst unpacking boxes that have been stored in her parent’s attic, Lizzie comes across one from her teenage years. It contains items that really dig up memories of Alice and her death.

Lizzie was with Alice when she died and was clearly traumatized by the event, but she can’t remember much. Having suffered a seizure, her brain wiped clean all memory of that fateful time.

Dragging on her the most is the fact that Alice’s family, in addition to other kids at school, blamed Lizzie for Alice’s death. They believed she wasn’t telling the whole story.

Alice’s older sister, Catherine, harrassed Lizzie ceaselessly after that. Apparently believing she could scare the truth out of her. Lizzie’s story has always remained the same: she doesn’t remember.

It was so bad, Lizzie’s family had to move house after the accident. They needed a fresh start.

Now that Lizzie has finally got the true fresh start she has been dreaming of, a life with Ross, her past suddenly seems to be coming back to haunt her.

Told through past and present perspectives, The Dare is an absolutely addictive roller coaster ride of deceptions and suspense.

I really enjoyed Kara’s 2019-release, Who Did You Tell?, so was very much looking forward to getting to this one. I love how she weaves past and present perspectives together. She has such a knack for showing how much events in our pasts can influence our present, and this story was no exception.

Lizzie is a great character. She was someone I could really get behind. While initially I thought she may be naive, I think in made sense in light of all she had been through. Her innocence didn’t diminish her intelligence however, and I thought she was able to handle all that was happening to her with incredible control and thoughtfulness.

The level of deceipt in this novel is off the charts. Once the reveals began to unfold, my jaw spent half the time on the floor. My pulse was racing just anticipating what Lizzie would need to do to escape her prediciment.

If you like nail-biting, twisty-turny, who do I trust, Domestic Thrillers, you absolutely need to check this one out!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. At this point, I can confidently say, I will pick up anything Kara ever writes!

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Review: Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (Paola Santiago #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia

~ megs14malloy

Paola Santiago and the Forest of NightmaresPaola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares by Tehlor Kay Mejia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Half a year has passed since Paola Santiago took on the legendary spirit, La Llorona. Since that time, a lot has changed in Pao’s life and she wouldn’t say for the better.

She has grown distant from her two best friends, Emma and Dante. Truth be told, she barely speaks to them anymore. Add to this the fact that her Mom has an annoying new boyfriend practically living at their house. Yeah, not great.

Additionally, Pao’s still having nightmares. This time set in a dark, creepy forest where her Dad plays a role as a recurring character. The Dad she really knows nothing about and barely remembers.

When Dante’s abuela collapses right in front of Pao, some things she was saying just prior, prompts Pao to believe the two occurrences, her dreams and Dante’s abuela’s mysterious illness, are connected. Pao also believes that her father may be the key to saving Dante’s abeula.

It’s a race against time as Pao, begrudingly joined by Dante, hits the road to Oregon to try to track down her Dad. Luckily, the two are able to pair up with their old friend, Ninos leader, Naomi, who contributes quite a bit on their journey.

Again the kids must face down incredibly dangerous and frightening supernatural entities on more than one occasion. This book got scary, y’all. I mean it!

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares is an incredible sequel. I felt like with this novel, even though it is packed full of action, I got to know the characters more.

Pao in particular. In the first installment, I felt a bit disconnected from her. There was so much action, it was chaotic and I never felt like I really understood her.

I was so focused on what was going on in the periphery. But with this novel, I feel like learning more about her family, her feelings of loneliness and self doubt, I truly came to care for her.

She is such a soft, sweet, yet strong character, who grew by leaps and bounds over the course of this story.

Mejia does a great job of tying creatures of folklore into a modern, compelling tale. It’s evident from this book that there is a lot more of Pao’s story to tell. I feel like we are just scratching the surface of complications for this spunky girl.

In short, this is a super fun Middle Grade adventure story, perfect for Readers who enjoy a bit of darker, don’t turn out the lights, content in their stories!

I am greatly looking forward to meeting up with Pao again and going on another adventure.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Books and Rick Riordan Presents, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.

As always with books found within the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, this dazzled me with its high-stakes, page-turning content. Well done by Mejia!!

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Review: The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish

~ megs14malloy

The Other PassengerThe Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Jamie and Kit are part of a group of London commuters known as the Water Rats.

They have the luxury of making their daily commute via riverboat on the Thames, as opposed to more traditional, oftentimes more frustrating modes of transportation.

They drink coffee together in the morning and more spirited drinks after work. It’s not a bad way to start, or end the day.

On the first Monday back to work after the Christmas holiday, however, Jamie is approached by two police officers as he disembarks from the boat. Apparently, Kit hasn’t been seen since the Water Rats Christmas drinks celebration a few days prior.

They had all been a bit sauced when they finally boarded a late boat to get home. The boat was practically empty, but it seems another passenger reported that Jamie was the last person seen with Kit.

Jamie is under suspicion. He can hardly believe it. He and Kit did have a bit of a row, but then he went straight home. Back to his longtime partner, Claire, who can certainly attest to his whereabouts.

As the hours, then days, tick by with no sign of Kit, things begin to get progressively worse for Jamie. It’s all a bit of a downward spiral.

Through a past perspective, the evolution of Jamie and Kit’s friendship is brought to light, including their signficant others, Claire and Melia. Kit and Melia have a contentious relationship, with Jamie and Claire witnessing evident unhappiness on more than one occasion.

Could Kit have run off on his own, or has something much more sinister happened to him?

Jamie needs to find out. His very freedom may depend on it.

It’s no secret that I am a fan of Louise Candlish’s brand of Domestic Thriller. There’s something about the way she weaves a tale that I am absolutely addicted to reading.

It’s always over the top, full of unlikable characters, as well as plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting.

The Other Passenger did start out a little slow for me, but around the midpoint, it really heats up. After that the gas pedal is all the way to the floor until the conclusion.

This is one of those stories where the last little bit left a devilish smile on my face. I always enjoy that type of wickedly satisfying ending.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.

I am so on board for anything Candlish writes, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!!

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Review: For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

~ megs14malloy

For Your Own GoodFor Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Belmont Academy is a prestigious, private New England high school that attracts the best and the brightest; both in students and teachers alike.

Teddy Crutcher is an English teacher there and proudly, the recent recipient of the Teacher of the Year award.

Admittedly, he’s not always a favorite of the students though. It could be because he does push them, it’s true. Sometimes they require a little tough love, something certain spoiled brats don’t seem to be getting at home.

Students that seem overly arrogant, like everything will be handed to them, may receive a little special treatment from Crutcher. He needs to show them that the world doesn’t work that way.

Zach Ward is one of those students. Just the sight of him gets Teddy’s blood boiling.

For Zach’s part, he can’t understand why Mr. Crutcher seems to dislike him so much. Everyone likes him, teachers, students, other adults, everyone. It’s truly puzzling.

When Zach needs to perform extra credit to up his grade in Crutcher’s class, Teddy makes sure it will be a challenge, not caring how much it interferes with Zach’s other commitments.

The tension rises when a fellow teacher asks Teddy to tweak when the assignment will be due. She has deadlines for Zach at the same time and certainly he can’t be expected to complete both.

The audacity! Teddy seems to be the only person at this school with any regard for propriety.

Then tragic events bring the once heralded school to its knees. Parents begin removing their kids, donations plummet; only Teddy can bring it around.

For Your Own Good was an absolute blast to read. My first Samantha Downing novel, but definitely not my last.

It was hella twisted, no one was safe. I didn’t know where it was going, or what the conclusion would be.

I absolutely love how Downing crafted this. I never felt like I had enough information to put everything together. I wanted to, I desperately wanted to know, but there were so many pieces to the puzzle and I couldn’t get any of them to fit.

There were a few twists towards the end that just made me giddy, they were so diabolical. The conclusion was perfection!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to dive into Downing’s backlist now.

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Review: The Lost Girl (Fear Street Relaunch #3) by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

The Lost Girl (Fear Street Relaunch, #3)The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, what a great listening experience. The Lost Girl is a super fun audiobook!

I felt all the nostalgia, all the chills, all the hilarious wacky over-the-top, spine-tingling teen horror moments…

The Lost Girl is part of the six-book Fear Street Relaunch that was released between 2014 and 2017. I believe this is the first time it has ever been released in audiobook format.

In this story, a new student has arrived at Shadyside High. Lizzy is gorgeous, mysterious and seems to have her sights set on popular student, Michael.

Michael doesn’t know what to think of Lizzy. Sure, she’s odd, but she just moved here and she doesn’t have any friends, they can at least be nice to her.

Michael’s girlfriend, Pepper, has a lot more to say about the Lizzy situation and it’s not good. However, Lizzy is still able to infiltrate their friend group, mostly due to Michael’s kindness.

During an afternoon of snowmobiling together, there’s a horrific accident. After which the group of teens make a decision that ultimately comes back to haunt them.

They begin to feel hunted and before long, bodies start dropping. Although many in the group believe the snowmobile accident is the cause of all their troubles, Pepper thinks Lizzy may be behind everything. Who’s right?

This is the present perspective. There is also a past perspective, a horrific murder from 1950 that seems to be tied to the current tragedies.

As the past and present perspectives begin to come together, the terrifying truth is revealed. Shadyside is a complex town with a long history of violence and mysterious happenings. This story is just one example of how crazy it can get!

I had so much fun reading this story. I haven’t read a Fear Street book in over 20-years and this definitely brought back a lot of nostalgia for me.

I think the audiobook format is an incredible way to take in this fun, fast-paced story. There are two narrators, one for the past perspective and one for Michael’s present perspective.

While both were great, the narrator for Michael’s perspective, Dan Bittner, really stole the show for me.

He put so much energy into his reading. I was on the edge of my seat. I was so engaged. I was literally exclaiming things randomly out loud while listening. I just couldn’t help it! It was fantastic.

I have two more Fear Street Relaunch audibooks to listen to soon, The Dead Boyfriend and Give Me a K-I-L-L, so stay tuned for those reviews!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. It was such a good time and I am really looking forward to getting to the others. I know a lot of Readers are really going to enjoy these audiobooks!!!

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