2021 releases

Review: Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

~ megs14malloy

Lost in the Never WoodsLost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Five years ago, Wendy Darling and her two brothers, Michael and John, went missing in the local woods.

Six months later, Wendy was found. She had no memory of her time away, or the fate of her little brothers.

After she returns, the police question her pretty hard, not sure how much of her story they can believe. Perhaps she knows more than she is letting on.

Now in her Senior year of high school, Wendy is working at a hospital and trying to move on with her life, although she is still plagued with thoughts of her brothers.

When children start disappearing again, in ways similar to Wendy and her brothers, all eyes look to her for answers.

She feels no closer to knowing what really happened all those years ago, but something is definitely going on, as the boy she thought lived only in her stories becomes real.

Peter Pan. He is real and he is pleading with Wendy for her help finding his shadow; the villain of this tale.

Lost in the Never Woods was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The first 10% seemed really promising and the last 10% gave me a conclusion that felt satisfying. However, everything in between was a giant slog.

The tone was quite melancholy and morose. The pace was incredibly slow, the relationships forced and the magical elements felt bland. Not what I was hoping for.

The writing style itself was good. It had a pleasing flow and you can tell that Thomas put a lot of thought into the real world issues discussed; grief, guilt, PTSD, those aspects were well done.

Overall, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for and I never felt connected. With this being said, there is a Reader for every book and vice versa.

So, don’t take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a go. It could end up being your new favorite book!

I will definitely pick up more work from this author in the future. I already own Cemetery Boys and am really excited to get to that one!

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Review: Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

~ megs14malloy

Black Water SisterBlack Water Sister by Zen Cho
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After graduating from Harvard, Jessamyn Teoh, finds herself broke, unemployed and still unable to come out to her parents.

Following her father’s recent illness, her parents decide to move back to Malaysia and Jess is going with them. Having grown up in the United States, it’s going to require some adjustment, but Jess also feels like she doesn’t have much of a choice.

Now she needs to add the stress of a long-distance relationship with her secret girlfriend into the mix.

It’s a lot of pressure, so when Jess begins to hear voices, she thinks she may actually be losing it.

As it turns out, she’s not really hearing voices, plural. She’s hearing one voice, that of her deceased Grandmother, Ah Ma.

When she was alive, Ah Ma was a spirit medium for a mysterious, local deity, known as the Black Water Sister. Ah Ma’s spirit is restless, unable to cross over, until she seeks revenge against a powerful man who has offended the God.

Ah Ma plans to use Jess for this mission.

Black Water Sister was like no other Contemporary Fantasy novel that I have ever read. It was modern, magical, fast-paced and full of over-the-top family drama!

I really enjoyed watching the evolution Jess made as a character. She was smart, intuitive and adaptable from the very beginning, but it also felt like she was holding herself back.

Once she meets Ah Ma, even though the two butt heads in a lot of ways, that pressure made Jess grow and find a strength within herself that she didn’t realize was there.

The Malaysian setting and cultural background were so refreshing to read. That backdrop is an important part of the story and I truly became immersed within it.

Overall, I was very impressed with the complexity, nuance and fantastical elements included in this story. While this is my first Zen Cho novel, it certainly will not be my last!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I truly appreciate the opportunity!

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Review: Tarnish Empire (Dark Shores #0.5) by Danielle L. Jensen

~ megs14malloy

Tarnished Empire (Dark Shores, #0.5)Tarnished Empire by Danielle L. Jensen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Tarnished Empire is a prequel installment to Danielle L. Jensen’s Dark Shores series.

Released in January of 2021, this story was just what I needed to tide me over until Gilded Serpent released. I was hella satisfied upon completion.

In this story, we learn more about Marcus and the notorious 37th Legion, which he leads as Commander. If you have read Dark Shores, you will be well acquainted with Marcus.

You may recall him as a smart, powerful and fair leader. In this story, he’s not quite as accomplished, or respected, as he will be someday.

He and his men are assigned to squash the last resistance to the Senate’s rule. It’s a sticky situation with a lot of innocent people falling into harms way.

Agrippa, a soldier in the 37th, and a friend of Marcus, plays a central role in this narrative. He is a charming and engaging character who brought some light humor to the mix.

I loved Agrippa and was happy to hear that we are going to be getting more of him in Gilded Serpent!

His romantic interest, Silvara, is a washer woman, who also is secretly part of the resistance. When Agrippa and Silvara begin a relationship, it’s anyone’s guess what secrets will be shared between them.

Overall, I found this to be a good story. It kept me engaged and I really enjoyed the action scenes, as well as the behind the scenes political maneuverings.

I loved learning more of Marcus’ backstory, as well as more about the Dark Shores world in general. This is the type of world where every detail is interesting.

Jensen’s world-building is top notch. This series is currently underrated in my opinion. If you are sleeping on it, wait no longer.

Start this series!! It’s so good!

Personally, if we were to discuss reading order, I would recommend reading them in publication order. Even though this is a prequel, I would read Dark Shores and Dark Skies prior to this one.

I am picking up Gilded Serpent this week ((FINALLY)) and am so pumped to be back in this world with some of my favorite characters!!!

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Review: Howls From Hell, a collection edited by HOWL Society

~ megs14malloy

Howls From HellHowls From Hell by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Howls From Hell is an entertaining Horror Anthology packed full of over-the-top, toe-cringing content!!

Prior to reading, I discovered that this well-rounded collection was collectively edited by, HOWL Society, which if I understand correctly, is an online group for Horror Readers and Writers.

I think this is fascinating and such a great example of the camaraderie that can be found within the Horror Fiction community.

Yes, I know we have our problems, but the whole essence of this collection is what it should be all about. Supporting one another in this genre we all feel so passionately about.

In addition to its compelling origin, this is a wildly varied and engrossing collection. It’s absolutely worth the read.

I looked forward to starting each new story, as I never knew what to expect. Each author brought their own unique style and voice.

If I were to select my three favorite stories of the collection, they would be: Gooseberry Bramble by Solomon Forse, It Gets In Your Eyes by Joseph Andre Thomas and Junco Creek by S.E. Denton.

Overall, the entire collection is great though. The Foreward by Grady Hendrix brought me to the brink of tears; oh, the nostalgia.

I think of the 16-stories included, only two didn’t resonate with me.

With this being said, I definitely think there is something in this anthology for every Horror Reader.

If you consider yourself a fan of the genre, give it a go, support your community and have a fun time doing it!

Howls From Hell will be releasing next Tuesday, May 18th!!

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Review: A Test of Courage (A Star Wars Junior Novel) by Justina Ireland

~ megs14malloy

A Test of Courage (Star Wars: The High Republic)A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Test of Courage is a super solid Junior Star Wars novel set in the era of the High Republic; the golden age of the Jedi.

The recently released High Republic books all take place concurrently in the year 232-BBY.

As determined by these novels, this is the year of the Great Disaster, a catastrophic event that caused numerous ships galaxy-wide to be suddenly, and violently, launched out of hyperspace.

It also destroyed moons and created a great amount of debris causing further problems for ships and navigators.

To put it in a timeline perspective, these High Republic novels predate all previously released Star Wars materials.

In early 2021, Disney released three of these novels; one Adult, Light of the Jedi, one YA, Into the Dark, and this one, a Junior novel.

This story follows a group of kids who after their transport ship is destroyed, find themselves stranded on a dangerous jungle moon.

Venestra, Avon, Imri and Honesty are completely on their own. Outside of all adult supervision, they need to not just survive, but take on enemies much older and more experienced than themselves.

This novel took me completely by surprised. Ireland went much deeper than I expected.

This group of characters were so interesting and fun to learn about. Venestra is a Jedi prodigy, the youngest Padawan to pass Jedi trials in generations. She stole the show for me and definitely fell easily into a leadership role.

Additionally, I loved Avon! A Senator’s daughter who wants to experiment on kyber crystals. That’s my kind of girl.

A Test of Courage is fast-paced, action-packed, full of deep space adventures and wonderfully nuanced characters.

The Star Wars audiobooks are known to be incredible, with fun sound effects and great narrators. I am happy to report, this one is no exception.

I highly recommend the audiobook for this. It is super engaging and is a great way to take in this content. I was super impressed with the entire production.

I’ve been loving the new High Republic content and recommend them not just for long-time Star Wars fans, but also to those who may be interested in the books and are unsure of where to start.

This is a great jumping off point. I think this story is a wonderful example of the type of deeply compelling material that can be found within the Canon novels.

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Review: The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1) by Graci Kim

~ megs14malloy

The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1)The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riley Oh has never felt like she fits in. She loves her adoptive family with her whole heart, but while they are a part of the Gom clan, a powerful line of Korean healing witches, Riley is a saram; one without magic.

When her sister Hattie is about to be initiated into the clan, earning her Gi bracelet and the ability to perform spells without adult supervision, Hattie comes up with a plan to share her magic with Riley.

While that sounds like a great idea, like many great ideas before it, things don’t quite go as planned.

With Hattie’s life hanging in the balance, Riley must now go on a seemingly impossible quest to find the last fallen star. Obviously, it would be helpful if Riley even had the slightest clue what the star is, or how to find it.

Along with her best friend, Emmett, the two work against the clock, challenging everything they believed about their world, in order to try to save Hattie.

I absolutely adored this story. Riley was such a sweet little gumdrop. She was so easy to get behind and support.

I really appreciated the growth Riley made as a character and the way Kim incorporated so many true to life, coming of age issues into this fantastical story.

I thought there was a lot of great content in here for young readers concerning things like the meaning of family, friendship, being true to yourself and who you are meant to be.

This story left off in an incredible spot for a continuation of the series. I am really, really, really looking forward to the next book, set to release in 2022.

I highly recommend this action-packed, Korean-mythology inspired Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure. Yes, it has everything! Such an impressive debut!!!!!

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

I will be praising this one to the rooftops for a long time to come!! Available now!!

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Review: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

~ megs14malloy

Dial A for AuntiesDial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Meddy Chan works as a photographer for her family’s up-and-coming wedding planning business.

After completing college, where she did study photography, Meddy couldn’t seem to extract herself from her loving, though overly-involved, mother and aunties.

Since the men in the family, and all her cousins, have left, Meddy is the sole focus of Ma’s and the Aunties’ attention. Her family is cursed. That’s all there is to it.

When her mother fixes her up on a blind date, she agrees good-naturedly to go. How bad can it possibly be?

As it turns out, bad. Really, really bad.

Her date ends up dead. Meddy freaks, as you would, and in her panicked state transports his body back to her house in the truck of her car.

Fortunately, one of the best things about her Ma and Aunties is, they’re always there when Meddy needs them and right now, she REALLY needs them and right now, she REALLY needs them.

From there hijinks ensue, as the body of her dead date ends up being accidentally transported to the island where the over-the-top billionaire’s wedding they are working that weekend is being held.

Dial A for Aunties drew me in from the very start. Meddy, as a protagonist, is sharp and super relatable.

I loved her relationship with her Ma, as well as the relationships among all the Aunties. There is such a fun family dynamic throughout this entire story.

I think it could best be described as Weekend at Bernie’s with a Romantic Comedy twist, so if that sounds interesting to you, pick it up. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

I had an absolute blast reading this and am so happy books like this exist in the world!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I truly appreciate it!

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Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

~ megs14malloy

Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2)Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

I had been highly anticipating Good Girl, Bad Blood since I turned the final page of Holly Jackson’s 2019-release, A Good Girls Guide to Murder.

Okay, truth be told, I didn’t even know there was going to be a sequel to AGGGTM, but I knew I wanted more of Pippa Fitz-Amobi and her badass investigatory abilities!

After she solved the mystery of the disappearance of Andie Bell, along with her now boyfriend, Ravi Singh, Pippa created a True Crime podcast on the case.

It went viral. In spite of the podcasts huge popularity, Pippa has sworn off any further investigations.

But when her good friend Connor’s older brother, Jamie, goes missing, Connor enlists Pippa’s help with finding him.

Pippa’s first suggestion is that Connor go to the police with his concerns. She even goes to speak with officers herself, but they aren’t taking it seriously. Jamie has disappeared before and they think he has just skipped town for a few days.

Pippa can’t ignore the signs, however, and they seem to point to foul play.

Against her better judgement, she agrees to look into it. She can’t deny a friend in need and sit by while Jamie may be in danger, or worse.

As her investigation begins, she unearths a lot of secrets Jamie has been hiding. It’s a wicked web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

This was such a fun and captivating story. It didn’t quite capture me to the extent that A Good Girl’s Guide did, but I think that’s mostly attributable to being introduced to Pippa in the first book.

In the initial book, I loved learning about her as a character. Meeting a girl who was willing to go outside of her comfort zone and risk everything in the name of truth and justice.

Pippa definitely felt more mature in this novel, like an old friend. She still has that same fire inside her to discover the truth. She’s really a character you can get behind.

The mystery was so well-plotted and I absolutely adored the podcast elements incorporated throughout. Podcasts are definitely a popular plot device over the past couple of years and it felt very natural within this story.

Holly Jackson has such a pleasing writing style. The setting, format and fantastic characters in these stories will keep me coming back for more as long as she keeps writing them!

I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!

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Review: When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

~ megs14malloy

When the Stars Go DarkWhen the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wracked with grief after a personal tragedy, Missing Persons Detective, Anna Hart, flees from her regular life in San Francisco, in order to give herself time to heal.

She heads back to the town she grew up in with her loving foster parents, Mendocino, in Northern California.

Once there, she rents a modest cabin in the woods and actually ends up taking in a new canine companion, who she names, Cricket.

Obviously. this enhanced my enjoyment of the story.
((Just kidding. Kind of, not really.))

Anna also reunites with her childhood friend, Will, who happens to now be the local Sheriff.

Knowing how successful Anna has been in her career, Will enlists her help with assisting him finding a teenage girl, Cameron, who has recently gone missing.

This new investigation is a good distraction from Anna’s own tragedy, but her involvement means more to her than that. She quickly becomes engrossed in the case.

Having survived very significant childhood trauma herself, Anna has dedicated her life to helping other children and survivors. As stressful as it can often be, it’s her calling.

We watch the investigation unfold, as Will and Anna work together to try to find out what happened to Cameron. Maybe they can get to her before it’s too late.

They end up tying her case to that of other missing girls in the area and the intensity definitely begins to build from there.

This is a great story. It’s subtle, dark and heart-wrenching.

It really reminded me a lot of Rene Denfeld’s, The Child Finder and I mean that as a heavy compliment.

It’s quite nuanced, more than your average book in this genre, which I appreciated so much. McLain packed a lot in.

I loved the investigatory elements and learning more about Anna’s background as a character; how her early life lead her to the point where she is at.

Overall, this story has good action, a compelling mystery, layered, well-established characters and a satisfying conclusion.

There were some areas that felt a little slow for me, but that didn’t overshadow any of the other fantastically done elements.

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

I appreciate the opportunity and hope this author writes more in this genre!

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Review: The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

~ megs14malloy

The Perfect DaughterThe Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Grace discovers an abandoned 4-year old girl in a park, she knows the little one is destined to be her daughter. Grace fights hard to foster the girl and ultimately adopts her into the family.

Grace and her husband, Arthur, have two boys, Ryan and Jack, but Grace has always wanted to mother a daughter. That relationship is just so special.

As it turns out, mothering this particular little girl, named Penny by her older brother, Jack, is more challenging than Grace initially anticipated.

Penny, due to trauma in her early life, has suffered a schism within her psyche, outwardly displayed as a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID.

Once known as Multiple Personality Disorder, Grace and the rest of the family are slowly introduced to Penny’s alters, Ruby, Chloe and Eve.

When Penny is accused of killing her birth mother, caught red handed at the woman’s apartment, Grace knows there has to be another explanation. Her sweet Penny would never be capable of such violence.

But would one of her alters? Would Eve, the most aggressive and openly hostile?

Penny gets arrested, and subsequently committed, to Edgewater Psychiatric Hospital for care and treatment prior to her trial. It is there that she comes under the care of the perceptive, Dr. Mitch McHugh.

The Perfect Daughter is a fast-paced and intriguing Psychological Suspense novel. Palmer did a great job of keeping the tension high throughout the story.

I was constantly questioning who, or what, to believe. I know that mental health and disorders can be a complicated topic to write about, but I never felt icky about this. It felt like Palmer handled the topic with care, never demonizing Penny simply because she suffered from DID.

In signature Palmer style, this did get pretty wild towards the end, but it was a heck of a lot of fun to read.

He definitely has a brand and style he keeps returning to, and you know what, it works for me. It may be a little far-fetched, but it keeps me coming back every time!!!

The audiobook is fantastic, highly recommend that medium, as the narrators truly sweep you up into the story!

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies of this to read and review. In my opinion, this is Palmer’s best work yet, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

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