2025 releases

Review: We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

We Won't All SurviveWe Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Kate Alice Marshall does a lot of things. She writes across all age ranges, and her themes and vibes are always new and exciting. I anxiously anticipate all of her releases, as I never know what exactly I’ll be getting into next.

We Won’t All Survive is a YA Thriller that features a strong survival element, a mystery and a reality game.

This story follows Mercy Gray, who gained notoriety 2-years ago after being hailed a hero during a mall shooting. The incident left her with serious medical debt however, and her fair share of guilt for some of her choices that day.

When Mercy gets offered the chance to compete on a survivalist reality show with a huge cash prize, she sees it as a chance to get out of debt and maybe even put her younger sister through college.

The show is being hosted by billionaire-turned-TV-host Damien Dare, and nothing is really known about it. It’s been kept very hush-hush.

When Mercy and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location for the start of the competition, they immediately sense something is off. They’ve arrived on schedule, but it appears the crew hasn’t.

They find the set empty. It’s a literal ghost town. Suddenly, just as they’re trying to decide what to do, the gates close without warning, trapping them inside. Is this just part of the show, or is something more sinister at work?

When one of the contestants ends up dead, it’s clear the survival element of this show is no joke. They’re literally in a fight for their lives. Will anyone make it out alive?

We Won’t All Survive is a quick, entertaining read. It’s very Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, but for teens, so if you enjoyed that one, this is definitely worth checking out.

I do tend to love any novel incorporating a reality show element, and I appreciated that about this as well, though I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be long-term.

I thought the set-up was fun and liked learning about the situation these characters found themselves in. It did have some fairly intense scenes and I liked trying to figure out what was actually going on, and who was to blame.

There was some interpersonal stuff I wasn’t crazy about, but overall it did manage to keep me invested and focused. Just a bit of the drama amongst the characters seemed a little silly in light of the circumstances they found themselves in.

Like how about we focus on all staying alive and then we can deal with all this other BS if we actually get out of here?

With this being said, I did like Mercy as an MC. She had an interesting backstory, which was fed to us piece meal over the course of the story, and I enjoyed learning her whole story. It definitely gave clarity to many of her choices.

Overall, even though this isn’t my favorite book from this author, I still had a fun time reading it and would recommend it. This would be a great book to take on vacation, or just binge read on the weekend due to it’s compelling action and fast pace.

Thank you to the publisher, Viking Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Kate Alice Marshall is so talented and I’ll continue to pick up everything and anything she writes!!

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Review: Other People’s Houses (DC Morgan #3) by Clare Mackintosh

~ megs14malloy

Other People's Houses: A Novel (DC Morgan, Book 3)Other People’s Houses: A Novel by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Other People’s Houses is the 3rd-installment in the DC Morgan series by Clare Mackintosh. This is a Police Procedural Mystery series starring one of my current favorite detectives, DC Ffion Morgan.

I have really enjoyed the previous novels, and this latest in the series didn’t disappoint for a moment. I loved being back with Ffion and tackling another head-scratching case.

The mystery revolves around a luxurious, exclusive community known as The Hill. It’s the type of neighborhood many would desire to live in for it’s comfort and safety.

It seems that The Hill is now a target though, as some of the homes have been burglarized. DS Leo Brady, who Readers will recall from the previous books, believes that the criminal is looking for something in particular.

At the same time all of this has started to go down, across the lake from The Hill, DC Morgan is called to investigate after an estate agent’s lifeless body is recovered from the water. It’s clear she died under nefarious circumstances, but the whodunit and why are unclear.

As the two cases collide, Ffion and Leo end up digging deep into the lives of people who would prefer to keep their secrets just that, but it’s hard to solve the cases without the info. Therefore, against The Hill resident’s wishes, individual comforts will finally need to be sacrificed.

How is it all connected, and will our detective duo be able to find the culprit before anyone else loses any property, or worse, their life?

As with the other installments in this series, I flew through this and was completely engaged the whole time. As mentioned above, I do love Ffion and the backstory that Mackintosh has created for her.

I also enjoy her relationship with Leo and the strength of their partnership. They work very well together and it’s always fun seeing them be collaborative with their investigations. Ffion’s rescue dog, Dave, is back again as well and plays a big role in this story.

This mystery had a lot of moving parts, and I found it all very intriguing. The Hill was a fun backdrop for the investigation, as both Leo and Ffion were very much outsiders from that world. It was filled with juicy drama that I was eating up.

We also had some more forward progress in Ffion’s personal life, which I’m fully invested in at this point. I feel like I’ve really come to care for her as a character and I definitely want her to find happiness and fulfillment outside of her job.

I’m not sure how long this series is slated to be, but it seems like we’ll at least be getting a 4th-book. I’m certainly hoping so. There are so many great aspects to these books, and the combination of them all together, the fantastic characters, beautiful setting and always intriguing mysteries, sets this series apart for me.

I would definitely recommend this to any Reader who enjoys a Police Procedural Mystery. The audiobooks are also fantastic, and if you have access to them, are a great option for taking in this series.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark and Highbridge Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I love this series and hope it continues on for a long, long time. I’ll be ready for every one!

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Review: The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry

~ megs14malloy

The Place Where They Buried Your HeartThe Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Christina Henry is one of those authors whose latest releases I always anticipate. I don’t love them all, some definitely work better than others, but what I really appreciate is how varied her stories are and the risks she’s willing to take.

I feel like a lot of authors, including many of my favorites, have a very distinct style, some may even say formula, for knocking out novel after novel. For Henry, I feel like even her style varies depending on the story she is developing.

Regardless of my final feelings on any of her books, I am always impressed with her breadth of ideas and ability to create such rich stories again and again.

The Place Where They Buried Your Heart will stand out as one of my favorites from her in terms of how memorable it is and how much I have continued thinking about it after completion. While I didn’t love all aspects of this story, particularly towards the end, it truly got inside my heart.

In this story, set in a Chicago neighborhood, we have the typical set-up of a creepy house at the end of the street. We all know one of these houses. There are local stories about it, usually involving terrible things that have happened there. Kids either avoid it, or dare each other to go inside.

That’s what happens in this case. When Jessie’s little brother, Paul, is annoying her, she thoughtlessly dares him to go inside, which he does with two of his friends.

Unlike his friends though, Paul never comes back out. Upon searching, he’s completely disappeared. It’s like the abandoned house has actually consumed him.

Wracked with guilt, we follow Jessie, in the aftermath of this terrible day that truly shattered her family unit. Even as Jessie grew up, she never left the street though, never giving up hope that she could one day find out the truth of what happened to her baby brother.

As the years pass, the house continues to be a menace to the neighborhood. I loved when Jessie really started digging into the past of the house, and trying to figure out the evil that lays at the heart of it.

In fact, there were many aspects of this that I loved and appreciated, but a few others that I didn’t care for as much. Most specifically, for me the concluding portions felt too simplified in their resolution and quite anticlimactic after the great build.

It’s also a heavy story. I’m not saying that as a judgement. I love a grief-focused Horror story. I just want to prepare unsuspecting Readers, who may be anticipating a straight, fun-filled Haunted House tale.

There’s a lot going on with Jessie and her family. Her relationship with her parents, it’s not great. None of them ever really healed from Paul’s disappearance, so there’s some pretty toxic interactions going on amongst the three of them. Jessie was able to find solid relationships outside of her home though, and I really liked the found family elements Henry included.

Additionally, the atmosphere, mystery and descriptions of the house were very well done. Though ending rubbed me the wrong way, overall it’s a great read.

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

Christina Henry is an incredible talent and I will continue to look forward to everything she writes in the future!

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Review: I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert

~ megs14malloy

I Did Warn HerI Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I Did Warn Her is an Adult Thriller novel set at sea aboard the super-yacht, Opehlia. We follow a cast of characters working as crew members, or paid guests, of the Ophelia during a charter voyage across the Atlantic.

The week-long journey should be a piece of cake, but it turns out to be anything but with bodies dropping and valuable belongings going missing. Suspicions and paranoia flares. Before you know it, no one trusts anyone else. It’s a mess.

The concept of this is very Below Deck meets Locked Room Murder Mystery and I was on board for that. Unfortunately, even though the concept was strong, the execution was lacking, in my humble opinion.

Initially, I was intrigued. The group of stewardesses who work on the Ophelia are all described as carbon copies of each other. Why would the owner want such a specific type?

I thought that was a little weird, and if I had been aboard it probably would have icked me out. Unfortunately, I felt like not only were they described as carbon copies of one another, but they also felt it. I had a very hard time distinguishing between them.

We are told the story via quite a few different perspectives. Honestly, I read the whole thing and I cannot with confidence tell you how many perspectives there were, which in my mind, is sort of a problem.

I enjoyed the setting and dramatic feel, but the indecipherable perspectives sort of ruined it for me. I wish it would have been told from the perspective of one stewardess and one escort. I think it still could have been exciting and intriguing with that aspect reined in a bit.

With these issues in mind, it ended up being a big ole’ miss for me. It’s one of those cases of ‘great concept, poor execution’. Saying poor execution seems harsh, and it is a bit, I just felt like it was too messy, with too many similar characters to properly keep track of.

I enjoyed Sian Gilbert’s previous novel, She Started It, and was expecting more of the same here. At the end of the day though, I just walk away disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Even though this one didn’t work for me personally, I would definitely be willing to check out more from this author.

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Review: Good Spirits (Ghosted #1) by B.K. Borison

~ megs14malloy

Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1)Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Good Spirits was my 1st-ever Holiday Romance novel, and I feel like it has sort of ushered me into a new era as a person who can cherish lighter reads. Who even am I?!

No one was murdered. There was no blood or gore, no haunting imagery or unsettling atmosphere, but still, I had so much fun reading it. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air.

This story follows Harriet York and Nolan Callahan. Harriet is a people-pleaser, who tries hard to always do what is expected of her, and who has a complicated relationship with her family.

Nolan is a Ghost of Christmas Past…

Nolan’s latest assignment is Harriet, but after he meets her, he can’t understand why. She’s not his typical work assignment at all. He’s used to haunting terrible people, who need to come to certain realizations about their lives. We all remember Ebenezer Scrooge, and Harriet is no Scrooge.

As Nolan and Harriet spend time together, and get to know one another, Harriet has Nolan seeing things in a whole new light. They end up examining Harriet’s past together and through snippets of her life discover there are threads that bind them together.

I loved this. The concept, the characters, and an ending that made me feel unexpected things; it’s all a win in my book. It’s not perfect. For example, there were some repetition issues in the spicy bits, but there’s only so many ways you can describe…that.

I would have loved even more Christmas vibes as well, but yeah, I’m not mad about my 1st-Holiday Romance experience at all. Additionally, this is only my 2nd-Borison read, and I definitely need more.

The audiobook features dual narration and was amazing. I definitely recommend that format.

I know this is supposed to be some sort of series, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next!

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Review: King Sorrow by Joe Hill

~ megs14malloy

King SorrowKing Sorrow by Joe Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Arthur Oakes, a college student at Rackham College in Maine, is in love with Gwen Underfoot. She’s the girl of his dreams, and maybe their relationship would have flourished if it hadn’t been for a local drug dealer and her cronies.

What did they do, you ask? They corner poor, sweet Arthur and press him, in ways I won’t get into here, to commit terrible crimes. They make him steal rare books from the college library’s special collections that they can then turn around and sell on the black market.

Feeling trapped and not knowing how to get out of the situation he’s found himself in, Arthur turns to his closest friends for help. After a productive brain storming session, they come up with a plan.

Arthur’s friend, Colin, has a tome known as the Crane journal, bound in the skin of its author, which provides them with a spell to summon a dragon, known as King Sorrow, who will do their bidding.

Sounds fantastical, doesn’t it? Well, that’s sort of what the friends think as well, but what do they have to lose? Arthur needs help, and perhaps this is the answer.

Dealing with dragons is never easy though, and the friends find themselves in way over their heads. A bargain has been struck and its one that will plague them for years to come.

Every year, from then on, the six friends must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow, or risk becoming his next meal.

King Sorrow is one of those exceptional 5-star reads for me that I find close to impossible to review. How many ways can you write how much you love something? I’m no poet, so for me, the possibilities are limited.

I feel like with this novel, the proverbial torch had been passed from father to son, and I won’t lie, it made me a little emotional. I was finding so many nods to the greater Kingverse and it was giving me life. It’s brilliant.

I’ll never be able to write a review for this phenomenal story that adequately expresses how much I enjoyed it. The epic feel of this and the little subplots, the way they’re all interconnected, it’s so good. King Sorrow is one of those books that you love so much, you’re left speechless.

This entire thing, from the character development, plot progression and basic construction, is Chef’s Kiss. This has skyrocketed Joe Hill to a whole new level for me, and honestly, I think for the world.

I’ve loved following his career trajectory, and I know it’s only going to get better from here. There’s no limit to what this man can dream and achieve.

William Morrow, you blessed me with an ARC, but I’ve of course since bought my own copy. Thank you so, so much. I can’t recommend this story enough.

My favorite book of 2025!!!

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Review: Showstopper by Lily Anderson

~ megs14malloy

ShowstopperShowstopper by Lily Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Showstopper is a blend of YA Contemporary meets Horror-Thriller ((light)), all set at a theater camp. When I read the synopsis, I knew this was one that I had to check out.

I’ve previously read one other book from Lily Anderson, Undead Girl Gang, and I absolutely loved it. I was excited to pick up another novel from her, and this certainly sounded like it’d be right up my alley.

This story follows 17-year old, Faye, and her friends at the Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp. This is Faye’s last year to take part in the camp, because the age limit is 17. She’s hoping it will be the best summer yet.

Faye feels like she’s finally ready to break out from the good girl parts she’s been type-cast in before. She’s ready to take center stage and wants to go after the leading role in their Riverdale-inspired production.

As soon as she starts to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight though, problems arise. She’d be competing with her BFF for the role, and that’s never really a great idea.

She’s also surprisingly attracted to the new boy at camp and that’s hella distracting. There’s just a lot of drama going on, which eventually takes a sharp, and very deadly, turn.

With stagehands disappearing and mysterious accidents occurring left and right, Faye isn’t sure if this production will ever truly come to fruition.

This was a cute story. I liked learning about the characters, as well as the drama and the history of the camp. The theater camp setting was fantastic. It wasn’t just an idea in the background, it was incorporated continuously throughout the story.

I also appreciated how diverse the cast was. I feel like the characters we got to know were all well-developed, and their interactions believable.

I think for me though, this was much more focused on the interpersonal drama than I was expecting. I feel like it’s sort of sold as a Slasheresque story, so I was expecting much more action and intensity than I actually got.

We were very much focused on the interpersonal dramas, which is fine and it did keep it entertaining. I did like the mystery too of who was messing with the production and those involved. I just kind of wanted more of that.

I wanted more action surrounding the accidents, injuries and deaths. Then also, the reveal made me more sad than anything. It just kind of put a bit of dark cloud over a story I was just really looking to have fun with.

These small criticisms shouldn’t take away from the great story the author has created here, it just wasn’t exactly to my tastes, or what I was looking for when I picked it up. I would recommend it for anyone who thinks the synopsis sounds intriguing, and musical theater lovers.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to picking up more from this author!

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Review: The Midnight Knock by John Fram

~ megs14malloy

The Midnight Knock: A NovelThe Midnight Knock: A Novel by John Fram
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Midnight Knock is a really difficult book to talk about without giving anything away. I’ve been sitting with my thoughts on this one for a month. I’ve been trying to figure out a fair way to explain why this didn’t work for me more than it ultimately did.

While reading, I was locked in the majority of the way through, finding it completely engrossing. There’s a dark mystery to all that’s happening, and I was so desperate to get to the bottom of it.

This story follows a group of strangers coming together and having to survive the night at a remote Texas motel. The majority of the characters are traveling in pairs and over the course of the story, we learn about them and what brought them to where they’re at.

There’s also a murder mystery component, where a guest at the hotel, Sarah Powers, is killed and now they all need to figure out the whodunit before it’s too late.

And by too late, I mean the owner’s of the hotel give the remaining guests an ultimatum. If they don’t figure out who did it by midnight, they’ll all die when the protective motel lights go out, because there’s something sinister lurking out in the West Texas dark.

The Midnight Knock channels some of the vibes of From Dusk Till Dawn and pairs them with The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. As mentioned above, it does have a super compelling build.

However, for me, the downfall was when the truth behind what was happening was revealed. The component at the heart of the matter lost all of it’s sinister nature for me. It just felt ridiculous, like, this is what we’ve been in fear of this whole time?

In the end, I was just disappointed by the whole conclusion. I hated the way the big bad was ultimately portrayed after that huge, intense, and slightly disturbing build.

The 3.5-stars definitely is here for the vibes, the characters and the mystery. It’s worth picking up because I feel like my issue with it is personal taste, and you could feel completely differently. John Fram is obviously a very talented writer and I have to give them props for taking risks and being creative.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While this isn’t my favorite from this author, I am still glad I read it and can appreciate its merits.

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Review: The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis

~ megs14malloy

The Devouring LightThe Devouring Light by Kat Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Devouring Light is the latest from Kat Ellis, who wrote one of my all-time favorite YA Horror novels, Burden Falls. That book solidified me as a Kat Ellis fan, so I’ve been looking forward to this one.

Once I started reading, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down, finishing it in a day. I was reminded how freaking great Ellis is at this whole writing thing.

In this story we are following Haden Romero, a musician, who is on her way to a music festival along with her BFF and bandmate, Kizi, when they experience car troubles.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, they make it to a service station where they run into Haden’s main rival from her childhood, musician Deacon Rex, front man of the band Rex Mori. Not wanting to leave them stranded, Deacon agrees for the two girls to ride with him and his bandmates on their tour bus.

Making the situation even more uncomfortable for Haden is the fact that her ex, Cairo, is now the drummer for Rex Mori and is also on the bus.

It’ll be fine. Haden thinks they can just make it through the ride and then go their separate ways. It seems the universe though, may have something else in mind.

The bus crashes, leaving them marooned in a treacherous swamp in the middle of nowhere. The aftermath of the crash is chaos. Haden just wants to find everyone and find a safe place to collect themselves while they await help.

The only shelter they’re able to find though is a decaying old house. It looks like it’s been vacant for a long, long time, but there’s an ominous feeling suffocating them from the moment they stumble upon it.

Intermixed amongst the present sections of Haden and the other musicians, we get mixed media excerpts that are focused on a more historical glimpse of the property known as The Light.

The very first part of the story actually is one of these mixed media passages, so I really ended up loving the back and forth between those two aspects. It was fun to watch as it became more clear how it was all going to be connected.

Ellis didn’t waste any time introducing us to the main characters, their relationships and then getting us to the swamp, where the bulk of the action occurs. I really loved that setting. I haven’t read too many stories set in this kind of place, and it was a nice change.

The descriptions of the house and the surrounding area were so good. The house felt like it had a pulse. It felt that real and I was scared for our characters being there, but they had no other options. The outside was just as dark and dangerous; full of terrors.

I loved the plot progression a cringe-worthy horror imagery. There was something Cabin Fever about it and I really enjoyed that. The trapped feeling, the desperation and the disgusting descriptions of various things happening to bodies; yikes.

The end gets pretty crazy, but I was here for it. By then I was so hooked in. Ellis could have told me anything and I would have been like, yep, that makes total sense.

I think for Readers who are willing to sit back and just have a good time and go for it, this will work very well. It’s creepy, full of great atmosphere and some pretty yucky bug/creature stuff. A read I would definitely recommend for any YA Horror Reader.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Ellis will continue to be one of my go-to authors in the YA Horror space!

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Review: The Story That Wouldn’t Die (Jolene Garcia #2) by Christina Estes

~ megs14malloy

The Story That Wouldn't Die: A Mystery (Jolene Garcia Mysteries Book 2)The Story That Wouldn’t Die: A Mystery by Christina Estes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Story That Wouldn’t Die is the 2nd-book in the Jolene Garcia Mystery series. I actually didn’t realize this was the 2nd-book when I accepted it from the publisher, though that didn’t really affect my experience.

I think had I picked up the 1st-book though, I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up.

I’ll be frank, this Mystery wasn’t to my tastes. I thought I was picking up a Cozy, but it definitely wasn’t that. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but it the entire thing felt so forced. There was nothing cozy about it, IMO, and it was hardly mysterious.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the opposite, hard-edged, or compelling, either. I actually didn’t care for the MC, so that certainly didn’t help matters. I’m glad I gave it a shot, but I will not be continuing with the series.

I generally like mysteries that involve journalists, but this didn’t end up scratching that itch. The writing felt more like the author had bullet pointed issues she wanted to include, got all those in and then tried to build a mystery around it.

It just didn’t work and it wasn’t an enjoyable experience. The audiobook narration by Devon Sorvari was solid though, and that definitely helped me to push through and complete it. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

If the synopsis and mystery presented sounds interesting to you, go ahead and give it a go. You may end up loving it!

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