Heartstopper series 1-4

Heartstopper series (Books 1-4) by Alice Oseman  Teen & YA/LGBTQ+/Graphic Novel

(from Amazon) Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance.  But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.

(My Review)

I cannot say enough great things about this series.  I laughed, I cried - and I am an adult.  This is such a wholesome story of two sweet young men.  It covers some tough topics, but its done in a respectful way.  The graphics are magical and just help to make you feel the story so much more.  And to add even more magic, Netflix has made this into a series, which has somehow captured some of the magic of the graphic novel.  How many times can I say magic???  Please read this series!

City of Ghosts

 

City of Ghosts  Book 1 of 3:  City of Ghosts  by V.E. Schwab  Children's Fantasy & Supernatural

(from Amazon)  Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost.So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger.When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless phantoms. And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift," she realizes how much she still has to learn about the Veil -- and herself.And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.#1 NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab delivers a thrillingly spooky and action-packed tale of hauntings, history, mystery, and the bond between friends (even if that friend is a ghost . . .)

(My Review)

This book was sooooo good!  Cassidy can see ghosts.  So when her parents (ghost hunters) get a job to film a ghost hunting show in Edinburgh, Scotland, off she goes (along with her ghost friend, Jacob).  She finds Edinburgh a literal "city of ghosts", and gets herself into trouble.  I can't wait to read more of this series!

The Atlas Six

 

The Atlas Six  by Olivie Blake    Science Fiction and Fantasy

(from Amazon)  Each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to earn a place in the Alexandrian Society, the foremost secret society in the world. The chosen will secure a life of power and prestige beyond their wildest dreams.  But at what cost?  Each of the six newest recruits has their reasons for accepting the Society’s elusive invitation. Even if it means growing closer than they could have imagined to their most dangerous enemies― or risking unforgivable betrayal from their most trusted allies― they will fight tooth and nail for the right to join the ranks of the Alexandrians.  Even if it means they won’t all survive the year.

(My Review)

This book spent so much time in each character's head, that I felt that it failed to really accomplish much.  I felt like like there was so much potential.  The premise was amazing, there were great characters, but it just....didn't seem to go anywhere until the end, where it left you on a bit of a cliffhanger.  But, overall, I did enjoy the dark academia vibe of the book.

The Book of Cold Cases

 

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James    Supernatural Thriller

(from Amazon)

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect - a rich, eccentric 23-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.  Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases - a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.  They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

(My Review)

Have you ever felt someone was behind you???  This book is a mystery in a mystery in a mystery, with a spooky undertone.  Simone St. James is so good at writing this kind of book.  I really enjoyed her last book, The Sun Down Motel (which I thought was slightly better), but I still enjoyed this one.  I love the idea of someone (Shea) who is into true-crimes, and it leads her to investigate Beth Greer.  There are so many mysteries in this book, but they are not overwhelming.  I thought this book was a fun read.

House of Hollow

 

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland     YA Dark Fantasy

(from Amazon) Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. As children, they disappeared on a Scottish city street only to return a month later with no memory of what had happened to them or where they’d been. More troubling, their appearance began to change: their blue eyes now black, their dark hair now white. And as they grew older, odd, eerie occurrences seemed to follow in their wake. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous.  Now seventeen-year-old Iris is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time—something her two famous, glamorous, globe-trotting older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing, leaving behind bizarre clues as to her whereabouts, Iris and Vivi are left to find her—but they aren’t the only ones looking. As they brush against the supernatural, Iris quickly realizes that the story she’s been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago might just be calling them back again.

(My Review)

Three young girls disappear, and when they are found a month later, they are different...  Years later, when one of the sisters disappears, Iris searches for her, and discovers more about her own mysterious past.  I found this book hauntingly beautiful.

Blood Like Magic

 

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury  YA Contemporary Fantasy

(from Amazon) After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.  Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?  With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.

(My Review)  Wow!  This book was really great!  Voya is a part of a family of witches, that are receive their powers at adolescence.  In a twist (that reminds me of Encanto, but much darker), she is given an impossible task in order to receive her powers.  

Project Hail Mary

 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir    Humorous Science Fiction

(from Amazon)  Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.  Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.  All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.  His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.  And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.  Or does he?

(My Review)

Ryland Grace is a middle school science teacher, who discovers the solution to a problem threatening the earth.  Next thing he knows, he wakes up on a space shuttle and realizes he is all alone, and it is up to him to save the world.  I loved this book so much!