Every Heart a Doorway

 

Every Heart a Doorway  by Seanan McGuire   Fairy Tale/Fantasy/LGBTQ+

(from Amazon)  Children have always disappeared under the right conditions - slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere...else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.  Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced...they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her newfound schoolmates to get to the heart of things. No matter the cost.

(My Review)

Nancy returns from disappearing into the Underworld.  She desperately wants to return, but does not want to return.  She is not the same person, so her parents send her to a special school to be with other children who have been through what she has experienced.  Once there, she starts to learn about this magical thing that happened to her, but also, mysterious tragedies start to occur.  She and her new friends seek to uncover the truth.  I found this a charming little book/novella.  It looked at feelings of not belonging, finding out who you are, accepting who you are, and finding people who accept you.  

Indigo

 

Indigo by Charlaine Harris, et al       Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

(from Amazon)  Investigative reporter Nora Hesper spends her nights cloaked in shadows. As Indigo, she's become an urban myth, a brutal vigilante who can forge darkness into weapons and travel across the city by slipping from one patch of shadow to another. Her primary focus both as Nora and as Indigo has become a murderous criminal cult called the Children of Phonos. Children are being murdered in New York, and Nora is determined to make it stop, even if that means Indigo must eliminate every member. But in the aftermath of a bloody battle, a dying cultist makes claims that cause Indigo to question her own origin and memories.  Nora's parents were killed when she was nineteen years old. She took the life insurance money and went off to explore the world, leading to her becoming a student of meditation and strange magic in a mountaintop monastery in Nepal...a history that many would realize sounds suspiciously like the origins of several comic book characters. As Nora starts to pick apart her memory, it begins to unravel. Her parents are dead, but the rest is a series of lies. Where did she get the power inside her?  In a brilliant collaboration by New York Times and critically acclaimed coauthors Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Tim Lebbon, Cherie Priest, James Moore, and Mark Morris join forces to bring you a crime-solving novel like you've never read before.

(My Review)

Nora is an investigative reporter, but becomes Indigo, as she hide (and travel) in the shadows.  As she investigates missing children and a criminal cult, she discovers connections to her past.  This makes her question her memories and her identity.  She finds herself on a quest to uncover the mystery, and save herself and her friends.  

Warcross

 

Warcross by Marie Lu      Teen & Young Adult/Action & Adventure/Fantasy

(from Amazon)  For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. The obsession started 10 years ago, and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks in to the opening game of the international Warcross Championships - only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.  Convinced she's going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game's creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year's tournament in order to uncover a security problem...and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika's whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she's only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

(My Review) 

I had heard that if you like Ready Player One, then you might like this book, and for the most part I agree.  I see a lot of similarities, minus the 80's references.  Emika hacks her way into a international Warcross online game, and the creator of the game hires her to become a spy in the games, and search for a security problem that is trying to take down the whole system.  Despite the lack of 80's references, I enjoyed this book.  I did get lost a bit in the gaming parts, not being a gamer myself, but I did not think that took away from my understanding or enjoyment of reading the book.  The one thing I did not like, was the twist at the end.  I understand it, and I can see how it leads to the next book in the series.  I am willing to read the next book to see if it makes me feel better about the choice the author made in making the twist...  

Emma in the Night

 

Emm in the Night by Wendy Walker    Psychological Thriller

(from Amazon)  One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: 15-year-old Cass and 17-year-old Emma. Three years later Cass returns without her sister, Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family, Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.

(My Review)  

Two girls go missing, and three years later, the younger one returns.  The FBI investigator and the forensic psychologist who worked on the original case, as called on to work with the girl to find out where she has been and uncover where her older sister is.  I thought this was a great thriller, full of twists and turns.  It took a great look at narcissistic personality disorder, and especially how having a narcissistic parent affects the children.  I mean, this family was a train wreck!  I really enjoyed this!

December TBR

 December TBR!   The following are the books I'm hoping to read in December.  I am sure I will read more (last month I read 22 - wow!)    There may be changes, as my mood changes, or Overdrive/Libby could surprise me.  Tis' the Season to be Reading!!!

Every Heart a Doorway (Book 1 of 7) by Seanan McGuire  Fairy Tale/Fantasy

(from Amazon)  Children have always disappeared under the right conditions - slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere...else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.  Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced...they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her newfound schoolmates to get to the heart of things. No matter the cost.

Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling  Children's Fantasy/Magic

(from Amazon)  The Tales of Beedle the Bard has been favourite bedtime reading in wizarding households for centuries. Full of magic and trickery, these classic tales both entertain and instruct, and remain as captivating to young wizards today as they were when Beedle first put quill to parchment in the 15th century. There are five tales in all: 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' Harry Potter fans will know from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune', 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' and 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump' complete the collection. These narrative gems are accompanied by explanatory notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore (included by kind permission of the Hogwarts Headmaster's archive). His illuminating thoughts reveal the stories to be much more than just simple moral tales, and are sure to make Babbitty Rabbitty and the slug-belching Hopping Pot as familiar to Muggles as Snow White and Cinderella.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon  LGBTQ+/Coming of Age/Fantasy

(from Amazon)  The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction--but assassins are getting closer to her door.  Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.  Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.  Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

The Unicorn Quest (Book 1 of 3) by Kamilla Benko      Children's Fantasy/Magic

(from Amazon)  Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor . . . until the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden.  There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no longer trust each other, the beloved unicorns have disappeared, and terrible wraiths roam freely. Scared, the girls return home. But when Sophie vanishes in the night, it will take all of Claire's courage to climb back up the ladder, find her sister, and uncover the unicorns' greatest secret.

Better Off Thread (Book 10 of 10) by Amanda Lee   Cozy Mystery

(from Amazon)  Marcy is busy helping her customers make hand-crafted ornaments at her embroidery shop, the Seven-Year Stitch. But despite the yuletide bustle, when her friend Captain Moe asks for her help, she can’t refuse—especially when the favor is to play the elf to his Santa for sick children at a local hospital. Despite the ridiculous outfit, Marcy finds herself enjoying spreading cheer—until the hospital’s administrator is found murdered.  Although the deceased had plenty of people willing to fill her stocking with coal, evidence pins the crime on Moe. Now it’s up to Marcy, with the help of her police officer boyfriend Ted and her Irish Wolfhound Angus, to stitch together the clues to clear Moe’s name—before someone else winds up crossed off Santa’s list for good...

Good Girl, Bad Blood (Book 2 of 3:  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder) by Holly Jackson  Teen & YA Thriller & Suspense/Crime Fiction

(from Amazon)  Pip is not a detective anymore.  With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.  But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.  The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way...and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?

Other editions

Enlarge cover

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould   LGBTQ+ Romance/Paranormal Mystery

(from Amazon)  The Dark has been waiting - and it won't stay hidden any longer.  Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just come to town.  Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before. But the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more than ghosts plaguing this small town. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his ghost following her ever since. Although everyone shuns the Ortiz-Woodleys, the mysterious Logan may be the only person who can help Ashley get some answers.  When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who - or what - is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.

Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone (Book 9 of 9:  Outlander)  by Diana Gabaldon  Romantic Fantasy

(from Amazon)  The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. . . . Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.  It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible.  Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.

Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern   Fantasy Romance/Historical Romance

(from Amazon)  Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood.  Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction.  Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne   Humorous Fiction

(from Amazon)  Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.  Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox     Romantic Comedy/Holiday Romance

(from Amazon)  When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the LA set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell — both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.   With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: Switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

If the Shoe Fits

 

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (Book 1 of 2:  Meant to Be)   New Adult/Rom-Com

(from Amazon) Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.  With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?  But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process.

(My Review)  

I LOVED this book!  First of all, I have been a Julie Murphy fan for a while - her Dumplin' series is one of my favorites.  I think this is her first non-YA books, and she knocks it out of the ballpark.  Her characters jump right off of the page, and in this book, they truly did.  In The Shoe Fits is a Cinderella story about a a girl, Cindy, who finds herself on a tv dating show (and the bachelor is a guy she met on a plane). There are so many things I loved about this book.  I loved the representation body positivity.  I loved that they did not make the step-family evil.  I just loved the humor and heart of this book, and of course the romance.  I did not want to stop reading it.   I highly recommend it!!  Oh, and yea, I just saw on Amazon, that is is one of two of a series....that another one is on the way (I don't know if it will be the same characters, or maybe sticking to the fairy tale theme).

Scythe

 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman   Teen & YA Fantasy/Dystopian

(from Amazon)  Two teens must learn the "art of killing" in this Printz Honor-winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times best-selling Unwind Dystology series.  A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life - and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control.  Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe - a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.  Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

(My Review)

Wow!  Such a good book.  This book is about a world in which the world's problems have been solved (hunger, disease, war, etc), and people can live indefinitely.  Therefore, in order to control the population, Scythes, randomly choose people to....kill.  The scythedom is seen as a sacred position to help protect society, and keep the population under control.  Young Citra and Rowan have been offered apprenticeships as scythes, which turns into a competition for their very lives.  This was seriously such a good book, which topics looking at issues of morality which can be applied to today.  I highly recommend this book!