Tag: delacorte press

Book Review: The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Mystery
Length: 336 pages
Author: Kara Thomas
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: April 19th, 2016
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

There are ghosts around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about it after what happened there that last summer. Memories of things so dark will burn themselves into your mind if you let them.

Callie never left. She moved to another house, so she doesn’t have to walk those same halls, but then Callie always was the stronger one. She can handle staring into the faces of her demons—and if she parties hard enough, maybe one day they’ll disappear for good.

Tessa and Callie have never talked about what they saw that night. After the trial, Callie drifted and Tessa moved, and childhood friends just have a way of losing touch.

But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette—to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie’s dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.

Only the closer Tessa gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer—and this time, it won’t be so easy to run away.

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted copy!

NOT TOO BAD.

Another Kara Thomas book down and I liked this one too! It’s another fast paced read with some good drama with betrayals and twists I didn’t see coming. I didn’t get as involved with this story though. I don’t know why, just missing something. I would still recommend this book! I think the writing is fantastic and there is this quality of reading that draws you in. I love the complex characters and relationship dynamics that leave me guessing in the best ways.

It all came together well and I liked how things wrapped up. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: murder, death, kidnapping, abuse, drugging, gun violence, underage drinking, suicide, false imprisonment

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Book Review: The Road of Bones (The Ashen #1) by Demi Winters

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Demi Winters
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tale with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies to lovers romance. The first book in the Ashen Series, you are one click away from reading it!

Thank you Delacorte Press for the gifted copy.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE FANTASY ROMANCE.

Oh gosh, I have been looing for the next hit of dopamine that comes from finding an amazing fantasy romance. BLESS. I obsessively listened to this for two days and I regret nothing. This has one of my most favorite plot devices that I would love to tell you more about but I can’t because that would spoil and I will not ruin the fun. JUST TRUST ME.

I loved the multiple points of view and getting every angle of this world through the different characters. I loooove this found family group and the the road trip journey worked beautifully for this story. I found the world building to be easy to follow and I am obsessed with all of the Viking vibes. It’s gruesome and intricate and leaves you begging for more. I must get my hands on book two.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate – high
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Mystery/Thriller
Length: 330 pages
Author: Kara Thomas
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 25th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone.

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted copy!

ALRIGHT, I’M LISTENING.

Thriller/mystery books and I have a fraught history filled with me usually feeling a lot of disappointment. Not the case here! I really liked this book y’all and maybe I’m more of a YA mystery fan than adult thriller reader.

This was a fast paced audiobook and kept me on my toes. I honestly wasn’t sure what was going to happen and who the culprit was going to be. I didn’t totally love when the reveal happened but it was sinister and I liked the build up.

I enjoyed all of the grayness surrounding obsession and deception. It won’t be my last book by Kara Thomas.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Thriller
  • Language: low
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: parental abuse, suicide mentioned, alcohol consumption

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Book Review: House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by Erin A. Craig

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: NA Fantasy Horror Romance
Length: 544 pages
Author: Erin A. Craig
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance… blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade…

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

WHOA.

Ya know, this might be why I don’t read horror books? This got a bit WILD Y’ALL. And maybe that’s totally on brand for the genre, but your girl does not read books like this often.

I had a pretty good time with it. It’s interesting. The audio was good so I enjoyed listening. I was simultaneously quirking my head at what was going on and feeling that need to know what happens next.

The ending becomes absolutely off the walls. It’s pure chaos in the best ways. I loved how it ended because it really fit the whole books vibe. I do think that it was oddly sexual. It’s definitely not a YA book. It fits more into the NA category for sure.

So I don’t know if I’d say run out and read it, but if you’re in the mood for something wholly different than your usual with an ending that will leave you feeling all of the spooky vibes, try it!

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Horror Fantasy
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: innuendo + one vague scene + closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, medical experimentation, loss of life, near death experiences

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