Tag: murder mystery

Book Review: Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Mystery
Length: 448 pages
Author: Erin Beaty
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: June 28th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan girl with unique skills—for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly.

But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she’s pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again. Assigned to capture the culprit is the mysterious, brilliant, and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a killer are frighteningly accurate.

As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between murderer and detective while hiding her own secret—a supernatural sight granted by the moon, destined to make her an outcast, and the only thing that might save her and those she loves from becoming the next victims…

In this medieval YA fantasy thriller, an orphan with a secret, magical sight gets caught between a mysterious genius and the serial killer he’s hunting.

MYSTERIOUS.

I really enjoyed this one! It was different than my usual YA fantasy picks and brought a lot to the table. A fantasy and a thriller all in one was a good change of pace.

Catrin was a main character who went up and down for me. I liked her at times and struggled with her occasionally, but overall, I liked who she was and who she became. She was fiercely loyal to those who looked out for her and was compassionate to those in differing situations.

There was a sweet and subtle sub-plot romance that I liked too. As the other major key player, Simon, held a lot of sway in where the story went. He had a mysterious nature, but was soft as fluff on the inside and this is how I adore my love interests.

Mental health was a major theme and I there were many good conversations and approaches to how this subject was discussed. The author’s note at the end had an interesting tidbit of history that connected into the story and I loved learning more about that as well!

The mystery kept me guessing and even though I was pretty sure it was one character, I liked how great the writing was that I felt pulled in multiple directions on who the murderer ultimately was.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Thriller
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: small mentions of sexual assault and rape (not on page), murder (graphic descriptions of bodies found), suicide and suicide ideation, mob aggression resulting in death, differing mental health depictions

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ARC Book Review: Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Juniper Bean has big plans for her writing career. Swoony kisses, sigh-inducing happily ever afters—she’s going to write them all.

There’s just one problem: she can’t seem to stop killing off her main characters.

After accepting that a genre change is in order, Juniper sets out to do some research. What’s the best way to carry a dead body? How exactly does one pick a lock? Juniper is going to find out—with the unwilling help of her new roommate, Aiden.

But Juniper’s plans go haywire when she stumbles across an actual, real-life dead body—and before she knows it, she and Aiden are thrust into the middle of a murder mystery that seems suspiciously tied to Juniper’s past.

Who killed the girl in the woods? Can Juniper ever get the hang of mystery writing? And, perhaps the biggest question of all: Why the heck does Aiden look so good in a tweed jacket?

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

WHAT A COMBINATION.

I increasingly became obsessed with this story the more I read. It was a beautiful combination of romance, mystery, vulnerability and humor. My new favorite book by Gracie Ruth Mitchell.

This romance was off the charts tender. With a dash of second chance and a feeling of fate playing a role, Juniper and Aiden found each other [again]. I loved the way they bounced off of each other and how you could really see the growth in their bond as they worked together to solve a murder mystery. There were incredibly vulnerable moments from both Aiden and Juniper about how they perceive themselves and things they knew they needed to work on and it had me all misty-eyed at the end. I felt all the feels.

The mystery played out well!! It was woven in behind the romance (without overshadowing) and I was still very much intensely involved in solving the crimes. Those more intense ending scenes were exactly what I was hoping for and all of the grand reveals simultaneously broke my heart and gave me relief for the characters involved.

A really great read. I could keep gushing about all of the tiny moments I absolutely adored that came together to make this book huggable. I know this was a mix-up in what GRM usually writes and she NAILED IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Mystery
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, knife violence, alludes to sexual assault and rape (of a side character), loss of a mother, lack of food resources

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Book Review: Brought to Light by Allie Lewis

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Mystery Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: Allie Lewis
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three things Whitney is obsessed with: true crime podcasts, sticky notes, and coffee.
Two things Whitney knows for certain: she needs to focus on her future and she doesn’t want a relationship her senior year of college.
One thing Whitney never saw coming: Derek Mitchell.

When a dead body is found in the middle of Stratford University’s campus, Whitney Snow feels like she’s been dropped straight into one of the true crime podcasts she listens to every morning. She’s determined to help solve the case by whatever means necessary, but when Stratford’s golden boy, Derek Mitchell, offers to help with the investigation, Whitney isn’t so sure. Her one experience with Derek freshman year left her with a bad taste in her mouth from the guy every girl on campus seems to be obsessed with.

After Whitney reluctantly agrees to let Derek help her investigate the murder, things get even worse when rumors start spreading that the two are dating. Not wanting to rouse suspicion about what they’re really up to—especially with a potential murderer on campus—Derek and Whitney go along with this fake dating scenario. But as they work closely together to solve the case, the investigation isn’t the only thing that starts heating up. And as it turns out, the secrets buried deep within Stratford University may not be the only secrets that are brought to light.

Brought to Light is a new adult romance novel perfect for those who love a sizzling romance (without explicit sexual content) with a dash of murder mystery.

NOT TOO SHABBY.

I took a chance on a new debut author and in it found some good and some okay.

The setting? ADORED. There needs to be more college setting books. I loved the fall semester vibes and all that entailed. The vibes was definitely there.

Murder mystery? Lacking. It was strong in the beginning and strong in the end but the middle felt like a separate college romance story. These two plots moved alongside each other rather than being woven together. I needed a little more weaving to follow the flow and pacing better.

Romance? One of the best aspects. I thought it was really sweet. Whitney and Derek had some great chemistry and interactions. There were some cute dates and I loooove some good protection moments. The emotions at the end gave all the warm fuzzies of romantic ending.

Writing wise, I could tell it was a debut. There were times I could easily skim over some paragraphs because there was too much attention paid to nuances of the story that didn’t truly matter to the story.

I would definitely read another book by this author and look forward to what she has in store next.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Murder Mystery + Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, physical altercations

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Book Review: Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1) by Tirzah Price

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Mystery + Historical Retelling
Length: 368 pages
Author: Tirzah Price
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April 6th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.

When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.

Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed. 

IT WAS INTERESTING.

This was a unique combination for a book that I didn’t think I would ever come across. Pride and Prejudice with a dash of murder.

I really liked seeing all of the classic characters in their new rolls for this novel. It was fun seeing how the author chose to portray them and I felt they worked well within the plot. The addition of pieces of writing for Austen’s original story tied in to this retelling in a way that fit. Seeing Darcy and Lizzie fall in love over working together to solve a murder was somehow charming and light-hearted.

I’m a pretty big stickler for the classic and I think that’s also a downfall here. While I loved all of the originals of the story + the general originality of the story I got bogged down in listening because it wasn’t what I was expecting. It took me a bit longer to go through because I wasn’t always hurrying to pick it back up.

The final reveal of the murderer and story was great! I honestly was surprised at some of the pieces of the tale and so that’s always a nice addition to any mystery. I want to feel like I didn’t pin down everything exactly and that’s how it worked out here. I’m curious how Price will twist other stories in the future.

Overall audience notes:

  • Retelling
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: murder, gun violence

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