Book Review: Beast Becomes Her by Crystal Seitz

May 23, 2026May 4, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Paranormal + Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Crystal Seitz
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Netflix’s Wednesday meets Norse mythology in this gorgeous dark contemporary fantasy following a teen berserkr sent to a secret magical academy where she must unmask the real killer behind the gruesome campus murders or risk becoming the next victim.

Edith has always been a good girl—she has to be, or her foster family might think she’s like her violent father. No matter how much anger simmers inside her, she keeps it buried, hidden…

Until the day she’s pushed a step too far, and that anger comes bursting out in the form of literal claws.

It’s then that Edith learns she’s a berserkr, a descendant of ancient Norse warriors with the ability to turn into animals. To avoid jail for attacking a student, Edith is shipped off to the mysterious Skallagrim Academy. The ancient school is supposedly a haven for people like her, a place where she can learn to control her powers and then push them down so deep that they’ll never come out again.

But someone—or something—is stalking the dark halls of Skallagrim.

On her second night, Edith stumbles upon a gruesome murder and is caught at the scene of the crime by Amund, who is tasked with hunting down wayward berserkir. Now, with Amund suspecting Edith as the killer, she’ll have to catch the real culprit to prove her innocence before she ends up in the hunter’s crosshairs—or becomes the killer’s next victim.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

IT WAS OKAY.

I enjoyed Crystal Seitz first book but this one left me wanting more. I do think the audiobook was good though!! Two narrators for dual POV and they were fantastic. If you try this book, go with that format!

What I will say is that I do think this is mid-teens+ friendly. There’s not an obsessive amount of language and the romance level was kisses only. While I did find it predictable in regards to the villains and plot line up I still think a younger audience would have a good time.

If you enjoy paranormal academic settings with a murder mystery and wondering what’s around every corner, this could be for you! The atmosphere is perfect for a moody fall day.

Overall audience notes:

YA Paranormal + Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: loss of life, creature attacks, near death experiences

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

July 23, 2025June 21, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Length: 368 pages
Author: Kelly Andrew
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves . . . and the people who love those parts most of all.

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she’s just inherited — to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement — Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family’s property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can’t really live, either. Not while he’s bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There’s only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt’s parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter — the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who’s sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.

IT STARTED OFF STRONG.

I admit to being very intrigued at the get-go. It was an interesting story and I liked the set-up. I liked the characters and wanted to see how the plot would unfold. But then it started to feel like the wheels were coming off and by the end I had the biggest head tilt while listening trying to piece together the fragments of the closing pages.

This is some kind of mash up of urban fantasy + paranormal. There’s some puzzling dynamics between the three main leads that were fun to ponder for a bit. Some of the reveals were good, and some not so much. I think the confusion of the magic and the cult group lost me. It is definitely spooky and atmospheric though.

And without spoiling the ending I am left feeling bereft with the execution. It was supposed to be neat, but felt messy and then just rushed off into the sunset. I don’t know, this wasn’t it.

Overall audience notes:

YA Paranormal Fantasy
Language: low-moderate
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Content Warnings: animal death, blood, cults, allusions to sexual assault, elements of body horror

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Love Bites (Timber Creek #2) by Aimee Vance and B. Perkins

March 20, 2025March 9, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Paranormal Romance
Length: 420 pages
Author: Aimee Vance and B. Perkins
Publisher: Revel Books
Release Date: March 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He needs a wolf, she needs an adventure

Max
For a century, I’ve worked alone as the Dark Angel to keep the supernatural community safe and hidden, taking on the gruesome jobs nobody else wants. There aren’t trophies for my line of work, but I know I’m damn good at it — no team, no family, no ties to hold me back.

When a trail of bodies shows up on the human news with suspicious fang marks, it’s my time to shine. Right up until I learn my only hope of tracking down the vampires at fault is to team up with a superwolf. Problem is, I trust no one, especially not the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen who sniffs out my biggest secret as easily as breathing.

Summer
From the outside, my life seems great — I own the bakery-bookstore of my dreams, I have a comfortable position in my wolf shifter pack, my family is amazing, and I live in a picture-perfect small town. But I still have this simmering wanderlust in me, this desperate desire to upend it all for an adventure.

When the Dark Angel himself, Max Russo, walks into my store with a thrilling proposition to hunt down dangerous vampires across the world, I can’t pack fast enough – especially now I know his secrets.

One, supernatural bad boy Max just might have a heart under those black, shiny wings.
Two, he needs a friend as much as I need a croissant in Paris.
And three, he’s not just an angel.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

Y’ALL KNOW I LOVE MOC.

I had to have my hands on this book and it was really good! My favorite aspect was easily the found family and sibling relationships. I adore Summer’s family so much!! The text banter, the protection and loyalty, they make this book sing. I can never get enough of them. It just makes me all the more excited for this series to continue.

Max and Summer were a delight. I did love the chemistry between them, I would have just loved a little more actual conversation. It was very physically forward and that’s not my cup of tea. When they had those soft conversation moments and the flitted about while traveling? THOSE were the key romantic scenes for me.

I love that this series has suspense elements too. The bit of action was precisely what the plot needed (and hello, was anyone else emotional over Malachi’s backstory???). I liked seeing more of the vampire world and the secrets behind them.

The ending was abrupt and I wanted a bit more closure and conversation to wrap everything up. I’m hopeful we’ll get to see a little bit of that in future books.

Overall audience notes:

Paranormal romance
Language: strong
Romance: 4+ open door
Violence: moderate
Content Warnings: kidnapping, attempted murder, weapons and physical violence, murder

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

February 10, 2025January 19, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Paranormal Romance
Length: 366 pages
Author: Rachel Moore
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn’t uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.

UNBALANCED.

I couldn’t decide where this book was trying to go or trying to be. It young adult, and written in a younger YA style, yet the language and make-out content would be considered somewhere in the older side of the spectrum. This constantly pulled me out of the book because I could never find the right vibe.

Mostly I thought the idea was intriguing. A haunted school, and a mysterious book, etc. I never felt like all of the pieces clicked together though. It was gratefully a quick audio listen and I never hit a hate reading status, just a this isn’t working mode.

Can’t even tell you if this is one to give a try regardless of my rating. If you’re looking for a paranormal (not fantasy) young adult read, hey, maybe this one?

Overall audience notes: