Review: Daughters Unto Devils

Amanda Verner is happy to have her family leave their cramped cabin behind for the prospects of the prairie. She prays that this will be exactly what she needs to leave her old nightmares behind. But when they arrive at the abandoned cabin they hope to make home, it's to find it drenched in blood and surrounded by stories of families murdered by their own kin.

I'm here to tell you, this is one creepy book. It might not seem that scary at first, and that's what makes it such a good read. The creepiness creeps up on you. It's a brilliant slow build, made especially impressive by the fact that this is not a long book. Lukavics manages to draw you in from the start by letting you into Amanda's life and mind, then begins to drop little hints that all is not well. By the time the bigger scares hit me, I was reading with my hand over my mouth in shock, totally terrified and unable to stop turning pages. This one part with scarecrows (and that's all I will say so as not to spoil anything) still has the power to make me shudder, and I finished the book over twelve hours ago.

If you want a quick, scary read that you will not be able to put down and that will stay with you after you've turned the last page, I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy of this one.

Review: Bad Girls Don't Die

This is one of those books that seems to have a lot of potential, but ends up disappointing. Alexis, the protagonist, has noticed her younger sister, Kasey, is acting stranger than usual. This leads to scary confrontations, intense research, and a lot of changes in Alexis' life.

One of the main issues I had with this book is how annoying I found Kasey, before, during, and after the "event" that the back of the book pretty clearly alludes to. I know I was supposed to have sympathized with her, but since she annoyed me from the very first pages of the story, I just couldn't.

Also, I've read a lot of books with similar themes, and they were better written, and better plotted. This book felt pretty juvenile, which a middle grade/young adult novel certainly does not need to be.

There were some parts that had potential, namely in the relationships Alexis forms outside of the ones with her family. But the story itself just wasn't good enough. The ending especially, given the many, many pages of plotting that had gone on beforehand, just seemed way too pat.

I was honestly very surprised to find out this book is the first in a trilogy. To me, it wasn't strong enough for one book, let alone three.

Review: Down the Aisle with Murder

Title: Down the Aisle with Murder
Author: Auralee Wallace
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: Janet Evanovich, humor with your mystery, unique characters to root for

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Erica's friend Candace is getting married, but after a wild bachlorette party, Candace's maid of honor is found dead. Erica works to solve the case, make sure Candace has a wedding, and figure out where she stands with the love of her life.

What I Liked:

This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series! I love the characters, I love the romance, I love the humor, and I love the mysteries. I've read every entry so far, and they never disappoint.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I wanted more Grady! I love him, and I love his relationship with Erica.

So...?

Start at the beginning of this series for sure, and I bet you will get hooked like I did!

Review: The Marmalade Murders

Title: The Marmalade Murders
Author: Elizabeth J. Duncan
Publication Date: April 24. 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: cozy mysteries, mysteries with food, mysteries set in a small town

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Penny is a spa owner who has solved quite a few mysteries, and has now been asked to help out at her town's agricultural show. But when something fishy happens with the entries, and a dead body is found, Penny finds herself drawn into the mystery.

What I Liked: 

The setting really is an integral part of the story. It's a place where they hold agricultural shows that the whole town attends, where marmalade competes with jam, and every child who enters the pet contest gets their own special ribbon. Duncan really makes the town come alive, which makes it even more of a shock when a corpse is found.

Anything I Didn't Like?

There were so many characters with so many connections that I did have a hard time keeping track of who was who.

So...?

While this isn't my favorite entry in the cozy mystery genre, it was still a fun read.

Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark

I had been wanting to read this book since it first came out, and was so excited when my dad surprised me with a copy.

And then they caught The Golden State Killer.

I dropped every other book I was reading, and went straight for this one.

The research Michelle McNamara had done before she passed is so impeccable and in depth, and mixed in with her amazing writing style, has created a book that I could not put down. There was so much care that went into making sure the book was finished and published.

Reading this, knowing that The Golden State Killer has been caught, just added another layer. Seeing where so many instincts were spot on, and reading the epilogue addressed to the killer before he was caught, was incredible.

I definitely recommend this read.