Authors: Chantal Gadoury & A.M. Wright/ Publisher: Parliament Press

Synopsis: The village of Krume is plagued by a haunted wood and a hungry witch. It’s been that way for as long as Hans and Greta can remember, though they have never seen the witch themselves, no one has. When men start to disappear once again in the cover of night- their bloody hearts turning up on doorsteps- the village falls into frenzied madness. Hans and Greta, two outcasts orphans, find themselves facing accusations of witchcraft and are met with an ultimatum: burn at the stake or leave the village forever. With nowhere else to go, they abandon their only home. As they venture into the strange forest, their path is fraught with horrific creatures, wild and vivid hallucinations, and a mysterious man tied to the witch’s past. The Shrike is watching, just beyond the deep darkness of the woods.

I had a feeling this book would be right up my alley, and it was!

My first impression as I dove into it was that it gave off the vibe of the show Salem… but crossed with the tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Except this story was nothing like the traditional tale, it was definitely its own creation.

Hansel and Gretel have had to manage life on their own since the death of their father. Hansel spends much of his time in the village bar or in the company of females, while Gretel has taken on the responsibilities.

The village of Krume isn’t a safe place for families. For many years it’s been tormented by evil. There is a danger that emerges from the woods, a Shrike, sent out to hunt by the witch of the woods.

(According to the intro; a Shrike is a type of bird with a strong, hooked and toothed bill that impale their prey on thorns or suspend it from branches to tear it apart more easily, and are said to kill more than is necessary to eat.)

Nobody knows when it will strike, but there’s no doubt who its prey is: males. The shrike is kind enough to leave a token of appreciation on the doorstep for the family of its victims to find: the victim’s heart.

When the witch sets her sights on Hansel and Gretel interrupts the attempt, the witch sets her wrath on the village. When the reverend sees Hansel spared during the attack, he declares Gretel to be the witch behind it all and they are left with no choice but to flee into the very woods where the witch presides, also the woods that took their mother’s life-violently.

If they can make it through the woods, they might find solace in the next village over.

That’s a big IF.

The witch is tricky and manipulative, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants: Hansel.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the atmosphere, and I especially appreciated that the form of writing FELT like an old fairytale throughout.

I do have to say that I think it has a lull in the middle to end that seems to slow it down a bit in pacing, and I personally felt that some of the scenes at the end were more distracting than anything, (personal opinion!) but I loved all the tricks the witch threw at them, and the ending was GREAT!

I will definitely be recommending this one, and I hope there will be more installments to be read in the future, too!!

Special thanks to #parliamenthousepress and #netgalley for the advanced copy for review! All opinions are my own!

This book is due for release on March 3, 2020

Happy reading!!

#bookreviewer #upcomingbook #bookreview

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Guys. Let me introduce you to what might be one of my new favorite reads.

SALISBURY STEAK, this was good!

If you aren’t familiar with the premise, this is a fictional novel based off of the actual historical figure of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who became known as the Blood Countess because she was actually put to death in 1614 for the alleged murders of at least 600 young women. It was said she would bathe in their blood and even drink it in a quest to retain her beauty. ☠️🤢

The way that the author crafted this story was so brilliant.

I was expecting a bloody horror story, but instead I got a surprise: this was a tale that didn’t need all the gore. (So if you aren’t a fan, you’ll be happy to know that you can probably enjoy this book too!)

We are told our tale from the eyes of a young Anna Darvulia. Anna was from a poor family working as a healer when she was “fortunate” enough to be asked to work as the Countess’s chambermaid, a position that will feed her family and then some.

From the second she arrives, we begin to see the first inklings of what amounts to a delicious mindf**k that just escalates more and more.

This book didn’t need the gore because the actual horror was witnessing the manipulation, gaslighting, the cat and mouse games, the withholding of love and the punishments for not doing what was asked. Anna is tricked and trapped before she even knows what’s hit her.

We get a front row seat as a young girl is psychologicallly unraveled and its almost got this feeling like if you were watching an animal that caught it’s prey, but not to eat. When they play with it, let it go, catch it again…

THAT’S the part that was so unnerving to me in this story, to hear the story of what was happening (yes, she was doing some BAD stuff up in there!) from Anna’s perspective, but knowing that Anna was a victim too.

Aaaaah! I LOVED this book so much!

So, THANK YOU! to @abramskids @piquebeyond @netgalley for the advanced copy (all opinions are my own 😉)

So grateful for these things.

This book is coming out January 28, 2020, and I say GET IT! 🤣

#bloodcountess #netgalley #piquebeyond #abramskids #bookreview #bookblogger

I got a super last-minute approval to review this book, so I dropped everything and binge read it in 2 days.

The rest of the time has been spent trying to figure out how to put my thoughts down in a way that didn’t sound too negative, but also expressed my feelings in a truthful manner.

Basically, this wasn’t what I was expecting, and I’m feeling a bit disappointed. WOMP. Maybe I just have a harsher view than others because anything to do with Camelot/King Arthur is like holy ground for me? I don’t know.

I DO know that the concept had so much more potential than the final product.

Let me just put out there that I completely LOVED Kiersten White’s take on Frankenstein with The Dark Decent Of Elizabeth Frankenstein!

That one felt like it complimented the original story, was highly creative, and was an interesting spin.

This one just kinda missed the mark for me.

I struggled with nearly all the characters in terms of being able to connect. I found that by the end, there wasn’t one that I even could find a preference for, my biggest issue being Guinevere herself. Yes, I know that she’s not meant to be exactly human, so I wouldn’t expect her to act completely like one, but she felt very bland, even when there were parts that were supposed to be conveyed as emotional for her.

There was no spark at all between her and Arthur, and when an attempt at a love match between them WAS made, I found it to be not only bland, but also not that convincing, considering how he spent most of his time away from her.

It felt like the writing was a bit scattered, and I wasn’t a fan of the bits where we are getting the Dark Queen’s POV.

There were times I felt that the storyline/writing regressed into what felt would be better for much younger readers as well.

HOWEVER, having said all that, I don’t want it to seem like it was a terrible book or a flop.

I liked the mystery aspect as to what really had gone on between Merlin and Guinevere; I liked that in this story, Merlin is portrayed as having a very blurry line between dark and light.

I honestly feel like the sequel will be better because all of the things left unsaid about Guinevere & Merlin’s relationship will start to be revealed; as well as all the questions Guinevere herself had brought up. IE: where she came from, why she there were so many lapses in her memory, etc…

Even though this one fell a bit flat for me, I’m sure it will still be a hit for many readers! It still has tons of potential moving forward. Plus, as I said before, I might just be biased with this subject.

I think for that reason alone, I’ll stay in the neutral with my stars: 2.5/3 stars for this one.

* I received a copy of this from the publisher and Netgalley for review. (Thank you SO much!)

All opinions are my own.

#bookreview #theguineveredeception #netgalley #randomhousekids

I’m a little behind on this review, but I think I have a decent excuse. The universe is TOTALLY out to get me. Bad juju is afoot, I tell ya.

I pulled THE MOST EPIC OF ALL FALLS almost a week ago, which was not only hurtful to my pride, but also to my frickin head. I got my very first concussion, guys!

Ummm, why is this picture up, Shelby? Well, it’s to help you visualize the violence that occurred that fateful day. 😆 We all joke about having a heart attack when you miss a step on the stairs, right? I was going down and missed FROM THE THIRD STEP UP. 😱 My foot went to land and it was nothing but air, baby.

Somehow my head was already moving with more momentum than my feet, so I basically pulled a Superman. I flew. What broke my fall, you ask? See that box fan in the lower left corner? That basically CLOTHESLINED the side of my head. Right at the ear. Anyways, I’m speaking it now to the universe: I’m good. I’m gooood. I don’t need another one of these. I still can’t walk because of the spinning head and nausea. Also there’s the stabbing headache. Oh yeah, and there’s that thing where I’m EXTRA tired and can’t concentrate. Makes it hard to be a book blogger/reviewer. ANYWAYS, on to the ACTUAL review!

The Wickerlight by Mary Watson

*special thanks to #bloomsburyya and #netgalley for providing me with a copy for review! (All opinions are my own.)

So… I wouldn’t necessarily call this book a sequel to The Wren Hunt, but maybe more like a companion novel, if that makes sense.

This book is unique in that it parallels timelines and events from the first book, but this time we get to see everything from David’s point of view, and also we are introduced to a young girl named Zara whose recently deceased sister played an integral part in how everything unfolded. (She was all up in the mix.)

If you’re not familiar with the basic plot line of these books, they take place in a little town in Ireland named Kilshamble, where Druid magic is still very much alive (although kept secret), and it’s passed down through two different bloodlines: The Augurs And The Judges. These two families have been at war forever.

In the first book, we got to see the Augur world through Wren’s perspective; in this one David brings us into the Judges world.

Dare I say that I actually really preferred this one to the first? Is that terrible?? I found the pacing to be much faster in this one, and I hate to say it, but I definitely prefer Zara to Wren.

I found Wren to be extremely naive and frustrating at times. I couldn’t connect with her. Zara made some questionable choices in this one as well, but at least we know that she’s driven by the death of her sister; wanting answers to things left up in the air.

David’s character was my favorite thing about reading this. We are only shown the one side of him in the first book, I LOVED seeing the true David.

As I said before, this feels like a companion novel, so I will say that this could be read as a stand-alone and work just fine, but I don’t think it’d be as enjoyable, as your brain automatically will flash back to timelines in the first book and it’s like puzzle pieces coming together. It’s pretty cool to see all the things that were happening behind the scenes.

I suppose the reading sequence is interchangeable, either way, maybe?

Bottom line: If you read The Wren Hunt and didn’t hate it, you’ll absolutely enjoy this one, in my opinion. If you haven’t? I highly recommend The Wren Hunt, but if not, definitely try this one still!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release date: November 26, 2019. Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books/ Bloomsbury YA

I feel so incredibly fortunate for the random little “gifts” I’ve been surprised with lately.

Little things popping up out of the blue to remind me that there is always happiness to be found, even when life feel like it’s THE WORST.

One of those gifts came last weekend while I was away on a getaway (another gift), and I was shocked to find that it was this: an approval to review Gravemaidens.

I was certain my PTSD downfall had ruined all chances of ever getting publishers to look twice at me again; so first of all: BIG thanks to Random House. Whoever decided to hit that yes button, you have no idea how uplifting it was!

Okay, moving on.

Gravemaidens features a fiercely independent, headstrong young woman named Kammani. She’d rather not conform to tradition, she’d much rather follow her dream of becoming a great A-zu (healer) just like her abum (father).

She’s been his apprentice basically since she was a child. Only now, she’s finding herself with the burden of not only having to take his place as a healer, but in ALL the responsibilities.

Her abum is but a shell of a man after a series of unfortunate circumstances befell the family. They have lost everything.

Their father was once respected, they lived well.

Now, he’s a joke, and they’ve lost their status and been forced to live in the poorest part of town.

Status is one of the most important things in Alu.

But tradition comes first.

And one of the most highly celebrated and most important traditions is about to take place: the ruler of the kingdom, Lugal Marus is near death. This means he will choose 3 young maidens to journey with him when the Boatman comes to carry him to the Netherworld.

It’s considered to be of the highest honor to be chosen. You’re taken to live in the kingdom, showered with anything you desire, people celebrate and worship you. Until it’s time for you to join the Lugal and you’re sealed in the tomb to await the Boatman. But it’s okay, because he is taking you to an even BETTER life on the other side. People beg and pray to be chosen.

But not Kammani. She knows better. She knows that all it is is a death sentence for those poor young girls. Thankfully, the poor girls never get chosen.

Until they do.

Kammani’s world comes crashing down when they announce her little sister has been chosen as a maiden.

Now, Kammani has one choice: find a way to heal the Lugal so he doesn’t die. If he doesn’t die, her sister can live.

I read this to my husband during our long road trip, and I have to say we both loved it.

First of all, the book is SO atmospheric.

I’ve been very lucky lately in that I’ve reviewed a few books that are so descriptive it’s as if you feel like you can picture yourself right there. This is one of the better ones.

In this book, I loved traveling through the marketplace with the spices and smells of sizzling meats wafting through the air. I loved imagining the lushness and vibrancy of the fabrics. The sounds. The colors of the sky every day. I’m always amazed when an author can actually conjure those images out of me because my brain is very stubborn with that.

What really carried this story was the relationships between the characters and how well developed and individualistic they all were.

They all were full of personality, but their OWN very distinct personality, whether that be stubborn, funny or frustrating. Each one was FULL. And it worked, very well.

I WILL admit that an integral part of the ending was fairly easy to figure out pretty early in the book, but I’m not even mad about it.

This story had a lot of adventure, and a TON of heart.

DEFINITELY recommend this one! 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* I received a copy of this from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Gravemaidens By Kelly Coon

• Publisher: Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press
• Genre: Teens & YA
• Release Date: October 29, 2019

#gravemaidens #upcomingbookrelease #bookreview