What makes a good murder mystery? Plot? Characters? Carnage? All of the above, sure, but what makes a REALLY good murder mystery is when you don’t guess the ending or there’s an interesting twist, or you are left hanging, unsure of what actually happened. I read so many of these books that it’s hard to pull the wool over my eyes but the book I just finished did just that. It was twisted, gruesome, and I was left hanging. Read this book and tell me your thoughts/theories/opinions.

She was standing in the middle of the room covered from head to toe in blood, as if someone had upended a bucket full of it over her head. The bodies of 3 people were scattered around the room and a baby was crying. This was Michael’s first glimpse of Marie that horrific night but it wouldn’t be his last. She was being held in the jail of the tiny town where his dad was the sheriff, where nothing really bad ever happened until that night, those people, the boy who was in Michael’s class at school. No one could get anything out of her but she decided to open up to Michael, to tell him her story. For weeks, months Marie’s story ebbed and flowed around the events leading up to the last three murders committed by a serial killer. The murders were called the Bloodless Murders because the victims had all been drained of blood and not a drop was found at the scenes, until now. Why was this one different? Who was Marie? Why would she not give up the name of her accomplice? Michael questioned, cajoled, bribed, Marie to tell the truth but her story was just too outrageous yet, intriguing. The case would soon be out of his hands and to a prosecutor who wanted nothing more than to see Marie all the way to the electric chair.

I was as surprised at the revelations from Marie as I was what she didn’t reveal. It was a well-written story and demonstrated the tendency of humans to believe what they want to believe in spite of evidence or lack thereof. Kendare Blake brought elements of a couple of true crime cases into her story, spree killers Charles Starkweather 19 and Caril Ann Fugate 14, and the murders of the Clutter family. Both left bodies and broken families in their wake which lends a frightening authenticity to her tale. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, this is a must-read!

I am taking a break from the fairy tale retellings, with their monsters and madness to read a…murder mystery! There a great quote that makes this transition apropos, “Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that the dragons can be killed.” As most of us know, there are very real monsters in this world. We see havoc they wreak every day on the evening news. What we really need to know is that no matter how big or ugly or powerful they are, we can defeat them. They don’t have to ruin our lives completely and forever.

Brynn, Mia, and Summer are loners in their own ways. Brynn is prickly and loud. Mia is super shy and fearful. Summer is the new girl who brought them all together and held them there with her fierce charm. Their days were spent daydreaming about a mystical place called Lovelorn from a novel Summer discovered. They wrote fanfiction based on the book but weird things began to happen that blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Then, Summer was brutally murdered and Brynn and Mia were implicated. There wasn’t enough evidence to charge them but court of public opinion labeled the girls evil, witches, murderers. Brynn discovered a sanctuary in rehab and Mia was buried under her mother’s hoarding piles. After several years, a random piece of evidence dropped into Mia’s lap that changed everything and brought the two girls back together to try and figure out what really happened to Summer and themselves.

Lauren Oliver is a consummate storyteller. This twisted tale of love, betrayal, and loss will engage you from the opening line, “Five years ago, when I had just turned thirteen, I killed my best friend.” I mean, seriously, how could anyone put the book down after that? It was an excellent read. I will admit to being surprised at who the murderer was, which is a difficult thing to do when you read and watch as many murder mysteries as I do. Fans of that genre, buckle up buttercup!

Normally, I’m not a fan of witch stories. I guess it’s my Christian upbringing seeping in and making my spirit uncomfortable with the occult. Occasionally, though, a story comes around that draws me into its web and won’t let go. Witchcraft? Perhaps…or maybe really good storytellers have a magic all their own.

Frank protects his girls from the outside world that would not understand them. Worse, people would hunt and kill them for what they are and what they can do. Derry and her sisters understand this so they make a life for themselves deep in the forest, secluded from everything. One day, though, she breaks the rules with her older sister Jane. They go into the forest, a place they are forbidden to enter and it ends in bloodshed. It’s a secret that they keep from everyone until the day that Jane disappears. Derry is certain that she saw Jane disappear into the woods so night after night, she follows hoping to find her and bring her home. Each time she enters the forest, Derry feels alive with magic. Her powers seem to grow stronger with each trip. It is exhilarating and disturbing. The forest whispers its secrets to her and they aren’t all good. The creatures that live there are drawn to her and they tell her things about Frank; dark things. She realizes his evil intentions toward the girls but saving them all means embracing the dark magic inside of herself and the forest. Resisting the pull of power will be the most difficult thing she’s ever done.

Sarah Hollowell’s tale of magic and betrayal will have you on the edge of your seat so be careful where you choose to sit as you read this one or you might embarrass yourself by yelling at the book…out loud!

Okay, so I get into a genre groove sometimes and I just have to ride it out until the next wave. Sorry? Anyway, today’s post is about a trilogy based on the Beauty and the Beast tale. The themes of love, betrayal, truth, and healing connect all three books beautifully. A beast is not always an evil creature, a man is not always a good man, but decisions always have consequences. Oh, and be on the look out for a Groundhog’s Day (the movie) vibe.

Year after year forever the curse visits Rhen and what is left of his kingdom. The beast ravages the castle and the surrounding villages. The royal family has been decimated, only Rhen  is left. The curse can only be lifted when a girl falls in love with him. He’s lost track of how many girls Grey, his faithful to a fault guard, has brought him, each one a failure. On this day, however, something different happens.

Harper is on guard as her brother, an enforcer for a local gang, “does his business”. From the shadows of her hideout she spots a suspicious looking man carrying a young woman. Though she suffers with a damaged foot due to cerebral palsy, she has a strong sense of right and wrong and what is happening right in front of her is definitely wrong. She attacks the man with the only weapon she has, a crowbar. Her selfless action lands her in a place unlike anything she’s ever seen, a fantastical world with monsters and magic. She is tough and stubborn and Rhen is resigned to his fate. Can the two ever find common ground? Will love finally break the curse?

The story continues in the second and third books where each character is transformed into something else. As they navigate these new roles, magic weaves around them making their lives both easier and worse. Their strength, resolve and bonds will be sorely tested as they must figure out a way to vanquish the force of evil in their lands.

OMG…these books are absolutely fabulous! I was left wrung out as I read the last page of the last book. It was a satisfying ending that I didn’t want to happen. Brigid Kemmer’s world building is brilliant. The relationships between the characters is authentic and compelling; the betrayals, love, respect, and strengths combine to make a complex dynamic. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good story.

So, do you remember when I was talking about retellings of fairy tales being some of my favorite stories? Right, just a couple of posts ago, yes. I’m here again to tell you about another couple of authors who shake things up in the land of tales. Two I loved and one I am still trying to get my head and heart around. Hunted and Sherwood by Meagan Spooner and Gilded by Marissa Meyer are all excellent books and I highly recommend each one.

She knows the forest by heart. Every path and tree are as familiar to her as her own hand. Though she now lives in the city with her family, she longs to be back in the mists and moss of it. Her chance comes at a heavy price though. Yeva’s father is a successful merchant who gambled everything on one shipment which was lost to bandits. With nothing left, they pack up their meager belongings and make the trek to the old hunting cabin. Her father is greatly changed and begins to go out hunting for weeks at a time. When he returns, he is haunted and mumbles about the beast that tracks him. He begs Beauty, Yeva’s pet name, to stay away but she can’t. She has to take care of her sisters who depend on her superior hunting skills to survive. One day, months after her father left for his latest hunting trip, she finds something that changes everything. The hunter has become the hunted but can her wits save her or will the beast deal the final blow.

I first thought that this book was going to be a straight forward retelling of Beauty and the Beast until the BIG TWIST! This was an excellent version of the story…not quite as good as Beauty by Robin McKinley (which is my absolute favorite), but it was different.

The tragic news that Robin of Locksley is dead reaches home. Marion, his betrothed and best friend since childhood is left shattered. How will she go on? How will the people of Locksley survive without Robin? Nottingham is under the thumb of the greedy Sheriff who raises taxes regularly and the people just don’t have anything left. She desperately wants to help but doesn’t know how. When a man in a green cloak appears and begins to harass the Sheriff and his henchman Guy of Gisborne, people begin to whisper Robin’s name again. As tensions increase, Robin of the Hood grows bold with his crimes but Gisborne has laid a trap for him. Will he fall for it or does he know better or…is it really Robin?

HOLY SMOKES!!! This one really caught me off guard. This is the one I’m still trying to wrap my head around. What happens is…well, you’ll see. Get back to me when you do and tell me how you feel about it.

Depending on who you ask, Serilda is either a master storyteller or a consummate liar. Her stories are full of magic and adventure, dark and light. She was blessed at birth by the god of lies and no one believes a word she says. One night, she runs afoul of the Erlking and his hunt by hiding his quarry. She tells him a fantastical tale and he halfway believes it. When the Hunt rides again, he calls to her and she is forced to go with him to his castle behind the veil. He demands that she prove her story is true or she will be killed and trapped forever in his world. She must spin straw into gold by morning. It’s an impossible task and she prays to the gods to help her. Salvation comes in the form of a strange boy who agrees to help her. Help, however, comes at a price. By morning, there is a pile of gold threaded bobbins and Serilda is allowed to go home. Over the next few months, she is summoned each month during the Hunt. She soon realizes there there is much more going on in the twisted mind of Erlking and it will take all of her cunning and some help from an unexpected source to break the curse and defeat the Erlking.

Wow, another fairy tale with some major twists! Meyer is an excellent writer as is evidenced by the popularity of all her other books. She knows how to make a once-familiar story something completely new. The Gilded series promises to be another fantastic read. If you are like me and love a good fairy tale retelling, this is MUST to add to your list.

I really do love a good mystery. I binge watch them at home and I read them whenever I can. A friend asked me today if I was a secret serial killer since I watch/read so many. I don’t really know why I enjoy them. Maybe I like to watch people smarter than me solving puzzles? Maybe it’s the suspense that’s creepy but not horror (not a fan of horror)? Maybe it’s about the good guys winning cleverly or the bad guys, regardless of how clever, getting their due? Whatever the case, I will keep on reading/watching murder mysteries because I want to…it helps that reading is part of my job, too!

Mickey Bolitar loves basketball. The court is where all the things wrong in his life fade into a haze of sweat, pounding feet, and the bounce of the ball. For the first time in his life, he lives in a town where there’s a basketball team and the opportunity to make friends for more than a few months. His family has live all over the world for his dad’s work. They decided to give all that up to give Mickey a chance to have a normal life. Tragically, that is not to be. His father was killed in a car accident and his mom is in rehab for drug addiction, her way of dealing with grief. On the making friends, front, Ema and Spoon, are not exactly what he expected. Ema is a chubby goth and Spoon is a nerd with ne encyclopedic knowledge of utterly useless information. One afternoon, everything changes. He is walking in front of the town’s “haunted house” when an old woman appears in the doorway and calls his name. What she says, though, sends him down a path that no one expected. “Your father is alive”. In the coming months, Mickey will find the truth and a whole lot of heartache along the way.

Harlan Coban created characters that are both creepy and funny. Typical teen angst is mixed in with intrigue and unexpected twists. Sometimes the first person narrative bogs the story down a bit and the end of the third book wraps up a little too quickly and neatly. Still, mystery fans will enjoy this series.

One of my favorite kinds of books to read are those based on fairy tales of old that have been drawn out, embellished, and made new. Robin McKinley, Rosamund Hodge, Juliet Marillier, and Holly Black are just a few of my favorite authors who have mastered the art of retellings. I must now add Sarah Prineas to this list. Ash & Bramble takes one of the most beloved fairy tales, Cinderella, and turns it on its head in every conceivable way.

The Godmother is all powerful. She rules everything she touches with an iron fist. No one escapes her will. Well, that’s not precisely true. Pin is a seamstress. Godmother told her she was even though she can’t sew a straight line to save her life. Day in and day out, she toils under the baleful eye of the Overseer, crookedly stitching, pricking a finger, knotting a thread. One day, though, something strange happens and it all starts with a glass slipper, a shoemaker, and a tiny spark of hope. What follows is horrifying, exhilarating, and dangerous but, if Pin and Shoe want to escape the Godmother, they must face what comes with bravery and wit.

I am telling you, this story will make you think you’re in the Upside down. Good is bad, bad is good yet love will win the day. Pineas’s story provides a new perspective on stories and what is good/bad. If you’re a fellow fairy tale retelling fan, this is a must-read!

Have you ever felt not quite right in your own skin? What about in your family or community? I struggle with those kinds of feelings all the time. I have not reconciled myself with how I look (fat) or how I feel (fat and slow) or how I think other people see me. It is not a comfortable situation, ever. Basically, I have zero self-confidence about my looks. I love the way that I am…my personality and how I interact with people. I’m kind (most of the time, just don’t piss me off online…), I’m funny, I’m smart (unless you give me a math problem then, I’ll freak out), I care about other people. I wish that I could have the confidence of some of the fictional characters I’ve met over the years. When the negative thought bombard me, sometimes, I close my eyes, breathe in and out slowly and count the good things about myself. Just breathe… The main character in my latest awesome read is one such person.

Juliet is from a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in the Bronx. She’s short and thick and sassy and…gay. She’s been in a relationship with her college roommate her family thinks is just her bff. She is an amazing writer and an avid reader. Her latest obsession is the Pussy book by famed author Harlowe Brisbane, the guru for all things female and gay. In response to the book, she wrote a long, passionate letter to the author in hopes of becoming her research assistant for the summer. It worked, she was on her way to Portland…a thick, brown-skinned girl from the Bronx amid a see of white! It’s all hippies, weed, crystals, and a whole, unfamiliar vocabulary describing gayness that makes her feel out of place. Still, Harlowe is amazing…right up until she isn’t. The fallout from her betrayal leads Juliet to question everything about herself, her family, her girlfriend, and what it means to be a gay woman.

Whether you are a gay woman or not, we can all learn much about who we are and what we stand for from Juliet! Kudos to author Gabby Rivera for writing such a powerful, funny, beautiful character! We need more like her.

If you have followed me for a while, you know that Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are complex, intense, and magical. I’ve read every book she’s written and have loved all of them. A while ago, after finishing her Blackthorn and Grim trilogy, I emailed her asking if she was going to come out with any more in that series. Miraculously, she answered my email and…sadly, the answer was no. However, she did tell me that she was working on a series that involved those to beloved characters and that it would complete their story. That series is The Warrior Bards and it was spectacular and she was right, it did tie up all the loose ends quite nicely. That said, I have now read all three books and am bereft at that fact. I REALLY tried to read slowly and to only read while I ate lunch but the book was just too good so, SIGH, I finished it far too quickly. Anyway, If you’re looking for a fabulous series to take you away to fantastical places but with a firm foot in reality, look no further than The Warrior Bards.

Harp of Kings

A Dance With Fate – Liobhan is adrift. Her brother, Brocc, has joined the Otherworld, a place neither can pass into or out of easily. She returns to Swan Island to resume her training. Fate, it seems, is not done with her yet and tosses another tragedy her way. During a training bout with Dau, he sustains a devastating injury which leaves him blind. Dau is despondent at the possibility of having to return home, a place of horror for him. As a result of her part in his injury, Dau’s family asks that Liobhan accompany Dau to his estate for a full year.

There are dark secrets at the heart of Oakhill and Dau is caught in the middle of them. Together, they unearth the evil that has infested the place and make themselves a target for it. Liobhan must find a way to help Dau see through his disability or they might not survive.

Song of Flight – The Prince of Dalraida has gone missing in a violent kidnapping where his guard and most trusted friend, Galen, was badly injured by both human and Crow Folk assailants. News comes to Swan Island quickly and a team is sent out but without Liobhan. In the Otherworld, Brocc has run afoul of his wife because of his work with the Crow Folk and now, he and his daughter, not yet two, are cast out into the world where he falls into the hands of Due to unforeseen circumstances, Liobhan is now called out on a mission to save him. As they travel, stories reach them that indicate that the two missions are related. Both missions are perilous and the lives of so many hang in the balance.

I love to eat…pretty obvious if you ever see me in person. I also love to cook but don’t often get the chance and I hate to cook for myself. My Granny, though, was an amazing cook. Every dish she ever made was off the charts awesome. I remember being in college and going to visit her. She’d make me a cup of cocoa and it always tasted so good but, when I made it, it tasted different. I watched her like a hawk to see what she did to it. The only difference I could discern is that she stuck her finger in it to make sure it wasn’t too hot. I miss that cocoa even these 25 years later so this book, Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas struck a tender spot in my heart and my tummy.

Isabella, Isa to most people, grew up in her abuela’s kitchen, watching, helping, tasting the wondrous creations Lala whipped up. All of her happiest memories are tied to those apron strings. Now, she’s adrift with Lala’s passing, her parents divorce and her father’s new wife so she throws herself into her cooking. When she’s accepted into an exclusive cooking school in Paris, she jumps at the chance to hone her skills so that she can one day win the coveted Michelin award. The schedule is grueling but she manages to make a couple of real friends in the class but when push comes to shove, she makes a horrible and hurtful decision. Add to the mix a handsome Spaniard, a stepmother who’s pregnant and doesn’t seem to like anything you do, and you have a recipe for disaster…or for the most interesting and fulfilling life, depending on how you mix them all together.

For foodies and fans of excellent storytelling, Cuevas has a little something for everyone in this tale. It reminds me of Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw…I wish that they’d included some of Lala’s recipes, though they were probably guarded, old family recipes…oh well, sigh, I can always dream of Lala’s County Fair Royalty apple pie, right?