Reviews

Faith Herbert appears to be a typical teenager, immersed in her love for the TV series "The Grove," spending time with her closest friends Matt and Ches, and dedicating her free hours to a local animal shelter. She's intent on staying near her grandmother post-graduation. However, her life takes an extraordinary turn when she discovers she has the power of flight. This revelation comes after a summer not spent at a journaling camp as planned, but at a special camp where her unique abilities were awakened and tested. Returning to her regular school life, Faith's routine is upended by the

In a world devastated by an enigmatic virus that seemingly leaves only children alive, these survivors find themselves enslaved by vampires. Among them is 12-year-old Yu, the protagonist, who resents being treated as livestock by his vampiric overlords. Contrarily, his best friend Mika appears to acquiesce to their demands, particularly those of Lord Ferid, a vampire noble, by allowing Ferid to consume his blood in exchange for provisions for himself and the other orphans at their residence.

Mika later reveals his true intentions: he has pilfered a map and a gun from Ferid's mansion, planning

(Detailed) plot overview: As "Crooked Kingdom" unfolds, Ketterdam's tranquility is shattered when Shu Han soldiers, enhanced by Grisha magic, kidnap Ravkan Grisha Retvenko from the harbor. Concurrently, Kaz and Wylan infiltrate the residence of Van Eck's attorney, unearthing crucial information to rescue their comrade, Inej. However, Inej's escape efforts are thwarted, and she faces the grim possibility of crippling injury, compelling her to grapple with doubts about her worth to Kaz beyond her utility.

Jesper's predicament deepens as his father, Colm Fahey, arrives, seeking answers about the

 (Detailed) plot overview: Kaz Brekker, the leader of the Dregs and owner of the Crow Club, is a formidable figure in Ketterdam's underworld at just seventeen. Also nicknamed ‘Dirtyhands,’ he’s famous for being able to do just about anything and outsmarting rival gangs. His reputation catches the eye of Van Eck, a wealthy merchant, who presents Kaz with an incredibly dangerous heist: to set free the scientist Bo Yul-Bayur from the Ice Court in Fjerda in exchange for thirty million kruge. Bo Yul-Bayur is the mind behind jurda parem, a drug that boosts Grisha's magical abilities.
Recognizing the

Where Echoes Die
Since her mother's passing, a gifted but troubled investigative journalist, Beck Birsching has been lost in a sea of nostalgia, wanting the normalcy of the past. A mysterious letter, seemingly written by her mother, arrives, beckoning her to Backravel, a town that might hold the key to unanswered questions.

Upon reaching Backravel, Arizona, Beck and her sister Riley quickly realize the town is unusual. Devoid of cars, cemeteries, and churches, Backravel is a strange blend of rundown military buildings and sleek, new structures, all under the watchful eye of a shining treatment

Their Vicious Games

This thriller stars a Black teen's quest to reclaim her place in an Ivy League institution leads her into a lethal contest with higher stakes than she’d ever anticipated; life or death.

Adina Walker has always been acutely aware of the demanding expectations set upon her at the elite Edgewater Academy, a breeding ground for New England's affluent (and predominantly white) elite. Striving for perfection and maintaining an unblemished facade is her strategy, pushing down any hint of imperfection. Yet, a single misstep, a single moment of her judgment slipping, costs Adina her

Demon in the Wood
'Eryk' and his mother 'Lena' belong to a unique and rare class of magic-users known as Shadow Summoners. To avoid detection and persecution, they lead a nomadic life, frequently changing locations and identities, never settling in one place for long. In an unexpected turn, Lena decides to spend an entire winter at a camp, where Eryk learns of a bear that the camp members are hunting. This bear is an amplifier, a creature whose bones can boost a person's magical abilities if killed by them.

Eryk befriends Annika and her younger sister, Sylvi, at the camp. Both are marginalized

(Somewhat detailed) plot overview: "Ruin and Rising" is the third and final book in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, bringing the saga of Alina Starkov and the nation of Ravka to a climactic conclusion. After the tumultuous events of "Siege and Storm," Alina is recovering from her encounters with the Darkling, her powers weakened and her spirit battered. She is being held underground in the White Cathedral by the Apparat and his zealots, who see her as a saintly figure but also as a pawn in their own quest for power.

Determined to regain her strength and defeat the Darkling, Alina must escape

(Somewhat detailed) plot overview (spoilers of course though): "Siege and Storm" is the second novel in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, continuing the story set in the fantasy world of Ravka. Following the events of "Shadow and Bone," the protagonist Alina Starkov and her best friend Mal Oretsev are on the run, trying to evade the Darkling and his forces after the dramatic events in the Shadow Fold.

Their freedom is short-lived, as the Darkling captures them again with the help of a charismatic privateer named Sturmhond. The Darkling's ambition has grown; he now seeks to find and use another

(Somewhat detailed) plot overview: "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in the Grisha Trilogy, set in the fantasy world of Ravka, which is inspired by Tsarist Russia. The nation is divided by a vast, dark expanse known as the Shadow Fold, inhabited by monstrous creatures called volcra that prey on humans.

The story follows Alina Starkov, a young orphan and mapmaker in the Ravkan army. Alina has always felt out of place and inconsequential, especially next to her best friend and fellow orphan, Mal Oretsev, a skilled tracker. Their lives change dramatically during an army