Well, that was unexpected! Oscar Boatwright was bobbing through life, not exactly happy but not entirely unhappy. His status quo was completely knocked out of whack when his mother unexpectedly dies mid flight coming home from Hawaii. Why were his parents in Hawaii in the first place? The answer to that question throws Oscar off even more, calling into question everything he thought he knew about his family and his own motivations.

This feeling of being off kilter continues through the entire novel, pushing Oscar to depths he never expected. I was happily impressed with this book, it was twisty and unexpected. There were a few points, the more "philosophical" areas, where I may have shortened things up, but these were there for a reason. All in all, a solid read!

Veronica and Stoker are among my favorite will they/won't they couples. Far from getting stale, their relationship looms large in all their adventures. A Dangerous Collaboration continues this trend. I enjoyed the underlying mystery in this novel, a bit more Gothic and less hectic than the last few. Throw in Stoker's big brother and you can cut the tension with a hack saw! Veronica is aggressively independent and doesn't follow the conventions of her time. While there are times when I feel Raybourn goes a bit over the top with this, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of this series. She throws in enough crumbs of all the main characters back stories to further their development and keep them fresh.

So... where did Rosamund go? Did she pull a run away bride? Was she murdered most foul? Is she stuffed into one of the many secret passages and priest holes littered through the castle? I won't tell, you'll need to read the book! Which you should anyway, since it's pretty fabulous!

Can I possibly explain how excited I was to get my hands on this book? My introduction to Rockton and it's inhabitants occurred a few weeks ago. I read the first book in the series, City of the Lost, from the library and had my name on the wait list for the next two but couldn't wait! I bought them both immediately after finishing the first one. Cue long nights of reading and (kinda) ignoring my family.

This latest novel in the series picks up right where the last one left off. I love the pacing of these books, the plot is driven by plenty of excitement, but you still get character development. I get so disappointed in books where the characters are flat and only seem to exist to move the plot forward. This is so not the case here! The main characters are an integral piece to the puzzle, as well as the setting. Rockton is such a fascinating place and Armstrong does an amazing job of describing the terrain and the ingenious ways people live, and die, there.

Watcher in the Woods continues the adventures of Casey Butler as she builds a life in the last place on Earth she ever thought she'd fall in love with. Her back story is fleshed out even more with the inclusion of her sister. I honestly read these books for both the exciting mystery and to learn more about the characters. This is a knock out series that I am so grateful I found!

Jane Harper keeps knocking it out of the ballpark for me! I have loved her Aaron Falk books and was only slightly disappointed this novel doesn't fall into that series. I shouldn't have worried, everything I loved about the Aaron Falk series is here: the crisp writing style, the slow burning mystery, the use of the terrain as a character all it's own. I am fascinated with how Harper uses where the characters live to explain so much of their personalities. The isolation and forced independence these people face drives so much of the plot.
Nathan, the oldest brother, is struggling with mistakes from his past that are still impacting his every day life. When one of his younger brothers is found dead in the, literal, middle of nowhere, the tragedy cracks open the family. Why was Cam there, nowhere near his car filled with live sustaining and saving equipment? Was there more to the story? Harper does an amazing job of teasing out the details and weaving the past into the current mystery. I devoured this novel and was completely engrossed the entire time. A definite must read!  

What a charming, unexpected book! Who wouldn't love a grumpy, foul mouthed book loving sprite? Shade, as she demands to be called, lost her home and her books to an ill advised fireworks incident. Although this is certainly a tragedy (those books!), the loss spurs Shade to leave her comfortable life and hit the road. Once she leaves her sheltered village and the annoyingly cheerful and dim witted inhabitants, Shade really comes into her own. 

Setting off to find someplace she can read to her hearts content, Shade meets and somehow befriends a motley group of misfits. Although she really would rather not, Shade comes to need, and ultimately love, these fellow exiles. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time I was reading this book, and would recommend it to pretty much everyone, no matter what age!

I keep waiting for this to get old... for me to get tired of the characters, for the plots to start to blend together until the whole series seems stale. Lucky for me, this hasn't happened yet! Flavia is still as delightful as ever, and we get a whole lot more Dogger! The supporting cast is shrinking a bit, as fathers die and sisters get married, but Flavia and Dogger have always been the characters that mattered the most. The central mystery in this excursion is just as convoluted as you'd come to expect from Bradley. How will it all come together? What does one mystery have to do with another? Why the missionaries, why the finger??

You'll not get any spoilers from me.  But honestly, finding out who done it is only half the fun here! Thoroughly enjoyable, highly addictive and never disappointing. Bradley is one of my must read authors and I am so glad I discovered this series!

In case you didn't know, Diane Setterfield is one of my must read, never disappointing authors. I recommend The Thirteenth Tale first and often to people looking for something new. I keep waiting for the honeymoon to be over, but Once Upon a River is keeping the love alive! It took me a bit to fall into the rhythm of this novel, how Setterfield set the pace and teased out the plot. The setting is hugely important here, the river and the homes of the main characters play an integral part in the story.

By the time I was about three quarters of the way done, I found myself reading faster and faster. All those threads started to come together, all the foreshadowing and the seemingly throw away occurrences were masterfully melded to make for an exciting conclusion. I was surprised, saddened and satisfied all at once. No spoilers, I wouldn't want to ruin if for you, but everyone manages to get what's coming to them in one way or another. The beautiful writing pulls you in, the characters keep you invested, and the story itself will haunt you. Another must read to recommend.

Well, that was fun! What a twisty, dark, satisfying read. The beginning of the novel makes you ask yourself, what would you do for money? How desperate would you need to be to continue doing what makes you uncomfortable for the chance at more money? Jess needs the extra income, and after all, what harm could come of it? It's an experiment, anonymous, no one will ever know.

The deeper Jess gets, the harder it is to get away. I loved the philosophical questions, the depths people will go to and how they justify what they do. This book will suck you in and make you stay up way too late reading.  Trust me, I know! A definite must read, and I am desperately sad that I finished it so quickly.  Now it's time to re-read, so I can catch all the hints and clues that I missed the first time around!

Under My Skin was interesting, surprising and frustrating all at once. I love a good thriller, and this one had so many good points, the few mis-steps were jarring. The main character, Poppy, was so thoroughly devastated by her husband's murder, she blacked out and lost three days. A year on, and she still isn't sure if she wants those days back. This is where things got a bit muddled. The dreams/flashbacks/hallucinations were so confusing. I understand this was intentional, the flashes of her lost time were supposed to create tension, keep the reader and the protagonist interested in finding out what had happened during those missing days. So much hinged on her remembering, it was almost a disappointment when she (spoiler) finally does.

I really felt that some of the supporting characters were thrown in there for red herrings. They didn't offer much in the way of development for either the plot or the main character. The central mystery was interesting, but the way Unger doled out the information was too disjointed, too abrupt in places. All that being said, I enjoyed reading this book.  It kept my interest and the eventual reveal of who-done-it was satisfying.  I'd recommend!

I tried to read this once before, when it was first published.  I honestly don't remember why I didn't finish it, I only read a few chapters before I stopped.  I do have this horrible occurrence of all my library holds coming to me in one huge chunk of literary amazingness, so I'm betting I just ran out of time on this one.
I'm so glad I gave it a second chance!  The first few chapters honestly don't really match the rest of the novel.  Isaiah is introduced and almost immediately there is the whole bad guy plots kidnapping, bad guy kidnaps, main character saves the day with a grenade launcher thing going on. I thought this would set the tempo for the rest of the book, but it honestly slows down from there.  Maybe that's why I put it down before, I thought is was going to be all over the top action and no real plot.  Boy was I wrong!
I enjoyed how Isaiah's and Dodson's back story was peppered throughout the book.  It makes a difference, knowing how they came to be in the life they are in.  How the two met and how they are tied together. 
The actual mystery was interesting, Isaiah had it figured out pretty fast, but the why definitely took longer than the how.  And the who.  
I finished the book, and immediately downloaded the sequel.  IQ wasn't perfect, but it was different and intriguing enough to keep me interested and invested in the characters.  I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery, a character that you haven't already met a million times and a setting that isn't usually offered in mainstream books.

Don't go into this with the expectation that it will be The Princess Bride. Think more along the lines of Monty Python. That being said, this book will not appeal to everyone. It's zany, full of puns and double entendres, aggressively quirky characters and the hero isn't who you think it's going to be. Honestly, the whole hero gig gets upended here. I'm all for a silly read that may or may not (it does) have some underlying social commentary, but it got a little old after a while.
The authors threw everything they possibly could into the stew here, nothing is sacred, no joke left unsaid. I enjoyed the characters, the world building was fun, but the shtick got stale after a while. I wanted to know how it all ends, I wanted to know what type of happily ever after everyone finally got, but I stalled out. I honestly would recommend this book to my reader friends, but with a warning that there actually may be such a thing as too much silliness...

I had no idea this was part of a series, there are a few things that make more sense now that I know.  Or at least, it makes sense why they didn't make sense! Over all, reading this as a stand alone was fine, there were just some references, some relationships that could have improved with some context. That being said, I intend to go back and read the other 7 books in the series, I enjoyed this one so much!
There were some obvious nods to Agatha Christie, the characters in this book even reference her. I thought the setting was so unique, a castle in the middle of nowhere, housing spies that know too much to let loose in the world. There were so many quirky characters, dealing with the trauma of what they experienced in the war, it took me a bit to keep them straight.  But never fear! They started dropping like flies, so it mattered a little less in the end.
I really enjoyed this book, I never got bored and honestly was pleasantly surprised by how little I could predict who-done-it. A great addition to my must read authors and series!

Wow. Where do I start? With the detailed, satisfying world building? With the complex, flawed characters? The magic? The politics? The society? All of it was brilliantly approached in this book. You start with a thief, a girl who knows she's truly, profoundly messed up. What does she want? Why does she do what she does? HOW does she do what she does? The answers to these questions lead us down the path to more questions, lots of action and loads of intrigue.

I really wasn't dissatisfied with anything in this book. Other than I have to wait HOW LONG for the next one?? I found myself invested in the characters, including a talking key.  Especially the smart talking, supportive, mysterious key that pretty much took the lead in my list of what I liked most about this book. With no false steps, this is a fabulous read and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Brava.

Oh, Louisiana, I'm so happy to meet you. Your unique voice and wisdom beyond your years kept me engrossed in your adventures. My heart ached for you, I was genuinely worried about you, I rooted for you. Thank you, Kate DiCamillo for introducing me to her.
Getting pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and being forced to leave behind nearly everything you love would be difficult for anyone, let alone a child. DiCamillo gives Louisiana strength and grace, which I appreciate so much. Louisiana deals with her life with bravery and determination. She reads people well, a gift from her grandmother who sweet talks her way into getting what she needs. I was fully invested in this story, not wanting to put it down until I knew how it would go. The underlying themes of self reliance, trust in others, dealing with chaos and abandonment were handled so well. The story resonated with me and I fully believe would resonate with children. Fabulous.

I first learned of the existence, and subsequent destruction, of the Great Library in Alexandria when I was in high school. As a lover of books, it struck me as a huge loss to the world. All those books! All that knowledge! But, who's to say the library would have survived the dark ages, the church's stranglehold on any knowledge that would have threatened their power, or even from rotting from within? Ink and Bone explores what would have happened if the library survived and thrived for thousands of years, what the world would look like, who would hold the power.

The world building in the book was a lot of fun. There is a little (tiny) bit of steam punk, a divide between the haves and the have nots, and the Library looming over it all. As a main character, Jess is interesting and uniquely qualified to travel to Alexandria for training in the Library. I never lost interest in the plot, and really enjoyed the mystery, the historical details and the interactions between the students. I bought the second book in the series immediately after finishing this one (and stayed up way to late to read it). Definitely a hit!

I've said this before, you know it's a good book when you find yourself thinking about it long after you've stopped reading it. I stayed up way too late to read this, and woke up the next morning wondering what was going to happen next. Can't get higher praise than that! The descriptions of the expedition were so interesting, without going into tedious explanations of the gear needed or techniques for caving. I always love when an author is able to turn the setting into another character, and Zajonc didn't disappoint. The cave is a living, breathing entity that comes to dominate the characters lives and the story.

There was a great balance between suspense and horror here. Not a ton of character development, but Milo was fun to read about. Definitely would recommend this as an adventure novel to anyone! An interesting, fun read!

So, I'll preface this by saying I had this book on hold at the library but was number 84 in line. I couldn't wait that long! I bought it and am so happy I did! I was expecting a little more "gothic" in this novel, the atmosphere really lent itself to that genre. There were no ghosties or ghoulies in this book, but I honestly didn't miss them at all. The straight forward mystery turned out to be anything but. I had to go back and re-read sections of the book after I finished, I was that taken by surprise!

I can usually guess who done it. The only other book that got me this good was The Thirteenth Tale, a phenomenal book I recommend to EVERYONE. To be coupled in my mind with The Thirteenth Tale means this was an amazing book. The characters were interesting and, as I said above, the setting was spot on. Hal was an interesting heroine, pushed into a sketchy act by her precarious financial situation. Her "family" reacted in a realistic way, not instantly holding out open arms and welcoming her into their hearts. Well worth the read, loved it!

Just started this... so excited to share what I think! Love this author, can't wait for a few hours of uninterrupted reading to immerse myself.

I have to constantly remind myself of this. I find that I am so concerned with how "slow" I run, I forget that I am running amazing distances. Never in my life would I have thought I'd be able to conquer a 10K. Running 5K's is routine for me now. They are my weekly runs! Giving myself credit, and a pat on the back, feels wrong. How sad is that? So, here I go.

HOOORAAYY for me! I conquered the distance!

But I'm still going to run faster... It's part of constantly challenging myself so I don't get complacent and bored. I'm only competing against myself and I have faith that I can beat me!!

I am currently consuming this entire series. It's fun, humorous and entertaining. Sometimes you need a book that isn't high literature, that you think deeply about and feel smart after reading. Sometimes you need a book where you enjoy the lead character, laugh out loud and root for the good guys. This is definitely in the second category. But, are they good guys? Do you know who the good guys really are? The main character, Nick, is in danger of ending the world, but honestly he's more interested in surviving high school. It's a little bit Buffy, and I love it!

I think the purpose of those pictures they take of you during a race is to inspire you to run more. It's a bit demoralizing to see a picture of yourself when you thought you looked decent, but in fact you look rather... indecent. I really have come so far. I am closer to my goals than I have been in years. This will not defeat me, it will spur me to action. There will come a point, hopefully during this race season, when I will see a picture of myself taken during a race and think I look as good as I feel. That's not too much to ask for.
On those days when I just don't care and I find myself reaching for comfort food and drink, I need to remember this moment. I ran a 5K today for no other reason than I can. I have a plan, I am reaching my goals. I can do this. "It's never too late to be who you might have been." This is the year I don't stay home because my clothes don't fit me. This is the year I go on adventures and feel confident. This is the year I don't feel judged by everyone around me. This is the year I shake the fat mom feeling and enter into the happy, active, fun mom mode.

That's not too much to ask for.

And... plot twist! No spoilers here, but wow. I am pretty good at spotting twists coming up but Roth really surprised me on this one. But let's back up a minute. I had this book on hold at the library, but was number 8 on the list. The day it was released, I just couldn't wait, so I bought and devoured it. The action picks right up where Carve the Mark left off, we get to follow the story of the fated ones and learn how it all goes down.
I like that this wasn't dragged out to 3, 4, or more books. There are certain aspects that could have been fleshed out more, such as how the assembly works, which planets have the most political sway, the conflict between the cultures that revere the oracles and the ones who want to control them. Leaving these details to the imagination of the reader was a smart move, the narrative wasn't bogged down with too many details. There is plenty of action here, and the love story is as bumpy and fractious as you'd expect. There are no easy relationships here, each character has a defining flaw and Roth doesn't write them for us to love. But I do.

Force of Nature kept me up way too late on a work night.  A couple of times! Only a couple of times, because I finished it so quickly... Aaron Falk returns to his day job, and I couldn't be happier. He is still dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the previous book, physically and emotionally. His guilt over his relationship with his father colors everything. Getting pulled into a missing persons case out in the middle of nowhere could have been a distraction, but Aaron's past keeps ghosting in front of him.
I enjoyed the mystery of the missing hiker, and all the ramifications the investigation into her whereabouts brings. Harper has made it to my favorite authors list.  The writing is descriptive, the terrain and location of the novel is almost another character. So different from what I am used to, which makes it even more interesting.

I looked back at my review for the first book in this series, The Bone Witch, just to remind myself what I thought. I remember liking it, I also remember reading other reviews that were critical of the writing style and pace. The jumps forward in time at the beginning of each chapter gives you a glimpse of where Tea ends up in her life, and who she is with. These teases kept my interest in the main story, I really wanted to find out what her motivations were, why she ended up in such a position. The general pace in this novel is faster than the previous, which helps as well. Chupeco did a fabulous job of pulling together the scattered information she peppered the books with, combining it all into a web of intrigue, plot twists and surprises that left me hoping she is a fast writer.  I want book number three!

I have to admit something rather shameful... I didn't finish this book.  It just wasn't for me.  The idea behind the story was interesting, I loved the tie in to a once famous author and mysterious book, but the characters were off-putting and the first half of the novel dragged for me.  I put this down and didn't pick it back up, the feelings of guilt linger but I think I'll live.