Graphic Novel Review--Rebel by Marie Lu, Kyla Vanderklugt & Ill. by Kaari

 

Respect the Legend. Idolize the Prodigy. Celebrate the Champion. But never underestimate the Rebel in this electrifying graphic novel adaptation of the Legend series's grand finale.

Eden Wing is a brilliant student. He’s about to graduate a year early from Ross University of the Sciences. But most people don’t introduce Eden this way. Instead, they say, “This is Eden, Daniel Wing’s younger brother.”

Ten years ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. Day has since spent the past decade piecing together his memory of his time in the Republic, quietly hiding from the world―even if it’s meant giving up June, the love of his life.

When June suddenly steps back into Day’s life, rekindling the flames of their romance, the pair team up to rescue Eden who’s been drawn into Ross City’s dark side. But like the rest of the world, they may have underestimated Eden―what he’s capable of, where his loyalties lie, and how hard he’s willing to fight for what he believes.

Return to the world of Legend in this epic graphic novel adaptation of the pulse-pounding finale to the series, which brings to life the bestselling Rebel with full-color illustrations.

I didn't think I'd have time to read the next novella of the last series, so I hopped over to Rebel: The Graphic Novel by Marie Lu, adapted by Kyla Vanderklugt and illustrated by Kaari and it was such a fun and quick read! I loved the Legend novels and I remember Rebel coming out as a surprise, so I was equally surprised and delighted when it got the graphic novel treatment too!

Since it's been a few years since I read Rebel, I couldn't quite remember the story all that well. I just remembered it had some more focus on Eden, Daniel's brother. We do still get that vibe and we still get to keep up with Daniel (Day) and June too! The switching of point of views feels different in a graphic novel as there's no chapter header, you just suddenly see a different character in the panels. Whether you want to say it's easier or harder is up to you. I felt like it was pretty easy, but I am not a savvy graphic novel or comic reader.

I did enjoy coming back to this dystopic world again! It was a finely crafted world and Marie's talents truly shine! Of course, we have to thank Kaari for these gorgeous illustrations as well because they are beautiful. I love the style of the characters, how it's not too sharp or too soft, but that right kind of blend! And then Vanderklugt's adaptation is amazing. I mean, you take a 300+ page novel and turn it into a 200 page graphic novel and never lose the feeling of the story itself. That's wicked talented!

I love reading graphic novels of novels I previously read. One might call it "redundant" but I don't see it that way. You're reading it in a new form and seeing the story in a new light, quite literally too!

Rebel was a fast paced read that kept me turning the pages and roving over the panels as fast as I could as I really didn't remember the story from the first time around, so I was eager to see how things would turn out. I love that we got to see more of Eden and let his story shine through, while also offering us longtime fans more time with Day and June! This was a phenomenal read and I just loved it!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Can't Wait Wednesday #267

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Lush romance and chill-inducing shivers combine in this YA tale of folk horror inspired by the legend of the Wild Hunt! Months after a harrowing performance, a teen girl reunites with her acting troupe for a camping weekend in the woods - only to find something they awakened has followed them there.

There's something on those moors that likes to hunt young maidens for sport....

When high school senior Hazel joins her school's elite theatre group, the Edgemoor Players, all she's looking for is one more extracurricular to add to her packed college resume. This year, the Players are putting on their most ambitious production a tragic romance inspired by local legends of a ghostly huntsman who is said to have once stalked the nearby moors.

That was then. Now, no one talks about the play, its disastrous final performance, or the strange, eerie happenings which preceded it. But when Hazel signs up for an extra credit camping trip months later, she finds herself suddenly reunited with her former castmates for a weekend.

Trapped together in the woods, Hazel will have to confront her old friends - including Roman, the Players' enigmatic leading man. And they will all have to reckon with a far deadlier truth: that what they started last year isn't over.

Months ago, the Edgemoor Players woke something up - and now it won't rest until it catches its prey.

A BEWITCHING FOLK HORROR FROM AMY GOLDSMITH, AUTHOR OF PREDATORY NATURES AND THOSE WE DROWN.

This one sounds so good! I still have a few of Amy's books on my TBR pile to read but it doesn't stop me from adding more to it! Lol.

TITLE: A Darker Act
AUTHOR: Amy Goldsmith
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
GENRE: YA Horror
RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2026

They say love makes you foolish. At Bloodwing, it makes you dangerous.

I thought surviving a vampire academy was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.

Then I fell in love with a boy who can turn into a dragon.

After the events in Veilmar, my only concern is for Blake. Will he survive the monster who possesses him? But as I fight a battle for the soul of the man I love, my dearest friend is up against the greatest danger a dragon rider can ever face.

Meanwhile, as Bloodwing reels from loss and betrayal, an ancient prophecy tightens its grip, and an unexpected triad is rising—one powerful enough to change the balance of power in Sangratha forever.

As the Veil cracks and the dead come back to haunt us, love becomes a weapon—sharp enough to destroy the world or strong enough to forge a new one.

This dark fantasy series tackles mature themes. Readers are advised to consult the trigger warnings before embarking on this intense, morally gray/black journey through the realm of Sangratha!

I still need to read the third book but I have enjoyed this series thus far and I can't wait find out what will happen in this one too!

TITLE: With Hearts of Flame
AUTHOR: Briar Boleyn
PUBLISHER: MIRA
GENRE: Dark Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2026

What was broken will be remade.

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.

To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.

But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.

I have mixed feelings over Maas' books these days. Am I still going to read this one? Of course. But ah, the mixed feelings are very, very strong.

TITLE: A Court of Splintered Harmony
AUTHOR: Sarah J. Maas
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2026

Mini Review--Meridian Six by Jaye Wells

 

A brand new novella from USA Today Bestselling author Jaye Wells ... Meridian Six remembers the days before the Troika enslaved humans. She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother's final words that have haunted her: Red means life. In the years since her mother's death, she has been used as both a propaganda tool and a blood slave by the Troika. She's withstood their indignities because the alternative meant bleeding out in a blood camp. But their abuses finally go too far, and she decides to run towards freedom and her mother's red light. On the other side of the light, she meets a band of human rebels who want to take their world back from the Troika. The vampires used her famous name to keep human slaves biddable, but now the rebels will use it inspire a revolution. For Meridian Six, freedom is a luxury paid for with blood.

Whenever I am waiting on the mail for a particular book to arrive I bide my time with novellas and other short reads. This means I FINALLY picked up Meridian Six by Jaye Wells, a short novella regarding vampires taking over the world and the humans who are fighting back!

Meridian Six is a very short read at just over 100 pages and was very fast paced! Not so fast that you can't keep up, but a story that just hits the ground running and doesn't give the reader much time to catch their breath! It was an interesting read that I am sad to know is over after the next novella, but thankfully that one has an extra 50+ pages to it from the peek I gave it! Lol.

Meridian Six is a human who was taken in by vampires as a child. Not out of ultraism or anything like that. Her mother was fighting against them and when she was killed they essentially grabbed her to use as a blood bag and slave for their dastardly deeds. She is basically used and abused by the vampires, so she has no love for them. Especially not after they learn she has a rare blood type and decide to use her for other means. When she gets a chance to escape, she runs and soon has them on her tail.

She manages to find a resistance group her mother once talked about when she was growing up before her death. Meridian Six has no real desire to join them, she just wants to escape being the vampires' plaything and have her own life, which is considerably hard to do in a world ruled by vampires. She just wants her freedom, but soon gets caught up in the movement and is ready and willing to do what it takes to take down the vampires who ruined her life.

It's always so hard to review a novella because time is so short and yet, I feel the need to touch on details like I would with a novel review. Despite the challenge of that, I will leave you with this...this was ultimately a fun read! It was dark and had an air of danger. Yes, it was short, so things felt a bit rushed and a lot was left unsaid, but I am hoping the sequel will change that and give a more rounded conclusion to this little story.

All in all, if you like a good action packed read about rebels fighting against the bad guys, who happen to be bloodsucking vampires, then this will be a quick and enjoyable read for you!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Top Ten Tuesday #696

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books on My Fall 2026 To-Read List

*in no particular order
**subject to change on a whim or new event announcement! Lol.

10. THE LAST WISH OF BRISTOL KEATS by Mary E. Pearson--I read the first one not realizing it was a duology. I am hoping to see Mary in November at a signing with Marie Lu!

9. THE WINGS THAT BIND by Briar Boleyn--ROAD TRIP! Yup, I'm making a long overhaul roundtrip to see Briar next month so I am hoping to read this one beforehand!
8. RED CITY by Marie Lu--still need to read this one and one of her YA books, so hoping to read either this or the YA one beforehand, but we'll see!

7. RITES OF THE STARLING by Devney Perry--I managed to get a ticket to Deveny's tour stop here in St. Louis in November! So I need to read this one beforehand...just in case of spoiler talk! Somewhat doubtful as usually the author does try to avoid spoilers of recent books and this one did just release this year, but I rather be safe than sorry. Lol.
6. HARBINGER by Geneva Lee--this one sounded interesting and she will also be at ANOTHER signing I plan to road trip to in November! 
5. VOW OF ETERNAL NIGHT by Lily Crozier--I received this one in the mail randomly last month and still need to read it! I might try sneaking it in between these heavier fantasy reads!

4. SECONDHAND LUCK by Kim Harrison--I've been trying to read this one since it released in February but other event books kept getting between us!
3. TETHERED by Elayna R. Gallea--this one just sounds soooo good!
2. SLAYER by Leia Stone--do I even really need to explain my need to read this one? Lol.

AND THE OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR #1...

1. THE MIRROR OF INFINITE ENDINGS by Stephanie Garber--I know. I KNOW! Why am I not reading this now?! Sadly, I was not blessed by any publishing gods to receive an early copy, I KNOW!! And I sadly could not visit Stephanie on tour...I KNOW! All too far for me this year and this is our busy season at work and with losing two team members, I couldn't bring it in me to take a day off to go to the store and buy a copy and read it right away. So, alas...I must WAIT for my numerous preorders to arrive. I know. I KNOW! It's terrible and dreadful and AWFUL that I have to wait this long. I KNOW I should have just requested off, but I apparently feel more guilt than the rest of my teammates as I just couldn't bring myself to do that this time around since we're a smaller group and we're still in our busy times. I miss Stephanie's releases at the beginning of the year. Fall is too busy for me to take off heedlessly. I mean I should just take off, but it makes me feel guilty and I know I shouldn't feel that way because no one else ever does. Sigh...hopefully my copy can arrive today but also feeling doubtful of that as of Friday night when I write this post, I have not received shipment notification of ANY preorder and nearly all my other 9/22 B&N preorders have shipped so this is Fate being really mean to me because I did not take today off. So by thinking of others first, Fate is slapping me in the face as this book probably won't arrive until Thursday. So I'll be over here crying while everyone else has their copies.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (4 stars)
The Champions by Kara Thomas (4.5 stars)

Review That Was Posted:

The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace (ARC) (4 stars)

Currently Reading:

Meridian Six by Jaye Wells--picking a bunch of short reads until I get my copy of TMOIE!

What I Plan to Read Next (Hopefully!):

The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber--I should have just requested Tuesday off but due to with recent changes at work, I couldn't bring myself to take off a day during our busy season to go to the store to buy a copy when I have soooo many preordered and eventually on their way to me. So here I am Monday, sad because my book likely won't be coming anytime soon as B&N made sure they were the LAST books they shipped to me. Fate is cruel.

Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Survived another week. It was yet another rough one. Work is still pretty busy, but luckily we were all there this week. I didn't receive any updates this week regarding my closing date which seemed odd, but because I was so busy at work it didn't really hit me until Friday evening that I didn't have my weekly update or an update on this next round of disclosures that I need to sign that I was told would be updated because besides the address one or two other things needed to be corrected. I still need to know the amount of cash to bring to closing which is Friday as I have to get that taken care of this week at the bank. So yeah. Just headaches all around it seems! Lol. Then it's trying to get things worked out so my parents and I can get things going on the little bit of updating that we want to do before I move in. Mostly replacing the carpeting upstairs and getting the basement ready for my library! Lol. Sadly, it seems the publishers forgot all about little old me when it came to sending out early copies of Stephanie's TMOIE. Seeing those popup on Instagram was the sharpest of knives into my heart. And then all weekend long I was checking my email to see when my copies would ship and of course, every single title OTHER than TMOIE was shipping left and right and even my indie edition wasn't going to ship until release day and I've NO clue when my UK ones would ship as they apparently have to wait until release day too. So yeah...not the best of weeks. But it is what it is. I did get to go to one signing this week to see Victoria Aveyard! I saw her last time around when she came for the end of her Realmbreaker series which I still need to read! I even ran into Rachelle from Shell's Stories! So that was the one bit of fun I had this past week! I've another signing to see Adalyn Grace and Kaylie Smith this week! This will be the first time I get to see Adalyn in a signing like setting and hear her talk since the last two times were at signing only type events. I mean there was a panel at those, but I didn't get to attend as I was usually in another signing line! Lol.

Here's what I got this week:

Deadly Little Lessons by Danielle Valentine
The Emperor's Enemy by Jasmine Mas--really need to read this one asap so I can determine if I need the other editions! Lol.
Tempest by Victoria Aveyard--SIGNED!

Then I got this one for free in Liesl West's newsletter:

Of Ink and Envy by Liesl West

Then I got my Fairy Loot book for this month! This one sounded intriguing enough to get it and I learned the author will be here next month at an event, so I can get it signed at least! The cover is just so-so, I'll have to see if the flipside was better or just keep it as is.

Then I popped into a TJ Maxx and though I've told myself among the many things I do not need more of are tote bags and blankets...I bought another tote bag!

It's a tarot card style of the one we all need: The Reader! It was the good quality fabric bag too. I've gotten plenty of those really lightweight chinsy bags that can barely hold anything, but this one can hold a decent amount of weight, so I had to get it really! Lol.

And that was it for me this week! What did you get?

Review--The Champions by Kara Thomas

 

From the author of The Cheerleaders comes another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town's deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine.

It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls' killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school's championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes--something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past.

Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team's latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team.

It's becoming clear Sunnybrook's golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?

As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she's the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left--people who were around eleven years ago--and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

What’s becoming the motto of my reviews: I finally picked up The Champions by Kara Thomas and it was awesome! This was a prolonged companion to The Cheerleaders! I couldn’t really remember much about that one due to time and hundreds of books later, but thankfully it wasn’t something that was necessary to understand this story which is always a blessing! 

Hadley is forced to write an article about the high school football team and how they are on track to be three time champions, which has never been accomplished. Hadley is desperate to be editor-in-chief of the school paper so she’ll do whatever she has to do. She wants to attend Columbia University and this will look really good on her application. But then she starts getting mysterious emails warning her away from the football team and she’s not sure what to make of it.

Everything starts out fine. She ends up talking to Logan who’s on the team and one thing leads to another and they’re attending a party together but it ends in disaster. Logan ends up in a coma due to something in his drink. Her mysterious penpal indicates that Hadley might have been the intended target of the tainted drink and things suddenly get very real.

Soon the mystery begins and Hadley starts digging into the past and uncovers dark secrets that someone tried to keep buried. We do see (familiar) faces from The Cheerleaders, but I can honestly say I only caught onto Monica as she was the heroine that time around! But again, this isn’t one of those books where you need to read the first one to understand or enjoy one! You’ll just be quicker to recognize cameos!

The mystery itself got pretty dark. It was insane thinking these were high school students committing these heinous crimes and how they were kept out of public light. It sadly seems like something that could actually happen because people get a little intense when it comes to athletes and such.

Joining Hadley in her quest to uncover the truth is Peter, who was initially her academic rival. But oddly enough, you don’t really get any vibe that there’s a love connection happening. Honestly, Hadley going on a date with Logan was the only bit of possible romance you get in this one. I was totally fine with this! Romance in thrillers isn’t necessary for me. Sure it’s nice here and there but I’m usually like: there’s a mystery to solve, kiss later! Lol.

In the end with the whodunit reveal I was bit surprised. I had made one guess to a part of the mystery and I was wrong but my guess had merit elsewhere! The twists and turns got pretty chaotic as there were a lot of possible suspects popping up so I wasn’t all that deterred by being wrong!

The Champions was a pretty dark and almost sinister thriller mystery! I feel like it’s the same kind of tone from The Cheerleaders as we did get a shortened refresher about those events. I’m always up for a chilling read though but this almost makes you want to never go out again! Like all thrillers do! If you’re wanting to read something spine-tingling creepy this Spooky Season be sure to add this one or any of Kara Thomas’ books to your list!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #429

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: If you could recommend one overlooked book, what would it be and why?

MY ANSWER: Oh geez. This is hard. I guess since the blogosphere has gotten significantly smaller it's hard for me to figure out what's an overlooked book. I mean, yes, I know what we mean by the term. But I guess because I am just in my own little corner in this universe here, books that might be considered "overlooked" to "outsiders" would just be normal ones to me! Lol. And since I am always falling behind on new releases, it's even harder for me to pick something that could be called "overlooked."

I'll just throw King of Ravens out there by Clare Sager. This was a January release that I absolutely loved and I guess I just didn't see it around a lot at the time so I feel like it missed some of its love considering it's a "romantasy" book.

Books from the Backlog #203

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

Love. Obsession. Jealousy. Murder.

No one knows what happened to pop icon Eric Thorn. His Twitter account? Frozen. His cell phone? Cracked and bloody, buried in the snow.

Agoraphobic fangirl Tessa Hart knows the truth, but she's finally left her #EricThornObsessed days behind. She has no intention of ever touching her Twitter app again. But Snapchat... That's safer, right?

After months of living under the radar, Tessa emerges from hiding, forced to face the deadly consequences of her past. But in the interrogation room, answers only lead to more questions in the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Follow Me Back duology.

I added A.V. Geiger's Tell Me No Lies to my TBR pile in June of 2018 because I had added the first book to my TBR pile as well and since it was a duology, I obviously had to wait to get this one before I could start it. Here we are 8 years later and I still need to start it! Lol. It sounded like a good one so I hope to read it still at some point!

Review--Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

 

From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.

Death at Morning House is yet another entertaining and somewhat chilling mystery from Maureen Johnson! I positively love Maureen's voice! In all of her novels, her heroines lead with their own unique persona that just livens up the page and this book is no different!

Marlowe has a very realistic voice of a seventeen year old girl. She tells this story in her own words and I just loved her additional commentary, because yes, she comments (occasionally) on the things she says. It makes for great entertainment, like Marlowe is someone I would be friends with because she's very real.

All Marlowe wanted to do was impress her crush, Akilah, and take her out on a fabulous date so they could fall in love and live happily ever after. But then the candle exploded and she set her neighbor's house on fire which she had been housesitting for them like she did every summer. And things take a dark spiral from there.

Then a teacher offers her a job at Morning House as a tour guide, as the group was short one member and Marlowe is a quick study and has a good memory to be able to give the tours of this historical house which has its own dark history, which we learn of through interspersed flashbacks. These were intriguing interludes between the story happening at large in the present day.

Marlowe learns through her coworkers and fellow teens, that she replaced Chris, who tragically died earlier that summer, leaving them short on guides. Their boss pretty much leaves them up to their own devices as long as they do their job, she's there for moral support as she conducts her own research on things. And then one day, she disappears right before she was to meet with an important guest and a new mystery starts.

To say Death at Morning House was filled with mystery is putting it mildly. This book was the epitome of mysterious as there were quite a few mysteries both past and present that were unsolved. The one from the past gets solved through the flashbacks, but it's the more current mysteries that are the ultimate thinker. Deaths and vanishings...makes you think the killer might be on this little island somewhere and I totally pegged them down! Lol.

Needless to say I solved the mystery but as far as the reasons why that's usually what stumps me! Lol.

There was some touch and go moments of romance in this one. Marlowe starts things off with a romantic date and when she thinks things are over before they even start, she begins to maybe fall for another girl on this little island. I wouldn't call it a love triangle per se, but it's definitely complicated! Lol. But since the romance wasn't super integral to the story, it largely stayed in the background except for little moments here and there.

Pacing wise, this story was pretty good. There were some creepy moments, but I had the feeling going in this would not be a supernatural ghost story on the side. But there were doubts along the way for sure and I won't say what it ended up as because those moments were creepy! Occasionally, I felt like things dragged for a little bit here and there, but just as I got to that "do something" moment, something would in fact happen! But yes, while Marlowe was an entertaining narrator, there were moments of downtime and the mundane that had me craving for some kind of action.

All in all, this was still a rather entertaining novel. Marlowe's voice in particular kept me largely hooked into the story and the mysterious elements were done exceedingly well. I enjoyed the different past and present day mysteries going on even if some of the "why" reasons weren't fulfilling. But as a whole, this was yet another entertaining Maureen Johnson read that was worthy in itself!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Can't Wait Wednesday #266

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner.

To rescue someone close to her, Viv Abbot must team up with Reid’s violent, unpredictable older brother, Deacon. Her uneasy truce with him offers Viv something Reid never could: the chance to embrace her darkness.

Viv’s mission takes her to the center of Astera’s seedy underbelly with none other than the White Stag as her guide. But when a bounty on Viv’s head puts those she cares about in danger, Viv will be forced to go to lengths she never dreamed in order to protect them.

With enemies closing in from all sides and a ticking clock on her life, Viv must save the Half City from destruction while surviving a betrayal that strikes at the heart of everything she’s fighting for. Because in a world where monsters wear familiar faces and temptation cuts deeper than any blade, making it through her second semester at Harker will take more than skill—it will take everything Viv has left to give. Who can she really trust in a city that thrives on lies?

Still need to read the first book but I have a feeling I will enjoy it! I enjoyed the first book of her fantasy series that I still need to finish up, so I have high hopes for this series too!

TITLE: Cursed City
AUTHOR: Kate Golden
PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2026

Set in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fantasy from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu, perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter and A Darker Shade of Magic.

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm's spotlight as Raven's heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Love Marie's books even though I am vastly behind on them, but that's pretty much par for the course these days on lots of favorite authors! Lol.


TITLE: Mortal Things
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2026

They called her a nightmare, so she became one.

Haven Powers has spent years trying to disappear. Once a loud, troublemaking girl who defied every expectation in her small town of Friendship, Texas, now she’s learned to hide her fire behind a quiet receptionist’s smile. It’s safer that way—for her, and for everyone else.

When an unsettling encounter with her predatory boss cracks open the tightly locked box inside her, Haven dreams a terrifying dream about him, only to wake up and discover it’s come true; he’s dead. Desperate to gain control of this deadly power once and for all, Haven returns home.

Welcomed suspiciously with open arms, Haven is immediately met with the ghosts of her past. Under the suffocating pressure of the town and her family who believe obedience is next to godliness, Haven soon finds herself on a path to revenge. She’ll show them what happens when the girl they called too much, too loud, too everything, finally lets her demons loose.

This is one I am keeping my eye on! I never read or saw Carrie (saw parts of it though!), but I do love a good revenge story so yes, I am keep a very close eye on this one!

TITLE: What a Nightmare
AUTHOR: Rebekah Faubion
PUBLISHER: Berkley
GENRE: Horror
RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2026