ARC Review--The Afterlife of the Party by Marlene Perez

The bestselling author of the Dead Is… series is back with a snarky, hilarious take on the vampire romance novel.

When my best friend Skyler told me about this party in the Hollywood Hills, I was less than enthused. As it turned out, my feelings were more than justified. That party ruined my life.

Tansy didn’t even want to go to the party. It’s hard enough living in one of your best friend’s shadows and secretly in love with your other best friend.

And now she’s leaving it a vampire.

Now her best friend Skyler is stuck on the road trip from hell, on tour as a groupie with a literal band of vamps. Tansy sets out with Vaughn, her other BFF turned maybe more, to save Skylar’s life and take down the band. But when they find themselves in the middle of a vampire war, will Tansy be able to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends?

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Marlene Perez brings a fun take on the vampire lore we all know and love with her newest book, The Afterlife of the Party! When Tansy's best friend falls in love with a vampire, she and her friend, Vaughn, chase after her across the country trying to rescue her. This was definitely a story that runs on the lighter side of vampires, so it's the perfect read if you're looking to get into the whole vampire book world!

Tansy and Skylar are best friends, Tansy is even willing to go to a club to see a band play terrible music. But since Skylar fell head over heels in love with the lead singer, Tansy is willing to make the sacrifice for her bestie. Except, Travis ends up being a vampire, and a sucky one at that, no pun intended! Lol. And when Skylar runs away with her "love", Tansy is ready to chase after her and shake some sense into her BFF. Joining her, is her longtime crush and friend, Vaughn, who is also willing to go the distance to rescue a friend. The bonds of friendship truly run strong in this one!

Plus side to this story? Tansy is a bonafide witch! She was raised by her witchy grandmother after her mother dumped her there as a child and ran off to get herself killed. 

I positively loved the road trip vibes this one gave off since Tansy and Vaughn are on the road chasing a tour bus filled with vampires. Along the way, they run into a few mysterious girls who happen to be hunting down Travis as well for their own secretive reasons.

This was a fun and cutesy kind of story, but I'll admit, it was also a bit cheesy at times. Think Vampire Academy, the movie. You go in expecting a killer awesome story with a bit levity and you basically get the opposite, a snark filled story that is still pretty entertaining in the long run. It just wasn't the atmosphere I had been hoping for. Yes, the description does boost about this one being a "hilarious take on the vampire romance novel," but yet, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be when it said that. It wasn't punny, which I kind of thought it was going to be after that remark. It was more just comedic. Which there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I guess I just went in thinking we'd have a bit more seriousness to it than what actually happened.

Though it was rather cheesy, I did enjoy the romance that blossomed between best friends, Vaughn and Tansy. It became clear (and poignantly obvious) that they each secretly liked each other, but it took awhile for them to finally just get together. I mean, you knew who it was coming, hint "romance" novel! But it was still a bit darling how they finally did get together.

There were some surprises along the way to this one. I knew it was a trilogy going in, but it soon became a guess as to whether it'd be a continuous trilogy or one where you have separate adventures and each comes to a conclusion in the end. Well, this is definitely the former! Things do get wrapped up to a point in this one, but I can see a full resolution coming in the final book versus the next book. It'll definitely be interesting to see what happens along the way!

All in all, I'd highly recommend this one to vampire lovers of all kind and if you're looking to get into the genre itself. The Afterlife of the Party is a light-hearted read filled with vampires of the dark and dangerous kind and there's also a great emphasis on the bonds of friendship, love, and a good dose of magic and mayhem in between! A delightfully fun read overall!



Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars



The Afterlife of the Party releases February 2, 2021

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: 

 

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes (ARC)--Review to come at a later date
Off the Page by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer (4 stars)

 
Currently Reading:

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller (ARC)

 

What I Plan to Read Next:

The Fever Code by Jasmes Dashner

 

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: Why is January the Longest Month?
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Waiting on Wednesday
Random Thursday
Book Blogger Hop
Stacking the Shelves

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.

 

Well, this was another meh week. Further proof that January is just a meh month. I had a four day work week yet it was the longest week ever! Things felt incredibly busy at work for some reason. It was just nuts. Really, there's not much to report as things are so blah. And since the world situation is not getting any better, there's no future trips I can even plan. I mean, I totally get being safe and I'm glad we got vaccines rolling out, I just wish we could get back to normal where we can do gatherings and be around people. I felt like I was making some progress on social skills when I could attend a signing once or twice a month and since those went out the window, so did my work on social skills! Lol. Oh well, I feel like we're at least in sight of the path to normalcy! That maybe by the summer we could start to see it a bit more clearer!

 

I didn't actually add much to my TBR pile at all! When I saw one of my favorite indie authors had a free book this weekend I checked it out and was wondering...how did I miss this one?! Lol. So that's what I "bought" this week:

 

Shadow Kiss by Alyssa Rose Ivy

 

And the biggest surprise of my week was when this one showed up:

 

Witchshadow by Susan Dennard (ARC)

THANK YOU SO MUCH Tor Teen!!

Other bookish goodies I received:

Where There's a Witch, There's a Way...T-shirt from Entangled Teen!!!

I also got my exclusive Craver membership card! And yes! I totally put this in my wallet! :D

THANK YOU SO MUCH Entangled Teen!

Then, I once again caved to buying a book sleeve, but I have to say I've been reallllly good about not overdoing these anymore. This week's cave though was super special:

It's a Scooby Doo Valentine's Day sleeve! Normally I'm not a Valentine's Day person, but since this was just Scooby with those candy hearts all around him I couldn't resist! AND the hearts have iconic phrases like JINKIES, JEEPERS, RUH ROH & ZOINKS! And of course, RUV YOU! It was too perfect! So hopefully when I go back to my real book read after my current read, I'll be able to fit the book inside this one!

And as I posted on Instagram Friday, a while back I preordered these Box Lunch exclusive pins that were Disney "Book" Buddies, basically an animal friend/friend of the Disney princess reading a book! There are NINE designs and I had my eyes on three that I realllllly wanted! So I decided to "splurge" and bought myself two because at least that gives me 2/3 chances. Well, I didn't get one of my three. In fact, I only got one. :(

And for obvious reasons, these are non-returnable. Soooo in my next gifting and/or giveaway, if you're a Disney fan...well, here's a spoiler! Lol!

And that was it for me this week! Not too bad all things considered! Two added TBR books isn't strenuous at all! Not that I'd care otherwise! Lol! What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop

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

 

This week's question is: Do you own more than one eBook reader? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) 

 

MY ANSWER: Only in the sense that I kept my first Kindle after getting a new one a few years ago. I didn't transfer titles over, figuring I'd do it later or just read the older books on the older Kindle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review--Off the Page by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

 

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, OFF THE PAGE is a tender and appealing YA novel filled with romance, humor, and adventure.
 
Delilah and Oliver shouldn’t be together. But they are together. And just as they’re getting used to the possibility that happily ever after may really, truly be theirs, the universe sends them a message they can’t ignore: they won’t be allowed to rewrite their story.
 
Delilah and Oliver must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love and what it takes to have a happy ending in a world where the greatest adventures happen off the page.

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Page is the companion/sequel to Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer’s Between the Lines. We return to the world where magic exists and book characters can be wished right out of their story and into our world. It’s the book every reader would love to read because it’s a book for the reader itself! In this story we continue to follow Delilah and Oliver and their quest to be together and we also follow Edgar as he lives out his dreams for adventure in the story that his mother wrote for him.

This story pretty much begins with what happens after Happily Ever After where Delilah and Oliver are together in her world and are just together. Oliver has taken on the role of being Edgar, the boy he switched places with and everything is going great...as great as high school can be. Oliver adapts well to high school and reality and is generally a well-liked guy, even with his quirky ways.

Meanwhile Edgar is enjoying writing his own story from within the fairy tale he’s living, though odd things do seem to happen on occasion. It almost appears like the story is changing itself. Soon though, that is exactly what is happening as the magic of the story is trying to right itself, almost knowing that Edgar has made things different.

Suddenly characters are popping in and out of the storybook while Delilah’s “people” are getting sucked into it. It’s pure chaos, but the good sort of way. It’s not long before there’s the fight to get everyone back to where they’re supposed to be, but troubles still follow the characters at every turn.

I guess one thing I missed in this book was how there wasn’t an actual story to read anymore. I remember previously we got Delilah and Oliver’s points of view, plus the actual fairy tale as it should happen. This time we trade the story for Edgar’s point of view while he’s in the storybook. It’s not quite the same, but it was still an enjoyable part of the novel itself.

I continued to be delighted by the sweet romance that is Oliver and Delilah. They are total fairy tale characters in the way that they fall in love. It’s simple, yet sweet. While they have the occasional problems and struggles there’s never anything overly dire keeping them apart…despite the two different worlds thing.

What I loved most about this series were the characters! They were just so much. You have your real world characters and then your fairy tale ones who know they are a part of a fairy tale and yet it doesn’t bother them, not counting Oliver of course. And when these characters get tossed into new worlds, their reactions are so comical!

I guess one thing that bothered me about this one was that the ending was not happily ever after for everyone. There were characters that made choices that led to unhappy endings for some and it bothered me. I guess because this book had such a sweet tone throughout, I was hoping for that happily ever after for all. Instead, we got the happily ever after for some, mainly the heroes of the story. I won’t get into too many details other than that. It just made me feel for those “secondary” characters who had to lose what made them happiest.

Other than the ending, I still enjoyed this one immensely! I mean, it’s the story all readers want to happen…getting your book boyfriend as a real boyfriend! Lol. Who wouldn’t want that? There’s definitely a book magic to this book, one that a reader will recognize right away and feel that intense connection we all do with a really great read. Off the Page was definitely a magical kind of read that was true to heart.

 

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

 

 

 

 

Random Thursday

 

We're almost halfway through the article that tells us 49 Interesting Things You Didn't Know About Every Single Ride at Disney World by Fiona Clair! I'm excited to learn more about the rest of the rides...and also very eager to visit Disney again so I can see the things! Lol!

As mentioned before all pictures not credited are borrowed from the article itself. Link to article to come at the end of the reveals!

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

The PeopleMover passes a unique piece of Disney history, the model for the piece known as Progress City. This was one of the earliest designs for Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

 

I don't think I ever rode this one.

 

 

The Tomorrowland Speedway was once sponsored by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It started with the name Grand Prix Raceway on opening day in 1971 and was updated in the 90s with the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and in the late 2000s dropped the "Indy."

I feel like I vaguely remember this! 

 

 

(image borrowed from Youtube)

The Disney railroad trains are named after important Disney people; Walter E. Disney, Roy Disney (Disney's bro), Lily Belle (Disney's wife), Roger E. Broggie (the designer of the railroads at the park).

That's cool!

The vehicles and track in Frozen Ever After were used from the previous ride, The Maelstrom. Some of the other props were reused as well.

This I remember as well!

(image borrowed from Disney Wiki)

Of the three Caballeros, only Panchito is from Mexico. Donald is American, and Jose Carioca is from Brazil.

I didn't know this growing up! That was an eye-opener!

Disney had to make a less intense version of Mission: Space as the original one left guests feeling dizzy and nauseous. 

I think that's why I never rode it myself...even this redesigned one!

(image borrowed from Walt Disney World)

The mascot from Journey Into Imagination was inspired by Magnum, P.I. Magnum said in an episode, "It was just a figment of your imagination." And so, Figment was born!

Another attraction I don't think I ever saw.

 

 

The veggies and fish you see in Living with the Land are used in Disney restaurants.

Well, that's logical!

 

 

Soarin' Around the World customizes the scents you smell when flying over certain locations.

 

I can't remember scents all that well, I remember breezes and mist though! But scents make sense! Lol. 

Disney reused some audio-animatronics from Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents in Spaceship Earth. 

Okay, this is sad, but I didn't really realize there was ever anything in Spaceship Earth! Needless to say, I spent little time at Epcot!

Waiting on Wednesday

 

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. 

 

 

MacKayla Lane is on a path to rule the race she was born to hunt--and kill--in this electrifying new installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning's Fever series.

The brewing war between the Seelie and the Unseelie is threatening to explode--with a definitive outcome that will change the fate of the Fae forever and thrust humanity into either light or total darkness. But as Mac embarks deeper than ever before into the origins of the Fae, she begins to question who is truly good and who is evil.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe I am only 1 book behind in this series! Lol! At least I got a break last year and am not 2 books behind since these are delightfully long ones! 

TITLE Kingdom of Shadow and Light
AUTHOR: Karen Marie Moning
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 23, 2021

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

 

"Books are magic. We are magic." Kindle loc. 10%*

*Quote comes from the eARC, therefore it and its location are not final.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: You Love Me
AUTHOR: Caroline Kepnes
PUBLISHER: Random House
GENRE: Thriller
RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2021

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 I Meant to Read In 2020 but Didn’t Get To

 

*in no particular order

 

10. A SKY BEYOND THE STORM by Sabaa Tahir
9. LOOKING GLASS by Christina Henry
8. COLD IRON HEART by Melissa Marr

 

 

7. HORRID by Katrina Leno
6. A STITCH IN TIME by Kelley Armstrong
5. BLOOD & HONEY by Shelby Mahurin

 

4. THE GLASS QUEEN by Gena Showalter
3. #NOESCAPE by Gretchen McNeil
2. THE BRIGHTEST NIGHT by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

 

 

1. FROM BLOOD AND ASH by Jennifer L. Armentrout