murder

Academy of Breath and Fire

By Kristofor Hellmeister

(4 / 5)

Mercroft Academy – a prestigious school with a unique and powerful technology. Harlen – son of a politician and student in Mercroft’s newest class of students. Dupont – former Mercroft student and current FBI agent investigating a triple homicide. Academy of Breath and Fire is a book that combines young adult, sci-fi and crime mystery into a complex story. And if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free!

This story has a lot to it and really kept me thinking about what mysteries would be revealed and who was involved. At times it felt a little long, but the chapters are fairly short, and since they alternate points of view between Harlen and Agent Dupont, it keeps things interesting and the story moving. Harlen’s part feels more like a young adult story, while Dupont is trying to solve a crime mystery, with both stories revolving around the mysterious academy and technology, overlapping with each other. The technology presented in the story is very unique and interesting, especially with its connections to the intricacies of the English language. I had some theories along the way that turned out to be true, but they weren’t completely obvious. The book ended with me feeling like I still had some questions that went unanswered. Maybe there will be a sequel? Or is it just to keep me pondering about what the possibilities could be?

Thank you to the author for the free review copy of Academy of Breath and Fire. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Encanto’s Daughter

By Melissa de la Cruz

Coming soon on March 5, 2024!

(4 / 5)

The Encanto’s Daughter is a young adult fantasy story that follows MJ, a teenage girl who has been living in our world but is actually half-encanto. After the death of her father, MJ must return to the fairy world of Biringan to take her place on the throne as Queen.

This story jumped right into action in the first chapter, with MJ trying to escape capture by insurgents from the fairy realm. Since she has been living in the human world, we are able to experience the wonder of Biringan through MJ’s eyes. She only has a matter of weeks to prepare for her coronation, so I enjoyed watching MJ transition from being a normal high school student to the leader of an island nation. This book has a sense of mystery to it, as MJ suspects that her father was actually murdered. It kept me wondering who MJ could and couldn’t trust. There’s also a bit of romance weaved in, although it’s less than I thought there might be. The Encanto’s Daughter is the first book in a duology, so I thought it did a good job resolving the issues presented in this book, while leaving a bit of a cliffhanger in the Epilogue to build anticipation for the next book. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the story continuing.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for the free ARC copy of The Encanto’s Daughter! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 16, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

The Fury

By Alex Michaelides

Coming soon on 1/16/24

(4 / 5)

A celebrity invites some family and friends to a weekend away on her private island in Greece. While there, one of them is murdered, which means one of the other 6 people must be the murderer. But this isn’t your typical murder mystery.

The Fury is unlike any book I’ve ever read. From the beginning we know that a murder will take place, but we don’t know who the victim is, who the murderer is, or why it happens. The book feels almost like a memoir more than a fictional story. Our narrator is Elliot, one of the people on the island that night, recounting the tale some time later. From the beginning, the voice of this narrator felt unique and somewhat unreliable. Even when you think you have something figured out, it turns out there’s more to the story. The nonlinear timeline definitely adds to the mystery, but what this book really seems to be about is the characters more than the events that happen. Honestly, I was a bit unsure about this book in the beginning, but then it really pulled me in. I had a lot of theories along the way, but there are some big twists that I never saw coming.

All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own. Thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for the free advance copy of the book!

January 2, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Thriller 0

The Mystery Writer

By Sulari Gentill

Coming soon on March 19, 2024

(3 / 5)

A young woman named Theo drops out of law school in Australia to move in with her brother in Kansas and become a writer instead. By chance, she befriends a famous author who provides feedback and mentorship as she writes her first book. But then he is murdered, and Theo’s life takes a surprising turn…

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this book, but it was definitely different from anything else I have read. While it mostly follows Theo’s point of view, we see from some other characters as well, including posts to a conspiracy theory website. The book seemed to have 3 distinct parts to it, at least for me: Theo working on her first book in hopes of becoming a successful author, mentored by famous author Dan Murdoch; the events following Dan’s murder; and Theo’s disappearance. Along the way we meet a whole cast of characters, some of which are quite interesting. The story takes some unexpected turns, though there were some parts to this puzzle that I pieced together on my own long before they were revealed. The book is written well with great descriptions, but at times it felt like the story was moving too slow for me, especially in the middle part. I typically read mystery books that are more of a thriller, so I tend to prefer a faster pace. There were also some elements that felt unresolved or left me feeling a bit confused. In the end, I could see this being a book that would be loved by the right reader, but for me it was a bit too drawn out.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the free advance copy of The Mystery Writer. The opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

November 20, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Literary Fiction Mystery 0

These Deadly Prophecies

By Andrea Tang

Coming soon on January 30, 2024!

(5 / 5)

These Deadly Prophecies brings us to a modern world where sorcery is a viable career option. Our narrator, Tabatha, loves the occult, and is the apprentice of Sorcerer Solomon, one of the most well-known sorcerers in eastern America who specializes in prophecies. Unfortunately, Sorcerer Solomon prophesized his own death, and the book begins where his life ends. But who murdered Sorcerer Solomon?

I was absolutely enthralled with this book. I loved Tabatha as the narrator of this story, giving her account of what happened. Her narrative is engaging and full of excitement. At times she addresses the reader directly, which makes the story feel even more real. I think the fact that Tabatha is not originally from the sorcery world makes her very relatable to readers, explaining the intricacies of sigils, spells and traditions.

This book really takes on the feel of a murder mystery, as Tabatha teams up with Solomon’s youngest son, Callum, to try to find out who committed the murder. This book had me making my own theories then changing my mind as I learned more, just like the characters did in the book. The book really kept me guessing until the very end when everything was revealed. I enjoyed the interactions between Tabatha and Callum and enjoyed both characters a lot. There’s also a cast of side characters who are diverse and add to the charm of the story.

I felt like this book was very well written. It was nearly impossible to put down, and I ended up staying up until 2am to finish the story – once I got so far into the book, I just couldn’t wait until the morning to find out the solution to the mystery and how things would end. I’ll be seeking out more books by Andrea Tang for sure!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the free advance copy of These Deadly Prophecies. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and all opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

November 11, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Young Adult 0

The Last Murder at the End of the World

By Stuart Turton

Releasing May 21, 2024

First Impression: (4 / 5)

I’m a big fan of dystopian books, so this book seems intriguing. From the first few chapters, I can definitely feel a sense of mystery and uneasiness about this dystopian world and would love to learn more about it. Since many of the dystopian books I’ve read are young adult, I like that this book is more “grown up” and has a different feel to it. Emory especially seems like an interesting character I’d like to get to know better.

October 31, 2023 by danimae1981 eBook Fiction First Impression Thriller 0

The Invocations

By Krystal Sutherland

Coming soon on January 30, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

The Invocations is a young adult fantasy story that dives into the occult, witchcraft and demons in the modern world while also trying to solve a murder mystery. It follows three 17-year-old girls, Zara (who is looking for a witch to help her resurrect her sister), Jude (who is suffering from a bad invocation) and Emer (an invocation writer). I was a bit unsure if I would like these characters in the beginning, but I liked them more as I learned more about them and their situations. I found Zara to be the hardest to relate to since I didn’t understand her obsession with raising the raising the dead. Jude turned out to be my favorite character.

I enjoyed the writing style of this author, with great descriptions and a lot of complexity to the characters and occult practices. I don’t typically read horror books, so this one was a bit more gruesome than I’m used it, but I wouldn’t call it scary. At times the story felt a bit slow and drawn out, but I felt like the second half of the book had a better pace and definitely had a lot more action. About halfway through the book, I started to have a hunch about who was behind the murders, and I mostly turned out to be right. I was a little disappointed that I was able to figure it out so early on, though there were still some surprises along the way.

I think that my biggest dislike about the book is that it has a very anti-male feel to it. Men are considered aggressive, abusive, etc, which is why women need the invocations to protect themselves. Given, many of the women in the story faced abusive or terrible situations, but I think the story was a bit too extreme in portraying men as evil and something women had to fear. I’m all for strong female characters, but this book took it farther than I would have preferred.

Thank you to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for the free copy of The Invocations in return for my honest review.

October 30, 2023 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Horror Mystery Paperback Young Adult 0

Sneak Peek: One Last Breath

By Ginny Myers Sain

Coming March 5, 2024

First impression: (4 / 5)

I was able to read the first few chapters of One Last Breath. From what I read, the book seems to flow well and holds a sense of mystery. The story follows Tru, who has tried to learn everything she can about 2 girls from her small town that were murdered 20 years ago. She seems to have some kind bond with one of the girls, so there’s a spooky feeling to the story. So far there’s a lot of questions and I’d love to see where this book leads. I’m interested to find out about this double murder and also about what happened to Tru’s sister, Dani.

September 27, 2023 by danimae1981 eBook Fiction First Impression Young Adult 0