Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

 

“Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.” - taken from Goodreads.com

A lovely story about coming to terms with the end of high school and realizing what happens to be right in front of you. Told over the period of one day, Rowan Roth sees the senior class game as her last opportunity to best her rival Neil McNair. When they unexpectedly partner up to play the game, Rowan begins to see that Neil isn't the person she thought he was. A great enemies to lovers story.

Visit Rachel Lynn Solomon’s website. 

A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir (Ember in the Ashes book 4)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the quartet, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher on the first three books.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first two books.

“Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off...

The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows.” - taken from Goodreads.com

An absolutely breathtaking but heartwrenching conclusion to this incredible series that sees our trio of main characters to the end. Without giving away too many details, have of this series should be satisfied with this final book.

Visit Sabaa Tahir’s website.

By the Book by Amanda Sellett

“As a devotee of classic novels, Mary Porter-Malcolm knows all about Mistakes That Have Been Made, especially by impressionable young women. So when a girl at her new high school nearly succumbs to the wiles of a notorious cad, Mary starts compiling the Scoundrel Survival Guide, a rundown of literary types to be avoided at all costs.

Unfortunately, Mary is better at dishing out advice than taking it—and the number one bad boy on her list is terribly debonair. As her best intentions go up in flames, Mary discovers life doesn’t follow the same rules as fiction. If she wants a happy ending IRL, she’ll have to write it herself.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book started off a little slow for me. It took a while for Mary Porter-Malcolm to meet her new friends at her new school. With English professors as parents, it's no wonder that Mary is a fan of classic novels, Jane Austen. Soon she helps her newfound friends navigate the dateable boys of Millville by creating the Scoundrel Survival Guide. When Mary finds herself falling for the number one scoundrel, Alex Ritter, this is where the book really picked up for me. So everyone knows that first impressions/appearances are not always what they seem and this is true for Mary. Another sweet rom-com that involves books.

Visit Amanda Sellett’s website.

 

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Wow, what a satisfying ending to this mystery filled trilogy. I loved how Stevie Bell worked everything out. Now to see how book four brings the Ellingham Academy gang back together.

The series continues with The Box in the Woods, due out on June 15, 2021.

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Truly Devious, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

"All Stevie Bell wanted was to find the key to the Ellingham mystery, but instead she found her classmate dead. And while she solved that murder, the crimes of the past are still waiting in the dark. Just as Stevie feels she’s on the cusp of putting it together, her parents pull her out of Ellingham academy.

For her own safety they say. She must move past this obsession with crime. Now that Stevie’s away from the school of topiaries and secret tunnels, and her strange and endearing friends, she begins to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. At least she won’t have to see David anymore. David, who she kissed. David, who lied to her about his identity—son of despised politician Edward King. Then King himself arrives at her house to offer a deal: He will bring Stevie back to Ellingham immediately. In return, she must play nice with David. King is in the midst of a campaign and can’t afford his son stirring up trouble. If Stevie’s at school, David will stay put.

The tantalizing riddles behind the Ellingham murders are still waiting to be unraveled, and Stevie knows she’s so close. But the path to the truth has more twists and turns than she can imagine—and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for. Nothing is free, and someone will pay for the truth with their life." - taken from Goodreads.com

Mysteries are solved and mysteries are found. Stevie is still on the Ellingham case but she soon finds more than she ever bargained for. As the story continues, readers will be drawn into the mysteries surrounding Ellingham Academy leading up to the dramatic conclusion.

The series continues with book three, The Hand on the Wall.

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious book 1)

 

“Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.” - taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! That ending was incredibly cruel. I don't want to give anything away since this mystery story was excellent. A definite, agonizing cliffhanger that makes me incredibly ecstatic that book two is at my fingertips 

The series continues with book two, The Vanishing Stair.

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 4 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Maia and Simon are kidnapped, and Jace knows exactly who took them. It's time to face the terror known as Valentine to stop him from slaughtering the Downworlders and activating the Soul-Sword. All the Shadowhunters gather to join the fight, but when they find themselves hopelessly outnumbered by thousands of demons, the fate of the world might just lie in Clary's hands...!- taken from Goodreads.com

This is the fourth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that concludes the storyline of City of Ashes. No details on volume 5 yet but the final pages do offer a tease. The storyline should pick up with City of Glass.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.