A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

 

“Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. She’s had no choice. Since childhood, she’s been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She’s found solace only in the pages of Angharad - author Emrys Myrddin’s beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy’s tattered, dog-eared copy is all that’s keeping her afloat through her stifling first term at Llyr’s prestigious architecture college. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to design the late author’s house, Effy feels certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favorite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author’s legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house’s foundation isn’t the only thing that can’t be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was incredible! Fantasy, books, and romance, what more could you ask for. I loved everything about the story; the mystery, the slow burn romance, the lyrical writing, Effy’s attitude. I couldn’t wait for the ending to see if my suspicions came true. Definitely a top 10 book of the year for me.

Visiting Ava Reid’s website.

Fangirl, Vol. 3: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell

 

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

“Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can’t let go…

Everything in Cath’s offline life is going wrong. Just when she’s started to realize her feelings for Levi, she sees him kissing someone else. Plus, her writing partner, Nick, is acting strange, and her twin sister, Wren, is suddenly making time for their mother—the same woman who walked out of their lives ten years ago!

When their dad ends up in the hospital, Cath decides it’s time to rethink her plans for the future.

But how can she leave the past behind when it keeps showing up at her door?” - taken from Goodreads.

And of course, volume 3 ends on another major cliffhanger. Good news is that volume 4 will conclude the story.

The story will be finished with volume 4 due out in 2024.

Reign by Katharine McGee (American Royals book 4)

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

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first three books.

“A queen's life hangs in the balance, and her siblings’ decisions—about what to do, and most of all, who to love—could change the course of history. Romance. Duty. Power...only one can triumph in this stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling American Royals series.

America's royal family is in shambles. Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Princess Samantha has gone missing—from the look of things, she ran away with her boyfriend, Lord Marshall Davis. Which means that Prince Jefferson is currently on the throne. For some in America, it's exactly what they wanted: a King ruling the country. And for Daphne Deighton, who has tricked Jefferson into dating her again, it's the ultimate dream come true. 

Surely this is all just temporary. Won’t Beatrice wake up and reclaim her rightful place? Samantha can't really be gone…can she? And Prince Jefferson will never truly be over his childhood crush, Nina Gonzalez. Right?

For the Washington family, the stakes are higher than ever. Love might save the throne….if secrets don’t destroy everything first.” - taken from Goodreads.

Oh, how I am going to miss this series. Without giving anything away, I will say that Reign wrapped up the story for all four of our main characters that will satisfy fans.

Visit Katharine McGee’s website.

How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok

 

“A year ago, beloved cheerleader Stella Blackthorn vanished without a trace. Devastated, her younger sister, Iris, launched her own investigation, but all she managed to do was scare off the police’s only lead and earn a stern Once she turns eighteen, more meddling means prison-level consequences.

 

Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris’s ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too—just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris’s sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disappearances.

 

But with a suspicious detective watching her every move, an enemy-turned-friend-turned-maybe-more to contend with, and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, it’s a race against the clock for Iris to solve the most dangerous case of her life.”- taken from Goodreads.

This book reminded me of Courtney Summers’ Sadie. With the podcast aspect from Heather, the second missing girl who was trying to uncover information about the first girl who disappeared. For Iris Blackthorn, it’s personal. Her older sister Stella went missing just before the homecoming dance, never to be heard from again. Along with her friends, Samy and Imani, the trio start their own amateur detective agency in order to find some answers. After getting nowhere with Stella’s case, including a warning to stay out of the matter from the police, the trio work small cases at their high school.

When Iris’ former girlfriend Heather hires them to see if her boyfriend is cheating on her, Iris and her friends stumble onto their biggest case yet when Heather goes missing herself.

Visit Victoria Wlosok’s website.

Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 1.5)

 

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

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of Foul Lady Fortune.

“In A Foul Thing, Roma and Juliette have established themselves as the heads of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang, making a living the way they do best while remaining anonymous in their peaceful, quiet life. But when they hear about several Russian girls showing up dead in nearby towns, they decide to investigate—and ultimately discover that this mystery is much closer to home than they ever imagined.

In This Foul Murder, Benedikt and Marshall have been summoned by Roma to find the elusive scientist, Lourens, and bring him to Zhouzhuang. Time is of the essence aboard the week-long Trans-Siberian Express, but when someone is murdered on board, Benedikt and Marshall convince the officer in charge not to stop the train so that they aren’t thrown off-schedule. Instead, they pretend that they are investigators and promise they can solve the murder, but as they dig deeper, they realize that the murder might having surprising ties to their own mission…” - taken from Goodreads.

I will say that I didn’t read these short stories until after I finished Foul Heart Huntsman and I think I’m glad that I didn’t know the spoiler about our favorite couple. Or maybe I would have been more invested in the story.

Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (Foul Lady Fortune book 2)

 

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

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of Foul Lady Fortune.

“Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.

Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.

But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?

When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.” - taken from Goodreads.

Unfortunately, I found the beginning slow to start. I wanted the action and our characters to find one another sooner than they did. Once everyone is back together, the story really picks up. While the reader gets glimpses and more of several favorite characters, Rosalind and Orion are the heart of this book. I will say that each character received the ending they deserved. Definitely a worthy conclusion to the story.

Visit Chloe Gong’s website.

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie (The Forest Grimm book 1)

 

“Where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists...

"Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die."

The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book - Sortes Fortunae , the Book of Fortunes - with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose―to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.

Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel―who is fated never to be with her―have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest―alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales―has a mind of its own.” - taken from Goodreads.

I was not expecting this book to be a mashup of Grimm’s fairy tales, but I do think it works. Clara is determined to save her mother from the Forest Grimm, even if it costs her her life. She knows it will because her grandmother’s tarot card readings have always foretold her death. Armed with the knowledge to get past the deadly forest’s border, she and her friend Axel tempt fate on their journey to the Forest Grimm.

Book two, The Deathly Grimm, is set to be published in 2024.

Visit Kathryn Purdie’s website.