Dead Below Deck by Jan Gangsei

 

“It was supposed to be the best-ever girls’ trip: five days, four friends, one luxury yacht, no parents. But on the final night, as the yacht cruised the deep and dark waters between Florida and Grand Cayman, eighteen-year-old heiress Giselle vanished. She’s nowhere to be found the next morning even after a frantic search, until security footage surfaces . . . showing Maggie pushing her overboard.

But Maggie has no memory of what happened. All she knows is that she woke up with a throbbing headache, thousands of dollars in cash in her safe, a passport that isn’t hers, and Giselle’s diary. And while Maggie had her own reasons to want Giselle dead, so did everyone else on board: jealous Viv, calculating Emi, even some members of the staff.

What really went down on the top deck that night? Maggie will have to work her way backward to uncover the secrets that everyone—even Giselle—kept below deck or she’s dead in the water." - taken from Goodreads.

An incredible mystery that I devoured in two days. Told in reverse chronological order from the moment everyone realizes that Giselle is missing to the beginning of the spring break cruise, readers learn what is going on between Giselle and Maggie. The plot is enhanced through flashbacks from Giselle's diary as well as current police reports. This book ends with a shocking reveal that rates won't see coming.

Visit Jan Gangsei’s website

ASAP by Axie Oh

 

SPOILER ALERT. It's not necessary to read the first book in this series, XOXO, but it will greatly enhance your reading pleasure with this one. Previous characters do play a role.

“Sori has worked her whole life to become a K-pop idol, until she realizes she doesn’t want a life forever in the spotlight. But that’s not actually up to Sori—she’s caught between her exacting mother’s entertainment company and her father’s presidential aspirations. And as the pressure to keep her flawless public image grows, the last person she should be thinking about is her ex-boyfriend.

Nathaniel is off limits—she knows this. A member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world and forbidden from dating, he isn’t any more of an option now than he was two years ago. Still, she can’t forget that their whirlwind romance was the last time she remembers being really happy. Or that his family welcomed her into their home when she needed it most. . . .

So when Nathaniel finds himself rocked by scandal, Sori offers him a hideaway with her. And back in close quarters, it’s hard to deny their old feelings. But when Sori gets an opportunity to break free from her parent’s expectations, she will have to decide: Is her future worth sacrificing for a second chance at love?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book centered around Nathaniel from XOXO and Sori, Jenny’s friend. These two try to toe the K-Idol line and ignore their feelings for one another. But when things go awry, Nathaniel and Sori find that the one person they can rely on is each other. A cute and quick romance read. 

Visit Axie Oh’s website.

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

 

“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?” - taken from Goodreads.

This was truly a great book that revolved around two different mysteries, ninety years apart. After accidentally setting fire to the house she watches, Marlowe Wexler takes a summer job at Morning House. Upon arrival at the island, she is soon thrust into the tragedies that surrounded the Ralston family, the house’s previous owners. When her boss disappears, Marlowe’s inner thoughts start spinning to figure out what happened. She soon finds herself in danger the deeper she dives into the mystery 

I really like this mystery better than I thought. Finding the Ralston treasure at the end to solve the final mystery was terrific. I am glad I gave this book a shot.

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir (Heir duology book 1)

 

SPOILER ALERT! This is a spin off series of the previous series, An Ember in the Ashes. Events in this book take place after the events that take place in the final book, A Sky Beyond the Storm. It’s not necessary to read the Ember Quarter to enjoy this book.

“An orphan.

An outcast.

A prince.

And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.” - taken from Goodreads.

Zacharias Marcus Livius Aquilius Farrar, aka Quill, does not want to become emperor. Sirsha Westerling has taken a job that may cost her everything. And Aiz bet-Dafra is determined to save her people, no matter the cost. On a crash course that brings everyone together in the most unimaginable way possible, readers will be eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this new chapter in the Ember world.

The story will conclude with the final book in the duology to be announced.

Visit Sabaa Tahir’s website.

Children of Anguish & Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy of Orïsha book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue & Vengeance, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

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

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

“New allies rise.

The Blood Moon nears.

Zélie faces her final enemy.

The king who hunts her heart.

When Zelie seized the royal palace that fateful night, she thought her battles had come to an end. The monarchy had finally fallen. The maji had risen again. Zélie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship. Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland.

Then everything changes when Zélie meets King Baldyr, her true captor, the ruler of the Skulls, and the man who has ravaged entire civilizations to find her. Baldyr’s quest to harness Zélie’s strength sends Zélie, Amari, and Tzain searching for allies in unknown lands.

But as Baldyr closes in, catastrophe charges Orïsha’s shores. It will take everything Zélie has to face her final enemy and save her people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.” - taken from Goodreads.

The five year wait for this conclusion was not worth it. The story went completely off track from the first two books and the ending was less than desired.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen (Fall of the Dragon book 1)

 

“Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune.

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?” - taken from Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this East Asian steampunk/silkpunk story about a young girl, who after witnessing the death of her father, travels to the capital to avenge his death. Along the way she meets the eighth prince who secures her a spot in the engineering guild trials, a male only competition. Hoping to discover more of her father's past, she disguises herself as her younger brother to take part in the competition. It's not long before secrets are uncovered and our heroine discovers she isn't sure who she can trust. That ending was a heartbreaker. Sorry but there are no actual dragons in this book.

Book two, The Jade Dragon, is due out June 17, 2025.

Visit Amber Chen’s website.

Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber

 

“THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized. - taken from Goodreads.

This Gothic mystery/romance book gave me Dark Shadows vibes. Estela is left an orphan after a mysterious accident kills everyone on a subway car but her. Soon a previously unknown aunt sends her a ticket to come and live in Spain with her. Once there, the mystery about her family and the cursed castle they reside in intensifies.. The ending did wrap up a bit too quickly for me in this standalone novel.

Visit Romina Garber’s website.