This is a book I was really excited to read as soon as I saw that it was stated to be a gothic fantasy, and I am happy to say it didn't disappoint! I This is a book I was really excited to read as soon as I saw that it was stated to be a gothic fantasy, and I am happy to say it didn't disappoint! I struggled a little in the beginning, but I truly think that it's because I've been in a bit of a fantasy slump, and not because of the book.
I think one of the strongest elements of the book was the world created - initially, I was a little confused, but that's because we were kind of dropped right into it, but as the story progressed and we saw more, I really, really loved it. The aesthetic was just so great.
I did also enjoy the plot overall, but it was repetitive at times, which wasn't ideal, but it wasn't the worst because of the other elements of the book. Because I did also like the characters for the most part. Leta made some decisions I didn't agree with (it was more that she made the decisions without telling anyone), but for the most part, I really did like her character, and how she was willing to do anything to save those she loved. I also loved her relationship with Arien. I feel like it's rare to get such good sibling relationships in YA. And I really liked Rowan as well. I liked seeing how their relationship developed, as they got to know each other.
So overall, I really did enjoy reading this, and I am so excited for the next book, especially with how it ended.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me this e-arc for review....more
I really enjoyed this book! The premise sounded so interesting to me, so I am really glad that I was able to read this one and that I liked it so muchI really enjoyed this book! The premise sounded so interesting to me, so I am really glad that I was able to read this one and that I liked it so much!
In Small Town Monsters, Vera, whose parents are demonologists, and Maxwell are brought together after Max believes his mother might be possessed by a demon, and they work together to save his mother, and the town, from evil.
I really loved the atmosphere and aesthetic in this book. I think it was one of my favorite things, and it really set the tone for the book. I rarely get scared during reading, and I wasn't scared when I read this, but I really could feel the creepiness at some parts, and it was so well done.
I also really liked both Vera and Max, and I think both characters were fairly well developed. The book was told in dual POVs, along with some interludes that followed several side/minor characters, and I think the dual POV really helped to develop both Vera and Max.
The one thing that I didn't care too much about was the romance in the book. There really wasn't a lot of romance, so it seems weird that this bothers me, but I just felt that Vera and Max didn't have a lot of romantic chemistry, so it felt a little forced to me. The moments in their POVs when they were realizing their feelings for each other didn't feel natural, and it seemed like they were together just because they were working together. Overall, it wasn't a big deal, but I just liked them better as friends.
If you enjoy creepy, dark stories, I definitely recommend this one. It's fast paced and fun to read, and perfect for fall!
Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me an e-arc to review....more
I really enjoyed this book! I was really curious about it when I read the description, and it did not let me down. Thirteen year old Tia Lugo is lookiI really enjoyed this book! I was really curious about it when I read the description, and it did not let me down. Thirteen year old Tia Lugo is looking forward to a laid back summer, spending a week at camp and the rest with her best friend, but the night before she is supposed to leave, she witnesses a murder outside her window, and is terrified of retribution against those she loves from the murderer, so she doesn't say anything about it.
One of the things I loved most about this book was how well we see Tia's growing apprehension and fear manifest in the book. As an adult, I wanted to shake her and tell her just to tell someone, but putting myself in her shoes, thinking back to when I was her age, I could really feel her terror, and I was definitely worried about what was going to happen! Part of the fear came from not knowing who the murderer is, and so Tia saw them in everyone/everything. I thought that this was so well done, for me to be able to feel her fear as I read.
I also really enjoyed the relationships in the book. We mostly see Tia with her family (her parents and her grandmother who lives a few blocks away) and her best friend, Julius, and it was really nice to see all the different interactions. Tia has a family who loves her and cares about her so much, and keeping the secret from them was so stressful, but she was more worried about what might happen to them if she did tell, and we see this in all her interactions with them, and I loved that. I also loved seeing how close she and Julius are, and how even when he was mad at her because he knew she was keeping secrets, he was still there for her.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys middle grade books!
Thank you so much to netgalley and Jolly Fish Press for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review....more
I enjoyed this book so much! I had really enjoyed the first one as well, but I think this book was even better. Maybe it's becActual Rating: 4.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book so much! I had really enjoyed the first one as well, but I think this book was even better. Maybe it's because we didn't have the same level of introduction as in the first book (although there were still obviously things that needed to be explained), but whatever the reason, this was such a good read.
This takes place about 6 months after the events of the first book, and we see a very different scenario than where the last one ended - Paola's mom has a new boyfriend, and Paola is barely speaking to her two best friends, Dante and Emma. But when Paola starts having weird dreams again, this time with her father who left years ago, and then Dante's abuela falls into a coma, Paola reconnects with Emma and talks Dante into traveling to Oregon with her to figure out the meaning of her dreams and save his grandmother.
There was so much action in this book, but there was also a lot of emotion, and I felt like the balance was really good to keep the story moving. I constantly was curious to know what was going to happen next. Paola had so much growth in this book, even more so than the first book, and she went through so much, but she never gave up. I really enjoyed getting to see her journey, and how her relationships with her friends changed ((view spoiler)[I was devastated with what happened with Dante, but I am looking forward to seeing how that will be resolved in the next book (hide spoiler)]). I also liked that we got to see more of Naomi and to see her friendship with Paola grow as well.
I really enjoyed how this book expanded on the mythology as well, and it's something I just find really fascinating. Despite having heritage from South America, I did not grow up knowing all of the different myths and fables, so reading this series has been so much fun for me to learn more about them. I am sure that this is also a series I would have enjoyed when I was in middle school, especially with the focus on fantasmas, which is something I am fascinated with now, and would have really loved to read about then. I think this is a great middle grade series, and I can't wait to see what's to come in the next book!
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review....more
This is a really bizarre book because it was too over the top ridiculous and trashy for me to actually enjoy the book, but at the same time, I couldn'This is a really bizarre book because it was too over the top ridiculous and trashy for me to actually enjoy the book, but at the same time, I couldn't put it down. It was fast paced due to the drama, but I didn't care much for the characters and I was mostly trying to finish this before it was due back to the library. Additionally, the love triangle was absolutely unnecessary and I think the story would have been stronger with just two POVs. And it also probably could have been like 100 pages shorter because there was so much repetition - sometimes with the same page. It got to be too much honestly. I mostly picked this one up because I wanted to read the 3rd book (I know they are technically standalones within a series but I wanted to go in order just in case, but the 3rd will probably be my last from this series), as it revolves around a character I liked more in the first book (still liked him in the second but I really hope he's less wishy-washy in the 3rd), so hopefully that one goes better than this one. ...more
This was a really good read! I was interested in it because I am fascinated by the tale of La Llorona (something I was regretfully unaware of until juThis was a really good read! I was interested in it because I am fascinated by the tale of La Llorona (something I was regretfully unaware of until just a few years ago), and this was such a fun book, seeing Paola and her friends, and Paola's journey with self discovery and growth. I am never one to get scared while reading (even with being out of the target age for this book) but there could be some possible scary moments for younger readers. I am glad I finally got around to reading this one, and I also liked that while there is plenty of room for things to happen in a series, this particular book can also be read as a standalone. I will be continuing the series, but I do love that the events in this book were wrapped up....more
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I think the author did a good job of tackling a really difficult issue (CW: abuseActual Rating: 2.5 Stars
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I think the author did a good job of tackling a really difficult issue (CW: abuse) but I felt a disconnect as I was reading, and I think this was based on how the novel was written. It's a dual perspective novel, and the timeline constantly jumped backwards when switching to Lucas's POV, and I feel like there was more telling than showing in Sparrow's POV. We were supposedly in her head (1st person POV) but I feel like we never really got to know anything about her or about the things that were happening to her as they were happening. There was also time jumps forward in her POV, which meant that we didn't get some of the necessary development between characters. I honestly grew incredibly frustrated with Lucas's POV and I wish the entire novel was from Sparrow's and we focused solely on her healing, because even during those parts, it felt disjointed ((view spoiler)[she went from refusing to speak to her therapist to telling her a whole story from her childhood without us really getting to see why she was suddenly so willing to open up (hide spoiler)]). I do think this story talks about an important issue, but I wish it went a little more in depth with the characters and the plot to really allow the reader to feel right along with Sparrow and her journey....more
This was a really powerful read. It took me a little bit to get used to the writing, and I almost DNFed it because of that, but I am glad I stuck withThis was a really powerful read. It took me a little bit to get used to the writing, and I almost DNFed it because of that, but I am glad I stuck with it because it ended up being a really good read. It has a lot of triggers, so be sure to check those out if that is something that might be a concern for you, but overall, I felt this was really well done and I recommend it....more
I really enjoyed this! I probably should have read it before I read the first two books in the series, but I didn't even think anything of it until itI really enjoyed this! I probably should have read it before I read the first two books in the series, but I didn't even think anything of it until it was too late. I know this was just a novella, but I really wanted more! But I am excited to continue with the series. Brigid Kemmerer is definitely an autobuy author for me, and I love her writing so much....more
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