Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

My Rating: ★★★

Sophie Mercer’s magic always goes haywire, but at least she means well and often uses it to help other people. Imagine her surprise when a magic spell gone wrong at prom leads to her being sent to the magical version of juvie if it was a boarding school. It’s even more surprising when she found out that she’s not a witch like she always thought, but instead a third generation demon. Afraid of hurting others, she decides to go through a ritual that will strip all magic from her very core, which takes her to England with her dad for the summer. Her dad is hell-bent on changing her mind, so he convinces her to agree to think about it so she can learn about what it really means to be a demon. It’s there that she learns the truth about her family, including things not even her father knew, and her world is turned upside down yet again.

I love these books. Is it full of clichés and stereotypes? Yes. Is there a love triangle? Yes. However, that doesn’t stop me from loving them. Hex Hall was such a fun read that I knew I had to continue with the series. If you can look past the clichés, high school stereotypes, and the love triangle, you’ll discover that it’s an entertaining series. The clichés and the love triangle can get old real quick, but I love the characters and the story itself.

Sophie is a teenager who has spent her life constantly moving around with her mom and knowing that people finding out what she was could be bad news. She’s also lonely and uses sarcasm as a shield. Once someone burrows their way into Sophie’s heart, they discover that she’s a secret softy and extremely loyal. Sophie may be naive and make some questionable choices, but she has a heart of gold and is fun to follow. I also enjoy reading about her close friend, Jenna. She’s well written, fun, and can be a voice of reason when Sophie is running amok. I also enjoyed learning more about Cal, Sophie’s father, and the magical world as a whole.

The story itself is extremely entertaining. I found myself having a hard time putting this book down. I loved reading about the magical world as Sophie learned more about it. There are all kinds of different magical beings who pop in and out, which helps flesh out the world that Sophie lives in. This time around, we learn a lot more about demons and why there are so few of them. Plus, Sophie and her friends are hilarious. The banter between them never fails to crack me up. It makes for a perfect light read, and I can’t wait to read the next installment.

The Boy on the Bridge (The Girl With All the Gifts #2) by M.R. Carey

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

My Rating: ★

I absolutely love The Girl With All the Gifts. It’s such a fresh and compelling take on the zombie genre. Naturally, I was excited about finally reading the second and final book in the series. Sadly, it was a miss for me. Its saving grace is the epilogue, but even that cannot save this lackluster prequel.

The prequel takes place on the Rosalind Franklin (Rosie), which is the special tank, RV, and lab that was seemingly lost to time and shrouded in mystery when it was discovered in The Girl With All the Gifts. We follow the lives of a group of scientists and military personnel who were specially selected and sent out to collect and study samples from the “hungries” a decade into the zombie apocalypse. Living in close confinement for several months, the crew of the Rosie is pushed to their limits before things start to go south, which is where the story begins.

Unfortunately, lightening does not strike twice with this prequel. One of the main problems is that there’s a classic stereotypical mystical autistic character, Stephen Greaves. He’s the smartest person present on Rosie. At some point he was actually fixing a part of Rosie based on a manual he once read and some questionable instructions from another character. Not only did he fix it, but he fixed it so fast that he had plenty of time to collect samples and return before anyone knew he was up to something. Stephen is a scientist, mechanic, midwife… you name it and he’s probably it.

The other problem is that so much of what goes on doesn’t make sense for a group of highly intelligent characters living in a small space. So much could’ve been prevented by simply communicating with one another. Plus, everyone but Stephen is unbelievably unobservant. I find it hard to believe that so much would go unnoticed, especially in such a small living and working space. I believe that they would get on each other’s nerves, grow sick of one another, and start fighting over petty things. What actually occurs doesn’t even make sense for these characters.

There are some good things about this story, such as the group of second generation hungries. The story expands on the social structure, how they operate, and how they are also friends and family rather than a random cluster of zombie kids on the move. However, it was slow going and I wish that Carey devoted more time to this since we were revisiting the second generation. It would’ve been interesting to have a couple chapters from the perspective of one of these kids.

I also enjoyed the epilogue, which sends us twenty years into the future, and let me know the fate of some of the surviving characters I grew to love in both installments of the series. Again, I wish that we could’ve seen how the second generation hungries, who are a combination of human and zombie, evolved over time. I’ll settle for the epilogue, which gives us a glimpse of how both species of humanity have survived and evolved over twenty years.

A Body in the Trunk (Myrtle Clover Mysteries #12) by Elizabeth Spann Craig

A Body in the Trunk by Elizabeth Spann Craig

My Rating: ★★★★

When one of Myrtle’s neighbors goes missing, she’s quick to aid his distraught wife in the search only to find him dead in the trunk of his car. With a new murderer on her hands, Myrtle and Miles investigate the life and death of their late neighbor and follow the clues the killer has left behind. Before they know it, the killer strikes again, pushing the duo to hurry up and find the murderer before he or she targets another poor soul.

I love this series. Myrtle’s antics never fail to make me laugh. Plus, the great cast of characters that make up her small town have been hilarious since the moment I started this series some time ago. We have Myrtle’s son, who irritates her more than usual because he thinks she’s having money troubles. Erma and her never ending ailments never fail to make me laugh, especially because she reminds me of my younger brother. Miles cousin and resident psychic, Wanda, is always a great addition. I love that she has been featured much more than I ever thought she would when I first started the series. There are so many wonderful characters in this book that I could go on about them for some time. They’re such a fun and goofy cast that I’ll miss when the series eventually comes to an end.

In addition to the characters, I love Myrtle’s hilariously large gnome collection that takes over her lawn every time she’s irritated with Red. It’s even more fun now that her gnome collection has been spruced up by some questionable gardening in another one of her daughter-in-law’s new hobbies. I think it’s wonderful that the gnomes have been getting some extra love in the last few novels. I wouldn’t mind if she had another temporary art installation done with them in the future.

The mystery itself was another good one. I figured out who it was around halfway through the book, which didn’t take away from the story. It was still interesting to watch Myrtle and her sometimes reluctant sleuthing partner, Miles, investigate as well as continuing to live their lives. They have such a wonderful friendship and Miles tries his best to hold Myrtle back when he can. I like that we visit characters and locations that we see in past novels as well as slowly venture into different areas of Myrtles life as the series continues. I can’t wait to read the next installment when it drops!

Murder on the Green by H.V. Coombs

Murder on the Green by H.V. Coombs

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Avon Books UK through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ben Hunter is running himself down while running his restaurant when he gets a surprise offer from a celebrity chef, Justin McCleish. Justin wants to hire Ben to join his temporary kitchen at the local opera festival only to reveal that he really wants to hire Ben as his muscle. You see, Justin is being blackmailed and word is that Ben will find the blackmailer and put the hurt on them for a price. Disappointed, Ben takes the offer because the money is good without the intention of roughing anyone up. As he looks into the blackmailer, it quickly goes from blackmail to murder, throwing him into the arms of danger.

Coombs brings us a variety of characters that are interesting to meet and follow throughout his story. Ben is an interesting character that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like at first. He’s stubborn and very stuck in his ways, but he’s also activity working to make positive changes. The main thing that he’s working on is his anger management issues, which we watch him struggle with on and off throughout the book. It’s also the main reason why he is disappointed in the real reason Justin approached him. Ben’s staff is wonderful and caring, and then there’s Justin’s staff, which are each complex once Ben digs below the surface. I also loved meeting many of the characters that pop in and out of the story, like the coven of witches and Slattery.

The mystery is an entertaining one as well. What starts out as a simple case of blackmail quickly turns into a murder mystery, which then transforms into yet another mystery that throws Ben through a loop. It was so much fun watching the twists and turns unfold as well as how the characters deal with it. Every time Ben thinks he’s got a handle on things, something new gets tossed his way and we get to watch him hunt down new leads and come up with theories.

My only complaint is that there are a few passages that reference something that occurred in the past. These passages made it seem like there was a previous book rather than something that is just backstory to these characters. It was enough to make me check to see if there was a previous book because I seriously questioned whether or not I accidentally started on the second in a series. All in all, it’s a funny and entertaining book that takes on some serious subjects in addition to the murder, such as drug abuse and physical violence. If this is something up your alley, I highly recommend picking up this book.

Spell on Wheels, Vol. 1 (Spell on Wheels) by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, Nate Piekos

Spell on Wheels, Vol. 1 by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, Nate Piekos

My Rating: ★★★★★

When Andy, Jolene, and Claire’s place is broken into by a jealous ex who is being aided by an unknown powerful entity, the three witchy friends embark on a magical road trip to retrieve their belongings and face off with those who wronged them. We learn about the trio, their relationship with one another, and their magical abilities as we follow them on their journey. Along the way, we meet a variety of interesting characters who unknowingly purchased their stolen goods and learn more about the magical world.

I was excited to finally start reading this graphic novel and it did not disappoint! I loved the three main characters, Andy, Jolene, and Claire, as well as learning about how they became friends and their magical abilities. It was so much fun following them as they used their abilities to track their stolen items and get closer to cornering Claire’s foul and jealous ex. Not only are the main characters fun and interesting, but the people they meet along the way are as well. I love that each person they tracked down were full of surprises as well as unique and memorable. I’m excited to hopefully meet at least one of these characters again in future volumes, should there be any.

It’s also wonderful that the cast of characters introduce us to a variety of people from different walks of life. There are LGBT relationships, mystical beings, supportive friendships, and members of the occult. I love that the story reflects reality because there have been so many cases of all white stories when that’s just not the way life works, so it’s a huge plus when stories include people of color and that they aren’t stereotypes. There’s also feminist themes, a lot of humor, and it really takes a dig at emotionally abusive relationship and supports positive relationships.

Plus, the artwork is absolutely stunning. Every single panel is gorgeous and I loved looking at the sketches and concept art featured at the end of the volume. It was a joy to admire.

Say No Moor (Passport to Peril #11) by Maddy Hunter

Say No Moor by Maddy Hunter

My Rating: ★★★★★

In an attempt to expand the client list for their travel agency, Emily and her husband offer big discounts to the bloggers who travel with them to Cornwall, England. The only thing the bloggers have to do is cover their travels on their respective blogs. Emily hopes this will be the trip that will go off without a hitch, but things quickly go awry when two of the bloggers bump heads, a pipe bursts at the inn, and someone gets murdered all on the first day of the trip. Stressed about the blogger’s coverage of their trip, Emily strives to make everything right when she’s suddenly expected to run the inn and one of the travelers go missing.

While Emily and the gang are in England, they spend most of their time at the inn with some exploring and touring thrown in. I promise you that it is the furthest thing from boring. I found myself laughing so hard that I had to put my book down and dab my eyes with tissue. Hunter did it again and busted out yet another hilarious installment. The entertaining cast of characters worked well with the new characters that popped in and out throughout the story. I loved the interactions we got between the bloggers, although we seemed to only see a couple of them most of the time. It was a fun new addition to the cast of usual characters.

Speaking of the bloggers, I wish that we saw a little more of them than we did. Only three of the bloggers were distinctive and had their roles in the story expanded. The others popped their heads in every so often and that was that. I know that it’s likely these aren’t characters we’ll see again in the future, but I wish we saw a little more of the ones who were barely there because they didn’t make much of an impression on me. However, I think I’ll be okay with it because Jackie was featured a lot more than usual and I loved it. She’s one of my favorite characters, so I’m always excited when she appears.

I will say that the murder mystery is a secondary storyline, but that doesn’t bother me. I was having so much fun reading the series of hilarious events unfold that it doesn’t seem farfetched for the mystery to be secondary. We have the bloggers and the shenanigans going on between two of them, a theft, natural disasters, Emily and Wally having to man the inn, and nana showing off her cooking skills. Plus, one of the regulars goes missing, which adds yet another crisis to the mix.

All in all, Hunter does not disappoint. This is yet another sidesplitting installment that did not fail to entertain. It’s action packed, fun, and heartwarming. I’m looking forward to the next book!

My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto #1) by Gengoroh Tagame

My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 by Gengoroh Tagame

My Rating: ★★★★★

A decade ago, Ryoji moved to Canada and eventually met and fell in love with his husband, Mike. Sadly, Ryoji died a month before the story starts, and Mike has come to visit his in-laws in Japan. He meets his brother-in-law and Ryoji’s twin brother, Yaichi, and his niece, Kana. Mike is in mourning, but he is excited to meet his husband’s family and go to the places that Ryoji always talked about. Yaichi struggles with previous misconceptions about his brother as well as the LGBT community, which he doesn’t know much about, and Kana is excited to have an uncle.

If you heard someone crying while yelling, “My heart!” in the distance, it was probably me while I was reading the first volume of this manga. It’s an incredibly heartwarming as well as sad story that had me clutching my box of tissue. Mike is a new widower and his grief is fresh and raw, which we slowly see as the story progresses. He’s taking the time to get to know his husband’s family as well as visit the places that Ryoji spoke about and frequented during his upbringing. During the story, he answers any questions that Yaichi and Kana ask.

Kana is just a kid and she has many questions, as kids do. She’s sweet and open to learning about the world without judgement. She quickly cares for Mike and is fascinated by the stories he has to share, which also allows her father to learn and receive answers to some of the questions that he wouldn’t dare to ask. Meanwhile, we watch Yaichi struggle with the silent grief of losing his parents as well as his brother, who he was not close with once Ryoji came out to him. We also watch Yaichi struggle with his homophobic thoughts as he learns about Mike as well as Ryoji’s life. As the story progresses, we see him learn and slowly start to accept his brother for who he was. This is a story that I highly recommend.