Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell

 
Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell
My Rating: ★

I received a copy from TCK Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Matthew Davis fled his hometown a decade ago and never looked back, he never expected that the murder of his twin brother, Jake, would be what brings him back. Now that he’s back home in Hatchet, Nebraska, he’s stuck pretending he’s been living the good life in New York rather than flipping burgers for a living. Matt would rather get in and out of town as fast as possible, but the psychic connection between him and Jake is stronger than ever… and Jake is in hell.

I picked this book up expecting a horror novel, but I would sooner classify it as a light paranormal mystery than horror. We follow Matt as he discovers the psychic connection he’s spent the last decade trying to minimize is stronger than ever now that his brother is dead. Not much happens in the book until we get closer to the end, so we mostly follow him as he sort of catches up with a few people in his hometown. Honestly, the only character that I really liked in this book is Matt’s old friend and now priest, Andy. He really was a breath of fresh air and lit up the chapters he was in.

While this was a quick read, I was definitely expecting a much bigger horror aspect, especially with the Devil himself noticing the connection between Matt and Jake. After a while, I started to wonder if Jake was just fooling around and found a way to get out of hell that didn’t actually involve any other entities. Even when Lucifer allegedly inhabits Matt’s body, it seemed more like it was Jake echoing the things he’s learned about the people of Hatchet in hell. I’m on the fence about whether or not it was just Jake all along, especially because Lucifer could’ve shown up at the end and he was nowhere to be seen.

Like I was saying, not much happens until closer to the end of the book. It picks up speed about a quarter to the end, which is also when things really start happening. This makes it a pretty easy read. If you’re looking for a horror novel, I’d say pass on this because it’s much more of a light paranormal mystery. However, if you’re looking for a short and slow paced light paranormal mystery, this might be up your alley.

The Hatmakers (Cordelia Hatmaker #1) by Tamzin Merchant

 
The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant
My Rating: ★★★★

Born into a Maker family, Cordelia has always dreamed of the day she’d be able to make her first hat using magical ingredients. There’s a hat for everything from anxiety reducing to romance. In fact, her father was lost at sea after procuring a special ingredient for the hat being made for the king. Everyone but Cordelia is struggling with the loss and trying to go about their daily activities, but she’s about to change that. She can feel her dad’s still alive somewhere and is determined to find him… if she and her family survive the war someone is determined to start with the help of garments made from evil ingredients!

I thought this book sounded cute, fun, and full of magic and I’m excited to report that it was exactly that! We follow Cordelia, who is from a very long line of Hatmakers. By the time she is born, people have been losing magic for some time, but not any of the Maker families. These families are the last to be permitted to Make, and Cordelia has been beyond ready to finally get started on her first hat. I loved watching the Hatmaker family work and use magical ingredients to create beautiful and magical hats for just about anyone… as long as the customers only plan to do good with it, of course!

I love that this book has a bit of mystery to it, allowing readers to follow along as Cordelia and her friends work to unravel a mystery that will affect everyone if they fail. As an adult, it was very easy to work out who was doing what right away, but that didn’t bother me. This is a book for young readers who will have a lot of fun picking up the clues and working to unravel the mystery themselves as Cordelia races against the clock. I know I would’ve loved this book as a young reader just as much as I love it now. It's got everything from mystery, friendships (including bumps in the friendship road), magic, and a lot of excitement. I would say the intended audience is between late elementary school and early middle school, but I think most people will enjoy the book regardless of age.

The cover art is absolutely stunning and is actually what caught my attention while browsing newish releases last month. There’s also some artwork featured in the book as well, which it enhances the story as well as bringing extra visuals when they appear. All in all, I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to seeing what the second installment brings to the table.

Always Human (Always Human #1) by Ari North

Always Human by Ari North
My Rating: ★★★

In a world where technology allows people to change their appearance, Sunati is used to changing her appearance often. Body modifications allow anything from a natural, realistic human appearance to wings, horns, and any kind of animal or fantasy features. When she first sees Austen, she quickly notices that she’s the rare person to go without mods. Once Sunati works up the courage to speak to Austen, she quickly learns that living without mods isn’t her choice. Instead, her overactive immune prevents her from living with any mods, making her always appear 100% human in a world where people can look any way they want.

I thought this story sounded interesting, so I picked it up and had absolutely no regrets. The artwork is absolutely stunning on top of it being a very cute and heartwarming story about two people falling in love and learning how to navigate relationships. Sunati is used to living with mods, which cover anything from body mods to mods that help with sleep, anxiety, memory, and so on. I’ve always thought this sci-fi concept was an interesting one, so it was neat to see it play out across this story with beautiful artwork that really brought it to life.

We follow the ups and downs of Sunati and Austen’s lives and relationships. While we see them in a variety of settings, we only get to know the two of them. We do meet some supporting characters, but it’s so brief that we hardly get to know any of them. There’s one flashback scene that shows Sunati and her best friend, which allows us to learn a little more about their friendship, but it was so out of place that it seemed like an extra that was randomly inserted at the last minute.

Overall, I think majority of the story is barely touches the surface. It’s mainly about the couple’s insecurities and how they learn to communicate with each other. Outside of that, there’s not a lot of character development. It’s mostly Sunati being a people pleaser and putting other people’s needs over her own and Austen being grumpy for one reason or another and trying to get Sunati to stop thinking she’s brave for living without mods.

That said, I think it’s a really cute story and the artwork is absolutely stunning. I wish there was a little more depth, but I can’t complain and would read this again.

Hide by Kiersten White

 
Hide by Kiersten White
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Orphaned and living in a shelter, Mack has nothing but a small bag of items to her name. She only wants to be invisible. Instead, she’s singled out and offered the chance of a lifetime: participate in a hide-and-seek competition for the chance to win $50k. The offer seems too good to be true, but what does Mack have to lose? It’s a question that comes back to haunt her when the competition begins to disappear rather than be eliminated. 

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started this book, but I knew it was bound to be crazy. It was hard to follow at first because there’s such a large cast of characters and we only got to know Mack before the main plot gets rolling. It honestly took me a while before I realized I had mixed two of the characters up, and one was eliminated shortly after we met him and the guy I thought was him.

That said, once I got the characters down, it was easy to tell each person apart before their names were mentioned. Each of them are so different from one another and brought something different to the table, so I wish we got to know some of the characters before the competition started. That said, I think it’s an excellent book. We follow several different perspectives, and it truly pulls the whole story together. It was interesting to follow the story from so many perspectives, especially when we jumped to the people who knew what was going on.

I do wish the seeker was revealed completely through the people in the old, closed theme park because it was a little anticlimactic for the main reveal to be vague through a series of journal entries. However, it didn’t ruin the story for me. I just think that the journal entries should’ve come into play after we saw the seeker in all their glory. It was actually quite a fascinating and scary concept that left me very close to being on the edge of my seat.

All in all, I think this was a very good read. I have two of Kiersten White’s books on my to-read list, and now I’m excited to check them out because this was such a good story.

The History of Tarot Art by Holly Adams Easley; Esther Joy Archer

 
The History of Tarot Art by Holly Adams Easley; Esther Joy Archer
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from the Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had been wondering how far back in history Tarot went along with what it originally looked like, but I hadn’t done the research to find the answers to my questions. Then I saw this book and knew I had to read it. If you’re a Tarot reader, be aware that you may come out of this book with some new decks sitting on your wishlist. I know I did!

In this book, you will find yourself learning about some of the most influential Tarot decks along with what is known about the creators, why the decks were made, and what inspired them. I found each of these chapters very interesting to read. If I still had my old art professor’s email, I would recommend this book if not gifting it to her because I think she’d love it. It’s also a perfect example of something she always taught: the era and context of a work’s creation is an important piece of learning about said work. I’m now looking at two decks differently after seeing the artwork from an older surviving deck. It certainly adds extra dimension and depth!

It was also interesting to learn how Tarot was once a card game back in the fifteenth century. I wonder how those who were playing that game back in the day would feel if they knew the journey it would eventually take. It was also interesting to see the surviving cards of decks from that time, especially when seeing them compared to one of the most popular decks. One of the most interesting things to see is how the styles changed over time and how decks started being created 

Now, this book only includes information that was verified. I like this because false information won’t be spread, even unintentionally. However, there is a section that covers some fake lore while specifying that the information at hand was false, who spread it, and why because it is an important piece of Tarot history. When this section comes up, it’s very clearly stated that the information spread by that person was completely false along with what their intentions were and why it was believed at the time.

All in all, this is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it even if you have zero interest in Tarot but have an interest in art and art history.

Mini Kawaii Doodle Class by Pic Candle; Zainab Khan

 
Mini Kawaii Doodle Class by Pic Candle; Zainab Khan
My Rating: ★★★★★

If you’re looking to upgrade your doodles or just have some fun with a doodle book, this is the book for you! I’ve read two other doodling books from this author, and they are absolutely adorable. I think they also introduce great drawing foundations to readers looking to get into drawing, especially kids who want to get a little more serious with their drawings and doodles.

One of my friends gifted me this book for Christmas, which was super exciting, because I love these books. On top of being cute and fun, they introduce drawing basics in a non-stressful way. There’s no pressure to get it right, which is why I think it’s perfect for kids. Plus, the art is adorable and fun for people of all ages and all skill levels.

As always, I love the coloring pages that double as a fun puzzle search in the air of Where’s Waldo? All in all, I highly recommend these books for anyone who likes to draw, and I think they make excellent gifts for kids. I also think it’s a great book for siblings to work on together or make it a family drawing night.

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook by Ashley Craft

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook by Ashley Craft

My Rating: ★★★★

In this wonderful book, Ashley Craft combines a little Disney history with delicious recipes inspired by the different parks. Before diving into the recipes, we learn a little bit about the different parks. From there, we are launched into the world of food as we dive into the many recipes featured throughout the book. Each recipe features a fun fact related to Disney or something fun about the recipe in general.

Personally, I found this book absolutely wonderful. Why did I never think to try my hand at making my own churros or funnel cake? I don’t know, but that’s one of my goals for the year now. I thought it was fun to learn when funnel cake originally came to be. It’s not something exciting for everyone to learn, nor was there much information on it, but I thought it was a fun little fact to learn about this popular item.

Each recipe is easy to read, follow, and adapt for personal tastes. There’s a list of cooking and baking utensils readers will need early in the book as well as alternatives when possible. I’m looking forward to making some of the recipes included and love that it’s a combination of hardy meals and baked goods. I’m really excited about some of the recipes because they sound delicious.

While I wish there were more pictures of each item, I do find this to be a wonderful book. I would imagine that including 100 photos to accompany the recipes would be quite an undertaking but giving readers a visual for every item would’ve been a great addition. All in all, I love the book and am excited to try some of the recipes.