Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo

 
Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from HarperCollins Children's Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Younwitty, a secret school of witchcraft, is getting everything ready for their Samhain celebrations. It’s the day that the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest, and it’s a spectacular day for the school and coven to celebrate all night long. When a student named Noreen goes missing, it weighs heavily on many of the students, especially Abby Younwitty. Noreen is the closest thing to family she’s ever had, and now she’s missing after going into the forbidden forest. Determined to find Noreen, Abby is willing to do anything she can to find her friend and bring her back safely, even if it means she’ll be kicked out of the coven.

I absolutely loved this book! We follow Abby, a witch senior foundling of Younwitty, and her familiar, Seymour. While she likes to sleep in and is often late getting to where she needs to go, no one can say she’s not 100% devoted to her friends. It’s why she’s willing to face getting kicked out of the coven if it means she did everything she could to find Noreen. I love Abby and Seymour and would love it if we got a second installment, but it appears that this will most likely be a stand alone book.

Other than Abby and her familiar, we also see a lot of her friends, Goldie and Enver. While they are both devoted friends, neither are willing to put their necks on the line when it looks like the investigation is way out of their league. We also frequently see Abby’s roommate, Violet, who strongly dislikes Abby. There’s also the school staff, which includes Goldie’s father and the strange groundskeeper who unintentionally spooks many of the students. One of the things that I love about the characters is that there is a lot of character growth throughout the story, especially for a few characters in particular. I also found that many of them were relatable in different ways, making them even more realistic.

I did find that there were some similarities to Harry Potter. There’s the forbidden forest that everyone is banned from stepping foot in, a groundskeeper that seemingly doesn’t like anyone, ghosts that will go out of their way to bother students if they are out after curfew, and a protagonist who is willing to stick their nose where it doesn’t seem to belong if it means it’ll help someone in addition to solving a mystery.

However, that’s where the similarities begin and end. The remainder of the book is different down to many of the characters with the surname Younwitty. These characters are each a foundling, which are magical people born to non-magical folks. Foundlings do not know their biological families, and because of this, Noreen Younwitty and all of Abby’s other friends are the only family that she’s ever had. It makes me sad that foundlings never got to know their biological family.

I’m curious to know how the process of being taken in by the coven and school goes, but it’s not information that we are given. This is where headcanon comes in, but I’d love it if we got another book set in the same world that covers this even if it meant we didn’t follow Abby and her friends again. All in all, this was a wonderful read, and I’m excited to check out more of Sweeney Boo’s books in the future.

Crumbs by Danie Stirling

 
Crumbs by Danie Stirling
My Rating: ★★★★

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

Ray is a young seer who has struggled with her rare abilities. Rather than being able to see the future, she can see the present, which is a rarity among fellow seers. On the fence with her career trajectory, Ray frequents her local bakery to see her crush, Laurie, and order tea and some tasty baked goods infused with romance. As a seer, nothing is a surprise, but it is for Ray when she finally speaks to her crush. Everything turns out to be a surprise as their romance blossoms, even as Ray’s abilities begin to expand to see the future. Unfortunately for them, the ups and downs are a surprise for both, especially as Laurie struggles with trying to make it as a musician.

This book is absolutely wonderful. We follow Ray, who is a seer in a world full of magic. There’s a touch of magic everywhere down to each character’s phone. It made me wish I had a cool phone just like the characters! Speaking of the characters, I think there was only one character that I disliked, but I believe we were meant to dislike them. The rest are wonderful, and that includes the characters who had very small parts in the story.

One of the things I liked about the book is that Ray and Laurie’s romance was still presented in a realistic way. Ray found a way for Laurie to gain some privacy from her abilities, which allowed us to see what Laurie’s friends and ex meant when talking about the downfalls of their personality. I did find that I didn’t like Laurie as much as I initially did once we got to know them because they seemed very superficial in their relationships, whether romantic or platonic. That said, I did like how Ray and Laurie overcame their hardships.

The artwork is absolutely stunning. It’s so vibrant and really brings the characters and the world they live in to life. After reading this and being in awe at the beautiful artwork, I’m looking forward to seeing what Danie Stirling publishes in the future.

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

 
A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genevieve Timmons is a spiritualist who provides peace for the mourning people who call on her. Her side business? Robbing the people who call on her so that she can keep herself afloat. When Genevieve’s luck finally runs out, she’s caught red handed as she tries to flee her latest job and finds herself in jail waiting for the gallows. Thankfully, a dying lawyer has offered her freedom in exchange for duping a mourning man into believing his late fiancée is at peace. The only problem is that Mr. Pemberton knows she can’t speak to the spirits, but he does strike a separate deal with her. If Genevieve uses her séance to guilt the person who killed his late fiancée to come clean, he won’t have her arrested for trying to steal from his home.

When I picked up this book, I was not expecting the wild ride that I was in for. We follow Genevieve, a spiritualist who learned everything she knows from her late mother. Spiritualism is hard to get by on, so she’s resorted to stealing so that she isn’t forced to become a lady of the night under her landlord. Watching her unravel a murder mystery at Mr. Pemberton’s seems like it’d be a pretty clear case at first, but that is not the case at all. I had some theories that were totally wrong, but was it fun? Absolutely!

There’s a diary entry from the late Audry between each chapter, which gives us a glimpse into her life. Genevieve believes that Audry killed herself the night before the wedding, and she’s not the only one who thinks that. However, Mr. Pemberton and others believe that she was murdered. I was with Genevieve at first, but the longer that I read the book, the more questions arose and it became clear that not everything was as it appeared. My theories on the matter weren’t on the right track, but when everything was revealed, it certainly made a lot of sense.

One of my favorite parts of the book is watching Genevieve battle with herself about whether or not ghosts are real. At first, it appears that someone is purposely trying to spook her, but then she starts to question if Audry’s spirit is actually trying to contact her. It was so much fun to watch her go back and forth as she faced the possibility that she may be making contact with a spirit for the first time despite not believing in the possibility.

While the plot is a wild read, there are quite a few characters and different plots. Other than Genevieve and Mr. Pembrum, there’s several characters who pop in and out. One of my favorites is Flora, who is a cheerful and naïve member of the staff that Genevieve cozies up to. Through her, we learn a lot of facts as well as the most recent gossip as it happens. There’s also a couple romance plots, and one is a very slow burn that’s not obvious until the pair continue to get to know each other.

All in all, it was a wonderful read and it makes me excited to check out the author’s other works.

The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 8 by Kousuke Satake

 
The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 8 by Kousuke Satake
My Rating: ★★★★★

Ashaf and Guideu’s adventures in a world different from their own wrap up in this crazy, revenge fueled volume. Will the pair find their trip to this world worth their while, or will they barely make it out alive?

This volume is so action packed that it was hard for me to put it down rather than reading it all in one go. I just wanted to see what was going to happen next! We finally got some more backstory on Dunward, which blew me away. How tragic! I wish we got to learn more backstory beforehand, but I understand why it was barely revealed now. It was a truly explosive reveal that would’ve had a different impact if it had been revealed sooner. Now I completely understand Dunwards obsession with taking down the Queen of the Night.

There are some other revelations that will impact how the story continues and I’m excited to see where it goes. Will we see Dunward and company again? Possibly. I don’t know if Ashaf and Guideu will decide if their trip was worth the trouble, but I do think the information they found is valuable in unexpected ways. I’m very excited about the follow up volume and can’t wait to read it.

The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 7 by Kousuke Satake

 
The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 7 by Kousuke Satake
My Rating: ★★★★

Guideu and Ashaf’s adventures in a world they are not familiar with takes a crazy turn after they are forced to rely on vampires to find who they are looking for. Can they trust the gruff and secretive vampire, Dunward, or anyone in this mysterious place? It’s a question that keeps crossing their minds as they have dinner with the Bridge, a mediator who allegedly stays neutral, so they can find the Queen of the Night.

While I was disappointed with the previous volume, I’m extremely happy that the slowness and all the worldbuilding it contained paid off because this volume hit the ground running. Fast. This time around, we learn more about vampires and exactly how broken up their factions as the characters learn about it. We also got a little more of a glimpse at the relationship between Guideu and Ashaf, which hints at there being a lot more trust between them as partners then either let on toward each other.

So many interesting to crazy things occurred in this volume that talking too much about it would lead to spoilers, but phew. It certainly hit the ground running! I’m excited to read the next volume and see where we find Guideu and Ashaf next. The world they’re visiting is certainly an interesting and deadly one. It’ll be interesting to see exactly how things unfold and how much more about this world and the people who inhabit it along the way.

The Everything Nut Allergy Cookbook: 200 Easy Tree Nut– and Peanut-Free Recipes for Every Meal by Lisa Horne

 

The Everything Nut Allergy Cookbook: 200 Easy Tree Nut– and Peanut-Free Recipes for Every Meal by Lisa Horne
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Adams Media through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone with food allergies, especially any one of the top nine major food allergies, knows that a lot of places and brands are not things we can eat. If the items don’t directly use the allergen, they are manufactured with them, and it is sad times. I developed food allergies in my mid-20s and the first year of allergy life was definitely an experience. I couldn’t believe how many things are manufactured with peanuts as well as how many restaurants had cross contamination with peanuts. This isn’t even including the places I vowed to never eat at after speaking to managers and cooks who didn’t make the connection between peanuts and peanut products (peanut oil, peanut butter, etc.)!

While adapting recipes to not include my allergens is easy, it’s just really nice to pick up a book that is allergy friendly. One of the things that I like about this book is that it addresses allergies to readers who have allergies as well as readers who don’t have allergies but are related to or friends with someone who does. There’s information on the difference between food allergies and intolerances as well as keeping an allergy free kitchen space. There’s also a quick guide on allergy substitutes for nuts, diary, flour, and soy sauce. The recipes also let you know if the recipe includes any of the top nine allergens before you get into the recipe itself. I instantly knew this was going to be a great cookbook!

So many of the recipes look and sound absolutely delicious. I wasn’t hungry every time I picked this book up, but I was sure hungry when I put it down. I recognized many recipes, but I also found new recipes that I want to try out. I’m most excited about the coffee cake recipe just because that’s one of my favorite things that I haven’t had for a long time, even before I developed food allergies. I’m extremely excited to make several of the recipes included and even found some things my younger brother will like that don’t have dairy in it, or even dairy substitutes, since he is dairy intolerant and has issues with some dairy substitutes.

All in all, this is a wonderful book that is great to have on hand.

The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1) by Graci Kim

 
The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim

My Rating: ★★★★★

Riley Oh has grown up learning about magic and an entire magical and fantastical world the average person has no idea about. The only problem is that she’ll never be able to practice that magic herself. You see, she’s a non-magical person adopted by a magical family, so she’s grown up watching while being unable to practice herself. Everything is about to change now that she and her sister, Hattie, have learned that they can share Hattie’s magic with the help of a spell. Riley will no longer be the odd one out with bullies calling her a fake witch. When things go wrong, Hattie is left near death, and it’s up to Riley to embark on a quest to find a lost magical artifact: a fallen star. Armed with her best friend, Riley has no idea what she’s doing, but what she does know is that she’s determined to make sure Hattie survives this.

I knew I was going to love this book, but I didn’t know how much I was going to actually love it and phew. I was in for an amazing ride! We follow Riley, who has always felt like an outcast. She never fit in the magical community, and she never quite fit in the non-magical community. All Riley has ever wanted, above all, was to be accepted. That’s something most people can relate to, especially younger readers. During her adventures, she truly learns who she is, what she’s capable of, and what’s most important to her.

I loved following Riley as she traveled around the magical and non-magical world. One of my favorite parts, other than all the strong family bonds, was when she learned that not everything is always what it seems to be. I grew up hearing that there were always three sides to a story: what both parties involved thought happened, and what actually happened. Riley and company got to see this play out as they learned that there was what the excommunicated clan thought happened, what the other clans thought happened, and then what really happened.

It was also great to see Riley learn that there’s also more than what we see on the surface. She has one person who is particularly mean to her, and somewhere along the way, she learns more about this character. Riley sees that there’s a lot more to this character and that Riley, for whatever reason, is just the person they took their anger out on. Granted, it’s not right, and even Riley questions why she was targeted, but it’s great to see someone who appeared to just be a very minor side character receive such character development.

It’s also wonderful to see Korean culture and mythology be so present from beginning to end. While I’m not Korean, I know that many readers are going to be excited to see their culture and characters who represent them go on such an amazing adventure. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes, and I know it’s going to be an amazing one.