Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I loved this book about witches (girls are brujas and boys are brujos), magic, and family. Taking place in Brooklyn, Alex does not want the magic that will be hers on her DeathDay ceremony and what she does to stop the magic is horrendous - she inadvertently banishes her family to LosLagos (a magical underworld). In order to get her family back, determined, confused Alex joins with bad boy brujo, Nova and her best friend, Rishi, entering the mysterious underworld and performs much magic trying to defeat the enemies who keep her family and many others prisoners. I loved the Latin American culture, gods and goddesses, and assorted creatures - I look forward to the 2nd book!

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My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG! What a terrifying sick read, my heart broke for Che, a nice, normal 17 yr old teen in a totally dysfunctional family, with the daily torment of psychopath sister, Rosa. Oh she is such a sinister character, but not many people see her evil (she is a cute 10 year old blonde with curls and a sweet smile) or believe Che. So Che has had to worry his whole life and try to circumvent Rosa without letting her see/know what he truly thinks/feels. Thankfully when Che, Rosa, Sally and David (they must call their rentals by their first names) Che meets his benefactors family and becomes friendly with Leilani and her little sister, Maya (they instantly dislike Rosa) while Rosa targets May's twin as her "best friend" and begins working out at the gym and meets Sojourner. I love Larbalestier's other books Liar & Razorhurst and would really love to see this book as a series! Totally creepy, teens will love this book.

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Dash of Peril (Love Undercover #4) by Lori Foster

Dash of Peril by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Dash meets Margaret Peterson, head of a police unit and hard as nail, what will happen as they work together to uncover corruption? I love the Love Undercover series by Lori Foster and this book did not disapppoint!

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My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am definitely going to read this series, I could not put this book down! Tracy Crosswhite is a thoroughly likable hard headed detective who has suffered (felt responsible) for the last twenty years about her sister's disappearance and murder. Even though Edmund House was convicted and is serving his sentence, Tracy still has questions that were not resolved during the trial. Dugoni's thriller was consuming; I read it in two days and am going to be reading the other books in this series. For a great mystery and detective story, this series fills the bill!

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Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an advance copy of Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp. I love mysteries and psychological thrillers; Nijkamp did not disappoint with this taut, compelling YA novel of two best friends living in a very small, creepy Alaskan town, Lost, that is not inviting to newcomers and shuns those who leave. After growing up in Lost, Corey moves to Fairbanks, a new school and life, when her mom accepts a better job but both Kyra and Corey promise to wait for each other. With Kyra’s unexpected death, Corey rushes back to Lost and through flashbacks, diary entries, letters, phone calls, and emails we see their close, enduring friendship and the town’s suffocating secrets and lies. Kyra’s storytelling and painting give the reader a rich history of Lost. The crippling grief and loss Corey feels over Kyra’s death is compounded by the town’s new worship of Kyra’s foretelling of the future in her paintings. But Lost never accepted Kyra with her bipolar diagnosis before, so what happened over the 7 months Corey was enjoying her new life in Fairbanks? Teens will not be able to put down this riveting mystery as Corey unceasingly searches for the truth from the town that now views her as a traitor. There were really no likable characters in this mesmerizing mystery but Corey’s steadfast quest for truth (she is guilty also) holds the reader captive from the first page to the last page, highly recommended!

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Getting Rowdy (Love Undercover #3) by Lori Foster

Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love getting my fill of romance novels & Lori Foster's series Love Undercover is one of my favorites. Rowdy Yates & Avery Mullins work together in his new bar and we all fall in love with their personalities and friends. Could not put this down!

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Hideous Love: The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein by Stephanie Hemphill

Hideous Love: The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein by Stephanie Hemphill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this historical fiction novel in verse about Gothic novelist, Mary Wollstencraft Shelley famous for writing, Frankenstein for my July twitter chat (books with unique formats) with #yearofya on 7/25 at 8PM EST. Stephanie Hemphill's novel in verse was both enlightening and exciting- Mary flees her unhappy life with her love, already married Percy Shelley (famed Romantic) poet and leaves her family horrified she would do such a thing. Mary's resilience, wit and all encompassing knowledge kept her by Percy's side as they wrote, read and discussed all matters with other famous writers of the time. But she was also hemmed in by the norms of the time - her novel did not bear her name, and later she was excluded from being a part of the literary circle she came to love. I loved all the material Stephanie Hemphill included at the end - Author Acknowledgments talked about Mary, gothic novels & the enduring nature of Frankenstein. A synopsis of the characters (Mary's family & community)in Hideous Love, A Time Line of Books by Mary Shelley, Suggested Further Reading. I think I am going to try to read Wicked Girls also for this chat, love the Salem Witch Trials!!!

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