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Title: Midnight Blue-Light Special (InCryptid #2)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 338 pages
Date read: April 2025

The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...

But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.

Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done.


It took a bit to get going, but once it did, I really enjoyed it. I found the struggles against the covenant a lot more interesting than the hunt for the dragon in the first book, and appreciated Dominic's struggles between his upbringing and his new-found beliefs. I also really enjoyed that we got a few chapters from Sarah's POV :-D She's probably my favourite character next to Verity.

The books are fairly self-contained, so I don't know that I'll run out to get the next one, but I'll definitely read it if I come across it.
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Title: Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea
Author: Cressida McLaughlin
Genre: Christmas, chick-lit
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs
Date read: December, 2024

All Meredith Verren has ever wanted is to escape the holiday season without having to wear a Christmas jumper. Her new job at the cosy gift shop in a picturesque Cornish tourist spot is making it impossible for her to maintain her scrooge-like manner.

With their seasonal hampers on everyone’s wish list, Meredith must paste on a smile and fake some holiday cheer. Then she meets handsome new arrival, Finn, who wishes it could be Christmas every day and wants her to feel the same way too.

Can she embrace the holly and the ivy before the decorations are packed away for another year?


Despite apparently being the 5th book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel - I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, so I think it's more a case of them being companion novels than an actual series.

It ended up being a very enjoyable Christmas romance - and for once pretty 50/50 on the "Christmas" and the "romance" part. The romance was believable, and the conflict not as much of a nuisance as it could have been. Meredith and Finn actually communicated most of the time, which made for a refreshing change!
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Title: The Housemaid
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 329
Date read: July, 2024

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of...


A 2.5 star review. I thought it better than just "ok" (which is goodreads' translation of 2 stars), but definitely wouldn't go so far as to say I liked it. It was very well written, and impossible to put down - but made for a VERY unpleasant read! Kinda like "Behind Closed Doors" by B.A. Paris, actually.

I was fascinated during the first half - really couldn't figure out what was going on, and why Nina was blowing hot and cold the way she was. When the twist finally came? I had NOT seen it coming, even though I definitely should have. There were hints enough, if I had been smart enough to catch them.

But unfortunately the second half was deeply unpleasant to read. Still well written, but that doesn't make up for such a frustrating read. So I won't be reading any more in this series, and will probably eventually get rid of my physical copy of this book too.
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Title: You'll Be the Death of Me
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: YA, Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 326
Date read: May 2023

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Back in middle school they were best friends. So, when Cal pulls into campus late for class, and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They'll ditch school and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Why did they stop hanging out, anyway?

As soon as they pull out of the parking lot Cal knows why. Ivy's already freaking out about missing class, and heartthrob Mateo is asleep in the backseat, too cool to even pretend like he wants to be there. The truth is they have nothing in common anymore.

At least they don't until they run into the fourth student ditching school that day. Brian "Boney" Mahoney is supposed to be accepting his newly won office of class president. Which is why Ivy follows him into an empty building, only to walk into the middle of a murder scene. Cal, Ivy, and Mateo all know the person lying on the ground of that building, and now they need to come clean. They're all hiding something. And maybe their chance reconnection wasn't by chance after all.


Most of the plot of this book took place over the course of a day, which I thought was an interesting change from the other books I've read by Karen M. McManus. I did find it highly unrealistic in places, but it stayed reasonably true to its own universe, so it didn't bother me as much as it would have otherwise.

I liked how the relationships between Ivy, Mateo and Cal evolved and changed through the day, and appreciated how realistic they felt. Sometimes people do rotten things - sometimes those things can be forgiven.
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Title: Two Can Keep a Secret
Author: Karen McManus
Genre: YA suspense
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 327
Date read: October, 2022

Ellery's never been to Echo Ridge, but she's heard all about it. It's where her aunt went missing at age sixteen, never to return. Where a Homecoming Queen's murder five years ago made national news. And where Ellery now has to live with a grandmother she barely knows, after her failed-actress mother lands in rehab. No one knows what happened to either girl, and Ellery's family is still haunted by their loss.
Malcolm grew up in the shadow of the Homecoming Queen's death. His older brother was the prime suspect and left Echo Ridge in disgrace. His mother's remarriage vaulted her and Malcolm into Echo Ridge's upper crust, but their new status grows shaky when mysterious threats around town hint that a killer plans to strike again. No one has forgotten Malcolm's brother-and nobody trusts him when he suddenly returns to town.

Ellery and Malcolm both know it's hard to let go when you don't have closure. Then another girl disappears, and Ellery and Malcolm were the last people to see her alive. As they race to unravel what happened, they realize every secret has layers in Echo Ridge. The truth might be closer to home than either of them want to believe.

And somebody would kill to keep it hidden.


Not quite as good as the "One of Us is Lying" books, but very close! Same style and it totally lived up to my expectations of being unputdownable (and thus a good book for a readathon). I felt, perhaps, it was somewhat less believable than the other books, which is why I didn't find it quite as good, but it's hard to make YA suspense believable at the best of times, so I'm willing to give it a bit more leeway.

But that final line!!! *gasp* Worth an extra star by itself.
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Title: Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 150
Date read: October, 2022

Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you've already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn't as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn't save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming


Not the best in the series, as I felt it was very slow to get started. I felt like it was just treading water until after Cora had been at Whitethorn for awhile. Once it did get properly started I really enjoyed it though. I actually rather liked that most of the action took place "here", rather than behind a Door.
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Title: One of Us is Next (One of Us is Lying #2)
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: YA, suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 374
Date read: July, 2022

It is a year after the action of One of Us Is Lying, and someone has started playing a game of Truth or Dare.

But this is no ordinary Truth or Dare. This game is lethal. Choosing the truth may reveal your darkest secrets, accepting the dare could be dangerous, even deadly.

The teenagers of Bayview must work together once again to find the culprit, before it's too late . . .


Started this on my way to work yesterday and finished it before I went to bed. It was absolutely unputdownable and every bit as much of a page turner as the first book in the series. Most of the characters rang true, and I loved reading about the different relationships ebb and flow, change and grow. (And almost cried when Maeve... but that's a spoiler, so I'll leave it there).

But any full review will have to include a spoiler-tag, because Read more... )

Will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series!
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Title: Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 174
Date read: April, 2022

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…


While I've (so far) enjoyed all the books in this series, this is definitely one of my favourites. It is very much a companion novel, as we don't get to meet the other Wayward Children at all, but I'm certain that we'll hear more about Regan in future books. She's adorable, and I loved her way of showing trust to and making friends of pretty much everybody she met.

As always, it ended very abruptly, but that seems to be par for the course in this series.
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Title: One of Us is Lying
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 360
Date read: March, 2022

What happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive? Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.


I've been wanting to read this for several years, and with good reason as it turned out. I could not put it down and just wanted to know both what happened next, and the reason why everything was happening.

Fortunately it did not disappoint. Karen McManus managed to keep me guessing until the very end, while still providing a believable and satisfying conclusion to everything. I'm not usually a fan of the unreliable narrator writing style, but thanks to the nature of the book (and the characters) it totally worked here.

The characters have been compared to those from "The Breakfast Club", and I totally get that. There are definitely shades of some of them (Bender especially), but I think they did a better job of bending stereotypes here - although that's probably because the plot was stretched out over more than just a Saturday.

I did have a few issues here and there, which pulled the rating down a notch, but I still really liked it, and will definitely be looking into more books by this author.
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Title: One Last Stop
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre: LGBTQ+
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 418
Date read: December, 2021

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.


This book had two things going against it from the very beginning: 1. It came very highly recommended. 2. I absolutely loved the last book I read by Casey McQuiston ("Red, White and Royal Blue"). Unfortunately, these things combined meant that it couldn't quite live up to my expectations, and thus it took me over a month to finish it. I didn't dislike it, I just found it way too easy to put it down and not pick it back up again for ages.

I think my main problem was that though I loved the concept, I never really got to care for the characters. Not quite why, because they had everything going for them that usually makes me love characters, but it did mean that I wasn't all that invested in the outcome.

Ah well :-/
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Title: Last Night (a.k.a. Just Last Night)
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 406
Date read: October, 2021

Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday pub trivia night is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.

But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.

In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction...


An absolute gorgeous description of friendship and grief. I cried buckets, but while it was sad, it wasn't depressing. I loved the friendships described between Eve, Susie, Justin and Ed, and how they were friendships with room for disagreements and fights.

I also enjoyed reading about the trip to Edinburgh (especially as I recognized many of the places from my own visit), and how Finlay was slowly pulled out of his shell, as Finlay and Eve both realized that their preconceived notions about each other were perhaps not as accurate as first expected.

I really do wish that Mhairi McFarlane had stuck to making this a book about friendships with their ups and downs though. But the rest is a spoiler... )
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Title: If I Never Met You
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 432
Date read: May, 2021

If faking love is this easy... how do you know when it’s real?

When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.

Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend...


I liked the first book I read by Mhairi McFarlane - I LOVED this one. Even though it was a lot more predictable, I just have to admit that I'm a huge fan of the fake-dating trope. Especially when it is done as well as it was here.

My heart broke for Laurie during the setup of the plot, but I loved seeing her come into herself, and play to her strengths, instead of letting others play to her weaknesses. I was kinda worried how the main conflict would be brought about, but it was less contrived than I had feared, and more easily resolved, so that was a huge plus. I really, really, really appreciate that McFarlane doesn't allow her characters to wallow in angst for too long, but have them actually communicate! A+.

My one complaint was that I think the end came too quickly. Would have liked to see just a chapter or two of "what came next" - especially at work.

And again, I loved how the characters were written, and how McFarlane explored the various relationships - both familiar, friendly and romantic.

(Oh, and I LOVED Hattie! More of her, please :D)
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Title: Don't You Forget About Me
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 433 pages
Date read: May, 2021

If there’s one thing worse than being fired from the grottiest restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else.

Reeling from the indignity of a double dumping on the same day, Georgina snatches at the next job that she’s offered – barmaid in a newly opened pub, which just so happens to run by the boy she fell in love with at school: Lucas McCarthy. And whereas Georgina (voted Most Likely to Succeed in her school yearbook) has done nothing but dead-end jobs in the last twelve years, Lucas has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but also has turned into an actual grown-up with a business and a dog along the way.

Meeting Lucas again not only throws Georgina’s rackety present into sharp relief, but also brings a dark secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows the truth about what happened on the last day of school, and why she’s allowed it to chase her all these years…


Very fun and satisfying read. Definite chick-lit, but with polished enough characters to not make it complete fluff. I loved seeing Georgina stand up for herself and grow a spine, and really enjoyed seeing how her relationship with her sister evolved.
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Title: Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children #5)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 206
Date read: April 2021

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister--whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice--back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.


I was glad to see this book once again focus on all the Wayward Children instead of just one or two. However, the Moors will never be my favourite place to visit, so that made me subtract a star.

Otherwise this was basically exactly what I have come to expect from the Wayward Children series, and only made me more eager to read Christopher and Kade's stories.
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Title: Reflections (Indexing #2)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook, ~12hrs
Date read: February, 2021

The struggle against not-so-charming storybook narratives isn’t the only complicating factor in Henrietta “Henry” Marchen’s life. As part of the ATI Management Bureau team protecting the world from fairy tales gone awry, she’s juggling her unwanted new status as a Snow White, dealing with a potentially dangerous Pied Piper, and wrangling a most troublesome wicked stepsister—along with a budding relationship with Jeff, her teammate.

But when a twisted, vicious Cinderella breaks out of prison and wreaks havoc, things go from disenchanted to deadly. And once Henry realizes someone is trying to use her to destroy the world, her story becomes far from over—and this one might not have a happily ever after.


I think I possibly liked this one a tiny bit better than the first book in the series... possibly because I knew what to expect this time ;-) I love all the reminders of fairy tales I haven't read in literally decades, and the hints Seanan McGuire throws at the reader along the way.

Sloane is definitely my favourite character (yes, even more than Henrietta), and I really appreciated the additional insight we got into her background story this time around.
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Title: Dying with Her Cheer Pants On
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Horror, paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 290
Date read: November 2020

Despite its humble origins, there is no more challenging or physically dangerous teen sport in the world than cheerleading. Cheerleaders are seriously injured and even killed at a higher rate than other high school sports. Their stunts are performed in skimpy uniforms without the benefit of proper safety equipment…and yet they love them, glittery eyeshadow, spirit bows, and all.

And then there are the Fighting Pumpkins, who take that injury rate as a challenge. Students of Johnson’s Crossing High School, they answer to a higher calling than the pyramid and the basket toss, pursuing the pep rally that is rising up against mysteries and monsters, kicking gods with the pointed toes of professional athletes chasing a collegiate career.

Meet Jude, half-vampire squad leader; Laurie, who can compel anyone to do as she asks; Heather, occasionally recreationally dead; Marti, strong enough to provide a foundation for any stunt; Colleen, who knows the rule book so well she may as well have written it; and Steph, who may or may not be the goddess of the harvest. The rest of the squad is ready to support them, and braced for the chaos of the big game, which may have a big body count. Prepare to jump high, yell loud, and look pretty with the Fighting Pumpkins, those glorious girls in the orange and green, whose high kicks could still be enough to save the world.

And if they’re not, it isn’t going to be for lack of trying.



A collection of related short stories all focusing on the cheer team, the Fighting Pumpkins.

Basically "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" if Buffy was a cheerleader and the vampires were various aliens, zombies and monsters instead. I really liked it, and though I'm not usually into short stories, I will always make an exception when it comes to may favourite authors.
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Title: Red, White and Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre: YA, LGBTQ
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~12hrs
Date read: August 2020

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?


Really cute :-D It's a great mix of friendship, romance, coming-of-age and finding your own place in the world. I really enjoyed seeing Alex' and Henry's friendship grow organically and how they each brought their friends and siblings along, to create a larger, harmonious group. I really appreciated that the relationship here was not interrupted by a misunderstanding that could have been prevented by simple communication. That is a trope far too prevalent in YA, and I was glad not to see it happen here.

I also enjoyed seeing this "behind the stages" view of politics and royalty, even though I have absolutely no doubts that that part is 100% made up and not based on any personal experience :-P
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Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #3)
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 186
Date read: July 2019

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.


So far the weakest of the Wayward Children books, but I still really liked it - even if I now do feel the urge to reread "Every Heart a Doorway" to remind myself what happened "next" to Jack and Jill.

It is a LOT darker than the other books in the series - but due to the nature of the Moors (no pun intended) it really couldn't be anything else. I mean... there's even a character CALLED "Dr. Bleak"!
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Title: Middlegame
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Sci-fi, Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~17hrs
Date read: June, 2019

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.


A bit slow to start, and I had to listen to the first bit twice as my mind kept wandering, but once I got past that, and we got to meet Doger and Roger as kids, I was hooked.

I wish we had got to see more of them being happy together though. I realize conflict was needed to set the plot in motion, but still. I really loved how they interacted, and loved seeing them together, propping each other up, supporting each other and behaving like the siblings they didn't know they were. I hope they got to enjoy more of that, after the book finished.

It's not my favourite Seanan McGuire, but I did end up loving it. And it's a stand-alone novel, which is rare.
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Title: Indexing
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~12hrs
Date read: April, 2019

“Never underestimate the power of a good story.”
Good advice...especially when a story can kill you.

For most people, the story of their lives is just that: the accumulation of time, encounters, and actions into a cohesive whole. But for an unfortunate few, that day-to-day existence is affected—perhaps infected is a better word—by memetic incursion: where fairy tale narratives become reality, often with disastrous results.

That's where the ATI Management Bureau steps in, an organization tasked with protecting the world from fairy tales, even while most of their agents are struggling to keep their own fantastic archetypes from taking over their lives. When you're dealing with storybook narratives in the real world, it doesn't matter if you're Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or the Wicked Queen: no one gets a happily ever after.


I can always count on Seanan McGuire to make me uncomfortable about things I hadn't originally thought about.... first mermaids and now innocuous-looking fairytales!! I will never look at Mum's fairytale collection the same ever again, that's for sure!

That said, as a whole the book couldn't quite live up to my expectations. It was a good read and I greatly enjoyed it, but I've almost come to expect Seanan McGuire to blow me away by now, and that didn't quite happen here. At the end of the day I liked it - but I didn't love it.

... still fully expect to read the sequel though!

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