Author Archives: wingedcreature

Book Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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Book: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Published September 2020 by Margaret K. Elderberry Books|501 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: Legendborn #1

Genre: YA Contemporary/Re-Telling

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

I really liked Legendborn!  I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about it at first,  but I’m glad I kept reading.

I’m not sure why, but at first, I didn’t particularly like this book.  I struggled to get through it, at least in the beginning.  It’s why it took me so long to finish Legendborn.  But I’m glad I did because I ended up really liking it and needing to know what happened next.

I really felt for Bree- she has so much grief to work through, and at such a young age.  And when we find out what happened to her mom, and why…that really broke my heart, because she’ll never have more time with her mom.  She has a grandmother she’ll never meet, and the reason makes sense, once we know about it.  But that doesn’t take away from the fact that she lost her mom, who lost her mom, and so on.

Honestly, I was surprised when the magical war started.  I mean, I knew it was coming, because how else were things going to go?  But it happened in a way I wasn’t expecting.  It makes me curious to see how things are going to go, but it looks like they were wrong this whole about the different knights and bloodlines.  At least a little, and I want to know how they’re going to deal with it in the next book.  Especially since it became clear that Bree was not who they expected to be involved with things.

I really liked this take on King Arthur.  It’s so different, but it also makes so much sense!  If this world were real, I could see something like this happening.  Or at least, this being how King Arthur is still with us today.  Maybe not these exact circumstances, of course, but something like it.  I’d love to see how all of this fits in with history, and if this secret society randomly popped up in things like the Civil War or the American Revolution.  I feel like something like that was mentioned, but I honestly can’t remember it, so I could be wrong.  But something about that idea feels really familiar.

4 stars.  I really liked Legendborn, and think it’s a book everyone should read!  Especially if you like King Arthur re-tellings.

Book Review: Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh

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Book: Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Published February 2021 by Berkley|384 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Thriller

In this gripping thriller set in New Zealand, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes you into the twisted world of an exclusive cul-de-sac located on the edge of a sprawling forest.

My mother vanished ten years ago.
So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.
Thief. Bitch. Criminal.
Now, she’s back.
Her bones clothed in scarlet silk.

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.

But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago.

Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance…but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

I did not like this book as much as I thought I would.

I’ve really enjoyed her Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, and thought I’d give some of her other books a try.  I was confused for pretty much the whole book, and was really close to not even finishing it.  But I decided to keep reading, just so I’d know what happened to Aarav’s mom.

I had trouble keeping track of who was who, and how they were connected to each other and to Aarav.  There were a lot of characters in this book, and even after finishing, I couldn’t begin to tell you who the characters were and how they were all related.

It’s a pretty complex case, what happened to Nina Rai.  It was a surprise to see why she disappeared and who had a hand in her disappearance.  And for her to be so close, but no one knowing about it for a solid decade…that doesn’t surprise me, that she wasn’t far from home, but the person involved was not the person I expected.

I think what made this book hard to get through is how confused and unreliable Aarav is.  He has a lot of issues, and some memory issues on top of that.  Maybe that’s why the book seemed so confusing to me- because Aarav had his own issues he was dealing with.  Some of it is explained, but there’s a lot he doesn’t remember.  The story was repetitive at times, and it would have been nice to get outside of his head a little bit.  Just to see what other people think happened, you know?

At any rate, I think I prefer her romances- I just wasn’t thrilled with this book, and I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and what was going on.

1 star.  I really wanted to like this one, but I struggled to get through it.

Book Review: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

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Book: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Published June 2020 by Tor Teen|288 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: A Song Below Water #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

I liked this one!  Not as much as I wanted to, and it took some time for me to get into it.

I struggled with this one, especially at first.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got to follow both Effie and Tavia, and how much they needed each other.  But I found Effie’s story particularly confusing at first, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why she was living with Tavia.  It didn’t make sense to me initially, though it became much more clear in the end.

I hated how people saw sirens, and how just the possibility that someone was a siren meant they deserved what happened to them.  It’s something we see throughout the book, and it made me both sad and angry to see how people were treated because of it.  It made me think of the Salem Witch Trials, but I’m sure there are a lot of comparisons/parallels you could draw.

I don’t blame Tavia for trying to remain silent and not give herself away.  We really see her struggle with that, and how her dad in particular worries about her and what will happen if people find out that she’s a siren.  You see that people are scared of others using their voice, and do whatever they can to make sure that people aren’t using their voice.  I hate that this is a world that Tavia lives in, and I especially hate that this is something we see in our current world.  Morrow does a really good job at combining racial injustice and police brutality with fantasy elements.

I love the take on sirens, though, and I love this alternate Portland.  It’s a world where sirens are real, and I can’t help but wonder what other mythological creatures are real, considering sprites and gorgons are mentioned, and we have sirens.  We get a little bit of the unique history in this book, and it makes me want to know more, because I really liked what we saw in this book.  Hopefully, we’ll get more in the next book.  Even though I know it won’t be as much as I probably want to know, I’ll take what I can get, and I’m curious to see what happens next for Tavia and Effie.

They just want to be themselves and not hide who they are.  They’re tired of hiding and hurting and want to be accepted for who they are.  They were there for each other, and did what they could to protect each other while trying to be themselves in a world that wants them to be different.  They’re trying to be themselves in a world that doesn’t accept people for who they are, and they, together, learn to be themselves in a world that hates differences and people being themselves and speaking up.

3 stars.  There are some things I really liked and even loved, but I definitely had a hard time getting into this book at first.

Audio Book Review: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

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Book: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

Published January 2017 by HighBridge|Run Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Where I Got It: I own the audio book

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction

Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of cultures and generations. In “A Temporary Matter,” published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth, while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.

Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.

I liked Interpreter Of Maladies!  It was an interesting read, and I’m glad I listened to it.

So, Interpreter Of Maladies is several short stories.  Unfortunately, some ended up being background noise that I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to, but I did like the ones that weren’t background noise!  I really liked the last story, and how important the lady was to the boarder.  She seemed like quite the old lady, with a really long life.  It was nice to see how she was remembered, and the impression she made on him.  I really wish I remembered names of the characters, but sadly, I don’t.

There was a common thread of how the characters adapted to life in the U.S.  They all settled around Boston, and had a range of experiences- from missing India, to settling in a new country, to keeping secrets, and making new connections.  I can’t help but wonder if they ever crossed paths and never knew it.  It’s possible they did, and I either missed it or it was never mentioned in the stories.  Either way, they also had their own lives and worries, and each story was a glimpse into the lives of professors and doctors.

It’s definitely worth reading!  I know I missed parts of this book, and maybe audio wasn’t the best choice, but maybe one day, I’ll revisit it in print for a different kind of reading experience.

Matilda Novak did a good job narrating.  There was something very soothing about her voice, and maybe that’s why I had a hard time focusing at times.  O maybe I just picked the wrong book to listen to this weekend.  Either way, it was nice listening to her.

3 stars.  I liked it, and the narrator was really good!  But I had a hard time paying attention to some of the stories, so I’m a little fuzzy on what happened to some of them.

Book Review: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

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Book: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Published June 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books|336 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. Debut author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity—perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Julie Murphy.

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

I really liked I’ll Be The Only One!  It’s cute and heartwarming and Skye is just awesome.

I loved Skye and thought she was a great character.  I really felt for her, and people are terrible, particularly one of the judges in the competition.  She clearly has a lot of talent, but it’s like that’s not important because of her looks.  Some people on social media are terrible, of course, but there’s a lot of support for her, and she’s determined to make it.  Not just for herself but for the people who feel like they’re not good enough.

Her mom was so frustrating!  I get why she acts that way, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay to treat Skye the way she does.  Skye does talk to her about it, and hopefully, her mom will realize that Skye is wonderful just the way she is.  And be more supportive.  I just want them to have a more healthy relationship, if her mom is willing and able to change her behavior, and if that’s what Skye wants.  It just goes to show how fraught mother/daughter relationships can be, especially in a world where Skye wants to be a K-pop star.

At least her friends and dad are great.  I wish we saw more of her dad, but he was really supportive, and tried to explain why her mom acted the way she did.  Her friends were great too, both her friends from school, and the friends she made along the way.  I loved the support she had, and she has a great group of people around her.  She’s going to need it!

The competition was cutthroat, but not as much as I thought it would be.  Then again, it’s a book, so there’s only so much you can see on page.  I’d love to see this as a movie or t.v. show, because it would work really, really well on screen.  One can only hope!

Also, I wouldn’t mind a sequel.  Just to see how she’s doing in Korea, as a trainee.  And to see how things go with her mom and with Henry.  It’s not often I want a sequel, but Skye was amazing, and I want to follow her on her K-pop journey.

4 stars.  Skye was awesome and I loved how she accepted herself, and was determined to go for what she wants.

School Update!

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It’s been ages since I’ve done a school update, and thought it was time to talk about what’s been keeping me so busy!

First, I thought I’d recap the fall semester!

I had an astronomy class, which was really fun!  Science is cool, but not my strong suit.  Still, I enjoyed the class because there were a lot of random assignments where I had to look stuff up, and some questions to answer.  The professor was super involved, and checked in with us a lot.  It was really obvious that she wanted us to do well, and gave us a lot of different resources throughout the semester.  It was really easy to get an A in this class.

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Anatomy And Physiology.  This was in the medical assistant department, though there is a similar class in the biology department.

I really wish I had taken the biology one, because this class was terrible.  The material itself was fun, but really dense.  It was also a lot of information.  The professor wasn’t involved in the class at all- other then a few announcements at the beginning and end of the semester, there was nary a peep from him.  The tests were pretty strange too.  Answers were in a strange order.

You’d have something like this:

  • A.  All Of The Above
  • B.  Answer
  • C.  A And C
  • D.  Answer

Or this:

  • False
  • True

Or you’d see the same question twice in a row- as in the exact same question, but 4 choices for the first and 5 for the second.  Or true/false and then false/true.  And there would be a lot of detailed questions about diseases, which were talked about in the book, but the book was more of an overview since this was a class about the parts of the body and how it works, and not a class about the diseases.  It was so strange to see super-detailed questions about diseases that weren’t covered in the book and were not linked to or mentioned anywhere in the book.

And I felt like nothing stuck, because the class was primarily tests, with a few discussion posts sprinkled in.  I ended up with a B, and I do not have to take this particular class again, which makes me happy.

I also took Native American history, which was a really good class!  I learned a lot, and not surprisingly, we were absolutely horrible to them.  I knew we were, of course, but I am glad I took this class.  It’s unfortunate that we don’t get a lot of this information in regular history classes, and have to take a separate class if we do want to learn it, but at least it’s offered for those of us who do.  This class was another A!

As for this semester:

It’s a busy one, because for some bizarre reason, I decided to take a total of 5 classes.  While working full time.  It seems like most of my time over the last month has been working or doing school stuff, but it’s not as bad as I thought.

I have pathophysiology, which is all about diseases.  It’s really interesting, though some of the pictures in the book are a little hard to see.  There’s a reason I deal with medical records and paperwork.  But the tests are short and they aren’t frustrating.  We have to do a paper on a disease, so I need to figure out which one to write about.  And I like that every week, we have to do a worksheet on 5 diseases.  I don’t get those questions wrong!

I’m also taking biological anthropology- lecture and lab, which are two separate classes.

  • Lecture class is pretty cool- we’ve had discussion posts and quizzes, mostly, but I think we’re going to be getting some other assignments in the very near future.
  • Lab is a zoom class.  Tuesdays are pretty long, because of going to work, and then coming home with just enough time to get my computer set up for a 3 hour zoom class.  Props to everyone who’s on zoom for a lot longer than that.  Because lab is on Zoom, and most of the work we’re doing is during class, I felt like I was able to handle a 4th class.  It’s pretty fun but also weird to do a lab class on zoom.

I have two 8 week classes this semester also.  Biological anthropology and pathophysiology are a full semester, so they are definitely moving at a slower pace.

Currently, I’m taking intercultural communications, which has been really great!  It’ll be over at the end of the month, which is weird because I feel like I just started it.  But I’m learning a lot in this class, and I think it will be helpful at work, since I do talk to (and work with) people from a lot of different cultures.  Actually, it’s helpful for life in general, so it’s been worth it!  I ended up in this class because I need to take a personal growth class and was looking for something that was 8 weeks, which is how I ended up in this class.

In April/May, I’m taking mythology!  I just really wanted to take mythology, and didn’t care that it was 8 weeks, or that the only one that worked with my schedule was a zoom class.  Also, I needed to balance out all of the science.  I don’t know what this class is going to be like, but I’ll do an update if I can remember to do one.

And that wraps up all of my school updates, at least for now!

See you soon,

Book Review: Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

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Book: Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Published July 2020 by HarperTeen|368 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: Ghost Wood Song #1

Genre: YA Contemporary

Sawkill Girls meets The Hazel Wood in this lush and eerie debut, where the boundary between reality and nightmares is as thin as the veil between the living and the dead. 

If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept.

Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness.

But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets.

In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing.

Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark.

I liked this one!  Ghost Wood Song was creepy and haunting and quite the mystery!

So, Shady.  I liked her and it had to have been hard to lose her dad and gain a stepfather she didn’t like.  I love that she plays the fiddle, and and seeing Cedar play at an open mike opened up a world of possibilities in terms of music.  I get she doesn’t want to stop playing with her friends but I also get wanting more, and feeling like others are sparking creativity and possibilities.

She also has a lot going on- family issues, raising the dead by playing the fiddle, family mysteries…It was interesting to see how everything unraveled and how ghosts were laid to rest.  And I get why she wanted to help her brother.  So many people had no problem believing that he did what he did, and even though he wasn’t the one who did it, it was easy for people to pin it on him.  It made me angry, that they were able to get a teen to take the fall for something they didn’t do.  And unfortunately, this is a town where no one would believe him if he told the truth.  It’s sad, but something I can see happening.

The atmosphere was creepy and haunting and it seeped into everything going on.  It was very much there, and there was no forgetting it.  It felt a little oppressive at times, like something wasn’t right.  I mean, things weren’t right, as we find out by the end of the book.  But there was no escaping it.  It just had a really good balance of family secrets and creepiness and ghosts.

I wasn’t all that interested in the other characters.  They were alright but I wasn’t invested in them.  This was a book that was definitely about Shady and everything she’s trying to figure out.  Figure it out, she did, and with the help of her aunt and brother, she was able to do what she had to in order to get rid of the ghosts.

3 stars.  I liked Ghost Wood Song but didn’t love it.  The atmosphere was creepy and seeped into everything, but I wasn’t enthused with a lot of the characters.

Book Review: This Promise Of Change by Jo Ann Allen Royce and Debbie Levy

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Book: This Promise Of Change: One Girl’s Story In The Fight For School Equality

Published January 2019 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books|320 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Children’s Non-fiction/Memoir

In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann–clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students—found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process.

This book was amazing!  I had never heard of what happened at Clinton High, but I’m glad that I read this book.

I loved reading Allen’s experiences at Clinton High, and I still can’t believe that it was only 65 years ago that students like Jo Ann Allen and her classmates were integrating schools.  The hate that they all experienced was chilling, and sadly, we still see that hatred today.  She was just going to school, and what she had to experience because people didn’t want her there made me both angry and sad.

I think I was angriest at the people who said they didn’t like that they had to integrate but were only doing it because it was the law.  While it wasn’t obviously or outright hateful, I was angry that they were only integrating because they had to.  There were some kind people that Jo Ann encountered, but it was still disheartening to see that their neighbors would borrow sugar from them but also turn their backs on Jo Ann and her family.

It was disheartening to read that her family moved to California because her parents thought they’d have better chances out west than in Tennessee or the rest of the South.

She just wanted to finish what she started and she didn’t get that chance- she wanted to stick it out with her friends, to belong, and she never had that chance in Clinton.

Poetry was an interesting choice to tell this story, but it was a really good one.  I’m not a fan of that, normally but it really worked.  I didn’t love it, for some reason, but I think I’m just not used to reading books told this way.  I can’t explain why, but it was a good choice.  It drew your attention to certain things, and made what happened much more powerful than if it had been told any other way.

I also loved the headlines and interviews and quotes throughout the book.  It really brought everything together, and it gave some background on what was going on the time in a different way.  You learn more about the other members of the Clinton 11, what Clinton was like at the time, and a timeline of desegregation.  That extra information was great to have and read through because it adds to the picture of what it was like at the time.

5 stars.  It’s a fast read, but absolutely worth it!

Book Review: Root Magic by Eden Royce

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Book: Root Magic by Eden Royce

Published January 2021 by Walden Pond Press|320 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

A historical ghost story set in South Carolina in the 1960s—a tale of courage, friendship, and Black Girl Magic.

It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven—and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going train them in rootwork.

Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of her family for generations—especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through.

I really liked Root Magic!  I loved reading about Jez and Jay, and I really liked reading about Jez and her family.

Jez was a great character, and I really liked her.  Having a lot of new kids was pretty hard for her, but hopefully, some of them won’t be too bad.  Some of them aren’t the nicest, but I really hope she’s able to make a few friends.  Still, she has Jay, Doc and her mom, and she seems more okay with not having a huge group of friends at the end of the book.  There was Susie, though, and it was interesting to see how that changed and evolved.

I felt so sad for her.  It seemed like she was pretty close to her grandma, and had a hard time after her grandma passed away.  I have a soft spot for grandparent-grandchild relationships, which isn’t surprising because growing up, I was pretty close to my grandparents.  But root magic was something she could learn- and it connected her to both her grandma and all of the generations that came before.  I thought that legacy was amazing.

Root magic was something that people had mixed feelings about, it seemed like.  Publicly, people seemed to look down on it, or thought it was strange, when privately, they might stop by her family’s house for a potion or powder.  That contrast was interesting, but not surprising.  It just seems like people didn’t want to admit that it was something they used or needed.

Things weren’t easy for Jez or her family, but Jez has a really good heart, and wants to help.  She was able to help Susie, who helped her in return when Jez needed it.

The atmosphere was great!  I could feel it in my soul, and it was as much of a character as the people were.  I really felt it in every word, and one of the reason’s I liked this book so much!  Royce shows how people are treated during that time, but this is a book that is more about life, friends and family, and staying connected to the things that have been passed down from generation to generation.

4 stars.  This was a great book, and absolutely worth reading, no matter how old you are!

Book Review: Every Single Lie by Rachel Vincent

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Book: Every Single Lie by Rachel Vincent

Published January 2021 by Bloomsbury YA|324 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

In this gripping YA novel about social media bullying and half-truths, one girl’s discovery of a dead baby in her high school locker room rocks an entire community.

Nobody in Beckett’s life seems to be telling the whole story. Her boyfriend Jake keeps hiding texts and might be cheating on her. Her father lied about losing his job before his shocking death. And everyone in school seems to be whispering about her and her family behind her back.

But none of that compares to the day Beckett finds the body of a newborn baby in a gym bag-Jake’s gym bag -on the floor of her high school locker room. As word leaks out, rumors that Beckett’s the mother take off like wildfire in a town all too ready to believe the worst of her. And as the police investigation unfolds, she discovers that everyone has a secret to hide and the truth could alter everything she thought she knew.

I really liked Every Single Lie!  It was a book I read in one sitting, because I needed to know what was going on.

Beckett was a character I really felt for- losing her dad, finding a newborn baby in the locker room, issues with her ex…she had a lot going on in this book.  I just wanted to know what was going on, and it was interesting to see how everything unraveled.  There was a lot she needed to deal with, and any one of those things would be hard to deal with.  But all of them together?  Definitely not good.

People are terrible.  They really are.  Of course, people are going to think she’s the mom, and no amount of her saying she’s not is going to change their mind.  I did figure out who the mom was a little bit before the reveal, and it made so much sense, though it’s a journey getting there.

Back to terrible people, though.  People are so cruel to Beckett, even though, for the most part, they don’t say anything about it to her face.  It’s so unfortunate, but easier to be cruel behind someone’s back, or online.  Hopefully, she’ll be able to get far away from that town, because she deserves better than them.  But her family is there, so I’d understand why she would want to stay.  Who knows, maybe they’ll see her differently in a few years.  I doubt, because they seem pretty gossipy, but it’s possible.

One thing I thought was both strange and interesting was everything that happened with her dad.  It’s weird that people would be so terrible about the newborn in the gym, and say something to her face, but rumors of her dad never made their way to her?  I don’t get that at all, considering this is a gossipy, judgmental town.  I just have the hardest time believing she wouldn’t know the rumors about her dad until now, months after everything that happened with him, but everything they’re saying about this newborn and her get to her really fast.

Still, she has the support of her family and friends, and I’m glad she has them.  She tries to figure everything out herself, which I understand.  I feel like I might do that too, if I were her.  Hopefully, everything works out okay for Beckett, her family, and her friends.

This was a book worth reading, and I’m glad I read it!  I like Vincent’s books in general, and this book was another great book by her.

4 stars.  I really liked Every Single Lie, and I’m glad I picked this one up.