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Best Books of the Month: July 2018

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All News & Interviews | Popular this month

Giveaways

Rituals of the Dead by Jennifer S. Alderson

Rituals of the Dead (Adventures of Zelda Richardson #3)
by

Jennifer S. Alderson (Goodreads Author)

Release date: Apr 15, 2018

Enter to win a paperback copy of Rituals of the Dead: An Artifact Mystery! Art, religion, and anthropology collide in my latest thriller, Book Three o ...more

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Format: Print book

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Availability: 1 copy available, 1435 people requesting

Giveaway dates: Jun 15 - Jul 29, 2018

Countries available: US, CA, and GB more

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Top Reviews This Week

Emma Giordano's review of The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

" 2.5 Stars. Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I wanted to.

CW: murder, drowning, suicide

There is one thing I absolutely loved about this book: the atmosphere. I made a fantastic choice in listening to the audiobook – the narrator added 2.5 Stars. Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I wanted to.

CW: murder, drowning, suicide

There is one thing I absolutely loved about this book: the atmosphere. I made a fantastic choice in listening to the audiobook – the narrator added to the story in the best way. The chilling, spooky setting of this recluse town with a magical history kept me engaged even when I did not care for the characters and plot. This book was pitched as similar to “Hocus Pocus” and while the storylines do not compare, the ambience of the story evokes such a similar feeling.

I realized about halfway through the story that I greatly preferred the flashbacks to when the Swan Sisters were alive to the present story following Penny and Bo. This is interesting for me because typically, I feel flashbacks often impede my enjoyment of a story because I almost always care about the main characters more, but that was not the case with The Wicked Deep. I think I would have preferred almost any other story set in this town with the Swan Sister’s influence over what we actually got.

I REALLY enjoyed the story in the beginning, the first few chapters were extremely appealing and I expected to love this book, which is why it’s such a let down that I did not enjoy much else from the story. I found the plot to be so boring and extremely repetitive. The entirety of the novel felt like the same few scenes over and over and over.

Additionally, the romance was terrible in my opinion. I have no gripes with novels that rely heavily on romance; Romance novels are great! The issue for me arises when a book is entirely dependent on romance to forward the plot, and the romance is not good. I can be pretty lenient when it comes to insta-love, but I cannot get behind it when there is no reason for the main couple to fall for each other. Penny and Bo have nothing in common, they have absolutely no chemistry, and they loved each other immediately just because the other person was there. I admit to having growing high standards for YA romance but it infuriates me to see romance with no reason behind it.

I felt zero attachment to any characters in this story. Penny, Bo, the Swan Sisters, the girls they overtook, NO ONE held my interest. The majority of them were severely one-dimensional and stereotypical and even characters with more layers were very bland. Good characters can carry a bad plot, but even the most unique and innovative storyline cannot be saved by flat characters.

I can see why so many people have loved The Wicked Deep. I truly wish I was one of them but this book unfortunately fell below my standards. It had so much potential, so many possibilities to be exciting and unique, but I was woefully unimpressed. I would consider reading from Shea Ernshaw again in the future because her ability to create atmosphere was fantastic, but I can easily name many more paranormal stories that have a great ambience along with well-rounded characters, a meaningful romance, and entertaining plot. ...more "
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A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (The Salvagers, #1)

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ダイヤのA act II 12 [Daiya no A Act II 12] (Ace of Diamond Act II, #12)

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YA Author Interviews

Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Legacy (The Darkest Minds, #4)

As the first book in Alexandra Bracken's dystopian trilogy gets ready to hit the big screen, she answered all our questions about the latest installment in her bestselling series, The Darkest Minds. "You get to see what the original cast has been up to, and how their world has—and hasn’t—changed," she says.

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