ravensandlace's reviews
549 reviews

Deena Undone by Debra K. Every

4.0

Title: Deena Undone

Author: Debra K. Every

Genre: Horror

Format: eARC

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4 stars

A special thank you goes to the author, Debra K. Every, for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

tw: blood, body horror, hospital setting, mental health problems, fire, infidelity, child abuse, assault 

One of the reasons I signed up to read this book was that the main character, Deena, was in her 50s. While I'm only in my 30s, it’s hard to find a horror book with an older woman as the main character. I’ve found that as I get older, I relate more to older characters. I know I am not that old but some days, especially after working with teenagers, I feel each and every one of my years. So I need to read books in which the main characters are older so I don’t feel so bad. So that was one of my favorite things about the book. 

I also just enjoyed the characters in general. The two main characters, Deena and Agatha, were so well done. So many people could relate to Deena, I feel. She was a woman trying to help her aunt, who was toxic almost borderline abusive to her. It’s hard to get away from that. I know from experience, as I also had a pretty toxic aunt. You think about all the good things they have done for you so when they are horrible, you think oh it’s not that bad. So I understood Deena and what she was dealing with. 

Agatha was complex and the villain, that much was clear. But I found that I enjoyed her character. Sure, the way she treated Deena was awful and why she treated Deena the way she did was especially heinous but I couldn’t help but feel some sort of pity for her. This woman just wanted to be loved by someone and not left in the dust. It’s not excusing what she did by any means but I understood her as well. 

I enjoyed the horror aspect of the book as well. It was slow and built up very nicely. It took its time getting us to where we needed to go. And I enjoyed that. Too often in horror, things happen either incredibly fast or way too slow. The pacing in this one was just right. The scares we did get were too scary so I feel like anyone could read this and enjoy it. 

Overall, this was a great book and I truly enjoyed my time reading it. While it had the horror aspects, it was a deep dive into complicated and toxic family relationships. If you enjoy horror books with an older female MC then this is the book for you! I promise it’s only a little bit scary. 

Echoes by Danielle Steel

4.5

Title: Echoes

Author: Danielle Steel

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: own paperback book

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4.5 stars

tw: war, sexism, arranged marriages, birth, parental death, accident involving a horse, extreme grief, antisemitism, hospital setting, holocaust horrors, bombing, murder

This is one of my favorite Danielle Steel books of all time. I’m pretty sure this was the book that got me interested in the Holocaust and WW2. I read this book way before I started book reviewing and to get all my own books read and reviewed, I’m starting with some well-loved Danielle Steel. I decided to start with this one because I love it so much. 

The love story between Beata and Antoine was so beautiful and one of my favorite things about this book. Several times I would just have to put the book down and cry. They were through so much but the love they had for each other never wavered in the slightest. It was a very beautiful love story and I think anyone who reads it will love it too.

I think one of the best things about this book was the main character, Amadea, who was Beata and Antoine’s daughter. She went from being a nun to joining the resistance. That is one of the strangest pipelines to read about but I suppose anything is possible in WW2. 

I think I’m going to leave this review right here. This is one of those books where you want to experience it all with no spoilers. If anybody is interested in WW2 with a bit of romance, I think this is the book for you. It is one of Danielle Steel’s best books, in my opinion. 

Currency in Flesh: a dark paranormal romance by Heather Nix

4.5

Title: Currency in Flesh

Author: Heather Nix

Genre: Dark Romance

Format: eARC

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4.5 stars

A special thank you goes to the author, Heather Nix, for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

tw: spousal abuse, drugging, sexual assault, blood, injury, torture

Trigger warnings are located on the  author’s website: https://www.booksbynix.com/currency-in-flesh

Every so often, I read a book and take about three notes, one of them being the main character's name. Then, I completely forget to take notes after that because I am so obsessed with the book. This was one of those books. I was hooked on this book from the very first page. I simply couldn’t read fast enough. I wanted to absorb this book; that’s how much I enjoyed it. 

One of my favorite things about this book was the aftercare. There were some BDSM elements in the book and after each session, Lady Cora made sure Grace had proper aftercare. It was so lovely to see that. Aftercare is so very important when engaging in BDSM and the fact that this book had it is just awesome. It needs to be in every book that has BDSM

I loved that this book was one big healing journey for Grace, who was the main character. She had to learn how to trust and heal after dealing with her husband's abuse. It was a long process, but I was rooting for Grace the whole way through even when she was being extremely difficult and stubborn. If I'm being honest, I saw a little bit of myself in her as I also had to go through a healing journey after a bad relationship. Grace wasn’t perfect but she was perfect to me.  

Overall, this was such a fantastic book as you all might have been able to tell with my glowing review. I enjoyed it so much and I never wanted it to end. Everything about it was just so good. I adored the relationship between Lady Cora and Grace. The spicy senses were so spicy. This book healed something in me. I highly recommend this book. 

Under His Command by Rhea Harp

4.5

Title: Under His Command

Author: Rhea Harp

Genre: Dark Romance

Format: ebook

Series: Devils and Pretty Sins (#1)

Star Rating: 4.5 stars

tw: infidelity, death, war, civilian casualties, blood, murder, stalking, invasion of privacy, car accident, kidnapping

So I followed this author on threads and saw that they were talking about this book. As you all know, I am a huge dark romance fan, so I knew this book would be right up my alley just based on their description. And I was right. I loved this book! I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it and I finished it months ago.  

What I loved most about this book was the pretty serious plot mixed in with the romance. While I adore dark romance, oftentimes the plot (at least the ones I pick out) is about how the two or more characters learn to slowly love each other. This one was different and had like a military-style plot that had me completely invested. I was quite intrigued by it and hopefully, we get more information about everything in the second book because I am so invested. 

Another one of my favorite things was how spicy the spicy scenes were. Dove and Rowan have the most amazing chemistry! I lived for every single moment that they had together. I couldn't get enough of them. I am a huge sucker for BDSM play and this book delivered that to me in spades. 

Overall, this was a fantastic book and I loved it so much. I enjoyed every single moment of my time reading it. I can't wait to read the next book since this one left off on a cliffhanger, which was very mean by the way, Rhea! Joking, I still love you and this book! 

The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake

4.0

Title: The Girl in His Shadow

Author: Audrey Blake

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Series: Nora Beady (#1)

Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: illness (cholera), death, body parts, sexism, blood, medical procedures, grave digging and robbing, accidental drugging, cat calling, rape

This book made me so mad. Not in the sense that it was a bad book because it was a great book. What I mean by that is just the sexism women experienced during the 1800s/1900s. They were deemed weird if they were interested in anything other than typical home-making stuff. So I was constantly angry for Nora. 

Speaking of Nora, I enjoyed her as a character so much. All she wanted to do was practice medicine, but men don’t like that. It was so awesome that her guardian took her interest in medicine seriously and grew that love. But the amount of crap she had to deal with really sucked. But I loved that she stood up for herself and didn’t let people walk all over her.  

Daniel was the other main character. Boy, did he annoy me at first. He was so sexist and dismissive of Nora, but he grew on me. He changed his entire way of thinking and realized how intelligent Nora was. I also appreciated how he didn’t try to hold Nora back. He became her biggest supporter. It still frustrated me how he treated her in the beginning, but he was pretty apologetic to her and saw the error of his ways. 

Overall, this was a great book. I’m glad I read it on Kindle so I could look up all the medical terms. Because, boy, there was a lot even though I am pretty proficient in a lot of medical terms thanks to helping my mom study, I still was lost on a lot of the more technical side of things. So if you plan on reading this book, I highly recommend reading it on Kindle. I will certainly read the second book in this series as I’m curious to see where Nora’s story goes. 

Margot by Jillian Cantor

4.0

Title: Margot

Author: Jillian Cantor

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: smoking, parental death, antisemitism, arson, holocaust horrors, infertility, cancer, survivors' guilt, flashbacks/PTSD, heart attack, infidelity ish (relationship is unclear)

The first book I read by Jillan Cantor was about Marie Curie, how her life was when she went to Paris, and how her life could have been if she had stayed in Poland. It’s called Half Life in case y'all wanted to check it out. It’s a great book. I was obsessed with that book, so I looked at Jillian Cantor’s backlist, to see what other books I could become obsessed with, and discovered this book. I knew I had to get my hands on it and boy was I glad. This was so good! 

This is about what might have happened if Margot Frank, Anne Frank’s sister, had survived the concentration camps. I’ve always wondered what would have happened. It makes me so sad that the sisters died only a couple of months before liberation. It’s something I always think about when I read Holocaust books or think about the Holocaust. Just really brings me down. 

This book made me so sad as well. It was clear that Margie, as she was called in the book, was struggling. She was dealing with survivor's guilt. Her sister’s dairy was found, published, and made into a movie so she saw her life in the annex all over the world. She couldn’t escape her past. And she was so closed up, she didn’t want to let anyone in. I just wanted to want her to open up to her loved ones. To let them in. I kept rooting for her and hoping that eventually she would open up.

This book was written like Anne Frank’s diary. It was very matter of fact with some emotion but not a lot. But it worked for Margie’s personality. She was very matter of fact and didn’t show much emotion until the end of the book. But I enjoyed that. It was lovely watching her grow in the end. This is one of those books where you want to read Anne Frank’s diary first. It’s not required but it will help you understand Margot a little bit better.  

Overall, I loved this book so much. In a way, it fulfilled my little dream of what would have happened if one of the Frank sisters had survived the Holocaust. Even though it was a sad book, it made my heart happy. It’s a story full of hope despite the loss Margot dealt with. She still fought to be happy and that’s all anyone can ask for. 

Disappearing Act: A True Story by Jiordan Castle

3.5

Title: Disappearing Act

Author: Jordan Castle

Genre: Novel in Verse

Format: hardback library book

Series: NA

Star Rating: 3.5 stars

tw: toxic/abusive relationship, pill usage, suicide attempt, fat shaming, mentions of a dead animal, anti-Semitism, racism, underage drinking, car accident

I don’t read a lot of novel in verse. It’s not that I avoid the genre, it’s just a genre I don’t read a lot of. I think I’ve only read a couple books that were novel in verse. It’s not something I reach for honestly. So when I saw this was the book of the month for my YA Not Club, I was pretty excited. I like trying to read books outside my favorite genres. 

This book was okay. I don’t have a lot of thoughts about it. I think that a lot of teens would relate to this book, however. Because it’s more than just about Jiordan’s dad going to jail. During the book, Jordan becomes a teenager, and with that brings challenges that happen when you become a teen. So I think kids that are becoming teens will relate very well to this book. I know that if I had read this when I was younger, I would have enjoyed it quite a bit. 

Overall, this was an okay book but I wasn’t the target audience for it. It had some good moments and I think a lot of teens will relate to it. It’s also for teens becoming teens, not just for those that have incarcerated parents. I do recommend this book; it’s a good book, just not for me. 

The Immortal Games by Annaliese Avery

4.0

Title: The Immortal Games

Author: Annaliese Avery

Genre: YA Mythology

Format: paperback library book

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: death, blood, eyes being plucked out, drowning, burns, slavery, extreme grief, fire, murder, ship wrecks, light body horror, animal death

If you put Hades in a book, I will most likely love it. That is just simply facts. I am just a really big Hades fan girl and Hades was so amazing in this. I like the way the author made him into a very caring guy, who cared a lot about humans. He was such a kind and compassionate person. It would be hard not to love him. I was totally in love with him from the minute he was on the page. 

I enjoyed the concept of what was essentially a Hunger Games book but with ancient Greek gods. The concept was unclear, however. I’m not sure what the history was behind the games, like how they came to be, or were they always a thing? I’m not sure why the Gods did these games, nor am I sure how the game works, especially on the gods' end. But I enjoyed the ride nonetheless once I stopped questioning it all. 

Ara was a great main character. I was surprised by how much she grew during the Games considering she was basically a teenager. She went from a pretty hardened teen, full of grief, to someone willing to let love and forgiveness in to her heart. Sure, there were some parts she drove me nuts in, but I remembered that she was a teenager and teenagers do things that drive me nuts.

Overall, this was a good book. I could tell it was written for a young teenager, which is fine. I think this would be a good book for those interested in mythology and want to start the journey of that. It has a lot of info about the gods so you don’t have to know them super well to understand who they are. Overall, not a bad book. 

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

2.0

Title: She is a Haunting

Author: Trang Thanh Tran

Genre: YA Horror

Format: paperback library book

Series: NA

Star Rating: 2 stars

tw: parental abandonment, homophobia, blood, potential murder, injury, racism, car accident, bugs, assault on a child, human burning, body horror

I wanted to like this book so badly. According to the description, it seemed spooky and creepy. But I struggled with it and spent most of the book confused. It wasn’t for lack of trying. The sequence of events that were happening was just way too much.  

There were some positives about this book. First, I enjoyed the Vietnamese history throughout the book. I confess I don't know much about Vietnam or its history so it was lovely to learn a little more about the country. Vietnam seems to have such a rich history and I’d love to learn more about the country as a whole. 

My second positive was how realistic Jade was as a teenager. Jade drove me also a little crazy but she was a teenager and teenagers drive me a little nuts. I had to constantly remind myself that she was a teen so therefore she was going to be irrational and do things that made no sense to me, an adult. 

But holy cow, I was so damn confused the whole time. After a third of the way through the book, I had no idea what was truly going on. There were things Jade was doing that made no sense to me. There was her home being haunted but then she was doing things to make her house haunted so her dad would believe the house was haunted? I have no idea what was truly happening. 

The history of the house in Vietnam also confused me. I think it belonged to Jade’s family. But there were so many names and Jade was finding out things extremely slowly. I was honestly so confused almost the entire book as I mentioned above. I still have no idea whose house it truly was and who it had originally belonged to. I don't even know what happened to the original owners.

Also, a shout out to the worst parent ever goes to Jade’s dad. This may be considered a spoiler so read this at your own risk. So Jade's dad left the family because Jade, who was 13 at the time, told him too. I’m sorry but what kind of crappy adult listens to the whims of a child and then blames her. Yeah, you read that right. He says it's her fault that he left the family. Like no sir, you are the one who chose to listen to a child. My son tells me to go away all the time but you think I’m going to listen? No, because he’s a damn child. 

Overall, while this was an okay book, I was just disappointed and mostly confused. There were some good points to it but overall, this was just a miss for me. I think others might like it, especially since Jade is queer and it takes place in Vietnam. But honestly, this book was not for me. 

Under the Surface by Diana Urban

4.5

Title: Under the Surface

Author: Diana Urban

Genre: YA Horror

Format: eARC

Series: NA

Star Rating: 4.5 stars

tw: theft, parental death, blood, injury, night terrors, death, near drowning, bugs, assault, murder

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Penguin Group for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

One of my favorite horror movies is As Above So Below, which is about a group of young adults who go into the Paris catacombs and bad things start to happen. When I discovered that there was a YA book about a group of teens going into the catacombs, I knew I had to get my hands on this book by any means necessary. Luckily, NetGalley approved my request so I didn’t have to do anything too crazy. But just so you know, Diana, I would have done a lot of things to get my hands on the book. A lot. 

One of the best things about this book was how the teenagers behaved like teenagers. Ruby, the main character, had a huge fight with one of her friends. The reason why was so silly to me and I was starting to get annoyed about it. But one of my friends, who I buddy read this with, reminded me that they are teens. Of course, what we (as adults) think is silly is a big deal to teens. That put things in perspective for me and I enjoyed the book a lot more. 

The setting is so well done. The Paris catacombs are so creepy and I can tell that Diana Urban did her research about this place. There is so much history about the catacombs and I learned quite a bit about how vast the catacombs are. It made me really to visit the catacombs and also never want to visit them ever. 

I think I will end the review here. This is one of those books where you need to experience it with as little information as possible. Just know you will experience a lot of dread. It pervades the entire book and it will never leave you, even at the very end. I highly recommend this book! Especially if you enjoyed the movie, As Above So Below.