spookysarahsays's reviews
320 reviews

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the E-ARC!

This book was really engaging and fun. It was cozy without feeling too saccharine as well. I liked all of the characters and their growth throughout not to mention the use of found family themes even in a book that also prominently features a familial relationship. The reveal had a poignance that I appreciated and I think others will as well. Overall, this was a good read and I hope that there are follow up books. 

Witch Life in a Micro Room, Vol. 3 by Akitaka

hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is the best in the series so far. Without spoilers, I will say I really enjoyed the direction it went. 

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Not bad but I wish the winter theming had been a bit more prevalent. 

Cozy Case Files, Volume 23 by Ellie Alexander

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

I’ll be honest, when I picked this one up I thought it was more of an anthology than 6 book starts. Definitely some cute cozies here that I’d be interested in reading but kind of annoying to get 5-6 chapters into a book only to not be able to finish. I think I’d rather see novellas set in the worlds of these stories than partial books. 

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

I didn’t realize how special this book would be. Pamela Anderson needs to be given her due. What a wonderfully insightful woman.

Monster High: New Scaremester, Vol. 1 by Jacque Aye

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

3.5

Thank you NetGalley and IDW for the e-ARC

I thought this was cute but unlike most comics didn’t confine the story arc to the volume which is kind of frustrating. While I appreciate the addition of the FCBD and Pride issues, I’d have rather had a full story in the volume. The puns were a bit overdone, even for the target audience. That said, I liked the art work quite a bit!

Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was part of a very old backlog of NetGalley ARCS I had but I also bought it after it released.

I tandem read this with the audiobook (which was well done and fun for the radio segments). I really dug how creepy this was. It was scarier than a Goosebumps book but maybe a smidge less than Fear Street. Definitely would read more from Trevor Henderson. 

Slime Doesn't Pay! by R.L. Stine

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was part of a very old backlog of NetGalley ARCS I had but I also bought it after it released.

I appreciate that Stine is consistently solid in his work. The books are always fun to read and just scary enough for the targeted age range. 

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

As with a lot of Christie there are a few mentions of problematic language but it’s not enough to detract from the overall point of the book. This also had a different format than I am used to with Poirot. Overall, still an enjoyable read

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The illustrations in this one are gorgeous. Sadly, I wanted a bit more from the story.