House of Salt and Sorrows Erin A Craig

Hello my dears,
Tonight brings you a review of House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig which is part fairytale, part Victorian England fantasy, part gothic Edgar Allen Poe-esque story, all amazing. House of Salt and Sorrows is a gothic retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" or "The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces" and I absolutely adore it. Mind you I love retellings (most of the time). In this story the princesses are *whisper* cursed. Slowly the sisters are dying. DUH DUH DUNN!

Characters!

• The Sisters (listed in roughly age order)
• Ava- We start the story with her dead so there's not that much to say about her
• Octavia- She's also dead to begin with
• Elizabeth- And her
• Eulalie- We start off with her funeral
• Camille- Finally a sister I can talk a little bit about. She's super sweet and helps Annaleigh with all the death in their families. 
• Annaleigh- Our main character. The one I remember the most about, because honestly I should probably reread this book before I review it but I'm not so bear with me here. I love her. She's inquisitive, and absolutely done with these rumors that her family is cursed. She doesn't like the way everyone says Eulalie died and sets out to find out what really happened.
• The Triplets
• Lenore- Approximately sixteen and a typical teenage girl.
• Rosalie- Much like her sisters she's very excited to be turning sixteen and wants to debut with a ball
• Ligeia- Also very much like her other sisters. A very typical teenager
• The Graces (Not triplets but very close and all named after graces of humanity)
• Mercy- Young excitable, sweet
• Honor- Also young and excitable and kind
• Verity- The youngest, excitable, and kind. Yes I know these are very vague descriptions but the story is all about Annaleigh and dancing and magical balls not all the sisters and who they are. Like I said I need to reread this but I'm not right now. Anyway she can see things that others can't.
• Morella- The girl's stepmother. She's from the mainland and doesn't quiet understand the traditions of the island. This is kinda important because she's pregnant. She has her moments but she's not the greatest. 

Thats all the characters I really remember anything about and that's a stretch. So moving onward.

Plot!

We start our story with a funeral. Eulalie has died and is being buried. Fun fact, I met Erin at an event at my local book store, won a contest for sparkly shoes (and impressed her with my ability to walk in heels which at 5'2" is not a really impressive feat) and won a face mask, a beach towel, and the necklace that Annaleigh noticed Eulalie wearing at her funeral. Yep I own a copy of the necklace a dead girl is buried in. Well Morella tells the girls' father that she's pregnant and they decide to end the mourning period that's been going on for years. One death after another after another has lead to years and years of mourning. And this ends. Annaleigh and the older sisters are not in favor of this and first and then they get into it. Annaleigh personally decides to figure out what happened to Eulalie because she doesn't want to believe she killed herself. And then the balls start. They start normal enough with an actual celebration of the triplets sixteenth birthday, and then lead to magical parties in different places each night. Annaleigh's investigation brings up some interesting things and that's all you get. If you want to know more read the book. CA if you're interested I might be convinced to loan you my signed copy.

My Opinion!

Personally I loved this book. To start with, all of the children of this Duke on this island are all girls and they aren't treated as inferior in anyway. This island that's part of a patriarchal society has it's own traditions where the oldest child of the family gets to inherit the Duchy. I love that so much. All of the girls have unique personalities and no one is shamed for their interests. It's awesome to me to see that in writing. I've never been shamed per se for my interests but when I say things that are scientifically correct and true or "I want to be a cardiac thoracic surgeon" I get looks like I'm crazy. My grandmother actually told me I should be a nurse instead. I have nothing against nurses, they do more than doctors do most of the time, their job is basically to make sure the doctor doesn't kill you. I just got offended because she told me she wanted me to be a nurse because who would take up for me if I was a doctor. So to see this in action in a book that is set to become a TV show at some point that I'm hoping will take the world by storm, is amazing. Also I love gothic retellings of fairy tales. The original fairy tales are really dark anyway but to spin them in a different way that brings a different darkness to light. And I enjoy reading Poe when I'm not being made to analyze it so adding Anabel Lee as twist to a fairy tale is like top level of awesome. Also the love interest who's just kinda there is awesome. He's a secondary thought though, her primary thought is always figuring out just what on earth is going on. Which is also really cool, a love interest that is a secondary thought. I love it. I cannot stop singing it's praises. Ten of ten paw prints 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Enjoy social distancing and stay healthy and safe,

Merlin:)

One of Us is Next Karen M McManus

It's back my wonderful readers. Scandal and mystery have returned to Bayview once again.
About That may be gone, and Simone's death solved but Bayview is far from done with scandal. That's right my wonderful readers, there's a sequel to One of Us is Lying. Now you have two options a brief recap or reading the review I did here. So here's the gist of One of Us is Lying, five people go into detention one day only four come out. Simon Keller has died and all in the room are suspect. In the end with the plot twist of the year (maybe) it turns out that Simon was crazy and killed himself to cause a news story that would last for years. One of Us is Next is set the fall of the next year, after the Bayview four have gotten on with their lives and are moving on. This book follows three new teens, Phoebe, Maeve and Knox as a new twist on Simon's legacy takes Bayview by storm, Truth or Dare. TBH not gonna lie, when I saw Maeve's name I gasped and almost fell out of my chair It's Bronwyn's SISTER!!!

Characters!!

• Maeve Rojas- Bronwyn's sister. She had Leukemia but recovered four years ago. Super nice, but a little off on social cues after spending most of her childhood in the hospital. She's also like some technology super genius as I'm sure anyone who has read One of Us is Lying will remember.
• Knox- Maeve's friend and all around sweetheart. He's smart and sweet and logical and I LOVE him! He want's to do good in the world and is already on his way working with Eli at Until Proven.
• Phoebe- Her secret comes out first and shocks everyone and sends her family into pieces. Her dad has died some years previous to the book and she's still feeling the effects of his death. She's the party girl, the girls who hooks up with everyone, who splits up people without really meaning to, and yet still liked by many. 
• Unknown- Unknown starts the game with a text. He challenges Phoebe to pick Truth or Dare. If you don't pick it's Truth and you have to suffer the consequences. 

Plot!

So One of Us is Next picks up a year after One of Us is Lying ends. Bronwyn is at Yale, Addi is figuring out what she wants to do, Cooper is playing baseball at CalTech, and Nate is working for Knox's dad and going to college. Maeve is starting her junior year and navigating high school which is tons of fun, Knox is figuring out who he is, and Phoebe is dealing with her family and how they've fallen apart after her dad's death. The Unknown texts. Simon's legacy lives on and this time it's a game. Truth or Dare. It's up to you but I'd take the dare.

Review!

I LOVE this book. Honestly nothing Karen M. McManus has written has let me down yet. This was another what's going to happen next page turner. With huge plot twists. If you thought One of Us is Lying had a big plot twist you are in for a surprise. Full of suspense and thrills One of Us is Next will thrill mystery fans. I love the characters. Maeve is awesome! This is a truly wonderful mystery. Ten of ten paw prints 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Happy Reading,

Merlin:)

P.S. Always take the Dare

Sorcery of Thorns Margaret Rogerson

Are you an orphan who wants adventure? See your Great Librarian today!
In this world you have libraries and Great Libraries. Great Libraries house grimoires, books that let sorcerers use magic/house spells for those of you new to the fantasy genre, particularly high fantasy. Welcome! We're nerdier than you thought. Anyway to do magic sorcerers have to make a deal with a demon and so become evil. Or so commonly thought.

Characters! (low-key one of my favorite parts)

• Elisabeth- She grew up in a Great Library, which is something that never happens. Apprentices are taken in at thirteen. She's spunky, determined, and doesn't take crap from much or anyone, This is set in a time where women are considered weak and Elisabeth destroys that stereotype.
• Nathaniel Thorn- Sorcerer! He's a necromancer of House Thorn. Necromancers are generally regarded as the most evil and Nathaniel seems to go with this and pushes people away. He's really a softy and relies on his demon like father. I want to give him a hug, a big cup of coco, and a good book. 
• Silas-Nathaniel's demon. I love him so much. He also appears as a cat.

Plot!

So Elisabeth grew up in a Great Library and knows all about magic and how it makes you evil. Then she meets Nathaniel for the first time, and nothing really changes. But then, the Library gets sabotaged and she sorta gets blamed. Re-enter Nathaniel tasked with taking Elisabeth to the capital, where they discover a plot much bigger and nefarious than they could imagine.They have to stop it and then shenanigans.

Review!

So I was given this book and told I HAD to read it, that it was amazing. Well, ST (who works at my local bookstore), was right it's SO good.  I love it! It's got this really cool Beauty and the Beast feel to it. As one one who loves a good faerietale re-telling its great. I love the rules of magic and regulations for Librarians. Not to mention Silas. One of my favorite character tropes is a character who's supposed to be really tough is really sweet. Another one of my favorites is a sweet character who has a dark side. You get both of them with Silas. The characters are amazing and well rounded. And the world is so rich. I read this on a road trip and I didn't look up from it the whole time except to make a comment about forgetting how people used to think reading too much could make you cray. Honestly this is an amazing book that everyone in to fantasy should read. Ten of ten paw prints. 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 

Chao, 

Merlin:)

Side note: This comes to you from my bed where I'm celebrating final posting a review. First there just wasn't time for me to post them and then I didn't. I have like five or six written out to type up and post but I haven't yet. Oh well. I'll get there eventually. Sorry it's been so long. I'll try to be better about it.

Death Prefers Blondes Caleb Roehrig

Kickboxing. Thieving. Acrobatic. Drag Queens.
Yes that really is my opener, but that really describes my feelings about this book. I love it. You have to admit you were intrigued by it. Which generally describes how I felt reading "A rebel heiress must solve a family mystery with the help of jewel-thieving drag queens.". I mean even the name is intriguing, Death Prefers Blondes. It lives up to the expectations I placed.

CHARACTERS!!

Oh my god the characters are amazing and I love them all so much (well the main non villain characters, the villain is a total d-bag)

• Margo Manning/Miss Anthropy- Teenage socialite in LA by day kickboxing, thieving, acrobatic, pseudo-drag queen by night Margo is a truly amazing character. A lot of rich kids steal stuff but Margo takes it to a whole new level. Ever loyal to her friends Margo will do almost anything to protect them.
• Axel Moreau/Liesl Von Tramp- A former socialite drag queen who's wealth and money were taken away by the actions of his father and best friend to Margo. He works as part of Margo's crew to pay for his and his families life in LA after his father lost all their money.
• Leif Dalby/Electra Shoxx- A ballet student/drag queen who steals to stay in school.
• Davon Stokes/Dior Galore- By far the most flamboyant and open of the drag queens, Davon/Dior's actual job is being a drag queen. He has a great but slightly tragic backstory that I'm not going to reveal.
• Joaquin Moreau/Anita Stiffwon- The younger brother of Axel and newest member of the crew. Joaquin... Well he goes through a lot proving himself but you get to find that out for yourselves.

So there are a lot more characters as in every novel but these are the main ones that come in early, so there you go.

PLOT!

So the basic idea goes as follows, Margo and her team of kickdonkey drag queen steal ridiculously valuable items from basically everywhere. Then they get a job that lands them in a bit more trouble. To be a little more revealing, Margo and the crew steal pantings, jewelry, and artifacts from basically anywhere. Margo being heir apparent to the Manning empire has access to some amazing tech that they regularly use. Then for the sheer value and a slight personal grudge, the crew breaks into what is practically a castle and steals, stolen, czarist jewelry from a guy who turns out to be in with the Russian Mob. oops. You also have other factors going on like Margo's dad's mystery illness and eventual death. Lot's of complications basically. It's great.

REVIEW!

I love this book! I was intrigued by the title and the summary raised my expectations but the book totally blew them away. I'm in desperate need of a sequel to this book. It doesn't end on a cliff hanger per se but I need to know what happens next. This was honestly the best action/comedy I've read in a while and so many people would enjoy it. It kinda gave me One of Us is Lying feels which is also an amazing book.  Anyone who enjoys a good action adventure comedy novel should read this. Its great. Be ware of drag queens,

Merlin:)

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Salut!
So if you follow my bookstagram you know I read this one a while ago, but being the horrible person I am I haven't reviewed it until now. Yikes! So the greeting is in Romanian as this book is set in Transylvania which is now a region of Romania. When we last saw them Audrey Rose and Thomas were on their way to school in Transylvania. This school happens to be in the infamous Prince Dracula's castle. Of course on the way our dear friends run into dead bodies and dodge the tension between them, a little.

Characters!

• Audrey Rose- We all know Audrey Rose. I'm assuming we all love Audrey Rose. She's still the same spunky medicine loving improper lady she was in the first book, only now she's breaking even more stereotypes at a medical school in Transylvania.
• Thomas- Ah Thomas.  I love him soo much. 😍😍 He's great. Still charming, and arrogant, and kinda nerdy. He cares so much about Audrey Rose and his family it's great.
• Daciana Cresswell- So Daci was vaguely mentioned in the first book as Thomas's sister. She plays a role in this book. Not a huge roll but a role that involves this plot twist that's great. Actually two amazing plot twists.
• Ileana- She's Audrey Rose's maid at the school. So she plays a fairly significant role.
• Anastasia- She's the headmaster's ward. She and Audrey Rose become friends because other than the staff, they are the only girls at the school.

Plot!

So at the end of Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are a) sorta together b) headed to Bran castle to attend Academy of Forensic Medicine and Science. On the train ride to Transylvania the pair hears rumors of Prince Dracula has returned. Naturally neither of the scientific pair want to believe in vampires, or as Thomas explains strigoi. Then one of the passengers ends up killed the same way as you would kill a strigoi. Superstition and mystery shroud Audrey Rose and Thomas's time at Academy of Forensic Medicine and Science, as they secretly investigate the rumors of Prince Dracula's return.

Review!

I adore this book. Normally sequels don't measure up to the first book, but this one does. Kerri's amazing writing and characters prevail. The imagery is amazing. I felt as though I was in Transylvania in drafty old creepy Bran Castle. I still love

• Historical Fiction
• Mystery
• Amazing characters

So this is all really amazing. Thomas is definitely still one of my top fictional crushes, ever. The plot was amazing. I thought I knew where it was going, but NOOOO. I thought I knew who Dracula was but no. Why this was happening, but no. Which is awesome. I don't want to know how things are going to end before the end. It's amazing. Trust me. Read it.

Rating!

I love this book. Definitely YA and the innuendos in the first book are present in this one too. This one is has slightly more gore than the first but it's not that graphic. Being Victorian Era they don't swear a lot. I love it 10/10 paw prints🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 

Ramas bun,

Merlin:)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Good day my dears,

So I had been wanting to read this book for a while and was super excited about reading it. Well Kerri Maniscalco did not disappoint. She crafted a wonderfully rich, historically accurate world that sucks you in and makes you never want to leave. Also I was so shook when I read the ending. I thought I knew where it was going but well no, no no. It got crazier.

Characters!!

Audrey Rose Wadsworth- So this book is set in Victorian-era London in which women had very few rights and very little freedom. Audrey Rose resents this and is very modern, even by today's standards. She a young lady of polite society is interested in forensic medicine. So she apprentices with her uncle behind her father's back.

Thomas Cresswell- *dreamy sigh* He's my new fictional crush. I love and adore him. He's perfect. Smart, dreamy, a gentleman. However he does have flaws including being an arrogant donkey. Either way he also apprentices with Audrey Rose's uncle.

Audrey Rose's Father- Lord Wadsworth. He's just a little crazy.

Nathaniel Wadsworth- Audrey Rose's brother. He's vaguely supportive of Audrey Rose. 

Johnathan Wadsworth- Audrey Rose's uncle with whom she and Thomas apprentice. He's a scientist who specializes in the forensic sciences.

Jack the Ripper- Jack the Ripper is a famous serial killer who terrorized Whitechapel in London for anywhere from two years to three months. And yes I realize that there is a big time difference there, most historians believe that Jack only terrorized Whitechapel for approximately three months. If we go with most historians view, which I am, then Jack only killed five people. Yes I get that killing five people is a good idea but its been over a century and we still talk about the Ripper. Other accounts hold him responsible for eleven murders taking place over about two years. All of Jack's victims were working women *cough*. No one ever caught Jack and the reasons behind all of his murders remain unknown to this day. Which is tbh the most fascinating part of his story because serial killers like Jack typically don't stop killing unless they are a) made to as in caught or b) die. So what exactly happened to Jack? That question opens the door to historical fiction like this book and potentially many more.

Plot!

Ok so Audrey Rose Wadsworth is a young lady of high society in the Victorian Era. This effectively means that all she's supposed to do is gain some basic knowledge, gossip, learn to manage a household, be proficient in lady-like crafts, shop, and marry well. The only bits of this that Audrey Rose is interested in are shopping (sometimes), learning, and knowing some about managing a household. And when I say learning, I mean medicine which is largely considered inappropriate for women, and her father is extremely against her having anything to do with medicine or her uncle who's teaching her, so she's studying in secret, as a boy. While doing this Audrey Rose encounters Thomas Cresswell another one of her uncle's students. Her uncle is a well known forensic scientist and so is consulted on the murders done by the infamous Jack the Ripper, who at the time is called The Leather Apron. Given that this is a mystery and this is not at all mysterious, shenanigans ensue and Audrey Rose and Thomas end up stalking Jack the Ripper.

Review!

I absolutely adore this book! First of all Jack the Ripper fascinates me, as do most serial killers but Jack in particular. Second, Thomas is amazing. He's cocky and arrogant and yet a gentleman. I love him. Third, this book combines three of my favorite things 

1. historical fiction 
2. mystery 
3. a strong female lead character 

So yes I love this book. Victorian London is painted in such vivid color that you feel like you're there. You can feel the chaos and fear surrounding the people of London but the calm in Audrey Rose's uncle's lab. The writing is fantastic and whereas not long ago I had never heard of Kerri Maniscalco she is now one of my favorite authors. Her characters are realistic and her plots are full of twists. I love when authors write this story where you think "Oh I know where this is going." and then "boom wow what just happened?". I despise when you can pick out the end of a mystery from the beginning but when you think you know where it's going and then it goes in a completely different direction is amazing and I think it shows just how awesome the author is. I think that everyone who enjoys a good mystery or historical fiction would enjoy this book. That being said this book centers around a serial killer who is famous for mutilating his victims and a girl who performs autopsies in her spare time so yeah it can be a little graphic. Not like hard core gore and blood like in a lot of movies but you get some descriptions of the injuries and autopsies, just as a heads up. There are also some innuendos which are called out, not like really bad innuendos but they still exist. So all in all its a really good YA book and I think a lot of people would enjoy it. Ten of Ten paw prints🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Happy reading!

Merlin:)

Countdown to Christmas! Two Days to GO!! The Angel Tree by Daphne Benedis-Grab

Merry Christmas! Happy (belated) Hanukah! Happy Kwanzaa!
So after What Light and it's cheesiness we have The Angel Tree which is also kinda Hallmark movieish but in a better way than What Light. Less like Fir Crazy and more like The Christmas Heart. Every year in Pine River a large tree goes up in the square and everyone puts wishes up on the tree and they get them granted.

• Lucy- She's blind and her service dog Valentine is dying of cancer. Unfortunately her family can't afford the life saving treatment she needs. So her wish on the Angel tree is for that life saving treatment.
• Max- He's part of a big family and recently his house burned down. He and his family are now living in a cramped apartment. He wishes for a new house.
• Joe- He's new to town and lives with his uncle. All he wants for Christmas is to spend it with his mom. So after finding out about the tree that is what he asks for.
• Cami- She loves to play the violin but her grandmother thinks its a waste of time. She wants to make her grandmother proud.
• The Benefactor- the person who runs the Angel Tree. 

So every year a tree goes up in Pine River for wishes. This year there are some pretty big wishes, life-saving cancer treatments for a seeing-eye-dog, a new house, and spending Christmas with mom something many of us take for granted that turns out to be a little difficult in this situation. So when all these wishes get granted, the kids decide to band together to find out who the benefactor is and thank them. Which turns out to be a little more complicated than they thought. In the process they all grow closer and Joe opens up about why he lives with his uncle.

I got this book years ago and fell in love with the story. Even now as my reading interests have changed and grown I still love this story. It truly captures that spirit you find in Christmas, one of giving and giving back. A sweet, slightly cheesy, heartwarming Christmas story. Nine paw-prints and a whisker.🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾⚟⚞ 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Merlin:)

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

Hello my dear bibliophiles,
So this one was recommended to me by my friend, looking at you CA. I really enjoyed it am and really glad I read it. It really gave me a little bit of a Riverdale™© feel. By that I mean some of the relationships and action remained me of season two of Riverdale, which I stopped watching like halfway through because I got bored. I'll watch it on Netflix when it gets there. So now that I've made you curious I'm going to tell you about the characters.

• Bronwyn- She's the perfect, straight-A, Ivy League bound student. Everybody knows one. Heck I am that person or at least strive to be that person. So yeah, she's that person. Some people love her others not so much.
• Addy- She's your popular girl. Not a cheerleader per say but she's at every gathering and social event. She's dating a football player for heavens sake.
• Nate- He's the bad-boy. He deals drugs and everything like that.
• Cooper-He's the jock. He plays some other sports, but he is the king of baseball (and honey you should see him in a crown). He is an all-star pitcher.
• Simon- He's the outcast. He created a gossip app and tells everybody's secrets.

There you have your main characters with slightly more information than the cover. Do you see where I'm going with the Riverdale thing? 

So here's your story. All five of these kid's end up in detention one day. Only four come out. Simon dies that day and everyone in detention is a suspect. See Simon was planning on revealing secrets on his app the next day. They don't seem like the kind of people to have secrets that they would kill to keep from coming out do they? Well everybody has their secrets.

Like I said I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a really good mystery and it kept me guessing throughout the book. Somewhere around half way through I thought I had it figured out and I was going to be very disappointed. I was very wrong. I give it ten of ten paw prints. 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

13-14 years old minimum so like eighth ninth grade.

Tootles,

Merlin:)