I could tell from the ending of the last book that this one would be different. One character missing, plus a change of setting, meant the story would have to go in a new direction. Due to those changes, I preferred the first two books. The twists are good, but the plot seems to drive the story, with little space for the characters to shine. I couldn‘t quite understand their decisions or their emotions on a deeper level. Not bad, but not great.

Thank you so much @mcctrish for sending me this book! You‘re amazing 🖤 I‘m looking forward to reading it!

This new mystery is a fun transition between two school years for Stevie. I will admit that the one-book format to solve the mystery makes it more difficult to care about all the secondary characters. Some of them fall a bit flat. However, David is much more tolerable in this book. I like him best in book one, but I like him well enough here too. Nate might truly be my favorite character. As a creative person, I relate to him so much.

I loved the entire trilogy covering the Truly Devious mystery. I have mixed feelings towards David, though. His friendship with Ellie really helped balance him out. Everyone has chaotic energy, but no one is quite at his level now. He just feels like a lot to handle, even when Stevie is in the wrong. Janelle and Vi are great, and Nate resonates with my soul. I was able to solve one mystery by process of elimination, and I do like the resolution.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy this series. Stevie is a great main character, because she‘s flawed and unique, yet also relatable. Things start to make more sense as we approach the end of the Truly Devious mystery, and everything is falling into place without feeling forced. I bought the next book right away!

Thank you again @BookishMadHatter!

Photo # 2 of the #AllHallowsReadSwap because the wrapping was so perfect too!

@BookishMadHatter
@MaleficentBookDragon

Thank you so much @BookishMadHatter for the #AllHallowsReadSwap package! The candies look yummy and the books are absolutely perfect! I can‘t wait to read them! And that little ghost ❤️ It truly made my day. So cute!!

@MaleficentBookDragon

I‘m not sure who to tag, but I believe this is my #AllHallowsReadSwap. Thank you!!

@MaleficentBookDragon

I mailed my #AllHallowsReadSwap yesterday. It should arrive in about a week.

@MaleficentBookDragon

*Read in French.

This was teenage-me‘s favorite Senécal book, but I didn‘t think I could like it in its new comic form due to the graphic content. Then a friend gave it to me. I just got around to reading it - and loving it. Senécal‘s horror retelling of Alice in Wonderland is a story I still find fascinating. Plus, the quality is amazing: the paper is thick, the use of colours is brilliant, and most character designs are great.

I thought this was entertaining without being groundbreaking. It has a bit of a blue beard type of story, which I found fascinating. The other elements were good, but not great. It didn‘t give me anything to truly think about while reading or once it ended. However, it‘s only a few dollars on Kindle, so I would say it gave me my money‘s worth for sure!

I liked it - but also wished the premise was handled a little differently. I wasn‘t exactly bored, but I also wasn‘t as interested as I thought I would be. Anne is quite Cinderella-like in my opinion. Surrounded by a wicked family that takes advantage of her, yet being herself of a deeply kind-hearted nature. And somehow that just makes her bland compared to other Austen heroines.

Emma is quite flawed - but I feel that‘s what makes her likable and interesting. She tries to do her best while being awfully misguided, often because of her own prejudice… and it‘s hilarious to see the events unfold exactly as a more sensible person would have expected them to unfold. I also like how independent Emma is and how she finds ways around her father‘s concerns. I‘d say it‘s one of my favorite Jane Austen book!

Having seen the movie first, I can say that reading the story was much more interesting. The movie made me feel that too many elements were similar to Pride and Prejudice (sisters in need of good marriages, a male character of little consistency, etc). Reading the book allowed me to fully enjoy the nuances and the characters.

I don‘t know if this is a “pick” or a “so-so”. I found myself constantly taken out of the story, be it by the MC forgetting the extent of her own powers, the wrong pronunciation of French words by the two narrators, or the too-sudden romantic feelings coupled with the sexual prowess of a virgin… I liked many elements of the world building and the plot, but I don‘t know if it‘s enough because the story and the characters simply weren‘t believable.

As a free book from Prime reading, this was satisfying. I liked it… but mostly for the characters, not the mystery. I haven‘t read the previous books in the series, but it wasn‘t difficult to follow - and the characters are likable from this book alone, which is great. There‘s nothing I specifically disliked about it, but I wouldn‘t call it wonderful either. It‘s just in the comfortable middle-ground of “good”.

I‘m not quite sure how to rate this one. It just wasn‘t as good as the first one. I didn‘t care as much for the characters, and even though the story is action-packed, I felt bored in some parts. I also wished for more depth in the internal conflicts of the characters. I knew how they felt, but I often couldn‘t FEEL it myself. Still, it‘s not a bad book. I enjoyed the politics and most battles. I just wish there was more to the book to enjoy.

Such a beautiful story. The twists are well-thought-out and believable. I liked Sorrow a lot. She‘s so creepy and tragic… she reminds me of mythical figures, especially the Green Man and La Llorona. I also liked seeing the real impact of parental neglect on Ben and Hazel. The love stories aren‘t really complex, but they work well… though I must admit that there‘s one kiss that made no sense to me and that bugs me even now.

In all honesty, after watching (and disliking) the series, I lost interest for the audiobook I had already bought… which was a mistake because I actually enjoyed the book. As twisted as it may sound, Christopher‘s story was probably my favorite. I also quite enjoyed Nick‘s and Ellie‘s, though both become a little convoluted towards the end. I thought Mandy and Jade‘s storylines were okay, but often predictable. It‘s a good enough book overall.

Love, love, love, love, love this book. It‘s such an interesting spin on fairy tales and magic. The Gentleman is creepy, the Woodcutter is a wonderful hero… There‘s nothing I would have changed in the story. The author knows what they‘re doing, and they‘re doing it very well. The book works as it is, and any changes would make it a different story. It‘s written a lot like a fairy tale - don‘t expect to dig too deep into the characters.

I needed this book as soon as I read the summary. It‘s everything I want. Give me more gender-reversed fairy tales with a side of WLW romance, please. It‘s not perfect, but it‘s pretty damn close. The banter is funny, the characters are well-developed, and the romance plot lines don‘t seem too forced despite a bit of insta-love… I‘m looking forward to seeing all the relationships deepen in the sequel, including the friendship between Fi and Shane.

This was “I want to buy it even though I read it for free via Prime Reading” kind of good. It‘s a rom-com, with ridiculous antics that make some suspension of disbelief necessary. However, the book made me laugh out loud multiple times, and Luc is actually a rather believable character, as is Oliver. I could deal with other characters being absurd for humour or drama. I‘m glad the book doesn‘t get too steamy, but that‘s just personal preference.

I had started Dracula forever ago for an undergrad class, but chose to leave it unfinished as readings were piling up. This time, instead of reading my physical copy, I listened to the audiobook. And I finally finished it. It‘s a good story. Different from what you‘d expect from pop culture representations of Dracula (or even Van Helsing). The Audible-exclusive audiobook has multiple narrators, including Tim Curry!

This was both very good and a bit of a disappointment. I feel the book takes an easy way out of an important part of the premise as soon as Meg reunites with her ex. I wanted more in terms of conflict and morally grey characters. I did enjoy the story… but I think it should have been handled differently to get the best result.

I can‘t believe I forgot to review this (but I‘ve got a lot of reviews to catch up on). I loved the first book so much that I taught it as part of a class centered on magic in Arthurian legends - and this offers the perfect ending to the story. I love the explanation of who Guinevere truly is. I got that wrong and thought the twist would be obvious. It wasn‘t… or at least not how I expected it to be. I still want my own Lancelot. Huge book crush.

I got this for free from the Sync audiobook program - and picked it because I didn‘t know what to choose after all the series I had started recently. Little did I know that this would be a series too 🤦🏻‍♀️ This is not the book‘s fault, though. I truly enjoyed the story - the characters, the plot, the mystery. I‘m looking forward to reading the rest of the series… and seriously considering a new Audible subscription for all those sequels.

So… this story has the funniest origin: somewhere online, some Christian made the argument that, if you put gays and lesbians on separate islands, they would never reproduce (and the straights would “win”). People started jokingly adding to that: would bisexuals be in the sea? Or asexuals in the sky? This book takes all those ideas and turns them into a story. It‘s fun. It‘s queer. It‘s wonderful. (Now I wanna join the bi pirates, of course.)

This was surprisingly good. I bought it on Kindle a long time ago and I didn‘t have high expectations considering the price I paid. It was, however, an entertaining story. The mythology elements seem well-researched - and while one romance was more developed than the other, I didn‘t have anything against the almost-insta-love. I‘m curious to read the sequel and see where the story goes.

Here‘s my advice: don‘t listen to romance novels. Pick them as paper books or ebooks. Never, ever audiobooks. Apart from some very uncomfortable listening, though, this was great. I love the representation provided by both main characters - and it‘s one of the few romance novels that I TRULY enjoyed over the years.

I also absolutely loved this book, like the first one! The ending surprised me (but it wasn‘t unpredictable), and I can‘t wait to read the next one. I believe the story could wrap up nicely in the third book, while also offering a few twists to keep us entertained. We‘ll see!

I absolutely loved this book. I imagine some people may dislike the main character‘s attitude, but I thought she was hilarious. I jumped to the second book right after listening to this one, so they blur a bit story-wise - but I seem to remember a good plot with a good ending in this book as well as the next. As a side note, it‘s a lot more YA than Uprooted or Spinning Silver.

This audiobook has great narration - and a story with high stakes. I liked the conflict, the (unresolved) mystery, the family dynamic, and the tension between Emilia and Wrath. I‘m looking forward to reading (or listening to) the sequel. The cover convinced me I NEEDED this book before I knew what it was about, haha. Skulls are my weakness.

The humour is definitely what makes this book stand out. A bisexual protagonist is also a win, especially when paired with a biracial love interest. However, the ending disappointed me, in that it didn‘t properly resolve the issues at stake (in my opinion). I wanted real confrontations - or, at least, a tangible plan for the future. I know there‘s a sequel, but I expected more in THIS book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

I liked the story and the characters a lot… until the end, which fell a bit flat. I would have preferred a totally unexpected reason for the ripper‘s actions, or a totally unexpected identity, and I didn‘t feel the final twist gave us that. I liked the narration of the audiobook (yes, I was on an audiobook roll!).

I wish this book was a series, because I wanted the adventure to extend beyond the scope of one novel. As a self-contained story, it works well… but leaves me wanting more development in the plot and in the characters. The final lines made me roll my eyes hard for how cliché they were - but, apart from that and a slightly shaky beginning, the book was great. I really just wanted more of it to flesh things out! The audiobook narration was good.

A little chiché, as it relies heavily on a trope (marrying a man with no intention to love him, yet falling in love nonetheless). However, I enjoyed the simplicity of those common elements, and I believe the world building makes it quite original in its own way. The narration of the audiobook is good.

As a side note, the sharks annoy me. This is fantasy: create your own sea monsters instead of perpetuating the myth that sharks are men killers.

Thank you so much @LA_Mead! You spoiled me. So many books! It seems I forgot to take The Girl From the Well out of my TBR - my mistake! It‘s actually one of my faves too! Lindt chocolate is the best chocolate! And those postcards look AMAZING. I think I‘ll put some on my walls! The face mask is such a fun idea.

@teebe #creepychristmas

Just got my #CreepyChristmas package! I think it comes from @LA_Mead ! Thank you!! 🎄

@teebe

I mailed my #CreepyChristmas package yesterday. It‘s supposed to arrive way before the opening date.

@BeeMagical I forgot to tag it 🤦🏻‍♀️ I believe you should be able to recognize it! If you have any doubts, message me and I‘ll give you the tracking number!

@teebe

Oh wow, @LeahBergen! What wonderful gifts! The bookmark is glorious, and I‘ve had my eyes on that wooden skeleton for forever, but I never managed to find one that was in good shape. It‘s a funny coincidence that Hill House was on my wishlist and was the book you had in mind! Thank you!!

#AllHallowsReadSwap @MaleficentBookDragon

Oh, wow, @BeeMagical! This might be too honest, but I‘ve been going through a hard time lately, and your thoughtful gifts put tears in my eyes. Thank you SO MUCH. It‘s like you channeled exactly who I am and what makes my spooky self happy!

#HauntedHollowSwap @wanderinglynn

I just received my #AllHallowsReadSwap from the wonderful @LeahBergen ! Thank you! I can‘t wait to open it!

@MaleficentBookDragon

Got my #HauntedHollowSwap box! Thank you!!

#HHS @wanderinglynn

Those two boxes have just been mailed!

#AllHallowsReadSwap is going to the US by Expedited shipping.

#HauntedHollowSwap is going next door (almost literally!) by Xpresspost.

Both should reach their destination with plenty of time before the opening date!

Thank you again @MaleficentBookDragon and @wanderinglynn for hosting.

I would probably pick witches AND vampires (though I‘m not the biggest fan of A Discovery of Witches, I must admit), as well as Black Cats AND Bats. I still tried to make a choice, haha.

#HH @wanderinglynn

1. No.
2. Yes. Shoe size: US 8 (for women).
3. Black and red. Then purple. 🖤❤️💜
4. None.
5. I probably love all bookish accessories!
6. Alice in Wonderland‘s Mad Hatter. My best friends were Alice and the Cheshire Cat. I wish I could redo the costume in a more sophisticated way!
7. I actually look good wearing a hat, but I never do, haha.

#HHS @wanderinglynn

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected. However, I wish we had gotten a little bit more development when it comes to the romance. While not exactly sudden, it was fast, and I didn‘t feel a true escalation from infatuation to love. I would have been happy if they had taken things slow OR if it had clearly been a passionate love that bloomed quickly. I do love the pairing - I just wanted more.

Typical haunted house story. I enjoyed the characters and actually hoped there would be some romance between two of them (the two who aren‘t related!). Sadly, that didn‘t happen. The story was still good, but I think a little hint of romance would have helped character development and better explained the anger of the most threatening ghost.

Surprising book. Lots of difficult subjects, including bullying, drug/alcohol abuse, complicated family relationships... and more. I would stay away if the dark side of humanity can be a trigger for you. Also includes vampires! I did enjoy it a lot, personally, but it isn‘t a light reading in any way.

I got confused and expected a common murder mystery, but it was a great read nonetheless! I guessed the truth about the Munro mystery before it was revealed, but the book was still interesting, with a wonderful cast of characters. I wish one specific character turned out to be bisexual instead of gay - it would have provided even more diversity (us bisexuals are so often forgotten!) and offered a final twist in another character‘s happy ending.