Format: Fiction

Cursed Cruise

Cursed CruiseCursed Cruise (Horror Hotel, #2) by Faith McClaren, Victoria Fulton
Published by Underlined on March 19, 2024
ISBN: 0593649389
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Supernatural
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

The Ghost Gang is back in this sequel to Horror Hotel. This time, the amateur paranormal hunting content creators are on a cruise ship, and Chrissy, their medium, can tell something is dreadfully wrong before the ship has even left the dock.

Despite a lot happening aboard the Queen Anne (like a haunting, a possession, a mummy’s curse, a bunch of sad ghosts, ghosts that probably shouldn’t be there like the Captain of the Titanic and a despicable rival film crew), the book is very slow paced. It is told in five character points of view, one of which is the ship, but all the voices (other than the ship) sound the same, so it doesn’t provide much insight into each character. There is plenty of gore, and the cover is a nice nod to 2002’s Ghost Ship, but overall the book starts out scattered and never quite pulls it together. Fans of Horror Hotel might be interested in a sequel but not a necessary addition to a collection.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

two-stars

Ariel Crashes a Train

Ariel Crashes a TrainAriel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole
on March 12, 2024
ISBN: 0593644662
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
five-stars

With her best friend Leah taking off for the summer and her sister Mandy away at college, Ariel is left alone spending another summer working at Wildwood carnival feeling trapped in her own body and with her religious and emotionally detached parents.  Ariel is also trying to keep “the crocodile” at bay–the voice that compells her to push the old lady into traffic at the bus stop and to send the children’s train ride straight off its tracks. While she tries to hide her intrusive thoughts and odd behavior from her new friends and colleagues, Ariel reaches a tipping point and learns that the crocodile is really OCD and that it doesn’t have to control her life.

This novel in verse is a raw and gripping portrayl of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Being privy to Ariel’s inner turmoil is jarring at times but it is also honest which will speak to teen readers. In addition to mental illness, discussions of gender, religion, and race are interwoven into the story. It is ultimately about the journey to self-love, self-acceptance, and allowing yourself to find happiness. 

Grades 9-12

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

five-stars

Keep it Like a Secret

Published by Walden Pond Press on May 14, 2024
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
four-stars

Anderson’s latest middle grade offering is a look into the world of sibling relationships. 

Twelve-year-old Morgan and his older sister Claire have always been close, abiding by what they call “the Code,” knowing they’ll always be there for each other and never intentionally hurt one another. Over the past couple of years, Claire has begun finding it more difficult to relate to their mother and now on the verge of graduating high school, the number of intense fights between the two of them has only increased. This family dynamic takes its toll on Morgan who is always left picking up the pieces after each battle. After their latest fight, Claire goes radio silent until she shows up to spend the day with Morgan a week later. Morgan hopes to convince his sister to come home, not knowing that their day is not going to be anything like he planned.

The bond between Claire and Morgan is powerful and there is an emotional heft to this story but it is also full of humor and heart. Many readers will be able to relate to the love, resentment, forgiveness, and acceptance found in so many familial relationships. Hand to any John David Anderson fan and readers who are looking for tough-topic stories. 

Grades 4-7

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

 

four-stars

Zombie Apocalypse Running Club

Zombie Apocalypse Running ClubZombie Apocalypse Running Club by Carrie Mac
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on August 13, 2024
ISBN: 152477104X
Genres: Horror
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

For twins Eira and Soren, life at their survivalist compound is getting uncomfortable thanks to their science-shunning, bigoted, territorial father. The twins know that in order for them to be their true, queer selves, they must leave the homestead and find their own way. Though they have a plan for this, it gets complicated when a zombie epidemic caused by toxoplasmosis sweeps through the world. Their homestead seems safe from zombies, but not safe enough from their father, so they take off, finding new family and acceptance as they make their way to safety.

From the cover Zombie Apocalypse Running Club looks like it will be a goofy zombie romp, but it’s much more serious than it appears. Eira and Soren are truly torn about leaving their family and the idea of loving someone you don’t like is handled well. Eira is a well developed character, but minor characters would have benefited from more attention. Racer, in particular, deserved more detail as the Special Olympics champion turned running coach who trains the survivors to run for their lives. A rushed ending is a disappointment in what is otherwise a well-paced novel. Recommend to fans of LGBTQIA romance and fast-zombie action as there is plenty of both.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

Hemlock House

Hemlock HouseHemlock House: A Liar's Beach Novel by Katie Cotugno
Published by Delacorte Press on August 13, 2024
ISBN: 0593433327
Genres: Mystery
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Michael Linden and Holiday Proctor, the mystery solving team from Cotugno’s Liar’s Beach, are back and this time there is an Ivy League murder to solve. Hemlock House finds Linden at Harvard where he has reconnected with his high school girlfriend, Greer. When Greer’s hard-partying roommate, Bri,  dies of a suspected overdose, Linden and his best friend Holiday think there might be more to the story. Linden tries to get to the bottom of Bri’s death while rekindling his romance with Greer and navigating some complex new feelings about Holiday.

This book is a a sequel to Liar’s Beach, but also works as a standalone. Both books are really just vehicles for the fabulous Hercule Poirot-based, chapter-stealing character that is Holiday Proctor; nobody else matters, especially not Linden, who remains an unappealing and unsympathetic character. The mystery is simple, the suspense takes a back seat to the romance, and there are things that don’t make a lick of sense. It’s all ok, though, because it’s a quick read and Holiday is an absolute delight. Not essential but will definitely appeal to mystery readers.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

three-stars

Blood at the Root

Blood at the RootBlood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
Published by Labyrinth Road on May 7, 2024
ISBN: 0593711920
Genres: Cultural / African American, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Seventeen-year-old Malik has been living with the tremendous burden of believing he was responsible for his mother’s death a decade ago. He remembers her dying the night he realized he had magical powers and he has since carried that pain while growing up in the foster system. After rescuing his beloved foster brother Taye, Malik sets out for a new life away from his memories. Along the way he discovers not only can he control his magic, but that he comes from a long line of magic practitioners, and that he has earned a place in an historically Black college dedicated to Black youth with magical abilities.

Written to fill the void of magical stories featuring young Black men, Blood at the Root is an exciting idea: an HBCU dedicated to students learning Hoodoo and Vodun magic that draws on their history and ancestry for its operational power. The book is long and slow, though, and the magic is outweighed by the constant trauma and betrayal Malik is subjected to. Older fantasy and magical realism fans might enjoy it, and there will undoubtedly be sequels.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library

three-stars

Bumps in the Night

Bumps in the NightBumps in the Night by Amalie Howard
Published by Delacorte Press on February 20, 2024
ISBN: 0593645871
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Folklore, Magical Realism
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Middle schooler Darika Lovelace has been sent to Trinidad to stay with her grandmother for the summer. She’s had a little trouble at school, has some feelings to sort out about her stepmother and half-siblings, and is nursing the wound she suffered when her mother left, so a summer with Granny might be what just she needs. As Rika settles in she realizes things might not be exactly as they seem and her family history is much more complicated than she thought. Her iguana friend can talk? Her friends can practice elemental magic? She comes from a line of witches? Her mother is in Trinidad and in danger!?

Caribbean folklore is colorful and terrifying, as fans of Tracey Baptiste’s The Jumbies will attest to. Rika is a strong character, the monsters are legitimately creepy, and the descriptions of the local cuisine is mouthwatering. Hand to fans of magic, mischievous creatures, the movie Labyrinth, and Skittles.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

The Dare

The DareThe Dare by Natasha Preston
Published by Delacorte Press on May 7, 2024
ISBN: 0593704061
Genres: Psychological thriller
Format: Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
two-stars

High school senior Marley and her friends are dreading their school’s yearly tradition: senior pranks in the form of dares doled out by the siblings of the town’s most prestigious family. When Marley and her friends get dared to do increasingly dangerous things, they end up facing a tragedy that could derail their plans for the future.

Fans of I Know What You Did Last Summer might enjoy this book as the premise is similar, but what could have been an interesting look at high school politics and peer pressure falls flat thanks to the lack of character development. It will most likely circulate amongst thriller readers, but is not an essential addition to a collection.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

two-stars

Made Glorious

Made GloriousMade Glorious by Lindsay Eagar
Published by Candlewick Press on April 2, 2024
ISBN: 1536204676
Genres: Mental Health, Psychological thriller
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Senior year at Bosworth Academy is a big deal for student actors; it’s when they have finally paid their theater dues and are able to perform as a lead in the school’s final production. Rory King has been waiting patiently for her turn, but when she is passed over for a lead and cast in the ensemble again, she sets in motion a conniving and dangerous scheme to finally land a lead role.

This retelling of Shakespeare’s Richard III sets Rory up as an antihero who will shock and delight us as she stops at nothing (sexual favors, emotional manipulation, narrowly avoided murder) to get her way. Unfortunately, Rory comes across less like an antihero, and more like a severely ill teenager whose unyielding drive leads to truly reprehensible behavior. It’s hard to get on board and root for her, especially with very little backstory to explain why Rory behaves the way she does. The book uses both first and third person narration, has theatrical numbers, and even an original song. The detail paid to high school theater is interesting and will appeal to those who are familiar with the scene.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

three-stars

Last One to Die

Last One to DieLast One to Die by Cynthia Murphy
on January 7, 2021
ISBN: 0593705548
Pages: 275
Genres: Mystery, Psychological thriller, Supernatural
Format: Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

Niamh is beyond thrilled to attend a drama camp in London for the summer, but her excitement quickly turns to fear as students in her program are attacked and, in one case, murdered. As unnerving as that would be for anybody, Niamh feels especially threatened as she realizes that she is the common thread between the victims. To distract herself from what appears to be an increasingly perilous situation, she turns all her thoughts to Tommy, a handsome young man who works at a living museum with her.

The book suffers greatly from an unconvincing main character; Niamh is likeable enough, but the amount of risk she takes by staying in London in order to be around Tommy is unbelievable. Between stock characters and a weak mystery, there just isn’t enough to latch on to in the story to achieve the suspension of disbelief that would be required to make it work. Fans of supernatural thrillers might enjoy it, but it’s not a must-have for a collection.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

two-stars