Butcher And Blackbird
by Brynne Weaver

Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver was awesome! Messed up? Yes! Smutty? You bet! Enjoyable? Heck yeah. Sloane and Rowan, both serial killers, engage in a yearly competition to kill some of the most disgusting and disreputable killers in the country. The killings are grotesque but the action, suspense and slow burn between these characters is so delicious (pun intended). This book is defintely NOT for everyone but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this psychotic ride. Warning! Very descriptive acts of depravity, foul language and lots of sexual content.
 
 

Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang

Juniper has always been jealous of the success of her friend Athena. She got a book deal and became an overnight success and Juniper's debut novel barely made waves. When Athena suddenly dies, Juniper is given an opportunity to finish a novel by the famous Athena and take the credit for herself. Will Juniper use her friends death to seek the fame and prestige in the writing/publishing she always craved? This book is a bit of a roller coaster of emotions and moral/ethical dilemmas. Do two wrongs make a right? This book has a lot of discussion potential and I now understand the hype. This book is wrought with controversy. There is a side to every argument and understanding the perspectives of the characters helps but one will never really know the experiences of the other without walking a day in their shoes. The book was good, the characters complex and flawed and I found the morally gray plot intriguing. My only beef is that Juniper never really dealt with all of the consequences in an appropriate manner or at least in my humble opinion. I would reccomend if you really want to know more about current writers and the publishing industry or the flaws contained within.
 
 

Come On Shore And We Will Kill And Eat You All
by Christina Thompson

Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All was OK. The best parts were the historical bits about the Maori, the historical accounts of encounters with sailors from different countries and Maori, and the commentary about We Were Warriors the book and movie adaptations. The reviews for this book discussed the downside of this book being the authors blatant colonialist views on the Maori, her husband and her husband's family. I tend to agree with this. Her whole commentary on the Maori kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. At one point she admires them while simultaneously giving commentary and agreeing with the stated stereotypes. I will stick with the history and defintely less of the memoir/biographical of this particular author.
 
 

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
by Jesse Andrews

Me, Earl and the Dead Girl was a unique experience. The format was told in a documentary type format, which was different. Some parts were laugh out loud funny, much of it was more relatable then it should have been such as social groups in high school. There was lots of sexual references and swearing which didn't bother me. I understand now why it is a banned book though. I also equally understood why this is a book that is often assigned in schools. It was real, it was powerful and it was moving in a way that other books couldn't possibly attain. I liked it but it defintely was a book with a subject matter fit for discussion and rife with distension from people that believe young people can't or shouldn't be exposed to death and/or dying. I would reccomend this too teenagers 14+.
 
 

Twelfth Knight
by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Jack Orsino is his highs school best running back on the football field. This was to be his best year yet until an ACL injury side lines him. To pass the time, his friend Nick suggest he start learning to play an online role playing game called Twelfth Knight. Jack struggles for a time on his own until he teams up with a fellow Knight by the name of Cesario. He is very good at the game and they become friends. What he doesn't know is that Cesario is really his arch nemesis and vice president of the school student body Vi Reyes is actually Cesario. Viola Reyes knows that Jack is DukeOrsino but Jack thinks she is Bash, her twin brother. Unfortunately, for Vi, things start to spin out of control. On top of lieing to her Jack online, not speaking with her best friend Antonia and having a deal with Jack to find out why Olivia, his girlfriend, really wants to take a break from their relationship. Will Vi finally tell the ones she loves and cares about the truth and stop pretending to be something she is not? Vi is an awesome character but she has major trust issues. I am glad to see that her character was well rounded and very entertaining. Jack, I assumed, would be a stupid jock but I was wrong. He was a very sweet and dedicated character and I really enjoyed his story arch as well. Antonia, Bash, and Olivia were also really entertaining side characters. The story had a fun story with a satisfying ending. Highly reccomend to fans of Ren Faires, cons, online role playing games or Dungeons and Dragons!
 
 

Waterfire Saga, Book One: Deep Blue
by Jennifer Donnelly

Serafina, a mermaid and principessa of the underwater kingdom of Miromara, has a coming of age ceremony to complete before her betrothal to Prince Mahdi. The ceremony was interrupted by an assassin's arrow piercing Queen Isabella of Miromara side and killing her father. With her friend and fellow principessa Meela, Sera escapes Miromara's capital which has been burned and pillaged. Now, she must find out who is behind the attack on her kingdom and, with the help of 5 other mermaids, try to prevent the rise of an evil power and the destruction of the mermaids nations world. This was a great start to the series. The characters are interesting and the magic system, which is controlled by their voices, is really neat. The plot was fast paced, exciting and created in me an urge to immediately look for book 2, which is Rogue Wave, immediately. I am looking forward to continuing the series! My daughter will love this series when she is older! Highly reccomend to middle school aged fantasy readers.
 
 

Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas

3.5 stars. It was an okay and fun book.
 
 

Hopeless
by Elsie Silver

4.75 stars. I’m sad that I’m done with this series. Chestnut Springs will be a dear place in my heart!
 
 

Reckless
by Elsie Silver

I was obsessed! Theo, Winter, and Viv have my heart!!! This is by far my favorite of the series. Can’t wait to read Bailey and Beau’s story.
 
 

Powerless
by Elsie Silver

I loved this book! Jasper and Sloane have my heart! Can’t wait to read reckless.