The Spooky Bookshelf

• - substance abuse
• - mentions of suicide
• - death/harm of a child
• - mentions of sexual assault/child sexual abuse
• - gore/violence

I periodically receive emails from NetGalley telling me what books are "Read Now". In the most recent email, _What the Woods Took_ was listed among the books on offer. While I had previously seen Courtney Gould's other books on NetGalley, I had not been lucky enough to be chosen to read them. But since this one was "Read Now" I managed to snag it. I'm so glad I was able to get it.

In this book we follow five teenagers who have been sent away to "wilderness therapy" by their parents/guardians. Our illustrious group consists of:

• - Devin - nearly 18 years old, has been in foster care for most of her life, resorts to violence to solve her problems.
• - Sheridan - a rich girl with a tragic past, she has a tendency to be quite the bitch to others
• - Hannah - a girl you'd think would be the last person on earth to be sent to "wilderness therapy"
• - Aidan - a younger teen who just wanted to be liked
• - Ollie - a teen relatively close in age to Devin who did something bad, but not what his dad thought

As we follow these five teens on their wilderness therapy journey, we find that things in this wilderness aren't exactly what they seem. One of the things I loved about this book is that the enemy isn't what you'd expect - and in some cases might actually be someone you know!

I found the writing style in _What the Woods Took_ to be extremely easy to follow and I was very impressed with it. Ms. Gould crafted this story with the utmost care and made it so easy to read that I finished in just a few hours. It also helped that I didn't want to put the book down!

I gave this book a four star rating - I can't wait to pick up Ms. Gould's other novels from the library. She has gained a fan for life.

I picked up Buried Secrets a while ago while perusing the Edelweiss+ gallery of books that could be freely downloaded, but didn't get around to reading it right away. Now I kind of wish I had.

For one, it is a clean thriller. No foul language, no sex, nothing that would make your grandmother cringe. The author even states it is meant to be a clean book. Which is a nice change of pace from the overly sexualized, over-filled with cuss words thrillers I often read. Not that I'm opposed to a little bit of sex or some swear words. I'm not. I just would prefer that the books have less rather than more of those things.

Buried Secrets is the revised edition of The Secret, the prequel novella to the Mirror Estate series. I'd not read The Secret, so I went into this book blind. But that didn't stop me from enjoying it thoroughly.

For two, I like Dylan. He's grieving the loss of his mother, a period I remember all too well. He's also a loyal friend, something you'll understand when you read the book. But suffice it to say, he doesn't forget where he came from. Or who was there for him when his life turned upside down.

In all honesty, the Marino family secrets were good ones. While one of them didn't totally surprise me, another one did. As did a few other surprises that were in store for readers. And this was the prequel novella! This isn't even one of the full novels.

I gave this a solid four star rating and I look forward to obtaining and reading the rest of the Mirror Estate series. Do yourself a huge favor and Buried Secrets when you get the chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

When I saw All Hope of Becoming Human by Lonnie Busch in the Edelweiss+ "to download" category, I thought it sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did!

One of Mr. Busch's influences is Stephen King and you can definitely see that in this novel. He expertly crafted the kind of allegory that Mr. King uses - where the people are the problem, not the fantastical monsters that plague them. Not only that, but he blended science fiction and horror in a way that made them seamless, something that I've seen many other authors try and fail to do.

Mr. Busch has created a cast of characters in All Hope of Becoming Human that are not only likeable, but ones that you will genuinely care about. You'll grieve their losses, celebrate their successes, and sit in shock at what they endure.

Rebecca is an enigma for the majority of the book and it works. So many times I wondered what was going on with her - why she was acting the way she was. When it all came together toward the end of the novel, it not only made sense, but it made me glad it had happened that way.

I also enjoyed Demzey's character - he was one tough cookie who also showed emotion. That isn't something you often get from male authors - for some reason, the male characters just aren't that emotionally charged. I appreciated that with Demzey.

The plot to this one is obvious and not at the same time. You can see the tendrils of the plot but you're often left wondering where they are going, which is not a bad thing. You'll find points that you know are integral to the plot of All Hope of Becoming Human, but yet they seem to lead nowhere before being explained later. When they are explained, you'll see why they weren't explained to begin with - because it wouldn't have made sense then.

The ending made me a bit sad, a bit glad, and actually made me wish for a sequel - because I'd love to see what happens next after this book left off... hint, hint, Mr. Busch! All in all, this was a solid 4.5 star read and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror and science fiction mixed together!

I just want to thank HarperCollins for sending me this book - I got it late September/early October last year and just now got around to reading it. As per usual when it takes me awhile to get around to reading a book, I wish I'd read it sooner!

I could not put this book down. I think I started it around 8PM and finished it just after midnight. Ms. Lynch wrote this book with so many secrets, twists, and turns that I couldn't stop reading because I had to know what was coming next.

We have six main characters:

• - Rosalee - the bride-to-be
• - Tinsley - Rosalee's cousin
• - Mara - Rosalee's best friend
• - Bri - the soon-to-be sister-in-law
• - Elizabeth - the soon-to-be mother-in-law
• - Georgia - Rosalee's fiancé's best friend

All of them come with their own sets of secrets, reasons why they might be a murder victim or why they might have committed the murder. Oh, by the way, you don't find out who was actually murdered until nearly the end of the book... even though you start off with the crime scene. It's amazing!

Usually I have to try to guess who murdered the victim, but I know who the victim is. With The Bachelorette Party, not only did I have to try to guess who the murderer was, but who the victim was as well. I'm telling you, it makes the mystery even more fun when you don't even know who died!

Interestingly enough, as much as I loved the book, I can't say the same about any of the six main characters. None of the particularly spoke to me and frankly, all of them have something that makes them unlikeable. I will say my least favorite character was Mara - she rubbed me the wrong way from the moment she appeared. But I didn't really like any of the others either.

The setting though - New Orleans... a creepy old gothic mansion that is purported to be haunted? Yes please! I'll absolutely take that setting any day of the week.

Ms. Lynch's writing style is beautiful and easy to read. You won't find yourself bored or reading a ton of cliché phrases because the writing is exciting and doesn't rely on tired phrases like everyone's favorite "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding".

I highly recommend you check out The Bachelorette Party by Carissa Ann Lynch if you are a mystery/suspense lover. You'll be glad you did!

I have to say - this book would have been a great read in October and indeed, I may have to re-read it for October. This book is perfectly creepy, what with a fog that covers the town of Warbler every evening. Even creepier when you discover where that fog originates from.

I loved Temperance. She is fiesty and protective of those she loves. Her insistence on making her own way and working as the lamplighter, as well as her troubles as the lamplighter because she is a woman are a grim reminder that even today, women are not always seen as equals to men.

Prudence is another character I was fond of. She is fiesty, loyal, and protective as well, but in her own way. The sisters have very different ways of living their lives, which is well played out in the book.

Gideon... well, at times I liked him, but most of the time I despised him. Which is probably what was intended.

Josiah was a sweet character and I wish we'd seen a bit more of him in the book. But alas...

The plot for this book is pretty amazing. A small whaling town overtaken by fog every night. If the lamplighter doesn't do his/her job, then people go missing because of the fog. This one is full of twists, turns, and will make you second guess yourself constantly.

While I loved the ending, it makes me hope for a sequel because... well, once you read the book, you'll understand why it is I hope for a sequel. Ms. Bell, if you are reading this, I beg you, please, write a sequel. Your ending begs for one!

I gave this 4.5 stars because it is an amazing book. I can't wait to see what other YA Horror gems she writes.