After reading the last page in Prodigy, I felt my heart being ripped open and stomped on. Any reader can empathize with this feeling of reading a book with a heart-wrenching cliff hanger. Thanks to Marie Lu for putting me in a state of despair after reading Prodigy. As much as I loved Prodigy, I did feel the book moved a bit slower than I anticipated. There was a lot of build up to the plot, but it was somewhat boring to read about. Once I was about halfway through the book, I became entranced with seeing the events unfold. I’m hoping to finish this series this year.

Prodigy picks up immediately after Legend with June and Day wandering through Las Vegas after escaping the Republic. Day is still injured as June is trying her best to drag him along to seek shelter. They’re picked up by the Patriots, a rebel group with aims to protest against the Republic. The Patriots give June and Day a deal: help the Patriots successfully assassinate the new elector and the Patriots will personally see to Eden (Day’s brother) being released from the Republic. Day’s leg is patched up and June is sent into the Republic to initiate the assassination attempt.

The beauty in Marie Lu’s writing is the way she writes her action sequences. As I’m reading the action-packed paragraphs, it reminds me of the Bourne movies. Day’s ability to climb balconies and leap across buildings reminds me of something Jason Bourne could do. June’s skill in hand-to-hand combat is also exciting to read about considering without June, Day probably wouldn’t have made it far in his quest to free his brother.

One disappointment I had with this book is how a certain character’s death is treated. I won’t say who they are because I don’t want to provide spoilers, but I felt it wasn’t seen as being a big deal. I wish they would have shown a proper funeral. Another possible scene I would have liked to see in the book, is how this character death would have impacted June and Day. This character’s death scene felt quick and undeserving.

Honestly, I did prefer Legend to Prodigy. Part of this is due to the cliff hanger appearing in the last couple pages of Prodigy. The series went in a direction I wasn’t expecting. I feel for Day because of everything he went through, I wanted him to have a happy ending. I’m not sure if this will be the case, but I can’t quit the series now.

Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire is the pivotal book in the series where everything becomes much darker. This may still be a “children’s” book, but the adult themes become more present. Voldemort arises out of the mist ready to take over the Wizarding World with his bigotry towards Mudbloods. As an adult, I find re-reading the Harry Potter book series to be different than when I read it as a child. It’s the same material, but I pick up on themes that are relevant to today’s society. As always, I’m going to post details I completely forgot about from The Goblet of Fire:

• The difference between Wormtail in the book versus the movie is vastly different. In the book, Voldemort makes numerous comments about Wormtail’s devotion due to his endless fear. In the movie, Wormtail is seen as a normal follower willing to do Voldemort’s bidding.
• I wish we would have seen Dudley’s tongue turn purple and grow a foot in length. Instead, the movie starts right at the Quidditch World Cup.
• Apparation requires passing a highly challenging test. This is also the first reference to “splinching” which becomes important later in the series.
• Portkeys need to be objects a “muggle” wouldn’t touch. An example would be litter.
• Ways in which Amos Diggory is such a jerk: He talks about how Cedric beat Harry in the Quidditch match last year EVEN THOUGH Harry fell off his broom due to the Dementor’s presence. Amos Diggory also accused Harry of conjuring the Dark Mark during the World Cup.
• The Quidditch World Cup seats 100,000 people.
• Veelas were women who put men into a trance. They performed at the Quidditch World Cup which almost prompted Harry to dive out of his seat. Fleur is part veela which is why she’s seen as irresistible.
• A break-in is reported at Mad Eye Moody’s house which Arthur Weasley investigates. More excellent foreshadowing by J.K. Rowling.
• Professor Snape forces Neville to disembowel toads as punishment. That’s extremely messed up.
• During the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Moody, he puts everyone under the Imperius Curse and Harry is the only one to fight it off. This becomes extremely important later on as Harry can resist Voldemort’s Imperius Curse during their battle after the third task.
• Triwizard Champions are exempt from end-of-year tests.
• Sirius Black has such an important role in the book. He’s the one who informs Harry about Karkaroff’s past as a Death Eater and about Barty Crouch Sr.’s ruthless ways of punishing the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War.
• In the book, Harry stays near the arena while fighting the dragon. The whole Hogwarts castle showdown with the dragon is purely made to make the sequence more thrilling.
• DOBBY MADE HARRY QUIDDITCH SOCKS! How cute 🙂
• Moody mentions to Harry about how he would make a good Auror.
• “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors not his equals.” This quote from Sirius is spot on.
• Sirius was sentenced to Azkaban without a proper trial, all thanks to Barty Crouch Sr.
• During Moody’s time as an Auror, he never tried to kill Death Eaters if he didn’t have to. Barty Crouch Sr. gave him special permission to use the three unforgivable curses, but he still avoided using them.
• In Hagrid’s class, they studied Niffler’s! They even had a contest with the Nifflers to see which Niffler would find the most coins. Ron ended up winning. Harry even describes the Nifflers as being cute.
• During a divination lesson, Harry dreams Voldemort tortures Wormtail after he makes a mistake. This further describes Voldemort and Wormtail’s volatile relationship which wasn’t in the movies.
• Ludo Bagman was on trial for giving information to Rookwood [Rookwood was convicted of being a Death Eater].
• The torture of the Longbottom’s shocked the Wizarding World. Frank was a popular Auror and the timing happened right after Voldemort fell from power. This means that Harry’s parents were killed in July and the Longbottom’s were tortured shortly after that.
• Imagine being in Neville’s position: leading the legacy of his parents who have no idea who he is. This is compounded by the fact that his true strength is in Herbology and not necessarily in other forms of magic like his parents. That’s a lot of pressure for Neville.
• A phoenix song plays when Harry and Voldemort’s wands connect. They are also raised in the air and float over the Death Eaters.
• Bertha Jorkins is released from Voldemort’s wand encouraging Harry to keep their wands connected.
• Fawkes heals Harry after the battle with Voldemort. This is after Barty Crouch Jr. is apprehended.
• Fudge doesn’t believe Voldemort’s rise to power due to Harry’s apparent “mental instability” which was written about by Rita Skeeter. In this article, it’s revealed Harry can talk to snakes which was unknown to Fudge. It’s one reason why Fudge launches a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore.
• During the argument between Fudge and Dumbledore, Professor Snape reveals his “dark mark” to everyone saying how his mark is darker on his arm. Snape is a lot of things, but he at least believes Harry’s account of Voldemort’s return.
• Towards the end of Goblet of Fire, it’s revealed that Sirius is the black dog that’s been following Harry around. Dumbledore insists Sirius and Snape need to work together. This is the beginning of the formation of the Order of the Phoenix.
• Dumbledore makes a comment to Snape, “You know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready . . . if you are prepared . . . then good luck.” I wonder if this was the moment that Snape contacted Voldemort to become his double agent.
• Ron in the end got an autograph from Krum
• The last sentence in Goblet of Fire is fitting to what happens in the series. It is, “What would come, would come. . . and he would have to meet it when it did.” This is written from Harry’s view and how Harry has accepted Voldemort’s return.

These aren’t even all the comments I wrote about Goblet of Fire. I’m writing a Word document of every little detail I find interesting as I re-read the books. I’m already at 13 pages of little tidbits from the series I had forgotten. Re-reading Goblet of Fire brought out more emotion than I had prepared for. It means I’m one book closer to reading The Deathly Hallows and all the character deaths occur in the Battle of Hogwarts. I’m still looking forward to reading the other three books and hope to start Order of the Phoenix sometime this week.

When I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I was a junior in college. Reading Fangirl allowed me to reflect on my college experience. My freshman year was an intimidating experience where I had to make new friends from scratch. I related to Cath in her devotion to Simon & Bazz. I have the same devotion to other fandoms. When I found out Rainbow Rowell was transitioning into writing comics, I was invested in whatever property she became attached to. Runaways: Find Your Way Home is an adventure story centered on the relationships between friends.

Before reading Runaways, I never knew the premise behind the team. The Runaways is a comic series published by Marvel that debuted in 2003. The series stars a group of teenagers who interact with each other every time their parents have a dinner party. The teenagers discover the dinner parties are a front for their parent’s criminal undertakings. The parents are part of a group titled “The Pride” with the ultimate goal of wiping out the planet and starting fresh. The teenagers are forced to team up and go against authority and stop “The Pride” from unleashing hell on Earth. As I researched The Runaways, I learned that they were created by Brian K. Vaughn. This name may sound familiar because he is the main creator of Paper Girls which is one of my favorite comic series. Vaughn worked on Runaways until the series was canceled in 2009.

Rainbow Rowell’s Runaways: Find Your Way Home is set after the teenagers learn about their parent’s background. What I like about Runaways: Find Your Way Home is how it hints at the original story, but I don’t need prior knowledge of The Runaways to comprehend the story. The protagonists of the story are: Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, and Alex Wilder. Each teenager has special abilities that contribute to how The Runaways team up in battle. One of the positive attributes of Runaways: Find Your Way Home is the diversity between the characters. This doesn’t include race, but also diversity in body type. Gertrude is one of my favorite teenagers because of her sassy personality, but she’s also drawn as being plus-size. In comics, women are often super thin, curvy, and muscular all at the same time. As someone whose body type doesn’t fit that mold, I’m happy to see characters in comics with a variety of body types.

As I mentioned, Gertrude is one of my favorite characters because I think her character arc is interesting to read. Without giving spoilers, she has to contemplate how The Runaways have grown apart since she felt they would always be together. Also Gertrude has a pet dinosaur named Old Lace who’s her partner in crime. I’m also intrigued by Nico’s magical abilities since she can’t create the same spell twice. I would hate to have this ability because I wouldn’t be creative enough to come up with different spell names every time.

I can’t talk about Runaways: Find Your Way Home without referencing Kris Anka. Kris Anka has worked on many of Marvel’s properties including X-Men, Captain Marvel, and the redesign of Spider-Woman. Kris Anka’s art makes this story shine. He is perfect for Rainbow Rowell since her writing is lighthearted and clever.

As I typed this review, I didn’t realize I would have so much to say. I highly recommend this series because of the story. You don’t have to know anything about the original Runaways to start this series. Go to your local comic book store and pick up Runaways: Find Your Way Home, you won’t be disappointed.

As a consumer, I try to support local businesses when I can. There’s a bookstore about ten minutes away from my apartment that serves local beer on tap along with black coffee. I’m planning on purchasing more of my books there versus Barnes & Noble, however, I had two Barnes & Noble gift cards to use up from the past holiday season. I made my purchases and wanted to share what’s next on my reading list.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

This is the second book in the Legend trilogy. I wrote a book review of Legend a couple of blog posts ago. The main reason I avoided reading this series was because I needed a break from the dystopian genre. I’m only about fifty pages into Prodigy, but so far it’s been pretty fast-paced.

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi

I have been trying to get into reading more manga and watching anime, but I haven’t found a series that clicks with me. My Hero Academia is a top-rated manga and anime series about a young boy who’s obsessed with superpowers even though he isn’t powered himself. Eventually, he gets into contact with a superhero which may help him become the hero he’s always wanted to be. I’m looking forward to diving into this.

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

This book is a contemporary novel combining romance and comics together. Miriam’s grandfather created a successful comic series in the 1960s but sold it to his co-creator. Now, the series is worth millions and Miriam’s family is left with nothing of that legacy. The guy she falls in love with just so happens to be related to the co-creator who robbed Miriam’s grandfather of a successful comics career. Comics plus romance automatically make this a must-read for me.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

I must confess I have never read any book by either of these two authors. I know that’s a travesty, but this will be my first dip into both of these science fiction/fantasy authors. I’m also looking forward to the TV series with David Tennant & Michael Sheen. I want to have prior knowledge of the show which led me to purchase the book.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

After I finish reading Prodigy, I will read this one next. Warcross was one of my favorite books I read last year and as a gamer, I connected with Emika Chen more than I ever have with any other character in books. I wish I was as skilled with technology as she is. I have read some book reviews saying Wildcard isn’t as good as Warcross which makes me slightly anxious. I will write my own review once I finish Wildcard. 

My latest book haul has made me excited for what I’m reading. Everything in this pile is something I’m excited to read which means I have been reading books at a faster rate than I have in the past. My Goodreads goal is 40 books this year which seems attainable based on the books I’m reading. Let me know what books you recently purchased in the comments below.

My goal for 2019 is to re-read the whole Harry Potter series. I’m making good progress as I’m on the Goblet of Fire now. However, the Goblet of Fire is the first Harry Potter book with more than 500 pages. The length of the Harry Potter books isn’t intimidating to me because I’m infatuated with the series. The Prisoner of Azkaban is a pivotal book in the series because of what’s revealed regarding Harry’s parents, but also how Harry’s parents were left vulnerable to Voldemort. Here are the notes I wrote regarding Prisoner of Azkaban: 

• Ron yells into the telephone when calling Harry over the summer.
• Harry is gifted a sneakascope from Ron. Goes off constantly when Scabbers is with Ron. Wonder why.
• The Firebolt can go 150 MPH in 10 seconds.
• Hermione’s birthday is in September.
• Neville and Ginny were also in the cart when Harry was first attacked by the Dementor. This isn’t shown in the movie
• Hagrid had more than one hippogriff in his class. He had a bronze, pink, chestnut, and black hippogriff beside Buckbeak.
• Snape completely humiliates Neville in the book. He feeds his potion to Trevor hoping to kill it. He also tells Lupin in their first lesson how it’s a pity that Neville is in his class. However, Lupin being the heartwarming character that he is, has Neville go first with the Boggart. Neville also teams up with Lupin to capture it in the chest. Lupin must identify with Neville because of the isolation Lupin feels about his identity.
• Red Caps are goblin-like creatures lurking where bloodshed occurs
• Kappas are water dwellers who try to strangle people.
• The Grindylow is mentioned in Lupin’s class. Nice foreshadowing of what’s to come
• You can’t apparate in and out of Hogwarts. Comes up when trying to deduce how Sirius Black is getting into the castle.
• Cedric Diggory is the current Hufflepuff seeker… 😦
• Impervius is the spell Hermione uses on Harry’s glasses to repel water.
• Sirius Black was James Potter’s best man.
• Dumbledore long suspected there was a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, but couldn’t prove who it was.
• Within a week of the Fidelius charm / secret keeper being cast, James and Lily were murdered by Voldemort. That’s depressing.
• In the book, Hagrid is with the professors in Hogsmeade where Harry overhears his parent’s history with Sirius Black. This makes Harry distrustful of Hagrid.
• Harry receives the Firebolt in the Gryffindor Common Room versus the Great Hall in the movie. This leads to McGonagall confiscating the Firebolt because there might be jinxes attached to it.
• I didn’t realize Dementors actually use their mouths to clamp onto their victims to deliver the kiss. In the movie, it looks like the Dementors just suck the soul out of the person without having to actually be attached to them.
• Cho Chang is referenced as the Ravenclaw seeker.
• The Slytherin match where Harry helps to win the Quidditch Cup is dirty. The Slytherin players were deliberately trying to take out all the Gryffindor players.
• Animagus have to register with the Ministry of Magic including their distinct markings.
• All the Maurder’s Map friends were unregistered animagi which explains why no one knew how Sirius was getting into Hogwarts.
• The Wolfsbane potion allows a werewolf to keep their mind during the transformation.
• Pettigrew was passing secrets to Voldemort for a full year before the murder of the Potters. The movie seems to play it off like Pettigrew was forced into working with Voldemort. In the book, it’s much more clear how deep the betrayal was between Pettigrew and the Potter family.
• Pettigrew is actually in danger because of the repercussions from former death eaters. Pettigrew’s information of the Potter’s location is what allowed Voldemort to become powerless. His death eaters have reason to want to kill him.
• Walden Macnair (the man who executed Buckbeak) is referenced as a former Death Eater.

I wanted to share one of my favorite parts of this book. I completely forgot this part exists, but it’s towards the end with Harry and Dumbledore having a conversation after Lupin leaves Hogwarts. Harry expresses that he regrets saving Pettigrew’s life, and Dumbledore responds, “The time may come when you will be glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.” IF THIS ISN’T FORESHADOWING I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. I CAN’T EVEN.

Re-reading the Harry Potter books has been eye-opening for me. I’m probably enjoying them more as an adult because of the little details I missed as a kid. The different ways Rowling foreshadows future events are well done. Hopefully, you all are enjoying these recaps as much as I enjoy writing them. I will post my Goblet of Fire one as soon as I finish reading all 734 pages.

One of my favorite authors right now is Marie Lu. The first book I read of hers was Warcross which I discovered after watching Super Space Chick. I became entranced by the mixture of a digitally advanced city and this virtual reality, World of Warcraft-inspired game. Marie Lu has many other successful series out now which is the reason why I purchased Legend. Legend was SO good. I finished the book earlier this week and immediately drove to Barnes & Noble to purchase Prodigy the second book in the series. I plan to finish reading the trilogy this year.

Legend describes a dystopian United States where the Republic forces young kids to participate in a test called “The Trials”. If they pass, they will receive the best jobs, education, and living situations. However, if they fail, they’re sent to work in the mines or another undesirable career option. Fifteen-year-old June was born into a privileged family with her father being a scientist and her brother Metias working in the Republic’s military. Day, however, was born into poverty where he is seen as the “Robin Hood” in the story. His crimes include stealing medical supplies or disabling Republic military-style vehicles. June and Day are brought together when Day is accused of murdering Metias in a medical operation gone wrong. June’s relationship with Day tests her knowledge of the Republic and whether or not she’s on the right side in this society.

One reason why I adored this book is all the themes being brought up in this society. First, is the “psychology of dictatorship”. One such example includes Thomas (a friend of her brother Metias) and how he blatantly kills people because of his orders. This upsets June. June is forced to rethink her position in the Republic and witnessing the deaths of these civilians allows her to start thinking for herself. Meeting Day was the force June needed to confront her abusive government.

Another theme I uncovered in this book is the prevalence of men asserting their wants on women. For example, June is in her room when Thomas tries to force himself on her. June rebukes his advances and Thomas’s “ego” is hurt. He is mad at her for a couple days until he gets over it. This scene is realistic to today’s society. If a woman doesn’t want to date a man or be intimate with him, she doesn’t owe anything to him. Vice versa, if a man doesn’t want physical advances from a woman, that’s also valid. June doesn’t owe Thomas anything and I’m glad she pushed him away and stood up for herself instead of letting Thomas get what he wants.

I could keep going about why I appreciated the themes in Legend, but if you haven’t read this series yet, I highly encourage you to read it. After I’m finished with Prodigy, I’m going to take a break and read the 2nd book in the Warcross series. Marie Lu’s writing is fantastic and I will purchase any book she writes.

I was introduced to comics in 2012, which means I have some catching up to do. One graphic novel I have been wanting to read was Watchmen. My friend sold their copy through Facebook and I jumped at the chance to be able to read this. I was blown away by the level of story building that both Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created. They developed an alternative universe of how superheroes have existed combined with how the world has treated them. Watchmen is a story I truly enjoyed from start to finish.

Watchmen begins with the brutal murder of The Comedian, who was a costumed superhero based in New York. This leads to a mysterious vigilante named Rorschach (named after the Rorschach ink blot test) to investigate his murder. Rorschach believes someone is targeting former costumed crusaders and he contacts Night Owl, Doctor Manhattan, and the Silk Spectre II to warn them of the threat. In the meantime, Doctor Manhattan is forced to isolate himself on Mars after his acquaintances come forward with their cancer diagnoses blaming Dr. Manhattan for their doom. This furthers Rorschach’s theory of someone targeting them. Additionally, Watchmen flashes back to the 1940s with the Minutemen and how they influenced the current era of superheroes. The Comedian was a part of the Minutemen and we get to learn how awful he was.

The artwork in Watchmen is flawless. The first word I would use to describe the art in this graphic novel would be gritty. The use of shading allows the reader to truly believe they were in the world of New York during the Cold War. This plays well into Rorschach’s character because of his violent vigilante crimes. It makes the reader fear Rorschach in a way I didn’t feel if I was reading a Batman comic.

I also really connected with the characters in the story. Silk Spectre II is one of my favorite characters, but I also like her relationship with Night Owl and Doctor Manhattan. I can sympathize with Doctor Manhattan as his accident with radiation makes it more difficult to connect with people since he isn’t aging. This tarnishes his romantic relationships as he’s stuck in a time when his partners are aging.

After finishing Watchmen, I decided to give the movie a shot. It’s available on Netflix, but it’s close to three hours. This is probably the most realistic graphic novel adaptation I have ever watched. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the best and only actor who could have played The Comedian. Patrick Wilson is a babe as the Night Owl and Malin Ackerman is exactly who I pictured as the Silk Spectre II. It’s worth watching especially right after reading Watchmen. 

Watchmen is a classic especially all these years later. I’m happy I gave Watchmen a chance. The next graphic novels on my list to read are Hellboy and Judge Dredd.

The first Stephen King novel I read was Carrie followed by The Green Mile. Carrie is the novel I enjoyed the most due to how much I rooted for Carrie as the protagonist. Carrie’s mother is one of the creepiest fictional mothers I have ever read about. Sitting on my “to be read” shelf on Goodreads was Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes trilogy which is more detective series than horror. I liked Mr. Mercedes a lot and I look forward to continuing the series.

Detective Bill Hodges is retired, overweight, and unhappy. His job was what he lived for, so without it, he wouldn’t find meaning in his retirement. When Detective Hodges retired, he left a few cases unsolved. One unsolved case was the “Mercedes Case” which involved a person driving a Mercedes into a job rally in 2009 killing eight including a young infant baby. In a private chat, Hodges is contacted by the “Mercedes Killer” nicknamed Mr. Mercedes by the media. This private chat brings Hodges purpose in his retirement as he is willing to risk his safety to catch this killer. 

Let’s be serious, Detective Hodges isn’t a character I particularly like. He seems somewhat selfish allowing him to put his eighteen-year-old house helper and a mentally ill woman in danger to apprehend Mr. Mercedes. I’m more attached to who Detective Hodges teams up with including Jerome Robinson and Holly Gibney. Even though Hodges puts their lives at risk, they both make him more human.

Brady Hartsfield is revealed to be the Mercedes killer early in the novel. He has an inappropriate relationship with his mother and kills his poor disabled brother, Frankie, by pushing him down the stairs. He’s racist, misogynistic, ableist, and more. There’s nothing unique about his character and reading his story was probably the least interesting, but necessary to build up this dual between Hartsfield and Hodges.

The mystery isn’t the identity of the Mercedes killer, but what his next plan of attack is. It’s hinted at, but his end goal isn’t revealed until the last 100 pages. The latter half of the book moves quicker than the first half and I did have trouble getting invested into the story because of the slow build-up with all the characters. I will say Brady gets what’s coming to him.

Overall, I liked the book. It wasn’t my all-time favorite Stephen King book, but it still kept my interest throughout the story. I’m planning on reading the other two books in the series, but it’s not a high priority right now. I rated Mr. Mercedes three stars on Goodreads. 

Two years ago I reviewed the first book I read by Ashley Elston titled This is Our Story.. I named it as my favorite book I read in 2017. Ashley Elston can create in-depth, young adult characters and make you sympathize with those characters. When I found out that in November of 2018, she released The Lying Woods, I immediately pushed it to the top of my TBR pile. The Lying Woods isn’t as good as This is Our Story, but it might depend on your book reading preference to determine which book you will enjoy more.

Owen Foster is the stereotypical rich kid: He goes to an elite private school, has gone on amazing trips with his family and basically has a life any kid would dream of. Suddenly, Owen’s mother shows up at his school to inform him that his father stole money from the people who work for his company, Louisiana Frac. Owen is forced to leave his private school and return to his home town where people despise him. Owen’s mother has been receiving death threats as many believe she knows where his father has gone. Where is Owen’s father and why did he steal the money?

The Lying Woods is more of a contemporary young adult story versus a mystery thriller like This is Our Story. Owen was someone I originally couldn’t connect with based on his background and how he viewed his upstate lifestyle. However, once Owen becomes more situated in his small town in Louisiana, I start to feel for him and what he has been going through. My biggest complaint with this book is it took me a little while to truly get into the story. I read This is Our Story in a day where it took me about a week to read The Lying Woods. Although, once I had 150 pages left in The Lying Woods, I did read it all in a day.

I don’t want to spoil this one because I truly believe all of Ashley Elston’s books are worth purchasing and reading through, but if you want to know what happens in the end, I did include spoilers in my good reads review. If we aren’t friends on Goodreads, we should be! I will link my Goodreads profile in this post. I also started following Books on the Book Shelf and they had a nice review of The Lying Woods in case you aren’t convinced about reading it yet. The Lying Woods is a great blend of contemporary young adult fiction and mystery. Ashley Elston’s books make me want to visit Louisiana, so who knows maybe I’ll take a road trip to New Orleans someday.