The Limitless Sky by Christina Kilbourne My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Limitless Sky in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The Limitless Sky by Christina Kilbourne is a gripping dystopian novel set in a future reshaped by climate catastrophe. At its heart are two teenagers, Rook and Gage, who come from opposite worlds—one underground, the other surviving on the surface. Though their lives begin separately, their stories slowly weave together in a way that keeps the reader engaged. The Details Kilbourne’s writing shines in how vividly she builds…
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Pride and Premeditation
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price My rating: 1 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Pride and Premeditation in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Format: Advanced Listening Copy – Audiobook Edition The Gist I was intrigued by Pride and Premeditation, a YA murder mystery retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The story follows Lizzie Bennet as an aspiring solicitor trying to solve a murder case. Mr. Darcy appears as her legal rival. This genre mix has a lot of potential, especially for Austen fans who enjoy fresh twists on classic characters. The Details However, my…
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The Haunting
The Haunting by Natasha Preston My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let’s be honest: The Haunting by Natasha Preston is anything but haunting. The title promises chills and suspense. What we get instead? Teen angst, repetitive characters, and a plot that leads nowhere. If there was a ghost in here, I must’ve blinked and missed it. The Details Preston recycles the same protagonist in every book. Boring, naive, and completely forgettable. This one stumbles through the story with zero awareness, no real growth, and even less personality. It’s like watching a cardboard cutout try to solve a mystery. The pacing drags. The tension fizzles. Every time something interesting…
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Wake the Bones
Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist Wake the Bones promises a haunting, Southern Gothic tale steeped in magic and decay. In some ways, it delivers. The rural Kentucky setting is rich and eerie. The prose is lyrical and strange—sometimes beautiful, sometimes overwhelming. But despite all that promise, the story never fully came together for me. The Details Laurel Early has always been different. She can read bones. She senses things in the soil. After dropping out of college, she returns to her family’s farm. There, strange things begin to stir. Bones move on their own. The woods seem to breathe. Something old…
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The Lake of Lost Girls
The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene is a tense, emotional thriller that blends sisterhood, secrets, and suspense. Lindsey Fadley returns to Southern State University, where her younger sister Jessica disappeared during freshman year in 1998. Decades later, a new clue pulls Lindsey back, and she’s ready to uncover what really happened. The Details The story moves between two timelines: Lindsey’s present-day search and Jessica’s final days on campus. The suspense builds steadily. Greene nails the eerie tone—empty dorms, foggy walks, hushed conversations. Lindsey’s grief and guilt feel raw and real. Her need…
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Together We Rot
Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist Together We Rot is a moody, intense YA horror novel. It digs deep into themes of grief, neglect, and abandonment. The story follows Wil, a lonely and furious teen. Her mother has vanished, and no one offers answers. The adults in her life remain distant and silent. Wil is left to face the darkness alone, fueled by questions and betrayal. The Details Arndt builds a strong atmosphere. The setting feels heavy and decayed—swampy, dark, and full of tension. The horror blends well with Wil’s emotional state. Her anger and distrust feel real. Arndt doesn’t soften Wil’s…
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Gone Too Far
Gone too Far by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist Gone Too Far opens with an intriguing idea. Piper, a high school senior, finds out someone is using her photos to expose cruel classmates. She gets pulled into a dangerous game of vigilante justice. The setup feels fresh and full of potential. But the story never quite takes off. The Details Piper is meant to be relatable. She’s quiet, thoughtful, and trying to do the right thing. But she often comes across as naive and indecisive. Her thoughts loop in circles, and she hesitates too long before taking action. In a thriller, that hurts the…
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One Was Lost
One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist One Was Lost starts strong. A group of teens heads into the woods for a school camping trip. Then a flash flood cuts them off from their teachers. When they wake up, they find disturbing words written on their arms—like Damaged and Deceptive. One adult is unconscious. No one knows who to trust. It’s the perfect setup for a tense psychological thriller. The Details But while the idea is great, the execution misses the mark. The tension fizzles as the story goes on. Much of the middle drags. The characters wander, argue, and worry—but not…
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Nothing Ever Happens Here
Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist As a longtime reader of Seraphina Nova Glass, I’ve come to expect certain things from her thrillers—clever plots, strong pacing, and a knack for throwing in just enough twists to keep me hooked without going off the rails. Nothing Ever Happens Here fits that mold in many ways. It’s another gripping, well-plotted story that proves once again Glass knows how to construct suspense and deliver an engaging narrative. That said, this one left me with mixed feelings, mostly because of the characters. The Details Let me start with what worked: the premise and pacing.…
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The Haunting of Ashburn House
The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist I went into The Haunting of Ashburn House hoping for a good, spooky time—ghosts, creaking floorboards, mysterious family secrets. You know, the classic cozy horror experience. Instead, I got 300+ pages of yelling at a protagonist who seems to have the decision-making skills of a soggy paper towel. The Details Let’s talk about Adrienne, our fearless (read: clueless) main character. She inherits a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere, and instead of asking any questions about its sketchy past, she just shrugs and moves in like it’s a quaint Airbnb. Because nothing…
