My Dearest Darkest - Kayla Cunningham

Title: My Dearest Darkest 
Author: Kayla Cottingham
Format: Paperback 
Rating: 5 Stars 

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WILDER GIRLS meets THE CRAFT in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires?

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy... but she's also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn't let her drown. Finch doesn't know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she's felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her.

Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena's suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.

One night Finch, Selena, and her friends accidentally summon a carnivorous creature of immense power in the depths of the school. It promises to grant every desire the girls have kept locked away in their insecure hearts―beauty, power, adoration―in exchange for a price: human body parts. But as the cost of their wanting becomes more deadly, Finch and Selena must learn to work together to stop the horror they unleashed, before it consumes the entire island.

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I have been searching all year for a book that hits the nail on the five star head.  The Mary Shelley Club was one, and this was the other!  This book was creepy and weird and gave me all the 5 star shivers. 

Was the book without faults? No.  After all, Finch could have been just a smidge *deeper* and more developed. But overall, the feels this book gave me were enough to overlook the fact that the MC needed more development. 

The rest of the characters were wonderful. There was the angst that is typical in YA novels, but come on - being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager at a school with a weird creature living under the tunnels is even harder. I mean, Damn. 

There were some really gross moments in this book, and a lot of body horror. (Seriously, if you can't handle body horror, don't read this book.) But for me, that added to the tension and mystery in the book.  I loved the mystery behind Nerosi.  There was this spirit behind her and a change to her as each sacrifice happened that really opened her character.  Each appearance if the stag and the past people who were lost to Nerosi's weird life were also great looks into her character and what she was really like. 

I loved the aspect of this horrific creature and all these events happening at an old boarding school (old as in the building has been has been around for a while.)  Having all the hidden tunnels under the school added a mysterious element because you never new what was going to happen to the students or what they were going to really fund when they went to the tunnels. 

The thing that did seem strange to me was that students at a boarding school would be able to live basically off campus like Selena, Kyra, and their other friend did.  Teenagers are certainly much more independent than younger kids, but these kids are still in school, and I'm assuming that when teens go to a boarding school, the parents are trusting the staff to take care of the kids and keep an eye on them.  These kids living off campus in that light house definitely opened the door to the kids being able to cause a lot of fuss (hello Nerosi!) 

Overall, though, I really love this book.  It has the perfect amount of weird and creepy with some great self exploration and self discovery thrown in.  

 

Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas

 

Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 5 Stars 

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A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as "groundbreaking."

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave. 

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This is, hands down, one of the best books I've ever read.  I laughed, I cried, I screamed while I was reading it.  And I loved every single page. I did not want this book to end, even when it ripped out my heart, stomped on it, and left me for dead.

Yadriel, a boy from a traditional Latinx family, is trans and struggling to sow his family that he is, in fact, a brujo.  But, when he summons a ghost that is not his deceased cousin, he has a whole new thing to struggle with.

This book has all the ups and downs of teenage life - the parents and aunts and uncles and cousins who annoy you even though you love them. The friends who get dramatic and testy with you. All the drama, you know.  That's like life for many (not all though, come on) teenagers. It also has the added exploration of what it's like for Yadriel to be a queer, trans boy in a traditional Latinx family.  Even when they try, it's a struggle for them, especially his dad, to accept Yad for who he really is.

I loved the family dynamic in this book. I loved that they were such a close knit family who really looked after each other, even when they had their struggles.  I also think this family dynamic really worked in playing into the characters growth and development throughout this book.  Yad's dad, for example, was not as open about Yad being trans as he claimed to be. He'd dead name Yad, and up until the end, he really seemed to have a hard time seeing Yad as his son. I don't want to get to spoiler-y here in case you haven't read the book yet. So let's just say, Yad's dad comes around and it is WONDERFUL!

The character development in this book was on point. Watching Julian grow from this smart mouthed sarcastic, kind of bitter young man, into someone who was still a smart ass but who realized he needed to depend on other people, like his brother was awesome. Watching the changes in Yad and in Yad's dad was great as well. Yad realized that he can be strong even when it feels like the world is beating him down because of who he is. He explored himself, learned what his pronouns are, learned that he can and should demand respect and to be treated decently - he's amazing. And I think Yad's dad was the biggest thing - the way he changed throughout this book was awesome. He went from being this guy who struggled to accept his son, and didn't believe his son could be a brujo, to being a firm believer that Yad really is a brujo and is son. I just could cry.

The events of this book fit together so well, and weaved into each other from one page to the next. Each thing led into this bigger thing, which led into the massive monumental surprise at the end - and let me tell you, getting to that surprise is so worth is because it led to other surprise events that left me screaming and crying and hating a certain character so so much. The whole story was very well written, complete with foreshadowing and lots of tension and buildup throughout the entire book. The story flowed well, and everything that was in this book really worked well together.  

My favorite things are definitely:

* The relationship between Yad and Maritza
* The fact that Maritza is so determined to stick to her beliefs but was willing to do what she had to do save Yad.
* Watching Yad save his friend and his brother all while facing a hard truth about someone he loved was so hard and so amazing.
* Maritza's dogs!

Reader friends, if you've read this book, let me know what you think in the comments. I'm dying to hear from you.  If you haven't read this book - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.

If you feel so inclined, stop by to visit author Aiden Thomas's website to check out their new book coming out in March. It's a Peter Pan retelling called Lost in the Never Woods, and it sounds wonderful.

Review: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Format: Paperback

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Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

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For those of you who have never followed my bookish blogging and ramblings before, here's a not so secret confession: I love the Harry Potter series.  I mean, I LOVE the Harry Potter Series.  I LOVE THESE BOOKS! 

So, like I'll be talking about Harry Potter and other people are like:

I'm the one over here like:

Anyway, this year I have been re-reading my way through the Harry Potter series, and I thought as I did so, I would review each book.  Here's my review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Re-reading this book for something like the 12th time was just as awesome as reading it for the first time!  I remembered why I love the characters so much.  I remembered why I loved Hermione with her bushy hair and her attitude and her smarts! 

So, let's get down to it:

What I Love:
* The story.  This whole story was very well developed.  Many first time authors struggle with getting it right, but J.K. Rowling nailed it her first time out of the gate.
* Those characters!  I mean Fred? George?!  HERMIONE?!!?!?!?!  I just love these characters.
* That Hermione, Ron, and Harry became friends even though Ron and Harry didn't care for Hermione in the beginning.  They know as well as I do that “There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”
* The friends in this book stand up for each other.  But they aren't afraid to tell each other when they are being stupid either.  Real friends are like that - they just lay it all down on the line, but they still have your back.
* The quotes that come out of this book (especially from Fred and George) are just gold!  I mean, how can you not love the following lines:

“Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –"
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mum.”

“We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!”

“Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”  

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

Now, I would be lying if I said I loved everything about this book.  There were a few things I didn't care for:

* Draco Malfoy.  Hated. Him.  He was a classist, sexist, arrogant little prick.  His character gave off the attitude that it was okay to treat people like you are better than them.  Nobody is better than anyone else.
* Snape.  I know so many people fell in love with Snape over the course of the series.  I didn't.  He started out verbally abusing Harry and his friends, and he never really changed throughout the series.  I don't jive well with people or characters who think it's okay to verbally abuse (or abuse in any way) other people, especially children.

So, there you go folks!  Now, tell me some of your favorite and least favorite things about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.