I have been trying to get back into reading and that can be challenging as a grad student. However, this past September and October, I managed to get back into the groove of reading. I read a few books these past 2 months. All of these books are middle grade - high school level. Typically, I would opt for young adult or new adult novels, but I wanted to ease back into reading. So, I chose to start with quick and engaging reads. Some of the books I read were engaging, immersive, page-turners, despite them being aimed at a younger demographic. While other books I read ranged from Young adult to Adult. It's been a wide range of reading these past 2 months. Here's what I read:
Found - Margaret Peterson Haddix (Book #1 of The Missing Series) 5/5
I had first read this book when I was in the 5th grade. I had forgotten most of the story by now. So, when I saw a neat copy of this book at my local flea market, I decided to snag it for a re-read. Reading it now nearly 10 years later, I realized how many gaps I had when I first read it as a 10 year old. I got most of the story, but some parts were a bit confusing to me when I was a child. After all, I was reading a middle school - high school level novel at 10 years old. Granted, my reading level had always been above my age. But, this book can get complex at times, as it is a book centering around time travel.
The story follows a trio of middle schoolers: Chip, who recently learned he was adopted. Jonah, who always knew he was adopted. And, Katherine, who is Jonah's younger sister, not biological, she is the daughter of his adoptee parents. The mystery unravels when Jonah and Chip start receiving anonymous threatening letters, warning them that someone is out to get them. The mystery runs deeper as the trio link Jonah and Chip's origins to a mysterious, unauthorized, plane that had landed 13 years ago at their local airport. The plane had no pilots and carried 36 babies on board.
A woman named Angela Dupre worked as a gate agent for Sky Trails airline. She was the one who investigated the plane first. She climbed on board to see no pilot and only 36 babies. She also saw the insignia on the plane change from Sky Trails to Tachyon Travels briefly. The FBI, airport authorities, and detectives got involved. They deplaned all the babies. Just as the babies were collected, Angela witnessed the plane vanish into thin air. No one believed her. Everyone thought she was crazy.
The story deepens as the trio traces down Angela and meets up with her to learn more about that incident. Angela had been investigating this case on her own for years. She shared her horrifying, mind-bending, and nearly unbelievable findings with the kids. From that point on, the trio is catapulted into a time-bending adventure, a twisting mystery, and a page-turning journey, in an attempt to save Chip and Jonah's lives.
This book is gripping, twisting, and extremely engaging. It's fast-paced and hard to put down. I was reading pages of this book any chance I could get. That's how good it was. Though this book is aimed at a younger audience, the writing was not amateur or novice. The book was well written and can even by enjoyed by older teens and adults easily. If you are looking for a good, unconventional mystery with all the flavorings of a good time travel-themed sci-fi, this book is an absolute read.
City Of Ghosts - V.E. Schwabb 4/5
This book is about a girl named Cassidy who has a near death experience. Ever since her close brush with death, she can see ghosts and enter The Veil into the supernatural world. She has a ghost friend around her age named Jacob. He accompanies her on all their adventures. Her parents are paranormal writers. Her life changes instantly when her parents get offered to be hosts of a paranormal travel show. Their first stop is Edinburgh, one of the most haunted cities in the world. In Edinburgh, she meets another girl that shares her ability. As the dangerous ghost of a mythical Lady in Red endangers the city and attacks Cassidy, the girls and their ghost friend Jacob, set out on a mission to stop the harmful spirit.
This book is fast paced, light, gripping. It is written more intricately with deeper musings than a typical middle grade book. The suspenseful plot, character building, beautiful setting, and poignant introspections of Cassidy, makes this book a read that can extend beyond the middle grade audience.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book: (These are also on my Goodreads )
Daphne & Velma, The Vanishing Girl - Josephine Ruby 5/5
Classic characters Daphne & Velma from Scooby Doo take on a spinoff tale in a mystery book series. The first book in the series is The Vanishing Girl. Velma and Daphne have grown up in Crystal Cove, California, their whole life. The small spooky town is their home despite its problems. Velma and Daphne used to be friends but had a falling out as both of their lives faced turmoil. Velma's parents had lost their family owned Haunted Village (a tourist attraction in Crystal Cove) to a shady real estate deal. This caused years of financial struggle for the family as they barely scraped by. This eventually plunged Velma's dad into a deep depression for years as her mother worked night shifts as a low wage employee at the Haunted Village, a tourist attraction they once owned. Her family had lost their house and had been living in a small dingy apartment for years.
On the other hand, Daphne had it all. She had familial wealth, a large family home, luxury cars, good looks, style, and popularity. But behind the façade, she too was suffering. Her multi-millionaire mother and her scientist father got divorced. Her mother got married to a successful real estate agent and moved out to San Francisco with him, leaving Daphne and her father behind in Crystal Cove.
These familial turmoils had caused Daphne and Velma's friendship to collapse years ago, leaving them as rivals. But when a popular girl at their high school inexplicably goes missing, weird paranormal occurrences start to crop up over town, and the police starts to hit dead ends, the two girls come together to solve the mystery.
This book was a great read. It was fast paced, engaging, and tense. It was also surprisingly introspective. This book added so much depth, characterization, and emotional facets to Velma and Daphne. It brought these classic characters to life and made them feel like real people. This book was a surprisingly good read and it sets a great example for what spinoffs should be like.
Plus, the cult favorite Hex Girls also make an appearance in this book.
What Light - Jay Asher 4/5
This book is a quick paced Christmas tale. Sierra's family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon. Every December, Sierra and her family drive down to California to sell their Christmas tree lot. This December is different as her family Christmas Tree business is declining and the stakes ride on this holiday season. This December, Sierra meets a boy named Caleb, who stops by their Christmas Tree lot frequently to buy trees for charity. Sierra and Caleb become drawn to one another. Sierra is hesitant as she has heard negative things about Caleb from her friends in California. Rumor has it that he chased his sister with a knife a few years ago and has been the town outcast ever since then. Sierra knows she only has a month in California. The short time topped with the malicious rumors puts her into a struggle as she and Caleb have already grown close.
This book was a light and heavy read at the same time. It was atmospheric with a festive ambiance. This cozy but poignant read will have you rooting for Sierra and Caleb against all the odds. This book will make you laugh, feel, and have you invested in a budding relationship that the world seems to oppose. I haven't read straight up contemporary in quite some time, but this book rekindled my urge to seek out similar reads in this genre.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book: (These are also on my Goodreads )
“People think what they want. That's what I've had to accept," he says. "I can fight it, but that's exhausting. I can feel hurt about it, but that's torture. Or I can decide it's their loss.”
― What Light
“I don't know how to fully enjoy any of these moments without wondering if it's the last.”
― What Light
“There are so many things prickling in the back of my mind, threatening to take me out of this moment. But instead of worrying about anything, I close my eyes, lean forward, and allow myself to believe in us.”
― What Light
City Of Lies (Counterfeit Lady Series #1) 4/5 - Victoria Thompson
This historical fiction tale set in 1917 New York, follows a grifter named Elizabeth Miles. Her recent con on shrewd business man Oscar Thornton goes wrong. As Thornton comes for blood, Elizabeth flees and joins a suffragist group of elite noble women protesting in front of the white house. The suffragist group including Elizabeth gets whisked off to jail. In the group, Elizabeth meets Anna, who quickly befriends her. She also meets Ms.Bates, a strong minded old woman who has an honest and noble son named Gideon Bates. Gideon is a lawyer and he works on the suffragists case to get them released from prison. He starts to grow a piqued interest in Elizabeth, who also felt similarly for him. As the suffragists get sentenced to a cruel workhouse, Elizabeth must keep up her charade as a noble woman from an old money family while also dodging Oscar Thornton. On the other hand, Gideon Bates is head over heels for Elizabeth, but he suspects that she isn't being entirely truthful about who she is. As the plot thickens and Elizabeth's lies and deception stack up, she has to pull the biggest con of all to get rid of the bloodthirsty Thornton while also maintaining the new friendships she has come to love.
This book packs many conflicts into one story, from grifting, to women's rights, to deceptions and lies, to prison struggles, to relationship problems, and much more. This was a unique read that is gripping, suspenseful, and is full of twists. If you enjoy mystery with high stakes set in a rich historical setting with well fleshed characters, this book is for you. The ending itself has a great twist that finishes off the story with an impactful punch.
Frost Blood (Frostblood Saga #1) - Elly Blake (5/5)
Finally, this is a YA Fantasy book that follows the story of Ruby, a Fireblood. She has fire and heat powers that she keeps hidden as her kingdom is ruled by a cruel Frostblood elite who wield ice powers. One day, Ruby gets caught using her fire powers. Frostblood soldiers burn down her village, behead her mother, and whisk Ruby off to prison. After rotting to near death in prison, Ruby is rescued by Frostblood rebels who have devised a plan to overthrow the cruel Frostblood king. They need a powerful, prophetic Fireblood to execute the plan and Ruby discovers that she is this prophetic Fireblood. The rebels take her away to an abbey and train her for their mission. At the abbey, Ruby manages to win the hearts of many of the Frostblood monks in the resistance. She even manages to win the heart of the cold and icy Arcus, a young ex-noble man of the Frost court. As she and Arcus grow close and the mission that can possibly kill Ruby draws near, the stakes rise and plot twists ensue that make the story all the more riveting. How can Ruby destroy one of the most wicked and powerful Frost Kings of all time without facing her own death?
It has been quite some time since I picked up a YA fantasy, mainly because many of the books in the genre have a tendency to be cliche and overuse stereotypical tropes. While Frostblood did adhere to some typical tropes, it wasn't offensive or boring. The story was fast paced, action packed, and had great twists and turns. The stakes were high, the risk was heavy, the characters were lovable, and the writing style was full and descriptive. The protagonist was admirable despite following the common tropes of "The Chosen One." There was a dash of mystery, characters with hidden pasts, a crooked kingdom, a wicked king, a great love interest, grand schemes, as well as gore, battles, blood, and cruelty that would evoke emotions in the reader.
Well this is the wrap up. These are all the books I have read in the past 2 months. As you can see, my reading has been sporadic as of late. I have read vastly different genres and age ranges of books recently. I have thoroughly enjoyed plunging back into reading as well and I look forward to carrying it on. So, there will be more reading wrap ups and book reviews to come.
What did you read this fall season and have any of these books piqued your interest?
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Thank you for reading!
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