Week 8 Reviews: Trigger, Shutter

From Goodreads:

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat - a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. Now she's facing one of her most challenging ghost hunts ever. Lock, stock, and lens, she's in for one hell of a ride.

From Goodreads:

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat-a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she's in for one hell of a week.

My Review:


Author: Courtney Alameda 
Series: Shutter #0.5, 1 
Read: February 21st, 21st, 2025
Source: Online, Own
Reason Why: Love her writing, and they sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and Shutter is a DAC Book and a End of Series 2025 Book!
Publisher: Tor Books, Square Fish
Published: June 3rd 2015, February 3rd 2015

Trigger:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Shutter:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: The Raven and the Reindeer

From Goodreads:

When Gerta’s friend Kay is stolen away by the mysterious Snow Queen, it's up to Gerta to find him. Her journey will take her through a dangerous land of snow and witchcraft, accompanied only by a bandit and a talking raven. Can she win her friend's release, or will following her heart take her to unexpected places?

A strange, sly retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s "Snow Queen," by T. Kingfisher, author of "Bryony and Roses" and "The Seventh Bride."

My Review:


Author: T. Kingfisher 
Read: February 21st, 2025 
Source: Ebook.bike  
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a 2025 Retelling Reading Challenge Book and a SAC 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Red Wombat Tea Company
Published: February 7th 2016

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Reviews: She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World, Take His Memory to Your Grave

From Goodreads:

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China.

"I refuse to be nothing…"

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family's eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family's clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

From Goodreads:

The sequel and series conclusion to She Who Became the Sun, the accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China. Mulan meets The Song of Achilles.

How much would you give to win the world?

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.

But Zhu isn't the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband―and she's strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father's killer, the Great Khan.

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history―and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…

From Goodreads:

He Who Drowned the World Preorder Reward

My Review:


Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Series: The Radiant Emperor #1, 2, 2.5
Read: February 20th, 20th, 20th, 2025 
Source: Library, Bought, Online 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're 2025 Retelling Reading Challenge Books, Historical Fiction 2025, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and She Who Became the Sun is a DAC Book, and He Who Drowned the World is a End of Series 2025 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, Tor Books, Shelley Parker-Chan
Published: January 20th 2021, July 16th 2024, August 22nd 2023

She Who Became the Sun:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

He Who Drowned the Earth:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Take His Memory to Your Grave:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: Chaos King

From Goodreads:

WHEN THE WORLD BURNS, ASH WILL RISE.

The explosive sequel to instant New York Times bestselling YA debut Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender.

The hardcover edition features a beautiful jacket with silver foil, a case stamp, an in-world map and illustrated endpapers.

Ever since he rose up against his father and saved New Anglia from destruction, Ash has been struggling to adapt to his new life. He has nightmares every night, haunted by strange black orbs and his screaming dead mother. Ash is sure she's trying to warn him that the world is still in danger, and becomes determined to find a way to speak to her again―but communicating with the dead isn't easy, even for an alchemist as powerful as Ash.

My Review:


Author: Kacen Callender 
Series: Infinity Alchemist #2
Read: February 19th, 2025 
Source: NetGalley  
Reason Why: Love their writing, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Tor Teen
Expected Publication: April 15th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: Scythe & Sparrow

From Goodreads:

Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiancé and his derailed surgical career. It's a simpler life: head down, work hard, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.

But then the Silveria Circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with Silveria, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder and mayhem when she's not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with a broken leg, she finds herself stuck in Nebraska at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.

My Review:


Author: Brynne Weaver 
Series: A Ruinous Love Trilogy #3 
Read: February 19th, 2025 
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a End of Series 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Zando – Slowburn
Published: February 11th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall

From Goodreads:

A young woman forced to live with ghosts in a mansion frozen in time must decide between forbidden love and the price of freedom in this gothic fantasy where Jane Eyre meets The Haunting of Bly Manor , perfect for fans of Starling House .

At Thorne Hall, a grand estate nestled in the Berkshires, fifteen restless spirits roam, bound within the mansion's walls since the Gilded Age. Elegy Thorne bears the weight of her family's curse to preserve the mansion as it was in the 1890s, using ancient folk songs to keep the spirits secret and silent in order to avoid deadly consequences.

When a mischievous child spirit wreaks havoc on the manor, the Thorne family calls upon their trusted preservationist to restore the mansion. He brings along his son, Atticus–a vibrant man full of life and ideas of modernization–and Elegy is captivated by him, igniting a longing for freedom she's never dared to embrace.

Torn between her desire to follow her heart and her duty to her family and its legacy, Elegy begins searching for a way to release the spirit collection back to the afterlife and set both herself and the ghosts free. With century-old secrets, peculiar magic, and spirits both whimsical and deadly, Thorne Hall will haunt and enrapture listeners—and you might just not want to leave.

My Review:


Author: J. Ann Thomas
Read: February 19th, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: It sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2025 Book!  
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Published: February 11th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: Rebel Witch

From Goodreads:

The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH...

Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who's planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...

Apparently it wasn't enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she's now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won't allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...

When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can't refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they're forced into each other's company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren't as dead and buried as he thought. Now he's faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.

My Review:


Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Series: The Crimson Moth #2
Read: February 18th, 2025 
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and the first book, and it's a End of Series 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Wednesday Books 
Published: February 18th 2025

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: Breathless

From Goodreads:

A high-stakes thriller set in the world of extreme-altitude mountaineering that takes a dark turn when a series of deaths can no longer be written off as accidents.

When journalist and novice climber Cecily Wong is asked to summit Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, it's a career-making opportunity. She's been personally invited by Charles McVeigh, one of the most acclaimed mountaineers in the world, who wants her to report on the final leg of his record-breaking series of summits. But there's one caveat: he won't give her the interview until she's scaled the mountain as part of his climbing party. Cecily is by far the least experienced of the group, but she is intent on proving herself and will stop at nothing to reach the summit. So when disturbing questions arise, she becomes concerned. And then people start to die. Trapped on the mountain with a team she barely knows, she must battle more than the elements in an epic fight for survival against one of the world's most dangerous mountains and an unknown assailant who is picking climbers off one by one.

My Review:


Author: Amy McCulloch
Read: February 17th, 2025 
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Anchor
Published: May 3rd 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Review: Counting the Cost

From Goodreads:

For the first time, discover the unedited truth about the Duggars, the traditional Christian family that captivated the nation on TLC's hit show 19 Kids and Counting. Jill Duggar and her husband Derick are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.

Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn't possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family's way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle's nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn't protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.

But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore.

For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members—they weren't willing to rock the boat. But now they're raising a family of their own, and they're done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.

My Review:


Authors: Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard, and Craig Borlase
Read: February 17th 2025 
Source: Library 
Reason Why: I've been interested in the Duggar family since the show, and it's a SAC 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Simon Schuster Audio
Published: September 12th 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 8 Reviews: Gabriel's Inferno, Gabriel's Rapture, Gabriel's Redemption, Gabriel's Promise

From Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard comes the first novel in the Gabriel's Inferno series, a haunting, unforgettable tale of one man's salvation and one woman's sensual awakening.

Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well-respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.

When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.

An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love, and redemption, Gabriel's Inferno is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible—forgiveness and love.

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard continues the story of Gabriel and Julia, two lovers bound together by their darkest desires. But those very desires may destroy them.

Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex.

But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever?

 

In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno , Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.

From Goodreads:
Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he's confident that they can face any challenge. And he's eager to become a father.

But Julianne's graduate program threatens Gabriel's plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel's darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard returns with the fourth installment of the beloved Gabriel's Inferno series.

When Gabriel and Julia Emerson first lay eyes on their newborn daughter, Clare, they realize life as they know it will never be the same. Gabriel has vowed to be a good father when he suddenly receives an invitation to give a series of lectures in Edinburgh, Scotland--an opportunity of high prestige--but that would mean leaving his wife and child in Boston. Hesitant to bring it up, he keeps the opportunity from Julia as long as he can, not knowing she has a secret of her own.

When a frightening situation arises that threatens their new family, both parents must make sacrifices. With the family in danger, the looming question remains: Will Gabriel pursue his lectureship in Edinburgh, leaving Julia and Clare vulnerable in Boston, or will he abandon the chance of a lifetime in order to ensure his family's safety?

My first review of Gabriel's Inferno, Gabriel's Rapture, Gabriel's Redemption
My Review:


Author: Sylvain Reynard
Series: Gabriel's Inferno #1, 2, 3, 4
First Read: April 19th, 2013, April 20th, 2013, November 23rd, 2014

Read: February 15th, 16th, 16th, 16th, 2025
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books! And Gabriel's Promise is a End of Series 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Berkley
Published: April 1st 2011, May 22nd 2012, December 3rd 2013, January 7th 2020

Gabriel's Inferno:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Gabriel's Rapture:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Gabriel's Redemption:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Gabriel's Promise:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars