Week 36 Review: The White Guy Dies First

From Goodreads:

This program features multicast narration as well as an author's note and acknowledgements read by the author.

13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR. 13 TIMES WE SURVIVED... THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First includes thirteen scary stories by all-star contributors and this time, the white guy dies first.

Killer clowns, a hungry hedge maze, and rich kids who got bored. Friendly cannibals, impossible slashers, and the dead who don't stay dead....

A museum curator who despises "diasporic inaccuracies." A sweet girl and her diary of happy thoughts. An old house that just wants friends forever....

These stories are filled with ancient terrors and modern villains, but go ahead, go into the basement, step onto the old plantation, and open the magician's mystery box because this time, the white guy dies first.

Edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker, including stories from bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming contributors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H. E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Terry J. Benton-Walker.

A collection you'll be dying to talk about… if you survive it.

Full narrator list: Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, André Santana, Angel Pean, Joy Ofodu, Kausar Mohammed, Nicky Endres, Samara Naeymi, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Torian Brackett

My Review:
I had such a great time reading this anthology! That there was a bit of a story before and after, that these stories were written and associated with a filmmaker, 13 unreleased movies and 13 missing/dead male actors...yeah, that was so cool! Plus it was another horror anthology poking at the tropes of horror, this time with the white guy dying first! 

This anthology was bookended by this story that set up the premise of the anthology, that there was this filmmaker who made a bunch of movies that were never released about these storie where the white guy dies first, and then all these male actors had been found killed, and these stories are somehow related to what was going on (I had this in audio, and I think I missed if these were the written form of the movies, or related stories in the same vein.) Which was a really interesting premise for this anthology! 

One thing that this collection solidified for me, is that I like happy ending horrors, where the protagonist gets out of whatever horrifying situation that they were in ok. Because a few of the stories here weren't, they lost to the horror that they were facing. 

I support women's rights, and women's wrongs, including in this story, like All Eyes of Me, and The Golden Dragon, that the girls come out on top! Wasps, absolutely infuriated me that it came to that, but loved how it turned out! All of the stories in this anthology were entertaining and raised my emotions, good and bad, but I really enjoyed these 3!

Loved reading this collection of stories, and I'm so glad that it exists! 

Authors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H.E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, Terry J. Benton-Walker
Read: September 4th, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really good and had authors that I love, and it's a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: July 16th 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #669, April 1st

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #668
Teaser Tuesday #676
WWW Wednesday #676
WOW #672
Will the Time Come #669
Third Sentence Thursday #659
Random Reads #645
First Lines Friday #672
Book Blogger Hop #338

Monthly ARC's May Round Up

Monthly Series April Round Up

Monthly ARC's Update 66
The Reward Challenge Update #654
Wheel of TBR #201
How Well I Stuck to It #506
Wrote that Review Update #503

Week 13 Reviews:
Empire of the Damned 

Three Kinds of Lucky

Into the Sunken City 

Bad Like Us

Ace of Spades

Nameless 

Legacy of Temptation

Icarus 

The Night Children

Lockdown

Love Letters to a Serial Killer 

The Poisons We Drink

The Prince's Rogue

The Farmer's War

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

The Lady in the Glass and Other Stories

Beautiful Boss

Beautiful

When You Wish Upon a Star

Champion

Life After Legend

Life After Legend II 

Rebel

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon:

Update 23

Update 24

Update 25 and Wrap Up

Phase Out Your TBR:

Update 19

Update 20

Update 21

Update 22 and Wrap Up

Greek God-a-Thon:

Update 12

Update 13

Update 14

Update 15

Update 16

Update 17

Update 18 and Wrap Up

Random:

The Bookworm Revolution April 2024 TBR

Book Battle April 2024 TBR

OK, so I got 49 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty great week, I read some great books, I had a great time, and I can't wait for next week, I've had Friday, and today off, which is nice, plus I have Jax for most of this week-more time to get him and Holly used to one another so they can get along! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want! 

Week 13 Review: Ace of Spades

From Goodreads:

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice.

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

My Review:
This was such a great and infuriating book, because I could see this easily happening in reality, and that's such a horrible thought. I really enjoyed her other book and I was excited to read it. And I had a really great time even though it was hard at points.

Chiamaka and Devon are the only black students at their prestigious school. They're in their final year, they're close to graduating. But things are going wrong, this texter named Aces is airing their secrets for the school to see, which is a pretty terrifying and awful experience. 

I do think that I enjoyed her second book just a little bit more, because the anxiety that this book raised in me, the fear for these characters, who were in a tough situation and I wanted them to get out of it okay, but the odds kept getting worse. It was still a fantastic read, don't get me wrong, but the second was just a little bit easier on my nerves. 

When they figure out what was going on? Yeah, that was extremely shocking, about just how far the rot went, how deep and wide. The extent that these people were going, just to ruin a couple of students lives? Like, that's a horrible thing to do, there's basically anything better to do with your time. One of the lines was about deserving this education, and I was like, all of you, doing this, you're not deserving of it. It was so infuriating, and that ending was pretty darned satisfying, especially that epilogue! 

This was a really fantastic read and I can't wait to read more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé!

Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Read: March 25th, 2024
Source: Library
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book and a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: June 1st 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 12 Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie

From Goodreads:

In Where Sleeping Girls Lie ― a YA contemporary mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, the New York Times-bestselling author of Ace of Spades ― a girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.

It's like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again. To make me remember. But the switch isn't there. Was it there before?

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she's not sure what will happen. What she doesn't expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade's first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the 'Unholy Trinity' – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to - playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn't help that she's already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead.

The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there's more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a great read! I loved getting Sade's story, of this time spent at this boarding school, the friends she made-and dealing with the school politics. Between the Unholy Trinity, and the boy's swim club espcailly, there was a lot going on! 

We knew that Sade was dealing with he past, that she was seeing a ghost, a echo, a memory, but we didn't know who-just that they thought that Sade shouldn't be there. And the reveal of who it it was, and how that was connected to the plot, that hurt! 

I really enjoyed the way that this story was told, mainly in the present from Sade's perspective, but then we'd we get key points from various characters about events in the past, and it all came together so well! And boy where there twists and reveals! 

There was so much in this book that made me enraged, that girls were treated like that, and shrugged off, because it might hurt the boy, so who cares about the actual crimes that they're committing, they're bright young lads. And oh, that ending, was so true to life, and I wish it could be better in both! 

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé! 

Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Read: March 20th, 2024
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved her first book and it sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: March 19th 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

WWW Wednesday #675, March 20th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme! And thanks now to Taking on a World of Words for reviving it! 

I'm currently listening to Where Sleeping Girls Lie and I'm loving it!

I'm also reading Crowbones, and I'm loving it again!

I read Lake Silence and it was so good again!

I'm going to be reading Wicked Sexy Liar, and I can't wait to finally finish this series!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Author Page

The Story: I saw Ace of Spades around and it got a lot of hype, but I didn't pick it up. Now Where Sleeping Girls is coming out, and I want to read it, so I'm going to read Ace of Spades first! 

Website

Stand Alone's: Ace of Spades and her site, my review, Where Sleeping Girls Lie and her site, my review. 

Anthologies: The White Guy Dies First and her site, my review.