Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

This one was twisted. It was pretty clear going in what was going on in this book so I knew what to expect.

It's a thriller, one that tells you right off the bat about the crazy things happening, but still takes you along for an even crazier ride.

This book is about the perfect couple. His works, she stays at home. They throw perfect dinner parties, they are together all the time, and they look to have the absolutely perfect marriage that anyone can ask for! Their friends would like to get to know her better, but they can't. She doesn't come to the phone, and when they see her, she's always with her husband. True love. But why are there bars on the windows?

Of course, this is a thriller, so you know that things are not at all what they seem.


This book is so hard to review because I don't want to spoil anything, but I have feelings about things and I want to talk about them!

There was definitely intrigue and thrill in this one. A lot of what was going on I couldn't predict. After all, you find out very quickly a whole lot of the details, but you don't really know the extent of the story until you finish it.

Because you know so much, it's more of a thriller that keeps you reading and makes you want to know what happens next because you really don't understand how things could get worse or better. It's that kind of intense.

I will say I was hoping for more of a rescue in the end, but I did like the very, very end. That was well done in my opinion.

Recommendation: For those who enjoy twisted thrillers, this one is for you. It's not the typical one, but its still as messed up as can be!

Gazelle in the Shadows by Michelle Peach

This book was sent to me ever so kindly by Kelsey from Book Publicity Services so that I could enjoy it and share it with all of you wonderful people!

First of all, I love the cover. It's purple, which is my favourite colour and it's reminiscent of the imagery from Aladdin. 

Here's the synopsis:

In the mid 90s, Elizabeth Booth, a young British college student studying Arabic at Durham University, travels to Damascus to immerse herself in the Syrian language. Taken aback by the generosity and kindness of the people there, she easy slips into a life in the ancient city. She has friends, her studies, and even a handsome boyfriend. But things aren’t always as they seem. Soon, in a world where mistrust and disloyalty are commonplace, Elizabeth finds herself navigating a web of lies, betrayals, and a murder involving MI6, deadly terrorist factions, and the shadowy Syrian secret police.

Now, this book was largely based on the author's real life experiences, which I found to be so cool and so crazy all at the same time. Going to another country alone without any real concrete plans beyond attending a school while you are there fills me with crazy amounts of anxiety! I'm so glad others live exciting lives so I can sit at home and read all about them!

I'm not usually one to jump into a coming of age type of story like this one, but I enjoyed it. I was glued to the page, and I read it over two days. 

The growth that the main character Elizabeth experienced was very transformative. We follow Elizabeth as she just gets on a plane and goes to Syria to learn without anything else planned. She is just going to go out there and do the thing. We watch her face new experiences, meet new people, and fall into trouble. This book brings you back to a time when you might have thought you had everything all figured out, but later on you look back and realize you really didn't, but you lived through it. 

Before this book, I didn't know all that much about Syria. It was iwonderful to experience it through Michelle's eyes. I could almost see the landscape, the homes, the buildings, and the people. It was a descriptive journey that I won't soon forget.

As far as the intrigue, the secrets, the lies, and the betrayals... I was not disappointed! I had an idea of what was going to happen but how all the pieces fitted in together was a bit of a surprise, which is great! I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything!

Recommendation: For the lovers of coming of age stories, for those interested in Syria, for those who like stories about travel and peril in another country. This is the book for you!

The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

I LOVE these books!

So far, there are three in the series. I didn't know they existed until I was approved to read the third one before it was released from First to Read (run by Penguin). The third book is out now, though and it's just as great as the first two! Also, I seriously hope there are more to come in this series because I adore them!!

This series is a pretty neat one. It's about a young woman who goes by the name of Charlotte Holmes. She's everything you would think of when you think of Sherlock. It's set back in the time of Sherlock too, so you get all that historical feel to the book that really makes it come alive.

I won't say anymore about the main characters though, because I think how the author created her world, and her version of Sherlock and company was something truly awesome that it needs to be experienced as you read! (and I don't want to spoil anything either.)

As usual these books are filled with all the mystery, deduction, and intrigue we all love from traditional Sherlock stories, but these ones have a little bit of romance thrown in. Nothing too crazy or distracting, but there is a little bit of love hanging around, which I really enjoyed.

In the first book A Study in Scarlett Women, Charlotte must do whatever she can to solve a mystery to save her father and her sister who are under suspicion of committing the crime.

In the second book A Conspiracy in Belgravia, the wife of one of Charlotte's good friends comes to Sherlock looking for help in finding her first love, who also happens to be Charlotte's half brother. Of course, he's missing.

In the third book The Hollow of Fear, the wife of her dear friend is murdered and the suspicion falls on her friend. Moriarty is ever present and wreaking havoc on their lives, but Charlotte, acting as Sherlock, must prevail.

I found the writing of this series to be quite lyrical and detailed. It's definitely more of a slow burn series, but honestly, that didn't matter to me. I was fully on board with this series right from page one!

I own the first two in paperback, and I will be adding the third one to my collection in physical form very soon. I don't often find myself re-reading mysteries, but I think this series will be one I'll grab off my shelf and read again.

Recommendation: Must read for the lovers of Sherlock Holmes, for the lovers of mystery, for the lovers of serious female characters.

Carmer and Grit by Sarah Jean Horwitz

I came across this book at the bookstore and it was partially a cover buy. How could you not, though?  This cover is gorgeous!

The story is about two different characters. One is an aspiring inventor and magician who goes by Carmer who is trying to help his mentor win a big competition. The other is a faerie princess who goes by Grit. She's been investigating the mysterious disappearances of faeries, and the two team up to help each other out. Grit uses her magic to help  Carmer and his mentor's act and Carmer helps Grit searching the city for the truth of the missing faeries. 

This fantasy story is in a steampunk world full of faerie magic. It's a middle grade novel, but it's not without the action and drama that you might often find in YA or even adult novels. 

Carmer and Grit was easy to read, and didn't really feel that much like a middle grade book. It felt longer and a little bit more detailed than I guess I expected a middle grade read to be. It's been a little while since I've read a middle grade book, so I was quite happy with this one. 

I do like the details in the story, especially details about the world of faerie that I've read about since childhood. There was intensity in the drama that I really appreciated as well.

Parts of this story felt a little on the slow side, but overall, it was a good read. There is a second book in this series that I might need to get my hands on too. I appreciate the fact it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but more of a nod to further adventures. 

Recommendations: For the readers of faerie, for the lovers of faerie, for the lovers of a good story with steampunk features: this is for you. 

We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

This was a bargain book I grabbed off the teen sale table at the bookstore. It looked creepy and weird, something strange to spice up my writing life.

We'll Never Be Apart is a book about a girl named Alice who is locked away in a mental hospital after a fire that killed her boyfriend. She finds out that her twin sister, the one responsible for the fire, is there too, in another ward. To avenge his death, Alice tries to find her twin, with the help of a boy named Chase. Nothing is really what it seems though.

This was a pretty twisted read. I wasn't fully prepared for how it ended, because although I suspected things, I wasn't totally sure about them. It's definitely a book that keeps you on your toes.

I read this in one sitting, and I found it a fairly easy read. It was compelling and kind of hard to read at times, but I pressed on.

For another couple of days after reading this book I found myself thinking about it, which is always a sign of a good story.

I think when I rated it online I gave it two stars, but perhaps it's more of a three star read. It was so twisted and something that could possibly have happened that it kind of freaks me out, ya know? I think part of it felt like perhaps it was written that way to purposely cause shock and awe, which I didn't love, but still. It's an interesting book, just not my favourite.

Recommendation: If you love freaky, thrilling, and twisted reads than this is for you.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Like a lot of pretty cool books, I didn't know about this one until the second one was coming out. At this point, I've only gotten my hands on this one so far, but I really do intend to read the next one when I can grab it in paperback!

First off, there's pirates. Female ones. There's treachery, lying, betrayal, backstabbing, and all the great swashbuckling goodness that comes with stories about pirates. There are sirens, magic, and not so terrible enemies. It's quite an adventure.

I love a great pirate/mermaid story so I was not at all disappointed in this one at all. I thought it was great.

It was an easy read, but it kept me wanting more. I remember reading it fairly quickly, and loving it.

There are not a lot of books that I often think I'll go back and read again, but I think I might actually do that with this one before I read the second one. The writing style was fantastic and really drew you into what you were reading, and experiencing "life" as Alosa was a lot of fun.

There's romance, there's humor, and
just a whole lot of excitement to be found in this book. Like a lot of YA fantasy type books it's easy to forget the ages of the characters so even though the main character is supposed to be 17, it didn't feel like that.

Basically, if you enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or other pirate books and movies, you'll enjoy this lighter hearted, but still intense read about pirates and sirens who aren't always what they seem.

Recommendation: For fantasy lovers, for pirate lovers, for those who like to read about sirens and mermaids. This one is for you!

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

This series in a word: AH-MAZE-ING

Every single moment of these books kept me glued to the page. I was totally along for the journey, no questions asked. I was all in.

I feel like I was one of the last to this book party when I finally picked these up, but I am so very happy that I did.

This series is about a girl named Alina. It's set in a universe with Russian feels (that I adored). It involves magic, the people who wield this power, the pursuit to defeat evil and restore the good to save the people.

Yes, it sounds like the basic fantasy type of story, but I assure you, it is not. Nothing is quite what it seems, things aren't clear cut and rosy, it's not the usual.

I'm not going into the actual story too much (as always) because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will mention that I was pleasantly surprised what this series had to offer being that it was YA. This series was one of the biggest reasons why I'm reading more YA.

I know there's so much love for this series on bookstagram and it kind of surprised me that there were so many long and heartfelt reviews about (at least the first book) people hating it. They say that the romance was terrible, that Alina was hard to get behind, that the world building wasn't great, but really? Like, what?

Usually, I don't enjoy a whole lot of romance either but it wasn't that much, and it didn't bother me in this series because it wasn't really the main focal point. I think a lot would have been missed without it.

Alina was flawed. Everyone was flawed. Everyone is flawed.

The world building was epic. End of story. The Russian feel of it was so neat. I really enjoyed it.

I currently own all the books Leigh Bardugo has got out in the bookstore right now and even though these are the only ones I've read so far, I am on board with her for life.

Recommendation: Read these. Also these editions are GORGEOUS so what are you waiting for? For the lover of fantasy. Just, read them!