Today is another HUGE day for book releases, and I got to read so many of them early! I didn’t know how to review most of them for fear of spoilers, so today I get to round them all up with a bunch of mini reviews instead. As always, if you want more info on any of them, send me a message and I’m happy to chat more!

Slayer, by Kiersten White
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: Yes
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Length: 416 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating:      + Buffy 4-eva

 

Mini Review: I loved every minute of being back in the Buffyverse, and I miss it again already. Coming at things from the Watchers POV instead of the Slayer/Scooby’s was a totally different experience, and seeing their distain for Buffy was hilarious. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a new series based on the beloved TV show, but I trusted Kiersten White and she got things SO right. If you’re a Buffy mega-fan, you will love this. If you’re someone who loved the show and everything Buffy stood for, you’ll still love this. And if you’re someone who only has a passing knowledge of the series, I still think you will love this. The author sets up the world nicely, so you can catch on quickly to what’s going on.

“Being chosen is easy. Making choices will break your heart.”

 

Even If I Fall, by Abigail Johnson
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: No
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Length: 352 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating:    

 

Mini Review: This book ticked so many boxes for me. For someone who loves true crime, I’ve never spent much time thinking a lot about the families of the murderers. They aren’t usually talked about much, so the fact that this book focuses completely on a family left behind after their son is sent to prison for murdering his best friend was crazy interesting to me. Part of what kept me turning the pages so quickly was the mystery of what really happened that night. Jason confessed to the murder, but did something else really happen?
The friendship and eventual romance between Brooke and Heath was a super slow burn, and I loved watching their journey, and how they try to move past their grief and guilt.

“I have to believe my brother isn’t a monster, even though he did something monstrous.”

 

Two Can Keep a Secret, by Karen M. McManus
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: No
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Length: 336 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating:     .75

 

Mini Review: I adored this book. I did not at all see how all the girls would connect, who the killer would be, how everything would resolve. It was really amazing. I loved Ellery & Ezra, the twins. I totally fell for Malcolm, and Mia was so much fun. Murderland was such a fun concept, and I wish there had been more of a description of the rides.
I just loved the way the 3 different generations (are they generations? no not really I guess, but whatever) all mixed together.
The very last line of the book–so completely chilling! I still get goosebumps whenever I think about it.

“People love to be scared in a controlled environment. There’s something deeply, fundamentally satisfying about confronting a monster and escaping unscathed.”

 

A Sky for Us Alone, by Kristin Russell 
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: No
Publisher: HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Length: 336 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating:  

 

Mini Review: This is a really sad look into the opioid crisis, poverty, and nowhere to work but the mines in the rural South. The book opens shortly before the murder of Harlowe’s older brother, and things get a little crazy from there. Harlowe meets and falls for Tennessee the same night that his brother dies, which is a strange experience, given his day. Harlowe found his brother’s body, shot through the chest, on their front porch. Because they bury their dead at home, he had to help carry him to the bathroom to wash and dress him, help carry him to the coffin, and attend his funeral all in the same day. Then he goes to the store and meets Tennessee and her little brother. From there, his life sort of becomes about trying to create a life for the three of them. Now that I think about it, I guess it would make sense that he’s trying to transfer his pain and grief into something manageable and positive.

“I wish there was a simple way to know what secrets we should keep and which we should tell. Figuring that out can take a lifetime.”

 

The Wicked King, by Holly Black
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: Yes
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Length: 324 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating:    

 

Mini Review: You guys I read this over the summer and have hardly said a word about it because I don’t know how to without screaming. I’m SO HAPPY it’s finally out in the world today so that I can finally talk about it! It hasn’t been out long enough for spoilers, so here are a few of the notes I took while reading:
-So many games, so much manipulation. SO MUCH betrayal.
-Page 146: whooo boy someone bring me some cold water. (This actually starts on page 144 in the finished copy)
-Page 306: Jaw. Drops. (Page 304 in finished copy)
– [REDACTED]’s betrayal at the end–what is your game?? What is your plan??

“Perhaps I am foolish, but I am not a fool.”

 

This week has been a whirlwind of amazing YA releases, and of course there are a bunch of others that I didn’t get to read early also out today! I don’t even think I can list them all. I know I preordered a bunch earlier, so we’ll see what shows up in the mail later!