My Book Reviews

Category: 2018 Book Challenges

City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab
Release: August 28th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Amazon

City of Ghosts Synopsis:

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Review:

Watch my detailed video review of City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc6tWR5aLoY[/embedyt]

This is the first book that I am reading from Victoria Schwab, and I think she did a pretty good job for it being her debut novel in the middle grade genre as she primarily writes YA Fantasy.I loved the characters and their interactions in this book. Moreover, all the characters have very distinctive personalities and I really liked the friendship between Cassidy and Jacob. The only thing that I didn’t like was the first half of the book where the pacing was very slow. Overall though, it was a very entertaining read!

October 1, 2018
The Once and Future Geek (The Camelot Code #1) by Mari Mancusi

The Once and Future Geek (The Camelot Code #1) by Mari Mancusi
Release: July 25th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Netgalley

The Once and Future Geek Synopsis:

Young King Arthur accidentally time travels to the 21st century and googles himself, discovering the not-so-happily ever after in store for him once he pulls the sword from the stone. He decides he’d much rather stay here–and join the football team instead.

Now modern day gamer geeks Sophie and Stu, with the help of Merlin, find themselves in a race against time to pull a Camelot-size caper–get that sword pulled from the stone and the stubborn once and future king back to the past where he belongs. While Arthur takes on the role of wide-receiver in an attempt to save the football team from a losing season, Sophie and Stu sword-fight, joust, and horseback ride their way through Camelot as they fight to save the timeline. If they fail, the world as they know it (not to mention the existence of pepperoni pizza!) will cease to exist forever.

Review:

Watch my booktube video review of “The Once and Future Geek (The Camelot Code #1) ” by Mari Mancusi!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwEwQTEQ3fM[/embedyt]

A BIG thank you to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for providing an ebook ARC copy of this book. This book was amazing! I loved reading every minute of it. The story is fast paced and has a lot happening to all the characters, so there’s never a dull moment. It has adventure, fantasy, romance, humor, video games, and even history trivia making it so entertaining! I have become a fan of Mari Mancusi and cannot wait to read her other novels after this. Overall, this is one of my favorite reads of 2018 and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is wanting to read a light-hearted adventure/fantasy novel.

P.S. I apologize for butchering Guinevere’s name in the video 🤐

September 16, 2018
Forever is a lie by Novoneel Chakraborty

Forever is a lie by Novoneel Chakraborty
Release: August 2017
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin
Source: Amazon

Forever is a Lie Synopsis:

The best thing happened to her, but int he worst way possible

Eighteen year old Prisha Srivastav is a student of mass communication in Bengaluru. She meets a mysterious man, almost double her age, known as the Mean Monster in the city’s party circuit. Intrigued, she falls for him and pursues him. However, there is one problem. Prisha doesn’t know that whoever the Monster loves, dies.

From the master of twists, Novoneel Chakraborty, comes yet another beguiling tale of dark romance and thrill that won’t let you put the book down.

Review:

Watch my video review on Forever is a Lie!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvcUm6SkPUQ[/embedyt]

I was disappointed with this book! The plot is supposed to be a romantic suspense thriller, but most of the book is just romance without anything else. Moreover, the protagonist, Prisha is very irritating and I could not stand her for most of the book. Eventually, the book becomes interesting towards the last 50 pages, but it is a little too late. Overall, this was a very average book, but I feel the sequel would be better.

August 23, 2018
The Mortification of Fovea Munson by Mary Winn Heider

The Mortification of Fovea Munson by Mary Winn Heider

Release: June 05th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: NetGalley
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

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Fovea Munson is nobody’s Igor. True, her parents own a cadaver lab where they perform surgeries on dead bodies. And yes, that makes her gross by association, at least according to everyone in seventh grade. And sure, Fovea’s stuck working at the lab now that her summer camp plans have fallen through. But she is by no means Dr. Frankenstein’s snuffling assistant!

That is, until three disembodied heads, left to thaw in the wet lab, start talking. To her. Out loud.

What seems like a nightmare, or bizarre hallucination, is not. Fovea is somebody’s Igor, all right. Three somebodies, actually. And they need a favor.

With a madcap sense of humor and a lot of heart (not to mention other body parts), this is a story about finding oneself, finding one’s friends, and embracing the moment.

About the Author:

A graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program, Mary Winn Heideris the author of The Mortification of Fovea Munson. She lives in Chicago, where she acts in plays, rides her bike, and works for The Mystery League. You can visit her online at marywinnheider.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

The Mortification of Fovea Munson Review:

This book was HI-LA-RI-OUS!! I LOVED reading it! There are very few books out there that make me laugh out loud throughout, and this was one of them.

I honestly cannot find anything to complain about this book. The story is unique, and unlike anything I have read before. The plot contains some pretty morbid matter like cadavers, appendages, and cremators. But the author wrote it in such a light-hearted manner that would intrigue the young ones to read without spooking them. The story has so many twists and turns happening that glued me to the pages.

At times the plot got so farfetched (like when Fovea realizes she has to find a baritone to entertain her newfound friends) that I wondered where the author was going with this. It also touches on the values of friendship and how to deal with breakups and see the more important things in life.

Coming to the characters, Fovea is one of those characters that easily connects to the reader. Her snarky sense of humor makes the entire book so entertaining. The supporting characters like Howe, Whitney, Andy, McMullen, and Grandma Van were also a treat to read. My favorite, of course, was Lake. He was the funniest among them all. Even though he was in the story for a while, he became a memorable character.

I have become a fan of Mary Winn Heider after reading this book and cannot wait till her next one comes out. The illustrations are also cute and add a whimsical tone to the story. If you are a middle-grade fan and are reading only three books this year, this should be one of them.

January 19, 2018