mystery – Simone and Her Books

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young // Book Review

October 25, 2022October 24, 2022by Simone1 Comment

My first book by Adrienne Young and I regret not picking her up sooner. This is her adult fantasy filled with magic, mystery, and a bit of romance. Thanks to Delacorte Press for the gifted read.

Here’s more about Spells for Forgetting

Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.

August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

Find it on Amazon | Find it on Bookshop.org

My thoughts

If you’re looking for a mystery that gives you spooky vibes without it being too gory, then this one is for you. It’s a perfect read for this time of year especially since it takes place in a small town, at the end of harvest, and includes a very important apple orchard. Oh, it also has a little bit of magic which is probably the icing on top of this interesting cake.

This is my first time reading Adrienne Young and I can already tell this won’t be my last. The writing and prose of this story really brought its own dimension to the storytelling. It brought atmosphere and a level of sadness that you can feel from all the characters. You would be sad too if for the past 15 years of your life the people of the town thought you stood on the side of a possible criminal.

The story is a time-jumping, multiple narrative story that takes place on a small island called Saoirse off the coast of Washington. It’s famous for its apple orchard and witchy background, so much of their business is during the fall where people come to pick apples and even get a dose of magical lore while they’re there. However, as ideal as this town sounds like, it also has its own dark past. Many years ago when Emery, August, and Dutch were all friends together, they lost one of their own in a tragic accident. The giant twist? August is accused of their murder. However, this isn’t the only twist in the story. Adrienne Young definitely weaves a complex tale that goes beyond just the mysterious death and dives further into the dark underbelly of this idyllic island.

The story centers Emery and August. While there’s many different narratives throughout the story, you’re mostly with Emery and August as they meander around their adolescent feelings and eventually end up together. It’s a really good second-chance romance, but it’s also not the focus of the story. Aside from the romance, Emery is trying to find out more about her friend that died, August is trying to figure out how to sell the property his mother owned on the island, and each step they make towards the inevitable conclusion leads them down a darker path that neither of them suspected.

Emery is one of the main characters you follow throughout the story and I think is the best perspective. I really loved how she plays the center between August and the drama within town. I feel like she was the perfect character to lead you through the complex story line and show you what happens to the rest of the town. August was also a favorite of mine and I loved that he and Emery had this second-chance romance throughout the story. It felt like they were destined to be together throughout the story. It helps when the author is jumping through the timeline to share how they became lovers in the first place.

While some parts were predictable, I did find enjoyment in how deeply woven the story gets. I can probably figure out part of the story, but if there’s some extra bits that I missed, then I’m a bit over the moon about it.

However, it did take some time for things to finally reveal themselves and the magic in the world felt a little secondary to everything else that was happening. If anything, there was a much bigger mystery component to the story than there was magical. I wished there was more magic and when you finally see the magic in the world, you’re totally blown away. It really tied perfectly into part of the story. But I felt like there was a much bigger plot happening around Emery and August and that was really the main focus of the story.

Overall, this was a great read with a slow burn that the literary crowd would love to read during the spooky season. It’s mysterious, it’s poetic, and it has a brilliant little twist to enjoy at the end. Highly recommend if you need something a little lighter and enjoy an interesting mystery.

Book Reviews, Books

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P Manansala // Book Review

November 8, 2021November 1, 2021by Simone1 Comment

This was such a great read for vacations because it’s engaging enough to keep you interested, but perfect when family or friends draw your attention away. Mind you, I was totally caught off guard when the true killer was revealed.

Here’s more about Arsenic and Adobo

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Find it on Amazon | Find it on Bookshop.org

My thoughts

I read most of this book on the plane while I was on vacation and it has to be the best book for that kind of trip. If you need something to engage you while you’re traveling across the country, I highly recommend this book for its funny lines, it’s cozy mystery, and the food. OMG the food! This book has a little bit of everything for everyone, so if you’re into genre-bending books that are a lot of fun, then you’ll really like this book.

It’s about Lila who’s recently come home after a pretty terrible break up. While she’s figuring out the next steps of her life, she decides to help out at her auntie’s restaurant. And the day her high school ex comes into the restaurant to review the place for the local paper, he ends up dying in a plate of food. The rest from there is an attempt to clear Lila’s family’s name, come to terms with who she knew her ex to be, and discovering a little bit more about herself.

This story carried with it a lot of depth. I thought the focus of the book would be on the mystery alone, but I loved getting to know Lila, her hopes and dreams, and see all the delicious food she makes for her friends and family. Of course, she’s got herself a dream to open her own place and I felt like she would do really well in that department. But I loved that this was more than a small town looking to figure out the killer. I loved that it even showed how imperfect the people in town were. It felt really human and that made me continue reading.

I also loved how complex the mystery turned out to be. Like I said, I had no clue it turned out to be the person it turned out to be, but I had my inklings and I felt like I was half right. In many ways, the mystery part was really sad. Despite not knowing who actually did the killings, the results leading up to it made my heart hurt.

There’s also a lot of characters and suspects to consider! Because no one liked the food critic, there were many people who could have easily done it. I thought it was fun to keep track of everyone like a big game of Clue to finally discern the murderer.

Overall, I loved it and maybe it was because I was on vacation and didn’t want anything too complicated. It made me laugh, it made me hungry, and it surprised me.

Book Reviews

WARCROSS by Marie Lu

December 19, 2017December 18, 2017by Simone3 Comments

When there’s books like READY PLAYER ONE about to come out as a big blockbuster movie, I want to read more of that particular set of books. Stories about young people who fight for what they believe is right even if that means sacrificing everything. Good thing I stumbled across WARCROSS by Marie Lu.

Here’s some more about the book:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

WARCROSS is definitely one of those girls kick ass kind of novels. I love a strong female character who sticks to her beliefs despite what other people (including the law) says. The story takes place in the near future where everyone is hooked up to this new game called Warcross. The game comes with a special set of glasses that immerses you not only into the game, but this virtual world where you can basically win points for breathing. It was definitely reminiscent of READY PLAYER ONE’s Oasis world where you can basically do the same thing.

I honestly think there’s a little bit for everyone. There’s science fiction, mystery, thriller. I think the big part is figuring out who is trying to sabotage the game and who is trying to hurt Hideo’s vision. There was lots of game play and strategic thinking on everyone’s character. Reading it from Emika’s point of view, it almost makes you feel like you’re playing the game.

The best part was that it wasn’t contrived. Emika needed time to think about her next step and it wasn’t easy for her to learn how to play Warcross properly. I love it when a character’s knowledge is based on real humans and how they would consider things. No one goes right into a battle knowing all the ins and outs unless they were cheating.

I also found the writing to be quite detailed and developed. Marie Lu didn’t leave any details out and I was able to imagine the mech battles during game play pretty easily. It’s tough for me to read battle scenes sometimes because I get all lost in who is doing what and to whom. However, it was super easy in Warcross and it definitely left me wanting to read more.

The twist on this book was definitely something I couldn’t stop thinking about. The argument made was kind of compelling and if you’re looking at the world from one perspective, you can see why someone would be so motivated to change it. However, there’s a lot of plays on morality here. What’s right and what’s wrong? What determines who you are and should that be controlled? While I wish I can give more of this away, I’m afraid that it’ll ruin the entire book.

The only things I considered issues were the romantic aspects and the technological aspects. For the romantic aspects, it was really unnecessary. I tried to think about this carefully after I finished and while there were romantic scenes between Emika and Hideo, I don’t think that it really contributed anything to the story. It was fun to see them connect in that way, but it felt a little gratuitous and unnecessary. I think it’s great that Emika finds Hideo as this huge role model and someone she looks up to, but falling in love with him kind of cheapens her strong female character.

For technology, I thought it was really awesome to read about these hi-tech glasses that allow you to comm with your friends and has augmented reality and you can play games with your real life. However, it irked me that after a game of Warcross Emika took out her phone and proceeded to call Hideo with it. You have all this technology with a device that allows you to read each other’s minds and then you have your dumb phone that you’re making calls with? It kind of doesn’t make sense in this world.

But these aren’t major flaws. These aren’t the make or break of a story, but little things that almost feel like me nitpicking a little. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (September 2017)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Buy WARCROSS on Amazon

Simone and Her Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.