The Autumn Review for Dust to Dust
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Dust to Dust was a great debut into the contemporary romance genre for Cervantes. It's sexy, sweet and I adore the friend to lovers trope. Camryn and Holden were a great couple! If you're looking for a solid romance, check this one out.
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Branton is a rock star.  On the Hunt is another awesome adventure for Autumn Rain.  I am definitely hooked on the Imprint series.  Branton continues to write in a way that makes me feel like I am a part of the action with Autumn.  I could definitely see this as a TV series.

I love the connection Autumn has with Tawnia, Jake, Shannon, and Paige.  You can easily get how she feels for each of them.  I found myself angry whenever Jake's ex was in the story and worried when all of the action went down.

 I found myself near tears at parts which I won't divulge because of spoilers.  I also was silently trying to tell Autumn or others to watch out when I thought something would happen.  While I love the idea of Jake and Autumn together part of me also wonders, like Autumn, what it would be like if she got together with Shannon.

I would love to see her and Tawnia work on a case together after the baby is born of course.  I can see a lot more work coming her way with the introduction of Claire and Russo.

I can't wait to read the next installment as well as all of Brentons other books.  I received this ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.  That is not a difficult request to fulfil as I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and Brandons writing.  Keep up the great work Teyla.
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Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

You know when Seanan McGuire states in the acknowledgements, Everything I have done with Octobers world to this point has been for the sake of getting here, to the book that you now hold in your hands, she means business. I had no idea going in The Winter Long was such an important book, but once I read that I knew things were going to get serious.

In Chimes at Midnight Toby finally had her showdown with the pretender Queen of the Mists and won. The Winter Long starts roughly four months after Chimes at Midnight during Yule. Arden Windermere is settling into the rightful role of Queen of the Mists and decides to throw a party. To close out the evening Toby is officially declared a hero of the realm(that is your tipping off point that calmness is soon to be short lived for our hero).

I was wondering where McGuire was taking us this time in Tobys adventures. I kept waiting for it to jump out at me, and jump out it did in the form of Simon Torquill. Yes, that Simon. The Simon that turned Toby into a fish for 14 years. He shows up on her doorstep like his presence there is nothing out of the ordinary, yet he doesnt come at her as an enemy per se. He claims his actions were to protect Toby. Shocked, Toby is hit with revelations about the past that will change how she looks at the future.

Since the very first book, weve known Toby to be a very capable character. Despite what others think of her actions at times, she somehow seems to make it through to the end time and time again. Better than any of its predecessors The Winter Long showcases how truly powerful Toby has become and will continue to become. Toby is still learning what it means to be a Dchas Sidhe.

Reading an October Daye book, you know Toby is no stranger to the use of blood magic. Id have to say The Winter Long is bloodier than even the most bloody horror novel (if you doubt me, just go back and take a look at the cover, Ill wait). Yep thats all blood. I found it really interesting to see Toby taking the reins so-to-speak on her power. A power that she was misinformed about until very recently. She seems more at home in her new skin.

Being so jammed packed full of revelations, The Winter Long really had to choose what was important and everything else kind of took a backseat. There was very little May and Jazz, among others, but I didn't really feel their absence as I was so focused on how Toby would get out of another life-and-death situation. One area that I want so badly to be addressed is Toby and her mother. We get little things in each book that already builds upon what we know, but with Tobys mother essentially MIA the confrontation between mother and daughter has yet to happen, but its something I personally cant wait to read.

The Winter Long truly lives up to McGuires statement on the acknowledgements page. It is the culmination of everything that has happened in the series up to this point. McGuire always drops little mysteries throughout to be addressed at a later time. Where she goes from here is anyones guess.
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Dream Smashers was a very difficult read for me. Not because I didn't understand or like it but because it deals with some very tough topics in a very bold, real way. At times elegant, at times thoroughly visceral, the story dives right into meth addiction from the point of view of the addict as well as those around them including family.

The narrator is Autumn whose mother is as toxic as they come, addicted to meth and angry about her past choices and mistakes. Autumn's voice is snarky and funny and very intelligent in spite of her sometimes poor grammar and foul language. With a mother who constantly invades her life and turns it upside down, it's no wonder Autumn's viewpoint is so raw with emotion and frustration and hopelessness. Enter Evan, who appears to be the epitome of light and goodness who comes armed with words of truth and hope and with an easy, sometimes cheesy manner. The two are so well written together that everything else in the plot seems to fall away in the moments when they are together. The romance is gentle and sweet and I enjoyed every second of it.

The other characters are equally well-written and layered. Every one seems to go on a transforming journey through the story, from the supposed drug pushing popular girl to the rough, trouble-magnet best friend. I was so impressed with how each character had their own personal story which we were treated to at least partially through the events of the story as well as layers which were peeled back slowly in response to the central metamorphosis of Autumn's life because of her interactions with Evan.

Parts of this book were so uplifting that it was a joy to read. The scenes of hope and love were just as well-crafted as those that were dark and angry with drugs and alcohol and their aftermaths. Ms. Carlie is a wordsmith (she discovered myriad new and fascinating ways for Jacinda to drop the f-bomb) and her writing transported me from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, sometimes within seconds. I felt what Autumn felt, lived her life for the entire journey of the book. This is truly an amazing coming of age story with an element of faith that I had not expected to find.

I especially appreciated the building up and toppling down of a false beacon of hope for Autumn. Watching her realize that she has a more lasting and real source of hope in Evan and what he brings to her through his faith was one of the best parts of this story.

I could probably extol the merit of this work of art for hours. It reminded me of the brilliant way in which Lauren Myracle wove the story in Shine. Ms. Carlie should be praised for her bravery with the subject matter and for her exquisite writing style. Dream Smashers might be shorter than most YA novels on the market at the moment but there is no fluff; it is completely full of life and action. It is a must read for anyone who enjoys books dealing with heavy social issues and those who are fans of coming of age stories with hope and a light at the end of the tunnel. I encourage everyone to read this book though. Bravo, Ms. Carlie.
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Timothy Findley has quickly become one of Canada's most prominent internationally writers. His ambiguous stories are always tinted with a twist of magical realism that leads his readers to believe there really are  phenomenal elements left in the world. In this latest collection of works,  "Dust to Dust," Findley brings back characters from past works,  such as the beautiful but troubled couple Minna and Bragg and creates  intriguing new ones like Evard and Erik Kelgard, the strange twins and  their magic show. We can't help but be drawn in by the dicotomy Findley  creates between the magic of life and the secrets of death. I endorse this  tor Findley fans and new comers alike.
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I liked Looking to the Woods by Frederique Molay. I liked it very much.

#4 in the Paris Homicide series, it did not matter that I had not read any of the preceding books. I liked this one enough to want to go back and read the earlier volumes.

This is a very atmospheric book. I found myself reading with a French accent and substituting what few words I remember from my schoolgirl French lessons into the text. I was visualising Nico played by Daniel Auteuil.

There is a nice blend of police procedure and the main characters personal lives. There are plenty of twists and turns, and although I found the denouement quite unbelievable, I did not care. It was one hell of an enjoyable ride getting there!

Thank you to NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for providing a digital ARC of Looking to the Woods by Frederique Molay for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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Gone to Dust (Gravediggers #2)
by Liliana Hart
Liliana Hart has made a captivating sequel to her Gravediggers series, taking the secondary characters from her original book. She adds to the dimensions of the characters adding a back story as appealing as the original legend she bases the adventure off. Miller is stuck in a book deadline, not knowing how or when she would raise her head from the pages of her book due in a week. The assault of her peace by the carrier who needs a signature. She is encapsulated into the mystery of her past and the burden of her inheritance.  The story is based on idea of accepting love, and responsibility of the nature of the people we love. The longing and desire of Miller and Elias is palpable, and leaves you remembering the loves that have consumed you and left you wanting. The final pages giving the reader resolution to that ache and desire.
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September 28, 2017
THE COTTINGLEY SECRET

I have had so much fun taking part in the Booksparks Summer Reading Challenge, and receiving glorious packages of books all summer for my perusal. I am still in shock that people will send me books to read...and I hope that I have done a decent job at getting reviews and photos out there for the world to see. Our move this summer got me a bit behind, but I am still working my way through my never-ending To Read Pile, and I hope to eventually get through all of the books I was sent.

But, in spite of what the thermometer read this morning, it is no longer Summer. It is now Autumn...the time of pumpkin spice everything, leaves falling from the trees, cups of tea drank while curled up on the couch with a light blankie, no longer sweating your ass off if you move an inch...Autumn!! It's time for the Booksparks Fall Reading Challenge, otherwise known as Booksparks University...and I am lucky enough to be a part of the program! And a few days late, I have THE epitome of a fall book for you...The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor.

Olivia Kavanagh learns upon her grandfather's death that he's left his beloved used bookshop to her, along with a very special manuscript that he writes is somehow linked to their family. The bookstore, a cottage, and a grandmother with Alzheimers are all left in Olivia's hands...but they are all in Ireland and she's meant to be getting married in London soon. But everything about the area feels like home, so she takes some time to straighten things out and think about what she wants for her future. While ruminating, she picks up the manuscript that her grandfather left her and finds that it's the memoir of Frances Griffiths, one of the two Yorkshire girls who claimed to have photographed fairies in 1917. As she reads about a country getting caught up in a story of fairies, she embarks on a journey to figure out what she wants in life.

This book was beautiful. I honestly don't know how to express how much I enjoyed reading it! Impeccably researched, with information in the back on why the author chose to write a book around the Cottingley Fairies, along with the original photos and a letter from Frances Griffiths' daughter, I feel this is one of the best fictional books I've read that is wrapped around a true story. The book within a book is woven together so seamlessly, and it gave me far more information about that old fairy story than I knew before.

But along with telling a story steeped in history, it also tells a contemporary tale of a woman finding herself in what amounts to a magical bookstore. And really, what book nerd isn't going to love reading a novel set in a bookstore?!? Now, please don't read "magical bookstore" and get any strange ideas. I'm not talking about books flying around or any HP mumbo-jumbo. Ms. Gaynor sprinkles just enough whimsy in her tale to warm  your heart without any saccharine-sweet after taste. It is just the right amount of love, which honestly made me want to run out and buy a small space to open my own used book store!!

So really, this book is the perfect Autumn reading selection. If you are a fan of historical fiction, books set in the UK, books with a sprinkling of fairy dust, books about bookstores, women-centric tales of finding yourself, etc...this book is for you. It is the perfect book to read on a brisk Sunday, snuggled up in your favorite chair with a cable-knit blanket around your legs and a hot cup of tea in your sassy coffee-mug.
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Now we finally get to hear about Cassie, Autumn's sister from the Realm Watchers series.  I really like Autumn and having read all 4 (currently) books in her series I got to see Cassie through her sister's eyes.  It's been really interesting to see their relationship develop but I definitely formed an idea of Cassie so it was great to be in Cassie's mind.  My impressions of her have definitely changed now that I know more about her and I really enjoy seeing her build a new life for herself.  This book is completely different from her sister's series, so don't think you'll be retreading over old territory.  There is some fresh, exciting stuff going on here.  I also found parts of this book to be laugh out loud funny.  It's a great starter to a new series and you don't have to start out reading her sister's series first to get into this one.  A great new urban fantasy series with plenty of action, some contemplation and new adventures.  I can't wait to read the next one!
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Yah know Im starting to run out of ways to describe how awesome the October Daye series is. Like seriously, this series is beyond amazing and it truly gets better with each installment...which leaves me a bit lost for words. Just when I think Ive seen it all, or that surely the last book is the BEST, McGuire surprises me yet again. Chimes at Midnight, the 7th in the October Daye series answered many of the questions readers had since book 2 but unsurprisingly it also gave us a whole lot of new ones. Chimes at Midnight takes place approximately 3 months after the events of Ashes of Honor. With life going seemingly well October and the gang do the occasional stake out on the streets of San Francisco to monitor the distribution/movement of the Goblin Fruit after hearing of changelings going missing. Goblin Fruit is an addictive berry with drug-like qualities that are deadly to changelings and humans alike. After finding a dead changeling in an alley, October learns the hard truth that Changelings aren't missing but they're dead/or dying due to Goblin Fruit. And October only hope to stop the drug and protect the secrets of Faeries is to ask for help from the Queen in the Mist. But instead October learns that the Queen is the distributor and instead of helping, the Queen banishes October from the realm.

I really enjoyed the plot this time around, more than all the others. Im a sucker for stories with lost prince/princess, a rebellion and political pandemoniumand Chimes at Midnight had all three!  Readers get to learn a lot more about the last king in the mist and will obviously meet his children that no one in Faerie knew about. Also we get to see first hand the affects of Goblin Fruit on a changeling. Weve heard about Goblin Fruit since the beginning but never actually see it in effect; I thought that was pretty interesting (and crappy as heck).  And finally the big one, the mystery of Quentins fostering.  Many readers have speculated that Quentin comes from a rich-noble family but I was totally surprised at the big reveal. To be honest, I never thought much of his backgroundnot till the last book at least lol.  His fostering is supposed to be hush-hush, but with the cat-out-of-the-bag, Im excited how things will play out in subsequent books. Theres also a short-story at the end of the book that corresponds to a scene in the book, when Toby takes The Luidaegs blood pills and catches snippets of her memories (which involves Tobys mom). Although it was a short-story, it left me wondering what did The Luidaeg know about Tobys future that made her wait seven years to interfere with her sister and what IS Tobys big destiny? I cant wait to see where McGuire takes Tobys new story arc!

I highly recommend this series for those that haven't read it yet, and to start at the beginning with Rosemary and Rue to see the full characters and world building development/growth (dont recommend reading this series out of order). This series doesnt disappoint, and if you're looking for the best Urban Fantasy series out there, look no further because this is it! Now, on to the next October Daye novel, The Winter Long!
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Once again I am thrilled with Autumn Grey <3

Part One of Fall Back Skyward was absolutely, without a doubt, difficult to read. To the point of painful. I died a little with every page. I felt my insides curl up the in the fetal position, desperate for Ms. Grey to relieve the anxiety. I honestly didn't think I would make it through the book if the entire thing was this emotional.

The good thing (for me) was that it wasn't. Part Two took us through the "how we get from A to B" and gave a much needed emotional break without being boring. I was still very invested in the characters and their relationship I was just able to breathe. But Cole and Nor still tugged at my heart.

I will say that some scenes were a little slow for me and others were a bit thrown in and didn't really add to the story as a whole. However, FBS has a great message, a caring and thoughtful discussion about a very sensitive topic.
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Title:  Buried Threads
Author:  Kaylin McFarren
Reviewer:  George Shadow

Summary:
A disturbing prophecy sends a treasure-hunting duo on an urgent race to rescue a country in Kaylin McFarrens heart pounding new novel. Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen work together as the successful owners of a treasure-hunting company. However, a seemingly simple assignment . . . to track down a priceless gem that believed to be buried in a shipwreck deep within the Sea of Japan . . . takes a startlingly dangerous turn. Faced with a monks dark prophecy that a natural disaster will soon strike Japan killing millions, Rachel and Chase must embark on the mission of a lifetime in order to uncover the three cursed samurai swords that can avert the catastrophe.
Chaos ensues as their adventure takes them from shark-infested waters and creepy caves to haunted hidden tombs and a confrontation with Yakuza gang members. Time is running out as the prophecys day of reckoning draws near. Will Rachel and Chase succeed before disaster strikes?

Social/Historical Context:
We are introduced to Japan's rich history and culture in Author McFarren's hard-hitting novel, where two individuals are in a race against time to save millions. BURIED THREADS is a historical adventure novel that will keep one mesmerized  days after wrapping up the last chapter. It plunges one into the dirty dealings of the Japanese underworld, where sex, murder and deceit are just orders of the day. The story's unpredictability will thrill you, its rich historical background will enlighten you, and its surprising ending will shock you.

Book Cover & Formatting
The book's cover is a wrap. It adequately highlights the story's theme and main focus. Title and author fonts are also well-chosen. The interior design is okay. Just a simple layout that will do for me, thank you.

Writing Style:
I think McFarren excels here. She doggedly follows her story like a park of hounds tracking a rabbit. You hit the ground running in this one. No time for niceties and such. Just on to the next important detail. An exercise that ultimately leads you to the looming explosion, and that's a good thing. The mistakes I saw are quite insignificant. The story is unhindered by any of these minuscule errors.

My Thoughts:
Enjoyable. Action with a historical background...always enjoyable.

George Shadow is the author of THE BLACK BOOK.
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Book: A Torch Against the Night
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

Last fall, like so many others, I was introduced to Sabba Tahir and An Ember in the Ashes. Almost like it was out of nowhere, Sabba became one of the most popular young adult authors and had one of the top bestselling books of 2015.  Who would have thought that An Ember in the Ashes was going to be so big. Now, it's 2016 and here we are with its squeal, A Torch Against the Night.

With so many haters out there, it was hard to decide if I was even going to read this series, but now, it has become one of my top reads. Why? Well, we have nail biting tension and amazing action. Okay, do you have that? Now, let's throw in beautiful writing, matched with an equally developed world and characters. Yeah, this is going to be one big deal.

A Torch Against the Night picks right up where An Ember in the Ashes left off. This pick up makes it so simple to fall back into the books' world and remember what happened. We jump right into the world without all that unnecessary recapping that so many books seem to have. Now, if you think you are not going to remember what happened, you may be wrong. Sabba really has created a world that is next to impossible to forget once you have entered it.

This one does not feel like a second book. You all probably know how second books can sometimes go. They seem to wonder around and really don't add anything to overall plot of the series. Well, A Torch Against the Night does not have this. The story advances very nicely, with even more being added to the already complex world. We have a healthy mixture of beauty and horror, along with a nice rounded ending. Now, I do want the next book, but I find myself kind of happy with how Sabba ended this one.

The characters even develop a lot.  I was surprised about the secrets that a lot of them carried. I loved Helene, of course; it was just amazing to see how much her character has both changed and grew since the first book. We get so see how much she actually cares for people and what she will do to protect them. She has this huge internal battle and it does end up costing her. Marcus, well, he was one that actually surprised me. Those of you who have read the book can probably guess what part I'm talking about. Laia and Elias are just great together. I love how their characters kind of balance each other out.

A Torch Against the Night is probably one of the best books of 2016! There have been so many this year and I know I say that about a lot of them, but I really did love this one. The 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards is going be very difficult. I don't know how I'm going to pick.
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I have read pretty much all of Hugh's works now, like many having stumbled across the Wool phenomenon early on. His style of writing is fantastic - bags of detail and description. So how does Dust fare? It's good - I think it is a fitting end to the series he started and prior expectations are perhaps the only thing that has stopped me from giving it a 5 star review. It's almost impossible to maintain the level of quality throughout a trilogy and I just preferred the slower pace and more character focused studies of the first book. This felt more like an (albeit enjoyable) action movie ride through explosions and cliffhangers. It will make a great movie! As a standalone book it would get 5 stars but Hugh set the bar so high with Wool that in comparison I had to knock one off. Still a great read though and the whole trilogy needs to be read.
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Title: Warcross
Author: Marie Lu
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Warcross, book one
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

Warcross was chosen as the November book for one of the library book clubs that I go to, and Im not gonna lie; I was stoked when I received the news. Id already had it in my stack earlier in the month, but I hadnt been able to finish it before I had to take it back. When I was told about it, I ordered it the night that I got home from the September meeting. I put it on the top of my stack the weekend before book club, so Id have ample time to read it. First of all: the cover! Its so pretty and futuristic-looking! Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors; she captured my heart with The Young Elites series, and so now, Ill pretty much read anything that she writes. (Cue Hopelessly Devoted to You!) Warcross is a series opener, a science fiction debut that explores themes such as the meshing of technology with real life, the true meaning of family, free will, and what it really means to be independent and how to stand on your own two feet.

Emika Chen is someone who has lived on the outskirts her whole life; ever since her fathers untimely death from cancer, she has become a scavenger, an outsider looking in. Never mind that she is a genius hacker and gamer. Desperate for cash and on the verge of being evicted from her apartment, she hacks into a game of Warcross; think of something like Warcraft and Minecraft mixed together and youve got something close to it, only it takes place in virtual realityliterally. When she is caught, the games creator, Hideo Tanaka, demands an audience. Expecting the worst kind of retribution, Tanaka offers her just the opposite: a job, all expenses and debts paid off, and the only catch is that Emika catch the mysterious fellow hacker that is determined to derail the international Warcross Championships. But the deeper that Emika digs, the more she realizes that everyone has something to hide, and some secrets are worth killing for

This book was a great series opener, and I really enjoyed it! It was a fun, colorful and unexpected departure from her usual dystopian futures and fantasy. The writing was beautiful, sharp, and descriptive, and the pacing was breakneck; I was glued to the pages and finished the book within two days. But even more than that, I was totally seduced by the futuristic Tokyo that Emika lives in, full of color, excitement, and next generation technology. And the way that games were incorporated into the book was really fun and exciting! And Hideo Tanaka! Oh my gosh, the romance between the two of them was heart-melting and had me fanning myself! I also really enjoyed the other characters, particularly Emikas competitors.  The added mystery of Zero, deep inside of the dark net, just added another great layer to the book. And that ending! Oh my God, Marie Lu, how could you do that to me?! I cant possibly wait another year for the sequel! The bottom line: A slick, futuristic series opener, Warcross captivated my mind and stole my heart, and I cant wait for the next book! Next on deck: Odd and True by Cat Winters!
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Zen Cho is a new favorite of mine. I highly recommend Sorcerer to the Crown as well. Can't wait to see what she writes next!
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Cup of Dust is easily one of my favorite reads of 2016 so far. Im confident it will remain on my favorites list through years end and beyond. I found so many things to love about this coming-of-age story. The author strikes the perfect balance between the grim reality that the Spence family faced during the Dust Bowl, and the hope that they could still find within each other and a better future.

The first-person narration feels nearly perfect. I was immediately captured by Pearl Spences precocious and endearing voice. She is young, yet possesses a maturity that surpasses her years. Though the harshness of the Dust Bowl has forced Pearl to grow up in many ways, she is still a child, and her outlook matches that. Pearls narration brings freshness and balance to the harsh setting better than I could have imagined. Her naivety and moments of deep insight and clarity blend together in such a skillful way.

The historical details are vivid, and Pearls memories of before the Dust Bowl bring the current state of affairs into sharp contrast. The struggles of everyday life, whether its keeping grit and dust out of your home, eyes and lungs, having enough food to eat, or feeling the constant worry of a sudden dust storm, are all described vividly. The secondary characters are as equally compelling. Pearls parents and grandmother are the pillars that hold up the family, yet Pearl is the glue that keeps them all in place. Their interactions together have such a realness and truthfulness to them. I was deeply moved by this familys resiliency in the face of hard and dangerous times.

The plot held my interest the entire time; some of the chapters reminded me of vignettes, in that they were snap shots of Pearls life and the life of her family. Everything was revealed in a way that felt in keeping with the rest of the story, and I had a keen sense of how Pearl spent her days. Though some might feel it was slow moving, I feel that the plot suited the story and the setting. While the action builds slowly, when it does reach its crescendo, the emotion that goes with it is deep and riveting.

The menacing nature of the antagonist never feels cartoonish or unrealistic. It is truly one of those instances where it's a wolf in sheeps clothing, and Pearl is the only one that sees the wolf. Its one of those moments that I had to pause for reflection, to really remember that everyone has a reason and rationale for the way they respond to life. In Pearls word, people have scars on their hearts, and its the way one chooses to respond that makes all the difference. Susie did an excellent job creating this malignant character, while allowing the reader to see the reasoning behind it.

I haven't read any of Susie Finkbeiner's books other than this one, but you can be sure that I will do so in the future. Any continuation of the Spence family story would be bumped to the top of my to-read list. A Cup of Dust was a complete joy to read. She did not write a feel good story, but rather created something heartbreaking and beautiful, and true. The ending doesnt wrap things up neatly in a bow, but still left me with a profound hope. The story gave me a sense of admiration and respect for those who lived through one of historys worst moments, and a deep appreciation for the real meaning of family and the unwavering, sacrificial love that goes with it. A Cup of Dust is historical fiction at its finest, and I highly recommend it.