The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
Zoe Whittaker is living a charmed life. She is the beautiful young wife to handsome, charming Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker. She is a member of Manhattan’s social elite. She is on the board of one of the city’s most prestigious philanthropic organizations. She has a perfect Tribeca penthouse in the city and a gorgeous lake house in the country. The finest wine, the most up-to-date fashion, and the most luxurious vacations are all at her fingertips.
What no one knows is that five years ago, Zoe’s life was in danger. Back then, Zoe wasn’t Zoe at all. Now her secrets are coming back to haunt her.
As the past and present collide, Zoe must decide who she can trust before she—whoever she is—vanishes completely.
A “dark, twisty, edge-of-your-seat suspense” (Karen Robards), The Vanishing Year combines the classic sophistication of Ruth Rendell and A.S.A. Harrison with the thoroughly modern flair of Jessica Knoll. Told from the point-of-view of a heroine who is as relatable as she is enigmatic, The Vanishing Year is an unforgettable new novel by a rising star of the genre. 

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥DOMESTIC THRILLER

⬥A SCATTERED MYSTERY

⬥THAT REALLY DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
⬥ROBOTIC NARRATION

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Madeleine Maby
BOOK COVER⇢ Meh...

SETTING⇢ New York, New York

SOURCE⇢ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review or Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 9 hours, 50 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

This could have earned another star from me if the narration wasn't so terrible.  She continuously voiced the characters with this straight-up robotic voice.   It was seriously awful and it was difficult to get past that and give the book a fighting chance.  Oddly, though, I said she was pretty good on my review of Colleen Hoovers; All Your Perfects, so maybe she improved or maybe it was because it was a CoHo book...I'm not sure.

For me, this story was all over the place and lacked cohesiveness.  Like everything, just sort of came together at the end; haphazardly.  That, coupled with the crappy narration and I was not feeling this story.

MY RATING⇢ 2 STARS | GRADE D

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 2/5
Characters⇢ 2.5/5
The Feels⇢ 2/5
Pacing⇢ 2.5/5
Addictiveness⇢ 3/5 (only because I wanted to finish before the end of the year)
Theme or Tone⇢ 2/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 1.5/5
Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 3/5
Originality⇢ 2/5
Ending⇢ 2.5/5

End of Year Post

16-20⇣

#20 Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff

This book was in my top 20 last year...and this year I listened to the audio version, and I really love the world that Kristoff has created here...book #2 in the series is further down on this page.

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#19 Long Live the Beautiful Hearts by Emma Scott 

I have loved every one of Emma Scott's books, for me, her books are low on the ever-present drama that Romance books are bogged down with.

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#18 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This book was deviously clever without being over-saturated with scientific terms.  Blake Crouch has his own brand of trippy science fiction.

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#17 Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

The third book and final book of The Themis Files.  I have loved this series and I'm trying to patiently wait for someone to make this into a movie so everyone can experience it's awesomeness since there are so many who can't seem to read books.

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#16 Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson

My first Star Wars Canon novel.  I loved it, and I'm planning on listening (because the experience on audio is amazing) to a lot more of them.

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11-15⇣

#15 The Wicked King by Holly Black

I've read this entire series this past year and it was amazing.  Holly Black has become a new favorite author for sure.

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#14 My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

This was fiendishly wicked and I devoured it in wicked time.  If you like psychological thrillers with a serial killer bent...then give this one a try

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#13 Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent

This is more of a character study than a thriller, but it was so brilliant and so very twisted that I can't help but add it to my top 20.

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#12 You by Caroline Kepnes

You is an experience, especially on Audio...if you like the TV show, then you should really give the book a listen because it's so much better.

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#11 Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Another palatable science fiction story.  This one involves time travel and I found it a well written and heartfelt story.

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6-10⇣

#10 Dev1ate by Jay Kristoff

Book #2 in the Lifel1k3 series and they just keep getting better, I can't wait until book #3 comes out.  Truel1f3 comes out on June 30th, 2020.

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#9 Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

A brilliantly written novel about revenge...the ending was fantastic.  This is chic-lit with finesse.

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#8 Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

A delectable ending to a decadent series...Faetastic!

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#7 The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson

I absolutely loved this book...now if the author could be convinced to turn it into a series, or at least a second book.  It was such a unique take on an apocalyptic world.

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#6 Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

This first book in the Skyward Series was phenomenal, I was hooked from the beginning and it isn't a short book.  A sci-fi gem that takes place off-planet in a faraway future... 

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1-5⇣

#5 Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

One of the last books that I listened to this year and easily one of the best.  So emotional and relateable...one of CoHo's best.

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#4 The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

This book gutted me...grit-lit at its best. This is one book that's not to be missed...and it comes out in March of 2020.

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#3 The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

This book shook me...at one point I literally threw my kindle down, I was so annoyed with one particular character.  But eventually, it really grabbed me and I couldn't put it down.  I have the audiobook on hold currently, so sometime this next year I'm going to listen to it...so, it could make my list next year too.

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#2 Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The best Audiobook of 2019, by far.  Phenomenal full-cast narration and the story really resonated with me.  Another one that's not to be missed.

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#1 The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon

I was blown away by this fantasy with a medieval feel to it.  So, so, so very good.  One of the best books ever.  I didn't think that I would like the narration because it's performed by one man (even the female pov's) and I was so wrong...because he rocked it.

These 20 books have one thing in common they are all...

A Bookish Obsession⤏ Favorite

of 2019!

Now...I'm ready for...

so bring on the books...

Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people.
Soon Chaya joins a resistance cell that runs raids on the Nazis’ supplies. But after a mission goes terribly wrong, Chaya’s network shatters. She is alone and unsure of where to go, until Esther, a member of her cell, finds her and delivers a message that chills Chaya to her core, and sends her on a journey toward an even larger uprising in the works — in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Though the Jewish resistance never had much of a chance against the Nazis, they were determined to save as many lives as possible and to live — or die — with honor.

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥WWII

⬥YOUNG ADULT/MIDDLE-GRADE

⬥RESISTANCE FIGHTERS

⬥OCCUPIED POLAND

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Jesse Vilinsky
BOOK COVER⇢ The cover is spectacular.

SETTING⇢ Throughout Poland

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 9 hours, 28 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

Billed as Middle-Grade Young Adult, this holds no punches when it comes to the atrocities inflicted on the Jewish people of Germany and Poland.  This book, in particular, revolves around the country of Poland, more than Germany.  Featuring Chaya (the C is silent when it is pronounced) who I liked and didn't like at different intervals throughout.  Esther...or maybe her name was Hester...was kind of forgettable which is kind of obvious...because I'm not even sure what her name is.

The story started out strong for me, I was really feeling it, but somewhere along the way it lost something, it felt bogged down, a little sluggish even...it could be just the subject matter itself, though.  Overall, it was a decent look at the resistance fighters in WWII and how difficult it was for them.  I'm glad I took the time to listen to it.  Jesse Vilinsky's narration was performed very well.

MY RATING⇢ 4 STARS | GRADE B+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 3.8/5

Characters⇢ 3.7/5

The Feels⇢ 4/5

Pacing⇢ 3.8/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4.3/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 4.3/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 4.3/5

Originality⇢ 4/5

Ending⇢ 4/5

The Girl the Sea Gave Back (Sky In the Deep #2) by Adrienne Young

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣             For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again―a home.

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥VIKING INSPIRED

⬥10 YEARS AFTER SKY IN THE DEEP

⬥DUAL POINT OF VIEWS

⬥INTENSE ACTION SCENES
⬥ONLY A SMALL SPLASH OF ROMANCE

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Caitlin Kelly & Dan Bittner
BOOK COVER⇢ It is gorgeous...if only the story fulfilled what the cover promises.

SETTING⇢ The Fjord.

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 8 hours, 27 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

The action scenes were incomparable...but they weren't enough to carry the whole story.  I wanted more than what this story delivered.  I wanted the romantic tension that the first book had.  Instead, there were only a handful of scenes with both the main characters present.

I also found it difficult to keep all Viking inspired names straight...after a while, I stopped trying, which also lessened my enjoyment of the story.  The writing was there for a potential higher rating, but unfortunately, the story was lacking.  It felt like it could have been told in a lot fewer pages...more like a novella.  Overall, if you really liked the world-building in book #1 of this series but thought the romance brought the story down than you could possibly really like this.

Caitlin Kelly can fall into any role and do it well (she also narrates The Folk In the Air series and several other books I've listened to).  The same can be said about Dan Bittner, I've always enjoyed his narration.

MY RATING⇢ 3 STARS | GRADE C

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 3/5

Characters⇢ 3/5

The Feels⇢ 2/5

Pacing⇢ 3/5

Addictiveness⇢ 3/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 3.5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 2.5/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 2.7/5

Originality⇢ 4/5

Ending⇢ 3.5/5

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣      Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

A Bookish Obsession Favorite

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥REALISTIC MOTHER/DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP

⬥IT'S BEST TO GO INTO THIS KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT IT
⬥WHEN LIFE GETS REAL AND A LITTLE MESSY

⬥MADE ME CRY...

⬥PART YA, PART ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Tanya Eby & Lauren Ezzo
BOOK COVER⇢ The cover is cute...and the title totally makes sense by the end of the story.

SETTING⇢ Texas

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 11 hours, 17 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

Another fantastic book by Colleen Hoover.  This could be one of her best books yet.  With characters that feel real (her characters always do...), with a special shout out to Miller, I loved him, he was perfect. Plus a perfectly plotted achingly emotional story, I was left stunned when some things were revealed.

As far as the narration goes...Tanya Eby is the voice of Morgan (the Mother) and she was really quite good.  Lauren Ezzo, who is the voice of Clara (the Daughter), I did have some issues with...mostly just her timber when she does a male voice, it has a very nasally sound to it, which always pulls me out of the story.  Good thing this was such a phenomenal story and it didn't affect my overall enjoyment.

MY RATING⇢ 5 STARS | GRADE A+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 5/5

Characters⇢ 5/5

The Feels⇢ 5/5

Pacing⇢ 5/5

Addictiveness⇢ 5/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 5/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 5/5

Originality⇢ 5/5

Ending⇢ 5/5

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣                      A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.
Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it’s better not to know.
Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother’s cruel brand of strength if she’s going to face the reality about her daughter’s death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother’s trailer for a final lesson.

A Bookish Obsession Favorite

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥OZARK MOUNTAINS

⬥MURDER OF TWO TWELVE-YEAR-OLD GIRLS

⬥A MOTHER TRYING TO DO RIGHT BY HER DAUGHTERS MEMORY

⬥LIFE IN THE HOLLAR
⬥TWISTED & A LITTLE TWISTY

STATS⇣

BOOK COVER⇢ It doesn't do the book justice

SETTING⇢ Missouri Ozarks

SOURCE⇢ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

eBOOK LENGTH⇢ 256 Pages

MY THOUGHTS⇣

What makes a murder mystery a favorite?  This is a question I've asked myself quite a few times since I started reading this genre.  Seriously, there's not a lot to love about murder. Near as I can come up with...is a book that really affects you in some way, whether it be fear, loathing or one you just can't get out of your head.  This book is kind of all three of those, and then some.  I also still think about the Roanoke Girls by this same Author.  I've rated both 5 stars and they both totally deserve it.  Deeply affecting.

I've read a couple other books that deal with the area of Central to the Eastern United States Mountainous ranges (Winters Bone & The Weight of This World).  But, The Familiar Dark has been the best one of all three so far.  This book hooked me from the start, I felt like I was on this quest with Eve to solve the murder of her daughter and her daughter's friend.  Experiencing everything she experiences, from the lows to the even lower's and even the few highs.  

The beginning of this gutted me and the middle had me transfixed and the end left me gasping and in tears...such a gutwrenching story. That is not just superbly written but is also perfectly plotted.  I highly recommend.

MY RATING⇢ 5 STARS | GRADE A+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 5/5

Characters⇢ 5/5

The Feels⇢ 5/5

Pacing⇢ 5/5

Addictiveness⇢ 5/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 5/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 5/5

Originality⇢ 5/5

Ending⇢ 5/5

Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
After being pronounced Queen of Faerie and then abruptly exiled by the Wicked King Cardan, Jude finds herself unmoored, the queen of nothing. She spends her time with Vivi and Oak, watches her fair share of reality television, and does the odd job or two, including trying to convince a cannibalistic faerie from hunting her down in the mortal world. When her twin sister Taryn shows up asking of a favor, Jude jumps at the chance to return to the Faerie world, even if it means facing Cardan. When a dark curse is unveiled, Jude must become the first mortal Queen of Faerie and uncover how to break the curse, or risk upsetting the balance of the whole Faerie world.

A Bookish Obsession Favorite

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥BOOK #1(THE CRUEL PRINCE) RATING: 4.3
⬥BOOK #2 (THE WICKED KING) RATING:  4.7

⬥CONCLUSION OF THE FOLK OF THE AIR
⬥THE DECADENT, WICKED FAE

⬥COURT INTRIGUE, CURSES & PROPHECIES

⬥FANTASTIC FANTASTICAL CONCLUSION

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Caitlin Kelly
BOOK COVER⇢ Love it...oh the foreshadowing it beholds.

SETTING⇢ High Court of the Faerie and the Human World (Maine)

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 9 hours, 41 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

I think I love the way this ended...it was quite perfect.  A unique take on Fae...superbly written with kick-ass characters and a kick-ass storyline.  I still don't I like the Fae all that much...but if Holly Black writes about them, I can safely say that it will be totally worth my while.  It would be perfect if Holly Black could explore some more books in her vampire world since I really like her take on vampires too.

The Audio Narration performed by Caitlin Kelly is not perfect, but nearly perfect, especially for the voice of Jude.  She also has the kind of voice where she can step into different books and not sound forever like that one particular character from that one particular series.

MY RATING⇢ 5 STARS | GRADE A+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 5/5

Characters⇢ 5/5

The Feels⇢ 4.7/5

Pacing⇢ 5/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4.7/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4.7/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 5/5

Originality⇢ 5/5

Ending⇢ 5+/5

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve Thaumas girls, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of their lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Get ready to be swept away.

THE KEY POINTS OF THE STORY⇣

⬥RETELLING OF TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES

⬥DARK & CREEPY STORYLINE
⬥GHOST-LIKE APPARITIONS

⬥FANTASY

⬥YA-ISH
⬥ROMANCE

STATS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ Emily Lawrence --she was pretty good, some of her male voices were kind of ruff sounding.
BOOK COVER⇢ The different colors all look like just one color...which makes it kind of blah.

SETTING⇢ Highmoor Estate, on an Island.

SOURCE⇢ Libby Audiobook (Library)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 12 hours, 50 minutes

MY THOUGHTS⇣

This started really slow...like I had to force myself to listen to it outside of when I was driving. It didn't really pick up until the last quarter of the book...and then all the boring parts of the story I sat and listened through started coming together and forming a rather darkly delicious retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses.

There's a murder(s) mystery to be solved, ghost-like apparitions, a secret door (kind of like Narnia) to tons of balls, where plenty of dancing is done and shoes are worn thin.  Plus darkly haunting deaths and even some sort of mythology to round out the tale.  Overall, if you can get through the slow parts the last quarter is a favorable payoff.

MY RATING⇢ 4 STARS | GRADE B+

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration⇢ 4/5
Plot⇢ 4/5

Characters⇢ 4/5

The Feels⇢ 3.5/5

Pacing⇢ 3.7/5

Addictiveness⇢ 3.5/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 4.3/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇢ 4/5

Originality⇢ 4.3/5

Ending⇢ 4.3/5