Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Review: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

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Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper’s Daughter
Angeline Boulley
Henry Holt & Co.
Published March 16, 2021

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About Firekeeper’s Daughter

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?

My Review

Firekeeper’s Daughter has been on my reading list since the book came out in 2021. I read Warrior Girl, Unearthed in 2023, which has some of the same characters in it. There are also a few spoilers for this book, so I was prepared for a couple of the things that happened, but I still found the story and Daunis as a narrator especially compelling.

The story follows relationships between Daunis and her friends, family, and community members. These relationships add so much richness to the story. Daunis has connections to elders who share wisdom about tribal life and values. She meets a handsome hockey player who makes her question her views about relationships and whether guys can be trusted.

Her love for her community drives her forward, and that love comes through in every move she makes, even in her most conflicted moments. She has strong relationships with several women. Some of these help her when she needs them. Others need her help.

The story explores how law enforcement can neglect or harm tribal communities, especially Indigenous women. One of the things Daunis wrestles with is whether her role in the criminal investigation will help or hurt her community. She’s determined to make sure she helps, but so many pieces of the investigation stand outside her control.

Conclusion

Firekeeper’s Daughter created a lot of buzz the year it came out, and justifiably so. The story had me completely captivated and pulled me into the heart of an Indigenous community grieving over the loss of young lives and the people working hard to understand why it happened. It’s a powerful story with a lot of suspense and a bit of romance.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Daunis is biracial. Her mom is white, and her dad is Ojibwe. Most major characters are indigenous.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some F-bombs and other profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. At one point, a boy and girl have sex– only sparse details are included. Someone prepares to assault a girl. The assault is implied and not described, but it’s referenced later. A boy kisses a girl without consent. A boy makes a sexual comment about a girl. Someone brags about sexual exploits.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer and tribal practices such as making offerings at river crossings. References to tribal teachings, stories, and medicines.

Violent Content
Someone attacks a girl. A boy punches another boy after he makes a sexual comment about her. References to a fatal car accident. A girl punches a boy in the face. Someone drugs a girl. A girl finds the body of a missing person. A group kidnaps two people and threatens them. Someone causes a car accident.

Drug Content
References to alcohol and drug addiction. References to creating methamphetamine and distributing it. Someone gives Daunis a beer at a party.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: We Are Hunted by Tomi Oyemakinde

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We Are Hunted
Tomi Oyemakinde
MacMillan Children’s
Published August 29, 2024

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About We Are Hunted

The White Lotus meets Jurassic Park in We Are Hunted by Tomi Oyemakinde, a compulsive speculative thriller about the lengths we go to for power – and to survive.

When seventeen-year-old Femi and his brother accompany their father on a top-secret business trip to a remote and mysterious island, they are looking forward to a summer they’ll never forget.

Filled with spectacular species of animal and out-of-this-world technology, the island resort welcomes them with open arms, as does its impressive curator Richard Jenkins. But beneath the sparkle and the wonder, the island is hiding a terrible secret – and it’s biding its time. When the unthinkable happens and the island is put on lockdown, Femi realizes he is somehow at the centre of an operation that seeks to expose Jenkins’ resort for what it really is.

But the truth comes with a price. And when the bodies start to fall, Femi must decide who on the island he can trust with his life – and how far he will go to survive.

My Review

This novel begins fast and keeps a brisk pace throughout. I definitely see the comparison to Jurassic Park, though I like the characters in We Are Hunted better than those in Crichton’s novel. The unresolved conflict between Femi and his family and Femi and Deja add layers of interest to the story. The crisis brings them closer together but simultaneously highlights the rifts in the relationships. That kept me even more engaged.

The story has the high sense of creepiness and tension you’d expect in a thriller, too. Several scenes had me on the edge of my seat. Because of the nature of the story, there’s quite a bit of gore as Femi witnesses several people’s injuries and deaths and stumbles over the remains of others.

There are a couple of chapters that show scenes from another character’s perspective. While that added some interest or context to those characters, I think that information could have been inserted into the narrative in other ways. I appreciated that they were set apart as “interlude” scenes.

Femi is a musician, and there are lots of references to sound and sensitivity to sound throughout the book, which adds some interesting details. I liked the references to his music and the way that sound impacts different components of the story.

On the whole, I think readers looking for an international thriller will not want to miss this one. I flew through this book. It’s really easy to read. I probably would have read it in one session if I’d had the time to do it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Representation
Femi has tinnitus. Several characters are Black and British.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One f-bomb. Infrequent use of other profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Femi goes on a date with a girl.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer and Bible verses.

Violent Content
Graphic descriptions of injuries and death.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

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Panic
Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins
Published March 4, 2014

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Panic

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

My Review

This is still my favorite book by Lauren Oliver. Her writing always strikes me, her stories and characters are always compelling, but there’s something about this particular one that just really sticks with me. I’m not sure if it’s the small town setting, the high, high stakes, the flawed, underdog characters, or the complicated romance.

The small town setting makes for an intimate backdrop. Everyone kind of knows everyone. It feels like there’s nowhere to hide. It feels like ALL THE RAGE or SADIE by Courtney Summers.

The game brings high stakes right away. I found myself getting sidetracked trying to figure out how these struggling kids could afford the $180 entry fee to play the game, but ultimately, that’s a small detail I found I could let go.

The ending doesn’t neatly wrap up all the character’s stories. In fact, a couple are left in awkward situations but seem to be fine. I loved so much of the rest of the story that this didn’t really bug me much either. As the game went on, I felt like I couldn’t look away and needed to know that the characters would find a way through.

Over all, I think fans of suspenseful stories set in small towns like those by Courtney Summers will really like this one. It’s more like Oliver’s VANISHING GIRLS than DELIRIUM.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few crude references to sex, but no scenes depicting anything beyond kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Several times kids get beat up in connection with the game Panic.

Drug Content
References to smoking weed. Teens drink beer at a party. One teen girl sips whiskey before completing her Panic test. A girl walks in on her mother and other adults after they’ve been using cocaine.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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Compound Fracture
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published September 3, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Compound Fracture

Bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Joseph White returns with a queer Appalachian thriller, that pulls no punches, for teens who see the failures in our world and are pushing for radical change.

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won’t let you go until you’ve reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who is ready to fight for a better world.

My Review

I only learned about the miners’ rebellion in 1920 earlier this year when I read Mine Wars by Steve Watkins. It was hard to imagine the bloodiness and violence of those events, but having read a historical account, I couldn’t help thinking about how the violence in this book echoed the horror of those real-life experiences.

Every time I pick up a book by Andrew Joseph White, I worry that it will be too much for me. I tend to be more sensitive to violence in media, so it’s hard for me to read certain things. Yet, every time I pick up one of his books, I’m swept away by the writing and the unapologetic storytelling that centers characters who survive some of humanity’s darkest treatment.

Compound Fracture drops its readers into the middle of a generations-old feud in a small West Virginia town. Early in the story, the main character, Miles, is beaten severely. We know what happens largely because we see him surrounded by people with ill intent, and then we get an account of his severe injuries when he wakes up in the hospital later. I appreciated that this scene, in particular, wasn’t shown in detail.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. The story feels urgent and intense in the kind of way that makes you want to squeeze in one more chapter. And one more. And…

Which is how I read this whole book in less than 24 hours. If you love dark Appalachian stories or stories with a strong tie to historical events, check this one out. It reminded me a little bit of The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell by Kate Brauning.

Also, shout-out to Lady, Miles’ dog and one of my favorite characters in the whole book. I love that she’s pictured on the cover!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Miles is an autistic transgender boy. A friend is nonbinary. Another friend is queer. Miles speculates about another possibly transgender character.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some f-bombs and other profanity. A few instances of transphobic and homophobic comments.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to romantic relationships and mention of queerplatonic partnership.

Spiritual Content
Miles sees an apparition when he’s in intense situations.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Threatening and bullying behavior. Three boys jump Miles, nearly beating him to death (off scene). A boy hits another boy in the face and knocks him down. Two people dispose of a body. More than one person shoots another person, sometimes fatally. More than one person leaves a victim bleeding out and expects them to die.

References to someone causing a car accident that left one person dead and another with severe burns. Someone sets an occupied building on fire. References to and brief descriptions of Miles’ ancestor’s brutal murder and other instances of violence between miners and others.

Reference to cruelty to animals. Miles recalls someone killing a dog as a way to punish someone.

Drug Content
Miles’ dad recovered from an opioid addiction. Other people in the community still struggle with addiction. Miles experiences withdrawals from stopping opioid medication after being injured. Miles and another boy drink alcohol together. Another character smokes cigarettes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , ,

The Sherlock Society
James Ponti
Aladdin
Published September 3, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sherlock Society

In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle grade series from New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti! 

Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring), lawn mowing (sweaty), or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty). Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe’s retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases.

The group’s first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami. Their investigation into the local doings of famed gangster Al Capone leads them to a remote island in the middle of the Everglades where they find alarming evidence hinting at corporate corruption. Together with Grandpa’s know-how and the kids’ intelligence—plus some really slick gadgets—can the Sherlock Society root out the conspiracy?

My Review

This upbeat, fun mystery was a hoot to read. I really enjoyed the way that Ponti broke down the investigation into questions that each kid in the Society focused on answering. That gave everyone a role and helped create balance within the group. I also enjoyed Alex and Zoe’s grandfather. He was knowledgeable and entertaining without stealing the spotlight.

I liked the Florida setting, too. I’m not super familiar with the Everglades, but I’ve been there, so I had a grid for the kinds of scenes the story described. The bits of history about the city of Miami and South Florida added a nice touch to the book, too. There were things I knew and some new-to-me facts as well, which was great.

I’m super late to the party because this is the first book by James Ponti that I’ve ever read. His writing is really easy to read, and the characters—who are simple in a good way—did a great job chasing down clues and pushing the story forward. I liked this one a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Yadi is Latine.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. The kids discover a site where someone dumped chemicals that killed several animals.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

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Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed #1)
Katy Rose Pool
Henry Holt & Co.
Published June 20, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Garden of the Cursed

In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow’s old friend and scion of one of Caraza’s most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

My Review

This book hooked me from its early pages. I love the gritty world of the Marshes and the magic system, which uses spells contained within cards. The city reminded me a little bit of where Kaz lives in Six of Crows. The magic system and main character being a fish-out-of-water reminded me of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody, which I also enjoyed.

Once I got to know Marlow and Adrius, I could not put this book down. Their past relationship was a little different than I thought from the back cover description, but that was because I made some assumptions that I didn’t realize I made. They’re both great characters. Some of the side characters, like Swift, Silvan, and Gemma grew on me as the story went on. Silvan is Adrius’s best friend and seems sullen and angry, but he’s fiercely loyal, and he has a pet snake that is always with him, which is somehow endearing.

Swift is another great character. He’s Marlow’s best friend. They have a super close bond, too, from past adventures together. I also love Marlow’s cat, Toad. She’s great.

The blend of fantasy and mystery elements really worked for me in this book. The magic system is unusual, and it gets used in interesting ways. The chemistry between Marlow and Adrius keeps their relationship sparky in more ways than one.

This is the first book in a duology. It has a satisfying conclusion that opens up a whole new set of problems for book two. As soon as I finished reading Garden of the Cursed, I bought and started reading the second book. I have to know how this story ends.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main character is white. One minor character has had same-gender romantic relationships. Another might be queer. Other characters’ race is ambiguous.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs. Other profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to a romance between two girls.

Spiritual Content
References to gods. Cards contain spells or curses and can be activated by saying a magic word.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. Threats of torture. Harmful magic such as hexes and curses. A character tries to kill another character with a knife.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.