Tag Archives: small town

Review: The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs

Book Review and Content, Horror, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,
The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs

The Unfinished(The Unfinished #1)
Cheryl Isaacs
Heartdrum
Published October 15, 2024

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About The Unfinished

In this debut YA horror novel by Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk), small-town athlete Avery is haunted by the black water and Unfinished beings of Kanyen’kehá:ka stories and must turn to the culture she hasn’t felt connected to in order to save her town.

The black water has been waiting. Watching. Hungry for the souls it needs to survive.

When small-town athlete Avery’s morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook’s Falls have long forgotten.

Avery can smell the water, see it flooding everywhere; she thinks she’s losing her mind. And as the black water haunts Avery—taking a new form each time—people in town begin to go missing.

Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) relatives, she’s never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.

When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanyen’kehá:ka and save the town but lose her friend forever…or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.

In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs pulls the reader down into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged.

My Review

Unsettling is the perfect word to describe some moments in this story. Like, how does the author make a simple, undisturbed body of water seem so sinister? It’s wild.

I like a lot of things about this book. It’s set in a small town, and Avery works at a local bookstore after school. She’s a runner, so she’s very aware of her body and thinks about things in terms of her sport. She’s also Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk), though she doesn’t feel particularly connected to her community. That changes through the course of the story, though.

She has two best friends, and gradually begins to accept that she has feelings for her friend Key. Of course she realizes this right about the time he disappears.

I love how the author uses spiritual beliefs throughout the story. At one point, an Elder shares the creation story with Avery and her friends. Avery knows the story already, but it becomes this touchstone for her through the rest of the book. I loved that.

Avery’s story doesn’t end with this book, either. A sequel, The Others, continues where this one leaves off, which I think is a little more unusual for a horror novel. I’m excited to see where it goes.

Give this one to readers who like environmental horror, especially eerie stories set in the woods. There’s not really blood or gore in the book, which is nice. It’s unsettling, for sure, but more in a “make you jump at shadows” way.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to attraction between characters.

Spiritual Content
An Elder tribe member shares the creation story with Avery and her friends. Avery references this spiritual story later in the book. A dark force in a lake in the woods has supernatural abilities and appears to be causing people to disappear into it.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Strong descriptions of fear and panic. The lake appears to be sending sinister humanlike messengers after Avery.

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: The Others by Cheryl Isaacs

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The Others (The Unfinished #2)
Cheryl Isaacs
Heartdrum
Published September 16, 2025

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About The Others

In this haunting sequel to her deliciously scary debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) explores the sharp edges of lingering trauma and the bonds of love that heal us.

Only weeks ago, Avery pulled her best friend, Key, from the deadly black water. The cycle from her family’s Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) stories is finally broken, the black water is now a harmless lake, and her problems are far from All Avery wants is a normal summer with Key, her now-boyfriend.

The trauma, however, casts a long shadow over the town. Some victims never returned. Terrifying memories threaten to resurface, but Avery pushes them down. Who she’s really worried about is Key. The two are supposed to be closer than ever—so why does he feel so distant?

Wracked by anxiety, Avery begins to see a chilling reflection in every mirror, one that moves on its own—and she’s not the only one. With her family’s safety in the balance, Avery must Run away to the safety of normal life with Key, or return to lake’s edge and face her reflection, before her home is subsumed by darkness once and for all….

My Review

I read the first book in this series recently, and I’m still blown away by how creepy the small pond in the story is. In this sequel, the story again takes something that we encounter all the time and makes it unsettling. This time, Avery starts seeing reflections behaving in ways that are not quite right. Isaacs nails that hackles-raising sensation of looking at something and not being able to say why it’s wrong, but being unable to shake the feeling.

If you didn’t read the first book, I think you could still follow this one. The narrative has some brief explanations of what happened in The Unfinished for readers who’ve forgotten the details or skipped straight to this novel.

I found myself wishing that there was a little more romance, especially toward the end. I wanted to see them finally connect after nearly two books of obstacles in their way. That said, I think keeping the romance on the back burner as the pacing sped up and the intensity deepened was the right call. It always feels a little false when characters who are in life-and-death situations seem to forget the danger they face because they’re attracted to each other. This book neatly avoids that potential pitfall.

I sped through this book even more quickly than Isaacs’ debut. If you’re looking for an eerie Halloween read that turns simple things into sinister things, put this one at the top of your list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 13 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Vague speculation about two adults who begin living together.

Spiritual Content
One character shares a Mohawk prayer of thanksgiving. Avery remembers this prayer and prays at a critical moment.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone attempts to murder someone else. Avery finds herself in a dangerous landscape populated with unseen monsters.

Drug Content
Avery and her boyfriend sip alcoholic drinks 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.

MMGM Review: Ghoul Summer by Tracy Badua

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, , , , , , ,

Ghoul Summer
Tracy Badua
Storytide
Published September 2, 2025

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About Ghoul Summer

In this beachside ghost story that’s perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Wednesday, twelve-year-old Barnaby is forced to spend his summer helping his grandpa move, only to be confronted by Maxwell—a moody ghost boy with some unfinished business. 

Barnaby had grand plans for his summer. He should’ve been spending his days watching movies and gaming with his friends. Instead, his parents drag him to the boring beach town of Sunnyside to help his grandpa move.

Just when he thinks this summer can’t get any worse, a ghost boy named Maxwell shows up in their vacation rental home to kick Barnaby and his family out.

Barnaby tries everything to get rid of Maxwell on his own. But when his attempts fail and Maxwell actually becomes stronger, Barnaby realizes that there’s only one solution to his ghost helping Maxwell figure out his unfinished business. If he doesn’t, the ghost might ditch the rental home for Barnaby’s body instead.

With the clock counting down to the end of the trip, Barnaby is forced to enter an uneasy truce with Maxwell to find the truth—or be haunted forever. 

My Review

Helping a ghost resolve their unfinished business is a premise some readers will already be familiar with. I love that Badua shakes things up a bit in her book. For instance, Maxwell, the ghost, isn’t all that friendly. He’s moody and willing to get Barnaby in a lot of trouble if he doesn’t get what he wants. In many of the other ghost-with-unfinished-business stories I’ve read, the ghost is sad or friendly. Seeing Barnaby, who is himself a bit prickly, wrestle with his conflicting feelings about Maxwell made for a more interesting story.

While Barnaby is able to solve some mysteries about what Maxwell needs, others remain largely unresolved. This could be challenging for readers who like their stories wrapped up neatly, with consequences for all the parties who wronged the characters. On the other hand, I think the way Badua chose to end the book creates more opportunity for discussion, and I appreciate that. I love a hijinks-filled middle grade book that gives you some stuff to think about.

I’m surprised this came out in September. It seems like the kind of book that would have come out in May, at the start of the summer season. Kids here in Florida go back to school a lot earlier than some other places, though, so maybe it’s just me. Either way, Ghoul Summer is a fun story that packs a lot of character growth. I suppose a September release date is perfect for those of us not ready to let go of that summer feeling and readers anxious for the Halloween season.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One character is a ghost with an attitude. In one scene, Barnaby tries to exorcise the ghost using a ouija board. This backfires and somehow connects him to the ghost, so he can take control of Barnaby’s body.

Violent Content
The ghost makes threats to get Barnaby in trouble, such as threatening to use Barnaby’s hands to punch someone.

Drug Content
References to a possible poisoning.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of Ghoul Summer from the library. 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.

Review: Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin

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Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire
Don Martin
Page Street Press
Published August 5, 2025

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About Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire

Witch apprentice Verity Vox has never encountered a problem magic can’t solve. So when a cryptic note invites her to Foxfire, she goes.

With her apprenticeship limiting her services to a year, Foxfire will be her biggest challenge yet. The town has already lost its only bridge, and many loved ones have disappeared in dealings with a shady magic peddler named Earl—leaving the whole town wary of magic.

Even as Verity wins the townsfolk over, she realizes she may not be able to save them. Going after Earl only returns Tacita, the missing girl who summoned Verity, but no one else. And the fight costs Verity the ability to fly and draws her to the old dark magic beneath the mountain.

As Verity hones her powers and grows to care for Tacita, she must learn that not everything can be solved with strength alone.

My Review

One of the really cool things about this book is the personal connection to the author’s life and real U.S. history the story contains. In an author’s note, Martin reveals that the fictional town of Foxfire, where the novel takes place, is inspired by a real town that was cut off from outside contact when a bridge failed. As an Appalachian native himself, Martin pulled the character names from his heritage. I love knowing the personal connection an author has to their work, and in this case, I think it adds a special spark to the story, too.

The tone of the writing is very whimsical, which is fun. This is a book that begs to be read aloud. It also feels like the kind of story that you’d imagine someone sitting by the fire on a long winter evening and sharing with their family.

I love the main characters, especially Verity’s familiar, Jack, or Jack-Be-Nimble, if you’re being formal. What is it about a cat who is not a cat in a fantasy novel? I love them all. Jack reminds me a little bit of Max, the cat-who-is-not-a-cat from the Ravenfall series by Kalyn Josephson, so if you’re a fan of that series, and Max specifically, definitely add this book to your reading list.

The story is stepped in magic with a sinister villain. Verity has to figure out what’s driving the dealmaker holding Foxfire in his grasp and how to use her magic to protect them. This is a perfect book for readers to graduate into after reading the Witchlings series by Claribel A. Ortega or the Ravenfall series by Kalyn Josephson.

Conclusion

If you like fairytale-esque stories, there’s a lot to love about Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire. It definitely has that fairytale feel, but it offers a fresh story. Except for a battle scene toward the end and a couple of brief descriptions that teeter on body horror, it’s a very accessible story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used super infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Characters attend a wedding.

Spiritual Content
Verity is a witch in training who can perform magic. A magician named Earl uses magic to bind people to deals. References to gods and powerful magical beings of old.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief descriptions of body horror in a few scenes.

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: The Underwood Tapes by Amanda DeWitt

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Underwood Tapes
Amanda DeWitt
Peachtree Teen
Published February 4, 2025

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About The Underwood Tapes

A captivating and profoundly moving novel with hints of supernatural intrigue, blending We Were Liars and Your Name into a can’t-miss read for fans of You’ve Reached Sam.

Thirty years ago, Grace’s mom left her hometown of Hermitage, Florida and never looked back—which is exactly why Grace thinks it’s the safest place to spend her summer now. Since her mom died in a car crash, Grace has been desperate to get away from the memories and reminders of her loss. Spending the summer transcribing cassette tapes for the Hermitage Historical Society might be boring, but boring is just what Grace needs.

Until she hears the voice of Jake Underwood—the boy who first recorded the cassette tapes back in 1992. When Grace realizes he can hear anything she records, despite thirty years of time between them, she strikes up an impossible conversation with Jake through the tapes.

But the past isn’t any simpler than the present, and a mystery has haunted Hermitage through the generations. In the 1970’s, a hurricane made landfall and resulted in the tragic death of Jake’s uncle Charley. In a town as suffocatingly small as Hermitage, it’s impossible not to notice how no one talks about that storm, or Charley, and as the mystery unfurls, Grace can’t help but realize a worse truth: No one talks about Jake either.

A beautifully written exploration of grief and what happens when untreated wounds bleed into future generations, The Underwood Tapes is the perfect read for anyone in need of a good, cathartic cry.

My Review

I really enjoyed some things about this book. It’s such a unique idea. Conceptually, it reminded me a little bit of the movie The Lake House, in which people from two separate timelines communicate through letters in a mailbox.

The characters were nicely done, too. I felt an immediate connection with Grace, a girl still reeling from the unexpected loss of her mother. She seemed so adrift, and her connection with Jake helped her find a way to anchor herself. I loved Grace’s cousin Laura and her third cousin Griffin, too, though I didn’t expect to at first.

The story has this tidal feel to it. Grace’s grandparents’ generation contains a close-knit group of friends. Her mother’s generation has one, too. And then Grace joins Laura and Griffin. I loved the way that echoed the feel of a tide coming in and out. The friendships grew close, and then something broke them apart, until Grace’s generation, in which they began fragmented, but through her experience in the small town, she created strong bonds.

The only thing I wish was different about this book is that I wish the ending had been a little longer. It felt somewhat rushed, and there wasn’t really any resolution beyond knowing more about what happened. I wish there had been something more there.

On the whole, though, I really enjoyed the emotional journey and the descriptions of a small town in south Florida. I can see fans of You’ve Reached Sam really liking this one. It has some of the same themes about complex, incomplete grief and the work of healing and moving forward.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few instances of the F-bomb and other profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A girl can communicate with a teenage boy from thirty years earlier through recorded messages on cassette tapes. One particular geographical location also seems to allow her to slip into other moments in time.

Violent Content
References to a fatal car accident caused by a drunk driver. Grace experiences symptoms of PTSD while in the car. One scene shows someone’s apparent death by drowning. In another, someone is fatally injured.

Drug Content
A man drives home drunk from a bar. Grace attends a beach party where someone gives her a drink of alcohol. She holds the cup but quietly refuses to drink it.

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.

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