E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this sequel to Live Your Best Lie (which I haven't read), Amanda Pruitt and her family are glad that her sister, Cora, has been found not guilty of the murder of a social media influencer, even though Amanda was the one who turned her in and who has a TikTok account under the name of UntilProven that has reported insider information about her sister's case without their parents' knowledge. Amanda is going to spend some time with her Aunt Amy at the Summit Hotel, where she hasn't been for three years. Why? A famous artist, Royden Das, was killed there, and her friend Vince's mother is in jail for the murder. His granddaughter, Lillia Das, is living nearby. Vince is trying to keep his family's art gallery afloat, and is glad to see Amanda, because he has a huge crush on her. Mallory, whose parents own the summit, is romantically involved with Cole, whose mom managed the facility. Cole thinks that Das' murder was committed by a ghost, and he has invited the Haunting or Homicide program to the hotel to investigate. To sweeten the deal, he has offered up Amanda and her online personality as part of the investigation. There's a lot of intrigue involving Das' romantic interest 50 years ago, who through herself off the hotel before they eloped and is said to haunt the hotel. The hotel is struggling financially, and Cole thinks that the program will help. Amanda doesn't want her identity known. When Cole is found murdered, and Amanda has blood on her clothing after suffering a seizure and not remembering how she got from one place to another, there is a lot of interest in this new case. How are the three violent deaths connected to each other, the hotel, and to Amanda?
Strengths: My students ask frequently for murder mysteries, and since this involves not only an elderly artist's death but also a (not so nice) teen, this will have a lot of appeal. The cover is fantastic. The inclusion of social media will add to the appeal, and I really appreciated that there was no language or descriptions that would push this into the high school category. Amanda's seizure disorder is intriguing, and her fear that she is the one behind the two murders adds some interest.
Weaknesses: This was somewhat hard to follow because of the shifts in viewpoint; sometimes there are flashbacks, some of the chapters are social media posts and comments, and there are also texts. This is a Young Adult Novel in length.
What I really think: The hotel setting of this reminded me a bit of Stine's You May Now Kill the Bride. This would be a great choice for a high school library, and would be okay for a middle school one where Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect is popular, but I'm afraid that my students would struggle with the flashbacks. I'm debating purchase. I really loved Barnes' The Inheritance Games, but it's been hard to get students to read it, mainly because of the length of each book, and the fact that it is also a long series.
Weaknesses: This was somewhat hard to follow because of the shifts in viewpoint; sometimes there are flashbacks, some of the chapters are social media posts and comments, and there are also texts. This is a Young Adult Novel in length.
What I really think: The hotel setting of this reminded me a bit of Stine's You May Now Kill the Bride. This would be a great choice for a high school library, and would be okay for a middle school one where Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect is popular, but I'm afraid that my students would struggle with the flashbacks. I'm debating purchase. I really loved Barnes' The Inheritance Games, but it's been hard to get students to read it, mainly because of the length of each book, and the fact that it is also a long series.
June 18, 2024 by Feiwel & Friends
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central
In this sequel to Brick Dust and Bones, In this sequel to Brick Dust and Bones, Marius has managed to bring his mother, Kelly, back from the dead. He continues to go to Madame Millet's school, where he has met the enigmatic Lynna, and also hunts monsters, selling them to Papa Harold. His flesh-eating mermaid friend, Rhiannon, still helps support him. When Marius stops by a local restaurant, the Old Coffee Pot, with his mother and Lynna, he manages to free some ghost hunters who are being possessed by spirits, but his mother becomes violently ill. Something is not quite right, and he tries to find out. He seeks the help of a retired demon hunter, Creecher, who sends him on a mission to find out how good he is, and then tells him that his mother is possessed by a demon. He consults Papa Harold, who says that if Marius can capture the Honey Island Swamp monster, he'll help with information so Marius can exorcise his mother. The monster is actually protecting owls on Honey Island, so Marius doesn't capture him. Now, he needs other help to rid his mother of the demon. With the help of Madame Millet, Mama Roux, and Creecher, will he be able to locate part of his mother's soul in Hell and reunite her with it? While this book could conclude Marius' story, there is a bit of demon song wafting through the air at the end that could lead to yet another tale.
Marius' relationship with Rhiannon has something of the feel of Tom's relationship with Alice in The Revenge of the Witch, which is not black and white, and therefore very interesting. How can you be friends with someone you are supposed to think is a monster? The New Orleans setting, with the super creepy paranormal creatures (children with solid black eyes infesting a movie theater!), is great, and the plot moves along very quickly. I KNEW that bringing Marius' mother back from the dead would have some negative ramifications, but I liked How Marius was determined to solve the problem, had a support network he could ask for help, and did everything in his power to put things right.
I wasn't quite sure where Marius and his mother were living. I think they were still in the graveyard, living in a mausoleum, which seemed odd. Of course, she wasn't really in any condition to hold a job and rent an apartment, so that makes some sense. The details in the first book of their living arrangements was interesting, so I would have liked to know more. I was also hoping that Marius' life would return to normal so that he was even more invested to work to keep his mother.
I enjoyed this one, and it's not often we see a middle grade horror SERIES. I'd love to see Fournet write some stand alones with the same setting, but with different monster hunters. Readers who enjoyed Baptiste's Jumbies series or Royce's Conjure Island will be glad to be able to travel back to New Orleans.
Marius' relationship with Rhiannon has something of the feel of Tom's relationship with Alice in The Revenge of the Witch, which is not black and white, and therefore very interesting. How can you be friends with someone you are supposed to think is a monster? The New Orleans setting, with the super creepy paranormal creatures (children with solid black eyes infesting a movie theater!), is great, and the plot moves along very quickly. I KNEW that bringing Marius' mother back from the dead would have some negative ramifications, but I liked How Marius was determined to solve the problem, had a support network he could ask for help, and did everything in his power to put things right.
I wasn't quite sure where Marius and his mother were living. I think they were still in the graveyard, living in a mausoleum, which seemed odd. Of course, she wasn't really in any condition to hold a job and rent an apartment, so that makes some sense. The details in the first book of their living arrangements was interesting, so I would have liked to know more. I was also hoping that Marius' life would return to normal so that he was even more invested to work to keep his mother.
I enjoyed this one, and it's not often we see a middle grade horror SERIES. I'd love to see Fournet write some stand alones with the same setting, but with different monster hunters. Readers who enjoyed Baptiste's Jumbies series or Royce's Conjure Island will be glad to be able to travel back to New Orleans.
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