It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
What would you do if a great evil woke and stole all the children?
Would you hide safely and hope it all goes away?
Or would you do something about it?

Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

           

Embassy of the Dead by Will Mabbitt
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
This was a funny, light romp, filled with ghosts and adventures. Would be a great pick for a lower middle grade reader who wants something spooky, but not too spooky, and easy to read. The focus here is mostly on the adventure and the ghosts Jake meets along the way. It wasn’t as funny as I’d hoped it would be, but I think kids will find it much funnier than I did. The tone was still light and easy to read.

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
★★★★★ || Goodreads
This book was fabulous, and I can’t recommend it enough. There were scenes that definitely gave me goosebumps, but not scary enough where I couldn’t read it at night or something. Scritch Scratch introduces the reader to haunted Chicago, and I learned a lot about haunted locales there that I’d never heard before! It also features some nice sibling bonds and friendship bonds, which were sweet. Plus, it serves as a great reminder of the stories behind the hauntings, which are almost always tragic and result in the mass loss of life. It’s a reminder I think people can sometimes use, because it’s easy to get stuck on the “fun” of ghost hunting and paranormal stories without remembering that real people died.

Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
Sooo … I didn’t realize this was the Roosevelts. In my defense, it’s a super common surname, okay? This is a spooky historical fiction that takes the factual history of the famous Roosevelts (Teddy and Eleanor and Alice and Franklin and all the others) and adds a bit of paranormal layered on top. I actually didn’t know anything about the Roosevelts as children, so it was really neat reading the author’s note and finding out how much factual information she used to craft the story! It was a good read, with a really creepy mystery. I’d recommend it for older middle grade readers, almost into YA, because there’s child death and some moments that are definitely higher on the spook meter. It was so dark and creepy, though, and what I was really hoping for in a fall read! The only thing is I wish the world-building had been a little more fleshed out, particularly in regards to the ghosts, and a bit more explanation surrounding the events in the end.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (review will be posted on 9/13)
★★★★★ || Goodreads
This is just … everything. Just go read it. Now. Yesterday. Why are you still here?! I had no idea what to expect going in. There are so many moments that will freaking make your blood boil, because it tackles racism and good ol’ boys clubs and spaces that weren’t made for Black people and that still aren’t for them today. Not that that’s stopping Bree, obviously. The way Bree handles grief in this cuts straight to the core and is so relatable and tangible and something she has to overcome. She just doesn’t know how, because living without her mother at such a young age was never part of her plan. There’s magic wrapped up in this, and it’s so interesting seeing the magic and the creatures of this world. They’re terrifying, but also kind of cute? Just like … Sel! Why yes, the murder assassin is obviously my favorite character. Would you expect anything less of me?

I seem to have a major case of the Indecives lately. I just can’t seem to decide what the heck I want to read. I pick something up and then think, nope, not in the mood, and then move on to something else. According to Goodreads, I have six ongoing books, which is the most I’ve ever had, I’m pretty sure?

The books on that list still include Wolfsong, which I barely even started and was enjoying, but it can only be read on my phone, and I’ve been having wicked migraines lately, so I can’t deal with the bright screen on my phone. I’ve also got the very ending of Memory of Souls to finish up, so that should be done this week. Again, though, migraines and small print don’t mix for me.

Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone
Status: 5%

‘Once an adventure digs its claws in, there is not an awful lot you can do about it. Especially when magic is involved . . .’

In the snowy kingdom of Erkenwald, whales glide between icebergs, wolves hunt on the tundra and polar bears roam the glaciers. But the people of this land aren’t so easy to find. Because Erkenwald is ruled by a cruel Ice Queen and you must stay hidden or risk becoming another of her prisoners.

Join Eska, a girl who breaks free from a cursed music box, and Flint, a boy whose inventions could change the fate of Erkenwald forever, as they journey together in search of an ancient, almost forgotten, song with the power to force the Ice Queen back.

This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world . . .

Sooo Mari @ Tirilu has been trying to get me to read an Abi Elphinstone book forever, and I’ve been meaning to, but I keep putting it off. So what better way to convince me than to make it a buddy read?! Yay!

This is my first experience with Abi Elphinstone, even though so many bloggers I know love her work. I can see why already, even though I’ve only barely started. It’s got a fairy tale quality that’s light and dreamy that immediately sucks you in. I’m very curious to dig into this world!

---

All This Time by Mikki Daughtry
Status: 48%

Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.

And he’s right.

Okay, so, contemporary romance? Clearly not my thing. I thought this would be safe, though, right? It’s by the author of Five Feet Apart, which it seems like everyone I know and their mothers all love that. Plus, I’m so in the mood for just a sweet, feely fluff story. So I thought this would be fiiiiine.

It’s … meh so far? There are some aspects I find really interesting, like the protagonist suffered a severe brain injury and is working through grief, so sometimes he hallucinates and has a hard time discerning what’s real and what’s not. It’s led to some really creepy, weird scenes that I kind of really like.

The protagonist is a bit of hot garbage so far, though. So is his best friend. The most interesting character I’ve met so far was Kimberly, and she died in the first, like, 5% of this book. The next 20% all dealt with Kyle wallowing in his grief and refusing to do pretty much anything. Which okay, I get it, grief is realistic and inevitable and especially hard at that age. But 20% of a book?! It was a little much, and I wanted something (anything, really) more in the plot to catch my interest.

It’s starting to pick up, and there are things I’m enjoying about it more now, so it might be the case that the second half ends up with all the good stuff. Who knows?

           

You may notice that The Gilded Wolves is still here. It’s a buddy read, but I haven’t started it just yet, although I should by tonight. Looking forward to this! I need some more heisty goodness right now.

I’ve got another blog tour read coming up, which is The Sisters of Straygarden Place, which is about sibling bonds (one of my favorite tropes) with writing that seems like it’ll be gorgeous and delightful to read! Looking forward to digging into it.

I meant to have Anxious People read in time for its release, but alas, it was not to be. So I hope to catch up on it this week and maybe post the review next Thursday. Don’t quote me on that. I’ll deny I said anything later. xD I’m so stoked about a new Backman book, though, and I have read the first few chapters and love it already!

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