The Lightcasters by Janelle McCurdy

Welcome Back, Booklovers!  I'm seeing more middle grade this year from Black UK authors and it's truly a thing of beauty. I love reading Black stories from perspectives outside of the US. And I love that more are also getting deals to be US published so the kids here can enjoy them. The Lightcasters is the first book in a new middle grade series called Umbra Tales. I received a copy from Simon & Schuster for review.

Mia lives in Nubis, a city in a world surrounded by darkness.  After a scary previous encounter Mia has no intention of being an umbra tamer like her parents. The umbra are these creatures made of shadows and stars that resemble animals people are familiar with like deer and foxes. When a mysterious group called The Elite takes over the city, Mia must embrace the role of umbra tamer despite her reluctance. Along with her little brother Lucas, Mia and friends must travel through the kingdom of Lunis in search of Queen Katiya whose lightcaster powers should save them from the shadowy Reaper King.

 

It's nice to see a main character who finds out they have powers but doesn't immediately embrace them. Having the weight of her city on her shoulders scares Mia. Plus there's big pressure to be just as heroic as her parents who are being held captive after risking their lives to fight The Elite. She also has memories of her best friend Miles who is working on the side of The Elite and despite being told he's changed she still holds on to hope for him.

Tamers and umbra have a special bond that includes telepathic communication. And I like that this book explored that some umbra and their humans have deep connections while other umbras feel like they are being forced to do their bidding. Mia has to earn her two umbra Lox and Nox's trust.

It's a little lengthy but very fast-paced and I'd say the journey in the middle was a little drawn out but the ending hooks you for the next book. The world is very clearly laid out and even thought the stakes are high it's still funny and whimsical. Pages of research done by Mia's mother are woven throughout the story to give backstory. Mia's connections to her family and friends are a highlight of this story. 

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Fall officially starts this week and I know you're ready for all the spooky season books. I loved The Year of the Witching. It was dark, atmospheric and it kept me enthralled. So of course I was hyped for a sequel. But when Alexis Henderson said she would be doing another standalone instead I was intrigued. With promises of more darkness and blood I was ready! I received an arc from Ace in exchange for review.

House of Hunger opens up in a setting that can be described as a dystopian mix of Victorian London and the US South. Marion is working as a maid for barely enough coin to survive when she comes across an ad in the local newspaper asking for young women to be bloodmaidens. Seeing it as an opportunity for a better life with promises of a big pension, she applies and is whisked away to the North where she's not quite sure what awaits her. Soon Marion finds herself striving for the affections of the mysterious Countess Lisavet and is struggling with how much she's willing to bleed for her.

One thing this book gets right is the descriptions of gore. So many times I found myself squirming while reading descriptions of blood spilling and needles piercing skin. And it was the way she wrote those scenes that kept me reading even as the plot was unclear.

Marion just comes across as too smart to get so easily sucked into this world. She's not a naïve young girl. She grew up in the streets taking care of herself and has dealt with women who fed her lies in the past for a good time. So to see her instantly falling for Lisavet's affection and positioning herself to favorite shortly after entering the house didn't track. Outside of job security there's no real reason to be vying for the position of first bloodmaid. Lisavet is blatant with her favoritism pitting the girls against each other as soon as they enter the house. It's not as if she presents herself as one way in front of them and behind closed doors tells them each what they want to hear.  At the same time strange things happen at the house but no one really questions it until the end. And at the end she makes some questionable decisions that make no sense knowing what we know about her. 

There's so much build up to Marion's arrival at the manor and very detailed description about the midnight train and the foods she ate on it. I wanted more of that detail once we reached the manor. The Year of the Witching did such a great job establishing atmosphere. Here I never got a full picture of the house.  I still was unsure how the house structure had an effect on the rest of the North. While there is a hedonistic court present in the manor there's really no court intrigue as we see so little of this court outside of the first night. And there's also a distinction made with race with people of the South being implied to be darker skinned while people of the North were described as pale. But ultimately race had little factor on this world and I didn't see the need for Lisavet to be white. 

There was also just a lack of chemistry between the girls both in friends and lovers situations. The ending relied heavily on them coming together for this own good but Marion immediately made enemies with them by being ambitious. The Sapphic obsession promised didn't live up to expectations. Lisavet and Marion's didn't have the chemistry to sell this dark romance. Their sex scenes felt mechanical and dry. Lisavet readily discards Marion whenever she says or does something not to her liking. 

There were good ideas in this story but ultimately they needed to be developed more. More character development, more development with the world, more even pacing so the ending didn't feel so rushed. After such a strong debut I was expecting more than the simplistic ending and straightforward plot here.

National Cozy Mystery Day

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Cozy mystery is a genre I often finding myself coming back to when I want something comforting. The lack of gore, the often punny titles, cutesey locales, and pretty covers always suck me in. And I love how you can start the series at any point and not have to read the prior books. So sit back, relax and take in these recs! 

The Noodle Shop Mysteries

Welcome to the Ho-Lee Noodle House, where the Chinese food is to die for. . .

The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that helping wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

The Bread Shop Mysteries

When an artisanal baker is accused of murder, her sleuthing student rises to the occasion . . .

Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it's the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya's bakery . . .

But Ivy's spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!

The Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries

Food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith's move from New York to Coral Shores, Miami, puts her academic career on hold to stay at home with her young son. Adding to her funk is an opinionated mother-in-law and a husband rekindling a friendship with his ex. Gracias to her best friend, Alma, she gets a short-term job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when the newly minted star attends a Women's Club luncheon, a socialite sitting at her table suddenly falls face-first into the chicken salad, never to nibble again.

When a second woman dies soon after, suspicions coalesce around a controversial Cuban herbalist, Dr. Fuentes--especially after the morning show's host collapses while interviewing him. Detective Pullman is not happy to find Miriam at every turn. After he catches her breaking into the doctor's apothecary, he enlists her help as eyes and ears to the places he can't access, namely the Spanish-speaking community and the tawny Coral Shores social scene.

As the ingredients to the deadly scheme begin blending together, Miriam is on the verge of learning how and why the women died. But her snooping may turn out to be a recipe for her own murder.

The Catering Hall Mysteries

After her philandering husband’s boat went down, newly single Mia Carina went back to Astoria, the bustling Queens neighborhood of her youth. Living with her nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop, she’s got a whole new life—including some amateur sleuthing . . .

 

Mia is starting work at Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more—despite the planes that occasionally roar overhead on their way to LaGuardia and rattle the crystal chandelier. Soon she’s planning a bachelor party for a less-than-gentlemanly groom. But it goes awry when the gigantic cake is wheeled in and a deadly surprise is revealed . . .

 

Since some of her family’s associates are on the shady side, the NYPD wastes no time in casting suspicion on Mia’s father. Now, Mia’s going to have to use all her street smarts to keep him out of Rikers Island . . .

The HoneyBun Shop Mysteries

Ali Daniels loves baking sweet goodies for customers in her Manhattan bakery, HoneyBun Sweets and Sandwiches. When she gets an invite for a chance to cater the hottest event in NYC, she can't resist.

But it's murder, mayhem and cupcakes when the star of an upcoming reality TV show ends up dead. And Ali finds herself smack in the middle of a homicide investigation (as a suspect)—with her business hanging in the balance.

Faced with the choice of losing her beloved business and friends or hunting down a murderer, Ali doesn't hesitate to seek out the real culprit.

Becoming an amateur sleuth is one thing, staying alive is another. Will it be too late when Ali discovers she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the pre-heated oven?

Brewing Trouble Mystery Series

The Allegheny Brew House is a dream come true for Maxine “Max” O’Hara, who went all the way to Germany for her brewmaster certification, and is now preparing to open her own craft brew pub in a newly revitalized section of Pittsburgh. But before she can start pouring stouts and lagers to thirsty throngs, there’s trouble on tap. Suspicious acts of sabotage culminate in Max finding her assistant brewmaster and chef Kurt Schmidt strangled in one of the vats.

Between rescuing a stray gray tabby she names Hops and considering a handsome ex-hockey player as her new chef, Max doesn’t have a lot of time to solve a murder. But with a homicide detective for a dad, she comes to criminal investigation naturally. And if someone is desperate enough to kill to stop her from opening, Max needs to act fast—before her brand-new brew biz totally tanks...

Cape Bay Cafe Mysteries

Francesca Amaro moves back to her hometown of Cape Bay, Massachusetts, and takes over the family business, Antonia’s Italian Café. She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect.

The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town.

Amari and the Great Game by BB Alston

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I adored Amari and the Night Brother's last year. It was such a fun and fresh entry in middle grade and I couldn't wait for the sequel.

Amari is back and after a year she's gotten more comfortable with her magical status. She's racked up plenty of followers but life as a magician is far from easy. There's still people who consider her and those like her to be Unwanteds. But this year is supposed to be better than the last with friend Jayden coming to camp and Elsie back at her side.

During a meeting of the Supernatural World Congress something goes awry and they end up trapped in a time freeze. Immediately people try to shift the blame to Amari  and other magicians. It doesn't help that around this same time Dylan makes his escape. Amari and friends try to track down who did it in an attempt to shift blame off the magicians.

The League of Magicians want Amari to be their queen but the young teen isn't ready to accept all that power. This triggers a series of challenges called The Great Game as they try to force her to step up and be a leader. It's a battle to the death with Amari against Dylan. Not only is she struggling to control her powers but she's struggling still with Dylan's betrayal from the summer prior. There's no way he can be completely bad. And there's Amari's struggle to stay good despite so many obstacles being thrown at her.

This one is a little more back to business than book 1. Amari is already pretty familiar with the magic world even though there's floors of the bureau she's still discovering. And even though she's not 100% sure of herself she has people to help her along the way. Maria does what she can to assist her in training, Elsie is by her side, and Jayden is there now. Surprisingly even Lara is there to pitch her an assist after the animosity last year. Readers will enjoy piecing together the clues to solve the mystery as well as the epic battles.

The Department of Half-Truths and Full Cover-Ups was hard at work all book trying to undermine Amari at every turn. Another cool addition was the knowledge that many famous people were secretly magicians from athletes to actresses. 

That final battle is so good and the cliffhanger at the end is the perfect set up for book 3. 

The Spirit of Second Chances by Synithia Williams

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Heart and Soul series is back with it's second installment. Summoning Up Love was everything for me earlier this year and I was so ready to head back to Sunshine Beach.  I received an arc from Harlequin in exchange for review.

We continue following the ghost hunting brothers with the story of middle brother, Wesley. He's the glue that keeps the family together and peaceful. With Dion off in Charlotte living a new life with his girlfriend and his younger brother Tyrone jet setting in anticipation of their tv debut, he's holding things down with the family house in Sunshine Beach.

Cierra is trying to build up her real estate career post divorce through her own agency but so far it's been a struggle. She's hoping the sale of the Dewalt Manor will bring her a big enough commission to keep her afloat. But first she needs to do something about the ghosts who continuously stopped any business ventures there.

Cierra reaches out to Wesley at the suggestion of a family friend and he agrees to help her deal with the manor's ghost problem in exchange for helping him prep his family home for sale. But old feelings resurfacing make it hard. Cierra and Wesley had a misunderstanding in high school that they're still not over.

There's so many different moving pieces to this story.  In addition to the romance you have Cierra trying to build up her struggling business. And then you have Wesley dealing with his feelings about his brothers moving on with their lives while he feels trapped. Plus Cierra's ex husband is popping in and out causing drama under the guise of his daughter. Plus her momma pushing this idea of a power couple relationship. Then there's the mystery at the Dewalt manor involving the death of a former cook and a wrongful conviction.

As always Synithia William's characters have chemistry but also act like adults which I really appreciated. Love reading a romance where the adults they actually communicate to work through their issues before the end of the book. The bond between the Livingston brothers has me anticipating book 3 because I just know Tyrone is gonna be a little messy.

Seton Girls by Charlene Thomas

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I kept debating on whether I wanted to read Seton Girls but a mutual who loved had me feeling FOMO. Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy in exchange for review.

Aly goes to Seton, an elite private school with her boyfriend J who plays on the JV football team. This is one of those towns where football is everything and the boys on the team can do no wrong. For J this team and this school is his opportunity to a better life through the prospect of a college football scholarship. For Aly she's just along for the ride with him. When the head of the varsity football team is accused of sexual assault and Aly becomes friends with the accuser, the façade of everything Seton represents starts to crumble before her eyes.

I left Seton Girls with mixed emotions. I do think Charlene Thomas has a lot of potential as a writer and when I was engaged I was engaged. However upon reflection, so much of this book requires suspension of belief and when I thought back to the events in the book not enough made sense with the big scandal. The pacing meant that then the ending was rushed along. After being vaguely discussed for so much of the book when the scandal was finally revealed, we didn't get the chance to really watch things play out. 

Telling the story through the eyes of Aly when Britt is the victim meant we as readers were in a way both detached from Aly and Britt at times.  There was way too much repetition in the beginning of the book with the teens attending parties and drinking every weekend and some of that time could've been spent showing more of Aly and J outside of the football world and Seton. Because unlike Britt who lived in Seton-proper Aly and J lived an hour away in a different type of neighborhood. And at the end of the story we're supposed to believe in the love that they had for each other but I had doubts because we saw little of their relationship. The exploration of their relationship and Aly's identity outside of it should've come in earlier than it did. It was also very noticeable to me that no one's parents seemed to really be involved outside of some quick mentions. And with what they were dealing with that parental presence was needed for support.

It was an intriguing story and while I appreciated the support the girl's gave each other there was more that could've been done and the conversations could've gone further.