A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman

Published on 07/01/202403/08/2026 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman
Published by Scholastic Inc. on 07/02/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction / School & Education / Boarding School & Prep School
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound
Goodreads

The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other -- a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus -- the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier -- and increasingly nefarious -- Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex -- not even Cal's first love -- is quite what it seems.

Content Warning:Trauma from gay bashing incident (past), kidnapping, parental illness (cancer), instances of cutting and branding, physical abuse

I love secret societies. Whenever I read a book set in a school, that is one of my biggest hopes – that there is some sort of secret society involved in the plot. Well, with A Darker Mischief, that hope is definitely fulfilled.

This book is definitely a slow-burn type of book. It will take a while to fully get into the story. It will also take a while to start understanding the characters presented A Darker Mischief. This is not one of those books where you get the characters’ life story at the beginning. Even our main character, Cal, largely remains a mystery until later in the book. And if someone’s story isn’t important to the plot? Well, their story remains untold.

I have to say that I actually liked Luke more than I liked Cal. He seemed more genuine than Cal did. But Cal had his moments. Now for some reason, I’d suspected one of the secrets Cal held, but when it was revealed, I was still surprised. And no, I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

I loved the Society of Seven Eyes. For me, it is what made A Darker Mischief a four-star read. I loved the parties, the mystery, and the fact that the society’s main “raison d’être” is to explore the grounds of Essex and dig up all of the history about the school. Including, perhaps, some secrets that pertain to Society.

The ending for A Darker Mischief was great. It perfectly closed out the book – and even left the book open for something of a sequel if perhaps a certain character wanted revenge on those who’d “wronged” him. I mean, the book ends perfectly as is, but a sequel could be fun as well[mfn]Honestly, I’m always up for sequel for most books.[/mfn].

If you are a fan of books that contain secret societies, I guarantee you’ll want to read this book. Society of Seven Eyes features prominently in this story but so do the characters, which is important. I gave this one four-stars and hope to read more books from Derek Milman in the future.

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall

Published on 08/01/202312/31/2024 by Charli2 Comments

Today I’m reviewing The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall, a Young Adult Horror novel. This post is part of the TBR & Beyond Tours blog tour for The Narrow.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall
Published by Penguin on 08/01/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Ghost Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

A ghost haunting her boarding school uncovers a teen girl’s best kept secrets in the Queen of Scream’s deliciously terrifying new novel.

Everyone has heard the story of the Narrow. The river that runs behind the Atwood School is only a few feet across and seemingly placid, but beneath the surface, the waters are deep and vicious. It’s said that no one who has fallen in has ever survived.

Eden White knows that isn’t true. Six years ago, she saw Delphine Fournier fall into the Narrow—and live.

Delphine now lives in careful isolation, sealed off from the world. Even a single drop of unpurified water could be deadly to her, and no one but Eden has any idea why. Eden has never told anyone what she saw or spoken to Delphine since, but now, unable to cover her tuition, she has to make a her expenses will be paid in return for serving as a live-in companion to Delphine.

Eden finds herself drawn to the strange and mysterious girl, and the two of them begin to unravel each other’s secrets. Then Eden discovers what happened to the last girl who lived with she was found half-drowned on dry land. Suddenly Eden is waking up to wet footprints tracking to the end of her bed, the sound of rain on the windows when the skies are clear, and a ghostly silhouette in her doorway. Something is haunting Delphine—and now it’s coming for Eden, too.

So we all know I’m a horror girlie, but I usually don’t go in much for ghost story horror. Most of them are just so cliché and boring to me that I don’t want to read them. I’m also that way with horror films – in fact, there are only a couple of ghost-based horror movies I really like. So the fact that I gave The Narrow a 5 star rating, should tell you something.

Characters

First, I love the characters. I love Delphine. I love Eden. I love the way Eden, Veronica, Zoya, and Ruth interact with each other. They’re all strong characters. We get back story for those we need (Delphine, Eden, Maeve, and Grace) and no back story for the ones that don’t matter as much (Veronica, Zoya, Ruth, and the adults).

Atmosphere

This book had a great, creepy setting. A boarding school with a history of being haunted that exists near a raging river… and it rains a lot here, or does it? A dorm that is specially outfitted for a student with an extremely rare allergy… this one just has all the pieces for a great setting.

Writing

Kate Alice Marshall’s writing style is amazing. It is easy to read, fast paced, and doesn’t overly describe things like my all-time favorite horror author tends to. Reading this takes hardly any effort – you don’t have to think too hard, you just read and relax.

Plot

This one takes a unique plot for a ghost-based horror novel. It takes possession to a different level by executing it in a different way. Add to this a love story and it becomes a great story that keeps readers interested and wanting to know more. At least it kept this reader wanting to know more.

Intrigue

If there’s one thing every thriller or horror novel needs, it is intrigue. You have to have a reason to want to know what happens next. And trust me, with The Narrow, you need to know what happens next. You can’t just leave it alone. The intrigue is amazing in this book. It just works so well.

Relationships

The relationships in this book are complicated but at the same time, not. For some relationships they seem to get more complicated as the book goes on, while others seem to get less complicated. I love the interactions between Eden and Delphine, Eden and Grace, and Eden and her friends.

Ending

The ending to this book actually made me a bit sad. I understand why it has to end the way it does, and I’m grateful that it does end the way it does. But it still made me a bit sad because the person Eden fell in love with is one person she simply cannot have. It is amazing, beautiful, and sad all at once.

I highly recommend this book to those looking for a ghost story that isn’t your typical ghost story. I also recommend this 5 star read to those looking to get started in YA Horror with something that isn’t too terribly scary.

Playlist

I don’t usually make playlists for books and while this isn’t the greatest playlist, I thought it was a decent collection of a few songs that made me think of The Narrow.

The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus

Published on 07/10/202312/31/2024 by Charli2 Comments

Today is my stop on TBR & Beyond Blog Tours’ blog tour for The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus. This is a YA Contemporary novel set in 1968, during the Vietnam War. There will be some anti-war sentiments, racism, racial violence, and other possibly upsetting things in this book, so please, check the content warnings before reading.

I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss+ to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus
Published by North Star Editions on 03/20/2020
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Historical / General, Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / Historical / United States / 20th Century, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
Pages: 328
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss+
IndieBound
Goodreads

Dig it.

During the tumultuous year of 1968, four teens are drawn together: Ronnie Bingham, who is grieving his brother’s death in Vietnam; Milo, Ronnie’s bookish best friend; “Ramrod,” a star athlete who is secretly avoiding the draft; and Hana, the new girl, a half-Japanese badass rock-n-roller whose presence doesn’t sit well with their segregated high school.

The four outcasts find sanctuary in “The Vinyl Underground,” a record club where they spin music, joke, debate, and escape the stifling norms of their small southern town. But Ronnie’s eighteenth birthday is looming. Together, they hatch a plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted. But when a horrific act of racial-charged violence rocks the gang to their core, they decide it’s time for an epic act of rebellion.

Content Warning: Racial violence and harassment, grief, drug use, underage drinking

When I first saw The Vinyl Underground, I thought it was going to be a book about music. And it is… kind of. Music figures heavily into the book, but the main message of the book and the main plot have nothing to do with music.

I should preface this by saying that my uncles both fought in Vietnam. Both of them volunteered and one of them actually volunteered to go over there twice. My family was lucky – both of my uncles came home. But a lot of my grandparents’ friends lost their son(s) over there. So my feelings on the anti-war sentiments in this book might be a bit biased.

I enjoyed Hana, Milo, Lewis, and Ronnie. I enjoyed them a lot. They were great characters, perfect foils for each other. They made the story what it is. Literally. Without those four, you have no story. But that is especially true of Hana because she is the one who lights the fire under Milo, Lewis, and Ronnie’s butts.

I can’t say that I was overly thrilled with the main point of the plot – which seemed to mostly be finding ways to prevent Milo, Lewis, and Ronnie from being able to be drafted. Honestly, while I agreed with the anti-war sentiment, I was uncomfortable with the idea of draft dodging and dereliction of duty in order to not have to go. That being said, the execution of the plot was done very well and the book was very hard to put down. I read it in just a few hours.

The writing style made this book easy to read. It was paced well and it didn’t come off as overly flowery or overly dry. It was smooth and kept me engaged.

The ending to the book left me as conflicted as Ronnie was. While I could see Hana and Milo’s point, I could also see Ronnie’s point. While I’m obviously not going to tell you what happened or what Ronnie’s conflict was, I can honestly say that I held that conflict as well.

I gave this book 4/5 stars because while the book made me uncomfortable with its plot points, I did quite enjoy the book.

The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Katrina Leno

Published on 07/01/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today is my stop on the book tour for The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Katrina Leno. This is a middle grade fantasy novel that is really fun. The tour was organized by TBR & Beyond Tours, thanks for allowing me to participate.

I received an advance copy of this book from Little Brown to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

The Umbrella Maker's Son by Katrina Leno
Published by Little Brown on 06/27/2023
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Family / Parents, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, Juvenile Fiction / Science & Nature / Weather, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Little Brown
IndieBound
Goodreads

From a critically acclaimed author comes a fantastical middle grade novel about a boy determined to prove there’s more than just the weather behind his rainy town.

Oscar Buckle lives in a city where it’s always raining. And when it isn’t raining, it’s about to rain, so the townspeople have learned to embrace it. Oscar’s father is an umbrella maker—appropriate for a place where you can’t leave home without one!—but while Buckle Umbrellas are strong, reliable, and high quality, they’re expensive . Because of this, people are buying from the competitor instead, which is threatening Oscar’s family’s business.

To make ends meet, Oscar is forced to quit school and work in his father’s shop as an apprentice. But when extraordinary events start to occur in their rainy town, Oscar becomes suspicious of their competitor. Desperate to save his town, Oscar must enlist the help of his best friend, Saige, to discover if there’s more than nature involved in their city’s weather.

Content Warning: Grief, loss of a parent

Ok, I’m not always a fan of middle grade books but I liked the synopsis and decided to give it a chance. This is a really cute book!

We open with a really bad storm, but we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves, so we’ll have to backtrack a bit. And that’s OK. Sometimes that irritates me in books, but this time, I really liked it.

I enjoyed Saige and Oscar. They were a great team and I just thought that it was great to reinforce that boys and girls can be friends, best friends even, and not have to have romantic feelings for one another. They just worked as a team and I loved how Saige was in a wheelchair, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.

The concept of the story was really great and it was a lot of fun. A glossary at the back of the book helpfully explains the different types of rain, different foods, and different places found in the book. However, there are also footnotes when these things first appear and to give little extra notes about things.

I loved the ending – it left room for a sequel[mfn]Which I’m sincerely hoping there is one, because I will be reading it[/mfn] while being sufficient for a standalone novel.

I gave this 4.5 stars and I highly recommend it for not just middle grade readers but for any reader who is at least reading at middle grade level.

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis

Published on 06/22/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours blog tour for The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis, and I’m bringing you a review of the book. I’d actually already requested & been approved for this book through NetGalley prior to joining the tour, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. I wish I’d read it sooner.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis
Published by Random House Children's Books on 06/20/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Mystery
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

The new girl in town is having trouble fitting into a community that believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the woods. When her crush goes missing, she starts to wonder if the town’s obsession with evil isn’t covering up something far worse. Perfect for fans of Fear Street!

To say sixteen-year-old Audre doesn’t fit in would be the understatement of the century. She’s a city kid who’s found herself in a rural town. The only girl at school who’d rather kiss a girl than a boy. Not to mention that the whole town believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods–and Audre is a born skeptic.

When the preacher’s daughter and Audre’s secret crush, Elle, goes missing on Halloween weekend, the town is quick to point fingers–in Audre’s direction. While they harass Audre’s family for being newcomers and nonbelievers, Audre realizes she might be the only person here who can find her friend.

The deeper she goes, though, the weirder it gets. What happened to Elle–and is the evil this town is hiding really what Audre thinks it is?

Content Warning: satanic cult, racism, sexism, police brutality and mistreatment, abuse from religious officials

If you have religious trauma, this may not be the book for you. If you are a believer, this book may tick you off or it could cause you to take a long look in the mirror. This book is a work of fiction, but it rings of some horrible truths – truths I’ve experienced in my own life.

There are things that happen in this book that sound fantastical, like they couldn’t be real. But there are versions of these things that are, in fact, real. In fact, the author has a note at the end of the book to give the reader insight into what is and isn’t real.

With the exception of Audre’s sexual orientation, she could be me. I don’t believe the way that others do. I listen to “devil music” and I’m sarcastic and spooky. As you can tell, I love her.

I’m also very fond of Elle. She couldn’t be more different from me, but she questions what she’s told when others say they know God’s will for her. I like that about her.

I like that David is a Christian but that he is one of the ones who knows that zealots like those in this book are a problem.

The plot for this book drew me in and kept me wanting to read. In fact, I started the book at 2pm and finished at 9:30pm the same night… I just paused to run to the grocery store and have dinner. It’s a great story, fast paced and easy to follow.

The twists that come up aren’t ones you’ll see coming. In fact a major twist that happened never once occurred to me until it happened. That’s a sign of a great horror book.

I gave this book four stars because it was a great read and a great ride from beginning to end. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a YA horror novel.

We’ll Never Tell by Wendy Heard

Published on 05/21/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today we have a review for We’ll Never Tell by Wendy Heard. This post is part of the blog tour organized by TBR & Beyond Tours. Thank you for allowing me to take part in this tour!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

We'll Never Tell by Wendy Heard
Published by Christy Ottaviano Books on 05/16/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mystery, Young Adult Fiction / Thriller
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

An ambitious and juicy whodunit doused in Hollywood lore, perfect for readers of sexy summer thrillers like The Twin by Natasha Preston and The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson.

No one at Hollywood High knows who’s behind We’ll Never Tell—a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA’s most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.

Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini “murder house,” which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it’s a mad dash to get out before the police arrive—at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?

A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don’t, the house will claim more victims.

When I read the description/synopsis of this book, I knew I had to do a review of it. It just sounded like it was going to be so good! I wasn’t wrong.

First, I love that main characters have a YouTube channel that is basically urban exploration with a twist – they break into various places that are abandoned, condemned, or just closed up at the moment for a behind-the-scenes look. I’m a fan of channels like that on YouTube myself, so that was cool.

Another thing I was in love with was the constant twists and turns. Just when I thought I’d figured out who might have attacked Jacob, I was wrong – and it turns out I never did guess the right person! There are also other twists, turns, and revelations that kept me on my toes and the edge of my seat.

Most of the story is told from Casey’s point of view, although some of it is told from Jacob’s point of view. You also get some newspaper/gossip rag articles and personal correspondence of Rosalinda Valentini’s. The newspaper/gossip rag articles are interesting and while Rosalinda’s correspondence might seem unnecessary at first, trust me, they’re there for a good reason.

I also like that there is queer representation, but that while it does figure into the story, it doesn’t do so in any way you might expect and it doesn’t overshadow the main storyline.

I gave this book 5 stars because the plot twists were amazing, the story was extremely well written, and honestly, I read this book in two sittings. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it!

Book Cover for The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

Published on 05/10/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today I am bringing you a review of Deya Muniz’s new graphic novel The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This review is brought to you in conjunction with TBR & Beyond Tours. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

I received an advance copy of this book from Little Brown Ink to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
Published by Little Brown Ink on 05/09/2023
Genres: Young Adult / Graphic Novel
Format: ARC
Source: Little Brown Ink
IndieBound
Goodreads

A funny, heartfelt YA romance about finding love—and lots of grilled cheese sandwiches—in the place you least expect it, from rising talent Deya Muniz.

Lady Camembert wants to live life on her own terms, without marriage. Well, without marrying a man, that is. But the law of the land is that women cannot inherit. So when her father passes away, she does the only thing she can: She disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city of the Kingdom of Fromage to start over as Count Camembert.

But it’s hard to keep a low profile when the beautiful Princess Brie, with her fierce activism and great sense of fashion, catches her attention. Camembert can’t resist getting to know the princess, but as the two grow closer, will she able to keep her secret?

A romantic comedy about mistaken identity, true love, and lots of grilled cheese.

Content Warning: misogyny

The first thing you need to know about The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich? That it’s absolutely adorable. Well, the story is. The artwork is beautiful, but the story is just adorable.

I love Cam – she’s strong, independent, but is also lonely and bored due to the lifestyle she’s forced to lead. So when opportunity presents itself, she does what she can to make her life less miserable and falls in love in the process.

I’m also quite partial to Brie… she’s sweet, kind, loving, and funny. I love that she’s an activist because she hates injustice…

And might I say, I’m overly amused at Lady Ricotta and her inability to mind her own business.

The setting is awesome – lots of references to cheese, some of which are super amusing but I’ll let you read it yourself to see what I’m talking about. The hints of misogyny are there and they will annoy you, and probably make you wonder why they even exist, but it’s a good part of the plot and you’ll understand later in the story why they figure so much into the story.

The ending is wonderful and I think you’ll find it as adorable as I did. I gave this book four stars because it’s just a really fun, fast-paced, adorable romance in graphic novel form.