Review: Tastes Like Candy by Jessica Lacy

Title: Tastes Like Candy

Series: Tastes Like Candy #1

Author: Jessica Lacy

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2025

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: A senior year goodbye morphs into carnival carnage...

Everyone at Pritchett High wants an invitation to the Senior Scavenge, and this year, Violet Warren and her friends are the lucky ones. Eight girls will break into the Poison Apple Carnival after hours for a scavenger hunt, a school tradition to welcome the best and brightest into their senior year.

But warm welcomes turn into gory goodbyes as those hunting become the hunted. One by one, Violet's friends are viciously murdered by a mysterious masked figure running loose through the carnival grounds.

Can Violet survive this roller coaster ride from hell and unmask the killer in time?

Or will her head end up on a cotton candy pike?

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I loved the premise of this book! I especially loved the setting!

The Poison Apple Carnival was Belldam's premier Halloween-themed year-round tourist attraction for families.

Review: The Haunted Bookstore - Gateway to a Parallel Universe (Vol. 1) by Shinobumaru

Title: The Haunted Bookstore - Gateway to a Parallel Universe (Light Novel Vol. 1)

Series: The Haunted Bookstore - Gateway to a Parallel Universe Light Novel #1

Author: Shinobumaru

Genre: YA, light novel, fantasy

Publication date: June 2019

Published by: Seven Seas

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: An atmospheric fantasy series for bibliophiles and fans of Japanese ghost stories! (And don’t miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas.)

Kaori lives in an otherworldly bookstore with her adoptive father. Together, they provide books to the strange denizens of the spirit realm. But Kaori's peaceful days come to an end when she rescues an injured boy from the streets--a human, like her, from the mortal realm. The boy's name is Suimei, and he's an exorcist, the natural enemy of all spirits. Can Kaori convince Suimei that the line between human and spirit is far hazier than he thinks? A touching supernatural tale where humanity and Japanese folklore intertwine!

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

“Welcome to the haunted bookstore!" I declared. "It's old, run-down, and a bit cramped, but please make yourself at home.”

This was my first light novel, and tbh, I didn’t really know what to expect. There was something about the writing that I found strange, but I can’t quite place my finger on what exactly it was. It didn’t read like a normal novel, which I guess it shouldn’t because it’s not. Lol. But I did like this! I liked the premise and I could definitely imagine an anime playing in my head as I read.

Review: Sakamoto Days (Vol. 6) by Yuto Suzuki

Title: Sakamoto Days: Vol. 6

Series: Sakamoto Days #6

Previous books in this series: Sakamoto Days #1 | Sakamoto Days #2 | Sakamoto Days #3 | Sakamoto Days #4 | Sakamoto Days #5

Author: Yuto Suzuki

Genre: YA, manga, adventure

Publication date: March 2022

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Taro Sakamoto was once a legendary hit man considered the greatest of all time. Bad guys feared him! Assassins revered him! But then one day he quit, got married, and had a baby. He’s now living the quiet life as the owner of a neighborhood store, but how long can Sakamoto enjoy his days of retirement before his past catches up to him?!

Dangerous serial killers clash with the Order and Sakamoto’s crew clash! As the battles rage on, Sakamoto undergoes an unexpected transformation. Meanwhile, the evil mastermind X reveals his true intent, which sends shock waves through the assassin world!

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I am obviously still enjoying this series. Lol. It's really fun, has a ton of action, and I just really love the characters. The banter between Lu and Shin, in particular, cracks me up. I love it! 😆

Review: All Shall Mourn (None Shall Sleep #3) by Ellie Marney

Title: All Shall Mourn

Series: None Shall Sleep #3

Previous books in this series: None Shall Sleep (#1) | Some Shall Break (#2)

Author: Ellie Marney

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: February 2025

Published by: Black Hand Press

Source: Purchased with gift card

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Synopsis: The third and final book in the None Shall Sleep Sequence.

Simon Gutmunsson is on the loose... Since the disastrous events of the College Killer case, the FBI is coming to terms with the fact that while catching one sociopath, they've released another. Chillingly manipulative, frighteningly intelligent, and wholly insane, Simon Gutmunsson is the worst of the worst. Now he's free, and on the run with his twin sister Kristin, and nobody in the FBI is smart enough to keep up...

Travis Bell's last investigation for FBI Behavioral Science nearly killed him. Supported by family and his partner Emma Lewis, now Travis just needs to get back on his feet. But Emma has been recruited to help the FBI hunt the ultimate sociopath, Simon Gutmunsson, and there's no way Travis is letting her go into this battle alone...

Emma Lewis has gained some perspective on life, and as her emotional walls come down, she realizes that only by working as a perfect team will she and Travis have any chance of beating the Gutmunsson twins at their own terrifying game. So in a journey that will take them from Moroccan souks to Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations, the stage is set for Simon and Kristin and Emma and Travis to meet up in an epic final showdown.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

What in the Flowers in the Attic was this book?

Review: The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

Title: The Fox and the Devil

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Adult, horror, paranormal romance, historical fiction

Publication date: March 10th 2026

Published by: Del Rey

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: An obsession with a beautiful serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in an immortal sapphic romance in this enthralling gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying.

Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to studying vampires—up until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that plague Anneke every night.

Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest in forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch her mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicably dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.

But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps some crucial evidence to infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to Anneke, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola. Devil. The obsession is mutual, and all the more dangerous for it.

The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman, after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Because as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.

A heart that beats for Anneke alone.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I'll never let her have a moment's peace. I'll hunt her to the ends of the earth.

I really enjoy Kiersten White's writing, and I was really looking forward to this one because the concept sounded so interesting! Unfortunately, I think this was more of a case where I liked the premise more than the execution.

Review: Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito

Title: Venus in the Blind Spot

Author: Junji Ito

Genre: Adult, manga, horror

Publication date: February 2019

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Gifted

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Synopsis: This striking collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “The Human Chair” and fan favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” With a deluxe presentation—including special color pages, and showcasing illustrations from his acclaimed long-form manga No Longer Human—each chilling tale invites readers to revel in a world of terror.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I love manga, and I love horror, but even I find it hard to believe that I still had not read any Junji Ito thus far in my life. Lol. Luckily, that's finally changed! Lol.

Review: Shadows of Truth (League of Liars #2) by Astrid Scholte

Title: Shadows of Truth

Series: League of Liars #2

Previous book in this series: League of Liars

Author: Astrid Scholte

Genre: YA, high fantasy

Publication date: February 2024

Published by: Allen & Unwin

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: After their dramatic escape from Vardean prison, Cayder and his friends leap into the unknown, tumbling headlong out of Telene and into the strange and mysterious world beyond the veil.

Leta – who grew up believing a world of dark fairytales existed on the other side of the veil – finds that the truth is more magical, and terrifying, than she could ever have imagined. And it's the worst possible place to discover your boyfriend has been mortally wounded.

Meanwhile, Cayder and Elenora learn that both this world and their own are teetering on the brink of destruction. Still reeling from Elenora's betrayal, Cayder must overcome his feelings and work with her to prevent an apocalypse. They have to make it home, and to do so they will need the help of their old enemy, Dr Bueter – as well as old friends they thought were lost forever.

This page-turning sequel to League of Liars takes us beneath the surface of the familiar world of Telene, and into the shadowy realm that is the source of both its magic and its nightmares.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I was SO excited to finally read this book! I have been really looking forward to reading it since I read the first book in the series back in the Summer of 2023. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up loving it as much as I was hoping (I gave League of Liars 5 stars!), and I honestly don’t even know what it was about this book.