Review: The Haunting by Natasha Preston

Title: The Haunting

Author: Natasha Preston

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2023

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Haunted by the past...

Penny's trying to forget about her ex, Nash. His father was arrested for the brutal murder of four teenagers on Devil's Night last year. Penny's parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It's hard not to think of what happened as spooky season gets underway--but she's trying.

That stops when she goes to the Halloween store with her friends to find a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror movie: a girl from school bleeding out on the floor of a dressing room. Stabbed.

Is a copycat killer on the loose? The adults are saying no. But Penny knows better.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

This book was not as great as I was hoping it would be. I really liked the premise of a copycat killer hunting these kids. A copycat killer that was imitating the kills done by the dad of the main character's boyfriend, no less! Well, ex-boyfriend at this point. But still! That was so interesting and exciting to me! And I actually started off really enjoying the book.

TV Show Review: One of Us is Lying (Season 1)

Title: One of Us is Lying

Based on One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Rating: TV-MA

First episode release date: October 7th 2021

Number of episodes: 8

Genre: Teen drama, mystery thriller

Production companies: 5MM, Universal Content Productions

Showrunners: Darío Madrona, Erica Saleh

Stars: Annalisa Cochrane, Marianly Tejada, Chibuikem Uche, Cooper van Grootel

Watch it: Peacock

Synopsis: A brain, an athlete, a princess, a criminal and a "basket case" walk into detention—but only the first four make it out alive.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I loved the One of Us is Lying book so I was very excited to watch the TV show inspired by the book, and I liked it overall! Not as much as the book, but it was a pretty solid first season.

Review: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Title: One of Us is Lying

Series: One of Us is Lying #1

Author: Karen M. McManus

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: May 2017

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

My rating: ★★★★★

I loved this book so much! The premise alone had me hooked! All you need to know is that 5 kids walked into detention one afternoon, and only 4 walked out alive.

My First DNF of 2024... Dead Space by Kali Wallace

Title: Dead Space

Author: Kali Wallace

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, mystery thriller

Publication date: March 2021

Published by: Berkley

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: Hester Marley used to have a plan for her life. But when a catastrophic attack left her injured, indebted, and stranded far from home, she was forced to take a dead-end security job with a powerful mining company in the asteroid belt. Now she spends her days investigating petty crimes to help her employer maximize its profits. She's surprised to hear from an old friend and fellow victim of the terrorist attack that ruined her life—and that surprise quickly turns to suspicion when he claims to have discovered something shocking about their shared history and the tragedy that neither of them can leave behind.

Before Hester can learn more, her friend is violently murdered at a remote asteroid mine. Hester joins the investigation to find the truth, both about her friend's death and the information he believed he had uncovered. But catching a killer is only the beginning of Hester's worries, and she soon realizes that everything she learns about her friend, his fellow miners, and the outpost they call home brings her closer to revealing secrets that very powerful and very dangerous people would rather keep hidden in the depths of space.

My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

I have been in a sci-fi horror kind of mood lately, and I thought this book would be a good one to read! Yes, this is more on the thriller side than horror, but I like thrillers! This, however, was not thrilling at all. I read 76 pages (about 23%) before I called it quits.

Review: Forbidden Secrets (Fear Street Sagas #3) by R.L. Stine

Title: Forbidden Secrets

Series: Fear Street Sagas #3 (can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 1996

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: The dark power of the Fear family consumes all those connected with it. No one can escape the evil of the family's curse—not even the Fears themselves.

Savannah Madison doesn't believe that. She marries Tyler Fear. But then she goes with him to Blackrose Manor. That's when the deaths begin. That's when she learns his terrible secret.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I have been reading Fear Street books since I was in middle school and I remember that this was one of the first books I ever read. I didn’t remember any of the story when I read this now, but I distinctly remembered that cover.

Review: House of Whispers (Fear Street Sagas #2) by R.L. Stine

Title: House of Whispers

Series: Fear Street Sagas #2 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: June 1996

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: Welcome to the house of Fear.

The dark power of the Fear family consumes all those connected with it, The Fears. Those they love—and hate. The entire town of Shadyside. All are tainted forever by the evil of the family’s curse. No one can escape.

Amy Pierce knows nothing of the terrifying Fear history when she arrives for a visit with Simon and Angelica Fear. Their New Orleans mansion is beautiful—but Amy senses something evil there. Something that watches her. Waits for her.

My rating: ★★★★☆

It would not matter to Angelica that Amy was part of her own family. If Angelica found out the truth about Amy, she would kill her.
Because Angelica was evil. Pure evil.

I love the Fear family lore. It’s so interesting and often evil. One of my favorite families to follow has always been Simon and Angelica Fear, so I was very happy to see that Angelica played a big role in this book! We first met Angelica in the Fear Street Saga trilogy where we saw that even before she married into the Fear family, she herself had a little bit of magic at her hands. Well, in this book we meet her cousin Amy who may or may not have an an affinity for magic as well. I thought this aspect of the book was SO interesting! When I first read about Angelica in the trilogy, I was a little surprised to learn that she already possessed magic, so it was nice to learn a little more about the Pierce family.

Review: How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Title: How to Survive Your Murder

Author: Danielle Valentine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: August 2022

Published by: Razorbill

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Alice Lawrence is the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial.

And in the year since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has completely fallen apart. Her parents have gotten divorced, she’s moved into an apartment that smells like bologna, and she is being forced to face her sister’s killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze a year prior.

Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a theater star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay at home to watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were bonded by sisterhood and were each other’s best friends.

Until Claire was taken away from her.

On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it is Halloween night a year earlier, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

If you don't come with me, I might die.
Those were the last words my sister ever said to me.

I have not had very good luck with these sorts of horror books where the protagonist is a huge horror movie fan. They always claim to be experts in the genre and then fail spectacularly at being a final girl when being put in that position. Maybe it’s because they’re in the middle of all the chaos, but it’s just so annoying how dumb they are. And the protagonist in this was no different.

Review: Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Title: Six Wakes

Author: Mur Lafferty

Genre: Adult, mystery, sci-fi

Publication date: January 2017

Published by: Orbit

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: A space adventure set on a lone ship where the clones of a murdered crew must find their murderer—before they kill again.

It was not common to awaken in a cloning vat streaked with drying blood.

At least, Maria Arena had never experienced it. She had no memory of how she died. That was also new; before, when she had awakened as a new clone, her first memory was of how she died.

Maria's vat was in the front of six vats, each one holding the clone of a crew member of the starship Dormire, each clone waiting for its previous incarnation to die so it could awaken. And Maria wasn't the only one to die recently...

My rating: ★★★★★

I was so excited to read about a murder mystery in space, and this book absolutely delivered!

Review: This Book Kills by Ravena Guron

Title: This Book Kills

Author: Ravena Guron

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 3rd 2024

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: I'll make it clear from the start: I did not kill Hugh Henry Van Boren. I didn't even help... Well, not intentionally.

All Jess Choudhary wants is to keep her head down, do her work, and make it through high school without any problems. As a scholarship student—and one of only two students of Indian heritage—her future at the elite school depends on her ability to keep a low profile and spotless record. But when one of the most popular and richest kids in the school ends up dead in the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote, Jess unintentionally finds herself at the center of the investigation.

And then Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration.

As rumors run rampant about who the murderer could be, Jess knows if she doesn't solve this mystery herself, she'll finally have something in common with Hugh: she'll be dead too.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

The title of this book is the thing that immediately grabbed my attention when I first came across this book. I was like, uhh...

Review: Some Shall Break (None Shall Sleep #2) by Ellie Marney

Title: Some Shall Break

Series: None Shall Sleep #2

Previous book in this series: None Shall Sleep

Author: Ellie Marney

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: June 2023

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: This electrifying, chilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller None Shall Sleep focuses on junior FBI consultants Travis Bell and Emma Lewis with a new case that may unravel everything they’ve been working for.

After a harrowingly close contact with juvenile sociopath Simon Gutmunsson, junior FBI consultants Emma Lewis and Travis Bell went their separate ways: Emma rejected her Quantico offer and Travis stayed to train within a new unit of the FBI Behavioral Science division. But the unit’s latest case is feeling eerily familiar and Kristin Gutmunsson—Simon Gutmunsson’s eccentric twin—reaches out to Travis to send a warning: Emma is in peril.

When Travis and Kristin turn up evidence that points back to Daniel Huxton, the serial killer that Emma had escaped, things become more complicated. With a copycat on the loose, Emma returns to Quantico and is thrown back into her past traumas. Compelled to prevent more tragedy—even if it means putting herself in danger—Emma turns to Simon for help once again. But Simon is keeping secrets that could impact their entire investigation. Will the team be able to stop the Huxton copycat before time runs out for his next victims?

My rating: ★★★★★

I really enjoyed None Shall Sleep, but this book? I loved this book!

Review: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Title: Four Dead Queens

Author: Astrid Scholte

Genre: YA, high fantasy, mystery

Publication date: February 2019

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she's one of Quadara's most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara's most enlightened region, Eonia. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara's queens dead.

With no other choices and on the run from Keralie's former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation's four dead queens.

An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Lately, I have been on a high fantasy kick and honestly, I think I have this book to blame 😆 It was just so good!

Review: Blood of My Blood (I Hunt Killers #3) by Barry Lyga

Title: Blood of My Blood

Series: I Hunt Killers #3

Previous novellas/books in this series: Down Time (#0.1) | Lucky Day (#0.2) | Career Day (#0.3) | Neutral Mask (#0.4) | Blood Boy (#0.5) | I Hunt Killers (#1) | Game (#2)

Author: Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2014

Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: Jazz Dent has never been closer to catching his father.

Jazz has been shot and left to die in New York. His girlfriend, Connie, is in the clutches of Jazz's monstrous father, Billy—the world's most notorious serial killer. And his best friend, Howie, is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's new home.

Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy.

But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son? Who is the true monster?"

From New York City to the small town of Lobo's Nod, the chase is on, and this time, Jazz is the hunted, not the hunter--while Billy Dent lurks in the shadows.

And beyond Billy? Something much, much worse. Prepare to meet... the Crow King.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I highly recommend you look up trigger warnings, if need be, because any type of abuse you can possibly imagine, poor Jazz endured. I nearly cried and threw up at the same time. Just reading over the notes I left myself in preparation for writing this review made me teary-eyed and angry on his behalf.

Review: Game (I Hunt Killers #2) by Barry Lyga

Title: Game

Series: I Hunt Killers #2

Previous novellas/books in this series: Down Time (#0.1) | Lucky Day (#0.2) | Career Day (#0.3) | Neutral Mask (#0.4) | Blood Boy (#0.5) | I Hunt Killers (#1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: April 2013

Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game.

My rating: ★★★★★

This book was insane... in the best way possible!

Review: Kill Joy (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #0.5) by Holly Jackson

Title: Kill Joy

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #0.5

Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA, mystery

Publication date: February 2023 (US edition)

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: eARC for review from publisher via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Welcome to the murder mystery party of the year! Fans of the hit series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will love Pip's final detective case in this mystery novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Jackson.

Six suspects. Three hours. One murder...

Pip is not in the mood for her friend's murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920's fancy dress and pretending that their town is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn't the only case on her mind ...

My rating: ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, so I’ve been looking forward to reading this prequel!

Spooky Book Recommendations

This October I have yet another list of spooky book recommendations. These are all books I read in the last year or so, but you can check out more spooky recs here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Review: Life is Short and Then You Die by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Life is Short and Then You Die

Authors: Kelley Armstrong, R.L. Stine, Y.S. Lee, Melissa Marr, Amanda Witt, Rachel Vincent, Jeff Somers, Eileen Rendahl, David Bart, Jeff Soloway, Julie Tollefson, Joseph S. Walker, Anthony Franze, Barry Lancet, Emmy Laybourne, Jonathan Maberry, Stepehn Ross, Caleb Roehrig, Barry Lyga

Genre: YA, horror, mystery

Publication date: September 2019

Published by: Imprint

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Adolescence is a time of “firsts.” First kiss. First love. First loss. First job. The first taste of adult responsibilities, and the first look at an independent life away from both the restrictions and the security of home.

And in this case, a very different type of “first”: murder.

This short story collection of murder mysteries adds a sinister spin to the joy and pain of firsts that have always been a major part of life, whether it be high school cliques who take the term “backstabbing” too seriously, stumbling upon a body on the way home from school, or receiving a Snapchat message that promises something deadly.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Even though I haven’t read anything by her in a while, I love Kelley Armstrong and was very excited to read this anthology edited by her! In fact, the first story in the book was actually written by her!

But not only that, there are plenty of other authors I’m familiar with and love that also contributed to this anthology! So exciting!

Review: None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

Title: None Shall Sleep

Series: None Shall Sleep #1

Author: Ellie Marney

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2020

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: A psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.

In 1982, two teenagers—serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell—are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can't crack. But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case—a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers—things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country's most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson.

Despite Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's an expert manipulator playing a very long game... and he has his sights set on Emma.

Captivating, harrowing, and chilling, None Shall Sleep is an all-too-timely exploration of not only the monsters that live among us but also the monsters that live inside us.

My rating: ★★★★☆

A girl created by a serial killer who hunts serial killers.

If you're a fan of Criminal Minds like I am, then this is the book for you! It gave me some serious Criminal Minds vibes and I loved it!

Review: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Title: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #1

Prequel novella in this series: Kill Joy (#0.5)

Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA, mystery

Publication date: May 2019

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent... and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

My rating: ★★★★★

When you ask people in town what happened to Andie Bell, they'll tell you without hesitation: "She was murdered by Salil Singh." No "allegedly," no "might have," no "probably," no "most likely."
He did it, they say. Sal Singh killed Andie.
But I'm just not so sure.

This book was amazing! The mystery was very intriguing and the way everything unraveled was so good! The mystery was definitely my favorite part of this book. There were so many shocking revelations, some I saw coming, some I didn't. And the more Pip dug into the mystery, the more she realized that Andie might not have been everything everyone thought her to be 👀

Review: Clash of Flesh and Metal (Flesh and Metal #2) by Alicia Ellis

Title: Clash of Flesh and Metal

Series: Flesh and Metal #2

Previous books in this series: Dreams of Flesh and Metal (#0.5) | Girl of Flesh and Metal (#1)

Author: Alicia Ellis

Genre: YA, sci-fi, mystery thriller

Publication date: April 2021

Published by: Figmented Ink

Source: Purchased ebook with giftcard

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Synopsis: She must obey a stranger’s orders, or the androids will attack again...

Despite Lena’s fears about the dangers of the Model One androids, CyberCorp has shipped them to customers. They work perfectly—except around Lena. When an android attacks one of her best friends, she insists the robots are fatally flawed.

Desperate to keep this situation from spiraling out of control, like it did last time, Lena casts suspicion on everyone she knows. This time, she won’t trust anyone. When she gets a threatening note from someone claiming to be controlling the androids, she’ll obey—but only to stall for time.

Can she find whoever’s responsible, before someone else she loves dies?

My rating: ★★★★☆

Her parents might own one of the biggest tech companies in the world, but maybe Lena's right to distrust technology as much as she does. Especially when one of her best friends was attacked by one of the robots created by her parents' company. Even worse, these robots are set to ship out to everyone pretty soon. And on top of that, she's getting threatening notes. Girl can't catch a break. She's gonna have to figure out what's happening soon before more people are killed and we get a repeat of the events in book one.

Review: Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban

Title: Lying in the Deep

Author: Diana Urban

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: May 2nd 2023

Published by: Razorbill

Source: eARC for review from publisher via Netgalley

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Synopsis: A juicy mystery of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Semester at Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of delightfully suspicious characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.

After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.

But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with... before anyone else winds up in body bags.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was really looking forward to this book because it sounded very Suite Life on Deck, but you know, with murder. Lol. But I don't know... I didn't end up enjoying it as much as I thought I would.