Review: Stolen Midnights

 

Wren Hayes has been waiting for the moment when she turns 18 to discover what gift the Fates will give her. But the stroke of midnight comes and goes without a gift. What could she have done to anger the fates?

Her gift was stolen by a thief. It was a locket. When he opens that locket, he's stunned to find his picture. Damien isn't sure he wants to sell it to person who asked him to steal the gift. He has a half a mind to keep it until he can figure out why his picture is in the necklace.

But something far worse happens, Wren asks him to team up with her to uncover the truth about that night. In their investigation, they learn dangerous secrets - secrets that can tear apart their family. How far will they go?

My Thoughts: This is the first book in a duology. I really loved this book. I loved the banter between Wren and Damien. I loved the differences in lives between Wren and Damien - one of privilege and one of poverty. I really loved Damien's friend Ruby. I'm curious to learn more about the Fates. There's a lot of darkness in this book that I hope will answer all the questions in the next book. That ending was impressive. I can't wait to see what happens next. 

Cover Thoughts: Stunning. I love the sprayed edges

 Source: My library

Library Recommendation: A must have romantasy book for your YA collection.

My favorite line:

Picture Book Wednesday: Construction Crews Build Big

 

A new library is being built. The crew is hard at work to maintain the schedule of 50 weeks. 

This is a fascinating look at construction - lots of information here including vocabulary. I love how they showed off the experts and all their tools. The labeling in this book is done really well. Of course, I loved how they solved the problem on how to move the books from the old library to the new one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Nationalities

 This week's topic is books with Nationalities in the title

Read:

To Be Read:

Have you read any of these?

Middle Grade Monday: The Curse Breaker

 

* Book 2 in the Isle of Ever trilogy*

Benny did manage to find the island - but the game isn't over. Evelyn shares there is much more to the game and it's more dangerous than ever. Benny has two weeks to break the curse or she will lose everything - her new house, her mom's job, and her new friends.

Can Benny and her friend manage to uncover the clues in time? Even with people working against them? Benny's struggling to put the pieces together, but she's not giving up.

My Thoughts: I read this book in one day because I didn't want it to end. I loved being back with Benny and her friends. I loved watching her put the pieces to the clues together and uncover the history of the past in order to save the future. This is such a clever story - filled of twists and turns, secrets, and danger. I can't wait for the last book to see how everything turns out! 

Cover Thoughts: Very similar to the first book, making it great

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: a must have trilogy for your middle grade school or public library collection

New Writing Snippet

A few weeks ago, I shared this:

Here's the start of my newest WIP and to be honest, I haven't written many words on it lately

Chapter One: 

“You’ll never believe what happened,” I said as soon as my best friend picked up the phone.

“What?” she asked.

“They hired Victoria Stevens as the new library director.”

“Shut Up! They did not.”

We both let the news sink in.

“What are you going to do?”

“What can I do? I gave them my two-week notice.”

“Already?”

“As soon as they told me. You know I can’t work for her. You know what happened when I worked with her. I can’t imagine working for her.

“I’m so sorry; you loved that job.”

“I know. It really sucks. I can’t believe that’s who they picked to replace Brenda. What a nightmare.”

“Are you looked at any other jobs?”

“Not yet, but I will tonight. I’ll see what’s out there. Maybe I’ll take some time off, I have a bit of savings. I’ll get things in order at work and leave before she starts.”

“What did they say?”

I remember the look on the town HR Director’s face. She was dumbfounded. “They were shocked.”

Picture Book Review: Spendin' Time

 

A boy and his grandfather take a trip to town to grab some items for Nan. But they make some stops along the way. They have a great day together - the kind of day that you'll remember fondly as an adult. A lovely picture book about the bonds of grandparents and grandchildren. 

Review: Checking You Out

 

Lizzie is the biggest booknerd you will ever meet. She volunteers at the shelter where she helps take care of abandoned kittens. There she meets Dylan, a very cute boy her age. 

She thinks she could have a crush on him - until he claims he's not a reader. That's a non-starter for Lizzie. Even her best friends are readers - even though they all claim different genres as their favorites.

But Dylan lied - he's a huge fantasy reader. Or at least he used to be. He was bullied for reading and enjoying fantasy novels. So, he stopped sharing him love of books and started working out. Now he's a tennis player who switched schools senior year. He keeps that fantasy nerd part of him locked away until he can go to college and finally be his true self.

My Thoughts: This was a great romance for booknerds. I loved all the bookish references. I loved the moments in the library - and the librarian. I loved how Lizzie and her friends had a book club where they all read what they liked. I loved their bookish moments. There were so many cute kitten moments here - it made me want to volunteer too. Although I confess, I'm more of a dog person. I loved the letters in the books too - and the fact that both brought in their friends for help. I hated the Dylan had to close off parts of himself because of all the bullying. I wanted to give him a giant hug. But I did love the message of this book. I also loved that most of this book is set during the summer before college. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A booknerd romance that's perfect for your teen romance collection