Bibliophile Amber's Book Reviews

​ Title: Norse Mythology  Author: Neil Gaiman  Published: February 7,2017 Published by: W. W. North & Company  Genre: Fantasy/ Mythology  Pages: 299 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Neil Gaiman is the mast of storytelling! I have never read any Norse Mythology, the most I knew about these characters was what was on the Avenger Movies or on different TV shows.   I was blown away by how light of reading this was, I was kind of prepared to have a pretty heavy reading ahead of me but this was soo good!  Once I got to where could sit down and read this book I devoured it! Gaiman knows how to write the tales where they are hooking and they keep your attention plus, the pages just flow! I did not realize that I was almost done with the book until I was on the last few pages!  My only complaint of this book was that it was too short, I wanted more! I enjoyed it immensely and this is definitely one that I would recommend to anyone! 

Title: My Dearest Darkest  Author: Kayla Cottingham Expected Publication: April 5, 2022 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire  Genre: Horror/ Young Adult  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: 3.5⭐ Review:  Finch had the opportunity of a lifetime and was known to be a prodigy, she had an audition to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy. Unfortunately on the way home from the audition she and her parents were in an accident leaving her the sole survivor. So being if being the new transfer student at the school was not enough, she is not what she seems. On the day of the unfortunate accident something in the river would not let her die, and while something is definitely wrong with her Selena is still drawn to her completely. Now this book has all the makings of a classic horror story, but with a definite twist! There is the slow burn romance, cults, sacrifices, the boarding school, the coming out/exploring sexuality, death, and of course a monster that was summoned by teen...

Title: It Will End Like This Author: Kyra Leigh  Expected Publication: January 4, 2021  Publisher: Delacorte Press  Genre: Horror/ Young Adult  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review: This is a new to me author, and this book will definitely not be my last by this author! She irrefutably wrote a book that provoked an all-nighter to finish the book! So this book is told from two girls' perspectives, which they are both struggling with daily life stemming from their mother's passing. While that situation alone is enough to manifest a stressful situation with pain surrounding everything. The girls are seeing their father move on with their mother's assistant and moving her into the family home. While the girls are struggling with these situations a girl from school starts showing them letters that the girl's mother had written to her mother. So the letters create more turmoil with the girls, then their father parading the assistant in their house and tak...

Title: Oona Out Of Order  Author: Margarita Montimore  Published: February 25, 2020 Published by: Flatiron Books Genre: Fiction/ Scifi  Pages: 339 pages   Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  This one was very different than anything that I have ever read but, that's not always a bad thing. This time I think being different is what made this book soo intriguing! This book starts out in 1982 at a New Years' party and while Oona has her whole life ahead of her with two very big choices. At the stroke of midnight, she will turn nineteen, as the count down to the New Year begins Oona starts having pains in her head and she faints. The normal thing to think would be that she would awaken to where she fainted, but she actually wakes up to 2015. Where she is 51 years old and she is greeted by a friendly stranger in a nice house that she is told is her own.  Confused as to what's going on, she initially leaves and is in search of her boyfriend from back in 1982 D...

Title: Wolf Hollow  Author: Victoria Houston  Expected Publication: January 11, 2022 Publisher: Dreamscape Media  Genre: Mystery/ Thriller  Pages: 288 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  In a small town in Wisconsin, it's mid-may and a group of preteens is trying to citizen arrest a 24-year-old male because he was trying to lure a preteen off of social media. This male ended up getting away and he happens to be the son of a wealthy landowner Grace McDonough. However when the kids explain what they were doing and why they provide enough information to Police Chief Lew Ferris so she is able to make an arrest for the act. Then the unthinkable happens, Lew Ferris's brother was murdered. So while Lew is getting people to work on her brother's case she is trying to work on the other case. Then when they had the arraignment for Grace's son Noah neither one of them showed and they soon found their bodies and they were murdered too. All three murdered people we...

Title: The Birthday Party  Author: Wendy Dranfield  Expected Publication: January 7, 2022  Publisher: Bookouture  Genre: Mystery/ Thriller  Pages: 376 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  This is a new to me author, and while I kept seeing her books everywhere I just didn't have the chance to get to her stuff. Until Now and let's just say she did not disappoint! Kathy did a normal parent thing, she took her 5-year-old daughter to a birthday party at her brother-in-law's house. Everything seemed to be going great they were in a prestigious neighborhood, in a quiet town. But, hours later Charlie is nowhere to be found. In a town where reputation is everything, and they try to keep secrets and how far will someone go to keep those secrets buried. I loved this story because everyone had secrets and I suspected everyone at a point in the book. Like there is not a completely innocent bystander. The police definitely have their work cut out for them, and ...

Title: Last Seen Alive  Author: Joanna Schaffhausen  Expected Publication: January 25, 2022 Publisher: Minotaur Books  Genre: Mystery/Thriller  Pages: 320 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  When I originally requested this book I did not know that it was a part of a series. That being said that this was my first book by this author and I loved her style! This book can be read as a standalone, I have not read any of the rest of the series and I followed along with this one well! I love true crime and this story is bordered lined like something that a narcissistic serial killer would actually do! When Ellery met Reed he was the FBI agent that saved her from a serial killer's closet. So later on Ellery wanted to distance herself from Coben's legacy she also walked away from Reed. So when a TV show wanted to do a sitdown with Coben the key points were to bring in Reed along with Ellery. So when Reed showed up at Ellery's apartment she knew something was ...

Title: Observations By Gaslight Stories From The World of Sherlock Holmes  Author: Lyndsay Faye Expected Publication: December 21, 2021 Published by: Mysterious Press and HighBridge Audio Genre: Mystery/ Short Stories/ Anthrologies  Pages: 295 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review: I  adored this! Since childhood, I have loved the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and this helped me with my addiction! Lyndsay Faye is a great writer and in this group of short stories, she captures Sherlock Holmes from different perspectives than that of Dr. Watson! In these short stories, we hear from Irene Adler on another adventure after A Scandal in Bohemia. Irene as we know is married now and she is suspecting something outlandish with the financial dealings with her husband and his brother. So, she goes to Sherlock for help. We also hear from Inspector Lestrade, Stanley Hopkins, and Mrs. Hudson along with a few others.   Each story has some form of mystery that we h...

Title: Kingdom of the Cursed  Author: Kerri Manscalco Published: October 6, 2021  Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton  Genre: Fantasy/ Romance  Pages: 448 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  OMG!! Kerri Maniscalco really did it this time! She led me to the cliff, and once that final page was told she jumped leaving me wanting more! More Wrath! More Emilia! More of the brothers! Emilia sold her soul to become the Queen of the Wicked, all as a plot to find out what happened to her sister. Emilia travels to the seven circles into hell with the Prince of Wrath. Nothing is as it seems in the seven circles of hell and everything comes with a price! In this book, all the secrets Emilia will be tested in all ways as she seeks the different relics and clues to find out about her and her twin's past. Look I was sold on the first book, I bought a hard copy for my own library because I was soo in love with it. Let me just say this. All the feelings, addictions ever...

Title: A Fatal Glow  Author: Valerie Wilson Wesley Expected Publication: February 22, 2022 Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation  Genre: Cozy-Mysteries  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  Cozy-Mysteries are one of my favorite genres of books to read and let's just say this one did not let me down one bit. Odessa is recently widowed, and she is a realtor and a part-time caterer. Now, when she lands a catering opportunity from a well-known woman. She is very happy and has everything to go except an issue arises! At the event, there is a murder, and now Odessa is trying her best to get to the bottom of it! Who would want the deceased dead, is there a ploy to get his money or something more sinister. While investigating Odessa learns that there are several people who would want him dead. I loved Odessa's aunt and the messages from her! This is a cute story and I look forward to reading more from her! If you love cozy mysteries then you will ...

Title: The Violence  Author: Delilah S. Dawson Expected Publication: February 1, 2022 Publisher: Delilah Rey Books Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Mystery  Pages: 512 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  I kept seeing this all over Instagram, so I requested it. I am so glad that I did because while this may have been the first book I've read by Delilah S. Dawson it will definitely not be my last! This is one of those books that nothing is ever as it seems. On the outside, Chelsea is the perfect housewife, a daughter, and of course, she is married to her high school sweetheart. While on the outside people would be envious of the life she had but behind closed doors there is a much more sinister life. Behind closed doors Chelsea's life is a prison sentence, her high school sweetheart is abusive and makes her home like a prison. David is one of those people who like to get their own way but, if things do not go as planned then he turns into a monster and chaos follows. Ch...

Title: The Girl Who Knew Too Much  Author: Tiffany Brooks  Expected Publication: January 1, 2022 Publisher: Dreamscape Media/ Sourcebooks Fire Genre: Young Adult/ Thriller/ Mystery  Payes: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  This book was pretty good, overall I really enjoyed it. It was like reading a reality tv show instead of watching it. 20 teens are dropped off on a deserted island to compete against one another for a cash prize. They would have the opportunity to use it for whatever they needed to and a lot of them were looking for funding for their college. However, our main character has her own motives to come to this project and it's not just to compete with the people on the island to be the last one standing. Riley wants to continue along with the work of her godfather Miles who died on this island looking for the treasure. Riley wants to find that treasure, along with proving herself to all the people in the world that she is not what she th...

Title: Starry Night: A Christmas Novel  Author: Debbie Macomber  Published: October 8, 2013 Publisher: Ballantine Books  Genre: Romance/ Holiday  Pages: 256 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  I'm not a huge romance fan but every book that I have read by Debbie Macomber has been a great one! This one is a cute romance and it's interesting to keep your attention! Also, this is a pretty quick read! Carrie is a hard-working reporter and she really isn't that interested in what she is writing at the newspaper. She wants to write more serious articles, so in an effort to appease her. Her editor says if she finds an author and gets an interview with him. No other reporter had been successful in getting an interview with this author because no one can find him. No one other than the publisher knows who the author is, despite the author using his actual name. Carrie is determined to get this interview for this article so she starts searching. Soon she finds t...

Title: The Last House on Needless Street  Author: Catriona Ward  Published: September 28, 2021  Publisher: Tor Fire  Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller  Pages: 341 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  This is the first book that I have read by Catriona Ward, it will not be the last! This book was dark, twisted, and full of mystery! I loved it! I couldn't put it down! I was not expecting this from this book as I kept seeing it everywhere and I'm soo glad I read it because I have not ever read anything quite like this! Ted is a very interesting character, and when the chapters are talking about his mother you really feel for this character because his mother was horrible! Now, for the first half of this book, I was completely confused, like I was trying to put pieces of the story together and I thought that I had it all down. Then after a few twists and everything comes together it was soo much more and different than what I originally thought! This book...

Title: True Crime Story  Author: Joseph Knox  Expected Publication: December 7, 2021  Publisher: RB Media/Recorded Books/ Doubleday Books Genre: Mystery/Crime/True Crime  Pages: 448 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review: So I was given the extraordinary opportunity to listen to this audiobook and it was very very intriguing. The audiobook was just amazing because I enjoyed the different perspectives and the book is written in interviews, snippets of the book Evelyn was writing to get basically down to the bottom line of what happened to Zoe. Zoe was a college student, while on the outside it seemed as if she was thriving and doing well in her work she actually had a secret life. At the time of her disappearance, Zoe walked onto the roof of her place where she was residing with other college students. That was the last that anyone ever heard of saw of Zoe, while the police back then were trying to piece everything together they never discovered what happened to ...

Title: On the Trail of Sherlock Holmes  Author: Stephen Browning  Expected Publication: February 28, 2022 Publisher: Pen & Sword  Genre: Nonfiction, History  Pages: 160 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  Since listening to the Sherlock Holmes radio show with my grandfather growing up I have loved everything related to Sherlock Holmes.  This is an absolute must for any Sherlock Holmes fan, this book starts with a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I loved the fact that he and Bram Stroker knew each other, that was something I did not know. I also loved how the author explained where the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes came from. That was superb!  Then, the second half of the book was really admirable by someone who has not been to London. The author does very detailed information about the different locations in the Sherlock Holmes books and their significance to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was an amazing book and I enj...

Title: The Last House on the Street  Author: Diane Chamberlain  Expected Publication: January 11, 2022 Publisher St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio Genre: Historical Fiction/ Mystery  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  Omg! I loved this book! I have never read anything by her and this one just blew me away! All the emotions and feels of this book are just wow! It's definitely one that I would recommend! For starters, this book is told by two different women in two different time periods and these two women are connected by more than just being neighbors on the same street. Kayla Carter and her husband were building a home together and they poured their heart and soul into this home and before it was finished sadly an accident happened at the home and her husband was killed. So now her dream home holds her nightmares about what happened to her husband and now she and her 4-year-old daughter will move into the home. While things seem to be just g...

Title: Getting Clean with Stevie Green  Author: Swan Huntley  Expected Publication: January 25  2022 Publisher: Gallery Books  Genre: Contemporary  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pages: 304 pages  Review:  So everyone has that one big dilemma in high school that can either teach a really valuable lesson(which rarely seems to happen) or can cause a person to spiral downward. That is Stevie Green! She moves place to place never setting down roots until she leaves to help her mother after she sold Stevie's childhood home. Well push came to shove and Stevie ended up staying with her mother and while things seemed to be going great her sister Bonnie shows up after her boyfriend left with a younger girl. While the characters of the story did not have much depth into them, the story was still enjoyable and definitely a good laugh! I love the mantras that Stevie has along with her inner dialogue, she's a hoot. If you are in a slump or need a pick me up this is the b...