I’ve been loving a good standalone lately, especially a thriller/mystery. I’m pretty sure the majority of books I’ve read this year have been standalones because apparently, I can’t commit to series anymore.
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
I really enjoyed this book but when I went to Goodreads to grab the synopsis, I noticed it doesn’t have great reviews. I thought this was quite clever and I liked the writing style. You get little glimpses into the future which you’d think would give away the plot, but they don’t. It’s a very interesting way of telling a story.
ARC Review: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
Synopsis: Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.
Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.
September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.
Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.
As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
Elise Kova books are always a hit for me. This is the last one I’ve read in the Married to Magic series of standalones and I really need to get onto the next one. This was the best of the two I’ve read so far and I enjoyed all of the faerie lore.
ARC Review: A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
Synopsis: She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.
Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.
But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.
As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.
Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidentally pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.
The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?
The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred
This probably isn’t the best-written book in this post, but it’s so fun. If you were in a fandom as a teen, this will make your heart sing. I think in my review I called it a love letter to fandom and it’s true. Plus who doesn’t want to read fan girls trying to solve a murder mystery?
ARC Review: The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred
Synopsis: ‘I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills, but I’d never imagined solving a murder would be one of them…’
Harri and her best friends worship Half Light – an internationally famous boyband. When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world’s about to fall apart. But quickly she realises that she – and all the other Half Light superfans out there – know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.
Now she’s rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie’s innocence – and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…
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