Ashes to Ashes by Karina Halle

Would you go visit an old tuberculosis asylum that was turned into a school? How about if it was haunted would that change your mind?

Dex, Perry, and Rebecca go to a tuberculosis asylum for one of their final Experiment in Terror shows. While they were at the asylum they met a little girl who was a ghost, she was in charge of "the bad thing." The bad thing kind of reminded me of "shadow people" (I think that's what the Dead Files called them) which is an extremely evil entity from another place. Anyways, the trio ends up capturing plenty of footage of the supernatural. Before they left the school Dex surprised Perry with a proposal and then they went and dealt with Perry's parents.

I thought it was pretty good. The spooky factor was up to par with Dead Morning Sky. Dead Morning Sky was super creepy and so was this latest book in the series which was great. I didn't think the last book was all that eerie. My point is that this was a great book.

The ending of this series is almost here. I am excited to read Dust to Dust, however, I feel like the ending is being rushed a little bit. Does anyone else feel that way or is it just me? Either way, I can't wait to read the final book.

Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts you may have in the comments below. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Experiment-Terror-8-ebook/dp/B00H8HRUF6

Escape from the Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Escape from the Isle of the Lost is the fourth book in the Descendants series. It is the prequel to the movie Descendants 3. Once again Uma is up to her tricks in wanting to break the barrier around the Isle of the Lost. She works with Hades to lure Mal (who came back to the Isle with Evie, Carlos, and Jay to spread the word of the VK program) into opening up the barrier. On top of that Mal, Evie, and Jay are preparing to graduate Auradon Prep and get ready for the rest of their lives.

What I like the most about this series is how the books and movies work together to continue the story of Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. The novels show what happens between the movies and pieces together the storyline. The way the books and the movies work together to create the story of Descendants is unique. I have never come across another series like it. 

On top of the uniqueness of the series, De La Cruz is an incredible writer. I love reading her work and it always reads so fast. She writes using different perspectives throughout the novel so the reader gets the feel of what is happening with each character and the struggle they are going through. The different perspectives allow the readers to connect with each character on a more personal level and then you also get to see it on the big screen as well. 

I have listed the order of the series below in case you would like to read it from the beginning if you haven't been following Descendants already. 

1. The Isle of the Lost (novel)

2. Descendants (movie)

3. Return to the Isle of the Lost (novel)

4. Rise of the Isle of the Lost (novel)

5. Descendants 2 (movie)

6. Escape from the Isle of the Lost (novel)

7. Descendants 3 (movie)

Descendants 3 will be out on Disney channel August 2, 2019. I am looking forward to watching it, and I know many of you are too. Feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comments below. Have a great day my lovelies!

Descendants 3 trailer

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076FKNF9N/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

"When you can never die, do you ever really live?" ~Montgomery James. Juliet discovers that Elizabeth Von Stein is tied to Victor Frankenstein who discovered reanimation. Once Edward dies Juliet has to fight with her madness in order to decide whether or not to bring him back to life. Which makes the question above even more important especially in today's society. If we ever discover how to bring back the dead, should we do it? If we never die, do we ever actually live? It's just something to think about in today's society.

A Cold Legacy is the final installment in the Madman's Daughter trilogy and it does not disappoint. Shepherd draws from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley even more in this last novel but still makes it her own. I love how the novel has a little bit of a dark atmosphere but is still about a girl trying to figure out her own path instead of following other people's footsteps. On top of that, it is also about a girl who has suffered from so much but still keeps fighting for herself and her family.

Shepherd filled this last book with so many surprises and twists, it kind of made my head spin. However, I loved every one of those surprises and twists, she really knows how to keep the reader on their feet, which I think is an impressive feat. It is hard to keep reader's on their toes these days. I am extremely impressed with her work and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I hope you guys enjoy this book. Feel free to answer any of the questions above in the comments below. If you have any opinions or thoughts feel free to leave those as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16182308-a-cold-legacy

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Do you let the darkness inside take over you or do you keep it locked up deep inside? Does the curiosity of it entice you or do you ignore it? Juliet battles with the darkness that she inherited from her father as she fights to find a cure for herself. On top of that, she also fights to find a cure for Edward/the Beast. Edward is more like a Doctor Henry Jekyll while the Beast is more like an Edward Hyde. Juliet works to find a cure to get rid of the Beast while also trying to figure out what the King's Club is up to. It is hard to be the daughter of a madman.

Shepherd draws on from two different classics; Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson. She used both of these works in order to create her own quick-paced thrilling novel. The comparisons Shepherd made between these two classics were Brilliant. If you liked the two classics above you will definitely love Her Dark Curiosity. Aside from the comparisons that could be made Shepherd also used a lot of imagery which really helped in setting up the atmosphere of the book. It was also helpful with making what Juliet and Edward were going through come to life. There is also a twist at the end that will leave you astonished.

Her Dark Curiosity was another stunning work of Shepherd's. I positively love her writing and this novel. I relish in the fact that her work has connections to Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I think it is truly a beautiful work of art. I also look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy, A Cold Legacy.

Feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. Also, feel free to leave any thoughts or opinions you may have. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from http://meganshepherd.com/her-dark-curiosity

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Just because we have the power and the technology to do something, does that mean we should do it? If we had the power to create creatures, especially ones that had traces of humanity, should we do it? Should we play God if we have the ability to do so? These are the questions that are starting to occur more and more as we develop more advanced technology.

The Madman's Daughter is similar to Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. Both novels have the same components of madness and creating things that do not belong in the world we live in. Doctor Frankenstein pieced together an abomination while Doctor Moreau created several abominations by using different organisms by often performing vivisections. Doctor Moreau has a darkness inside of him that his daughter Juliet inherited. Throughout the entire novel, she fights with her own darkness that lies within her.

The story starts out slow but quickly picks up its pace. Shepherd used imagery to set up the setting(s), atmosphere, and to reveal what Juliet was feeling. Imagery is the figurative language that was used the most from the beginning to end. However, there are plenty of comparisons to be made between this book and Frankenstein and there are even Shakespeare references thrown in.

Shepherd is a brilliant writer and I genuinely enjoyed her book. Her writing style was exceptional and easy to follow. Shepherd's work was simple with a layer of complexity hidden underneath. It was truly a great creation and I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the trilogy, Her Dark Curiosity.

Feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. You are also more than welcome to share your thoughts as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089LOLW0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Come Alive by Karina Halle

A haunted house, voodoo, and zombies, oh my! Do you believe in voodoo? How about zombies? I am not talking about the ugly sore spotting limb falling off zombies either. Those are the typical zombies you find just about everywhere else. The zombies Halle created come from being in a drug-induced state. Do you think that these kinds of zombies could actually be created and exist in our world? Either way welcome to New Orleans where Dex, Perry, and Maximus take on a haunted house, a Bokor, and of course zombies.

Come Alive is written in Dex's perspective which was severely important in moving the overall series plot forward. There were a lot of secrets learned about Dex's past and his relationship with Perry that could not have been found out through Perry's perspective due to Dex's mysterious brooding personality. Even though the perspective change was slightly random it was necessary in order to move the series forward.

The characters have also become more well rounded as the series is coming to an end. Perry has become more confident with herself and her body. While Dex has begun to show more vulnerability, which has made him more relatable. Even Maximus has changed from being a "douchecanoe" to a completely caring guy who has a soft spot for the love of his life. As the characters grow and mature so do their choices in different situations just like in real life. Halle has worked hard to create relatable characters that readers can connect with. They even feel like real people and like they would be your best friend. I unquestionably love this about her writing. Halle really is an amazing writer.

The only thing that annoyed me about this book was that the first one hundred pages were essentially mostly erotica. I mean I get it Perry and Dex finally got together which is great, but they were constantly having sex which did not seem necessary for the plot. Perhaps it makes a really good romance novel? I don't know, but other than that it was another great novel. I would recommend it for anyone who was fifteen or older.

I hope you guys enjoy this book and feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. Also, feel free to share any thought or opinions you may have. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143338-come-alive

Losing Brave by Bailee Madison and Stefne Miller

Sometimes we lose ourselves and have to find ourselves again, or perhaps we never really knew ourselves to begin with. After losing her twin, Dylan, Payton struggles to find herself again and deal with the encompassing grief that surrounds her. As Payton works on finding herself, she becomes obsessed with finding out who abducted Dylan along with figuring out the secrets that her brain keeps locked away.

The first half of Losing Brave is slow, and the plot seems pretty basic, but once you get past the halfway point the story gets extremely good. The plot gets thicker and a little more complex. The ending is incredible and absolutely shocking. You will not see it coming. This book is a really good read if you can get past the first half, once you do that it goes by fast.

Madison and Miller wrote an incredible story together that takes mystery to the next level. The ending was extremely surprising and unexpected. They did an amazing job at keeping the ending under wraps with only leaving a couple of breadcrumbs here and there.

The characters are easy to relate to especially if you have ever lost a family member or have ever been looked upon as an outcast. You will have no trouble connecting with Payton if you have ever lost yourself and have needed to figure out who you were again. It is not a simple task to find yourself again as Payton shows and that is an important message to understand.

This story is truly amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good mystery book and wants a surprise ending. It does not have any inappropriate language so it's a great read for anyone who is in middle school and above. I believe you guys will absolutely love it as much as I did.

I hope you guys enjoy Losing Brave and if you would like to share what you thought of the novel or about your experiences in life, feel free to leave a comment and just know that life gets better. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFKLJBR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1