Book Review: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: The Hawthorne Legacy

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series/Standalone: The Inheritance Games (Book #2)

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult

Pages: 380

Publisher: Penguin

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"Intrigue, riches and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all her questions- including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnet Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions and there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture- by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I think this second installment was fun. We picked up right after we left off in the first book which I was grateful for. I liked the growth in our characters and how the author upped the stakes in this second volume. I will finish the series, but it's hard to get ahold of the audiobooks, so it will be a while before I can continue on. I love audiobooks and would strongly recommend them. Overall, a fun read, just not my new favourite like I had hoped.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 Title: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Pages: 273

Publisher: Penguin

Year Published: 1818

Format: Audiobook

"Obsessed with creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life with electricity. but his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. mary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley near Byron's villa on Lake Geneva. It would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity.

bas on the third edition of 1831, this volume contains all the revisions Mary Shelley made her story, as well as her 1831 introduction and Percy Bysshe Shelley's preface to the first edition. This revised edition includes as appendices a select collation of the texts of 1818 and 1831 together with 'A Fragment' by Lord Byron and Dr. John Polidori's 'The Vampyre: A Tale'."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I listened to the audiobook for this and I feel like that might have been a disservice to myself. I just wasn't able to focus in on some of the aspects that I know are important to the story. I also feel that because I knew so much going in I wasn't surprised by the turns this story took (it's hard not to be spoiled about something that came out in 1818). That being said the atmosphere that is written in this story is what truly captured me. The idea of travelling the world and being followed adds to the horror elements. That being said, I plan to reread this with a physical copy and hope to find that I enjoy it more through that format.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Title: The One Memory of Flora Banks
Author: Emily Barr
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 306
Publisher: Penguin
Year Published: 2017
Format: Audiobook

"HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO TO TRUST WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOURSELF?

I look at my hands. One of them says FLORA BE BRAVE. 
Flora has anterograde amnesia. She can't remember anything day-to-day: the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is.

Then she kisses someone she shouldn't, and the next day she remembers it. It's the first time she's remembered anything since she was ten.

But the boy is gone. She thinks he's moved to the Arctic. Will following him be the key to unlocking her memory? Who can she trust?"

My Rating: 3.5/5

This book wasn't what I thought it would be. When I heard about it I assumed that it would be a mystery, but unfortunately, it was more of a contemporary. Not that that's a huge deal. The concept is very interesting and there is in one a mysterious element to the story. That being said the content has to be repetitive just due to the fact that the main character has amnesia. I also found that the timeline was hard to follow for similar reasons. I felt as though more time had passed almost always than had. And in some ways, I felt that really put me in the headspace of Flora, but in some ways took away other aspects of the plot.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny