Book Review: Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

Title: Everyone Here is Lying

Author: Shari Lapena

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Adult Fiction

Pages: 336

Publisher: Random House

Year Published: 2023

Format: Audiobook

"Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses her temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie.  As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth."

My Rating: 5/5

I binged the audiobook of this, and it was addicting. I could not stop listening to it. The good news is that means I got a lot done today. I don't believe that I have read anything else by this author, but you can bet that there was a lot that was added to my TBR. The characters are interesting, the writing is fast-paced, and the mystery is fascinating. Would recommend. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Scorpion and The Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao

Title: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom

Author: Amelie Wen Zhao

Series/Standalone: The Three Realm Duology (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Romantasy, Mythology

Pages: 400

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Year Published: 2025

Format: Physical (Library copy)

"In a world at war with demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother's soul... before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass. 

Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó- beautiful, ravenous demons- roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.

Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practicioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life- the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.

Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.

The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she's falling for or if he's the most dangerous player of all... for herself and for all the realms."

My Rating: DNF

I made it about halfway through this book before admitting to myself that I wasn't loving it. I think that the author's writing style in this wasn't for me. I felt that I was being told a lot of things without a ton of illusion; it was like being told something from a monster manual as opposed to another method. That being said, I'm not sure what would have made it better for me. I'd be curious to try some of her other work and see how I feel, if it's the writing style or just the form of this storytelling for this one, for me. I might pick this one back up in the future, but for now, it's gonna be headed back to the library. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny