Cosmic Lattes and Books

Book Review: Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke
Genre: Lower Young Adult/ Fantasy
Page Count: 576
Date Started: May 30th
Date Finished: June 4th
Spoilers: One slight spoiler (I’ve included a note of where and put it in italicizes)

A Brief Description

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can “read” fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can “read” characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie’s mother disappeared into the story. This “story within a story” will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.

Goodreads || Amazon

“Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.”

My Review

This is a story about Meggie and her father Mo and his unique ability to read characters off of the written page. This is a re-read of a series I read when I was a young kid.

Growing up, I always dreamed of this and of entering a new and unique world. It was my dream to explore the worlds that I had read about in books. This one really explains the love I had for books when I was a kid. Meggie was someone that I related to when I was 12 years old, but not so much anymore.

This book was okay. It was definitely made for the younger end of YA, and it certainly read that way, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a genre that I usually read, and since I’m a whole 13 years older than Meggie, I found her immature at times. Which is totally normal! She’s a kid, a 12 year old, and reacts in a way that any and every 12 year old would react given the situations that her father and her get into. I think this says a lot about her character and the author knowing the audience that she is intending to write for. Her father was also a really good dad. He cared for her and did everything he could to protect her.

Now, the villain… the big bad! Now I wish he was worse? He was supposed to be this big bad man who loved to revel in the pain of others, but… he never did? The worst thing he did was (slight spoiler) lock them away in a dungeon and PLAN to kill them. He didn’t do anything else. This could have been the limits that the author set due to the age of the readers, but it is one of the worst “tropes” for me. The ‘I’m so big and evil/ or big and strong, but I don’t do anything to show it.” In fact, one of the big villains henchmen was more evil and sinister than he was!

That being said, it seemed like this author really could not get to the point. This book could have been at least 200 pages shorter than it was. There were parts where it dragged too much for my liking. It took me longer than normal to read this book, and that could have been due to a lot being on my mind.

I know this sounds like I’m hating on the book, but overall I enjoyed it. Meggie and Mo really love books, and this is a story for readers of all ages. It had a big of a fairy tale kind of feel, and I think that the series can only get better from here.

I remember loving the second book in the series very much, so I decided to re-read the series and buy the new covers. Like I said, the first book was okay. I recognize that this was not written for my age range, and that I can’t judge it solely on that. I still plan on reading the next two books in the trilogy, because I’ve heard it gets significantly better. I’ll probably be reading the rest of the series over the course of the summer!

I’m going to put some more links to sign petitions and places to donate for Black Lives Matter below.

PETITIONS
Petition for George Floyd
Petition for Breonna Taylor
Petition for Tony McDade
Petition for Ahmuad Arbery
Petition to Stop the use of rubber bullets (Graphic Content Warning for the image associated with this petition.)
Defund the Police Petition
Life Sentence for Police Brutality
Hands Up Act
More Petitions

PLACES TO DONATE
GoFundMe for George’s Family || GoFundMe for Breonna (and Legal Representation) || GoFundMe for Ahmaud || Minnesota Freedom Fund (Helps pay for bail for those who cannot afford it) || ACLU || The Bail Project || To The Protestors || Black Owned Businesses || Organizations || To the Victims || Other Ways to Help

Thanks for reading, stay safe and healthy,

~Cam

Book Review: Assassin’s Quest

Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 838
Date Started: 5/20
Date Finished: 5/29
Spoilers: Yes, for books 1 and 2

A Brief Description

King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz—or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest—perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return—or the heir his princess carries—can save the Six Duchies.

But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him—currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.

Goodreads || Amazon || Book Depository

“But a living is not a life.”

This was a pre-scheduled post, but before it goes up, I wanted to add something.

Before my review I want to have a short chat:

As crazy as the world has been, I hope that everyone knows how much their lives matter. With that being said, all lives will not matter until black lives matter. I was incredibly saddened by the murder of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor that occurred over the last month or so. If you haven’t please sign the petitions here:

Petition for George Floyd
Petition for Breonna Taylor
Petition for Tony McDade
Petition for Ahmuad Arbery
Petition to Stop the use of rubber bullets (Graphic Content Warning for the image associated with this petition.)
Defund the Police Petition
Life Sentence for Police Brutality
Hands Up Act
More Petitions

Another note: Don’t donate to change.org petitions as that money does not go to the victims and instead goes to the website. There are some places to donate below!

Find ways to speak up about senseless violence, racism and police brutality in your communities, and in your social networks. Don’t let this pass us by with nothing changing. This has gone on for long enough. I hope for the safety of all the protesters and activists who are on the front lines. Use your voices to make a change. If you can, there are ways that you can help monetarily, but obviously this is not something that everyone can do, but if you are able, I have included links to many different organizations and the GoFundMe for the families of three of the victims below. (I couldn’t find one for Tony McDade).

GoFundMe for George’s Family || GoFundMe for Breonna (and Legal Representation) || GoFundMe for Ahmaud || Minnesota Freedom Fund (Helps pay for bail for those who cannot afford it) || ACLU || The Bail Project || To The Protestors || Black Owned Businesses || Organizations || To the Victims || Other Ways to Help

Want to donate, but can’t afford to? Watch the video linked here. Watch the ads, as the ad revenue will be donated to Black Lives Matter.

Like I said, not everyone can donate, and not everyone is in a position to protest, especially given the fact we are in the middle of a pandemic, but please know that there are many things you can do to help. I am using my platform here to talk about it. If you can do nothing else, talk about it, and vote for politicians who abhor police brutality and violence. Stand up against racism when you see it. Don’t let this be something that continues past your generation. Enough is enough!

MY REVIEW

Okay, so this is the third book in the Farseer series, and because of that, there will be spoilers for the first two. Fitz has gone through it. His life, to put it bluntly, sucks. He was almost killed at the end of the first book, was ACTUALLY, but only technically, killed at the end of the second book, only to be resurrected by Burrich and Nighteyes at the very beginning of this book. Fitz has decided that he is going to enact his revenge on Regal and wants to kill him. His quest takes him to many distant places, including past the Mountain Kingdom and into territories that have not been seen by humans for generations, all in his search for Verity.

Here’s the thing, I loved the first two books. I really did. One thing that I will say they are slow at times. They are not all action-packed all the time. In fact, they take their time and are very character-based for the most part, but I love that about these books. When it’s action-packed though, it is ACTION-PACKED. Robin Hobb has developed characters and a world that feel real, and that are both fully fleshed out. Everyone has a very unique voice, and she writes her villains well. Regal was a petulant child and I loved to hate him. The world of the Six Duchies is flesh and bone, real to the touch and unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved all the characters, Kettricken, Nighteyes, Burrich, Molly etc.

Robin Hobb has a very simplistic writing style. It’s not overly flowery or adorned. It gets it’s point across well, and typically I’m a fan of flowery writing and prefer it, but in this story, it doesn’t need it. The simplistic, straight to the point language and style really does the story well. As I said, the plot can be a little slow at times, but in this one, you can see why it needed to be that way.

The ending of this one was satisfying although I have some unanswered questions left. I guess I will have to continue with the next series in her Realm of the Elderlings world. Have you read this? What did you think?

Have a wonderful day, stay safe and healthy,

~Cam

June TBR

I’m gonna have a lot of reading to do in June. I’m setting myself up here, but since the one class that is giving me trouble ends on June 19th, I’ll have more time to read after that. There are fourteen books on this list, and I’m probably not going to have time to finish all of them, but I am certainly going to try.

Between the World and Me- Ta-Nehisi Coates

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark- Michelle McNamara

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms- N.K. Jemisin

The Calculating Stars- Mary Robinette Kowal

Have you read any of these books? How did you feel about them? What are you reading in the month of June?

I hope this post finds you safe and healthy!

~Cam

May Wrap-Up and Some Overall Thoughts

May has been….busy to say the least. I started a class that has kept me very busy, but in the time that I did have, I read these six books! I started Inkheart at the very end of the month, so I do not have a rating or review for it quite yet, but the others are all found on my blog. You can click the links provided to read them if you want more information!

Uprooted- Naomi Novik
Read my review here!

The Deep-Alma Katsu
Read my review here!

Lovely War- Julie Berry
Read my review here!

Vengeful- V.E. Schwab
Read my review here!

Assassin’s Quest- Robin Hobb
Review to come soon!

Inkheart- Cornelia Funke
Review to come next month!

Between The World and Me- Ta-Nehisi Coates
Thoughts to come soon!

What have you been reading this month? Are you staying safe and healthy? I hope that you and your loved ones are safe. I’m about to get a little political here, but I feel it needs to be said. As crazy as the world has been, I hope that everyone knows how much their lives matter. With that being said, all lives will not matter until black lives matter. I was incredibly saddened by the murder of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor that occurred over the last month or so. If you haven’t please sign the petitions here:

Petition for George Floyd
Petition for Breonna Taylor
Petition for Tony McDade
Petition for Ahmuad Arbery

Have a wonderful day, stay safe and healthy,

~Cam

First Line Friday: Inkheart

“Rain fell that night, a fine, whispering rain.”

This is going to be a First Line Friday post hosted by Hoarding Books!

I think that the first line of this book really sets the mood for everything that’s about to happen. This was a series that I grew up reading, and when I saw that they were getting new illustrated covers, and that they were SO beautiful, I just needed to get it and re-read it. The series is about Meggie, and one night, her father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart, and as he is reading aloud, the villain of the story steps out from the page into her living room. Here begins the adventure that Meggie had only read about in books. The one thing that middle grade books do so well is that they can really seem magical and build surprisingly intricate worlds. To be fair, I don’t remember much more about this series, but regardless, I’m super excited to re-read it!

~Cam

5 Books Set in Space

I love space. I find the concept of it so interesting. The vast starry black just fascinates me. I especially love books that are set in space. Whether it’s on a planet or on a spaceship, whether it’s realistic science fiction, or theoretical science fiction, I love it. If the book is set in our solar system, or fictional galaxies far, far away, I am definitely interested. I’ve compiled a list of 5 books set in space, the first three of which I have read, the next two books I have yet to read. Otherwise, these books are in no particular order. The ones I’ve read have to be some of my favorite space books, anyways:

1. The collapsing Empire- John Scalzi

This is a book where humans have found an extra-dimensional field called the Flow. We can access it in certain parts of space and it transports humans to other stars, other worlds. Humanity moves away from Earth, and the new empire, the Interdependency, requires that no human outpost can survive without the others. But the Flow is changing, and it is cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. This story follows three individuals, a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency. They are all in a race to discover what, and if, anything can be done to salvage the interstellar empire. I loved this book. I read it in one sitting while I was flying home to Florida from Maine. It was engaging and kept me really hooked the whole time.

2. The Martian- Andy Weir

I think most people have heard about this book, or have at least watched the movie. It’s about Mark Watney, one of the first astronauts to walk on Mars, and now he is sure that he is going to be the first to die on Mars. A dust storm almost killed him and forced his crew to evacuate, stranding him as they thought he was dead. Mark uses his ingenuity and engineering skills, with a relentless refusal to quit to confront one obstacle after the next. He gets word to Earth and so begins their tireless efforts to rescue him. I loved this book. I can’t say that the science is… COMPLETELY… legit, but it was pretty sound. There were explanations of what Mark was doing to save himself and all the science was well explained, but it wasn’t over-complicated. it as also very action packed and kept you needing to read more, until you can finish it. The movie was also really good. I highly recommend reading the book and then watching the movie.

3. Skyward- Brandon Sanderson

Humans are on the brink of extinction, living underground, constantly being attacked by mysterious alien star fighters. Spensa, longs to be a pilot. She is the daughter of a traitor and has many obstacles in her way to get there. When she discovers the wreckage of an ship, she realizes that she has a chance, if she can repair the ship while also trying to navigate flight school, and more importantly persuade the strange machine to help her. I loved this book, and have been really excited to read the sequel but I just don’t seem to have the time these days! This book was really intense, and the action scenes were SO well written. I love Brandon Sanderson’s action scenes. They’re so fluid and easy to follow, while also keeping the stakes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into YA sci-fi.

4. Velocity Weapon- Megan E. O’keefe

I have not read this one, but something about the cover really called to me. It’s about Sanda and Biran, two siblings that were destined for greatness. Sanda is a high-flying sergeant who has the skills to take down any enemy combatant. Biran is a savvy politician who aims to use his political position to prevent conflict from escalating. However, on a routine maneuver, Sanda loses consciousness when her gunship is blown out of the sky. She awakens 230 years later on a deserted enemy warship controlled by an AI who calls himself Bero. The war is lost. The star system is dead. Ada Prime and it’s rival Icarion have wiped each other form the universe, and so starts our story. Separated by space and time, Sanda and Biran must fight to set things right. This is one that I am super excited for!

5. Sky without stars- Jessica brody & joanne rendell

I have not read this book either, but if seems like it is based on the French Revolution, but in space? Say no more! It went directly on my TBR after this. It’s set on the planet of Laterre, which is governed by an extravagant elite class. The poor are starving, and rebels are resurfacing. We have three characters, a thief, an officer and a guardian. All three roles have some role to play in this dangerous game of revolution, and together they will shape the future of a planet. I’m super excited to read this one!

Those are some books that are set in space. Obviously there are soooo many more, but these are just three that have been some of my favorites and then two that are on the top of my TBR list.

What are some of your favorite space books?

~Cam

Book Review: Vengeful

Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Sci-fi
Page Count: 462
Date Started: May 17th
Date Finished: May 19th
Spoilers? Vague spoilers for the first book in the series, Vicious

A Brief Description

The sequel to VICIOUS, V.E. Schwab’s first adult novel.

Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.

Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

Goodreads || Amazon

I don’t want to survive. I want to thrive.
V.E. Schwab

My reView

As a review of what the first book in the series: Vicious is about Victor Vale and Eliot Cardale. They started out as roommates, they became something close to friends. They were researching near death experiences and if under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities and become and EO (ExtraOrdinary). It also follows them 10 years later, when Victor has broken out of prison and he is determined to catch up to his once friend, now his foe. He is aided by Sydney, who has a stunning ability, and Mitch who is an expert hacker. Meanwhile, Eli is seeking EOs to eradicate every single last one. That’s all I can really say without spoiling book one. Since this is a review of a sequel, if you have not read the first book, proceed with caution, as there may be vague spoilers for Vicious.

Okay, to begin, after the ending of the first book, I was terrified for this book. The characters, Victor specifically, had been through so much already. I loved the first book in this duology. Vicious is dark and it doesn’t shy away from it. It does not pretend to be anything but. The second book is darker. These are dark, morally gray characters that justify atrocities and death to get to their own goals, but damn does V.E. Schwab make you root for them. You WANT them to succeed, at whatever costs necessary.

Speaking of the characters, there are so many, and not one of them is truly good. Every single one of them is… not evil, but human. They feel so real. They make mistakes, they commit sins and they do everything they can to protect those that they care about, themselves included. There were some new characters included that I would like to step on me, but that’s neither here nor there. (Marcella Riggins for any who are curious) I still love Victor Vale, he was one of my favorite characters in Vicious, and that didn’t end with Vengeful. He really did everything he could to protect Mitch and Sydney.

The plot of this book was explosive, it really keeps you guessing, and throw unexpected wrenches in, just to make you keep reading. I read this book in 3 days, just sitting and reading 150 or so pages a day, because anything less felt like a crime. There were parts of this book that were extremely gruesome. It doesn’t shy away from describing the icky and well… vicious… parts of humanity. There were parts that made my skin crawl, for example, if you don’t like medical or surgical descriptions, there is a chunk that might make you uncomfortable. Otherwise, I found the plot engaging. The ending was WILD and left my heart pounding, although I will say that the ending to the first book was stronger overall.

With all of this in mind, I loved this book. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars, easily. I loved every single moment of it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes comic books, superheros or villains with hearts. Have you read this book? What did you think?

~Cam

Book Review: Lovely War

Author: Julie Berry
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Page Count: 468
Date Started: May 9th
Date Finished: May 16th

A Brief Description

A critically acclaimed, multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II, where gods hold the fates–and the hearts–of four mortals in their hands.

They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.

Hailed by critics, Lovely War has received seven starred reviews and is an indie bestseller. Author Julie Berry has been called “a modern master of historical fiction” by Bookpage and “a celestially inspired storyteller” by the New York Times, and Lovely War is truly her masterwork.

Goodreads || Amazon

If music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?
Julie Berry

My Review

This is a story that is told by Aphrodite the goddess of love, who is standing trial to show that love and war go hand in hand. The telling of this story was very unique and something I had not really seen before. It takes place in World War I and World War II. It really didn’t shy away from the atrocities of war and the destruction it caused to the lives of those that were involved.

The story is about two couples. One of the couples is James, a solider, and Hazel, a pianist. The other couple is Aubrey, a black pianist, and Colette, one of the only survivors of the massacre the Nazi’s committed on her village. The characters were pretty believable, they each had their own personalities and dealt with the war in different ways. I enjoyed the way that the romances developed, although James and Hazel’s developed VERY quickly. But, under the circumstances, you see just -why- it went so quickly. Regardless, I don’t LOVE insta-love, so I had to knock some stars off. I will say, I don’t usually read love stories because of the way that the romances tend to progress, but this one was satisfying and had just the right amount of tension and stakes.

The book had the themes of love, loss, grief, racism, PTSD, and the brutality of war. It showed a real and raw depiction of what life was like in 1910s Europe and how people of color were treated. One of the things I liked was that the main characters really called out racism and it did not go unquestioned on the page. The mental health representation is something I cannot speak for due to the fact that I do not suffer from PTSD.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this. I didn’t read it as quickly as I wanted to because classes have started for my semester and I’ve been far too busy to read. Overall, I gave this book 3.5 stars because while overall it was enjoyable, I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t rate it higher. This book was enjoyable, but it’s not usually the kind of book I enjoy. I would still recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, sad stories, or love stories.

What have you been reading? Have you been enjoying it? Stay safe and healthy out there folks!
~Cam

Book Review:The Deep

Author: Alma Katsu
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Horror
Page Count: 320
Date Started: 5/4/2020
Date Finished: 5/9/2020
Spoilers?: No

A Brief Description

Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner’s illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers – including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher – are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .

Goodreads || Amazon

My Review

This book had my interest at the start. I was really interested in seeing where the author would take these characters. I mean, a story set on the Titanic with a haunting taking place? Yes, please!

Sadly, I was…. let down? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the story was nice and it was atmospheric, but, there weren’t a lot of descriptions of the environment. The way it was atmospheric was that I could look up photos of what the rooms in the Titanic looked like to get an idea of the environment. If I hadn’t done that, I don’t think that I would have really had a good picture of how the setting looked.

There were some famous names as well, Benjamin Guggenheim, Madeleine and John Jacob Astor to start. These were people who were on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Madeleine was one of the survivors, and it was certainly interesting to see real life people make an appearance, and these characters were also fleshed out. The others… eh? I didn’t really get a description of one of the main characters until far into the novel, so I didn’t even know what she looked like. I couldn’t even have a good picture in my mind, so when I learned that she was auburn/blonde, it didn’t really fit with how I pictured her.

Next is the plot. So, overall, I thought the plot was interesting. This revolved around the passengers on the Titanic trying to find out what exactly was causing some pretty weird events on the ship. There were some twists and turns, some very unexpected and some that just left me asking why?

All of this being said, the book was still enjoyable. I’m still not sure how I feel about the end. I was left a little disappointed and was definitely expecting something different. That said, I still recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction novels with a twist, or are interested in the era of the 1910s, or the voyage of the Titanic.

Have you read this? What did you think?

~Cam

Five Books Set On the Ocean

The ocean is probably one of the scariest things on our planet. I have a fear of it, of the unknown of it all. We know a lot about the ocean, but when we actually think about it, we have only explored and charted a measly 5 percent! That being said, I’ve been reading a lot of books that are sent on the ocean, so I’ve decided to make a blog post about it! Some of these I’ve read, and some of them are on my TBR. Without further ado, here are five books set on the ocean!

Into the drowning Deep- Mira Grant

This is probably one of the most terrifying books I have ever read. It’s about a voyage to the Mariana Trench by a research vessel that is going to the Mariana Trench to find out if the mermaids that allegedly killed the entire crew of a ship sent 7 years earlier. They find them, and they are not your Little Mermaid-esque mermaids. This book is vicious and kept me up at night. To this day I still think about it, and highly recommend checking it out! I have my review listed here if you want more of my thoughts!

Book Review: Into the Drowning Deep

The Deep- Alma Katsu

At the time of my writing this (May 2020) I am currently reading this. It is a historical fiction novel set on the Titanic on it’s maiden voyage and the hospital ship the Britannic four years later, but it has a paranormal twist. There is talk of spirits and a haunting on the Titanic. Our main character, Annie, tries to find out what exactly is amiss, but before she can, tragedy strikes. Then we see her four years later, aboard the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic which serves as a hospital ship. Here, she starts to see ghosts of her past. I’ll be reviewing this soon, I like it so far, but I’ll go more into my thoughts later this week!

The Deep- Rivers Solomon

This is a book that I have not read yet, but it tells the story of the water breathing descendants of pregnant African slave women tossed overboard. They have built an idyllic society in the deep. Yetu, our main character, holds the memories of her people, far too traumatic to remember regularly. Everyone else has forgotten, save one, the historian. Yetu is our historian. The memories haunt her, so she escapes to the surface and learns more about her own past and the future of her people. From there, she learns that her people must reclaim their memories and identity. This is a novella, so it’s rather short. I’ll be reading this soon!

House of Salt and Sorrows- Erin A. Craig

This is a young adult retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. Annaleigh lives in Highmoor, a manor by the sea with her sisters, father and her stepmother. Four of her twelve sisters have died tragically. There are whispers that the family is cursed. Annaleigh begins to suspect that the deaths were not accidents. This is supposedly a very creepy, haunting book, which I’m really excited for. It’s been on my list for a while, but I’ve been putting it off for some reason. I love a good mystery

Ice Massacre- Tiana Warner

This is another mermaid book, set on the island of Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends warriors to battle the hostile mermaids who are supernaturally beautiful, with one purpose: to lure a sailor to his death.
Every year, these sailors fail to return. Desperate the island decides to send a group of twenty battle-trained girls, who have resistance to the mermaid’s allure.
Our main characer, Meela has lost her brother to the Massacre, and she lives with secrets that have haunted her since childhood.
I’m really intrigued with this one. I have been trying to find a mermaid book that matches Into the Drowning Deep, we’ll see if this one does it for me!

Okay! That’s it for me! It seems that most of the ocean books I have here are about monsters or ghosts on the ocean. I’m certainly down for the creepy, haunting books. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are some of the most terrifying ocean related books that you have read? Let me know in the comments below

~Cam