Pleasant Nights

Title: The Thirteenth Child

Author: Erin A. Craig

Genre: fantasy

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m not a big fantasy fan, but this felt more like magical realism to me. I read Small Favors previously and enjoyed it, but this book was just wonderful and will stick with me for a while.

Hazel is the thirteenth child in her family, and before she was even born, the god of Death claimed her as his own goddaughter. He vowed to take care of her and train her to be a healer. Although he waited twelve years to fulfill that promise, Hazel became well-trained in her craft.

As she grows older, she realizes that the gods are much more impactful and difficult to deal with than she had expected. And the devotion of their followers isn’t always for the good of humanity. When Hazel is tasked with saving the king, her outlook on how the world works is changed forever. This book was really great, and I definitely recommend it.

Title: Seat 3A

Author: Eric Sugrue

Genre: mystery

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

From seat 3A on an airplane, Christian sees what he believes is a dead body during takeoff. Convinced he saw this, but with no news reports, he immediately takes a flight back home to uncover the mystery.

As Christian digs into the death of this man, he discovers how closely related to the entire mess he actually is. He does a lot of amateur detective work and reveals layer upon layer of entanglement for this dead man. This book was just okay, though. The story was fine, but the author relies too heavily on luck and coincidence for Christian to make his discoveries. None of it felt realistic.

Title: The Forest Grimm

Author: Kathryn Purdie

Genre: YA Fantasy

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Clara’s town of Grimm Hollow is next to the Grimm Forest, which normally isn’t a problem. But when a townsperson is murdered, the Forest closes itself off to the townspeople, who still try to enter but become Lost.

Clara and her friends find a loophole and safely enter the Forest in an attempt to find the Lost. Through many trials, they meet some of their townspeople who have forgotten their true identities. And an enormous wolf follows them.

This book was a really fun take on a variety of fairy tales, mostly Little Red Riding Hood, but many others are blended in. This was a really creative book, and I definitely recommend it.

Title: Thin Air

Author: Kellie M. Parker

Genre: YA mystery

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This was a YA locked-room mystery, set entirely on an airplane. Twelve teenagers are headed to Paris for a competition. They are all from private schools and don’t know one another, aside from their partner from the same school. Upon departure, they settle in, but the foundation expects them to start competing early.

As the students begin to solve a puzzle, bizarre things start happening. Their secrets are revealed via the plane’s intercom. One girl nearly dies from an allergic reaction. And then others actually do begin to die. This cannot be what the foundation has planned, so they must figure out who is behind this.

Told from Emily’s perspective, you realize she’s not the one behind it all, but then, who is? As much as I enjoyed the plot, this book is way too heavy on teen angst and talking about someone’s “gorgeous” eyes or “muscly” biceps. It was off-putting, really. I’m not sure even a teen would keep from rolling their eyes at this one.

Title: We Would Never

Author: Tova Mirvis

Genre: literary fiction/mystery

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

We find out at the beginning of the book that Hailey’s ex-husband has been murdered, and people think she had something to do with it. Rewind several months, and we see her marriage fall apart. Hailey’s mother is overbearing, to say the least, and basically demands that Hailey move home to Florida from New York, where her ex and their daughter live.

Hailey’s brother, Nate, tries to help. Her brother, Adam, is estranged from the family. And their father just tries to keep moving forward with life. I thought it was interesting that this was based on a true story. And even though most of the characters were wholly unlikable, I wanted to see which of them was behind the murder, Hailey? Her crazy mother? Her protective brother? Or none of the above? Good book that kept me reading.

Title: Motherthing

Author: Ainslie Hogarth

Genre: Horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Ralph and Abby have a great marriage, but live with Ralph’s mother, Laura, because she needs help. When Laura dies, Ralph thinks her ghost is still around and falls into depression. Abby tries to keep moving forward, but begins to fall apart in a different way.

Abby continues working at a long-term care facility and forms a relationship with Mrs. Bondy (or should I say, forms a bond?), but that doesn’t go well, either. I like a good, weird book, but this one just never came together for me. Abby spends a lot of time reading this cookbook from the 1930s and decides she needs to cook something great for her husband to heal him. And …well… that takes a turn. I liked this book, but it was just okay.