Happy Halloween! BOOK REVIEWS: For All Ages

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BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

Based on the series created by Joss Whedon

Illustrated by Kim Smith

2018; Quirk Books (40 Pages)

RATING: 4 STARS

I am a HUGE fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series.  I have seen all the seasons a few times through, and even have some of the novelizations.   Buffy was everything I loved as a teen – sarcasm, cute guys, paranormal/supernatural, strong women and teen angst – that just kind grew up with me.  I was about the same age as Buffy when the show cam on so I could really relate.  I know if I ever have a daughter this is a series I hope that I can share with her.  Now with this book, I could introduce her to the Scooby gang much sooner.  I like Smith’s illustrations, they fit with how I would imagine a children’s animation would be like.  This is a must-have for all Buffy fans, and this is on my wish-list.

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YOU MAY NOW KILL THE BRIDE

(Return to Fear Street: #1)

Written by R.L. Stine

2018; Harper Teen (352 Pages)

RATING: 3 STARS

Fear Street is back in another relaunch, with Stine still at the helm.  I loved Fear Street as a preteen to my late teens.  This series was unlike any other as it wasn’t just vampire love stories. The series had romance but it wasn’t the central theme of the books.  I have read the new “Fear Street Relaunch” books, but I am not really feeling them.  I don’t know if it is me, being an adult, or the books have lost their magic, or they aren’t written as well.  I will have to go back and read an old Fear Street book to put the to the test.  I started this novel with a bit of trepidation, but liked it a lot more tan I expected.  This novel goes back to the Fears if Fear Street and their enemy the Goodes.  Two sisters are torn apart when they fall for the same boy, and tragedy leads to more tragedy in present day Fear Street. It was a decent story that was perfect for the Halloween season.  I will be continuing with with book two!

***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***

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PROVIDENCE

Written by Caroline Kepnes
(Narrated by Paul Michael, Emily Rankin and MacLeod Andrew)
2018; Lenny/Simon & Schuster (367 Pages)
(Audio length: 12 hours and 42 minutes)

RATING: 2 STARS

I was expecting book to be a bit like Room or  Then She Was Gone but it turned out to be quite different.  The book starts out great – a young boy is ready to confess his feelings to a girl when he is kidnapped.  The young girl feels like it is her fault and starts to change and rebel.  When the young boy escapes and returns home that is when the story really starts, but at the same time it is where it starts to lose me.  By the end of the audiobook I was just happy it ended.  I will say that I enjoyed Kepnes writing and found her ideas interesting.  I am really looking forward to reading her novel, You, as I have heard great reviews.  This book seems to have very mixed reviews.  I would  normally say give it 50 pages but those are the best parts that sucks you in…I would say pass on this unless you are a big fan of Kepnes and want to read all of her books.