Recent Reads

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan (2024)

Rae is dying from terminal cancer when one day she is approached with a mysterious offer - a chance to live by first entering the fantasy world of her favorite book series and retrieving a flower.  With nothing to lose, Rae takes a chance and wakes up as a character in the story, with the world around her feeling all too real.  She's been cast as one of the villains, and she'll have to be truly devious to keep herself from being killed.  I really enjoyed this book!  It took me a little bit to really get into it - the writing is very dense, to create this fantasy world - but the concept is amazing!  A chance to meet some of your favorite characters and experience their world?  Awesome!  As Rae makes it further into the storyline, things are not quite as she expected, and even her own actions will have serious consequences.  I admired Rae's ability to maneuver this world while still being herself, and the cast of characters around her are both terrifying and extraordinary.  I'm excited to see where Brennan takes the story next!  4 stars

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose (2025)

After spending her childhood unhappily helping her doomsday-prepping dad, Casey left as soon as she could and hasn't looked back.  That is, until a zombie apocalypse surges through the nation and she's forced to return to her childhood home.  There, she finds her father had continued his prepper ways and is now thriving, somewhat, while offering refuge to several other people, including Casey's childhood nemesis, Blake.  This book had a little bit of everything, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  There's some science fiction, with the zombies, and of course plenty of gore comes along with that.  There's action and drama, as the survivors fight to keep their home safe.  Casey and her father are able to work on their damaged relationship, and I definitely shed some tears there!  And Casey and Blake finally find some common ground and, in working together, love blossoms.  After an explosive ending, I'm hoping for a sequel!  4.5 stars

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