*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review




Sixteen-year-old Marci Guerrero is one of the best teen hackers in Seattle. However, she’d give up all her talents to know she isn’t crazy.

Marci feels possessed by what she perceives as shadowy spectres that take control of her body and make her do crazy things. While spying on the clandestine group known as IgNiTe, she’s confronted by the leader, James McCray. His presence stirs the spectres inside her brain into a maddening frenzy. Her symptoms and ability to control them don’t go unnoticed by James, who soon recruits her and shows her the awful truth.

Half of the world’s population is infected by sentient parasites. They bind themselves to the human brain and replace the pathways for all thoughts and actions. The creatures then morph their hosts into grotesque monsters with extraordinary strengths. Winged, clawed, fanged half-humans become living nightmares. Now Marci wishes she was crazy, because the truth is worse.

She’s infected.


The premise behind Ignite the Shadows is very creepy. I mean, a parasitic race of sentient beings (Eklyptors) that managed to systematically work its way into controlling half the human population, without the rest of us knowing? Anyone could be one and you’d never know. Scary, right? Marci has always known there was something different about her. She’s been battling the shadows in her mind since she was 5 years old, never knowing what they were or if she’d finally succumb to them. When she meets James and the group Ignite the shadows, they finally *shed light* on what’s been plaguing her, and the world, and their fight to bring the Eklyptors down.

I’m a fan of sci-fi/fantasy and the whole concept of Eklyptors really intrigued me. They creeped me out, but intrigued me all the same. Seymour has quite a way of writing scenes that can make my skin crawl! The story is fast paced and full of action, as well as normal teenage life for Marci, well as normal as you can get for a hacker genius whose father is dead, mother is mentally checked out, and twin brother was kidnapped 30 seconds after birth.

I thought the novel was very good but I did have some problems with story. For one, there were several plot lines started and minimally explored. For example, the story line with Marci’s twin brother was really intriguing to me and seemed like it should have played a much bigger part in the book, but only had a minimal part in the story. I have a feeling we’ll see a lot more of him in book two, but I feel as a reader we could have benefitted from more of him in this one as well.

Marci was a strong character and I liked that she wasn’t just ready to take whatever crap this group, or anyone for that matter, was feeding her. She knew they weren’t giving her all the information (which, why weren’t they giving her all the information?), and she was going to protect herself. Of the several side characters, I liked James the most. While I don’t understand why he hid so much from Marci when he wanted, and needed her help, he seems like a good guy that wants to right by the world. I think we’ll find out more about him and why in book two also.


Overall, I give Ignite the Shadows 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a great starting point for a series and has excellent potential to grow!

Ink and Bone has a really great premise and Rachel Caine delivers the story beautifully.




This is a world where the Library at Alexandria never burned down, but grew to eventually take over and control all the information and knowledge of the world. Personal ownership of books is outlawed and if you're caught with one, it means imprisonment or death. Information is controlled through the use of The Codex and blanks. The Codex is a database of publicly available knowledge and texts, as well as a communication device, and blanks are used to read those volumes. This is a world where teleportation exists, but telephones do no. There's alchemy, steampunk technology, and knowledge matters above all else.

The Brightwell's are a an upstanding London family for all intents and purposes, but in truth deal in the black market of original prints and hard copies of books. Jess Brightwell, is faced with a choice that will decide the rest of his life: test for a placement to become a Scholar for The Great Library, become his father's spy within the Library, or be thrown on the streets. It's not much of a choice really. After Jess tests and is accepted, he goes down the rabbit hole, learning what he can and fighting to keep his place. He makes friends, and enemies, and begins to learn the true nature of the Library. The Library doesn't have peoples' best interests at heart. Their power and control over knowledge is what matters, more than human life; a lesson Jess learns the hard way.





This was a cover buy for me and it did not disappoint!  While I didn't quite understand what was happening in the beginning and it took the first chapter to orient myself, once I did, Ink and Bone sucked me in and there was no turning back. I was reading it any chance I could get just to find out what happened next. This was such a wholly new concept and fresh story, at least to me, that I couldn't get enough. The characters were wonderfully written and developed, just the right amount of romance-but not overdone- to keep me interested, and fantastic world building.

I just couldn't help but love Jess, I mean how could you not? The poor guy has a heartless father, a distant mother, and an aloof twin brother. Then said father forces him to either risk his life and work for the enemy and be a spy OR be disowned, penniless, and thrown on the streets. Thanks dad. The side characters were great too. It had just the right amount of drama and was paced very well. I never felt like the story was dragging.

Did I mention the world building? While it is earth, it's very steampunk with alchemy and strange technology that's not quite magic, and yet the world is still very underdeveloped in many ways. The only means of communication are verbal, through the Codex, or hand written - which is kind of a no-no - transportation is limited to trains, ground vehicles, or animals. With so much knowledge, they were still so limited....

I officially give Ink and Bone 5 stars. I loved it and can't wait for Paper and Fire (July 5)!

*I received a galley of this book from the publisher, but this review and opinions are entirely my own

Your best friend is possessed and no one believes you, what do you do?

Early thoughts: Wow, just wow. Major creep factor? Check. Awesome 80's references? Check. Gave me nightmares? Check - just once, but still. My Best Friend's Exorcism really sucked me in and I continually found myself wanting to pick it back up every time I had to put it down to find out what happened to Abby and Gretchen.




“Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act…different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?”








I really liked the way Hendrix set up this story. It focuses on Abby and how she deals with the fact that her best friend, Gretchen, changes before her eyes, becomes a completely different person, turns on her, and yet she doesn’t give up on her or their friendship. She knows something’s wrong, knows Gretchen wouldn’t act this way, and looks for help in all the places you’re told to when you’re 16: parents, teachers, the principal. What does she get for it? Blame, threats, and slander. Abby is put through the ringer trying to help Gretchen, yet she doesn’t give up. Abby and Gretchen have that unbreakable bond that seems to only form between the young, that can seemingly withstand life and everything it throws at them, but Gretchen being possessed really pushes it to the limits.

The possession itself plays second fiddle to Abby and her part in helping Gretchen overcome. It wasn’t the main focus of the story, which I liked. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still major, and messed up, and creepy as hell, but it’s more subdued seeing it through Abby’s eyes. I appreciated this, to me it helped make the story seem more believable in a way. Not to mention all of the 80’s references! The music, trapper keepers, scrunchies, big hair-sprayed hair, E.T, the works. Hendrix did a great job immersing the reader. I really felt the injustice of Abby's treatment and I wanted to slap someone on her behalf.



If you’re enjoy cult classics, the 80’s, suspense, the supernatural, or just a great story, you should add this to your TBR list. You can pick up your own copy on May 17!

*Disclosure: I received a galley of this book through Netgalley, but this opinion is entirely my own.


It starts with a nightmare that prompts Penelope to create her own museum, cataloging the items from her heartbreak, beginning to end, leading to the creation of The Museum of Heartbreak. From here, we’re taken back to the beginning, to the first item and guided through her story. From meeting Keats, aka the perfect guy - handsome, charming - if only she could get him to notice her. To Eph, her life-long, confusing, infuriating, best guy friend. To Audrey, her increasingly distant best friend, who is growing closer with Penelope’s arch nemesis Cherisse.

Penelope, Eph and Audrey, have been best friends since elementary school and Penelope has this unshakeable belief that it will be just the three of them forever. She doesn’t need other friends or to expand her social circle. She’s never been kissed, is a total fangirl, and loves to read the classics. She believes in all-day tv marathons and holding on to childhood traditions like her life depends on it. She believes that nothing will ever get between her friendship with Eph and Audrey. That is until Keats shows up and throws a wrench into her carefully crafted world. It’s the beginning of something new and the end of everything she thought she knew.


Her relationships are tested; she learns that life isn’t this perfect, Gilbert Blyth and Anne Shirley romance where everyone lives happily ever after. Life is hectic, and messy, and confusing, and everything you took for granted can be taken away with just a few words. Things can break. She manages to meet new people who help change her point of view, and also manages to come to terms with the fact that things don’t always go the way you expected and that’s okay.

While it did have a teenage love triangle, and sometimes I wanted to smack Penelope, I really liked her. I saw much of myself in her - I was a major goodie-two-shoes in high school and could relate to much of her personality. Makes you (me?) wonder who wanted to slap me at times back then, right? I enjoyed her Buffy & Angel references and her imagination was incredible. I think Meg Leder did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. It was funny and relatable, but also got down to the nitty-gritty of teenage heartache. It was a breeze to read and had a few literary Easter eggs I enjoyed (brothers names Keats and Beckett anyone?).


Overall, I enjoyed The Museum of Heartbreak and give it a solid 3.5 stars. I think it would be great for those who enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss or Anatomy of a Misfit.

April was a very busy month! Was it busy for you? I felt like I never really had time to sit and relax.


I finished 11 books in April- 7 Audiobooks, 5 physical books. I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m going to get through more audios this year than physical books, but I’m okay with that. This brings me to 24 audiobooks listened to so far of my goal of 50 for my 2016 Audiobook Challenge.

1. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner  3/5 🌟
2. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga  4/5 🌟
3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab 5/5 🌟
4. Room by Emma Donoghue  4/5 🌟
5. The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder 4/5 🌟
6. Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby  3/5 🌟
7. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman  5/5 🌟
8. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid  3/5 🌟
9. Partials by Dan Wells  4/5 🌟
10. My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel by Grady Hendrix  5/5 🌟
11. Fragments by Dan Wells 4/5 🌟

I managed to finish through page 4 of my Harry Potter Hogwarts Crest this month! Only 8 more pages in the pattern to go! I joke that at this rate, I’ll be done by Christmas. I joke, but it’s very true.


I also made this cute, quick gift for a co-worker as a going-away gift. She was my only fellow Browncoat and I’m going to miss her.

I was lucky enough to find a copy of The Drawing of the Three at a local Goodwill to finally complete my Dark Tower box set again after years of a whole where book two should be. Teaches me to lend out any books!



I ran my first official 10k! I run a lot on my own, but this was my first real race and it was amazing! I finished in 52 min, 11 seconds, for an average of 8:24min/mile, a personal record. Out of nearly 560 people, I finished 89th! I couldn’t believe it. I really liked not having to stop for cars, crossing the street, etc, which is probably why my time improved so much, so I may do more races. We’ll see :)

The left is post race with my finisher medal and the prelim results, and on the right is the official race results.