Book Round-Up: Cruel, Crows, Non-Fiction

Is anyone else in awe that July is almost over? Anyone? I'm organizing back to school lists, going through clothes to make sure everyone has pants that fit, I'm getting half done projects off of my desk and craft tables and finishing up books left and right. There aren't enough days in the week for me to do a book a day sometimes, so let's do another round up!

Cruel Acts - Jane Casey

Leo Stone is a killer. A year ago, he was convicted of murdering two women and sentenced to life without parole. But now, a juror from his trial has revealed the jury was prejudiced, and a retrial is called.

Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are tasked with re-examining the evidence. Before long, they uncover links between Stone and a possible third victim.

But with Stone behind bars, a fourth woman disappears in similar circumstances. Is there a copycat killer out there, or have they been wrong about Stone from the start? And will Maeve discover the truth before another innocent victim is killed?

While this was the eighth book in the Maeve Kerrigan series, it was definitely a stand alone since it was my first. I got a little confused with Josh was introduced because clearly there is a backstory between the two but we got enough that I had an idea and honestly, it doesn't matter because this case is enough on its own. We have a man who was convicted on some pretty horrible murders, possibly being let out because of some mistakes on the original trial. Maeve and Josh are tasked with going over EVERYTHING again to convict him for good. Except as they start digging things aren't so clear and suddenly another woman goes missing with the same MO. If you are a fan of Law & Order, you will love this one. I flew through this one in one night because this kind of stuff is right up my alley. I loved the ending, the solving of the mystery. I can't say that I saw this one coming but I knew the beginning of the book felt... off... so I'll give you that clue. There were some things set up for a book nine for Maeve, so I think we'll be seeing her again soon. It definitely makes me want to read the other books because this was pretty entertaining and definitely a page turner. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Well, lest you think I can get through everything, this one was a DNF for me. I know, I hear all of you gasping out there because this book is much beloved all over Instagram and I just.... I couldn't get into it. I ended up DNF'ing it once I got to the point where they are just beginning this journey and I discovered there is a book two and I thought, nope. Nope, I cannot trudge my way through this only to have to read a second one like this. HARD PASS. The author spent so much time with meaningless details and every once in awhile we're reminded that all of the characters are in their teens, which only made this more insane. It didn't make sense at all. The mission itself doesn't make sense either and frankly, it seems more work than its worth. Of course, that's just me. I just couldn't get into this and if I have to spend half the book reading for it to get good, I'm going to toss it because there are far too many great books out there to waste my time on this. I do think if you are generally a fan of YA fantasy, you'd likely enjoy this one a lot more than I did. ⭐

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? - Karyl McBride, Ph.D.

The first book for the millions of daughters suffering from the emotional abuse of selfish, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert advice readers need to overcome debilitating histories and reclaim their lives.

Interesting story on this one. So YEARS ago, possibly before I even had kids maybe, this woman was on either Oprah or Dr. Phil talking about her book and just narcissistic people in general and the topic was so interesting to me because I had never heard of it before, so I wanted to read this. Not surprisingly, not bookstore around me carried it and I wasn't as big of a reader as I am now so I didn't have any need to purchase it. Fast forward until last year, there was the annual library sale and in the piles of non-fiction was this one, in brand new condition (minus a sticker I was able to peel off easily), and I have read a chapter here and there for kind of awhile. I really liked this one and I remembered why I wanted to read it. The author does a really great job just explaining what it means to be a narcissist, but also how that behavior affects other people, but more particularly, their children. I highly recommend this one if you are a daughter of a narcissistic mother (obviously, because that's the sub-title..ha!) but also if you just want to know more about the subject. Areas of mental health are of interest to me and this was definitely a good one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ready to go shopping? I'm including the links for all of these, even Six of Crows because just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. 

 

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