Book Review: The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Berube

Book Title & Author: The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Berube
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire on August 7th, 2018
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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Synopsis: Something is wrong with Marianne. 

It's not just that her parents have split up, or that life hasn't been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into the hospital. 
She's losing time. Doing things she would never do. And objects around her seem to break whenever she comes close. 
Something is after her. But a first attempt at an exorcism calls down the full force of the thing's rage. It demands Marianne give back what she stole. And Marianne must uncover the truth that lies beneath it all before the nightmare can take what it think it's owed, leaving Marianne trapped in the darkness of the other side.

Review:
I had been looking for a really good horror book lately, so I was excited to pick this one up. It looked really good and I couldn't help but be excited just based off the cover alone. The cover pulls you right in and that's what first excited me about this book.

So I dove into the book with excitement and high expectations. Maybe I shouldn't have had such high expectations because while it was an okay book, it was nothing like I was hoping it would be. The writing was actually my favorite part because it was so atmospheric and creepy. It actually reminded me of Nova Ren Suma's writing. I don't think I've ever read another book where the writing was like Suma's.

I did like that Marianne had an aunt that was so present in her life. We don't get to see extended family much in YA, so I feel like whenever we do, I have to at least make a mention of it. Marianne's Aunt Jen was a good surprise and I actually liked how she interacted with Marianne and how she interacted with her troubled sister.

I couldn't stand Marianne's father. In fact, I felt like he was a selfish man who ran when things got hard. And by things, I mean his wife's mental health. He called his wife's "episodes" Hurricane Laura. I mean, how much more unsupportive could he be? When he called Marianne's mom "Hurricane Laura" I almost always wanted to slap him. I know it's not easy to live with someone who has mental health issues, but he married her for better or worse and when things got "worse" he ran like a bat out of hell. Ugh, I cannot STAND that.

My heart broke for Marianne's mother. I couldn't imagine being so afraid of hurting people I loved. I couldn't imagine what was going on in her head. I couldn't imagine hoe scared she must have been when certain things started happening and she thought she was the cause of them. And to have her husband just walk out on her like that. Just because she was struggling with her mental health.

What I wasn't expecting was Marianne's romance subplot, but oh my god, I think I loved it more than I expected to. It was grin-worthy. I don't think I've ever used that phrase before, certainly not in a review, but I loved this romance. It brought some peace to the insanity that was Marianne's life.

I ended up being really disappointed by the horror/paranormal aspects of this book. I cannot believe I have to say this, but I was expecting something much scarier as the book continued on, and in fact, it got less scary and more confusing as the book went on.

Final thoughts: This book disappointed me in the paranormal/horror aspects, but for people who scare easily, this is a decent book to dip your toe in if you want to try horror. 

Book Review: Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes

Book Title & Author: Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes
Published by: Harper Teen on August 28th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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Synopsis: Embry Woods has secrets. Small ones about her past. Bigger ones about her relationship with town hero Luke and her feelings for someone new. But the biggest secret she carries with her is about what happened that night at the Sea Cliff Inn. The fire. The homeless guy. Everyone thinks Embry is a hero, too, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Embry thinks she’ll have to take the secret to her grave, until she receives an anonymous note—someone else knows the truth. Next comes a series of threatening messages, asking Embry to make impossible choices, forcing her to put her loved ones at risk. Someone is playing a high stakes game where no one in Embry’s life is safe. And their last move...is murder.

Review: 
I had a lot of hope for this book because I had been so disappointed in Stokes' release last summer. Generally, Stokes' books are a hit or miss for me and since last year's release was a miss, I was hoping this one would be a hit. While this one was definitely not a slam dunk for me, it was definitely a hit, and more importantly, may very well be my favorite of Stokes' books.

I was worried at first because it started off kinda slow and Embry was a tough nut to crack at first. I do adore unlikeable characters, in fact, I have a soft spot for them for many reasons. Embry seemed unlikeable in the beginning because you just had to wonder what in the hell she was thinking with some of her decisions. Yet, I kept having to remind myself that she was a teenager and many teenagers make really crappy decisions.

Embry's relationship with her mom was what won me over though. I know there was a lot of emphasis on the blackmail & the mystery of that, but I found that some of my favorite parts were when Embry and her mom were together. Their relationship reminded me so much of my relationship with my mom. Watching Embry deal with the real possibility that her mom could die caused me to have honest to goodness stomach cramps. All I wanted to do was hug my mom. Sure, Embry's mom was fine...now, but the ever-present threat lingered over Embry's head.

Embry's mom is a big reason why she refused to own up to her part in the Sea Cliff Inn fire. She knew that they could lose her mom's coffee shop & their house if she confessed and they were already financially struggling. So when the blackmail starts, Embry chooses to do what she can to spare her mom. Again, I understood that. I would have given anything to spare my own mom pain if I were in that situation.

The problem with doing a mystery in a small town like this is that there are a very small pool of suspects. Granted, that's probably good for the law enforcement department. So, I had a very small list of candidates for the blackmail scheme. And every time something new was uncovered, my thoughts about who could be doing it, changed.

There were a few little things that I totally predicted, but they didn't detract from the story. Love when that happens.

I wasn't 100% sold on Holden & Embry as a couple by the end. Maybe it was how they got together, maybe it's because I didn't totally trust him, I don't know. 

Final thoughts: Really engaging mystery and probably my favorite of Stokes' books.

Book Review: Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

Book Title & Author: Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books on August 7th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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Synopsis:Michael is an atheist. So as he walks through the doors at St. Clare’s—a strict Catholic school—sporting a plaid tie, things can’t get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow nonbeliever at that. Only this girl, Lucy, is not just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest.
But Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism. After an incident in theology class, Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies. When Michael takes one mission too far—putting the other Heretics at risk—he must decide whether to fight for his own freedom, or rely on faith, whatever that means, in God, his friends, or himself.

Review:Okay, so clearly I have a thing for secret societies. I don't think I realized that until I finished this book. I guess, to me, secret societies mean that people, usually teens are fighting for change. In our current world, standing up against things we don't agree with is brave & awesome. Fighting for change is awesome and that's just what Heretics Anonymous does.

I was super stoked about this book because I was raised Catholic. I even applied to a super competitive all girls Catholic high school, but I didn't get in. I ended up at a teeny tiny Lutheran school. So technically, I had 2 different religions and my own personal beliefs fighting for room in my brain. I was familiar with everything St. Clare's did in terms of Mass, communion and the majority of the Bible. I generally try to avoid books about religion because I'm always afraid they'll get too preachy and make me want to scream and throw stuff, but I was really excited about this one.

By Michael's age, I'd already realized I was an atheist. I was an atheist going to a Lutheran school, having been raised Catholic. It was a weird feeling and it definitely made me feel like even more of an outsider than my physical disability did. So I was able to relate to Michael in a way that I never relate to male MCs, so kudos to Henry for that.

I was worried that Lucy was going to be "too preachy" and that I was going to hate her. But she wasn't and I didn't. I didn't love the romance between them, and in fact felt like it took something away from the book. I felt like they were better as friends. Lucy ended up being a surprise for me. I ended up enjoying her friendships with Avi, Eden & Max. Lucy was a tiny bit judgmental towards Eden, which really irked me and definitely irked Eden, but I was able to move past it.

It was weird because I actually liked the male characters in this book more than I liked the female characters. I'm not even sure why bu Michael, Avi & Max were standouts in this book, I definitely wish there was more of Avi & Max and a little less of Lucy & Eden.

I won't get into all the crazy stuff they do, only because I want everyone to read this book and I don't want to spoil it for you. They spend the book challenging the Catholic teachings, the double standards, the dress codes etc. 

There's one scene in this book that really struck me because they are talking about kids preparing for their First Communion and how St. Clare's wants to help support them in this choice. What choice? They're kids, 8 years old in fact. They don't get a choice in this. I didn't. I loved that segment because it was the truth. Kids don't get to decide stuff like this.

This book was such a nice surprise with decently developed characters and all the non-preachy discussions on religion. I was really excited about this one and I'm so happy that I wasn't disappointed in it.

Final thoughts: I would recommend this book for very specific people. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure a devout Catholic would feel the same way.