Good morning, bookworms! How's everyone's week going? Mine's been relaxing and crammed full of reading. I'm trying to soak up every bit of these summer break vibes before school starts back for me this Thursday. However, I am excited to get back on campus for some in-person classes! Maybe I'll meet some fellow bookworms?? I can only hope so. I had full intentions to churn out a bunch of blog posts over break, but that plan just...didn't happen. I don't know, once break started all I wanted to do was read, watch TV shows, and generally do nothing that requires a large amount of brain power. So as a result, this is my first blog post written during break. *sigh* Better than nothing. Today I bring you my review of Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain! I can't wait to tell you all about this atmospheric paranormal thriller, so let's dive right in... Special thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Book Synopsis and Information
My ReviewI loved this book! I was immediately sucked into this world of psychics and mysteries and enjoyed every moment of this book. The world-building was really effective, and the descriptions of La Cachette were vibrant and detailed so I felt like I was there with the characters. The small-town mystery vibes were immaculate! The entire book was atmospheric and haunting. I also liked how each character had unique psychic abilities; initially I worried that this would come off as clichéd or tacky, but it actually worked well for this book, enhancing that spooky mystery feeling. The idea of the Summer Children was also interesting! There were so many little details that worked to make this world seem entirely realistic. Overall, I wouldn't say that I loved the characters, but they were certainly entertaining to read about. Many of them were actually quite unlikeable (Hart, I'm looking at you), but it added to this book's unsettling ambiance. I was suspicious of just about every single character at one point or another. Grey was an interesting protagonist, and we watched her struggle with accepting the death of her best friend, her twin flame. She felt like an entirely realistic character, flawed and struggling, often unsure, getting through life day by day. I liked her grandmother, Honey, a lot; she was a bright, warm character, and while still keeping her own secrets sometimes, I could tell how much she loved Grey. The romance felt a bit half-baked to me. It was okay, but not much actually happened nor was there really a conclusion. There was some awkward little love triangle that I was not a fan of. It felt a little like the romance was shoved in just for the sake of having some romance when, in reality, we could have just stuck to friendship and been perfectly fine. The conclusion to the mystery was brilliant, and I never saw it coming! I should have seen it coming--it seems so obvious in retrospect--but alas, I did not. It was a shocking, dramatic end to the book. To conclude, I really enjoyed Dark and Shallow Lies! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an atmospheric thriller with paranormal elements. I gave this book 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Make sure to grab a copy of this book when it hits the shelves September 7th!
What are your favorite paranormal reads? Let me know in the comments!
2 Comments
|
Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
Categories |