All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC Review)

Title: All the Crooked Saints
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic Realism
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date published: October 10, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 320
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Here is a thing everyone wants: a miracle.
Here is a thing everyone fears: what it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Munchies: Late-Night Meals from the World’s Best Chefs by J.J. Goode, Helen Hollyman, and the Editors of Munchies (Mini Review)

Title: Munchies: Late-Night Meals from the World’s Best Chefs
Author: J.J. Goode, Helen Hollyman, and the Editors of Munchies
Type: Nonfiction
Genre: Cookbooks, Food and Drink
Imprint: Ten Speed Press
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date published: October 24, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 254
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

This cookbook, based on the game-changing web series Chef’s Night Out, features stories of the world’s best chefs’ debauched nights on the town, and recipes for the food they cook to soak up the booze afterwards. MUNCHIES brings the hugely popular show Chef’s Night Out (on VICE Media’s food website, MUNCHIES) to the page with snapshots of food culture in cities around the world, plus tall tales and fuzzy recollections from 65 of the world’s top chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, Dominique Crenn, David Chang, Danny Bowien, Wylie Dufresne, Inaki Aizpitarte, and Enrique Olvera, among others. Then there are the recipes: dishes these chefs cook when they’re done feeding customers, and ready to feed their friends instead. With chapters like “Drinks” (i.e., how to get your night started), “Things with Tortillas,” “Hardcore” (which includes pizzas, nachos, poutines, and more), and “Morning After” (classy and trashy dishes for the bleary-eyed next day), MUNCHIES features more than 65 recipes to satisfy any late-night craving and plenty of drinks to keep the party going.

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks (Review)

Title: Uncommon Type: Some Stories
Author: Tom Hanks
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary
Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date published: October 17, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 405
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor.

A gentle Eastern European immigrant arrives in New York City after his family and his life have been torn apart by his country’s civil war. A man who loves to bowl rolls a perfect game–and then another and then another and then many more in a row until he winds up ESPN’s newest celebrity, and he must decide if the combination of perfection and celebrity has ruined the thing he loves. An eccentric billionaire and his faithful executive assistant venture into America looking for acquisitions and discover a down and out motel, romance, and a bit of real life. These are just some of the tales Tom Hanks tells in this first collection of his short stories. They are surprising, intelligent, heartwarming, and, for the millions and millions of Tom Hanks fans, an absolute must-have!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao (Review)

Title: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
Author: Julie C. Dao
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling
Imprint: Philomel Books
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date published: October 10, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 363
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins–sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix (ARC Review)

Title: Paperbacks From Hell
Author: Grady Hendrix
Type: Nonfiction
Genre: Horror, History, Art,
Imprint: Jimmy Patterson
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Date published: September 19, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 256
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of the 1970s and ’80s . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate! Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. It’s an affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of two iconic decades, complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles. You’ll find familiar authors, like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, and many more who’ve faded into obscurity. Plus recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco (ARC Review)

Title: Hunting Prince Dracula
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Historical, Mystery, Horror
Imprint: Jimmy Patterson
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Date published: September 19, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 326
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper’s true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe’s best schools of forensic medicine…and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life’s dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school’s forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter (Review)

Title: When I Cast Your Shadow
Author: Sarah Porter
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror
Imprint: TOR Teen
Publisher: TOR Books
Date published: September 12, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 384
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Dashiell Bohnacker was hell on his family while he was alive. But it’s even worse now that he’s dead…

Ruby. Haunted by her dead brother, unable to let him go, Ruby must figure out whether his nightly appearances in her dreams are the answer to her prayers—or a nightmare come true…

Everett. He’s always been jealous of his dashing older brother. Now Everett must do everything he can to save his twin sister Ruby from Dashiell’s clutches.

Dashiell. Charming, handsome, and manipulative, Dash has run afoul of some very powerful forces in the Land of the Dead. His only bargaining chips are Ruby and Everett. At stake is the very survival of the Bohnacker family, bodies and souls…

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Review)

Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Historical, Mystery, Horror
Imprint: Jimmy Patterson
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Date published: September 5, 2016
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 326
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

Shade, the Changing Girl (Volume 1: Earth Girl Made Easy) by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone (Review)

Title: Shade, the Changing Girl (Volume 1: Earth Girl Made Easy)
Author: Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone
Type: Fiction, Sequential Art
Genre: Comic, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Superheroes
Publisher: DC Comics
Date published: July 18, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 144
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Part of Gerard Way’s new imprint, DC’s Young Animal!

Far away on the planet Meta, Loma’s going nowhere fast. She’s dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That’s where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff (ARC Review)

Title: Godsgrave
Author: Jay Kristoff
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Imprint: Thomas Dunne Books
Publisher: Macmillan
Date published: September 5, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 448
Source: Publisher

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.