Three Reviews, Three 5 Stars yet different Books

Beth is Death.

Uau! 5 stars

Get book here (preorder, Will release January 2026), Simon & Schuster

It's so awesome. I never discovered whodunnit until it was revealed. The Little Women sisters are presented with the same vibrant personality but in a murder thrilling mystery, and instead of Beth leaving us at the end of the book, she is found in chapter one. I love that the author created the idea of the book about them being written by their father, which brought the sisters into public scrutiny. Truth is, when we look closer, many have a motive. A modern-inspired tale/retelling of Little Women. 

I loved this one and already recommended it a lot. I was trying to decide which of my sisters was my favorite, but for different reasons, I loved them all. 

Volume 2 of The Five Lamps: The Fire of Scarlag

5 Stars

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"If you can think clearly in the dark, you can become the master of your fate." 

Give this quote a thought and apply it to any situation or age. This novel is a great example of epic adventure that is family-friendly and fun, whether you are reading along with your kids, introducing fantasy adventure to them, or letting them enjoy independent reading time. 

Bean (the main character) is a sweet, brave, amazing vole. She keeps the quest going with innocence and sweetness. She always believes the best of others. Bean may be just one small vole, but what she does matters; one act of defiance against tyrants matters. 

Mortalmar (the wizard) is a great mentor, and we're still going to see more of him in this volume.

In this volume, we learn a lot about the lamps, the stones, and the crescendo of high stakes and well-written action scenes leads us to a fantastic battle with fun plot twists at the end.

We have fun locations such as Mousecastle and Rodentfell. 

A story packed with action and adventure, betrayals, heroes, villains, multiple POVs... I love how much Tolkien's work influenced the author's path. 

The book includes a glossary of names and characters at the end, which makes it easier for us to keep up with the great cast. 

There is a good balance between fast-paced action scenes and exposition. 

"Bean stepped back, knowing it was her end but refusing to die." 

Novella: Channel 137

4.75 stars

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Horror fans rejoice. This one will crawl under our skin, and it will stay for a long while. This is the type of story that makes us question our actions and choices in character places. That will remind us of these characters every time we see an old-fashioned TV. I loved that he was taunted, seduced by possibilities, greedy. 

The author loves words, the cadence of words, and the crafting of each paragraph with care. The way the tension builds slowly, we can actually hear the static and the turn on and off. Well written. playing with parallel realities opens a lot of possibilities, but I do love an ambiguous open ending. There's nothing more creepy than that. 

Key word: static.... 

I recommend it to all classic fan readers.