All Things Halloween Review - Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, # 0.5)

By: Suzanne Collins

Publication: March 18, 2025 by Scholastic Press

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

I don't often return to series that I feel has been complete when additional books are written over time. Especially if a large amount of time has passed, and even more especially if the new book is a prequel. The Hunger Games already had a prequel that I wasn't the least bit interested in. I tried to force myself to get it and read it just to complete the series, but I was never interested in President Snow's story, so I never finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but Haymitch was a much more interesting character from the original books in my opinion, and I heard good things about it from my nephew. So I decided to check it out. And I actually listened to this almost non-stop on our trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN in April.

Because this is a prequel, you already know how Haymitch's story ends. He wins his year of the hunger games. He is District 12's only winner. And he lives alone in the winner's village, drinking himself into a stupor more times than not. And yeah, so that's exactly where Sunrise on the Reaping ends. What the reader doesn't fully know or understand is the journey to get there.

I want to discuss some topics in detail, but I don't want to spoil anything for the reader since we already know so much about how this story ends; spoiling anything else would make the book pointless. I won't say that Sunrise on the Reaping is necessary to enjoy the series, but it does make an already interesting character more understandable and interesting.

The narrator, Jefferson White, did a great job. I can't tell you the last time I listened to a book entirely narrated by a male, but I enjoyed this one. Sometimes the female voices were a bit much, but it didn't bother me too much.

Sunrise on the Reaping was better than I thought it was going to be. At one point, I was hoping for an ending that was different from what I knew to be the actual ending. So to get me invested enough to hope against what I know to be true felt like a feat well accomplished. Sunrise on the Reaping gets 4 Stars. Have you read or listened to Sunrise on the Reaping? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

A Fire in the Sky - Review

A Fire in the Sky

By: Sophie Jordan

Expected Publication: September 24, 2024 by Avon

336 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Dragons

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard...though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride...but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead...it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

The first thing you need to know is that A Fire in the Sky is not a standalone prequel to the Firelight series. I didn't know this until reading the acknowledgments after the book ended. That being said, the pacing of this book felt completely off for me. The closer I got to the end of the book, I felt like the plot should be wrapping up more than it was. A Fire in the Sky ended in a cliffhanger, but other parts were left open. Knowing more books are to come makes this make sense, but not knowing it affected my enjoyment as I was reading. I kept getting pulled out of the story because it didn't make sense that this was a standalone. It's not.

Tamsyn has been raised like a sibling to the princesses of Penterra. Well, except for one large difference, she has been the royal whipping child for the princesses and has taken all of their punishments upon herself. I hated this for Tamsyn, yet I liked this idea with some historical backing used to create a strong female lead character. She is used to keeping her behavior and feelings under wrap so she doesn't incur more punishments than she already received.

Fell has been fighting on the border to protect the kingdom. He demands to wed one of the princesses not because he wants power so much as he needs his voice heard. He needs the council and king to understand what's happening on the kingdom's border. But Fell is tricked into marrying Tamsyn. He isn't happy to have been tricked, but he doesn't want to annul the marriage either. 

I feel much more beyond that description enters into spoiler territory. The wedding night scene is the main spicy scene. I can't remember if there was more than that, but if there was I don't think it was much. However, cursing was abundant in A Fire in the Sky. 

I didn't highlight much. Only three things and none of them are anything I want to share. 

The cliffhanger and the characters kept me interested in reading more. And since finishing A Fire in the Sky, I did see A Scar in the Bone on Goodreads. But not knowing from the beginning that this was intended to be the first in a prequel series threw off my entire experience of the book. Coupled with a couple of plot points that fell a little short of great writing in my opinion leaves me giving A Fire in the Sky 3.5 Stars. I enjoyed it, but it also blows my mind to see it recommended so frequently by some reviewers and influencers on Instagram and such. Hopefully, as the series continues my rating for this book might raise. Have you read A Fire in the Sky? What did you think? Let me know!

In Her Wake - Review

In Her Wake (Ten Tiny Breaths, # 0.5)

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: September 1st 2014 by Atria Books

256 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.

When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.

Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.

And there’s only one person who can give that to him…

I wasn’t 100% sure what In Her Wake was going to be. I knew it would be from Trent’s POV, but I wasn’t 100% sure if it was pre-Ten Tiny Breaths or more of a retelling of Ten Tiny Breaths or a mixture of both. In Her Wake is a true prequel. This is Trent, where he was and what he went through, from slightly before the car accident until he follows Kacey to Miami. And honestly, I really appreciated that. I like for a book to be what it’s advertised to be.

In Her Wake isn’t a happy book though. As we know from Ten Tiny Breaths, Trent and Kacey are both involved in the same car crash. They’re both also the sole survivors from the vehicles they were in. Trent and his friends were drinking at a college party. Trent was supposed to be the designated driver, but he ended up drinking that night. He didn’t get behind the wheel, but he did let his best friend Sasha behind the wheel impaired. Granted, Trent wasn’t aware of how impaired Sasha was. Kacey was in the car on her way home from a rugby game with her parents, her best friend Jenny, and her boyfriend Billy. So I went into In Her Wake knowing that the accident was coming and knowing some of Trent’s actions that follow the accident. But what I didn’t really expect or prepare for was how deeply sad Trent’s story would be. It’s so easy to judge from afar. To see people’s mistakes and judge them—condemn them for it—especially if we’re collateral damage and hurt in the process. What I’ve learned from reading books that show both characters’ POVs is that I’m a lot more lenient with a character if I can see inside their head. In this case, Trent is so deeply broken after the accident. He feels so much guilt. It will never bring back those who didn’t survive the accident, but it also doesn’t make him less than human. He is still a person who is struggling and needs forgiveness.

Man, I feel like these characters are real. I feel like this is a story that’s happened in real life. I know that there are people out there who have experienced very similar events in their own lives. And it’s a testament to KA Tucker and her writing that it does feel so real to me. One of the best compliments that I can give to In Her Wake is that it planted within me the desire to re-read Ten Tiny Breaths so much that I have actually done just that. I’ve neglected all my reading responsibilities, and the backlog of other review books that I desperately need to get to, in order to re-read a book I’ve already experienced (and loved). I’m a re-reader anyway—when I can find the time—but In Her Wake made me decide to MAKE time.

I will say, that even though Trent came off a bit unhinged and cuckoo in Ten Tiny Breaths when Kacey found out who he was, In Her Wake probably didn’t help that any. I had no idea how much stalking Trent actually did. Seriously. I mean I’m not sure I can blame him—being obsessed with trying to make the life better of the one person who you had a hand in taking everything from--but he crossed some major creep boundaries lines. I can see where readers who struggle with this type of male character will not respond to this well at all. BUT, that didn’t bother me really.

In Her Wake gets 4.5 Stars from me. I didn’t all out cry, but I got a little misty-eyed. I don’t think In Her Wake was quite as good as Ten Tiny Breaths, but since I’m doing a re-read, I’ll be able to report back on that in more detail later. I’m also not sure why In Her Wake was classified as a novella since it’s around the same length as Tin Tiny Breaths. Have you read In Her Wake? What did you think? Let me know!

Mind Games - Review

Mind Games (Mindjack Origins, # 1)

By: Susan Kaye Quinn

Published: May 2nd 2012

20 pages

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Raf, a regular mindreader, is in love with Kira, the only girl in school who can't read minds. Raf struggles to keep his thoughts about her private, but secrets are something that only zeros like Kira can keep. As he works up the nerve to ask Kira to the mindware Games, his friends have other games in mind for him.

(Mind Games is a short story prequel to the novel Open Minds. It is the first in a planned series of shorts told from the point-of-view of characters in the Mindjack universe.)

So how do you review a prequel novella to a series you haven’t read yet? Hmm… Well first let me give you a little bit of backstory. I won Open Minds in an Armchair BEA giveaway back in 2012? I think. Maybe 2013. Either way, I’ve had it for a while and just haven’t gotten around to reading it. Browsing NetGalley one day, I zoned in on this novella by Susan Kaye Quinn thinking that it was the same book as the one I’d won. I really wasn’t paying attention at all. And since I already owned this book (or so I thought), I figured scoring it for review would be liking killing two birds with one stone. It would push me to read and review it sooner if it was a "review" book, but it would also improve my NetGalley ratio since this is a book I knew I was going to read one way or the other. Well when I finally started Mind Games I noticed that I was flying through the book even though Goodreads showed it was 300+ pages. That’s when things started to feel fishy. I went to Goodreads and searched “mindjack” and saw two different entries. One for Mind Games and one for Open Minds. This just goes to show you how little attention I was paying. I knew they had different covers, but I figured this was just a re-release. Publishers do that all the time, right? Oh silly me. And that’s the backstory for my relationship with this novella.

All of that being said, I feel like Mind Games was a good, but extremely brief introduction to this Mindjack world that Susan Kaye Quinn has created. Everyone can read everyone’s mind. CREEPY. And annoying. Can you imagine someone being inside your head all the time? All day long? And not just one someone. Every someone. A witness to every thought you ever have. The good and the bad. Except well…the one person you’d actually like to know what you’re thinking.

In Mind Games Raf is our narrator. He’s got this huge crush on his best friend Kira. And well Kira happens to be the only one in their school who can’t read minds. Not only is that extremely rare, but it singles Kira out as a target for ridicule. She’s different. And we all know that everyone else fears the different. Of course, everyone is going to fear the one girl who can keep her thoughts to herself. What kind of crazy thoughts is she thinking? This takes the idea of “what does so-and-so think about me” to a whole new level. Having a huge crush on Kira like Raf does, he wants to protect her. But his “protection” comes in a way that Kira just might not appreciate.

All in all, I’m intrigued by this world and these characters. And I’m ready for more. I predict that it won’t take me another two years before I dive into Open Minds (ha!). Without knowing much more, and with Mind Games only being 20 pages long, I just don’t feel like I have a lot to base my rate on, so I’m going with 3.5 Stars. I liked it. I want to know more, but it’d be pretty hard to blow me away in 20 pages I think. Have you read Mind Games? What did you think? Let me know!

Contamination Prequel - Guest Review

When TW Piperbrook contacted me about reviewing the prequel to his Contamination series, I found myself completely overwhelmed with the books already on my TBR list that I had in my possession needing to be read. But seeing that it was a zombie series (and a short read), I knew just the person to ask to read it and do a guest review.

My friend Amanda and I met at work. At the time neither of us were readers. After being exposed to Twilight, I went to work and begged Amanda to read it--she was the only one who got to work as early as I did at the time. Sure enough, she read it and loved it. She then entered my circle of friends who read. She was usually 2nd in line after I finished a book to pass it off to next (after Paula because Paula reads faster--or more). Well Amanda and I share a love of all things zombie and so this was the perfect read for her--I thought. Without further ado, here's Amanda and her review.

Contamination Prequel (Contamination 0)

By: TW Piperbrook

Published: November 25th 2012 by Post Script Publishing

93 pages

Genre: Horror, Zombie

Source: Amanda's personal library (currently free on Amazon)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--St. Matthews, Arizona

The infection starts with Frank, one of the locals at the town bar. In just a few hours, it has consumed the entire town.

Dan Lowery, one of only four police officers in St. Matthews, soon realizes he is no match for the impending destruction. Violence and bloodshed litter the streets, and the infected roam freely. No one is safe here—not even his family.

Somewhere, someone knows what is happening, and about the horrors to come…but is it too late?

I enjoyed this book for the realistic way the story is told. The main character, Dan lowery, is just your average police offerer with a wife and daughter. Like all of us, he's thinking about what he will do when he gets home at the end of his shift and expects all to be the same...But he walks in to absolute terror. From then on, he's fighting to survive and find his daughter.

When we get the perspective of his daughter, it takes us to a darker, creepier place. Quinn Lowery is running alone and scared. This poor girl is trying to save herself but she is flooded with awful visions and memories. I couldn't stop reading until she got somewhere semi-safe. But I quickly found out people once trusted had evil ties.

The only thing I would have changed is the length of the book. I would have liked some more background and that kind of thing. But to me that's just how a good book is.

The book was short but so much happens. Just about every chapter has a twist and left me wanting to know more. At the same time, I liked getting some answers along the way. I am glad there is more to come! If you enjoy zombie stories, this one is a good quick read!

I would give Contamination Prequel an overall rating of 4 out of 5. But only because I wanted to read more.

Sandy here again. I saved an email from Amanda telling me that she stayed up until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore reading this one. She actually said that she didn't want to read it on breaks at work because she'd get frustrated when she had to put it down. She also told me that the way TW Piperbrook uses his descriptions made her feel like she was "right beside him in this little adventure."

Have you read Contamination Prequel? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my "All Things Halloween" October review event.