Villains are Destined to Die, Volume 7

Villains are Destined to Die, Volume 7 - 320 pages

SUOL, Gwon Gyeoeul (Original Creator), Chiho Christie (Letterer), David Odell (Translator), Ah Cho (Translator)

Series Summary (From Volume 1 on Goodreads)

A villain living life in hard mode... whose every path leads to death."

Playing Daughter of the Duke Love Project as the easy mode heroine, Ivonne, makes charming the male characters a breeze. But once you switch to hard mode and step into the shoes of Penelope, the misunderstood villain, it’s nearly impossible to even stay alive! So imagine the shock of suddenly waking up in Penelope’s body―you know right away that your life is on the line. With love interests who will kill you if their affection meters drop too low and the inability to speak without choosing from pre-selected dialogue, it quickly becomes clear that Penelope’s chances have been rigged from the start―and this villain might just be destined to die!

Review

Things really seem to be going from bad to worse!  With how much Penelope pushes away everyone around her, I'm back to theorizing she's going to be (at least for a while) portrayed as a villain in spite of/because of her efforts to defy her fate.  

Hell Phone, Book One by Benji Nate

Hell Phone by Benji Nate

Hell Phone #1, 160 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Sissy and Lola are best friends, next-door neighbors, and now… murder solvers? When Sissy picks up a lost flip-phone and follows the instructions from the stranger on the other line, she and Lola are flung into an investigation of a grisly crime. With each new phone call, the girls are dug deeper into a conspiracy that threatens their lives—and possibly their friendship. But with no way to escape the dreaded calls, the only way out is to unravel the mystery.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter (Contributor)

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter (Contributor)

459 pages

⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.

In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

'Twas the Night by Kevin Johnson

 

'Twas the Night by Kevin Johnson- 288 pages

You better watch out. You better not cry.

It’s Christmas in the village of Yule, Maine.

In fact, it’s always Christmas in Yule. Here, Santa Claus isn’t a storybook figure. He’s an icon. A god. The villagers don’t just believe in him—they worship him. And the world is better for it.

Halley Belanger hates Christmas, and she doesn’t have much love for Santa either. But when a string of child disappearances across Maine seems to spare only the village of Yule, Halley—a sharp, skeptical reporter—decides to investigate.

What she finds is a town that guards its secrets with gingerbread smiles and a snow globe sheen. Outsiders aren’t welcome. She isn’t welcome. And something sinister is keeping the Christmas spirit alive.

As Halley digs deeper, she begins to uncover the horrifying truth behind Yule’s eternal cheer. Christmas comes at a grisly cost. And Santa Claus is no saint.

An interesting twist on Christmas and Santa Claus.  I really liked the plot of this but some of it wasn't really cohesive.  The ending was ok, I'd give 3 stars

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

 The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel-474 pages

⭐⭐⭐1/2

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.
In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.
Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

Thoughts: In the beginning of the book, there is a bit too much background info. and lead-up to the actual events of "The Monuments Men." The group was officially known as the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives, but were simply called The Monuments Men. They never participated in combat, but did witness the horrors of war and at least two were killed. It's an interesting, if uneven read. I especially found the parts with Rose Valland and James Rorimer interesting. I think it's a story worth telling, but it could have been told better. 

The Deep Dark by Lee Knox Ostertag

The Deep Dark by Lee Knox Ostertag

480 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Everyone has secrets. Mags’s has teeth.

Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there’s her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out -- like it did once before.

So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won’t get attached, of course. She’s always been strong enough to survive without anyone’s help.

But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight, and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.

The History of Everything by Victoria Evans

The History of Everything by Victoria Evans

240 pages

⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Daisy and Agnes have always had each other.

And that’s all they’ve ever needed—or wanted, at least. So when Agnes’s mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed.

All seems lost until the pair unearth "The History of Everything," an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to question if their friendship is meant to last the summer, much less forever.