Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson -- 448 pages

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. She has time. 

Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm. 

Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend. She only has seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

The Woman in Suite 11 (Lo Blacklock, #2) by Ruth Ware

 The Woman in Suite 11 (Lo Blacklock, #2) by Ruth Ware-387 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.

The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.

What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?

Thoughts: I really liked The Woman in Cabin 10 and I'm looking forward to watching the Netflix movie out next month and since this is set mostly in Switzerland and Europe it is a good time to read this book. I enjoyed this one, but not quite as much as the first. It does give some answers to burning questions from the end of the first book, though. It also wraps things up for our main characters in a satisfying way. 

Birds of Prey: Megadeath by Kelly Thompson

Birds of Prey: Megadeath by Kelly Thompson

Birds of Prey (2023) #1-6, 152 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Every mission matters. Every life saved is a miracle. But this time, it's personal.

Dinah Lance is one of the DC Universe’s most elite fighters, and combined with her sonic scream, she's a fearsome foe in any scenario...but sometimes even the Black Canary needs help.

Faced with a personal mission brought to her by a mysterious new ally, and up against near-impossible odds, she re-forms the Birds of Prey with an unrivaled group of badasses—Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn—and only one goal: extraction without bloodshed. What could possibly go wrong?

Review

I never watched the movie based on this team, so this was my first introduction to them. Which also means I am unfamiliar with a few of these characters, and I actually enjoyed that. This was a lot of fun and I will definitely keep reading this run.

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

560 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

Review

This was probably my most anticipated read of the year, and it (mostly) lived up to my expectations. I loved the concept of this book. A lot of people recommended doing a lot of "research" before reading, like Dante's Inferno, Homer's Odyssey and other classic works for a full understanding of the book, but I didn't. Sure, I didn't understand every reference, but I enjoyed that it felt like the characters were the experts, and I was just a witness to their genius. I also enjoyed the depiction of a very intensive, rigorous higher education and how Alice grapples with her mental need to succeed but also her physical need to survive. It was so close to possibly being a 5 star book for me, but I just didn't absolutely love the ending. The little bit of romance we get in this was also just okay to me. Still, Kuang stays up there as one of my favorite authors with this one.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1-8, 224 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Kara Zor-El has seen some epic adventures over the years, but she now finds her life without meaning or purpose. Here she is, a young woman who saw her planet destroyed and was sent to Earth to protect a baby cousin who ended up not needing her. What was it all for? Wherever she goes, people only see her through the lens of Superman’s fame.

Just when Supergirl thinks she’s had enough, everything changes. An alien girl seeks her out for a vicious mission. Her world has been destroyed, and the bad guys responsible are still out there. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Now a Kryptonian, a dog, and an angry, heartbroken child head out into space on a journey that will shake them to their very core.

Review

I heard that the new Supergirl movie next year is inspired by this story, so I wanted to read this before it comes out. I knew the basics, but not too much about Supergirl before reading this, and  this definitely makes me even more excited for the movie. Kara is a super interesting character and I really hope they stay true to this version of her. The art is also really beautiful which helped my overall enjoyment, since sometimes these superhero comics get a little visually unappealing and rough.

The Secret of Secrets

 

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown - 688 pages

Robert Langdon is at it again. This time he travels to Prague to attend a lecture by his long-time acquaintance Katherine Solomon with whom he has recently began a relationship.  Katherine is a noetic scientist that is about to publish a explosive book about human consciousness.  Suddenly Katherine disappears along with her manuscript, and Robert finds himself frantically on the search for her.  Robert and Katherine find themselves targeted by a powerful organization and an assailant sprung from Prague's ancient mythology.  They had no idea of the many forces out to stop the publication of  Katherine's book.  It is a constant race against time for them both to find the locations of a secret project that will forever change the way we think about the human mind.  If you are a Dan Brown fan, this is yet another hit.  This fictional book is also filled with so much factual information.  The key is to discern what is fact and what is fiction.  I did a lot of investigating while reading this book.

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale #1, 376 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Taking place during Batman's early days of crime fighting, this new edition of the classic mystery tells the story of a mysterious killer who murders his prey only on holidays. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the clock as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month. A mystery that has the reader continually guessing the identity of the killer, this story also ties into the events that transform Harvey Dent into Batman's deadly enemy, Two-Face.

Review

It was cool to see Batman working with Gordon and Harvey Dent (pre-Two-Face) and doing a little detective teamwork, but I was getting all the mobsters a little mixed up. I still enjoyed the story, especially the backstory for Two-Face, and there were even a couple interactions with quite a few villains, so that was fun.