Title: Fear the Drowning Deep
Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Publisher: Sky Pony Press, 2016
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Historical Fiction, YA Paranormal
**I received a copy of this book free from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**
This review can be found on my My Blog, TeacherofYA’s Tumblr, or my Goodreads page
My Review:
Gosh. This cover still amazes me…even though my digital ARC does not include this gorgeous #coverlove. I hate that. But what are you gonna do?
So, I really liked this book, and I have had it for awhile as a Read Now copy, and then I got caught up in ARCs with deadlines…and though I’d love to count this in my new Netgalley challenge (oh, yeah, I’m doing that…I’ll be doing a post for the books that actually count), this was technically a book from 2016. I finished it on Dec 31, 2016, so it doesn’t count for 2017.
But let’s get into it, shall we?
Bridey Corkill is our heroine during the summer of 1913. She lives on the Isle of Man, a place I had never heard of until this book. The folklore is rich and they had their own language there. This book really transports you back in time and to a different culture. It’s fascinating to read some of the legends and myths and the language that just randomly pops in there.
But I digress…as usual…
So Bridey needs a job, because everyone in her family already works and her father (and the other fisherman) aren’t pulling in the fish lately. Ever since Bridey saw her grandpa walk off a cliff (yep, walk off, though people don’t believe it), the townspeople think she’s a little off. No one believed that Bridey saw a Spector lure him off the cliff as beautiful music played that only he could hear. She was only nine.
So in a fishing village, it’s hard for her as she’s scared of the water. She won’t go to the beach. But she needs a job, and her mother decides she should apprentice with Morag. Morag, the legendary witch of the town. As if the rumors weren’t bad enough…
One day, as she is collecting snigs (some type of snail…there’s a glossary in the back that I didn’t even know about until the end of the book 😳), she comes upon a man with gashes across his stomach, naked. Now, Bridey is a good girl, and seeing a man in his birthday suit is not what she’s expecting…but the handsome man claims to have no memory…not even of his own name. Bridey dubs him “Fynn” after the strange fin she saw in the water by her father’s boat.
Fynn, the handsome amnesiac, gets taken back to her house and nursed to health. Though Bridey recently shared a kiss with her childhood friend, she cannot stop thinking about Fynn. Did he come from the mainland? Does he have a wife somewhere? But as “sparks fly” (ok, how else am I going to describe it? It might be cliché, but it’s time-tested book lingo here!), Bridey starts to fall for the mysterious man.
Unfortunately, women are starting to go missing…
The timing doesn’t seem too good for Fynn, but Bridey knows he’s innocent. But that’s all she knows about him.
What’s happening on the Isle of Man? Who (or what…dun dun dun!) is Fynn? Will Bridey be able to get near the water to save the lasses? (Sorry, it’s got some Irish folklore and I couldn’t resist)
Is it Classroom-Appropriate?
Yes. There’s some great folklore and some amazing writing here. Though it isn’t a “fave” of mine, I enjoyed the book and can see how exposing students to the history and the culture could be enlightening. The fantasy and paranormal elements bring some magic to a book with a lot of interesting history. I could def see using this as material. Talking about the mythology, the lost language, and the attitude towards Morag would be fascinating. I’d enjoy using this and have added it to the books for classroom use list.
Age Range:
So…not on Lexile. Go figure. I’ll have to use my best estimate here, so I’m going to suggest 13 and up. Some scenes get a little hot (noting torrid or inappropriate, but I’m always erring on the side of caution). I think 13 is a good age, and I would honestly be okay with my niece reading it. So I’m comfortable there. It’s always best to be comfortable in suggesting lit versus being unsure. I’m still planning on creating some sort of system to “rate” appropriateness. I don’t want to use 🔥 because that’s so vague. I mean, how much steaminess is 🔥 🔥 🔥? 🔥 🔥? Nope…gotta think of something, and I’m open to suggestions!
End Result:
So I updated my rating system…I know most people will expect something “teacher-related,” but that would only apply to the “Clasroom-Appropriate” section. So I went with my personality and made this:
Nice and simple, and I’ve put it on my sidebar for easy reference.
And for Fear the Drowning Deep? I give it ★★★★☆…or…
Getting better at these Canva graphics…nothing fancy, but it’s what I can do with what I’ve got: an iPad mini and an iPhone. I don’t include my new Kindle Fire in this (oh, I forgot to make a post about my Christmas goodies…it’ll prob be May by the time I do that, 😂🤣😂!)
So…I finished Freeks and will be a stop on the Blog Tour on the 10th! Come back and see my review! Right now I’m reading The Bear and the Nightingale and I am LOVING it.
Happy Reading, y’all!
Great review! I’ve been eyeing this one awhile now so I may just have to read it soon! 😊
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Thanks! It was quite unputdownable! (Is that a word?🤔)
I do hope you give it a chance…def some creepy vibes!
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Glad you enjoyed it!! As you said, it’s not a favorite, but it was definitely a good read. I thought you made some fantastic points about how to be used in the classroom. The attitudes toward Mortag could be a great discussion point. Also, I am loving your Rainbow Brite rating system. It’s so cute. XD Great review! 🙂
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Thank you thank you thank you!
Hearing that just made my day! Yay! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
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High praise for those ratings, meh is one of my favourite responses and my eyes they burn is awesome, similar to how covers with abs on make my eyes bleed.😂
Definitely not a book for me but a great review.😀
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Thank you!
Yes, if it makes my eyes burn, it is not going to do well “in my eyes.” 😂😂🤣😂
Yes: a book with abs on the cover will be avoided to prevent any possible eye bleeding problems. I would make a separate rating system for the rings of hell reading books like that would take me.
I appreciate you liking the review even though I know YA isn’t your thing. I think reading it may burn your eyes as well. 😝😫😱
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Lol but no reading it didn’t burn my eyes, I quite like reading reviews of books, even ones I’m not likely to read.😀
Ha, rings of hell, I’d have to disagree, I’d do a t-shirt rating system for abs covers, cos, you know, they don’t wear them!😂
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Perfect! Why didn’t I think of that! 😁🙌
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Because with age comes wisdom. 😉
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Then we both must be extremely wise! I know I’m old! 👵
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Lol, probably not as old as me! 🙂
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I’m 33…can you beat that? 🤔
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35!!!😂
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Ok, you win…but barely!!
I’ll be 34 in March!! 😝😝😝
Not exactly planning on celebrating as I’ll prob end up a cat lady surrounded by my books! I bet you have kids and a fam. I’m a little behind in that dept…luckily I don’t look my age so I might still have time…before the cats start coming! 🐱 🐱 🐱 🙀
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Ha, no, no kids or family, I’ll probably end up the male equivalent of a cat lady, a dog man.😂🐺🐺🐺
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Stupid email ate up this comment!
You can be a dog man and I’ll be a cat lady!!
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Hey, you’re not in spam!!!!😂 Freedom!😀
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No, it’s more like. “FREEEEEDOOOOOOMMMM!”
That’s more like it. ☺️
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Or parole and good behaviour until the next time!😂
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Lol! I love the rainbow bright rating system!
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Thank you!
Honestly, I almost ditched it because it was a lot of work and I felt silly. But I’m glad you like it! Makes the work worth it.
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Isle of Man… I got totally distracted by that.. 😀 Isle of Man has THE awesomest motorbike TT racing happening every year since… oh… 1907! I love watching it every year, it’s a dangerous sport but… yeah… totally digressing here… the TT racing in my head even blanked out the naked man Fynn at first 😀 hahaha…. Intriguing though… who or what is he?
Folklore stories can be really good though so I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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Oh, I thought you were commenting on it being an “Isle” full of men!! I knew nothing about the racing! I didn’t even know it existed!
And yes, naked Fynn…I don’t want to give spoilers! I will say that you will be surprised…but you do kinda figure it out and guess it as the book goes…(he’s not a merman!)
I hope you check this one out as it’s chock full of folklore: little people, glashtygs (am I spelling this right?), serpents…giant squid that they have a name for but I’m blanking on it…it’s definitely interesting!!
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I loooove your reviews! They’re always super funny and easy to read. I know people say that about books, but they should be said about your reviews as well. 😛
I haven’t read this one yet but after reading this post I’m kind of intrigued! Would you say it’s kinda spooky/Halloween-y?
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Thank you!!!!!
Yeah, I would say this would be a good Halloween read. You don’t know what’s going on so there’s a lot of suspense. It’s not, however, like a “real” mystery or suspense where you’re tearing your hair out and shouting, “DON’T GO IN THERE!!” while they go in there. But it’s a nice YA version of a paranormal island with some def creepy stuff going on. And after awhile, you will put two and two together (in this case it made seven, but it worked out, lol…you’ll see what I mean if you read it 😉).
Your compliment really makes writing them worthwhile. I know reading reviews can be boring and a lot of people like to do other posts, but I find writing them fun because I feel like I’m talking to you guys. It’s my favorite part of blogging, actually. 😊😊😊
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It sounds promising! I say this but tbh I probably won’t ever get to it HAHA. I don’t think I’ll have the time with sooo many books on my list already… Maybe when I see it at the library one day. 😉
And yay! I’m glad to hear that. I enjoy writing/reading reviews too – I feel like it’s one of the key parts of book blogging for me. 😊
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Hey I get it!
There’s so many books and so little time!
But today…and until the 19th, I am housesitting, which means reading and blogging like never before!! I’m starting…NOW!! 🤣😉
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I hadn’t heard of this one, but it sounds pretty good. Thanks for the review!
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Thank you for reading!! I think you’d like it, actually!
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Okay so I have to admit that I am a bit relieved to know that I am not the only one guilty of not discovering glossaries until the very end. I swear they should go in the front of the book or at least give you the heads up haha.
This sounds like a terrific read that I could really get into. I think I am going to be looking for this one soon. Fabulous review!
Finally.. is a that a Funko Rainbow Bright!!?? ❤ Because I am tearing Amazon up right now looking for one haha.
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Ok: to address the Rainbow Brite Funko question, so you don’t tear up Amazon…you won’t find it. It was a homemade one I found for $75!! I was like, what?? Yeah. It was on EBay and I haven’t seen it since. But I kept the image and want to petition Funko. However, I think if they made Strawberry Shortcake, they’ll make Rainbow. Or we’ll need to petition them…next would be Labyrinth and I would be a VERY HAPPY GIRL.
Yes: glossaries should either be in the beginning of a book, or they should be starred and footnoted, or they should be REFERENCED for crying out loud! If I had known…then I would’ve used the damn thing.
I hope you do check it out and like it. Though now you’ll know from me that the glossary is there, and you’ll have a MUCH easier time reading it, lmao! 😂🤣😂
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They do have Labyrinth 🙂 Go look right now! They are awesome. They also have Dark Crystal which I am happily collecting 😉 I am holding my breath for Rainbow Brite!
Yes, you will be my hero for the very fact that I will know better with the glossary! I really do need to grab a copy of this ❤
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Wait…they HAVE LABYRINTH??? I knew about The Dark Crystal, and I have been pining for them (Sailor Moon got me hooked), but they have Jareth?? Omg! ::swoons::
Ok…get a grip, Stephanie, you have no money right now…after you get a job…calm down..Deep breaths.
Ok. I’m good now.
Yes, we will both hopefully never be tricked by glossaries again! (Who am I kidding? It’ll happen to me over and over, I’m sure)
Thanks for sharing!
Btw, fave 80s cult classics: Rainbow Brite, (original) Strawberry Shortcake (I hate how they redid her and Rainbow), Care Bears, Fraggles, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and The Lost Boys! (Did I get them all? I hope so?)
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We have so much in common! All that you mention, I love. I am working towards the Strawberry Shortcakes and Labyrinth, but I am broke haha. My whole room was Strawberry Shortcake when I was little. And Rainbow Brite.. well do not get me started. I am also a huge She-Ra fan 😛 And Sailor Moon! Have I fan girled enough? Oops..
Don’t feel bad, the glossaries will always get me as well. It is the same with pronunciation guides tucked in the very back. I spend an entire book trying to read ridiculous names, only to reach the end and be like.. what?! It was right there haha 🙂
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Do you mean…”She-Ra, Princess of Power??”
How could I forget her??
Do you remember Jem and the Holograms?! (Are we old?)
The book I just finished…
IT HAD A GLOSSARY IN THE BACK, TOO!!! I keep forgetting to check: what’s wrong with me?? 😳😳😳
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Ha! “Jem, Jem is amazing..ooohhh.” I happen to know Jem (the original) is on Netflix now and my She-Ra mug is right here beside me. We are not old.. young at heart ❤
Dang those filthy glossaries..
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I collect lunch boxes from the 80s, and my fave acquisition was Rose Petal Place: do you remember that?
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Oh I know Rose Petal.. I cried for the dolls.. and found the cartoon on youtube recently.
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Really?
::runs to YouTube::
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You have no idea how much awesome info you’ve given me: Jem is on Netflix! Wow!
One day you’ll need to show me your She-Ra mug!!
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I can tweet a pic for you! My nonhusband just got it for me as a surprise 🙂
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I’ll go check it out!!
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Another Edelweiss arc down! Nice! And it sounds like a fun one, too. I can’t wait to hear what you thought of Freeks. Congrats on getting onto the blog tour!! How do you find tours? I’ve taken part in one through Fantastic Flying Book Club and it was so so so much fun. (And I loved the book, too!)
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Yes, that was the last of my Edelweiss ARCs, because they never approve me!! Lol.
Actually, the blog tour ppl contacted me…its most likely bc I had the book from Netgalley already. Jas got contacted, and Flavia too…and both had it from Netgalley. I’m pretty sure. Though Jas DNFed it, and asked to withdraw from the tour.
I’m really excited about it! I liked the book a lot…I’m thinking a four star read? I would def recommended! 🙃😘
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That’s so cool! Thanks for the great review 😉
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Love the review! And yes! You’re getting great with Canva! I’m glad to see you’re using it. It’s my all time fave graphic app.
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It’s fun and frustrating at the same time, so thank you! I’d love to make my blog look like Flavia’s or Britney’s from Britney’s Book Rambles. Or NovelKnight’s blog! One day…when I have a comp and ten times the patience!! (And I pay for my domain bc I love those Nosegraze plugins!)
Thanks though. I’m so glad we are going to do the read together, and that you’re a fellow blogateer!! 😘
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Yes! NovelKnight’s blog is amazing and so inspiring. I just love it! I’m excited for the read too! I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to finally reread HP.
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This one looks great, I love the folklore theme 😀 That’s happened to me too, you read the book and are confused by the terms and you get to the ending and there was a glossary! haha
I love your new rating system, it’s so cute! I have used Canva too at work!
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Thank you! I wanted something uniquely me…and it’s hard bc so many people have such great rating systems!
Yeah…def going to look for glossaries from now on! 😳
Thanks like always for stopping by…I’ve been unable to blog hop, but I start housesittting today until the 19th, so don’t be surprised if all of a sudden you get a ton of comments from me! 😊😉
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Haha No worries lovely 😘
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First of all, I love the cover! I know some other books with women floating in the water but what I like about this one especially is that you don’t see her face. I like to imagine my own lead character. The story sounds interesting enough the way you explained it, lovely review ❤️. You’re way ahead of me with Canva, Edelweiss (tried it once but it’s such a chaos there, I don’t even know where to begin), and pretty much everything else, and your blog keeps on getting better and better!
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What sweet things to say! I think your blog is amaze-balls!!
I love the cover: this is one I would own JUST for the cover…my e-ARC didn’t have it included, just like my copy of The Bone Witch…two beautiful covers! 😍😍 I wish they would have them on their galleys bc sometimes if you can’t afford the book, it’s nice to own that art in eBook form, lol.
Edelweiss sucks anyway, lol. They don’t approve me, so I say, “Go Netgalley!!” 😂🙌😂🙌🤣🙌
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I know, I don’t like it either if it comes without a cover. I often add a cover myself 😊 before uploading to my ereader (not Kindle).
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Wow! How do you do that?? That sounds cool! Please help me, because that would be awesome!!
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I use Calibre as a library on my computer and you can add metadata or search for and add covers to the books I have added there. Maybe I should do a post about it once 😉
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That would be incredibly cool! I’d love to see what you do.
I’ll check it out! Thank you! 😊😊😊
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Great review for this book Stephanie. I completely get what you mean about the cover love as well, it fives this book such an ethereal and slightly creepy feel to it. Not sure if that is the general tone of the book but it’s the tone I’m getting from the cover. Yeah it’s just a shame the ARCs never normally include the covers!
This sounds like a great book as well, I love anything that had folklore and mythology in so this sounds like something I’d love as well, and four stars is a good rating too. (I love your new graphics by the way!) 😀
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Yay! I’m glad you like them! I wanted to make something diff but fun and still recognizable as a rating system. Some have dogs, some have teacups, some even have Crowns or clocks! (The awkward book blogger has Sherlocks!!)
This book is def one you would like. You like the magical realism, and though this isn’t technically that, it’s def a mix of real and unreal. I liked it…not the best in the world, but I enjoyed myself. The ending was def unexpected. I like that. Though sometimes I just always want a HEA in every story.
I do hope you get to it eventually. Someone on Twitter pointed out we can never read all the books we want: that it would be impossible. Made me a little depressed, actually. I like to fool myself into believing I’ll get to everything eventually. It was a major bummer! 😔
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They are definitely unique but also still recognizable as ratings so you’ve succeeded on that side of things! I just use stars because, well, that’s what I’ve always used for book ratings! 😀
Ohh, it sounds even more interesting now, I do love magical realism! It sounds interesting though so someday I’ll get around to it, hopefully.
No you can’t can you? But then again imagine you’ve read all the books you want to read and now have nothing on your to-read list, how boring would it be having nothing to read next?
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That’s a really good point! We always need something to look forward to, don’t we?
I still think stars are the best rating system in the world! And I plan to keep the small text stats because I think you should always have those! It’s def translatable when you have actual stars! ★★★★★ (I love these!)
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Yeah we do, I can’t imagine what would happen if I got through all the books on my to-read list.
Stars are good but I like graphics that stand out a little bit as well! 😀
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Me too! It’s fun to play with graphics and make your blog stand out. I know my theme is teaching, and I should be all blackboards and pencils and apples 🍎, but it’s also not me….I like making it whimsical. But I think I should incorporate something in the classroom section to make that stand out a bit more…I just don’t know what. 🤔
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I want to try and put more graphics in my reviews and on my blog. I like what I have so far but I’m always looking to make it better you know?
I’m sure whatever you put in the classroom section will be brilliant Stephanie! 🙂
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Oh, you flatterer you!
Your blog is dope. Don’t mess with success I always say! 😉😘
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Ahh, thanks so much Stephanie! 😀 ❤
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Awesome review but I’m mainly commenting because your new rating system is so cute lol 😀
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Thank you! I really wanted it to be different than the traditional ones…and all the cute ones are taken! 😘
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It’s an awesome idea! Better than stars for sure ❤
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Well, Thank you very much!!
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That cover is breathtaking. Definitely gives off a haunting feel, and it sets the tone for the premise of the story. Seems really intriguing and I’m even more motivated to pick up the book. Thanks for your honest review and glad you liked it.
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I know! That cover…it’s art!
Thanks for reading my review and I do hope you check it out! 😉
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Great review!! 😊😊
I might have to check this one out!!
Also love the new rating icons!!😆 Glad you managed to find something that suited you 😘
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Yeah I think they are so “me!”
I think you’d dig this one…and The Bear and the Nightingale because I’ll be reviewing that one today, and that one I absolutely loved!!
We have so many books to love and so little time, lol!
There’s too many….ahhh!! 🙀
😂🤣😂
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Uhhh I don’t know if it is so me or not. I mean what’s the cause? The mystery of the girls disappearance doesn’t seem like a very good story line unless i know why they are disappearing from the start. AMIRIGHT?!!!
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😂😂🤣🤣😂🤣🤣😂
You seriously kill me. Like, I’m dead. 😵
Check it out. Lol. You know what I mean…check it out.
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Seriously still dying!! Like legit keep randomly laughing when I remember what you did 😀 #dead
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It got better today…well, nothing could be better than that…but you have to see!
I eagerly await your arrival into the conscious world so I can share it!
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#dead!
I’m sure thing will get more hilarious in February. Or that horrible we will be throat punching wankers
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Oh I cannot wait!
Bc I’ll have you to message and laugh with…as long as I keep them straight!! 😳😳😳
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Haha yeah there’s only so many awesome saves you can pull off!!! 😂😂😂
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I know! If I mess up again…I just don’t think it will work!
Must be EXTREMELY CAREFUL.
I am talking to Sammi, right?
😂🤣😂🤞
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Love the Rainbow Brights as ranking scale!!! 🙂
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Thank you! And thanks for friending me on Goodreads! 😊😊😊
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You’re too fun not to find 😂
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Thank you! What an excellent compliment! ::blushes::
I try! 😉
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It fits with the YA Teacher thing you’ve got going! My wives loved it too! Laughed hysterically!!
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I’m here to make you smile! 😊😉
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Then you’ve won today!
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YESSSS!
She shoots, she scores! Nothin but net! 🙌🙌🙌
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Yes, but did you do it in the Dick Vitale voice?
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No. 😔 ::hangs head in shame::
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Well, we can work on that for next time! 😉
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I’ll have to remember! (Stupid brain!) hmm, they need a brain emoji…🤔
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They definitely do!! I concur!
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So this guy move to town and the girls goes missing? What’s the cause? I don’t know if I want to read it.
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I honestly don’t know how to answer this, Jas…
I can’t say the cause because it would be a spoiler. You don’t have to read it, lol.
I liked it because of the paranormal factors. You might not like it, and there’s so many books out there, so if the blurb doesn’t sound like something that interests you, totally skip it! 😉
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