Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Experience the ups and downs, the ins and outs, of an obsessive, compulsive collector "forced" to steal money from her own town to fuel her habit - from a first hand perspective. Mood: Darkly compelling. Much as the MC is compelled to keep collecting, you'll be compelled to keep unraveling her motivations, her tricks for identifying key pieces of art, and how she holds it all together. **Spoilers last 2 paragraphs describe ending** I went in to this read unsure of what to expect. While the storyline lacked some of the speed and drama that I - and I think that many other readers - were hoping for, it was still impactful and well-told. I did at times find myself rooting for the MC, despite the fact that you definitely should not. She is not a hero, or anti-hero; if anything she is the villain of the town of Pierson. Inspired by the true story of the theft of roughly 54 millions dollars over the course of a 20 year period in another town in Illinois...

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Description: A serious exploration of the MC's self and her and her sister's places in the world as it changes in radical and unexpected ways. Alone, they spend the year they expected to spend prepping to leave for college adjusting to a new reality in which the forest will either sustain them or kill them.  Mood: Get away from it all- even toiletries, stable shelf goods, music, electricity, and any other modern convenience you can name.. but the forest is beautiful in spring and summer A very serious look at what it means to be human, what it means to be a sister, and what it means to even exist in this world. The descriptive differences in the MC's journal between surviving and living are palpable at times, exacerbated in its intensity by the effect of the Encyclopedia passages that are fluidly woven in through out her entries. The story is told in the form of one of the two sisters - Nell's journal entries. Early in the book, the girls celebrate w...

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Description: An atmospheric family drama with an academia theme set against a historical fiction backdrop that will keep you guessing at the details of the mystery until the very end Mood: Slow-burn Modern Gothic Mystery  I've never read Mary Anna Evans writing before, but I loved this book. I'm so glad that I came across this stand alone, as I feel like it was a really great way to get a sense of her style without committing to an unfamiliar series. Now that I've read The Dark Library, however, I'll definitely be TBRing both of her popular series! As for The Dark Library novel itself, wow! The plotline was delicately laced with just the right amount of intricately laid clues to keep me guessing - incorrectly - the entire time. The character development and characters' backstory development were very good for a short novel; particularly one with a fairly long list of secondary characters. The secondary characters while plentiful, do all feel neces...

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Gothic Magical Realism w Victorian Historical Fiction Backdrop Mood: Time for Tea - and Resisting the Patriarchy in Gentle Ways  This novel is such an endearing story of strong spirited - but extremely downtrodden and naïve- Harriet's struggle to break free from the constraints of not only Victorian society, but those who wish to use the rules of their society against her for their own selfish gains. Although loneliness and forced solitude cast a dark shadow on even Harriet's earliest memories, she is never truly alone even in her darkest times. This is definitely the part of the story that I found most touching, and most integral to Harriet's journey to self-discovery. Harriet loses her mother at a young age, and her father unfairly blames her for it. As a result, he detests the girl and locks her away for the remainder of her adolescence; barely providing her with necessities and keeping her away from society. After threatening to lock her away i...