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St. Helena

St. Helena is a pretty cool place to say you’ve been to, but the same can’t be said about actually experiencing the island. There are different sides to the coin of this opinion, and I’m sure many people have visited the island and found it charming and perfect. But, this wasn’t the view of my family and me upon arriving, and even though we found some cool activities to do, there were many downsides to our visit.

From the Dafne Crew’s perspective, St. Helena island was not at all superb. A lot of the things we look for in a place that makes it a great experience are small(ish) things that are almost unique to travel on a boat: a clean harbor/marina, good moorings or anchoring area, dinghy access, clean water to swim and filter, no bugs, etc. These things are basic stuff we’ve discovered has a nasty tendency to drive us away from a perfectly nice place. The second priorities after these basic ones are met are less bothersome frustrations and more pleasing inclinations: great natural life to experience cheaply or easily, accessible and interesting culture/history. We’ve been to a lot of places that don’t tick many of these boxes, and we find that we tend to not like to spend much time there, depending on the priority of each unchecked box. St. Helena was a bit of a mixed bag on this checklist.

On the one hand, our basic priorities were met, for the most part. The harbor was safe and clean, with no bugs, but the transportation to and from land was tricky, as there was only a ferry service that was poorly managed. Our secondary priorities were much more skewed to the other end of the spectrum. Even though the natural world was great and we went diving and swimming much more than in Namibia, the whole island was extremely expensive and so was, for the most part, inaccessible to us. We went on a few touristy trips and hikes to see the island and its history, but not as many as we wished for. On top of that, and probably most importantly, the internet was expensive, difficult to find, and not an option for us at all. Although we had planned to get back to classes and work comfortably after passage, we couldn’t do that in St. Helena, which cause us to cut our visit to the island shorter than we intended.

Now, this bleak description is a response to my family’s own specific needs; if you’re not looking to have access to the internet while on St. Helena, you will greatly satisfied with your situation. However, that’s not what we wanted.

For one thing, everything was expensive, but nothing more than the stuff we needed most: the internet. St. Helena is a British colony, so they use pounds, but even then, they are a tourist economy, so most of the touristy stuff we wanted to do (hikes, whale shark dives, etc) was expensive. On top of that, SIM cards and other internet options were just as pricy, as well as supposed internet cafes charging by the hour wifi access. To say the least, we were all expecting to get work done, have internet after a week of none, and, most of all, DO SOME SCHOOl, but had to absolutely abandon these plans after one day of exploring our internet options and coming up both empty handed and penniless.

Secondly, the island is super small and there aren’t a ton of tourist attractions. This was a fine revelation for us until we realized that the main thing we wanted to do (hike) was expensive and not worth it. After a week of being cooped up on a boat, the first thing you want to do is stretch your legs, and we were frustrated we couldn’t do that on St. Helena.

But, like I said, all of these things and other grievances we had were completely subjective and we meet plenty (or as many as a tiny island can generate) of other cruisers and tourists who didn’t feel this way about St. Helena. Also, we found joy in other things, as the natural life of the island was beautiful and we budgeted for a trip to see the famed whale sharks.

All in all, the trip wasn’t a complete bust, but we did end up cutting our time short on St. Helena, as I really wanted to get back to classes with my teachers and my dad had pressing work deadlines. I’d not say I’d want to go back there, but, for all the frustrations we faced, it was good to know there was a silver lining.

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Namibia Pt. 2 (& First Atlantic Crossing!)

Hi all! Sorry for going MIA for like a month and a half, but we had some pretty big plans for these past weeks and I’ve been busy catching up on school since then, so I’m just now finding the time to update all of my EXTREMELY patient readers on what’s been happening. I’ve already told you guys this, but let me remind you that this blog has been (barely) functioning for nigh on four years, so you all have had ample opportunity to drop my ghosting and lazy butt. But, because you haven’t and you’ve chosen to stick with me through all my shenanigans, I have a feeling you have a soft and mushy spot for me (aww) and will be patient with me when I disappear for a month(s) at a time without any heads-up. So this is me turning over a new leaf and not apologizing multiple times in a single post for all my past-due updates, which would take way more time than simply moving on to content. In conclusion, yes, I am sorry I didn’t get these posts up by now, but this is the scattered person I am and you better deal with it! Slay, queen, if I do say so myself!

Last time I posted, I told you guys all about our Namibian travels and excursions into that fantastic country, which was, to say the least, full of desert. That, however, was only half of the time we spend in Namibia, as after we left Luderitz, we traveled up the coast to Walvis Bay.

Walvis Bay was underwhelmingly rainy and cloudy for the week or so we were there, but we didn’t do much exploring there, so it didn’t really matter. We traveled a few times to the cute, neighboring town Swakopmund, which was near Walvis Bay, but not every day because I had classes and my dad had work calls. I did a lot of schoolwork and classes, trying to get as much face-to-face time with my teachers as possible before we set out to cross the Atlantic and I wouldn’t have a connection or be able to submit work at all.

At the end of our time in Namibia, Cleo’s friend who had been crewing with us left to go home to Cape Town and we rechecked all our metaphorical straps before setting out on the first leg of our journey across the big blue sea to the island of St. Helena.

I realize I haven’t fully explained passages to you guys and for this, I am truly sorry and embarrassed to have been a freaking BOAT blogger for years and not have posted about the true act of sailing somewhere. I’m going to remedy this situation at some point with a lengthy and as academic as I can muster description of all things nautical. However, that will have to wait, so I’ll just give you guys a quick crash course of our first passage crossing the Atlantic.

For those of you not familiar with sailing vocabulary, a “passage” is what we sailers call a period of time spent transiently moving between two destinations on a boat. I realize it is a general term, as it can refer to anything from a few hours to months at sea and to distances that range just as much. But, the important thing to remember is that most short passages, specifically a day or less, can be referred to as “day sails.” In context: “The day sail yesterday was lovely and short and gave us ample opportunity to sunbathe.” “The six-day-long passage rained 90% of the time and I was miserable and cold for most of it.” Capisce?

For recreational and private yachts, like Dafne, when, where, and how, we sail is entirely our own choice, but there are certain universal rules or norms that help to govern and ensure safety for a lot of boats. To the best of my ability, I will try to summarize them here. For safety, people always arrange a watch system, where someone is always awake, or, for people sailing alone (called “single-handers”), a timer is set to wake them up periodically (usually not longer than an hour) and check everything around them. On Dafne, because we have enough people, we arrange three-hour shifts for each of us, rotating throughout the day so that someone is always awake and keeping the boat safe. I have the 9-12 shift, so I’m awake and alert during those hours, AM and PM, where the weight of the whole world—erm, just Dafne and my family—rests on my slouchng shoulders.

What are some dangers that prompt this schedule and make watches so important? Well, if you’re sailing in a populated area, which is most of the time, there are often other boats, land masses, or underwater obtrusions that you can run into. So, scanning the horizon is an important part of watches. I’ll go into this and many other aspects of passages and watches in the previously mentioned scholarly articles I plan to post sometime in the ill-defined future. For now, all you need to know is that life on passage consists of sectioned times in the day where you’re responsible for everything. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone else is asleep—although sometimes they are—and it also definitely doesn’t mean that if something happens, you’re responsible. No, if anything out of the ordinary happens, I definitely wake up my dad and ask him what to do—successful aquatic human, you’re looking at her (actually you’re looking at a screen).

Passage is, for my sister, equivalent to death, as there is nothing unusual or stimulating happening. But, for me, it’s a kin to peace and serenity; no one bothering me for any reason, not having to hang out with anyone. The passage to St. Helena was like this for all aboard Dafne, as the seas were surprisingly gentle and calm and the wind was our friend. But, we didn’t see any wildlife, and things changed when we got to our destination, which was not all it was cracked up to be.

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Namibia Pt. 1

Hey all! We’re back with a travel post, and let me tell you, this is a big one. We’ve been in Namibia for the past three weeks, and for the past week and a half or so, we’ve been road-tripping around the country. This was such a beautiful trip because of how unique the Namib desert is, but also because of all the animals, views, new experiences, and good times we had on the trip!

We set out from Luderitz on January 18th, and spent the first week or so day driving between campsites. The landscape was absolutely breathtaking. There’s nothing quite like the desert. It’s a full experience—the sand, the dryness, the windswept hair, the sunburns, the SAND. I swear, it was such an experience to find sand in everything and everywhere. My mom was thrilled about that!

During that first week, we stopped at scenic places for pictures, climbed a dune for sunrise, and tried (and failed) to avoid the heat of the day. We stopped at campsites for the evening, sleeping on top of the car in tents—and, in my case, in the backseat of the car. Then, my dad had a trip to go on for work to London, so we dropped him at the airport in Windhoek and continued on to a coastal town called Swakopmund.

We spent three days in a nice, urban campsite in the town, exploring (them) and doing school (me). I was still on school while we were road tripping, which is not as easy as it sounds. There was a lot of intense study sessions over a few hours and then days of nothing, which is basically the only way to do school/work when your on a trip. It wasn’t super fun, and I complained a lot, but what could I do? I also had classes with my teachers, which was probably the worst because I had to do them in restaurants or cafes with Wifi. So annoying!

ME! atop a dune — so photogenic!

Anyway, after Swakopmund, we drove back to Windhoek and picked up my dad, then drove up to Etosha, which is a park of animals. We spent two days driving around within the park, looking at whatever game we could find. It wasn’t super great, as it was just more time in the car, but I did like seeing all the animals. We saw giraffes, zebra, buffalos, wildebeest, hyenas, antelopes, and more!

After Etosha, we decided we wanted to cut our originally two week trip down to around ten days. We started heading back to Luderitz, which would turn into a day and a half trip. That’s a lot of driving!

We’re back in Luderitz, and I’ve been slaving away at school for the past two days as we wait around for good wether to continue our trek up the coast of Namibia. Our next stop is Walvis Bay, and we plan to start sailing there tomorrow. It will probably be about a two day trip, and I’ll have a few days after to do some school before I start classes again. Ugh, why is life so difficult? At least we have the desert!

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Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’ve been meaning to read this book for sooooo long and it delivered fully! I loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Reid’s other book) so freaking much, and I’d heard some praise about Daisy Jones & The Six, so I decided to put it on my list. 

Let me tell you about. This. Fricking. Book. I’m not even sure what word would best describe this book. Delirious? Fever dream? No, it’s not that insane. You guys have to help me. It was a book that I felt like I was living the nightmares right along with the characters. Like I could feel the torture and pain along with them. And that’s such a beautiful thing, but it was the last thing I expected out of this style of writing. 

If you didn’t know, Daisy Jones is about a fictional band in the ‘70s that becomes the IT band of that decade. It becomes crazy popular, but there is a ton of internal turmoil within the band, especially between its lead singers, Billy Dunne and Daisy Jones. There is burning chemistry between them, along with the freaking awesome enemies-to-lovers tropes I have ever seen. But, aside from the fact that both of their pride is off the charts, Billy’s marriage keeps them apart. They won’t even admit to themselves, let alone each other, and while grudges build up between the other band members, bad blood comes to a head at the band’s last performance together, leading to their split in 1979. 

The story is heady, gripping, unclear, and entirely too good for my age group. I feel like my own knowledge of the ‘70s and especially band culture was a travesty to the book. I should research more on the book, as the story was supposedly modeled after Fleetwood Mac. 

And, the craziest part is…it’s written in interview format!! Agggghhhh! I am completely in love with this format, this almost dialogue or documentary narrative style. I didn’t expect it to be such a good style of narration, but I found myself laughing along and talking to myself (two excellent signs, of course). As I said, this book gripped me and was so good, but the biggest realization was that this style of writing could be that good of a narrative voice. 

Of course, the best thing is that this book is the latest I’ve read, so it’s still on my mind. You know when you’ve just read a book and you can’t stop thinking about it? Yeah, as of this moment, that’s Daisy Jones for me! Also…they’re making a TV show of the book with SAM CLAFLIN I AM NOT OK! So ready for this and let me go die quickly!

Genre: literary fiction, historical fiction

Age: 14+

Rating: 10/10

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Oh my, this was a beautiful book! So honest about all the secret regrets and things we hate about ourselves, as well as definitive lessons on how to let go and embrace the spectacular now. A wonderful lesson, for all age ranges, with no difficult language, and a short read. Everything you could want, packaged up nicely. 

I will confess, I had a hard time getting into the story of Nora and the confusing alternate dimensions were hard to wrap my head around, but I loved the story in the end. To see someone who genuinely didn’t want to be alive anymore and was looking for any way out suddenly realize that everything was perfect in her life just as it was a beautiful concept. I am a human, and as such, I have regrets. I think this book will touch other humans who also have regrets because it is a universal truth that we all have regrets. That’s my pitch, thank you for coming to my TedTalk. 

I loved the lesson, and I’ve been thinking a lot about it since I finished the book. We all wish we could have done something differently—taken that other offer, chosen something else, made that different decision. And, life is full of these small choices we make every single day to get to where we are right now. Sitting here, me, writing, you, reading, we both had to have made exactly the same decisions that we did in this life in another one to end up here. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I think you get the idea, right? 

Either way, just think about how your life would have changed entirely if you had done something minorly different—everything would be different. Now, this can be seen as an escape by many people, and for Nora, it is. She hates her life, feels like she’s let down everyone around her, has missed every opportunity, and made nothing of herself. Then, she has the chance to change herself, to live in an alternate dimension where she made a different decision at a certain point in time. 

For a time, Nora can’t believe her luck; this is exactly what she wanted! But is it, really? As she tries out the various different versions of herself, she finds that they all don’t feel right. They don’t feel like her; it’s almost as if she’s trying to live a life where she has to be someone she’s not. 

The lesson of the book is such an important one. We all feel like we regret so much about our lives, and wish we could do better, when in reality, there’s only one you, and you don’t realize how many things are going the way they’re supposed to be. 

Genre: literary fiction

Age: 12+

Rating: 8/10

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Reminders Of Him by Colleen Hoover

This book was a definite tear-jerker and I came close to letting a few fall once or twice (which is pretty impressive). I keep falling deeper in love with the stories from Colleen Hoover that I read and I have to confess, she’s been one of my favorites recently. I’ve read It Ends With Us, November 9, and Ugly Love, and, although this one isn’t my favorite (that’d be It Ends With Us, hands-down), it was definitely another affirmation of her heartbreaking, soul-crushing writing. 

I think I love CoHo books and have read so many of them because I love the love stories she paints. I think people connect with her characters and stories because she makes them real, she gives them faults, mistakes, and vices. She doesn’t paint them as angels with perfect histories and personalities. I love that Colleen makes them human because they are and it changes your perspective on love when you see imperfect humans loving each other and being happy. Maybe it gives hope to the rest of us or some form of comfort to see broken people in love. But I think, in a melancholy sort of way, it gives me just as much happiness reading CoHo as reading SJM because it’s so real whereas ACOTAR is so fictitious. 

The long-winded version of this is that not to put the two against each other, both of these excellent authors bring me serotonin whenever they come to mind. I loved this book and CoHo’s other books just as much as ACOTAR but in a different way. Reminders Of Him especially was such a heartbreaking story of a twisted, sad story punctured by the choice of forgiveness. I loved the gift that Kenna and Ledger gave each other, and the raw love they both felt for Diem. Such a beautiful story and a great CoHo book. 

Also, off-topic, but I found Verity in a bookstore I found (heeeaaaven) and I looked through it. Oooof! That’s been secretly on my list for a while but I think I’ll take it off permanently. I mean it was thrilling, but I don’t think I will ever be ready for that kind of book. There are just some books I can’t handle, and that’s okay! Sorry, Verity and Colleen. 

Sorry for the late update, I meant to post something while I was out and about road-tripping Namibia, but I’m afraid posts of constant updates and stuff I’m reading are going to be indefinitely paused. Since we set out from Cape Town, the internet had been spotty at best and downright tricky like hell at worst. We haven’t been able to get internet on the boat, so I’ve only been able to do all my classes and internet work whenever I’m at a cafe or restaurant. So, I’ll be posting this review, as well as my other ones and the road-tripping post all at the same time. 

This isn’t going to make a dent in my updates (I will continue to remember and jot down the stuff I want to post about, as well as write down the books I need to review) but it will cut down on my posting regularly. Bear with me over the next few months especially as I post erratically and frantically. It’ll be fun crossing the Atlantic Ocean, but not for you guys! 

Genre: fiction, romance, Y/A

Age: 14/15+

Rating: 7/10

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A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR Book 4)

So, I think it’s pretty obvi that I’m in love with this series by now, and I think it’s so cute to look back on my posts of ACOTAR and the first few books that are full of my skepticism of the series. Even though that was barely more than a month ago, my opinion on this series has changed so much, especially where my ranking of the books falls.

I know that the main reason for books in general is the plot, but I would like to contest this with my one piece of evidence: romantic fantasy. This is a genre I am entirely making up because it is the one I belong to. It’s essentially people who love both romance and fantasy books, especially if you combine the two. I don’t think people who read romantic fantasy read it because of the plot or factual accuracy. In fact, if you look at the majority of the (made-up) genre, there are a ton of plot holes (nice intended, huh?) and questionable choices. I can’t count how many times I’ve read something questionable in a romantic fantasy book and 100% agreed with it, but wouldn’t have stood for it IRL. And, by questionable, I mean lines said by a character or comments from the author that would not have flown very well in the actual world; slightly misogynistic or toxic things I would be quick to call out in the real world but find myself sighing and getting heart-eyes when I see them in romantic fantasy books.

The point I’m trying to make is that romantic fantasy books can get away with, or, more accurately, are praised for, a lot of things other genres aren’t. I think this is because romantic fantasy readers have a couple of screws loose, but I don’t want to get into that discussion. The thing I want to focus on is that one of those screws loose in my own brain was discovered while reading this book.

If you’ve read this book, you’ll know that it has virtually no plot. If ACOMAF wasn’t already, like, six years long, the 200 pages of A Court of Frost and Starlight would have probably been added on to the end of it. But, although that reason for the book’s existence is plausible, I think SJM made this book its own thing for a very specific reason…for all the screws-loose-romantic-fantasy-readers like me to die over, of course!

Question: Have you ever fangirled/boyed/othered so hard over something/one that anything it/they do(es) is cute to you? That would be a “yes” over here, and specifically over ACOTAR.

As I said, my opinion of the series has changed over time and pages, but the biggest thing that has developed is my undying and extremely unreasonable fandom love for the series and characters. I think romantic fantasy readers like myself have a few screws loose because we absolutely adore scenes in books that are devoted to our favorite ships or friend groups. For me, good ship material of Feysand trumps any plot or worldbuilding of Prythian any day. Period.

Romantic fantasy readers love to throw their books across the room when the guy everyone hates (echem, Tamlin) enters the room, giggle uncontrollably when characters start catching feelings or laugh their asses off over a dad joke from our comfort characters. All of these are things I do regularly when reading but were definitely in high amounts while reading ACOFAS. The book is just SJM making hella good fanfiction for all the Feysand, Azlain, and (debatably) Nessian shippers. I loved the book because I am a supporter of all of these ships, and I stand by it when I say that this is probably the best book in the series. I think that’s proof enough that a screw’s loose, right? Someone send help!

Genre: adult fantasy, romance

Age: 15+

Rating: 10/10

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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR Book 3)

Ok, so after the emotional rollercoaster of As Good, As Dead, I wanted to head right back into ACOTAR, which I had been unceremoniously interrupted from by my sister. I had already read ACOTAR and ACOMAF, but I had only gotten about a hundred pages into A Court of Wings and Ruin before it was quite literally ripped out of my hands.

So, I headed back to finish GGGTM while my sister tore—ick—through ACOTAR. She’s since finished the series and has already gone through a few other books on my bookshelf. I’m going to have to be careful going forward to make sure she doesn’t damage them any further and doesn’t read any of my favorites.

Anyway, I picked ACOWAR up again and I loved getting lost in its seven hundred and some pages. I love a good, long book that has a plot line I can just lose myself. It’s always so unsatisfying when you invested in a book and then it just ends. So, I loved the length of the book and I got to feel super immersed in the story. I think ACOMAF is my favorite, but I do love the other books so far (I’m currently on A Court of Frost and Starlight).

ACOWAR picks up exactly where the others leave, with Feyre in Tamlin’s talons (quite literally) and Rhys and the inner circle back in the Night Court. They eventually are reunited and I get a lot of material of my favorite couple and friend groups all in Velaris. I loved all the growth that happens, as well as the rise of one of my all-time, hands-down, glasses-raised favorite ships: Nessian. I. Love. NESSIAN. And I love the material we get of them in ACOWAR. Although they’re still at the enemies stage of the enemies-to-lovers, I think the majority of them together will be enemies. I’m honestly not complaining, as I love their banter and rivalry. But I fell off my chair hard when that scene with the king happened. I was basically speechless and I had to silently and internally scream when that happened.

One of my many simping reactions from reading a Nessian scene/reference/allusion/any-fricking-thing! #NessianIsSuperior

Anyway, I loved the book and the extra material on all the ships and friend circles. I swear, these books make me smile, laugh, cry, and question my existence all at the same time. And, I’ve almost thrown one of them across the room, though I make a rule not to do that unless it’s a soft surface.

Genre: adult fantasy, romance

Age: 16+

Rating: 10/10

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Beginning the Trek!! CT–Luderitz, Namibia

OMG, we’re going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship!! That’s right, we’ve officially decided to cut the lines—not literally, that would be a waste of rope—on Dafne and push off towards our last oceanic crossing: the Atlantic. We decided this last summer and we’ve been preparing ever since.

For the crossing, we’ve decided to stop in Namibia for about a month, then cross to St. Helena for a few weeks, then trek to an island off Brazil called Fernando de Noronha. From there, we have some plan changes, as Cleo will be leaving us for college and I’m going to be taking an exam for one of my classes (so excited—not). But, we’ll only spend about a month or so there, and then kick off to the Caribbean Islands for an indefinite amount of time.

As my glorious timing would have it, I should have posted before we started our voyage, but, alas, we’ve already sailed away from Cape Town and I’m just now updating you guys. I think by now we should establish a given rule that I’m going to be updating you a week or so late. So, in the future, you can expect me to be posting about stuff that has already happened, ‘kay?

So, here we are and I’m updating you week late. We set off from Cape Town on Wednesday and sailed into Luderitz, Namibia, on Saturday evening. I’m writing this on Monday as we sit here having been to the Luderitz yacht club for most of the afternoon using their wifi to catch up on work and school. Today, my parents went in to check us into Namibia, scout internet cafes, and get SIM cards for all of us. Most of these plans worked out, as they found the cards and ample choices for the cafes, but we will have to return to shore for more checking in.

As you guys already know, checking into a new place is always so much fun *eye roll* and we totally spend the minimum amount of time doing it *snort*. But, what can you do? You have to legally go through immigration, port clearance, harbor master, and quarantine if you want to do anything in a new country. So, back to clearing in it is for the rest of the day.

As for the trip, it was relatively good. We chose a good window for the wind, and the sail wasn’t as rough as we expected, having been warned about the wind in Namibia. However, we got in on Sunday and learned that making water is near impossible here due to bacteria clogging our filters if we try to use them. Argh! So, we are conserving water and taking showers at the yacht club. I think it’s safe to say we will being going there, as well as other internet places, for the next few days until we leave the boat.

Oops, I spilled the beans! That’s right, we’ve planned an inland Namibia trip. Eek! I’m so excited because Namibia is beautiful and has a ton of cool natural places. The climate is desert and arid, but is abundant with wildlife. We’re going to various sites around the country, where I will update you with posts and pictures, not to worry.

So, the next time you’ll hear from me, I’ll be exploring the desert of Namibia and sending pictures of elephants and cheetahs!! TTYL, y’all!!

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As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson (GGGTM Book 3)

Alrightie-o! I’m finally finished with this series, and it was a banger! I am super proud to say that this was my first ever murder mystery and I loved it. It’s not that I am against murder mysteries or thrillers as a genre in books, I just had never picked up a murder mystery book until GGGTM.

This series was recommended by, a round of applause, BookTok. I have gotten nearly all of the books on my TBR from BookTok and I’m not ashamed of it. BookTok has a lot of books that I love, but I do take books there with a grain of salt, as some people have a different taste from me. I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but I value great writing in books as well as a banger plotline. That’s why I loved books like GGGTM, but I do know that a lot of the books on BookTok aren’t that way. Sorry, BookTok, but I do have a little bit of dignity.

Anyway, I loved this book, even though it gave me even more anxiety than I already have. If I had to rank the books in GGGTM, this wouldn’t be the top (it’d probably be Good Girl, Bad Blood), but it’s definitely not bad at all. It was a hard read though because I had gotten so invested in the series and I loved Pip, and, in this book, it’s super difficult to watch my girl fall apart bit by bit. Especially at the very end when…Aha, you thought! Nah this is a family-friendly page with absolutely no spoilers because I am a nice person.

Back to the point, I got a lot of the feels this third time around with Holly Jackson. Pip went through it hard, and the end was super sad. I, like, 1000% never shed a tear at anything in books. I swear, I’ve read The Song of Achilles, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and other tear-jerkers and didn’t even bat an eye. Don’t get me wrong—they’re super sad books and I felt the emotions—they just didn’t trigger the tear glands. I only really cry in movies, but, astonishingly, I have shed a few tears during some books. I can’t remember exactly the ones I did, but I get emotionally attached to books, okay? And I’m just emotionally unstable in general, so sue me!

The point I’m trying to make is that I teared up a little bit and had a therapy session with my reflection around the end of the book. That’s the feels I went through. I loved the ending, but after the emotional rollercoaster that was going up and down up until the very end, I was just super glad everything worked out. I really just needed an emotional break from that whole series for a while, but I loved it all the same. A great ending to a great series that helped spark my interest in murder mysteries.

Genre: murder mystery, thriller

Age: 14+

Rating: 8.5/10