Cate Writes

[spookyasmr]

[catedwrites]

(🧶🧶🧶🧶 balls of yarn for Amity to knit)

Jenny L. Howe isn’t quite an auto-buy author for me yet, but How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House gets her one step closer. I love the way she write her characters: they feel like real, messy teenagers who are trying to figure out life still. I like that their anxieties and insecurities are grounded and how well she writes about messy, but true, friendships.

The pace on this one dragged a bit, but I didn’t mind as much as I might have, had the characters not been so dang enjoyable. I loved the Summerween and slightly magical atmosphere. I really loved how Amity builds a group of friends and finds a life for herself in a new place.

SPOILER:

I do think, in some ways, that the haunted turned out to be actually haunted by ghosts was the weakest part of the book. I think it had to be haunted, for the themes and characterisations in the story to work, but it felt as though Howe was unsure of it or out of her element. I like that she swung, but it didn’t quite connect for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Romance for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.

[torpublishinggroup]

This ad is for the must-read cozy horror mystery of the season! The Executioners Three by New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard has it all—a mystery filled with gruesome murders, tension-filled romance, and shocking revelations.

*The hardcover edition of The Executioners Three will include beautiful designed printed edges.*

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Rivalries, murders, and curses, oh my!

Return to 1999—aspiring teen sleuth Freddie Gellar must avoid pranks at the hands of her rival high school and distractions by the squad’s gorgeous leader in order to discover who’s behind the mysterious deaths in her small town, and how they’re linked to a gruesome centuries-old curse. 

[titsay]

[catedwrites]

(✨✨✨✨✨ sparkles for Vera, Ruby, Eli, and Howard)

I’m completely fine.

Totally good.

Absolutely great.

I’m certainly not crying on my morning commute to work thanks to this book, how dare you suggest otherwise.

It’s been awhile since I’d picked up a Julie Murphy book--I remember enjoying Dumplin' and Ramona Blue, but she'd fallen off my radar as I entered my adult years. However, upon picking up Vera Stein is Fine, I was (am) blown away by how warm, emotional, and funny this book is. I think Murphy has always been a good writer, but she has become a formidable in the years since I last read her work. It helped (or didn’t, depending on your perspective about crying pm public transport) that Vera's story happened to be exactly the book I needed to read right now and I hope that its the same homerun for others too. Even if I had critiques, I have no notes. Just go read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All options are mine alone.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Daydreaming a story idea about someone adopted as a young child who comes of age to realize they have been raised, and loved, by the villains. And they're the survivor of a massacre their adoptive parents committed.

Just. A fun thought idea.

We love divided loyalties...

[ashintheairlikesnow]

The slow realization that they have been loved not like a child, but as a trophy. But it was love nonetheless. Wasn't it?

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Moses - Wikipedia

[theartofanimation]

Oliver Flores

[catedwrites]

(🦇🦇🦇🦇 bats (but none for Digby) ) Spooky fun! When this book was pitched as a Gravity Falls-alike, I I had to read it and went in with high hopes. And, I gotta say, I really enjoyed the adventures of the Romers and crew. I think how the mystery plays out is overall well paced and interesting. I like the paranormal elements and how well Digby’s perspective was written. More than once I was transported exactly back to bring a kid. I’d absolutely recommend Transylvania County for middle-grade readers looking for adventure, mystery, and a bit of the supernatural. Thank you to NatGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Odd Dot for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.

[promptcalender]

Types of autistic characters we need more of

characters who are loved regardless of issues they might have with family and friends because of their autism

autistic women not reduced to the manic pixie dream girl trope nor the unattractive nerd trope

characters whose story does not revolve around being autistic

adult autistics who live a relatively normal life because they have found strategies and have a good support system

characters with a deliberate sense of humor instead of ‘being funny’ because they are brusque or not understanding social cues

autistic, adult women

BIPOC autistic characters

characters who did not grow up in a sheltered middle class home

sexually active autistic characters

characters whose autism does not make them a stem genius

non-infantilised and innocent characters who take drugs, drink, and do other adult ‘taboo’ stuff

[Prompt Calender: April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day]

[wordsmithofdoom]

All of these! But I like this one in particular: "characters whose story does not revolve around being autistic".

Since I am neurodivergent, my main characters often are, too. And their stories are never directly about that. However, I make their neurotype play an important role in the plot, as in "this character is able to see what others can't, and save the day, thanks to their unique perspective".

I would also add:

-Autistic character that is not the comic relief weirdo

-Autistic character that does not need saving from anything just because they are autistic

--WoD

[catedwrites]

(🫐🫐🫐🫐🫐 wishes)

The Moonsingers is a joyful delight of a book that, once I began, I tore through in about a day. To say it’s enchanting would, perhaps, be too on the nose, but I can’t think of a much better word. If you enjoy the Emily Wilde series, please please please read this one. I enjoyed Ismay’s character growth immensely and identified with her so much. Her flaws and growth really resonated with me and I’ve adopted her mantra of “I am unbiddable” for the time being. As a teacher myself, I don’t often enjoy books about teachers for a host of reasons, but I really appreciated how Pitzker wrote about the joys and frustrations of teaching. I know this whimsy and slower pacing may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and I acknowledge it’s not a perfect book. But it’s one I needed now and enjoyed myself immensely during. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.

[hauntedraggedyanne]

Creepy things to add to settings

Just to make things a bit more interesting

—Water stains from flooding

—Withered down machinery resulting from weather

—Torn fabric caught on spikes

—Attempting to find a hiding spot, only to turn around and find the skeleton of the last person who tried to hide there

—Expecting to see spiders and other bugs, only for them all to scurry away as a new presence enters the room

—Fog slithering in through holes in the walls or open windows

—Stepping on the dead, crunchy leaves of plants that started growing inside

—The characters knowing the floorboards will creak, so they try really hard to keep quiet as they travel. Make them all freeze when they hear something else coming at them and decide if they should stand still to keep from attracting any more attention or if they run for their lives

—The wallpaper and paintings on the wall torn off and scattered against the floor, leaving the walls barren and lifeless

it’s all about how you describe it! Find things that get under people’s skin (bugs, snakes, certain sounds, etc) and connect them to whatever you’re trying to make creepy

[catedwrites]

(🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️ tornadoes to chase)

It’s taken me over a day post-read to write this review because I’m conflicted over how and what to write. Because In Stormy Weather does so many romance novel and writerly things very very well! I enjoyed the characters; they were distinct and I could tell Curto had a lot of fun writing them. The banter was good, actually, and this is from someone who cringes when she reads most “banter” (romantasy has killed this term for me, rip). The sex was written very well and rarely gratuitously. I particularly liked how Curto dealt with sexism in the workplace. So now I don’t want to even add my BUUUUUUUUUT. So I won’t. Curto has written a sturdy rom com and y’all should go read it. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.

[wormwoodandhoney]

books read in 2024: emily wilde series by heather fawcett

There is nothing trivial about good coffee.

[girlfleeshouse]

Purposefully, she is storm-swift. If appearances are correct, the spy is peculiarly gifted.

[catedwrites]

(⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️ for Serafina and Georgie) Ladies of the Knight was so much fun and the level of detail in the illustrations blew me away. I really haven’t had this good of a time with a graphic novel in ages, to the point I missed my tram stop reading and then walked back home just so I have extra time to read as I walked. I really enjoyed the cast of characters and while the story’s timeline as slightly confusing, I was happy to roll with it, enjoying Georgie and Serafina and their respective arcs. I would snap up a physical copy of this in a second and I hope we get more of their adventures and this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.

[betss1256]

Yeah, my biggest fear is not experiencing the found families I’ve read in books, so what?

[catedwrites]

(⛰️⛰️⛰️ mountains for adventurers to climb)

The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance took a long time to to get going and to find its feet, but once it did, Bullen told an engaging and thoughtful story. I particularly enjoyed the character growth and how the various characters worked through their issues and opened up to each other. The found family element was well done. I do think that most of the book lacked….a bit of something, but it is charming. I hope Bullen writes more, continues to find her feet, and enliven the world she's made.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the opportunity to read and review this DRC. All opinions are mine alone.