Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes

More (and final!) September books, and a really solid group at that! And thank goodness it’s the last group, I was plum out of September songs. Tbh I hadn’t even actually heard of this one, but Johnny Cash is popular enough so we’ll go with it! Should I try to keep the weird month song lyrics going next month?

Aftershocks by Marisa Reichardt
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson



Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes Aftershocks by Marisa Reichardt
Published by Amulet Books on September 29, 2020
Pages: 336
Format:eARC, ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley, Won

A gripping YA novel about two strangers struggling to survive a massive California earthquake

When a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits California, Ruby is trapped in a laundromat with Charlie, a boy she had her first conversation with only moments before. She can’t see anything beyond the rubble that she’s trapped beneath, but she’s sure someone will come save them soon. As the hours and days tick by, Ruby and Charlie struggle to stay hopeful—and stay alive.

Ruby has only Charlie’s voice and her memories to find the hope to keep holding on. Will the two make it out alive? And if they do, what will they have lost to the earthquake? Riveting, tense, and emotionally complex, Aftershocks weaves together the terror and hope of a catastrophic event while showing the ways that disasters can change and unite us.

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Aftershocks is a positively lovely and heart-wrenching story of what happens when the “big one” hits.  True story, I have been high key scared of earthquakes ever since I saw an episode of Full House where Stephanie has some real trauma after an earthquake. (Also good on you, Full House, for actually promoting mental health and therapy positivity back in the ’80s! I digress, but the point is, earthquakes are terrifying.) Ruby is physically trapped in a laundromat after a hugely devastating one hits her California home. She’s alone, save for Charlie who is a stranger who was also in the laundromat at the wrong time, and is injured and scared.

And the bulk of this book takes place exactly in these moments, moments in which Ruby has to fight to stay alive- and face the possibility that she might not. She and Charlie share stories, and the reader is given insight into Ruby’s life through both flashbacks and her current thoughts about her family and friends.

The story is compulsively readable, both because I wanted to learn the fates of Ruby, Charlie, and everyone they care for (and the city at large), but because they’re incredibly sympathetic characters who I genuinely wanted to know more about. The author also does a great job of making the reader feel the desperation and horror that Ruby would have been feeling, and it’s so clear to see how easily this sort of disaster can happen to any one of us.

Also, as a random aside, Ruby is a water polo player and this is the first book that I have ever encountered a water polo-playing main character, and the author did a great job depicting the sport.

Bottom Line: Both beautiful and devastating, I could not put this book down as I yearned for positive fates for the characters I had grown to love.

P.S: My mom read it and enjoyed it too!


Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
Series: Crownchasers #1
Published by HarperTeen on September 29, 2020
Pages: 384
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Edelweiss

A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this riveting duology opener, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Aurora Rising, and Three Dark Crowns.

Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planets in her own ship?

But when Alyssa’s uncle becomes gravely ill, his dying wish surprises the entire galaxy. Instead of naming her as his successor, he calls for a crownchase, the first in seven centuries. Representatives from each of the empire’s prime families—including Alyssa—are thrown into a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire. The first to find the seal wins the throne.

Alyssa’s experience as an explorer makes her the favorite to win the crown she never wanted. And though she doesn’t want to be empress, her duty to her uncle compels her to participate in this one last epic adventure. But when the chase turns deadly, it’s clear that more than just the fate of the empire is at stake. Alyssa is on her most important quest yet—and only time will tell if she’ll survive it.

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Oh, what a fun space adventure this was! It’s kind of my fave when the stakes are high, and it’s a dark, miserable world, but the book manages to use humor and wittiness regardless. Some things I will never not love that this book does phenomenally:

  • Scavenger hunt in space. I mean, need I even say more? It’s a race, it’s a competition, and most excitingly, it requires its competitiors to really think and analyze. So not your basic run of the mill space-race, friends.
  • A gloriously snarky and lovable main character. Alyssa wants nothing less than to rule the empire. Nothing. But since she also doesn’t want to see the entire universe collapse under an incompetent ruler, she at least wants to help her worthy friend/opponent win. And then she’d like to slink back onto some backwater planet, thankyouverymuch. 
  • Delicious banter with a character/friend/lover named Hell Monkey. Yes, that is his name, no, not given at birth. He is so fabulous, and their relationship was just… ::chef’s kiss::
  • Dealing with your ex who also happens to be your opponent and not the one you’re hoping will win. Heh that is exactly as messy as it sounds! Alyssa still has some baggage to sort through with her ex, Faye. And I like that Alyssa has this opportunity, frankly! Dealing with your past is never bad. Alyssa also gets to reconnect with some childhood friends- some who she’s glad to, and some… not so much.
  • It’s still full of high stakes and a lot of emotion. Yes, it’s fun, but it’s also really intense! I mean, Alyssa’s only actual family member dies at the start, so you know it’s going to get dark. And I love that her uncle is clearly teaching her lessons still, from the beyond, in having her enter the Crownchase. Nicely played, sir. As for the stakes… I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, but it becomes very clear that this could end with the whole universe being led by the very wrong person- in more ways than one.

Bottom Line: Rebecca Coffindaffer’s imagination seems like a very fun place to be, and I cannot wait until we’re let back in for the sequel!


Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Inheritance Games #1
on September 1, 2020
Pages: 384
Format:eARC, Hardcover
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

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This is my first (can you believe it?) and certainly not last Jennifer Lynn Barnes book. This is a wild story about a girl who is suddenly thrust into billionaire status (and the public eye that comes with it).  Avery is very much not expecting to inherit a stranger’s entire fortune, but here she is, with the caveat that she must live in the deceased’s home, Hawthorne House, for one year. Of course, also living at Hawthorne House are the man’s still living relatives, who have just found out they’ve been disinherited, whoopsie!

Obviously this is some kind of test for Avery, but no one quite knows how or why. And as Avery investigates, with the sometimes-help of some of the Hawthorne grandsons, all kinds of secrets begin to unfurl. I won’t lie, I had a wee bit of trouble at the start of the book figuring out the brothers, and who was connected to who, and what they meant within this family. It’s a fairly large group, but they are all well fleshed out as characters, so as the story went on I definitely was able to decipher them better.

Avery is dealing with all kinds of issues that many teens would be going through: changing schools and making new friends, her sister’s abusive boyfriend, and her blossoming feelings for… well, more than one of the Hawthorne grandsons. But in addition to these more usual problems, she has to cope with press junkets, making proper appearances at events, running a philanthropic organization, all while just trying to live her life. It’s a lot, but if anyone can do it, Avery can! The mysteries of Hawthorne House just add to the curiosity of why Avery is there to begin with, and it’s what made me itch to keep reading.

Bottom Line: Such a fun story of secrets, mysteries, and family, I am definitely looking forward to the sequel!


Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Published by Gallery / Saga Press on September 29, 2020
Pages: 320
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Stranger Things meets World War Z in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong.

Turner Falls is a small tourist town nestled in the hills of western Oregon, the kind of town you escape to for a vacation. When an inexplicable outbreak rapidly develops, this idyllic town becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence as the teenaged children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and aggressively murderous. Suddenly the town is on edge, and Lucy and her friends must do everything it takes just to fight through the night.

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This book left me fairly speechless. It’s hands down one of the darkest and most messed up books I have ever read, and that is saying something. When an inexplicable condition renders Lucy’s classmate a violent mess, she’s rightfully unsettled. And things only go downhill from there. Soon, the town is overtaken by what is basically a murderous rampage, and Lucy and her friends have quite the time trying to survive.

I don’t want to say too much here, because spoilers, and I think you should go into this one as I did, knowing very little. Because once the shit hits the fan, I was not be able to stop reading. Lucy was certainly a sympathetic character, and as she was relatable, I was easily able to ask myself what I would do in her shoes.

And wow I never ever want to be in her shoes! When things got bad, they got bad fast. At first, it had seemed like her one classmate may be an isolated incident, but when the outbreak picked up… well, you can imagine how quickly things went from “boring suburb” to “hellfire”.  And the author did a great job at making me feel the crisis-level that Lucy and her friends were operating under. Everything felt incredibly high stakes, and the danger immediate.

Bottom Line: Perhaps not for the faint of heart, but if you can handle some violence and horror, this is quite the exciting (and thought provoking) ride!

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Let us chat about them!  

Posted September 28, 2020 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in In a Minute, Review / 8 Comments

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8 responses to “Reviews in a Minute: September When It Comes

  1. Well, Shannon, you are either in a great reading mood or have been finding the best books for you. I love seeing all the high ratings. I like Barnes. I have read several of her books, and am very much looking forward to her newest series. I love the premise and want to work on those puzzles right along side Avery.

  2. I’ve read the Natural series and really enjoyed it. I never really read the summary to The Inheritance Game (until this moment) and it sounds like fun with tons of twists.

    Happy to hear Crown Chasers was such a winner! I’m a bit picky with my sci-fi, but I’ll give this a go!

  3. Beth W

    We’ve hit some sort of tipping point, because all of these were already on my TBR. Phew! I’m so glad they’re as good as described. What a great set to end September on!

    I feel like there aren’t many songs about October, though I’m sure there’s Halloween ones….but I do enjoy your cleverness, so please keep that up. 😀

  4. oh oh I have the Inheritance Games to read and i am EXCITED. I also love loved Crownchasers ? so much fun!! Reminds me I need to read sci-fi more because it can be so brilliant ??

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