I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Exit Stage Death by Ava Eldred. Thank you to Graeme Williams and UCLAN Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Livi Campbell’s summer to-do list is
- Have the best final summer at Camp Chance.
- Prove to her parents that acting is an acceptable career choice.
- Smash all her rehearsals and get the lead in the senior showcase.
But when a fellow camper shows up dead under mysterious circumstances and Livi finds a note suggesting all is not as it seems, she must team up with her camp-mates to catch the culprit before they kill again.
Enter Juliet, the social media influencer with everything to prove; Aaron, the nepo baby who isn’t sure he wants to be in Hollywood at all; Daisy, the inexperienced newbie trying to find her place; and Sam, the leading man who broke Livi’s heart last summer. The players are in place. The stage is set. Curtain up.
Publication Date: 5th June
CW: death, murder, violence, stalking, blackmail
My Thoughts:
Exit Stage Death was such an entertaining and enthralling YA mystery.
I absolutely adore both mysteries and theatre, so a book that combined the two was something I had to pick up. Eldred has crafted such a love letter to both artforms with plenty of theatrical Easter eggs scattered throughout. It celebrates the community that is formed around the theatre, sharing snippets of your favourite shows with a fellow fan and the joy from performing. On the flipside, there is a lot of competitiveness with plenty of talented performers pursuing the same role – depictions of this can often be on the cattier side. Eldred’s depiction highlights that ruthlessness and diligence to your craft, but in more of a tongue in cheek way, up until murder is added to the mix. There is an additional throughline about nepotism, stunt casting and influencer culture, focusing on the more cynical business aspects the industry can sometimes seem to uphold. It all folds together in the theatricality and the focus on creating a story, allowing for some interesting and brilliant surprises in store.
At the centre of it all we have Livi, who embodies that mix of passion and drive. She is determined to prove herself with this final summer – to finally show her parents once and for all that she can pursue her dreams. Within this, she’s not above a little sneakiness to succeed and claim the top billing in the summer showcase. I enjoyed her voice and how theatrical she was, immersed in various musicals and thriving around her people. That lends itself well to her investigation and the unlikely connections she makes along the way. I enjoy the fraught dynamics between them and how this developed over the course of the story. It added a new layer to the high stakes, especially as ominous notes start to come into play (very Phantom esque).
Exit Stage Death was a dream come true for a theatre obsessed reader like myself, but also a well-executed and enjoyable YA thriller.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Run Away With Me by J. L. Simmonds. Thank you to Nina Douglas and Penguin Random House Children’s for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jessie ‘Mouse’ Swift needs to get the hell out of Seattle. A few days ago she admitted to wanting her abusive stepfather dead, only to come home and find his murdered body. So when a girl from school offers Jessie a ride in her vintage red Mustang, they embark on an unexpected road trip across America.
Brooke Summer is everything Jessie isn’t: popular, confident, wealthy and heart-stoppingly beautiful, and Jessie has been in love with her from afar for years. But Brooke is hiding her own secrets . . .
With the cops and other sinister figures on their tail, how long can Jessie and Brooke stay on the run before they’re caught? And as their friendship blossoms into something more, can they find a future worth running to together?
Publication Date: 5th June
CW: murder, death, violence, stalking, abuse
My Thoughts:
Run Away With Me was such a compelling YA thriller with this road trip brimming with tension as both characters are running from their secrets. It has such great twists and turns along the way too.
There is something about a classic road trip – that forced proximity and nothing but the endless road ahead. Simmonds utilises this perfectly to heighten the tension at various points in a variety of mediums. This is a high-stakes rollercoaster ride of a book and every chapter brings it up a notch. You’re drawn in by the initial set-up and the secrets that you want to uncover, but there are plenty of surprises in store. Simmonds handles some tough topics here with nuance and sensitivity. It is a dark story but also leaves room for hope in the future. Of course, the best roadtrips also have a killer soundtrack. I loved how much music played a role in this book, connecting our characters and adding another layer to the story.
Speaking of characters, this story excels in its characterisation, development and voice. Jessie and Brooke are drawn together by circumstance, both hiding their own secrets and fuelled by the need to escape. They are reckless and impulsive at times with Brooke’s lack of wordliness sometimes coming to bite her, as with Jessie’s imposter syndrome and guilt. They felt authentic and layered, messy and believable. I thought Simmonds nailed the dialogue as well, which felt realistic. The dynamic between the two of them is electric and wonderful to watch develop and change. Because we view events through Jessie’s perspective, there is that additional charge right from the start and you root for her slightly helpless romantic vibe.
Run Away With Me is a thrilling read where the stakes get higher with every chapter. It captures that boundless feeling of adventure in a good road trip, then flips the script with a pulse-pounding build towards the conclusion.
Finally, I’d like to delve into When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur. Thank you to First Ink for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Dawson Sumter goes missing, all he leaves behind is a smattering of blood in room 4 of the debt-ridden motel owned by Neera Singh’s family.
Disappearances like this aren’t uncommon in the rural Georgia town of Carrion. Especially during the Cicada Festival, which takes place every thirteen years when a cicada brood returns from underground, shrieking their deafening screams.
Desperate to find out if Dawson is still alive, Neera joins forces with three other local teens: Isaiah, clandestine true crime podcaster; Reid, son of the wealthiest man in the region; and Sam, estranged daughter of the local hitman. As they find themselves entangled in a messy web of secrets and lies, they discover just how deep the rot in Carrion goes . . .
Publication Date: 5th June
CW: death, murder, suicide, addiction, racism, classism, sexism, animal death and mutilation
My Thoughts:
When Devils Sing was a wonderful Southern Gothic YA horror/thriller about the lengths to which we’d go to protect the ones we love and the cost of our dreams. It was gorgeously written with a knife edge to it.
This is such a fantastic YA horror story. Kaur has a gift for creating a spine-tingling atmosphere immediately. From the first few pages, I was hooked and I knew I would not be putting this down until I had finished it. The dealings pivot around your dreams and the lengths you would go to achieve them or protect the ones you love. Instantly it is thought-provoking with an opening scene that I have not been able to get out of my head.There is a mesh of the supernatural and the monstrosity of humans that feels so skin-crawling, because it is at once otherworldly and rooted in the awful reality of our world. Kaur explores the systems built to maintain the power and privilege of the few, with the consequences that fall on those who are not viewed as part of this community. On a larger scale, it captures that small town paranoia so well with a claustrophobic feel as shadowy forces move to protect its secrets. The two contrasting settings feel like characters in their own rights with the blood staining the soil, speaking to the secrets buried there and the history obsfuscated.
The shining light of this book is the characterisation. We get to follow Neera, Isaiah, Reid and Sam through their own journeys in investigating this mystery. They encounter separate forces that eventually intersect and embody different aspects of the themes Kaur is exploring. Their voices feel distinctive and three-dimensional, with enough room to breathe as they develop through the story. Each of them has been deeply influenced by their background and delving into the secrets in their community may break them completely. It just felt like such a rich tapestry to unpick here.
When Devils Sing captures that sense of something watching you in the dead of night. It is eerie and affecting – an incredibly strong debut.
A Short Book Lover 
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