Time to Play (Apocalypse Parenting, 1) (ADULT)

Imagine you are at home with three kids, 9, 6, and 3 years old, and all of a sudden, all electronics die, and a strange voice coming from everywhere and nowhere at once announces, congratulations, your planet has been selected.  I know my first thought would be selected for what and turn the power and stuff back on.  But then you find out the what and it isn’t good at all.  You must play for your lives, and the kids have to as well.  The only help you have is a stuffed turtle your 3-year-old has used her choice of supernatural power to bring to life.  You want to laugh; you want to cry, but there is no time. This is Meghan’s new world, and like it or not, her kids will have to grow up fast.

This is a little different take on the fast-growing genre of LitRPG books.  I think this is the first one I have read where there are kids, and they are actively involved.  But I really liked the book and the way some people can come together in a crisis but others can’t, and the advantages and disadvantages of each person's decision.  This book is all action and suspense; it gets started and never slows down.  The characters are well thought out, as is the plot.  I don’t know what will happen to Meghan and her family and friends, but I can’t wait to find out. 

 

Ghost in the Night (MG)

Harmony’s grandmom has died, and her dad is a musician and travels a lot, and this time Harmony is with him.  The stop in Savannah, Georgia, is one where they will be there for a while, and Harmony wants to do some of the ghost tours, as that is her jam.  While on one, she takes a picture, she is sure there is more in it than anyone gives her credit for.  When she goes to get the picture printed and blown up, she meets a girl, Myah, who becomes a friend and will help her figure out the picture and the truth behind it.  Soon, the duo becomes a trio when Robby, the son of a lady that Savannah and her dad are renting a guest house from.  Harmony learns there has been a murder recently, and the deceased's son is still missing. Could this be related?

I really liked this book, it had lots of action, suspense thick as pea soup, and a good plot.  Yes, the mystery can be figured out really easily, but it is the path that makes this a good book.  The ghost stories, the friends, the historic tidbits, the grief journey, and the dogged determination not to be dismissed because of their age, that is what made this a great book for me.