Deer in Headlights by Staci Hart is a light, fun, and cute read that has the gods and goddesses of Olympus doing what they do best, pulling the strings of us humans down on Earth. The gods have become bored and decide to have host competitions to gain favours and boasting rights for the millennia. It is Dita's (aka Aphrodite) turn to host her competitions of love and first up is Apollo. They each choose a player and while Dita tries to get them together, Apollo tries to keep them apart.

There are some things I really liked about this book: it came with its own playlist (Smashing Pumpkins, Fleetwood Mac, and The Smiths to name a few), the Earth couple of Dean and Lex, all the mythology, and the plot/premise is a lot of fun. There were also some things I did not like. Other than Dean and Lex, I did not care about the other characters at all. They were very superficial and not as developed as I would have liked. Perhaps the development comes though the series since this is just book one. I would definitely read the others to see how it goes. I also felt like some of the sex scenes were added in because this is a romance and not because they actually took the story anywhere. If you are looking for a fun beach read, this is it, but if you are looking for a super interesting and earth-shattering book about life on Olympus, this is not.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a novel that belongs in the very museum that gives it its name. Alice Hoffman’s brilliant weaving of history with the fictional lives of Coralie and Eddie make it difficult to believe that these two did not actually live the lives that were told of in this book. This is a story of innocence, of people who are wonders to behold but called freaks of nature by the populace that paid to see them, and of love in its many forms. This novel was beautiful, even in its gruesomest moments, during the fires that begin and end this tale. While I was familiar with the first, the latter was new to me and seemed so unbelievable I had to look it up and was astonished to find it was real. And though the story starts off slow, it blossoms like the cereus plant into the wonder that it is, and is over too soon.

Summary from Netgalley:

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.
When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Review:

The Queen of Hearts is an amazing re-imagining of Wonderland. This is not about Alice and this is not an odd dream world full of caterpillars and talking flowers. It is more of a nightmarish reality with horses and kings that strike fear into your very heart and trees that are worse than torture. I really do not what to give anything away because this is a book that needs to be experience and not explained. I am excited that this is the first book in a planned series because I am dying to know what happens next.  Very dark, wonderfully written, and never a dull moment. Long live the Queen of Hearts!

Summary:

No one is more passionate about rescuing hurt animals than Robin, except maybe her best friend Zo-Zo, who helps Robin run the family's animal shelter, The Wild Place. When the two of them discover that a neighbour's chicken farm is really a factory farm, they both want to stop it. Zo-Zo argues that radical action is required, but Robin is worried about getting into trouble with her dad, or even worse, the local sheriff. Is it ever okay to break the law to stand up for what you believe in? And if it is, how will she find the courage to do what's right, even when others think she's wrong?

Review:

The Truth About Brave is the wonderful story of Robin and her family and friends as they go through the different trials of growing up and making a change in the world. I especially loved this cast of characters and have a special fondness for Griff, the lovable grandmother and her particularly moving speech about what being brave actually means. I was not sure about this book when I first started reading it because it tackles some pretty heavy topics: animal cruelty, mourning the death of a parent, eating disorders, talking to strangers online, and the terrifying topic of public speaking. I was hoping that the author would not treat them lightly and make them seem easy to deal with. I am so happy to report that all the topics were handled in an absolutely brilliant way. This book would be perfect for reading with your pre-teen/teen or even for schools to use in class as it brings up important things for great discussions. I will definitely go back and read the first book, Howl, and will definitely invest in these for my personal library.