Asylum

By Madeleine Roux
310 pages
Paperback

So I've looked at this book for a while now, but I've always felt like it would be just a weird rip off of the Miss Peregrine books.
It's not really.
I mean, part of the premise is the same in that it is a narrative arranged around weird images.
The pictures for this book- all presented in black and white - are a mix of vintage and staged images.
The protagonist, Daniel Crawford, is staying at a summer camp and the dorms are located in a former asylum. He and his friends find some old records and photographs; quickly thereafter a body is found and their summer program becomes dangerous.
It was a better book than I thought it would be - and creepier too!

Jane and the Damned

By Janet Mullany

Jane Austen, vampire. I didn't get into it at first, but then I was caught up in the charm and exuberance of the story. It didn't feel like Austen to me - the character didn't - but I did enjoy the subtle allusions that were laid throughout the book. I disliked the ending.

Allusion!

Flawed

By Cecelia Ahern
Hardback
321 pages

So first off, what a thoughtful use of a first jacket. This is a really well designed book. It is also a strikingly well written book. There were at least two times that the book almost brought me to tears!
It avoids a lot of tropes that are becoming staples in YA dystopian novels. The characters are varied and honest and the plot is engaging.

Warning! I really really really hope she writes the sequel! The ending is really left with another book in mind!

The Time Machine

By H.G. Wells
Paperback
148 pages

I had never actually read this before! Which I didn't really realize until I opened the book.

None of the characters have actual names, but are referred to as things such as "The Time Traveller" and "The Psychologist."

The setting is Victorian England - what a perfect excuse for a steam punk party - and nominally all in the Time Traveller's house. He returns in the middle of a dinner party and regales the company with the tale of his adventures through time.

He sees the decay of civilization and the fall of man.

It's a very readable book, but for some reason I expected more from it. I did enjoy it - and it's such a pretty edition!

The Love That Split the World

By Emily Henry
Hardback
390 pages

This was my first OwlCrate book - but I only just got to reading it.

Natalie is a strange girl in a small town. She was adopted, and has been searching for answers about who she is. Added to that, she has recurring nightmares and hallucinations.
But one day, the hallucinations take place out in public and she sees other people and other versions of her own world. Is she going crazy? Her new counselor doesn't think so...

I really enjoyed this book. I liked both plot and characters- I won't say that I couldn't put it down, but I did find myself eager for the next page, the next chapter, the next piece of the puzzle.

Everland

By Wendy Spinale
Hardback
312 pages
Fantasy

This book is a reimagining of Peter Pan. It changes tons of elements, but characters and concepts are recognizable. The setting - Everland - is a bombed out London. The characters are predominantly children. A disease is ravaging the population and there is a race against time to find the cure.

It was a neat retelling and I really enjoyed reading the book.