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hollymbryan · 2 years

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Blog Tour + #Review: THE KILLING CODE by Ellie Marney!

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for The Killing Code by Ellie Marney! I loved this book, which you’ll see in my review, posted below along with all the details about the book.

About the Book

title: The Killing Code author: Ellie Marney publisher: Little, Brown BFYR release date: 20 September 2022

A historical mystery about a girl who risks everything to track down a vicious serial killer, for fans of The Enigma Game and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer. To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.

Add to Goodreads: The Killing Code Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Indigo | Indiebound

About the Author

Ellie Marney is a New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning crime author who has gone behind the scenes at the Westminster Mortuary in London and interviewed forensic and technical specialists around the world in pursuit of just the right details for her brand of pulse-pounding thrillers.

Her titles include The Killing Code, None Shall Sleep, the Every trilogy, No Limits, White Night and the Circus Hearts series. She has lived in Indonesia, India and Singapore, and is now based in Australia with her partner and their four sons.

Ellie has been involved in the creation of the national campaign called #LoveOzYA to promote and advocate for Australian YA literature. She contributed to the critically-acclaimed Begin End Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology, and co-runs the popular #LoveOzYAbookclub online. She also co-coordinates an online info-sharing group for Australian women self-publishers. She teaches writing and publishing through Writers Victoria, advocates for Australian women’s writing as a Stella Ambassador in schools, and is a regular speaker at festivals and events.

Connect with Ellie: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

My 5-Star Review

The Killing Code is, incredibly, my first read by Ellie Marney. I know I have an older one of hers on my shelf, but haven’t read it yet (which I will be rectifying immediately!). I was thrilled to join this tour and see what all the buzz is about.

I love historical fiction books, and if you make it feminist *and* a murder mystery? I am so in! In this book we have “code girls,” the young women who worked night and day in the codebreaking brigade during the war, coupled with a series of gruesome murders of government girls that our intrepid group decide they must solve because the police are too blinded by their prejudices. The characters are all wonderfully drawn, and the romance is absolutely *chef’s kiss*. I had butterflies at the same time Kit and Moya did! There’s also loads of information on the actual codebreaking work the girls do, and it’s obvious a *ton* of research went into this book. Marney also addresses the racism, classism, and sexism of the era in America (which we all know isn’t just historical). I love the theme of found family, which is one of my favorite tropes, especially in YA. Top it off with some great mystery-solving techniques from Kit, Moya, Dottie, and Violet, and I can honestly say there is nothing I didn’t love about this book. I suspected I knew who the killer was, but I definitely wasn’t sure until right about when it was figured out, so that was a great ending for me!

I highly recommend The Killing Code to anyone who enjoys a great mystery and/or historical fiction. I really hope you’ll pick this up, and let me know what you think!

Rating: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

Make sure you check out the Bookstagram tour too! I’ll have a flash giveaway in my stories for a copy of the book!

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sophiadraws · 2 years

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So after a far bit of not going anywhere all of a sudden I felt like I was everywhere for Passport. The book came out during a sort of weird time, so I was lucky enough to be celebrating it’s existence in the world here there and everywhere for what felt like most of September. Here is the photodump to prove it: 1. This is what happens when you try to fit two families of four in a New York apartment. Thank you @juliawhair 2. This is what is looks like when you FINALLY meet your extraordinary agent @mollyoneillbooks (whithout whom you would be nada) in person. 💗💕💗 3. This is what it looks like when your kids hold hands and bravely forge through a crowded subway platform on their first visit to Penn Station. 4. This is what the first ever reading of Passport looks like at the very awesome @new_dominion_bookshop 5. This is what it looks like when to your suprise and delight @joshmbayer is your table mate @spxcomics 6. This is what it looks like when you are high on adrenaline and decide to wear a crop top at SPX 22. 7. This is what it looks like when you finish a panel with @fffungirl @katrionachapman and @tommi_pg and are exhilarated by the experience. 8. This is what it looks like as you try not to swear in front of the child in the front row of said panel (ps I failed. Sorry, Erica!) 9. This is what it looks like when you’ve completed 2/3 high school visits for @hs_bookfest and are pretty sure the next one will go OK too. 10. This is what the world’s best host @curlcan looks like. Her name is Carolyn and she gave me a #bumpycake with candles in it for my birthday. I’m 39 btw and it rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #comics #passport #graphicnovels #graphicmemoir #memoir #debutgraphicnovel #comix #spx #spx22 #hsfotb2022 #harborspringsmichigan #ya #yalit #booktok #booksofinstagram #cia #secrets #comicart #yaliterature #comicbooks #book #bookfestival #lbyr #graphicnovelist (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjI2kxQLSgN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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emilyhurstpritchett · 1 year

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Starting the prep for a new painting! But I've got a lot of client work coming up so who knows when it will progress... . #newpainting #traditionalpainting #gouachepainting #artworkinprogress #ellaenchanted #magicalart #fantasyadventure #bookcoverart #yaliterature — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/ZesGauN

#Instagram #IFTTT

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bookaddict24-7 · 3 years

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New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (April 13th, 2021)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

The Backups by Alex de Campi

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

Notes From A Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults) by Kwame Onwuachi & Joshua David Stein

Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden & Jacquelin de Leon

The Sky Above Us by Natalie Lund

New Sequels:

The Serpent’s Curse (The Last Magician #3) by Lisa Maxwell

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Happy reading!

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x-justanotherbookblog-x · 2 years

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12.29.2021

currently reading: The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black

pages: just finished

spoilers (?) below

i read this series on recommendation from my friend, and i really did like it, but i have to say that the story itself left me somewhat underwhelmed. like i feel there were so many twists and turns and plot jumps, etc., that not everything felt resolved even though i know it all kind of did get resolved. and i also kind of wanted jude to be worse. like she wasn't a good character, and cardan wasn't a good character, and suddenly in the last twenty pages they gave them both redeeming qualities and i really didn't want them to. i wanted them to stay garbage.

also when madoc gets got he just...accepts it? it's a break in character and i feel like he wouldn't have reacted that way... there was just something wholely unsatisfying with the ending. i felt like fifty more pages would have been acceptable to get us to something more realistic for the finish of this particular story.

it was still a good series over all and i still recommend -- it was a good read, good folk lore story, good enemies to lovers trope, and a good morally gray story. 3.5/5 stars.

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arnamantle · 4 years

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Check out this phenomenal promo art for Renna's Crossing by MARINA! Go check her out and support her work plz

> > > BOOK INFO and PREORDER < < <

#art #digital art #illustration #digital illustration #cover art #arnamantle #renna #rc #rennas crossing #yalit #yaliterature #indieauthor #indiebook #fantasy #magic #witchcraft #bookblr #books

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taylor-talks-books · 3 years

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The Students of Bayview High: Engrossingly Subscribed to Gossip and Media

On a scale from I would follow these characters on all social medias and be highly invested in their lives to I would have these kids blocked… I rate this book as I would follow each of the characters on Instagram and occasionally watch their Instagram lives… but never comment on their posts.

In Karen McManus’ novel, One of Us Is Lying, she relies on basic elements of the Young Adult Fiction genre to drive the story, amplify the stakes, and transform the characters. Through the YA themes of gossip and social media, McManus’ characters each experience heightened emotions and pressure in their lives throughout the book. Gossip and social media are the backdrop for this murder-mystery-turned-romance-novel.

The story centers on the investigation surrounding the murder of high school student, Simon Kelleher. Simon’s social position at Bayview High School was as the almost-outcast, who was the mastermind behind the gossip app “About That”. This app ruled the social experience of the high schoolers at the school. On About That, Simon would post rumors, which were somehow always true, about his fellow classmates and the drama of their lives. The book’s focus is rooted in this social media app, and the issues it created for the four main characters. Firstly, without gossip being spread on About That being a main focus in the teens’ lives, the pressure to adhere to and “eat up” gossip in the world of the book wouldn’t have even existed. McManus bases this novel on a gossip app that virtually runs the lives of these high schoolers, whether they admit to it or not.

In YA Literature, gossip and social media are classic themes that are relevant in stories, so it makes sense that these elements are the driving forces of this novel. McManus relies on these YA elements to create the world of the book, as well as to develop the pressure that burdens and drives the characters’ motives. For the YA audience, this is something they’re going to be familiar with. In a society controlled by the media, teens today can easily relate to these stakes and pressures that McManus has created for her characters. So, she made strategic choices in developing her novel’s circumstances. It may seem dramatic for teenagers to be so swept up in gossip and social media, but I believe this is an accurate representation of teenagers today, as well as many adults in society, for the media is present everywhere in our lives.While this pressure feels accurate for high schoolers, I did still find myself reading the book and thinking, Wow, that was dramatic! So in a sense, it’s unrealistic to me at my point in life, but I completely understand why McManus relies on these elements to create this dramatic high school world - for her high school readers who feel everything in their lives is dramatic.

About That rules the social atmosphere of Bayview High School, but this social app is just the beginning of the influence that the media and gossip have on the high schoolers in this book. Gossip and media grows from the local high school social circles, all the way to a national level. These elements grow in intensity as the pressures of the murder investigaion grow.

Gossip and media are everywhere in this book and have a major pull on the characterization of the four main characters. These elements determine how they act in their private and public lives. McManus writes from each of the four characters’ points of view, thus providing us with insight on how they personally react to the pressures of gossip and media, as well as how others perceive their actions and social presence. This creates an interesting dynamic of characterization throughout the novel.

Here I will analyze two of the four main characters, Cooper and Addy, who were the side-main-characters, overshadowed by the cheesy forbidden romance of Brownyn and Nate that took over the book. In paying Cooper and Addy attention, rather than getting sucked into the romance aspect of the book, I was able to track the pressures of gossip and media in their lives.

1. Cooper: “I try not to go online more than I have to. I used to dream about my name being a trending search on Google, but for pitching a no-hitter in the World Series. Not for possibly killing a guy with peanut oil…” (McManus 209-210)

Why is Cooper so obsessed with getting his name to trend on Google? Why is trending on the internet the form of highest achievement in his eyes? Cooper is your classic all-American high school athlete. His entire personality is based on being a star baseball player who is being recruited for college baseball and the MLB. He’s inherently consumed by the media because he wants to attract scouts to recruit him. Also, he’s always wanted to be a famous baseball player, so he realizes that with fame comes media attention, which is something he wants to achieve. However, with media attention focused on him in this negative way, Cooper is being seen in a negative light and he doesn't want it to adversely affect his baseball future. What the media says about Cooper now could completely end his baseball career before it even has a chance to start. The stakes are insanely high for Cooper and bad press from the media could make or break him. So, he begins to panic at the pressure that this negative representation of him in the media puts on himself, as well as the even-more-intense pressure from his dad about his baseball career.

2. Addy: “Jake still won’t talk to me, and I miss him so much, it’s like I’ve been hollowed out by a nuclear blast and there’s nothing left but ashes fluttering inside brittle bones. I’ve sent him dozens of texts that aren’t only unanswered; they’re unread. He unfriended me on Facebook and unfollowed me on Instagram and Snapchat. He’s pretending I don’t exist and I’m starting to think he’s right. If I’m not Jake’s girlfriend, who am I?” (McManus Page 125)

Why is Addy utterly crushed about being unfollowed? Why does she need validation in the form of social media following to prove to her that she exists? Addy, the perfect blonde with a perfect athletic boyfriend, has based her life around her relationship with Jake. She was basing all of her decisions on him, and what would please him. In her efforts to live up to her vision of the perfect high school girl, Addy metaphorically subscribes to the pressures of social media - always wanting to avoid negative gossip about herself. When the truth about her cheating on her boyfriend reaches the About That app, Addy begins to spiral. She doesn’t want her boyfriend to find this out, nor does she want people in school gossiping about her terrible mistake. Personally, I know that people talk and it is what it is. But since Addy is so subscribed to this idea that what people say and think about you is the end of the world, she feels so stressed about this public news and the gossip it sets off. When her secret gets out, Jake breaks up with Addy and unfollows her on all social media, as is described in this quote. Clearly, she is devastated by this realization. It’s as if him breaking up with her wasn’t what made her most heart broken, it’s the fact that he unfollowed her on social media that is. This proves how obsessed with social media appearances Addy is. In my world, unfollowing an ex on social media is pretty natural and not a dramatic thing. But in McManus’ world fueled by social media, this news is devastating to Addy. It hits her like a truck to be unfollowed because social media is what matters most to these characters.

If the world of the story didn’t care as much about media and gossip, these YA elements wouldn’t have ruled the lives of the characters in the book as much as it did. McManus utilized these YA themes to create the pressures of the story’s world, and to demonstrate how important gossip and media are in teenagers' lives. The lives of these characters were virtually so accessible to everyone, especially when the murder investigation went to national news. This serves as a stressor and source of tension for these characters. McManus created a world where the high school social circle was under the control of gossip and media, reflecting the pressures teenagers face today. The high stakes often felt unrealistic to me as a college student past the high school stage, but it works to prove how influential gossip and media truly are in the lives of the characters. She gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of high school students who are truly engrossed by the control that social media and gossip have over their lives. Without these elements being present in this YA novel, the story wouldn’t have the same intensity or relevance.

#one of us is lying #YALiterature #books #book review

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blog-bymemo · 4 years

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How’s the weekend going? I am busy with a new super exciting project I can’t talk about but that HONESTLY it’s a dream come true 😱😱😱 so I’ve been searching my procreate library for stuff that I haven’t posted yet! This is an old ‘mock’ cover I drew for a YA novel I may still write... what do you think it’s about? • • • #mlmillustration #drawing #girlsinanimation #mockup #yaliterature #yabooks #magicalgirl #summerreading #procreateart #characterart #illustration #oc (at Turin, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB8bXQ9jERB/?igshid=bzmm80nhmaf0

#mlmillustration #drawing #girlsinanimation #mockup #yaliterature #yabooks #magicalgirl #summerreading #procreateart #characterart #illustration #oc

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hollymbryan · 2 years

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🧜🏻‍♀️ BOOK CLUB MINI REVIEW 🧜🏻‍♀️😩 BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN by @nataliasylv was the July read for the #chronicallyiconicbookclub and man, WHAT A READ! We had the absolute best discussion, and every single one of us (some who have chronic illness/pain or disabilities, and some who don't) saw something of ourselves and our experiences in it. Vero is a child of Peruvian immigrants who was born with hip dysplasia. This means she has lived with multiple surgeries and tons of pain in her life. Her parents sacrificed and struggled to bring her and her sister to America (Florida) for better healthcare and other opportunities. She loves to swim and has a dream to be in the show at Mermaid Cove near where she lives, a dream of which her parents do not approve (look closely at Vero's shadow on the cover and you'll see 🧜🏻‍♀️!). This book is all about growing up and out of the boxes into which our parents sometimes want to put us, finding our own way and speaking up with our authentic voices, exploring sexuality and first love, living as an immigrant but also an American and straddling the two worlds, AND dealing with chronic pain and disability and all that entails (the doctors visits Vero had were so very familiar to many of us in the group). I loved this book so much, and I flagged so many quotes and passages that spoke to me (you can swipe to see one of them). I cannot recommend this book highly enough -- it will absolutely make my top ten reads of the year, if not top five. I want *everyone* to pick this one up! If you do, definitely let me know your thoughts. RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🧜🏻‍♀️ 🧜🏻‍♀️ 🧜🏻‍♀️ #breatheandcountbackfromten #nataliasylvester #yaliteraturejunkie #yaliterature #yalit #yalovin #yalove #disabilityreads #disability #disabilityawareness #disabilityrepresentation #hipdysplasia #hipdysplasiaawareness #chronicpain #chronicallyiconic #bookclubread #bookclub #buddyreads #buddyread #bookstagrammers #bookstagramit #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreviewers #bookreview #bookreviewblogger #bookreviewersofinstagram #booktography #BookKeepingBlog https://www.instagram.com/p/ChS3byBPsXu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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geektasticjustine · 3 years

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I am so very proud to announce that The Order of the Key is a 2021 Author Shout Reader Ready Awards Recommended Read! I'm so proud of my little book that could! . . . . . #books #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #booksofinstagram #fantasybooks #ireadya #urbanfantasy #yafantasy #yafantasybooks #yaliterature #youngadultbook #youngadultfiction #readerready #authorshout https://www.instagram.com/p/CL5YekhAvDD/?igshid=zt5pgsw58gah

#books #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #booksofinstagram #fantasybooks #ireadya #urbanfantasy #yafantasy #yafantasybooks #yaliterature #youngadultbook #youngadultfiction #readerready #authorshout

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raibieswhimsy · 3 years

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Hello all! I’m officially reactivating this account and going to post more. I haven’t been as enthused about reading in the last year, which is strange as I’ve probably spent most of my life reading books. At some point in my teen years, my parents stopped buying me books because I read too fast and when I got my first job, I spent nearly all of my first paycheck on books. But this year I made a resolution to read more, get back into reading, and find that joy inside the novel pages once more. I want to write again and read and teleport myself to new places. I’m not sure how active I’ll be as I do have a full time job and am still trying to figure out what I want in the future but here is a step.

My reviews aren’t always detailed but I make them honest. I talk about what I like and what I hate, and I try to say my feelings over the novels and if you guys like it, it makes my day. I’ve lost a lot of followers due to my inactivity and I hope I find you all again. For those still around, I hope you’ll still enjoy my posts and my reviews.

If you ever want to ask about a book, talk about it, please do! Nothing makes me happier than talking about books with other book lovers.

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catherineedwardblog · 4 years

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Repost by @reposta.app_ ——— Happy Monday! Summer is nearing its end and beach reads will soon give way to cozy novels and sweater weather. #qotd Do you find yourself drawn to different genres during different seasons? . . . #bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #romancenovel #yaliterature #bookstack #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #booklover #bookrecommendations #bookcommunity #bookphotography #yanovels #memoirs #smalltownromance #yacontemporary #beachreads #pinkbooks #purplebooks #bookrainbow https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUapk1gS0J/?igshid=6m3i1fq9u953

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mynthara · 3 years

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make me choose

@hazelestelle asked: warnette or darklina

#aaron warner #juliette ferrars #warnette #warnetteedit #shatter me #shattermeedit #ignite me #bookedit #literature #litedit #booksociety #litsociety #yaliterature #yalit #yalitedit #my.edit #warner x juliette

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bookaddict24-7 · 3 years

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•Happy October 3rd! 🎃🕸•

IG: @daylafm

[ID: A photo of the book All These Bodies by Kendare Blake. The cover features a white teenage girl’s profile while being turned away from us. A bloody line is in place of the “I” in the word “bodies”, and the girl is dressed in an old fashioned dress. The book is on a dark purple duvet and is surrounded by plastic skulls and purple spiders, and a few fake white flowers.]

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x-justanotherbookblog-x · 2 years

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11.12.2021

currently reading: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury -- Heartless by Marissa Meyer -- 1984 by George Orwell

i feel like i apologize every time i come on this website for not being present so i'm just going to skip over that part.

hi all, haven't been doing a ton of reading lately because of school and such, but i have been doing some so i'll give you the lowdown on that. this will be a short post but we'll get right back into it. i'm determined to make a post a week or more from here on out so hopefully i can actually keep up on that promise.

hopefully i will because my goal was to read 50 books this year and i have only read 22, so i'm trying to get as close to that 50 mark as possible (though the odds of me reaching it at this point while also trying to get a's in all my classes for my last college semester are slim...but i'm going to try).

the books that i've been reading most recently:

1. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas -- four stars 2. Bane's Choice by Alyssa Day -- three stars

spoilers below:

the martian chronicles

so i have not actually read anything by ray bradbury before, but i am reading this and i am absolutely loving it. there is so much social commentary and commentary on colonization and such, as well as it being sci-fi and space exploration. i'm about halfway done with it, and i have to say it is really, really good. recommending it for sure.

a court of silver flames

this is a tome of a novel in the court series by maas, but it's still good. it takes a minute to ge into, but i really liked it, though the action in it i felt was lacking -- it's more a romance and self-discovery novel than anything. it also doesn't focus on rhys and feyre like the original three books do, but i still say it's worth the read. it's a bit dirtier than the other books (a lot of sex -- not that i'm really complaining) but it's good and i would say if you want to round out the stories or keep up with the books that i'm sure to follow it, or nesta's story, it's worth getting into.

bane's choice

mind candy. i'm not really recommending it. i read it. i'm willing to talk about it if people want to, but if you're looking for vampire romances, there are other better ones for sure. twilight ranks higher in my book.

heartless

i've been reading this book since the beginning of the semester and it's really good. i love marissa meyer's work and i really want to finish it so hopefully soon.

1984

i just started it. i'm on page 12, so more on that in a week or so, so long as my school essays and my buddy reads don't prevent me from reading it.

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arnamantle · 3 years

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super proud to have my book displayed in Booklink Booksellers in Northampton, MA! It's the real gosh-darn thing! Also if this image is upside down it’s because tumblr thinks that’s the correct orientation so we’re all gonna have to just live with that

#rennas crossing #renna #rc #fantasy #bookblr #holidays #indiebook #indieauthor #yalit #yaliterature #witchcraft

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