Review Detail

This book makes Lorelei Gray one of my favorite authors of all time.

Secrets and Scorpions by Lorelei Gray is a YA fantasy novel filled to the brim with monsters and mythology (aka my two favorite things!) Liliana had it all: an idyllic life in Tucson, Arizona filled with loving friends, a close-knit family, a devoted boyfriend, and plans for a perfect future. All that changes when she wakes up on the morning of her eighteenth birthday knowing someone was going to die. Plagued by death whispers and tormented by the watchful gaze of haunting amber eyes, Liliana will discover the truth about her banshee lineage and unravel the secrets that have been holding her life together. As she struggles to understand and control her new-found powers, she must also hunt down the venomous monster that has been killing her classmates before it strikes again.

I previously read Gray's duology (Black Forest Bound and Black Forest Burning) and it was hands down two of my favorite reads of 2022 and 2023. I love Gray's lyrical writing and the way she has with her worldbuilding, it immediately draws you in and won't let you go until the last page. And this one, this Secrets and Scorpions does not disappoint! If anything, Gray is setting the bar higher and higher to the point that it's in the literal sky!

The only qualm I had this book was it's pacing. But that's more of a me thing, than a Lorelei Gray thing. I like my fantasies to have both a mix of fast paced action and more slowed down moments where we truly get a feel for the characters. And I feel like Gray's writing style, doesn't allow for those tender moments to happen all that much. Or if it does, it drags on a bit too long for comfort.

Regardless, I love and will happily read anything and everything Lorelei Gray publishes. And I hope I'm as lucky as the past few books, to receive them as ARCS so I'm ahead of the crowd and can scream all day long about amazing these books are.