This is a story about the company we keep.

I’m not totally sure how I felt about this one. The audio book was excellent & there were some really interesting elements that I thought were well executed , but I struggled to connect to the characters or the “goddess game” concept.
Overall it’s worth a read if you’re looking for a quick, fun YA psychological drama.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for the copy!

I will continue to read anything Melissa Albert writes, but this was my least favourite of her books so far. I was expecting a much creepier plot than I was given, as that’s a trademark in MA’s writing. This felt kind of vanilla to me. There was lots of creepy plots to explore but we didn’t really get to go into any of them.
I’m hoping her next book will be more like her original series. I’m craving a creepy fairytale by Melissa Albert again!

When four people vanish from this small town overnight, including Nora’s estranged best friend Becca, Nora embarks on a mysterious journey to uncover the truth behind the town’s eerie history and the goddess game. With supernatural elements, secrets, and a touch of romance, this audiobook was quite enjoyable – especially with the charismatic narration from Emma Galvin (though I would argue the correct pronunciation of Hecate 😅). However, the supernatural elements, though promising, fell flat in the ending’s reveal – which is why I gave this one 3.75 stars, rounded to 4.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5**
This was my first book by Melissa Albert, and *The Bad Ones* was a great introduction. One night in a small tow 4 people go missing—including Becca, Nova’s estranged best friend. As Nora tries to figure out what happened to Becca, clues keep pointing back to a creepy childhood game: the Goddess Game. Nora and Becca always had each other—including their own goddesses they divined to protect them—but if the Goddess Game is real, then everything might not be as it seems.

>> What I loved: I always love a dark creepy goddess, local legends, and mysterious occult ritual. I listened to the audiobook version of *The Bad Ones,* and enjoyed Emma Galvin’s great narration to bring the story alive. It was clear that this was a well-written book and I enjoyed the ways that it explored friendship and social dynamics in tandem with the paranormal elements of the book.

>> What I didn’t love: This was a solid 4 stars for me—I enjoyed listening to this story, but something about it just didn’t hook me like some other books in the genre have. There were also some details about Nora’s backstory and characterization that I felt needed some more explanation, especially as it related to her relationship to others outside of Becca when they were younger.

Lovers of thrillers, suspense, and the paranormal will find a lot to like about *The Bad Ones.* This is an easy buy for my school’s Young Adult collection, and I think many adults will enjoy this mysterious, paranormal story as well.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Albert, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

THE BAD ONES by @melissaalbertauthor is a very atmospheric, dark mystery wrapped up tight in local folklore. There are layers here that slowly unfurl to reveal the stepping stones to unravel the mystery. Missing children, dark magic, nefarious adults and unsettling devotions abound.

Read this one if you like dark YA fantasy, layered mysteries, folk horror themes and loyal friendships.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @flatiron_books for the audio-ARC.

❓What are you reading this weekend❓

💚SMASHBOT💚

The Bad Ones is a story of revenge, friendship, and the nature of what we're willing to do for the people we love. Centering around two friends, one missing and one searching for answers, The Bad Ones is a fast paced mystery filled with emotion, intrigue, and just the right amount of the supernatural. This feels much more in the vein of Our Crooked Hearts than The Hazel Wood. The characters feel like complex emotional teens wrestling with questions of good and evil and where they fit into that continuum. Albert does a great job consistently blurring that line and then leaving readers to decide. The audio is well done the narrator's voice and inflections feels appropriate for a YA story.

I feel I was misled with this one, I was expecting horror and instead got a very slow (very slow), extremely boring mystery? I had trouble keeping track of the characters and keeping my attention on this book.

TL;DR: The Hazel Wood with best friends instead of parents/children.

The Bad Ones is another solid YA novel from Melissa Albert. The woman clearly knows what she's doing. Having read The Hazel Wood, The Bad Ones felt both familiar and new to me. I really like her work! It never makes me feel old, either, even though I'm the same age as the Nora's mother. I enjoyed Emma Galvin's narration in the Divergent audiobook series and similarly here. My only quibble is with the handling of Alastair/Kurt. The book's ending helped. Without giving anything away, I just want it to be known that it is so, so very incredibly important that we are kind to the marginalized. Kurt reminds me of too many of my friends, of myself. We're not bad. Society broke us. We can become bad; anyone can. Kurt had an excuse. In the end, he chose light. That makes him the exact opposite of bad. I just want to make sure Melissa Albert understands.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

4 ⭐️ YA novel!

*I listened to the audiobook*

This was a great mystery/slight horror YA novel!

Nora and Becca are best friends and have been since childhood. Now approaching adulthood, they have a fight over a “goddess game” (trust game) they played as girls, and stop communicating for a few months. Then one night, Becca texts Nora that she loves her. Nora fearing the worst, as Becca has experienced the loss of both of her parents and has a tough time, races to her house in the middle of the night. She only finds Becca’s phone and a cup of coffee on her back porch, but no Becca. Nora knows something is wrong and as the days pass, she starts to investigate even though everyone else thinks Becca has just run off and will return eventually. Then Nora discovers that others at Nora and Becca’s school have also disappeared mysteriously. Nora starts to wonder if Becca was more involved with the “goddess game” than she thought.

I enjoyed this! It was YA and age appropriate (felt a little young for me in my 30’s, but still good). I would have loved this so much when I was a teen. It felt very Tlazōlteōtl inspired. It was a little slow at times, but I felt that the storytelling was detailed and it kept you guessing and thinking until the end!

The narrator was easy to follow and I appreciated her pacing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for access to the ARC audiobook! I am so grateful for the opportunity!

"Goddess, goddess count to five.
In the morning, who's alive?"

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio, for the audio copy of The Bad Ones in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this one blind. The cover caught my attention, and this was a new author to me. It reminded me of Supernatural and CandyMan. I love all things horror, occult, and supernatural.

The creepiness and spooky factors were right on point. The toxic friendship was portrayed so well. The level of detail was perfect and not overwhelming, which made the read all that more immersive.

This was also the first time that I've listened to the narrator, Emma Galvin. I have just started to get into audio books. At first I wasn't too sure but as I got further into the book, I think she was a good fit.

I will definitely be looking into this author more.

The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

Over the course of one night, four people vanish into thin air after being approached by a vengeful goddess in this small town gothic fantasy. Melissa Albert writes the most sinister and captivating horror books and The Bad Ones is no exception. I was hooked immediately and, while parts of the plot were a little slow burn for what I normally prefer, I loved finding out what really happened on that fateful night and seeing everything unfold. If you have the chance, the audiobook is amazing and I highly recommend!

Read this book if you like:
-twists and thrills but not scary
-ya characters that act like ya characters
-local legends
-captivating writing

The Bad Ones is out NOW and if it is not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Dreamscape Media for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

If you like Albert's book Our Crooked Hearts, I think you will similarly enjoy this one. We have another strong, feisty, female character who has dealt with a lot in her 17 years. We have strong paranormal elements that are never fully rationally explained. We have a present-day mystery with the disappearance of 4 people (with some plot twists) and some mysteries in the past with similar disappearances. Some of my favorite parts were the sinister rhyme that the children use to skip rope to, and the nuanced discussion of intergenerational trauma. Highly recommend this book for teens and adults alike!

The best way I could describe this book is if Grady Hendrix’s “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” was way more supernatural and appropriate for teens. Pretty predictable but entertaining!

Thank you so much for letting me listen to this amazing audiobook. A story of a true friendship wrapped up in a horror story of Goddess proportions.

I couldn’t stop listening to it and the narrator did an amazing job. The writing was full of great detailed descriptions of this world and I was enraptured. It does have some time jumps that were a little hard to follow at times but it all made sense in the end.

Such a great unique story and would read again!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Audiobook narration is usually very hit-or-miss with me, but I really enjoyed this!

This book is a YA horror/thriller. As far as the story goes, I found it to be really interesting and spooky. One night four people go missing, including Becca, the ex-best friend of Nora. Naturally, Nora begins to investigate the mystery of what happened. This book had lots of twists and turns. There were moments I felt genuinely on edge. My only criticism is that the pacing was slow at times.

I would recommend to anyone who loves YA horror!

I really was excited for this book as I loved the Hinterland series, but it just didn't really work for me. This novel follows Becca, a high school student, whose best friend Nora has disappeared in a seeming connection with the Goddess Game. Becca spends the book trying to understand what has happened to Nora along with three other people who disappeared at the same time.

For me, the book took so long to get to where it was going that it was tough for me to get into. Around 80% of the way through, we finally learn what's been going on after what felt like a lot of plodding about. I did enjoy the Fight Club vibes between Nora and Becca, with what seemed like Becca invading Nora's consciousness at one point. I also really enjoyed the emphasis on the banality of evil and how folks who seem like they're normal have more going on underneath the surface.

I listened to this as an audiobook and also had some trouble with the narration being more sedate, which was made it hard to parse when more fraught events were occurring. I especially struggled to understand the difference when I encountered Becca’s flashbacks in the audiobook, it takes me a bit to catch on to what happened since they’re not separate chapters and it’s that the perspective switches to Becca.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing the book in exchange for my honest review.

Light horror fantasy of a childhood game that may not be all fun and games. A gothic young adult mystery about friendship and the power of belief.

I loved the opening of this book. I liked that we saw different scenes that all play an important role in the overall plot and mystery. Four people vanish into the air all at the same time. It was written so well and it was easy to understand what was going on, I never felt lost.

Nora gets a shock when she goes to meet her best friend and she's not there only to realize as the days go on, nothing is as it seems. I'm not going to cover a few topics as I don't want to spoil anything. However, I do enjoy how the author has written about the Goddess. How the past affects the present. The themes and topics are about friendships and toxic friendships.

I have seen a few people talk about the pacing and how it felt off at times, too slow, etc... for me, I felt that it helped make the world and setting uneasy and gave it an uncertain vibe as well.

I've read from Melissa Albert before. I read her duology, The Hazel Wood and it was a three-star for me. And I do have to say I liked The Bad Ones a bit more than that series. This means I will be looking out for more by this author and hoping that I like each book more and more. I felt more drawn into the mystery.

I had the joy of listening to an ARC of the audiobook narrated by Emma Galvin and Emma did a good job of drawing me in. I liked the tone; it has an uneasy, spin-chilling, creepiness to it.

YA horror and a dash of magical realism in this twisted story of supernatural elements of a Goddess, secrets, and the truth unfolding.

"You're 13. That's a bad age for a girl."

Thanks to Melissa Albert and Flatiron Books for the audio ARC!

At its core, this is a book about a complicated best friendship between Nora and Becca. When Becca and three other people go missing, Nora goes down the rabbit hole to figure out what's going on and how the disappearances might tie into a popular children's game in the vein of "Bloody Mary" known as the goddess game.

As always, I love Melissa Albert's clear love for the troubled and troublemakers. I mean. Weren't we all some level of troubled or troublemaker at 13? Nora and Becca certainly fall into that category. Albert knows how to write teenage outsiders. She nails that feeling when you're convinced nobody likes you and are suspicious of those who do. How hard it is to cement those friendships when you're still figuring yourself out. Just with...extra stakes.

This feels like a more intimate book than the others of hers I've read as it dives closely into the obsession of a best friendship. I don't know that I ever quite got fully invested in the two of them and things felt slightly unfocused somewhere in the middle, but the big finish of this was a doozy and drew me back in. Her dark fairytale vibes are always just the right level of creepy for the characters and YA. & while her books always deal with dark themes, I appreciate that she writes YA that's meant for young adults. The characters' concerns are always actual teenage concerns that bring me right back to a teenage headspace. & of course there's always some sort of supernatural/dark fairytale happening but isn't that also just a normal teenage concern? It's certainly when I first became obsessed with vampires.

For the audiobook specifically, both the narration and audio quality are nice and clear. Emma Galvin slips easily between characters and sounds right as the teenage narrators. There are a few words that I think were mispronounced (or it's just a different regional pronunciation), but it was easy for me to buy that it was a character choice. It felt like a teenager trying to use words she doesn't fully understand to sound smarter.

Overall, another great, creepy time from Melissa Albert. I'll continue to devour everything she puts out.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC and for Netgalley as well. 
3.5 stars. 

I had the privilege of getting an audio ARC through Netgalley. I was excited to listen as it seemed that it was a departure from my usual YA genre of choice, and I had not read anything from this author before. It seemed as though it was subject matter that I would enjoy. 

The Bad Ones starts with multiple POV's during the same night and then switches to the FMC's POV for the remainder of the book (albeit from flashbacks). I found that it was confusing to follow at the beginning, and took awhile to figure out what was going on. As such, the world building/set up was a little disjointed before I was able to make sense of what was happening. That being said, about midway through, the story picked up the pace, and it was a wild ride. 

The foil of the goddess game with the process of grieving was well done. I liked seeing the flashbacks of Becca and found it heartbreaking how she did not see a place in her world, and how she wanted to enact acts of vengeance by involving herself in the real life goddess game. The writing was evocative and the creepy parts made my skin crawl. I do not know why, but the one that gave me the most pause was when she "awoke" to find herself writing with her left hand. That definitely was not the wildest part of the story, but was when it was purely evident that Nora was not alone and had something else living inside her.

I actually did not see the ending coming, and did not suspect the teacher's involvement in the story. I did find the ending to be a bit hard to follow. It left me with questions that I felt should have been answered. 

That being said, it was an entertaining read, and one I would recommend. I enjoyed the audio version and would recommend trying it in that media. I look forward to checking out more Melissa Albert books in the future.

In a chilling tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat, "The Bad Ones" unveils a haunting mystery enveloping a small town. When Nora Powell's estranged friend Becca disappears along with three others, she plunges into a journey of darkness and secrets. As Nora delves deeper, she uncovers Becca's connection to the town's ancient legend of a vengeful goddess. With cryptic clues left behind by Becca, Nora navigates through a world where reality blurs with nightmares, questioning if she can trust even her own perceptions. Melissa Albert weaves a captivating narrative filled with supernatural elements, inviting readers into a realm of suspense and dread that they won't want to escape.

"The Bad Ones" delivers an electrifying blend of YA suspense and horror, leaving readers spellbound from start to finish. As Nora races against time to unravel the truth behind her friend's disappearance, she uncovers layers of darkness shrouding her town's history. Melissa Albert masterfully crafts a tale of intrigue and betrayal, where every twist and turn leads to new revelations. With its intricate plot and richly developed characters, "The Bad Ones" is a testament to Albert's storytelling prowess, earning its place among the must-reads of YA fiction. Brace yourself for a journey into the heart of fear, where the line between reality and myth blurs, and the truth may be more terrifying than fiction.

5 stars ⭐
3 spookies 👻

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!