I saw Lucinda Berry, I saw “Read Now”, and so I did.
It wasn’t her best, but it wasn’t terrible. Mostly, I thought it was just too much story to cram I saw Lucinda Berry, I saw “Read Now”, and so I did.
It wasn’t her best, but it wasn’t terrible. Mostly, I thought it was just too much story to cram into 82 pages. As a result, it felt very rushed and none of it had a chance to register as anything else but rushed.
That may not be the same for every reader. I can acknowledge this. I read a lot of thrillers, a lot of horror, a lot of really dark romance, and a lot of other dark stuff, and it takes a lot for anything to register shock and awe with me. It takes a lot to freak me out. This story? It hardly registered because all we got is basically an outline. Now, if this were a whole novel it would be a different story. It would probably be a great novel. It just didn’t work for me as a short story.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Due to personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media page because it was rated three stars or less. ...more
Magical realism takes fantastical events and portrays them in a realistic tone. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t agree with categorizing The PaMagical realism takes fantastical events and portrays them in a realistic tone. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t agree with categorizing The Parliament as a fantasy novel like it’s being marketed. Because this isn’t a fantasy novel, dark or otherwise. This is a magical realism novel, first and foremost, with philosophically dark themes and horror tropes.
It was everything I hoped for from Aimee Potwatka’s second novel: The prose soared, I sobbed, I felt all the feelings, and I was completely swept away by this incredibly immersive story.
Calling this book “The Birds meets The Princess Bride” (as it states in the marketing material) is a gross oversimplification and absolutely does this book no justice. In mythology, owls symbolize everything from evil omens to talismans of wisdom. In fantasy, a parliament of owls has been used more than once as an unbiased council of judgment. In real life, they are beautiful and peaceful by day but chaotic and bloodthirsty by night.
“In the night, when the owl is less than exquisitely swift and perfect, the scream of the rabbit is terrible. But the scream of the owl, which is not of pain and hopelessness and the fear of being plucked out of the world, but of the sheer rollicking glory of the death-bringer, is more terrible still. When I hear it resounding through the woods, and then the five black pellets of its song dropping like stones into the air, I know I am standing at the edge of the mystery, in which terror is naturally and abundantly part of life, part of even the most becalmed, intelligent, sunny life—as, for example, my own. The world where the owl is endlessly hungry and endlessly on the hunt is the world in which I live too. There is only one world.” - Mary Oliver
I chose to view the titular parliament as a combination of that fantastical body of judgment and symbols of the underworld. It seems to best fit the themes of this book: grief, regret, anger, violence, abandonment, desolation, loneliness, helplessness, and trauma. Of losing your voice, not having a voice, fighting to have a voice, regaining your voice, and what comes after regaining your voice. Of flight, fight, and freeze. Of responsibility, fault, and blame. About sacrifice.
Aimee Potwatka delivers an amazingly complicated novel containing hugely emotional themes with a deft hand and sweeping prose that carries you away. You’ll feel drawn in and ensconced with these characters as they contemplate how to escape their judgment and survive the parliament of owls.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Disability Rep/Horror/Literary Fiction/Magical Realism ...more
The Haunting of Velkwood is a stunningly beautiful and truly eerie novel not only about confronting the ghosts of your past (quite literally, in this The Haunting of Velkwood is a stunningly beautiful and truly eerie novel not only about confronting the ghosts of your past (quite literally, in this case), but also about the isolation and empty promises of America’s suburban neighborhoods and the manner in which such a way of living encourages neighbors to pay no attention to what happens behind other’s closed doors lest your closed door be the one that comes under scrutiny.
I haven’t enjoyed a horror novel this much in months, and I truly think it’s because I really got to sink my analytical claws into it. In university I studied human geography and urban planning, and one of my great areas of interest was the dangers and perils of suburban living to the human psyche and familial relationships (especially between parent and child). The Haunting of Velkwood really allowed me to stretch the parts of my brain that are absolutely fascinated with how dangerous it is for humans to live in isolated and homogenous groups like the titular one in this book.
People fear what they don’t understand, and that is true of Velkwood Street both before the main narrative of this book and during the main events. What happened? Why? Who was involved? Who’s still in there? Are they alive? Dead? Something else? Can it be fixed? What will happen if they just let it be? Should they poke the bear?
The story and Kiste’s lovely writing are as haunting as the shadows in the depths of the main character’s eyes. A evocative and sad tale of how you can never truly go home again, especially if home was never truly safe to begin with.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This book is a whole lot of fun, but not much substance.
And, I’m sorry to say, the ending is what lowered my rating so muchReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
This book is a whole lot of fun, but not much substance.
And, I’m sorry to say, the ending is what lowered my rating so much.
The Night House is a great bit of twisty turn-y supernatural horror fun that straddles a really fine line between YA and NA. I personally don’t subscribe to censorship of reading materials for any age (that’s the way I was raised), but this is just the right amount of scary and creepy I would have loved when I was in my early teens and was inhaling Dean Koontz novels like they were candy.
The vibe going on in this book in the beginning is that whole, “F*ck around and find out” one we all know and love from some of the most tried and true urban legends and scary stories from campfire tales and our youths: don’t go and knock on the door of that old house, don’t prank call weird numbers in the phone book…you know the type. The vibe shifts and morphs as the story moves along, though, with this game of consequences and consequences (I said what I said) getting worse and worse and our main character, Richard, spiraling further and further downward into a horrible situation that feels like a quicksand pit he just keeps sinking further into.
I’m afraid I can’t say much more than that without spoiling the story, and this book would be easy to spoil. So let’s just say I enjoyed the story until the very last part of the book and leave it at that.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This is my first Duncan Ralston book, and I wouldn’t say it was a bad book, but it wasn’t exactly good, either. It was a suitably fun read with a coolThis is my first Duncan Ralston book, and I wouldn’t say it was a bad book, but it wasn’t exactly good, either. It was a suitably fun read with a cool plot, but suffered from a great deal of negatives that affected my reading enjoyment.
My number one negative would be the predictability. I knew who was going to be left at the end from the time everyone got to the titular Puzzle House. I figured out the central mystery faster than the actual character in the book did. I could go on.
I also expected this book to be somehow more horrific? There were certainly some “rooms” inside the Puzzle House that made my horror fanatic side happy, but then there were some that made me just shrug. I would’ve liked either a little more balance or for everything to be a little more amped up.
Now, the ending. The ending, that was something I truly enjoyed. That was great.
Maybe I’ll re-evaluate this book once I read more Ralston and can get a finger on the pulse of his works. We’ll see. But for now, this is just an average read for me.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Personal policy dictates that since this title received a rating of three stars or less the review will not appear on social media. ...more
If I didn’t already know before I started reading this book that it started out as a podcast, I never would’ve guessed it (no, I haven’t listened to tIf I didn’t already know before I started reading this book that it started out as a podcast, I never would’ve guessed it (no, I haven’t listened to the podcast) because this book simply sings as a post-apocalyptic, speculative suspense thriller with a healthy sprinkling of occultism and horror. Not to mention, it’s got jokes! That’s right–this book isn’t super ponderous and weighed down by its terrors and world-ending circumstances all the time–there are some genuinely humorous, witty, and morbidly funny moments all throughout the book too. Those humorous moments do a lot to lighten the pressure and mood that comes from watching each of our main characters fight off encroaching madness while trying anything and everything to not fall asleep (while fighting their own personal demons), they’re flying by the seat of their pants to figure out where to go and what to do before their bodies give up without their consent, and we get to read short vignettes from all over the world (and even one on the ISS) ranging from tender to horrifying as people go about their last hour or less awake before they close their eyes not knowing they won’t open again. Without that well-timed and well-written humor sprinkled throughout the text like glitter on a craft room floor this book would’ve felt far too heavy to be as entertaining and accessible of a read as it is.
I don’t agree with this book being marketed as a horror and suspense thriller novel. I think that’s doing The Edge of Sleep a grave injustice because it’s just a little horror and a little suspense thriller and a lot of other things that are just harder to market. I find it to be closer to speculative fiction (that genre between science fiction and magical realism that holds elements of both but doesn’t quite fit either) with post-apocalyptic and occult themes. However, speculative fiction novels are niche and harder to market to a wider audience, so I can’t blame St. Martin’s Press for wanting to reach the horror and suspense thriller readers (which is a larger market in the early summer). So even though I believe the book is being marketed incorrectly, by doing so St. Martin’s Press has given this book a chance to be seen and picked up by people who might not have given it a chance otherwise. After all, it’s a quirky novel about a terrible, world-ending event.
I love how accessible and entertaining this book is for the subject matter and format. Everyone can relate to sleep issues, no matter what their age. Same thing with dreams, both good and bad. I bet most people, like me, have wondered what it would be like to be the last person alive, or one of the last people alive (thanks to Night of the Comet (1984) for giving me a lot of good ideas on that score). The book isn’t weighed down by jargon or a ton of worldbuilding. The most complicated thing a reader may need to pay attention to is Dave’s (our primary protagonist) dreams and nightmares. Even those scenes are fascinating because the picture behind the words is painted so well: you not only can visualize what Dave is seeing, but you can identify and empathize with Dave as he experiences these visceral emotions and endures intense trauma anytime he falls into a micro sleep and the nightmares and terrors come like they have all his life. The book does a great job of grabbing your attention from the start by opening in the middle of one of Dave’s nightmares that then shifts to a dream before he wakes up and we’re introduced to his mundane real life and his hilarious co-worker, Matteo. It’s Matteo who carries the vast majority of the comic relief throughout this book and he deserves a blue ribbon or gold star for being the MVP of character development. Out of every character in this book he’s the one who experiences the most growth and is the most supportive of doing what needs to be done, even though he’s got his own demons to fight.
This book has a subplot I’m kind of ambivalent about: Millie and Eli. Millie and Eli are not with our main traveling group. They’re on their own and I just kind of think they could’ve been left out of the whole story unless there’s going to be a sequel to this novel and they’ll play a larger part in it. There was some wiggle room left at the end for a possible sequel, but I would really need to see the summary to determine whether or not it sounds like a good idea, because in my mind this book is great all on its own.
I think this is a great summer read. It’s trippy, tense, inventive, bold, sad, weird, engaging, entertaining, and light on the horror. However, it is heavy on the death. Like, over eight billion deaths. The end of the world, you know?
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Things You Must Know Before You Attempt To Read This Book:
1. If you are not already a fervent Chuck Pahalniuk fan (like I am), this book is definitelyThings You Must Know Before You Attempt To Read This Book:
1. If you are not already a fervent Chuck Pahalniuk fan (like I am), this book is definitely not where you want to start reading his work. This is not for beginners.
2. If you ignore my previous point, PLEASE be aware there is a lot of content in this book that could be considered as triggering to readers and in literary fiction it’s not standard practice to include a list of content or trigger warnings. So, take care before you read.
3. This book is going to be very divisive. It will be a book people will want banned. It is going to be a book a lot of people will DNF. I am not one of those people.
4. Chuck Pahalniuk books are almost never about the plot or the characters. They are almost always about the atmosphere, vibe, and the message. Everything else is wrapping paper. Not Forever But For Now is one of those books.
Onto the actual review!
I am so happy to be back in Pahalniuk land! Where everything is as gross and screwed up as possible but the prose is so sharp and the sentence construction is so immaculate I can’t tear my eyes away from the page. A land where the majority of people are only going to see and talk about the most obvious things they read about on the most obvious layer of the book and cast it aside as trash but will never take the time to consider the deeper themes surrounding toxic masculinity and the aristocracy, the dark comedic edge to the text, or the satirical take on the notion of the man child that just absolutely delighted me to no end (having been married to a man child for 18 years myself).
I see review after review calling for a plot, or for this book to be shorter, or (of course) how gross this book is, but all of these pleas are completely missing the point of a Pahalniuk novel: Chuck doesn’t write for the plot or the characters. He doesn’t care if you’re grossed out. After all, art is subjective and art should make you feel. If you feel grossed out then Chuck’s done his job. Chuck’s books are all about the journey, the vibe, and the message. He wants to tell you a story. He has a point, and he’s going to tell it his way. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
This book reminded me a lot of my favorite Pahalniuk book, Invisible Monsters, in the repetition of phrases, in the way Cecil learns everything he knows from his brother Otto and absorbs these nuggets of wisdom like they’re proverbs or psalms. It’s there in Cecil feeling that same sense of ennui that Daisy St. Patience felt as she traveled North America with Brandy Alexander, feeling at times the best of times was behind them and all that lay ahead was to age or to somehow self-destruct. At the same time, I think Invisible Monsters has the better overall story and message.
So, if you’re a Pahalniuk fan, then give it a go, but be aware that you’re in for a real trip. And if you’re not a Pahalniuk fan? I’d consider starting on another one of his novels before attempting this one.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I liked this novel more than I did Markert’s previous effort, The Nightmare Man, by a small margin, because I believed The Nightmare Man suffered fromI liked this novel more than I did Markert’s previous effort, The Nightmare Man, by a small margin, because I believed The Nightmare Man suffered from a rather shaky, poorly-paced beginning, while Mister Lullaby doesn’t suffer from the same weakness. Instead, this book pops off right from the beginning, hooking the reader in and flinging them right into a disturbing, shaky, troubling situation that only gets more disturbing, shakier, and is downright off-the-wall nightmarish by the time act three hits.
It’s hard to describe the plot without spoilers, but you’ll get a clearly demarcated good versus evil storyline, questions about humanity, feelings of guilt and shame, reminders of how lullabies and nursery rhymes are about monsters and not happy things, questions about where you go when you’re in a coma, and when does a killer go from simply being a killer and become a living nightmare.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed this while reading the book, but Markert also did quite a bit of work with color theory and imagery in this book. There's a lot of yellow, red, white, and black used in this book in descriptions regarding the “evil” side of things in this book, and all of these colors can be correlated with conflict, rot, and death. The vivid colors of animals that come from the other side in this book is also a clue they aren’t quite right, as we can see in one scene in act three. Don’t even get me started on the symbology of the seashells and what you hear when you hold one to your ear.
My only two complaints are the ending (I wasn’t totally sold) and that the timing on the two POVs (us versus them) didn’t line up a little closer to one another. Other than that, it was a great novel.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. This review was written without compensation.
Oh, Andrew Joseph White, if you keep writing books as good as this one and your debut I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.
I fell in love wiOh, Andrew Joseph White, if you keep writing books as good as this one and your debut I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.
I fell in love with White’s 2022 release, Hell Followed With Us, from the moment I first heard of it. It was like nothing I’d ever heard of before and I was ready to board the ship. I enjoyed the ride immensely. Then, when White announced his second novel, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, I could’ve swooned. Everything about this book made me swoon and behave like Veruca Salt, shouting, “Don’t care how, I want it now!”
Obviously, this is one of my most-anticipated releases this year, and holy hot damn it didn’t disappoint. If I could give this book more than five stars I totally would. This book hits really close to home for me in more than one way. My ex-spouse is both trans and autistic, my older child is gender fluid and autistic, and my younger child is autistic enough that he’s been declared permanently disabled. I myself am bisexual and mildly autistic, besides also being bipolar and having a host of other psychological issues. In the 1880’s (the time period this book takes place in) I’d likely have been placed in an asylum when I was in my early teens and left there to rot. For that matter, any of my family members might have met that unfortunate fate, if not worse.
AJW deserves not only all the accolades but also all the admiration for writing a book with a main protagonist that’s both trans and autistic. It couldn’t have been easy to write, and it couldn’t have been easy to convince agents and editors to publish it. But I’m so ecstatic that this book got written and made it onto book shelves because it’s brilliant and it’s beautiful in its own savage way.
When writing historical fantasy, you need to be just as careful with the “historical” portion of the book as you would be when writing historical fiction so as to not only keep your world building framework steady and make sure your atmosphere is correct, but also to avoid anachronisms where you can. AJW acknowledges in the back of the book that the queer historian he consulted to help him with the research for this book pointed out that such things as the constant chaperoning of unmarried females in Victorian times were definite obstacles to fiction. Therein lies the joys of historical fantasy, where all of a sudden the fantastical parts of the plot can create opportunities to circumvent what would otherwise be seen as an anachronism.
The world AJW created in this book is cold, cruel, grey, dreary, hateful, and wretched. There is no beauty to it except for the ties between the women at Braxton’s, which start out as tenuous and loose as a hasty basting stitch when Silas arrives but steadily tighten and grow stronger like corset laces as the book goes on and the abuses they endure grow with every day that passes.
There is precious little sweetness in this book, but when it is there it’s worth slowing down for, just to sink into a little and revel in it. It’s intimate and soft and a little unraveling. It’s an oasis, a pit stop in the midst of desperate chaos as Silas and the girls try to figure out where the spirits are and how they can escape a place that is sure to only serve up their deaths in the near future.
The climax of this book is manic, horrific, and grotesque. No one escapes without trauma. And even as the book ends, the trauma lingers and the business isn’t quite done.
I can’t recommend this book enough. To all ages. To all readers.
(AJW does include a list of possible CW/TWs inside the book for those who need them.)
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. Any thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Ghost Story/Historical Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Horror/LGBTQ Fiction/LGBTQ Romance/Occult Horror/Own Voices/Paranormal Fantasy/Paranormal Horror/Secret Society ...more
Red Rabbit is a raucous, rabble-rousing, road trip from hell and I am here for it. This is another one of those novels that you just can’t quite pin dRed Rabbit is a raucous, rabble-rousing, road trip from hell and I am here for it. This is another one of those novels that you just can’t quite pin down. It’s a little horror, a little fantasy, a little western…forgive me for being rather obvious, but it’s rather like a witch’s brew: throw a pinch of this, a scoop of that, and a sliver of something-something in the cauldron before stirring it all up and then out comes Red Rabbit, which is epic in scale, cinematic in composition, and a very vivid read.
This is close to 500 pages in hardcover format, but thankfully this book is carefully crafted and edited so that those pages are worth it. It may seem like it’s a long book, but the pacing is kept up so well that those pages pass at a brilliant clip with no filler material. By the same turn, the book isn’t rushed, either: there are natural lulls in the narrative and action that are necessary for the reader to take a breath and to allow the characters to organically catch up with themselves and the situations around them, too.
Something I don’t always talk about but is important in books with a large cast of characters traveling together like this is synergy. Grecian seems to have a real knack for writing groups of main characters with a great deal of ease of cooperation in their interactions and chemistry in their interrelations. I’m not talking about romance, because this book is night unto devoid of romance (though it has devotion in a sweet and unexpected way), but in the way the characters see a need, fill that need, and don’t bother with any other bull. Most of them don’t need many words to get their meaning across to one another, because they are not the type of people to indulge in nonsense.
Grecian’s writing style reminds me slightly of Neil Gaiman, even though I know Grecian comes from a graphic novel background. While I was reading this book I was reminded of American Gods just a little, which is another road trip from hell. What both books have in common is what I’ve come to think of as this dark, macabre sense of whimsy. I love whimsy, but so many people think whimsy means light, flighty, floaty, fancy. Whimsical things are meant to be playful, quaint, or fanciful, but I think there can be a dark side to whimsy, where that playful turns into sadistically playful, the quaint turns into something small and a little mean, and the fanciful takes on a darker, more gothic edge. Books like Red Rabbit fit in with that darker whimsy, with ugly cowboys, dancing dead bodies, demon toads, a town full of amputees, demons who can’t stop giggling, and people who f*ck around and find out. Then there are passages in this book that are so artfully and carefully written and arranged that the beauty of them will astound you.
You will want to find a TW/CW list somewhere online for this book if you’re even the least bit squeamish, and be aware this is a western and there are a lot of animals in this book and they don’t always meet with the cleanest end.
I just know I went into this not knowing what to expect and ended up being thrilled to be taken on an unexpected stolen-carriage-road-trip-from-hell that involved a chaotic neutral witch, giggling demons, and a whole lot of fascinating stories within the story. It’s a fantastic book.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I had hoped this book would be something I’d enjoy, but not only could I not get into it, but it moved so slowly I don’t know how it could be considerI had hoped this book would be something I’d enjoy, but not only could I not get into it, but it moved so slowly I don’t know how it could be considered a thriller. Honestly? I was bored. And a thriller set in the Applachians in the thick of winter involving vampires shouldn’t be boring. It shouldn’t be possible. Yet here we are.
The only redeeming thing about the whole book is Scott’s prose, which is incredibly evocative and full of the right weight for this book. I just wish the book itself would’ve been worthy of the prose.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Personal policy dictates this review will not appear on social media due to receiving a rating of three stars or lower. ...more
Welcome to a game of non-consensual hot potato with a demonic hand that urges you to choose violence!
I’m sure there are a lot of people who love thisWelcome to a game of non-consensual hot potato with a demonic hand that urges you to choose violence!
I’m sure there are a lot of people who love this book. It’s been all over my Booksta and I’ve seen it on several “must-read” lists, especially with spooky reading season coming up. I just wasn’t that thrilled with it. It had some great parts, but I felt like there was just too much filler material. I also guessed who the demonic hand belonged to very early on in the book, and I absolutely hated the ending. I really can’t tell you how much I hated the ending.
I just really wish it had been shorter and had the ability to keep my attention. It feels like hours I can’t get back.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Personal policy dictates that since this title was rated three stars or lower this review will not appear on social media. ...more
It’s not a good house for anyone, actually. Maybe a solitary adult male, but it seems that hypothesis has yet to be tested. Honestly, I think the housIt’s not a good house for anyone, actually. Maybe a solitary adult male, but it seems that hypothesis has yet to be tested. Honestly, I think the house just needs to be left alone. Maybe even knocked down. I don’t care how pretty and old and historic it is.
This book was honestly a creepier read than I thought it would be, but I think that may have something to do with being a mom. (If you aren’t a mom and it still creeped you out, then please feel free to let me know). I don’t creep out easily. I don’t get scared watching most horror films or reading most horror books, but one trigger I do have is my fitness as a mother and/or my capability to keep my children safe. A large part of this book has to do with mothers questioning their ability to keep their children safe and their fitness as a mother.
The setting does nothing but add to this dread. The titular house is called The Reeve, and it’s on a cliff in Dorset County in England. The house was built in the early 19th century, on top of those legendary Jurassic-era cliffsides, and has hardly been updated since. There are woods on one side of the property, and a large garden. In the early timeline, there’s a pond on the grounds. In the later timeline, the pond has been haphazardly filled in and covered with grass. This dwelling is far, far from any major city, sitting on the very southern coast of England where no one but locals and tourists have much interest in coming through because there’s not even a ferry crossing near the area. It’s isolated, on top of a hill, and doesn’t exactly look inviting. Not to mention, the locals all know The Reeve has a history to it, even if they don’t like to talk about it.
In the past timeline, set in the late 1970s, the story is told from the point of view of Lydia, a nanny for a widow named Sara who has four children. When Sara’s husband died, she sold their home in London and moved all of them out to The Reeve, which Sara’s husband had purchased for them as a summer home before he passed away. Sara works from home as an accountant, Lydia cares for the children, and a local lady named Dot comes in and does the cooking and some light cleaning.
In the present timeline, The Reeve is purchased by Nick and Orla, who were looking to move to the countryside and closer to his mom and dad. However, Nick didn’t even consult Orla before purchasing the home, and she felt obligated to go along with his decision. Their son, Sam, has selective mutism, and they have an infant girl as well. Nick promises to be home every weekend as he works during the week in Bristol, to help with the massive amount of repairs the house needs, and to buy Orla a car since he’s taking their only one. Nick, of course, either falls short on these things or doesn’t follow through at all.
Collins writes this book with an incredible sense of atmosphere and imagery. Her imagination is vibrant and she manages to capture on page these scenes filled with a combination of morbid wonder and fascinating dread: ghostly children sitting together on tree branches, ghost-white limbs disappearing around tree trunks, bushes, and through fields of tall grass. Dark hair whipping around a corner. A marble rolling down the stairs. Do ghosts live in a realm that adheres to temporal linearity? Are ghosts trapped only in their present and future, or is it possible that we can see ghosts of people who haven’t died yet?
I saw something that called this a feminist tale, and I have to disagree. Lydia doesn’t fully understand, comprehend, or try to empathize with Sara’s grief. All the women in town know there’s something wrong with Orla, yet they only make a token effort to intervene and support her. In the end, everyone–even the women–give up on Orla and Sara. No one tries to rescue them. It feels as if the mothers pay the price for the children, and that’s not feminist. Not at all.
Sadly, in a lot of cases it is realistic. And then those children are left without their mothers. Who says if they’re better off after that?
This book will creep you out and freak you out, but then it’ll make you think about the sacrifices women make in the name of motherhood and all the additional sacrifices we ask them to make. Ultimately, how much is too much to ask of a woman?
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Fantastic concept. Great imagery. Creepy baby. Great antagonists.
I just wish it hadn’t been predictable and, well, boring. Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Fantastic concept. Great imagery. Creepy baby. Great antagonists.
I just wish it hadn’t been predictable and, well, boring. For a book that had the potential to terrify the absolute crud out of me and make me hang on to every page or even every sentence, this book was remarkably dull.
My problem is solely with the two parents in this story: Reid and Ana. It’s in their predictability as characters and as tropes. I found myself two or even three steps ahead of both of them throughout the book.
Of course Reid did that.
I bet Ana is going to…oh look, she did.
I knew Reid was going to make that decision.
Ugh, Ana.
Down to the ending of the book, I knew exactly who these characters were and it wasn’t the familiarity of an old friend or the recognition of like to like. It was, “I’ve read so many characters just like you and I’ve danced this dance before. I know how this ends.”
In the end, I only kept reading to see if I would be surprised. I wasn’t. I wish I had been.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review is offered without any recompense.Thank you.
This book was simply an issue of (pardon the metaphor) a bunch of individual ingredients that should’ve tasted spectacular tReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
This book was simply an issue of (pardon the metaphor) a bunch of individual ingredients that should’ve tasted spectacular together but, for whatever reason, just didn’t end up tasting right.. Like a roast that’s been cooked too long or chicken that’s just way too bland. Sure, I’ll eat it, but it won’t be the best meal. It’ll leave me distinctly unsatisfied and wishing for a better meal.
That’s what happened here with Knock Knock, Open Wide. We’ve got Celtic folklore, a sapphic romance, a black goat, fractured family dynamics, a sinister group of priests, and a creepy children’s television show that’s been on for decades. These are all the sort of book ingredients that I could roll around in like catnip! These things are what attracted me to the book in the first place. It’s just that the book wasn’t put together in a way that I enjoyed much. It was just tolerable.
The biggest issue, I think, was the swiftly shifting timelines and POVs. This book not only likes to shift in time, but it likes to shift narrators, too. Sometimes, if you’re not paying close attention, you kind of lose track of where you are and who you’re with. I’m okay with this narrative styling usually, but not when it’s used so extensively. When it’s used as extensively as it is in this novel I feel like it’s a crutch for not knowing what else to do for exposition. We always say, “Show, don’t tell,” but that doesn’t mean you swing the pendulum all the way in the opposite direction and just show everything like a scattered mass of scenes. There has to be a meeting of minds somewhere in the middle because the scattershot approach ends up destroying pacing. Pacing in a novel has to be a natural and organic thing with natural ebbs and flows. This is a thriller and a horror: the ribbon needs to be kept taute, but not so taute that there’s no give for readers to breathe every now and again. You can’t keep a ribbon thrumming with tension if you keep letting it go to switch to somewhere else and someone else. It rips readers out of the story temporarily and then expects them to pick the same ribbon of the main, present-day storyline back up and pull the ribbon taute again. After a while, readers just get tired of it. I know I did. I was tired of it before the book was halfway over.
A secondary issue was that I thought the book was just too long for the story offered, seeing as I knew how the book was going to end and what was going on from probably about 25% into the book. After that it just felt like a whole bunch of hurry-up-and-wait.
A huge positive is that I love Sharpson’s writing style, sentence structure, and dialogue. This book has a terrific sense of self and the characterizations are wonderful. The dialogue is witty, sharp, and sometimes downright funny. The horrific parts of this book are absolutely nightmarish and fabulously written. I only wish the rest of the book had been as good.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. This review will not be appearing on social media. ...more
First off, I want to hug Kiersten White and shake her hand. I’ve had many friends leave their religions (including LDS), and it’s not a decision any oFirst off, I want to hug Kiersten White and shake her hand. I’ve had many friends leave their religions (including LDS), and it’s not a decision any of them undertook likely. It cost some of them their families and most of their friends.
Kiersten White channeled her experience of leaving the Mormon Church into the book Mister Magic. If you left Mister Magic alone as just a work of supernatural horror/speculative fiction, then this is a solid four star read. When you view it through the lens of it as a parable for walking away from religion, then this book totally elevates itself to a heavily solid five stars, and I cannot get over it. It’s truly magical in that way.
I love how White chose to use a children’s tv show that has had an almost-Mandela Effect on the public (“I saw the last episode!”, “A kid died in the last episode,” “No, there was no death,” “Didn’t it burn down live?”, “It didn’t burn down!”) and a cult following in popular culture as an echo of the fact that the television show was, in fact, the result of the Stepford-like cult that needed their children to always be watching Mister Magic on the television, entranced by the silly songs that taught the best of manners, the proper gender roles, the proper diets, and just about anything else these adults deemed to be proper. The children of Mister Magic could be found in-between the channels 24/7, even sleeping together in a puppy pile on set. They were the best of friends you never knew you needed but always wanted, just always waiting for you on the screen.
No one but the cult knew the cost of Mister Magic. And one day it was over. This book is about how they try to bring it back. The problem is: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Those children of the last circle of friends are now adults. It won’t be so easy to get them all on board again.
White has one of the most imaginative and stimulating minds in speculative/horror fiction today. Last year’s release, Hide, was one of my favorite reads of the year. This book is beyond amazing. Both books are not only incredibly creative in the realm of storytelling, but they’re also amazing at making you think about the meaning of the story. White doesn’t only have chills and thrills to throw at you–she has questions that will linger in your mind along with the monsters. I highly recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I was really looking forward to reading this book and I’m so sad that I disliked it as much as I did. I had to fight to stay asleep through almost theI was really looking forward to reading this book and I’m so sad that I disliked it as much as I did. I had to fight to stay asleep through almost the entire first third of the book. Then I was a little better until the halfway mark, but not by much. I didn’t become truly invested until the halfway point and that, to me, is a huge problem. I don’t like slow burn novels. I don’t like waiting for halfway through the book for it to become truly interesting. It leaves me feeling cheated out of half a book and of time I could’ve spent reading other books that I would have enjoyed more fully.
On the upside, what comes after the 50% mark is really interesting and worth investing in, if you aren’t like me and like a slow burn. After that halfway point I felt like I needed to see it through to the end because there was just too much at stake and I absolutely needed to know how all the characters in this book were going to solve the boondoggle that is the plot.
It’s actually a really solid plot, too. Let me be clear: All of my problems with this book stem from it being a slow burn. The writing itself is impeccable. Caitlin Starling is a great writer in terms of prose, dialogue, plot, and characterization. Her worldbuilding and research are both excellent. I have a degree in geography and one of my concentrated areas of study is urban planning, so subsidence (the major plot point affecting the fictional city of San Siroco in this book) is a topic I know well, so I was actually very interested in that part of the plot. I’m also a big fan of the folklore surrounding doppelgangers, which was another reason why I was so excited to read this book. I love a good doppelganger book. It’s just too bad that this wasn’t my kind of book.
If you love a good slow burn, I think you’ll love this. If you aren’t the patient type (like me), then this may not be for you. I also think the romance subplot should’ve been cut entirely–not only did it feel like it came out of nowhere, but it didn’t need to be there for the story to work. Cutting it would’ve streamlined the story more and kept that third act a little tighter in terms of flow.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Personal policy dictates that since this title received a rating of three stars or lower this review will not appear on social media. ...more
I expected so much more from this novel, given the synopsis. I love a good story about an abandoned amusement park. Sadly, this one just didn’t deliveI expected so much more from this novel, given the synopsis. I love a good story about an abandoned amusement park. Sadly, this one just didn’t deliver on, well, anything. It was one slow slog through a mildly entertaining story to a turn I predicted early on. Sure, there were some twists along the way that kept the story interesting enough that I didn’t DNF it, but that seems like an almost-desperate branch to throw out to a drowning reader who is suffering from dry, unimaginative prose and stilted, unnatural dialogue.
I can’t say I recommend this book. If you’re looking at the cover and reading the synopsis and think it might be a totally awesome, suspense-filled, crazy time, my opinion is that it solidly is not those things.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. As per personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media website due to a rating of three stars or lower. Thank you.
File Under: Conspiracy Thriller/Dystopian Fiction/General Fiction/Genre Mashup/Horror/Just Not For Me/Psychological Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Suspense Thriller ...more
I’m so, so glad it’s finally time for this prequel novella to come out of its chrysalis and join the world in preparation for the full-length Bitter &I’m so, so glad it’s finally time for this prequel novella to come out of its chrysalis and join the world in preparation for the full-length Bitter & Sick Novel (also basically known as Twelve of Roses V2). You don’t even want to know what the trigger warning list for that book is like… or maybe you’re an absolute greedy gumdrop for the dark, depraved, and bloody and would love to get a look at that minefield. I know I danced a jig.
This short prequel novella is split between two time frames, but the vast majority of time is spent in Rose’s present, which seems to take place after the events of ToV V2. The other timeline takes place when Rose is simply a teenager with a crush, living with her grandfather across the street from Constantine Cromwell and his mysterious family. For all she believes he has a dark side and has been watching Constantine from her bedroom window for years, she has no idea just how many decisions have been made in regards to her life and how many gears of fate are turning to strip her freedom from her in the very near future. She’s just obsessed with Constantine, but he’s been obsessed with her longer and knows things she isn’t privy to yet.
In the present, Rose is just trying to keep a low profile and stay alive. She is broke in body, mind, heart, and bank account. All she’s trying to do is take everything one day at a time. But she knows she’s essentially living on borrowed time, in one way or another.
The few spice scenes Natalie could fit into this novella were short but so good, giving us a peek at what’s coming in the next book. The torture scene in the middle? A tiny taster of the widespread depravity that will come in the next book, I’m sure.
Bennett is correct to label this novella an anti-love story. This is obsession and possession. This is about having toys, playing with your toys, sleeping with your toys, and dictating who can touch your toys. But toys can be broken.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you.
File Under: Erotic Horror/Psychological Fiction/Suspense Thriller/Romance Series/Psychological Romance/Psychological Thriller/Read at Your Own Risk Romance/Romance Novella/Spice Level 3/Suspense Romance/Suspense Thriller/Bad People Doing Hot Things ...more
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