Foul Days was a book I decided early on the year that I wanted to read and was one of my few exceptions of requesting a bookReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Foul Days was a book I decided early on the year that I wanted to read and was one of my few exceptions of requesting a book that started a new fantasy series (that I knew of, at the time). I liked the cover and the blurb a whole lot (Eastern European fantasies are a weakness).
Foul Days isn’t an outstanding book one for a series, but it’s not half-bad, either. Genoveva Dimova is an excellent worldbuilder and plotter. Her characters are interesting and her monsters are terrifying. The thing is: the machine they’re all working in isn’t oiled all that well. All the components are there in separate pieces, ready to use, but while reading this book it felt a lot like Dimova couldn’t bind everything together very well. That caused certain scenes to feel a little overwrought (like where did all these feelings come from all of a sudden?) or others to feel a little anticlimactic (didn’t you just say… never mind, apparently).
I love almost any fantasy that will give me some Eastern European vibes, and this one gives not only supernatural beings but also folklore in the forms of customs, rituals, and herblore. The setting of a walled-off town that’s somehow reminiscent of both an early 20th-century ghetto and Chernobyl at the same time is freaking fantastic in so many ways.
While Foul Days on its own isn’t the most fantastic book one of a fantasy series I’ve ever read, it has me intrigued enough I really want to continue onto the next book to see what happens. It’s an interesting story and I’d like to see where it goes!
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: Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Romantasy ...more
What’s the best way to take down a monster? Does slow and careful save the day, or do you do it quickly and damn the consequences?
Everyone in the AerWhat’s the best way to take down a monster? Does slow and careful save the day, or do you do it quickly and damn the consequences?
Everyone in the Aeravin knows their Eternal King is monstrous, inhuman. What no one can agree on is what they can or should do about it. The largest dissent in opinion is between the Blood Workers of the nation and the Unblooded. Even though the Unblooded outnumber the Blood Workers, you can guess who has all the money and power. There are those within the ranks of the Blood Workers who would like to see the Eternal King fall, however, and one of those is the newly ascended Lady Shan LeClaire, the Blood Worker daughter of the king’s late spymaster.
Despite a somewhat misleading blurb, this novel was just as dark, sexy, bloody, violent, and intriguing as I thought it would be. No matter what fault I might have found with this book, the vibes were spot-on, 100% vibing. This is undoubtedly helped along by the evocative atmosphere Enright describes so well, thorough worldbuilding, the passionate natures of the main characters, and the inherently dark material that comes with any blood-based magic system.
This book was too long, in my opinion, but the story inside was great and it’s a great start for a trilogy. The main characters are fantastic and the LGBTQ representation is amazing. I’m eagerly anticipating book two.
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.
Have you ever read a book and hated the protagonist at first but by the end you had grown to love them?
Usually, when I don’t like a protagonist I don’Have you ever read a book and hated the protagonist at first but by the end you had grown to love them?
Usually, when I don’t like a protagonist I don’t change my mind. In Stella Sands’ new book, Wordhunter, I found myself in a rare position regarding the novel’s protagonist, Maggie Moore: I spent almost the entire first half of the story not understanding her and actively disliking her. However, by the end of the story I was of a mind I could read another novel full of Maggie Moore solving crimes with forensic linguistics while smoking Camels and drinking Bud and be happy as a clam. She’s such a refreshing female protagonist for a crime procedural thriller with her Gen Z way of looking at life and people and her concentrated rage at men and authority figures. Maggie has more than enough trauma for a salad all on her own, but it’s clear she just wants to compartmentalize it and move on because who the heck doesn’t have a boatload of trauma, especially if they’re female?
Wordhunter doesn’t live on Maggie alone: This novel also has a great idea and story behind it, with some spectacular plotting by Sands. Linguistics and forensic linguistics are things that have always interested me. Those two things were what attracted me to the book in the first place and I was so happy to see they weren’t just a gimmick or cheap trick to get people to read the book. Wordhunter is filled with a ton of small lessons in linguistics, movie quotes, book quotes, true crime facts, forensics knowledge, and just interesting bits of trivia slung around here and there that were effective in keeping me entertained and engaged should the story slow down. Geography and demography also play large (if not explicit) roles in this book as the differences between the regions of Florida come into play as to who might live where and for what reason.
There are some potential triggers in this book: drug and alcohol use/abuse, an overdose, SA (adult, but not explicit), association with criminals (including pedophiles), discovery of underage photos, child kidnapping, vague descriptions of other SAs (adult), child imprisonment, cult behavior, and description of parental death. I apologize if I missed any.
There are some underlying themes of found family, absent fathers, dysfunctional mother/daughter relationships, and love not being logical in here that are kind of simmering like a broth throughout but never brought completely to the surface. I really enjoyed how Sands didn’t just rest on the main plot and theme to carry this book. She gave Maggie and the other characters a loose framework of tropes to swing around on so there were connecting points to build on. That helped this story out immeasurably in the places where it might have felt a little thin.
It was a great read, and I’d gladly read another book about Maggie Moore.
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 isn’t a bad book. That’s not why I only rated it 3.5 stars. I rated it 3.5 stars because it’s simply a very average booReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
This isn’t a bad book. That’s not why I only rated it 3.5 stars. I rated it 3.5 stars because it’s simply a very average book. In a world of superb fantasy novels where the female protagonist is justifiably angry, this one not only doesn’t do a whole lot to set itself apart, it also really let me down in the end.
The story itself is pretty simple: this is Beauty and the Beast, filtered through Irish mythology/folklore, and gender-bent so the female is the beast (though she’s also very pretty, so, you know). None of these elements are a new thing, although Christy Healy has certainly done a very good job at studying Irish mythology as it pertains to the Tuatha de Danann and putting it to effective use in this book (although it should be noted that there are a million variations on every myth and story told in this book about the Tuatha de Danann, as there are about every mythological figure).
Our two main characters, Jamie and Rozlyn, have issues with a capital I: Daddy issues, mommy issues, familial guilt, trust, abandonment, and more. Combined, they have enough baggage to sink a ship. Jamie has a lot of secrets and Rozlyn hides everything she’s feeling. It’s love, but oof is it rough. Neither of them have had a good go of it, but I can’t help but side with Rozlyn when it comes to just about everything because the patriarchy has made her into a victim since birth.
The prose isn’t special, but it’s not bad. The imagery isn’t especially evocative, which stuns me because Ireland is so pretty I don’t know how you can’t wax eloquently about it. Healy does have an incredible gift for dialogue though, because the banter between Jamie and Rozlyn is absolutely delightful, even when it slips from banter into genuine ire. I did have some trouble with some anachronistic word usage, though.
I think that this might be better suited to someone younger than I am. Maybe a younger reader might be more receptive to the message. Maybe I don’t want them to be? Maybe I’m just a cynic. I just know I didn’t like the ending. The novel as a whole is an alright read.
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.
Another year and another excellent entry into the Sadenverse.
Eden Finley and Saxon James continue to expand their shared universe of characters and nAnother year and another excellent entry into the Sadenverse.
Eden Finley and Saxon James continue to expand their shared universe of characters and novels with this story of Wren and Darcy, both the sons of a multinational media conglomerate who’s just passed away. Both with mothers who love to play the guilt trip card. Only, Darcy’s been groomed all his life to be heir to the throne, and Wren was raised as the illegitimate bastard child, out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. They finally come face to face with one another on the day of their father’s funeral and neither ends up being quite like what the other expects.
The Bastard and the Heir is a little heavier and serious than most of Eden and Saxon’s works. It’s more similar to 2023’s standalone effort, Up in Flames, than it is their Puckboys or CU Hockey series. While there are humorous moments (because I don’t think it could be an Eden and Saxon book without at least some humor), heavier emotions and issues definitely rule the book.
I loved the spicier side of this book because I loved the line this book walked with the forbidden aspect of the relationship between Wren and Darcy. The risque aspect of their relationship was hot enough to sustain me throughout the whole book. I liked that Eden and Saxon wrote it so the characters kept poking fun at it, because it definitely made for hilarious cannon fodder for the whole book.
The cast of characters cracked me up. Yes, even Darcy’s mom. When they weren’t cracking me up I was in the middle of feeling very sorry for the lot of them all because it’s obvious they inherited a ton of pressure, self-esteem issues, and a poor sense of work-life balance. They all need therapy.
While I love this book in the same soft way I love all Sadenverse books, I found myself not totally buying the resolution. The third act felt rushed for me. It also felt like it was all wrapped up a little too neatly. The epilogue was absolute genius, though.
I’m always happy and grateful for new Sadenverse books, because they make the world a little bit brighter every time they come.
I was provided a copy of this book by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Someone joked online somewhere that this book could be summarized with two words: “Florida Man”. I really don’t think they were too far off the mark, Someone joked online somewhere that this book could be summarized with two words: “Florida Man”. I really don’t think they were too far off the mark, because this book felt like a Florida Man meme in long fiction format.
I’d love to say I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t. It was too long, had poor pacing, and didn’t have a compelling story (in my opinion). I never connected with the story or felt engaged with it. It felt ridiculous but not in the way I felt was okay to make fun of; simultaneously it also felt too heavy to take seriously. It felt weighed down by its own perceived cleverness.
I respect that a lot of people loved this book, but I just couldn’t get on board with 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. Due to this review’s three star or lower rating it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
“I lived life on the line that bordered stupid and clever. It’s called being sly”.
To be sly is to have a cunning or deceitful nature. To act surrepti“I lived life on the line that bordered stupid and clever. It’s called being sly”.
To be sly is to have a cunning or deceitful nature. To act surreptitiously. To remark, glance, or express something in a way that insinuates one has some secret knowledge that could be harmful or embarrassing.
Catchpenny is a sly novel. It is clever, cunning, deceitful, and it is stupid…if you want to count stupid crazy. That’s probably why I liked it so much.
Urban fantasy noir (which is what I largely categorize this book as) is a subgenre mashup that I never get to read much of but I love a whole lot (just like my enduring love for cybertech noir, another subgenre mashup). When we get down to subgenre mashups I feel we’re hitting full-on speculative fiction territory–we’re entering all-new territory. In books like this, there are rules but also? Screw the rules.
I had a similar experience nearing the end of reading Catchpenny as I did with reading Noah Hawley’s Anthem: In this book the adults are the problem. The youth are the solution. The youth isn’t wasted on the young. It’s the adults who should be ashamed of the way they’ve wasted their lives and traded in all of their promises and dreams for empty lives filled up with selfish wants and needs when they could have had a fuller life and a fuller heart by spreading love, knowledge, and resources around to be used by more people.
It’s a little longer than I thought it needed to be, but Catchpenny is an intricate web of a story that has a large cast of characters and events that are all interconnected. It takes time to establish those strands, get them settled in place, bring the third act to its climax, and then to unravel the web without ripping it and risk a messy dismount from such a carefully constructed plot.
I thought it was a wonderful read. I love out of the box books, and this definitely meets that brief.
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:Amateur Sleuth/Noir/Occult Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Urban Fantasy ...more
The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantaReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantasy or magical realism (take your pick), and a generous splash of darkness. Does it walk the trail as well as other books in this vein I’ve read and reviewed? Maybe not. It’s not an entirely wasteful read, either.
At times this book can feel like part of it is magical realism and part of it verges on fairy tale, almost like there are two disparate books happening within the same book (there would be spoilers here if I said much more about that aspect), and I was honestly more intrigued by the book within the book than I was with the book I was reading; however, the inclusion of that interesting fairy-tale aspect is what kept me invested enough in The Pecan Children to keep reading until the end.
Quinn Connor (which is a pen name for two separate authors writing together) has an interesting story to tell, I simply felt it was told in a very predictable and rote way for the most part. The more fantastical aspects of this book is what saved it from becoming too familiar, but there was still so much of this book that felt like deja vu.
I still say you should check it out if you like unique folklore added to your fiction, if you like sapphic love stories, if you like ancestral mysteries, and if you love that eerie feeling of, “something’s not right in this town”.
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: Folk Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/Magical Realism ...more
Two Chances is the second book in Lynn Burke’s LGBTQ Elite Escorts spin-off series. This book is mostly taking place, time-wise, concurrently with theTwo Chances is the second book in Lynn Burke’s LGBTQ Elite Escorts spin-off series. This book is mostly taking place, time-wise, concurrently with the first book in this series, One Night.
In One Night we met both of the main characters for Two Chances: Kellen, one of Elite’s LGBTQ escorts, and JJ, the lead detective on the criminal case that’s part of the central plot for One Night. Kellen and JJ come across one another briefly on the courthouse steps during One Night when JJ approaches Mason for a conversation and in this book we get to see that same interaction from both Kellen and JJ’s perspectives near the very beginning of the book.
On my spice meter, this book merits a 2 out of 3. The spice is explicit but not prolific or kinky. The chemistry between Kellen and JJ is something that can’t be faked, though, and these two have it in spades.
I’ve come to appreciate LGBTQ romance novels that take place at a more mature age. Both of the main characters in this book are middle-aged, and sometimes it’s refreshing to see both characters at the same point in their lives, needing a fresh start at a later stage. I love a good age difference or a good college love story, but sometimes people find themselves needing love later in life, too, and it’s nice to see those stories.
That’s why I had a hard time with the way both JJ and Kellen handled their individual issues. Their approaches didn’t match their professions or their ages. Both sex workers and police officers are often in need of therapy, yet neither of these men have sought help. It’s rather irresponsible. This is kind of what turned me a little sour on the book. It wasn’t enough to drop the rating significantly, though, because I still greatly enjoyed the read.
Lynn Burke continues to write consistently great romance novels and I’m happy to ride along.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
Runaway Omega is the first in a series of interconnected standalone omegaverse novels. On the scale from Sweetverse to Darkverse (when it comes to theRunaway Omega is the first in a series of interconnected standalone omegaverse novels. On the scale from Sweetverse to Darkverse (when it comes to the omegaverse light to dark scale), I would say it settles right in the middle at a 5 out of 10. The spice, on my spice scale, is a 2 out of 3 (there’s only one group scene that takes place during the heat and then most of the heat is skipped after that). There is no mm action, either (this is neither here nor there, it’s just worth mentioning for those who might be curious if this book has mm in addition to mf). The burn is slower than I’d like but not so slow as to be boring; plus, Ember Nicole has a real knack for writing strong sexual chemistry and tension that in no way involves the act of sex. That’s a talent not every author possesses and it more than makes up for the lack of actual action for a chunk of the book.
Not surprisingly, I wasn’t too drawn to our FMC, Everleigh, in this story. She’s simply just not the type of FMC I identify with or enjoy reading too much. However, I did absolutely love all three alphas in this story: Rune, Kylian, and Cian are all so uniquely them and they are delightful. The teasers for this book called them protective cinnamon rolls, but I didn’t see cinnamon rolls here, I just saw protective, conscientious, and then one of my favorite traits in some alphas: A willingness to destroy bad alphas. Some of my favorite omegaverse novels have always been the ones where bad alphas get their comeuppance.
The book is well-written and the plot is cohesive. It’s an enjoyable read, even if it’s not completely to my tastes. I loved Everleigh’s little sister, Della, to bits and pieces. She’s a hoot. The book does run a little longer than it needs to, I think, but it’s not so much that you’ll get bored.
Make sure you read the TW/CWs for this book before reading and take care of you.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
If there’s one topic that simultaneously scares me to death and enrages me, it’s eugenics. Combine eugenics with the additional evils of capitalism, aIf there’s one topic that simultaneously scares me to death and enrages me, it’s eugenics. Combine eugenics with the additional evils of capitalism, and I’ll get sick with anxiety. So, mix eugenics, capitalism, and the type of feminism practiced by the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (you know, the kind where only cisgendered, rich, smart, childbearing, white women are the ones truly deserving of equality) up together in a part and that’s what terrifies me about Yours for the Taking.
This book is largely a conspiracy thriller set in a dystopian future that deals mainly with LGBTQ and women’s issues within a psychological context. That’s more or less the construct we’ve got going on here. You can read about the plot of the book in the blurb, but know that the blurb isn’t quite as clear as it seems. The narrative structure for the book is from multiple POV’s played out in third person: Ava, Jacqueline, Shelby, Olympia, and more all have chapters told from their perspective. It is a linear timeline structure, which is very nice because between the plot and the multiple narrators it would definitely feel unnecessarily complicated to manipulate the timeline.
While the book is very well-written, I did feel at times that the book did veer from its seeming mission to aim for scathing social commentary on non-intersectional feminism, transphobia, and queer erasure into the territory of being almost satirical or too on the nose. If you’re going to write satire then you need to lean all the way into it for the whole book. However, the terrors of eugenics were portrayed all too well, as were the horrors of mind control.
My most common complaint that resounded in my mind again and again as I read this book came from my geography degree: The premise that anyone would build a shelter to house the chosen ones of North America for the unforeseeable future–possibly forever–on the island of Manhattan in a world after global climate change has melted the ice caps makes absolutely no sense. The island of Manhattan is unstable. It’s mostly made up of infill dirt. It’s largely an artificial island. It was a swamp before it was colonized. If a shelter like the one in the book were to be built, it would have been built on the mainland, not on Manhattan Island.
Other than that, it’s an excellent book that asks great questions about nature versus nurture, the patriarchy, feminism, parenthood, sisterhood, and where will humans go when the tide finally rises.
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 was written without compensation. Thank you.
I enjoyed this book for the entire first act, and then it just went downhill from there. By the end I was so relieved it wasReal Rating: 2.5 / 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book for the entire first act, and then it just went downhill from there. By the end I was so relieved it was finally over.
I know this is an unlikely and probably unpopular opinion, especially coming from me, considering how much I enjoy just about every book that throws punches at the patriarchy and advocates for feminine rage. The fact is: The first act of this book was impeccably written and had me looking forward to an intense thriller told from the POV of a narcissistic and unreliable narrator, and then the second and third acts were a hot mess when it comes to writing.
When I got to the beginning of the second act and realized we were switching from Cole’s POV to another POV altogether, I was wary, but willing to try. It didn’t take me too long to realize Hall had moved from what I was beginning to consider a fantastic, creepy, charismatic novel about a smarmy incel that might build and build in tension and violence to a disorganized format consisting of flashbacks, social media posts, blog posts, newspaper articles, newscast transcripts, an art installation information pamphlet, press releases, and present-day POV. In my opinion, this switch ruined the novel. There was no more thrill, no more suspense, and no more mystery. It was just chaos, and I no longer really cared.
The aims, messages, and goals of the story were good. I’m sure this book will be a hit with a lot of people and it will resonate with many. I just didn’t jive with it. I wanted a thriller, and this wasn’t 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.
File Under: Political Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller/Vigilante Justice ...more
Here we go with another book that ensnared me with magic words like “art thief”, “stolen artifacts”, and “anthropology”. What can I say? I’m a sucker Here we go with another book that ensnared me with magic words like “art thief”, “stolen artifacts”, and “anthropology”. What can I say? I’m a sucker for thievery by academics…well, for thievery in general. If you add in outer space, it’s like book catnip! I blame Doctor Who.
Thanks to Bria Strothers at Flatiron Books, I was granted access to the eARC and sent a copy of the physical ARC of this book after my request had sat in NetGalley’s pending request pit forever, and I’m so grateful because I absolutely loved this book!
There’s a line deep into this book that is sticking with me. One could say it’s a throwaway line, but it speaks so much to the themes in this story: “Primitive is more permanent”. That is to say: The longer it took and the harder it was to create something, the more permanent it is. This is also applicable to everything from planets to moons to species: the longer they’ve been around and the more adversity they’ve seen, the more knowledge they’ve gathered and the more permanent their mark on the universe. There is no up and down in space. No time. There is only distance, and some things are too far away to ever be rescued or remembered. Who’s to know if it’s better that way or not?
In many ways, this book feels like a deep space “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Maya has been longing to find the Stardust Grail for the sake of her best friend, Auncle, for a long time. Auncle shows up with a scrappy crew and picks up Maya, who has a lead, and they’re off to search for this artifact, which means one thing to Auncle and Maya and something else to the interstellar military officials that are hot on their tails and after the same thing they are. The groups cross paths several times. The book is quite fast-paced, but not to the point of frenetic, which is a good thing, because there are times when emotion and connection need to happen and be absorbed in order for this book to work on all levels.
The climactic scenes in this book are astoundingly well-written and choreographed. It’s a complicated scenario that had to be hard to keep track of and it was executed brilliantly. I was absolutely thrilled with the whole thing.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I’ve adored the previous two Saffron Everleigh books, so I was incredibly excited to read this one, especially with the title! Society! Secrets!
SadlyI’ve adored the previous two Saffron Everleigh books, so I was incredibly excited to read this one, especially with the title! Society! Secrets!
Sadly, this installment of Saffron Everleigh just didn’t gel for me and I ended up only being able to really engage with certain parts of the book and only liking certain aspects of the book instead of engaging with and liking the whole of it.
What did I like? The characters, mostly. How can you not love Kate Khavari’s colorful and unique cast of characters? She writes them all so well in all of their complexities, gives them all a full voice, and lets them all play their parts in the story. You can’t help but to become invested in them and delight in the delicious dialogue Khavari writes for them.
What did I have issues with? Really, it was the pacing, of all things. Society and Secrets not only takes time to get going, but it takes time to really engage fully, and even once it’s going fully the story is full of stops and stutters that just made this story feel really uneven.
Do I still recommend Society and Secrets despite the low rating? Yes I do, because I’m not going to give up on Saffron Everleigh due to one book that didn’t meet my standards. For all I know I’m just not having a good reading day. Since I know we’re getting at least one more book (if not more) out of Khavari about Miss Saffron, I recommend reading it because you need to read these books in order to understand the overall story arc.
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 rated three starts or less so it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Historical Fiction/Historical Romance//Mystery...more
Note: You technically don’t have to read Olde Heuvelt’s book HEX in order to read Oracle, but I don’t think I would’ve understood the character of RobNote: You technically don’t have to read Olde Heuvelt’s book HEX in order to read Oracle, but I don’t think I would’ve understood the character of Robert Grim at all (nor some major parts of the book) without having read HEX first. So I’m going to advise you to read HEX first but I can’t make you do so. You do you.
Somehow, Robert Grim survived the events of the book HEX and has been living at the government’s leisure in a penthouse apartment in Atlantic City. Sure, he’s a miserable hermit of an alcoholic…but he’s alive.
Then one day the government comes knocking at his door, telling him his service is needed because he’s the only one they have with a particular skill set. He doesn’t really have a choice to say no, and so they’re off for the Netherlands because apparently, a “ghost ship” that looks like it should be at the bottom of the ocean is sitting in the middle of a tulip field and some people have gone in the hatch and, well, disappeared.
Robert Grim doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to enter a moral, ethical, and political quagmire that will bring back some of his oldest and darkest memories, but will also maybe give him some closure on why he’s still here when so many have gone.
Oracle isn’t as brilliant or compelling as HEX, but comparing these two books is a waste of time because we’re comparing two totally different kinds of horrors. Oracle is about more of an eldritch horror: This horror is older than old, incomprehensibly large, ineffable and implacable. It is life and death, baptism and damnation. The horrors in Oracle also cross over time. It’s a larger story with a larger cast of characters and more locales, so it takes more time to get the story going, to get the players moving, and to gain momentum. (HEX, if you’ll recall, was a faster vehicle because it took place almost entirely in one time period, everyone was contained to one village, and the evils were not as ineffable or incomprehensible).
The premise is compelling, the characters are interesting and sometimes downright loveable, the plot is interesting, and once the story really gets going I became very invested in seeing how it all would end. Once I realized just how evil the evil was getting I got even more excited. The climactic scenes toward the end of the book are extremely well-written and almost cinematic in scale. Loved 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.
File Under: Book Series/Ghost Fiction/Historical Fiction/Paranormal Horror/Psychological Thriller/Speculative Fiction ...more
I wanted to love this book, because I really love James L. Sutter’s wit, humor, warmth, and writing style. The dialogue in this book is hilarious and I wanted to love this book, because I really love James L. Sutter’s wit, humor, warmth, and writing style. The dialogue in this book is hilarious and while I was wary of the plot premise going in, I didn’t expect it to go all full-blown cringe as it ultimately went.
The largest issue I had with The Ghost of Us was the characters: I couldn’t stand any of them except Meredith. Even with Cara (the protagonist) having some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a YA book in ages I still couldn’t stand her.
Maybe it’s my age or maybe it’s me having kids of my own, but a lot of the backstory surrounding this book just felt so out of touch and out of place for me I simply couldn’t let go of all my questions and engage completely with the story, either.
I’m pretty sure this is a “me” thing and not an issue with the book itself. Sutter is a wonderful writer with a great feel for timing, story, emotion, and a great splash of quirkiness that makes his books compelling. It just wasn’t a book I could connect to.
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. Due to a rating of three stars or lower this review will not be appearing in my social media. Thank you.
Was there ever a time in your childhood when you just couldn't tell anyone what was wrong?
That’s Rose Barclay’s problem: She suffers from traumatic muWas there ever a time in your childhood when you just couldn't tell anyone what was wrong?
That’s Rose Barclay’s problem: She suffers from traumatic mutism after witnessing the death of her nanny. With her parents both angling for sole custody, the court appoints Rose a BIA (Best Interest Attorney) in order to make the best recommendations on her behalf. Stella Hudson became a BIA partly because at one time she suffered from traumatic mutism after finding her mother’s dead body. Rose is a little younger than Stella’s usual clients, but no other BIA is as uniquely qualified to represent her.
House of Glass is a really entertaining novel with a lot of page-turning fun. The front half of the book is really engaging and compelling, but the back half felt a little messy to me. It didn’t feel as suspenseful or as compelling. The pacing was also tidier in the front half than the back.
I enjoyed most of the characters. There were a few that came across as a little transparent in their motives, but that could possibly be due to it being close to the end of summer and it’s thriller season. Rose and Stella were especially fun to read, especially when they were in a scene together on their own. I also enjoyed Charles as a character, especially earlier in the book.
The story is a good one, but I felt like the ending could’ve been done better. I felt like the motive behind the murder was there but was still pretty murky when Pekkanen could’ve made it a clearer point. I also didn’t like the ultimate ending too much. Overall, this is an entertaining summer thriller with a lot of themes around stolen childhoods, grief, absent parents, surrogate parents, childhood advocacy, deceit, and the dissolution of marriage.
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.
The issue with giving books a 3.5 star rating is that people automatically assume that means you hated it or that it was a bReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
The issue with giving books a 3.5 star rating is that people automatically assume that means you hated it or that it was a bad book. That’s usually the case. For If Something Happens to Me, it simply means it was an alright thriller that I didn’t mind reading, will likely appeal to the average thriller reader not looking for something deeper or with more substance, but isn’t a title I’d go around recommending or putting on my own bookshelf.
ISHTM starts with a killer (ah, come on, let me have my fun) opening scene straight out of a slasher flick or scary story that ends with one of this novel’s main characters blacking out. It’s well-written, creepy, and immediately engages you. It’s a very nice piece of bait to lure you into a boiler-plate plot that’s been dressed up with a hodgepodge of other story elements: A boyfriend who was wrongly accused of his girlfriend’s death who ultimately had to leave town and change his name, a shadowy eight-fingered man, a young and plucky new female officer in town just as new evidence comes to light regarding this cold case, a good ol’ boy police force that may be keeping secrets, a mysterious FBI agent, and an organized crime syndicate with a bone to pick. It’s a puzzle, so, how does it all fit together?
Of course, there are the predictably-timed turns. There are some attempts at red herrings and misdirection, but I don’t think this book was plotted very well because they didn’t hit like I assume they were supposed to. The pacing was actually done very well, without much lagging or rushing. There were some attempts at social commentary that I felt were clumsy in nature and ultimately came across as trying too hard and that made the ending of this book feel more than a little cheesy.
At the end of the day this book was an okay read and I don’t regret spending my afternoon on it, but I can’t say I’d recommend you rush out and buy it. It’s not the worst time either.
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.
(One thing I do give a TW/CW for is for on-page animal death, and that happens right in the beginning of the book; however, it is done as an act of se(One thing I do give a TW/CW for is for on-page animal death, and that happens right in the beginning of the book; however, it is done as an act of self-defense and the time period in which the book occurs should be taken into consideration. Any other on-page animal death takes place during a battle scene, which is par for the course in a novel about war).
I love Lauren Blackwood’s books. Her last book, Wildblood, was an absolutely standout novel that I felt a lot of people slept on for how brilliant it is. Wildblood was mainly about black pain and magic (according to Blackwood), but The Dangerous Ones lets Blackwood not only write about black pain but to also indulge in many of the romantic fantasy impulses she usually has to curb in her more serious and focused novels.
So, I guess what I’m saying is that The Dangerous Ones may not be as brilliant as Wildblood, but it’s a whole lot of fun and a smash of a read in a lot of ways.
The centerpiece of The Dangerous Ones are our two protagonists: Jerusalem (a runaway slave girl who was also born a Saint, which is somewhat akin to a demi-god), and Alexei (an Ancient Vampire who traveled specifically from Europe to America to fight on the side of the Union Army). They live in the same encampment, training together every day, and fight advance battles for the Union Army because their encampment is made up of other Saints like Jerusalem. They’re so deadly and prolific the newspapers have given all the Saints nicknames.
Jerusalem and Alexei are also fighting another battle: attraction and love of the star-crossed kind. Not only crossing ethnic lines, but also that of being Saint and Vampire. In the everyday moments and the heat of battle neither matter seems to bother either party, but in the small, silent moments the disparities between them seem to stretch like an ocean. Their chemistry on the page is absolute fire, and Blackwood has written them some of the best dialogue I’ve read in a romantasy in a long while.
The Dangerous Ones is violent, fiery, angry, romantic, magnetic, and even though there are pacing issues in the latter half of the book I really enjoyed 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.
This was a lovely, if terribly sad, book. Even with how sad it is, I found it almost impossible to put down because the writing is just so elegant andThis was a lovely, if terribly sad, book. Even with how sad it is, I found it almost impossible to put down because the writing is just so elegant and the story is engrossing.
It’s interesting how sometimes the same old story can captivate you just being packaged in a slightly different way. Here, Morgan takes a basic plot we’ve definitely seen before: two women who are both running from their own kinds of ghosts and end up fighting them together in some sort of way, and keeps one woman’s ghosts mundane and turns the other woman’s ghosts supernatural. I also found myself surprised to be as invested in the story as I was, given I knew what was coming most of the time and knew most of what was going to happen in this book. Did I know it all? No. But I knew enough that there were few surprises. Usually, this would make me whine and moan, but I kept on being just as invested as I was from the beginning. I think that may have been because the writing was just that good and because I cared about the characters that much.
Two things that I loved so much about this book: One, the time period this book is set in. I love a good historical fantasy setting, and books set in the late 1960’s are some of my favorites. It was a time of so much social, political, and religious upheaval. It makes for excellent storytelling fodder. The second thing is the geographical setting of this book. The isolated, gothic-like setting of a very isolated island somewhere (I’m guessing from the text) in Puget Sound made not only for picturesque passages full of evocative imagery, but it also matched the mood of our protagonists and gave the story the supernatural feeling of liminal space that I found to be essential to the story being told.
There’s this ribbon woven through the text of this story about the spirit world and whether or not it’s tied to religion and faith or not, or whether it matters at all. Is it a gift or a curse? Burden or blessing? This question goes unanswered and I believe that’s the moral of the story. It’s all in what you carry with you.
I recommend this for fans of elegant prose, books about women fighting back without violence, books about unlikely and fast female friendships, and fans of 1960’s historical fantasy.
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 was written without compensation.
Loading...
