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| 0063252392
| 9780063252394
| 0063252392
| 3.66
| 61,554
| Aug 01, 2023
| Aug 01, 2023
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it was amazing
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If it’s okay with all of you I’m just going to start calling Gillian McAllister’s books, “Thriller Games of Truth with Consequences: The Ethical Dilem
If it’s okay with all of you I’m just going to start calling Gillian McAllister’s books, “Thriller Games of Truth with Consequences: The Ethical Dilemma Edition”. I’m not saying that to be insulting in any way, shape, or form. It’s simply that both of the books I’ve read of hers (Wrong Place, Wrong Time and now Just Another Missing Person) were both largely domestic thrillers revolving around mothers who faced huge ethical dilemmas involving their child and the cost of telling the truth would have major consequences for both them and their child. So the idea behind the whole book is, “How do I save my child? Should they be saved? If I do this, should I try to save myself too, or should I pay the price for the crime my child committed?”. In Wrong Place, Wrong Time, the plot largely centered on a mom and her son. In Just Another Missing Person, however, we’ve got more than one parent facing an ethical dilemma and potential consequences for unlawful behavior in the name of either protecting or avenging their child. Heck, we’ve got ethical dilemmas just about everywhere we turn. Guess what? I’m here for it. I was so into this book I didn’t want to come out. I lost track of time. This is one of those rare thrillers that actually managed to shock the heck out of me. The first turn actually caused me to shout, “What the f*ck?” There were a few more surprises after that (not going to say how many), but they were all actual surprises and they were all welcome ones. At no time did I feel like McAllister had just shoehorned a turn in just so she could screw with us readers to pad the book. Every time we needed to change direction it was obvious why we had to and it ended up making sense. This book was thoughtfully, carefully, strategically constructed. I loved Wrong Place, Wrong Time, but I think I love Just Another Missing Person more simply because it has this vibe surrounding all the characters that says, “You all f*cked around and found out”. And they did. They all found out the cost of turning your back on the ethics of your profession or your place in someone’s life. And then there’s that murky, blurry, shadowy place: what’s the ethics when the love and need to protect your child runs right into the ethics of your profession? What then? I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a book not to be missed. 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/Crime Fiction/Crime Thriller/Domestic Thriller/Kidnapping/Murder Thriller/Mystery/Suspense Mystery/Suspense Thriller/Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 07, 2023
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Aug 08, 2023
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May 26, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1682636119
| 9781682636114
| 4.52
| 9,046
| Sep 05, 2023
| Sep 05, 2023
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it was amazing
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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 wi 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 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 |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 05, 2023
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Sep 05, 2023
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May 22, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 0593534646
| 9780593534649
| 3.84
| 94,991
| Jun 20, 2023
| Jun 20, 2023
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it was amazing
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You know what they say: Go big or go home. Clemence Michallon, who hasn’t written a thriller before or a novel in English before, certainly seems to h
You know what they say: Go big or go home. Clemence Michallon, who hasn’t written a thriller before or a novel in English before, certainly seems to have taken that saying to heart by writing this absolutely riveting, heartbreaking, intense, page-turning thriller that will now make me look as closely at white trucks as I did white vans when I was a child and remind readers that sometimes we don’t even truly know the people closest to us. The people we love and who love us. This book is so carefully crafted by Michallon. You can tell this was a passion project for her. It’s mainly the story of the everyday life of a serial killer named Aidan who’s also a recent widower (cancer) and a single dad who’s having a hard time keeping his carefully constructed life under control since his former in-laws decided to sell the house he, his wife, and their daughter used to live in and he was forced to move everything closer to town–including the woman he had been keeping captive in a secure shed on the old property for five years he insisted on calling “Rachel”. Meticulous in nature, Aidan needs to be in control of everything and everyone, and living too close to the city allows for too many variables. The story of Aidan’s carefully constructed facade and how he loses control of all of it is told mainly from the POV of three women in his life: “Rachel” (who is moved into the new house, given a room and can move around, but has a GPS tracker she can’t removed and is chained to her radiator or bed every night even as Aidan continues to assault her in various ways), his daughter Cecilia (who loves her dad but doesn’t like him and is angry at him for not seeming to grieve her mother more), and a local restaurant owner named Emily who’s had a crush on Aidan since she was a teenager and since it looks like he’s finally giving her the time of day she’s going to go for it and shoot her shot. Little does she know Aidan’s been watching her for a while now. Slotted in here and there are little vignettes told from the POV of Aidan’s victims, their names disappearing just like their bodies do. There is so much hopelessness and helplessness in this book when it comes to the triangle between Aidan, “Rachel”, and Cecilia. They say you have to find something redeeming about the antagonist in the story for it to truly work, and I actually did find myself sympathizing with Aidan a little bit. It was the control freak in me recognizing the control freak in him. I have to be in control of everything, mainly because that’s been my essential function for most of my life. If I’m not in control, or if I’m in control and something happens to upset the apple cart, I lose it. I certainly don’t need to do what he does to regain control, but there’s no doubt I’ve had panic attacks when everything starts to even feel like it’s not going to plan. The anger at putting so much planning and time and consideration into something only to have it only go to pot? Yeah, the anger, frustration, and feeling of genuine helplessness is real. Of course “Rachel” feels helpless and often hopeless, being held captive for all this time. She doesn’t even recognize herself when she looks in the mirror. She doesn’t know what combination of words will set Aidan off on one day and make him not horrible the next. Then there’s Cecilia, who feels helpless because she can’t make friends at her new school and hopeless because she can see her dad is going to move on and she can’t believe he’d do that. He doesn’t like to talk about her mom or let her look at her mom’s things. She’s still grieving and can’t understand why he isn’t. The pacing is so nice and organically tense. There’s no artificial propulsion to this story. There is a little give here and there, but it’s just enough to let you take a breath because most of the time while you’re reading this book you’ll find you’re holding it. You’re not going to want to put it down, because you might even not think to. I know I didn’t. I picked it up and only put it down long enough to put together cheese and crackers for lunch to eat…while I kept reading. The climax of this story will make your heart race and will have your eyes glued to the page. My heart was even racing a little. It’s a serious case of life or death and will she? Will she? Can she? Can she? I feel utterly spoiled by this book. I’m officially a Clemence Michallon fan girl and I need more from her. I was provided a copy of the eARC of this title by NetGalley and the author and provided a finished copy by the folks over at Knopf Publishing. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Review/Kidnapping/Murder Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Serial Killers/Suspense Thriller/Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 20, 2023
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Jun 20, 2023
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May 22, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 0593531027
| 9780593531020
| 0593531027
| 4.05
| 2,449
| Oct 10, 2023
| Oct 10, 2023
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it was amazing
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If you take Alice Hoffman, Rachel Griffin, Erin A. Craig, and Krystal Sutherland I think that’s how you come up with Kate Pearsall and Bittersweet in
If you take Alice Hoffman, Rachel Griffin, Erin A. Craig, and Krystal Sutherland I think that’s how you come up with Kate Pearsall and Bittersweet in the Hollow. The strong familial feel and solid community setting remind me greatly of Hoffman, while the atmosphere, imagery, and strong ties to geography reminds me of Griffin. The dark, folk magic and horror of the book definitely reminds me both of Craig and Sutherland. Whatever the influences, though, this was a fantastic read that snagged my attention from the first sentences and didn’t let up until the last page. Bittersweet in the Hollow takes place over the course of a single summer. It starts with the disappearance of the previous year’s Moth Queen, which happens to occur on the anniversary of the day our protagonist, Linden, disappeared on the night of the Moth-Winged Man celebrations (also known as the Summer Solstice) and then reappeared the next morning with no memory of what had happened the night before. The Appalachian mountains are full of missing people, but in the small town of Caball Hollow, she’s the second of what’s now three known people to have disappeared on the night of the summer solstice and the only one to have come back. This fact doesn’t help matters when everyone knows that Linden and her family aren’t exactly the same as everyone else, though not everyone is exactly aware that the women of their family are witches. Pearsall writes absolutely lovely narrative prose. It’s at turns dreamy, cozy, soft, and warm when Linden feels safe, loved, or content. When Linden was baking, this book made me so dang hungry! I mean, I love lemon lavender shortbread, but I started craving a batch while reading this. I loved all the root and herb lore woven into the cooking and baking passages in this book. It suited the plot and added another worldbuilding layer that helped deepen the atmosphere. I also loved how Pearsall wrote about Linden's particular magical talent, because it reminded me so much of synesthesia (even though I don’t know if that type of synesthesia has been uncovered). The book also played a good game of whodunit, in more ways than one. Not only because we had to guess “folktale or reality” and “who attacked Linden last summer” (or were they one and the same?), but because even then we had a few different candidates for the win and I was down to three until the turn. It’s rare for a book to catch me like that, so I was pleased. It’s no fun guessing the perp early on. This was a great read for a cloudy, fall day, but it was simply a terrific read overall. 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. File Under: 5 Star Review/Coming of Age/Folk Horror/Supernatural Fantasy/YA Fiction/YA Horror/YA Mystery/YA Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 14, 2023
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Oct 14, 2023
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May 10, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1953534864
| 9781953534866
| 1953534864
| 3.63
| 1,303
| May 02, 2023
| May 02, 2023
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it was amazing
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I love character-driven thrillers. I love that while I was reading this book I was more concerned with the journey than the destination. The most impo
I love character-driven thrillers. I love that while I was reading this book I was more concerned with the journey than the destination. The most important thing to me wasn’t “whodunit” but “who were the victims?” Because this book doesn’t hold out a whole lot of hope for an arrest or even a solid suspect when it starts out, but what it does strive for is to put a name to the victims of the crimes that are central to the plot. It’s a 30-year-old cold case with misplaced and missing paperwork, degraded evidence, and no witnesses. Detective Jean Martinez has transferred to Sierra County’s cold case bureau and wants to clear their department’s oldest cold case, or to at least give the victims their names back. And librarian Laura MacDonald comes across the case on a message board while she’s being treated for breast cancer (the author herself is a breast cancer survivor) and uses her spare time to research the case and then ventures into genealogical research to try and help to achieve the exact thing the detective is doing. Eventually, Laura takes a leap of faith and flies to New Mexico to present everything she has to the detective, and a kindredship is forged. What I’m saying above doesn’t sound like a thriller, does it? Well, that’s because this book isn’t high-octane. It’s not the type of thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This is a simmering thriller, just tiny hot bubbles that keep pricking and poking at you. Maybe it’s even a little bit of a different burn at times, like the antiseptic burn of rubbing alcohol or the blistering heat of a sunburn. Maybe it’s the cold chill that makes you stop in your tracks or that feeling like someone’s just behind you that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It could even be the feeling that makes you feel like you’re suddenly some sort of prey. Most of the thrill comes from interlude scenes from the POV of the dead victims, who are present in some sort of spirit form, haunting the site where their bodies were found. To say more than that about those scenes, which range from poignant to gross, would be spoiler-iffic. The separate and then woven together stories of Laura and Jean run parallel in that both women start out this book fighting off what they think is inevitable: Laura’s breast cancer has already taken so much from her and might eventually take more and Jean’s husband is dead set on her retiring in the next year or two, even though she is very clear that she’s not ready to give up her shield. But with her daughter about to give birth to her first child and the cold case bureau about to be cut down to part-time, Jean is starting to run out of time to close out this one case. But then Laura comes along with some new information, along with some new hope. This is what I mean when I say this thriller is more about the journey than the destination. Of course we readers want to know who’s responsible for these crimes. Of course we want to know who was sick enough to do this. But that’s not the point of this book. The point of this book is about giving victims back their names and their voices. It’s about giving them back their families and their backgrounds. It’s about remembering the victims of crimes whose trails have long gone cold and no one seems to care about them anymore. To an extent, this book is also about extolling the virtues of forensic genealogy, which has helped catch criminals like the Golden State Killer, but I have very conflicting feelings about this field on a personal level, so I’m not going to go into that here. It’s a beautifully written book about a very brutal event and two women who just want to do something helpful with the years they have left in their lives. It’s terrific. A copy of this title was provided to me by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Read/Crime Thriller/Ghost Story/Murder Thriller/OwnVoices/Suspense Mystery ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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May 08, 2023
not set
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May 08, 2023
not set
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May 08, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 0593500512
| 9780593500514
| 0593500512
| 3.97
| 1,361
| Sep 05, 2023
| Sep 05, 2023
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it was amazing
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I’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world a
I’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world and there’s such a lot of world to see. These two people who are so similar in many ways and yet have a large gulf between them, adrift in life and moored in their mutual, chosen loneliness. Two miserable dinghy-people, just bailing water out as fast as they take it on. This book could’ve turned out so badly. A nudge one way and it comes out saccharine. A nudge the other way it comes out too pessimistic. Somehow, Victoria Lee kept it steadily walking that earnest and vulnerable line, where she opens up her characters for us and we fall in love with them and watch as they each fall apart and put each other back together, over and over again. This story is sensual, sweet, and optimistic (without coming across as so sunny you’d think Pollyanna was turning the pages for you). In most romances, I don’t so much get on board for genuine, heartfelt happiness. For some reason, when it comes to LGBTQ romances, that’s all I want for them. I want all the genuine happiness. Maybe it’s a reflection of how many unhappy endings LGBTQ people (especially transgender) get in real life and how much that upsets me. Maybe since I’m LGBTQ and I have a LGBTQ child I just want to see the LGBTQ people in romance novels end up happy because I didn’t and I want better for my own kid someday. This book genuinely moved me. The way Wyatt and Ely propped each other up even when they weren’t romantically involved, the way they supported each other in their sobriety, and the way they were so reverential with one another’s bodies when they were together was an honest show of how much it meant to them to shed every layer and be bare before one another in every way. To drop every veil and reveal everything, including every insecurity and every scar. Now, I’m new to Victoria Lee’s work, but not only did she show off some serious research chops in this book, but she also brought beautiful prose and excellent dialogue skills to the table. Her characters jumped off the page and added just enough background color and noise that they never took away from our two main protagonists–they just garnished them the right amount. I loved that this book ended happily, but not with a tidy little bow. Because life is messy. We don’t always get everything we want. But what matters is that we keep trying and holding onto the ones we love. This book definitely conveys 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. File Under: 5 Star Review/Contemporary Romance/Kindle Unlimited/LGBTQ Fiction/LGBTQ Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/Literary Fiction/Steamy Romance ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Sep 10, 2023
not set
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Sep 10, 2023
not set
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May 01, 2023
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Paperback
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| 1682634833
| 9781682634837
| 4.09
| 563
| Jul 11, 2023
| Jul 11, 2023
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it was amazing
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I was utterly stunned by Romero’s debut novel last year, The Ghosts of Rose Hill. At the time, I knew the novel would be told in verse but it had been
I was utterly stunned by Romero’s debut novel last year, The Ghosts of Rose Hill. At the time, I knew the novel would be told in verse but it had been so long since I had read a novel in verse it took me until I was about 10% of the way through the novel to really settle in and meld with Romero’s style and to be swept away with her story of the marriage of music and words and falling in love. So this time I was prepared going in to A Warning About Swans for that lyrical, flowing verse Romero writes, this time spinning a fairy tale of a swan maiden who longs to know what it’s like to be free and human, only to discover that to be human girl in mid-19th century Bavaria is just another cage and now her powers are being held hostage by a man. This story is most definitely a fairy tale, but it borrows ingredients from and then remixes from other mythological, folkloric, and fairy tale sources: The Swan Maidens are birthed by Odin just after he is resurrected, the pure white swan maiden being seduced away from the flock by a aristocratic boy is borrowed from Swan Lake, and bits and bobs of influence from The Last Unicorn can be felt throughout the book during Hilde’s (our swan maiden) journeys. There is so much grief, regret, guilt, sadness, pain, and general melancholy in this book. Yet, I think that’s the point, and the book wouldn’t be the same without it. During Hilde’s bound journey, she meets a non-binary painter named Franz Mendelsohn, who is Jewish. Both Franz and Hilde have left their homes and don’t think they can return. Both have secrets and have to hide their talents from the world. Both feel lost and without direction. Both feel used and taken advantage of and only find comfort in the companionship of one another. Romero never once makes Franz’ sexual identity an issue or a plot point except to let Franz explain how it makes them feel. For the story’s purpose, being Jewish in Bavaria is more dangerous than being non-binary. The most lovely parts of this book are not found in the dialogue, but in the narration of the scenes without dialogue. That’s when Romero’s verse truly takes flight, spinning metaphors, similes, dizzying visions and beautiful turns of phrase. I wish I could quote them for you, but seeing as this is coming from a review copy, I can’t. Romero can make time move as she wishes with her words. She can slow it down with Franz and Hilde lazily hanging out in a castle while Franz is painting and Hilde is daydreaming. She can speed it up with the simple sound of the stamping of boots down a marble corridor. Her timing is impeccable and she knows just when to tighten the knots and when to loosen them. Romero is a genius in the making. I can’t wait for the next one. I was provided a copy of the 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/Fairy Tale/Romantasy/Historical Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/OwnVoices/Paranormal Romance/YA Fantasy/YA Fantasy Romance ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 15, 2023
not set
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Jul 15, 2023
not set
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Apr 26, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1250845351
| 9781250845351
| 1250845351
| 3.47
| 1,629
| Nov 14, 2023
| Nov 14, 2023
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it was amazing
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The Professor is Nossett’s second novel after 2022’s The Resemblance (which I also rated five stars), the second to feature Marlitt Kaplan as the prot
The Professor is Nossett’s second novel after 2022’s The Resemblance (which I also rated five stars), the second to feature Marlitt Kaplan as the protagonist, and so, of course, it follows the same genre feel as its predecessor: a murder/crime thriller with dark academia themes set on and around the University of Georgia campus. Where The Resemblance has a plot centering around sexual assault, rape culture, and Greek life; The Professor focuses on the mental health of both professors and students, how little colleges and universities do to help either party deal with these matters, and how hard it is for professors to maintain a healthy work-life balance with their workloads and pressure to publish or perish in order to gain tenure so they don’t have to work for peanuts. It’s also a bit about setting boundaries, knowing when to say you’re sorry, acknowledging your failings, accepting the things you can’t change, and rebuilding your life from the ashes. I am going to note that this book can be read as a standalone, but it’s a whole lot more enjoyable and easier to relate to if you read The Resemblance first. Telling you why would require a lot of exposition, and that’s not what reviews are for. But you’ve been warned. Lauren Nossett has honed her protagonist, Marlitt, into a fine blade, and she knows exactly how to wield her. You can tell that Nossett must spend a lot of time living inside Marlitt’s head, just thinking and hypothesizing as to how Marlitt would react to any given situation, because Marlitt’s inner narrative and dialogue just flows so seamlessly throughout the pages. There’s not a single hiccough. Nossett also thinks every single plot thread through, leaving nary a string loose. She doesn’t rely on logical fallacies to hold up her plot: you won’t find any red herrings here. We are shown the exposition via the lens of those who experience it and those scenes inform the characterizations of the major players in a way third-person POV never could. It was a very effective tool to humanize characters we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten close enough to so we could empathize with their pain. Putting us right there with them helped us identify with their plights and struggles, letting us inside their heads where not even Marlitt could go. It’s another brilliant effort by Nossett and I’ll need it in my bookcase ASAP. I have a feeling the next one will end up there too. I can’t get enough. I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. In this case, I’d like to extend my thanks directly to author Lauren Nossett, who was kind enough to personally ensure a NetGalley widget made it to my inbox. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without any offer or acceptance of compensation. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Review/Crime Fiction/Crime Thriller/Dark Academia/Literary Fiction/Murder Thriller/Psychological Fiction/Suspense Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 14, 2023
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Nov 14, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1250874688
| 9781250874689
| 1250874688
| 4.18
| 4,162
| Sep 19, 2023
| Sep 19, 2023
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it was amazing
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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 d
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 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. File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Horror Comedy/Historical Fantasy/Horror/Occult Fiction/Paranormal Fiction/Road Trip/Supernatural Fantasy/Western ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 23, 2023
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Sep 23, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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Hardcover
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| Vo, Nghi
*
| B0BQGJ8J78
| 4.24
| 5,317
| Sep 12, 2023
| Sep 12, 2023
|
it was amazing
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I don’t think I’ve loved an installment of the Singing Cycle this much since the first one. To be clear, every installment of this series is excellent
I don’t think I’ve loved an installment of the Singing Cycle this much since the first one. To be clear, every installment of this series is excellent in their own way, but this one was absolutely captivating and consuming, with Vo’s signature, elegant prose and the unmatched mythological worldbuilding she’s become so well-known for. Nghi Vo’s become an auto-buy author for me. I honestly can’t take criticism from people about her books. She’s not only one of the most well-read authors in the SFF game, but she’s one of the best researchers and her body of work reflects that. Her sentence structure is dreamy, her pacing is impeccable, and in The Singing Hills Cycle works, she’s a master of the art of economy of words. This carries over into her full-length novels, where she knows that filler and fluff are not appreciated. The story in Mammoths at the Gates is timeless: Grief and how different people grieve in different ways. Cleric Chih has been gone for four years doing what they do best, which is gathering stories for the abbey’s records. Sadly, during their time away, many events have unfolded quickly, chief among them is the passing of their beloved mentor, Cleric Thien. Cleric Thien had not always been Cleric Thein, however. They had a life before the Singing Hills Abbey, and now the Cleric’s family has come to demand the body be surrendered to them so it can be laid to rest next to the Cleric’s once-wife. Of course, this isn’t something that can be allowed, but there are literal huge mammoths at the gates threatening to break through and take the body by force, if needed. Not only that, but most of the Abbey’s staff is currently away on an archiving mission, leaving Cleric Chih’s old friend, Ru, in charge. It is a time of change and tumult, and the abbey is vulnerable. It’s up to Chih, Ru, and the abbey’s beloved neixin to try and solve this issue without bloodshed and without having to surrender their beloved mentor’s body. What I appreciate the most about this book is that it doesn’t go heavily into the psychological aspects of grieving. Instead, it focuses on memories and stories of the deceased. When the people we love are gone, that’s all we’re truly left with. That would’ve been even more important prior to the time of photographs or video. That’s why storytelling was such an important part of life for so long: it was the only way to remember. Nghi Vo showed that, in this case, one side only had old stories told from one person and the other side had both stories and memories. The issue was finding a diplomatic way of giving the side with the disadvantage something to make up for the stories and memories they missed out on without violating the tenets of their order. This is a touching and emotional book that’s sensitive to the subject matter while not beating around the bush. I 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: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Coming of Age/Epic Fantasy/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Historical Fantasy/Mythological Fiction/Novella/Supernatural Fantasy ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 14, 2023
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Sep 14, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 0765389223
| 9780765389220
| 0765389223
| 4.15
| 52,265
| Sep 19, 2023
| Sep 19, 2023
|
it was amazing
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I haven’t had this much fun reading a non-smutty book all year. This novel was a hoot-and-a-half that had me in stitches multiple times. I cackled so
I haven’t had this much fun reading a non-smutty book all year. This novel was a hoot-and-a-half that had me in stitches multiple times. I cackled so loud at one point my kid came to see what all the fuss was all about. So I read the part I was cackling over to them and they laughed so hard they curled up in a ball. No, I’m not going to tell you when it is. It’s before 40% into the book, though. That’s a hint. In a way, this book reminds me a little of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (all pay homage). Poor Charlie doesn’t have any friends, save his cat, Hera. He’s divorced, has less than two-hundred dollars in the bank, and is working as a substitute teacher when he used to be an excellent business reporter for a major newspaper. If that wasn’t enough, his three half-siblings are trying to strong-arm him into agreeing to sell the family house that he’s currently living in so they can split the money they’ll get for it four ways, even though his half-siblings all have plenty of money and he has none. He’s a sad sack, really. I kind of just want to give him a towel and tell him to not panic for what’s coming up next in his life. Charlie’s Uncle Jake, who was his mother’s brother, dies of pancreatic cancer (screw cancer, especially that one, on a personal note), and asks that Charlie stand witness at his viewing before his cremation. If only he knew what he was getting into. Vulgar funeral bouquets, hired stooges all present to make sure his uncle is actually dead and not just pretending to be…again? And why is everyone suddenly so interested in him? It’s not long before Charlie is flung into his late uncle’s secret world. To everyone else in the world, his uncle had just been the world’s largest manufacturer of parking garages. To those in the know, however, he was a villain, complete with his own villain lair on a volcanic island. There are hyper-intelligent cats trained as spies, guard dolphins who want collective bargaining rights, a laser array that can blast satellites out of the sky, and the whole island is self-sustainable. The issue is that a lot of other villains hated Uncle Jake, because he didn’t play by their rules. Now that he’s dead, they're gonna come for Charlie, because he’s just a starter villain. Charlie isn’t without allies, though, and he has a keen mind for business. It’s just…well, the poor dear just needs to not panic, because this is all coming at him so very fast. I wasn’t kidding when I said this book is funny. It’s hilarious. From the droll sense of humor the cats have to the dirty and Marxist speech of the dolphins I was constantly laughing. The way both Charlie and Til (his uncle’s assistant and now his) feel about rich nepobabies and the Ivy League Brads who come to the table with propositions that will only make more white men like them more rich made me snicker. The ways in which Charlie decides to screw with the other side made me chuckle. In the end, this story is really just pure escapism: not just for the reader, but for Charlie too. Granted, the stakes are higher for him than us, but he was directionless in life and in a bit of a sticky wicket. His late uncle’s death gave him an opportunity to escape it all and find something new. In the end, he gets exactly what he wanted, and he’s a happy man. Excellent, fantastic read. 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. File Under: 5 Star Review/Comedy/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Secret Society/Speculative Fiction ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 16, 2023
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Sep 16, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 0306831953
| 9780306831959
| 0306831953
| 3.75
| 10,158
| Aug 22, 2023
| Aug 22, 2023
|
it was amazing
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I have a bit of an obsession with the Pacific Crest Trail. I live so close to it. I can get to a trailhead in less than two hours, if I want. I had pl
I have a bit of an obsession with the Pacific Crest Trail. I live so close to it. I can get to a trailhead in less than two hours, if I want. I had plans to backpack a large section of it at one point (but then I was diagnosed with epilepsy and my doctors told me that wasn’t such a good idea) and that’s about 33% of the reason I wanted to read this book. Another 33% is my fascination with stories about missing hikers and the other 33% was based simply on the blurb. Then let’s just allow a negligible amount there just for me liking true crime. Let me tell you: This book is absolutely fantastic. Andrea Lankford may be a former park ranger for the NPS that worked as a cop, an investigator, a firefighter, and a wilderness medic, but she’s also a very talented writer. I found her earnestness refreshing compared to some other writers in this genre and connected ones. Lankford lets us readers hear her vulnerability, frustration, exhaustion, fear, anger, regret, and more as she helps her compatriots search for lost hikers over the course of a few years. Lankford is level-headed and almost cynical after her years in the NPS and as an investigator, yet she can’t help but get wrapped up sometimes in the excitement of new technology that will help them search, or dive deep into research when a really good lead comes around. In turn, we also witness how dispirited and angry she gets when good money goes into resources that definitely weren’t worth it, watch as people get hurt or fall ill during searches, and look on as she sees the families of the missing hikers come around to the the same thing she already knows: that the government basically doesn’t have the resources to look for missing hikers and they usually don’t even care. This book isn’t about Andrea Lankford, though, as fascinating as she is. It’s about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the hiking culture, the main three missing hikers they’re looking for, how they all came together to look for them, how social media has both helped and hindered searches for missing hikers, about different methodologies to search for missing hikers, the dangers that come with being the searchers, how hard it is to resist following up on every lead even though you know it’s probably going to end up being a dead end, and the importance of knowing when it’s time to stop actively looking. The stories told in this book are fascinating and the people are absolutely remarkable. There are some absolutely powerful and tenacious people in this book and some absolutely horrible people. There are startling stories involving wildlife and a complicated one involving a cult. There’s the dangers of cannabis farms, illegal opium poppy operations, wildfires, illegal mushroom hunting, and trail trolls. There’s also the majesty of Mount Rainier, the rainforests of Washington, the weird beauty of an abandoned Buddhist temple, the surprising tasty hardiness of a cult-made nutrition bar, and camaraderie over many campfires and glasses of wine. All at once a biography of missing hikers, their families, and the people who search for them, a memoir of Lankford’s experience with this group, and a short history discourse on the PCT and hiking culture, you couldn’t ask for a book that will simultaneously entertain you and break your heart. I’d like to thank Hachette Books for providing me a copy of the physical ARC of this book via their influencer program. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Review/Biography/History/Memoir/Nonfiction/True Crime ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 22, 2023
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Aug 22, 2023
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Apr 21, 2023
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Hardcover
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| B0C28VD15F
| 4.03
| 17,106
| Jul 14, 2023
| Jul 14, 2023
|
it was amazing
|
Yes she’s back. Back again. Sara’s back. Tell a friend. It’s a brand new book, a brand new series, and a brand new mood. I’ve got to say, my friends, Yes she’s back. Back again. Sara’s back. Tell a friend. It’s a brand new book, a brand new series, and a brand new mood. I’ve got to say, my friends, I am here for it. Let’s leave out my usual spiel about how Sara Cate doesn’t write bad books. You know that one. Sara has rolled out the red carpet here for us readers, serving us a heavily-flawed but honestly good male protagonist named Adam Goode, the first and eldest of the Goode sons. Everyone, including himself, believes he’s the heir-apparent to his father, who’s the most popular megachurch pastor in all of Texas. Imagine if your dad was essentially Joel Osteen, but with less plastic surgery, I guess. Adam writes his father’s sermons so they are more relatable to his parishioners. Adam sometimes gives sermons himself. He’s written two books on spirituality. He works as hard as he can to bring glory to his God, his church, his father, and his family. He wants nothing more than to make his father proud and to take his place one day. But pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Early on in the first section of the book, Adam is told by his father that his job of writing the sermons is being taken away because the tenor of them isn’t conservative enough for his father’s taste and that Adam was never going to be taking over for him, because his father was going to keep preaching until he could preach no more. Adam realizes that he’s 37 now and has been working most of his life for the approval and love of a man who was never going to give it. This sets off a journey for Adam filled with intense emotions, interesting and devastating discoveries, sexual awakenings, dark thoughts, violence, atonement, acceptance, and love. Of course, there is love. Plenty of love. Sara’s talent for character development shines in this book, which is so character-driven. This book may mainly be a vehicle for Adam, but Adam wouldn’t be anything without his Eve, right? Eve, in this case, comes in the form of the sex-positive, liberal, independent, pink-haired dynamo that’s Sage. The first time they meet is just shy of the definition of a meet-cute. The second time they meet it’s like fire meeting gasoline. The third time they meet, it’s to make a plan to bring down both Adam’s father and Sage’s ex-boyfriend, who had screwed her over in regards to the sex club they were supposed to be running together. While Sage has her part to play and she’s a fantastic character, her half of the story does feel underdeveloped compared to Adam’s, and it seems like most of her story serves mostly as a catalyst to changes in Adam’s life. That isn’t something I enjoyed very much because I was worried it would encroach too closely into the manic pixie dream girl trope, where Sage was only there to help Adam learn important lessons in life and not to be a fully fleshed-out and realized character in and of herself. Sara helps to avoid this by giving Sage a life and friends outside of Adam that passes the Bechdel Test (or whatever version they have of this meant for books), but it’s only there in small doses. There is also a real and present danger to Sage coming from two fronts: her ex-boyfriend and Adam’s father. Even so, I couldn’t help but love this book because of the story, the prose, Adam’s character development, and the utterly fantastic spice scenes that featured some of my own fantasies. That’s always a super plus. I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Kink Friendly/Psychological Romance/Romance Series/Sex Club/Spice Level 3 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 14, 2023
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Jul 14, 2023
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Apr 14, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| B0BY9JCFF1
| 3.99
| 2,694
| unknown
| Mar 31, 2023
|
it was amazing
|
Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy
Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy and sexy things together while simultaneously writing those characters with such sincerity and care…and I can’t figure out how you do both and hit the bullseye every single dang time. Woman, do you know how to write a bad book? Grey and Quinn are absolutely combustible together from the start in the fast-burn age-gap romance, even as they both struggle with very similar demons at two very different ages. Neither feels wanted by anyone in their life or feels like a priority to anyone they love, but somehow how that struggle manifests in each character compliments the other, with Quinn needing to care for people and Grey longing to be cared for. Or, in more racy terms, it leaves Grey longing to be pounded into the mattress and that feeling of being owned, and it leaves Quinn longing to possess that which he covets and to make sure it never goes without feeling wanted. And hoo boy does Quinn want Grey. On his back, on his knees, on his stomach, on his side, standing up, bent over...it doesn’t matter to Quinn. All that matters to Quinn is keeping Grey feeling desired and filled as often as possible. And all Grey wants is that feeling of constantly being filled, stuffed and sore so he can’t forget how much Quinn wants him. That doesn’t mean that the only cure for what ails Quinn or Grey is sex. I would argue that Quinn likely needed a touch more attention to his issues in this book and should probably be in therapy, but we all handle our damage differently. To be honest, I identified a lot with Quinn in how he thinks about and handles his sexuality and past experiences, because I was much like that myself, so I may be biased in my opinion of that part of his life. Even though Cora Rose treats Grey and his issues compassionately and with great care, there is something to be said for the fact that Grey should’ve likely been seeing a mental health professional at some point. The imagery we’re given of Michigan and the beautiful upper peninsula would’ve been lost in many other author’s hands. Cora took great pains to write out the road trip Quinn and Grey went on, painting vivid scenes of both the wilderness and all the little towns and villages that dot the region. Mostly, I just loved how Quinn and Grey were so in sync, right from the start. Their quiet times, their laughing times, and the times when they knew they were about to tear each other to pieces. And let us not forget Winter, because humans don’t deserve dogs. They are too good for us. I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: Bisexual Romance/LGBTQ Romance/Gay Romance/Contemporary Romance/5 Star Reviews/Age Gap Romance/Forbidden Romance/Road Trip/Spice Level 3/Standalone Romance Merged review: Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy and sexy things together while simultaneously writing those characters with such sincerity and care…and I can’t figure out how you do both and hit the bullseye every single dang time. Woman, do you know how to write a bad book? Grey and Quinn are absolutely combustible together from the start in the fast-burn age-gap romance, even as they both struggle with very similar demons at two very different ages. Neither feels wanted by anyone in their life or feels like a priority to anyone they love, but somehow how that struggle manifests in each character compliments the other, with Quinn needing to care for people and Grey longing to be cared for. Or, in more racy terms, it leaves Grey longing to be pounded into the mattress and that feeling of being owned, and it leaves Quinn longing to possess that which he covets and to make sure it never goes without feeling wanted. And hoo boy does Quinn want Grey. On his back, on his knees, on his stomach, on his side, standing up, bent over...it doesn’t matter to Quinn. All that matters to Quinn is keeping Grey feeling desired and filled as often as possible. And all Grey wants is that feeling of constantly being filled, stuffed and sore so he can’t forget how much Quinn wants him. That doesn’t mean that the only cure for what ails Quinn or Grey is sex. I would argue that Quinn likely needed a touch more attention to his issues in this book and should probably be in therapy, but we all handle our damage differently. To be honest, I identified a lot with Quinn in how he thinks about and handles his sexuality and past experiences, because I was much like that myself, so I may be biased in my opinion of that part of his life. Even though Cora Rose treats Grey and his issues compassionately and with great care, there is something to be said for the fact that Grey should’ve likely been seeing a mental health professional at some point. The imagery we’re given of Michigan and the beautiful upper peninsula would’ve been lost in many other author’s hands. Cora took great pains to write out the road trip Quinn and Grey went on, painting vivid scenes of both the wilderness and all the little towns and villages that dot the region. Mostly, I just loved how Quinn and Grey were so in sync, right from the start. Their quiet times, their laughing times, and the times when they knew they were about to tear each other to pieces. And let us not forget Winter, because humans don’t deserve dogs. They are too good for us. I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: Bisexual Romance/LGBTQ Romance/Gay Romance/Contemporary Romance/5 Star Reviews/Age Gap Romance/Forbidden Romance/Road Trip/Spice Level 3/Standalone Romance ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Mar 19, 2023
not set
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Mar 29, 2023
not set
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Apr 09, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1250897440
| 9781250897442
| 3.62
| 2,451
| Oct 10, 2023
| Oct 10, 2023
|
it was amazing
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While this isn’t a direct Greek myth retelling, it is a Greek myth-inspired dark romantasy and I had a lot of fun reading it. I didn’t even know that
While this isn’t a direct Greek myth retelling, it is a Greek myth-inspired dark romantasy and I had a lot of fun reading it. I didn’t even know that it was inspired by Greek mythology going in but I was absolutely giddy when I found out because I’ve loved Greek mythology since I was a kid. The Night Hunt carries an enemies to lovers vibe but it’s the sort of enemies to lovers that speaks of a natural enemies vibe: Atia is a monster and Silas is a Herald. Silas is one of those they would send after monsters like Atia if she breaks the rules. Silas is there the night she does and they forge an unlikely alliance: He’ll help her break her curse if she helps him recover his memories. They hope it’s going to be as easy as hip, hop, hooray, but since when is it ever? I can’t really put into words why I loved this book so much except that it was a lot of fun and it felt like the best kind of dark romantasy hug. Does that make sense? I think to anyone who is a big fan of dark romantasy it might be. I don’t always rate my books based on a list of checkmarks and wax eloquent about everything from narrative prose to the quality of the sentence formations. I can only tell you I had a really bad day today and this made me feel better when I was reading it. I would read it again in a heartbeat. 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/Dark Fantasy/Romantasy/Myth Retelling/Standalone/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 15, 2023
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Oct 15, 2023
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Apr 08, 2023
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Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0593359267
| 9780593359266
| 0593359267
| 3.59
| 20,177
| Aug 01, 2023
| Aug 08, 2023
|
it was amazing
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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 o
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 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. File Under: 5 Star Review/Cult Fiction/Cult Horror/Horror/Speculative Fiction/Supernatural Horror/Suspense/Suspense Thriller/Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 09, 2023
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Aug 09, 2023
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Apr 03, 2023
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1668021153
| 9781668021156
| 1668021153
| 3.61
| 24,948
| Aug 08, 2023
| Aug 08, 2023
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it was amazing
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It’s been a great summer for thrillers, but I’ll tell you what: I think this book takes the cake in terms of actually stressing me out beyond belief a
It’s been a great summer for thrillers, but I’ll tell you what: I think this book takes the cake in terms of actually stressing me out beyond belief and actually scaring me. Not only that, but it’s such a psychological mind screw I found myself having to really focus so I could make sure I didn’t miss a single detail. In a closed loop mystery thriller loop-de-loop book like this you can’t take a single, solitary detail for granted. You may think that a throwaway line or neglected object means nothing on page 56, but when page 227 comes and it comes back around, you’ll regret not paying attention! (Those page numbers and objects were totally random and plucked from the air–they ARE NOT spoilers.) For the first half of the first act of this book I was sincerely so stressed out I was livid I was reading an eARC and not a physical copy, keeping me from easily flipping to the end to relieve my stress (yes, I do this when books make me super anxious. Don’t come for me. I have an extremely bad anxiety disorder and 99% of the time I’m fine when it comes to books). I felt absolutely panicked about our protagonist’s (Caroline, or Caz for short) predicament. Not only am I vehemently anti-cruise ship (though, they’re on an ocean liner and not a cruise ship, but the principle applies) because of what they do to the environment and how much shady stuff happens on such ships all the time, but I am one of those people that’s not meant to be left alone. Me and the idea of being left completely alone simply scares the crap out of me. I also have major trust issues, so when Caz eventually comes into contact with three other people who seemed to have escaped whatever has happened overnight to the other thousand-plus souls on board the ship, I felt paranoid and distrustful alongside her (even though she eventually trauma-bonded with them, and I just kept being distrustful because I read a lot of thrillers and I know better). There’s a lot I can’t tell you about this book because it would just end up being spoilers galore, but I can tell you that this book keeps you on your toes, it will keep you glued to the page, it demands you pay attention, it will keep surprising you, it will shock you, it will make you mad, it might make you stretch your ability to suspend disbelief just a touch (but I don’t think that much), it will horrify you, and in the end you may end up asking yourself, “What in the heck just happened?” I know I did. I’m writing this review while dumbstruck. I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: 5 Star Review/Conspiracy Thriller/Murder Thriller/Mystery/Psychological Thriller/Speculative Fiction/Suspense Thriller/Thriller ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 13, 2023
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Aug 13, 2023
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Apr 03, 2023
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Paperback
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| 1668011360
| 9781668011362
| 1668011360
| 3.38
| 2,552
| Jul 06, 2023
| Sep 05, 2023
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it was amazing
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“...And women like hunting witches, too/ Doing your dirtiest work for you…” From the first page until the last, this book is a deep well of sorrow and m “...And women like hunting witches, too/ Doing your dirtiest work for you…” From the first page until the last, this book is a deep well of sorrow and mourning. It’s an elegy turned into a novel, a lament for all women lost to witch hunts (especially the specific one this novel is centered around). These pages are flooded with slow, creeping sadness; an ever-hovering sense of inevitability telling us readers things will only get worse. Things will only get uglier. Things will only get sicker. We know how the witch hunts went. We know why they happened. We know how they spread. As much as we’d like to wholly point our fingers at the men in these stories, books like these remind us that we also need to check ourselves and remember we pointed our fingers at one another as well, ready to sacrifice even our sisters if it meant saving our own skins. I applaud Margaret Meyer for choosing to write a main protagonist whose disability serves as both a physical and metaphorical plot device. Martha’s mutism (caused by a childhood illness) takes away her physical ability to speak up for herself or for any other woman and leaves her vulnerable to both ignorant and willful misinterpretation to those who would only see what they wish to see. In tandem, her mutism also metaphorically symbolizes the ways in which all women were not listened to, how their pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears, how no matter what they said their words were turned against them, and how in the end they fell silent on the noose. This aspect of the novel was both the saddest and most touching part, because no matter what Martha did, she knew there was precious little she could do to help when she had no voice. And that only made her feel guiltier. Meyer composed a deeply moving novel that may be set against witch trials, but the themes of misogyny, internalized misogyny, male privilege, religious zealotry, bigotry, ableism, and more are all interwoven in an even, seamless pattern that starts off as simply ominous until all common sense, human compassion, or even a sense of human decency has been bled out of Martha’s village of Cleftwater. Then, and only then, when the village has hit its lowest low, can the tide begin to change. By this time, Cleftwater is left with a collective trauma. Even though this book is full of despair and shows the deep, dark ugliness that can lie inside the human heart, it’s so impeccably crafted and beautifully written that I couldn’t stop reading it. I was glued to the page because I needed to see how these women would survive. I needed to know who would make it and how. I needed to see if any of them would make it, frankly. I needed to see if there would be vengeance. I needed to see what would be left at the end of the madness. I was engaged, I was invested, and I felt like I needed to witness this. 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/Folk Horror/Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction/Women’s Fiction ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 07, 2023
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Sep 07, 2023
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Apr 01, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1250849802
| 9781250849809
| 1250849802
| 3.88
| 3,100
| Mar 14, 2023
| Mar 14, 2023
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it was amazing
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Here we are again, with my love of novellas. Literary gymnasts: Compact, packed with power, and they let all of that go in one shot. Or a compact bow:
Here we are again, with my love of novellas. Literary gymnasts: Compact, packed with power, and they let all of that go in one shot. Or a compact bow: Draw, hold, and release. Stick the landing or hit the target, it’s all the same. An author has a very short time to make their case. The two most important components of novella writing are economy of words and sentence construction. The point is to use as few words as possible to construct beautiful sentences that can tell a complete story in 200 pages or less. Clocking in at just 90 pages, Nothing but the Rain manages to tell us the story of Laverne Gordon, a retired doctor in her sixties who’s divorced and lives alone in a town that at some point was put under a military blockade and quarantine due to some kind of memory-eroding rain that has also infected their water supply. Since no one can remember when the first drops fell, no one can remember how long this has been going on or when it started. Worse, the citizens of the town have no phone service of any kind, no television, no internet access, and no mail. They are cut off from the outside world, so they have no clue if they’re the only ones affected or if they’re some kind of government experiment or if the world has just forgotten about them (if they even knew about them in the first place). The only constant is the rain. Whether it’s a sprinkle or a downpour, it’s always raining. I think the brilliance in this novella lies in how author Naomi Halman decided to write it in epistolary format. The novella is written as if it is Laverne’s journal that she carries with her, writing down anything and everything she finds to be pertinent or noteworthy, because she knows that without having something to keep track of her days she’d have panic attacks and eventually just go out and sit in the rain until there was no Laverne anymore. But Laverne is a cranky old woman, and some of her entries are dotted with a delightful rancor you only ever encounter with old ladies who are just done with stupid young people and their stupid plans that will only blow up in their faces. But for all that rancor and hand wringing, there is also a deeply settled melancholy within Laverne that can only come from knowing that any day now could be the day. All it would take is one bad day. It’s a quick read (duh), and I highly recommend you check it out for a short speculative fiction read. If you’re new to speculative fiction, this is a great intro to the genre if you just want to dip a toe in before you go for something a little longer. I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: Epistolary/Speculative Fiction/Novella/5 Star Read ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 19, 2023
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Mar 19, 2023
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Mar 19, 2023
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Paperback
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| B0BV3GMSMG
| 4.00
| 763
| unknown
| Mar 28, 2023
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it was amazing
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Talk about a book that meets and exceeds expectations. Talk about a book that hits the sweet spot (and yes, I do mean BOTH kinds of sweet spots, my da
Talk about a book that meets and exceeds expectations. Talk about a book that hits the sweet spot (and yes, I do mean BOTH kinds of sweet spots, my darlings). Did you think your body was ready for this book? This book will take you to church, my lovelies! Reminisce for a moment, if you will, and think about the Triad series. Take Scarlet’s go-to, take no prisoners, give-no-effs attitude and stunning looks and mix them with Sebastian’s bloodthirsty tendencies, impulsivity, imperiousness, talent with knives, and (again) stunning good looks. Now combine them into one firecracker full of power, money, and a ton of confidence. That’s how you get Izabela Deluca, the sole heir apparent of the Triad. Like most mafia princesses, she’s had to grow up too fast to ensure she was ready to take over the reins as soon as she became an adult, if needed. Furthermore, she seeks out trouble like a cruise missile and sometimes trouble just comes to find her. Either way, Izabela thinks trouble means a damn good time is coming her way. Izabela’s most tempting piece of trouble comes in the form of Niko, the Triad’s head of operations. He’s twice her age, won’t give her the time of day, but she can tell he’s not immune to her…charms. She’s wanted him for quite some time, and on the night of her eighteenth birthday she sets out to get Niko. Not too long after that night, Izabela’s assigned a business trip to Ireland to secure a weapons deal. Niko is a native to Ireland, and Izabela finagles a deal to make him the head of her security, sending the two of them alone to the Emerald Isle, even though Niko’s family warned him to never return when he turned his back on the family business. These two are like feral animals with one another, unable to keep their hands off one another, sinking their teeth and claws into one another, leaving bruises and marks all over each other’s bodies, and I am her for it! Their chemistry is off the charts and I couldn’t love Niko’s pet name for Izabela more if I tried. They’re both so invested in the reputation of the Triad and enmeshed in one another it’s as if they are of one mind sometimes, knowing what the other has said or done without even needing to speak. It’s not love so much as it’s obsession and possession, at least until the very end. For Izabela there is no one but Niko, and for Niko there is not one but her. Both would rather kill an entire room full of people in unspeakable ways than let the other be touched or let themselves be touched by someone other than each other. The forced proximity. The age gap. The bodyguard trope. The bloodthirsty female willing to kill for her man. The way Izabela submits to Niko and only Niko. The way she was meant to wear a crown and he was meant to stand behind her throne like a watchful sentinel. The way Izabela looks to her mother as both a guiding light and a cautionary tale and looks at her dads as both father and authority figures. The way she knows it’s her responsibility to care for her many younger siblings as well as the Deluca name. Izabela is a powerhouse and only a man as strong as Niko deserves to stand by her side as she prepares to helm the Triad empire. I hope Dana plans to write more Triad (next generation) books in the future. I don’t care when, or if they come in any sort of order, or if we have to wait. If they’re all as on fire as this one, then I’ll totally wait for the burn. I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. File Under: Contemporary Romance/Dark Romance/Forbidden Romance/Kindle Unlimited/KU/Mafia Romance/Romance Universe/Spice Level 3/Bodyguard Romance/Age Gap Romance ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 19, 2023
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Mar 22, 2023
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Mar 19, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 3.66
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it was amazing
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Aug 08, 2023
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May 26, 2023
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| 4.52
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it was amazing
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Sep 05, 2023
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May 22, 2023
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| 3.84
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it was amazing
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Jun 20, 2023
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May 22, 2023
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| 4.05
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it was amazing
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Oct 14, 2023
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May 10, 2023
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| 3.63
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it was amazing
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May 08, 2023
not set
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May 08, 2023
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| 3.97
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it was amazing
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Sep 10, 2023
not set
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May 01, 2023
|
|||
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| 4.09
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it was amazing
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Jul 15, 2023
not set
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Apr 26, 2023
|
|||
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| 3.47
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it was amazing
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Nov 14, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| 4.18
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it was amazing
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Sep 23, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| Vo, Nghi
*
| 4.24
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it was amazing
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Sep 14, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| 4.15
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it was amazing
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Sep 16, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| 3.75
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it was amazing
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Aug 22, 2023
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Apr 21, 2023
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| 4.03
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it was amazing
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Jul 14, 2023
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Apr 14, 2023
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| 3.99
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it was amazing
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Mar 29, 2023
not set
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Apr 09, 2023
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|||
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| 3.62
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it was amazing
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Oct 15, 2023
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Apr 08, 2023
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|||
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| 3.59
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it was amazing
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Aug 09, 2023
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Apr 03, 2023
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|||
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| 3.61
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it was amazing
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Aug 13, 2023
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Apr 03, 2023
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| 3.38
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it was amazing
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Sep 07, 2023
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Apr 01, 2023
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| 3.88
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it was amazing
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Mar 19, 2023
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Mar 19, 2023
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| 4.00
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it was amazing
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Mar 22, 2023
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Mar 19, 2023
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