In a sea of mediocre mysteries and thrillers, this one caught my attention and held it through to the explosivThe Guest List BOTM April 2020 Selection
In a sea of mediocre mysteries and thrillers, this one caught my attention and held it through to the explosive ending. Lucy Foley writes psychological fiction that isn't flashy, but focuses a quiet power to envelop the reader with strong writing and plotting. In my opinion, a good thriller isn't one that has to pull a twist out of somewhere the reader wouldn't expect, but takes the entire cast of characters and makes each look as guilty as the rest, so that by the time the reader reaches the end, it doesn't really matter whodunnit as much as how the author has kept you floundering around for 300+ pages in search of the reveal. This is precisely what Foley has done with The Guest List, and while it was difficult at first to keep up with the numerous POVs we receive, I was able to keep them straight once the story was going. Part Agatha Christie mystery, part Big Little Lies, The Guest List is a book that I felt lightened the burden of current world issues and allowed me to slip into a place that was filled with murder and mayhem instead of viruses and homeschooling.
Disclaimer: I also received a review copy via the publisher.
In a sea of mediocre mysteries and thrillers, this one caught my attention and held it through to the explosive ending. Lucy Foley writes psychological fiction that isn't flashy, but focuses a quiet power to envelop the reader with strong writing and plotting. In my opinion, a good thriller isn't one that has to pull a twist out of somewhere the reader wouldn't expect, but takes the entire cast of characters and makes each look as guilty as the rest, so that by the time the reader reaches the end, it doesn't really matter whodunnit as much as how the author has kept you floundering around for 300+ pages in search of the reveal. This is precisely what Foley has done with The Guest List, and while it was difficult at first to keep up with the numerous POVs we receive, I was able to keep them straight once the story was going. Part Agatha Christie mystery, part Big Little Lies, The Guest List is a book that I felt lightened the burden of current world issues and allowed me to slip into a place that was filled with murder and mayhem instead of viruses and homeschooling.
Disclaimer: I also received a review copy via the publisher....more
No one is more bummed than I am that I didn't love this as much as I thought I would. I had been eagerly anticipating Spells for Forgetting ever sinceNo one is more bummed than I am that I didn't love this as much as I thought I would. I had been eagerly anticipating Spells for Forgetting ever since the book was first announced, and maybe this is just a case of expectations vs. what the book actually is. I was hoping for more magic, a compelling murder mystery, and an enemies-to-lovers/second chance romance, but what I got was little-to-no magic (even magical realism is pushing it), a murder mystery that I lost interest in, and two main characters who's beige characterization made it impossible to become invested in the romance. If you enjoy atmospheric, slow paced novels with fall vibes, you might enjoy this more than I did.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy....more
"Somebody should tell you that you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beaA sequel is coming! A sequel is coming!
"Somebody should tell you that you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at tea time. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because."
I believe a good numbers of readers would pick up Anatomy: A Love Story based on the gorgeous cover art alone, because, contrary to popular belief, we really do grab our first impressions by judging a book by its cover. The marketing of this one might throw some people, as it's proclaiming to be a romantic, historical fantasy, but my finding was it really gears more in the way of historical fiction with a light side of the fantastical and just a dash of secondary romance. This isn't a complaint, just simply an observation to ensure you're in the right frame of expectation before choosing this book as your next read. If a slow burning, gothic style "mystery" is your thing, please proceed with gusto.
Hazel Sinnett is a 17 year old lady of "good breeding" living in Scotland in the early 1800's. She has a passion for becoming a physician/surgeon, and is hounded by the prospect of being required to marry her cousin, the viscount's son of Almont. ...more
"I was twelve years old when those shadows started to form a shape, a face. Started to become less of an apparition and more con3.5 stars rounded to 4
"I was twelve years old when those shadows started to form a shape, a face. Started to become less of an apparition and more concrete. More real. When I began to realize that maybe the monsters lived among us. And there was one monster, in particular, I learned to fear above all the rest."
While a bit predictable (but still maintaining a twist here and there that surprised me), an astounding debut! It's a true testament to an author's writing style if they can keep you reading even after figuring out the murderer's identity within the first few chapters of the book. The setting and atmosphere of humid Louisiana was tangible, and I look forward to more from this author in the future.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy....more
This dual timeline slow burn of a mystery was extremely enjoyable on audio! Multiple narrators always seem to draw me in more than just one, 3.5 stars
This dual timeline slow burn of a mystery was extremely enjoyable on audio! Multiple narrators always seem to draw me in more than just one, maybe because it gives more of a full cast performance feel, but regardless it brought this story to life. Simone St. James is no doubt a reputable author who has earned her place in the ghost story thriller genre, and The Book of Cold Cases is another wonderful entry in her repertoire. I enjoyed seeing how it would all piece together, even knowing for the most part how everything would play out, but the characters made for an engaging experience regardless. If you enjoy the slow burn, amateur detective style crime fiction with a little slice of the paranormal on the side, give this one a try for yourself.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley....more
"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want the most." -Abraham Lincoln
We all have differing opinions on whether or not we're r"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want the most." -Abraham Lincoln
We all have differing opinions on whether or not we're ready to read about books featuring the pandemic, but I think we can all agree that it adds a very real element to books that we generally write off as so fictional it's only escapism. While I wholly enjoyed this unique piece of crime fiction, I understand that not everyone is comfortable examining the Covid-19 outbreak in their reading realm, and I respect anyone who chooses not to pick up these types of books until they're in a mindset to handle such content.
For those wanting a little more detail on how big of a part the coronavirus plays into this narrative, this book is set in the early days of confusion and chaos; while it does play a rather large part in the book, it is more from the aspect of shepherding the plot line in the direction it needs to go, rather than trauma porn meant to unsettle the reader. As far as my memory serves, no character becomes ill with or passes away from Covid-19, and the majority of the story includes the topic more as background atmosphere than anything else. I just wanted to be upfront with this, in case it is a major trigger for some readers who would prefer to stop here and abandon ship.
On to the book! Ciara and Oliver have a meet cute at the grocery store right around the time that the first Covid-19 case is diagnosed in Ireland. They decide to meet up on a few dates and devise the craziest of schemes: they're going to shelter in place together for the 2 week lockdown to continue moving forward with their relationship while complying with the government. However, we find out early on that one or both characters have a few secrets up their sleeves, ones they don't want the other finding out about, and living in such close quarters proves more and more difficult to keep up pretenses.
You know going in that there is a dead body in the apartment that this couple is living in, along with the rough time frame of when that person died, but over time we find out the how and why that adds all the clarity to what went wrong. The author uses her trademark shifting timelines and POVs to keep the reader on their toes, and while the beginning chapters that showed the initial phase of Ciara and Oliver's relationship were a tad slow, once the stage is set the book took off and I couldn't put it down. (Just ask my husband, who was wondering when I'd be turning out my lamp and go to sleep.) If you enjoy a good puzzling crime fiction novel set in the Republic of Ireland, and don't mind a little unsettling Covid atmosphere, I highly recommend picking up this latest book from Catherine Ryan Howard. After the halfway mark we get hit with twist after twist, and I'm curious to see how much you had figured out, or if the author "gotchya" too.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy....more
Well, I think I'm going to keep my thoughts on this one short, as it's really just personal reasons and expectations as to why this didn't work for2.5
Well, I think I'm going to keep my thoughts on this one short, as it's really just personal reasons and expectations as to why this didn't work for me, and most of those reasons are spoiler filled fodder. If you're planning on reading this book, I humbly recommend the audio version if you enjoy that format, as the narration was a splendid production.
The beginning of the book really hooked me, so much so that I thought this would result in an easy 5 stars for me to give. We follow Travis as he is using his special sense of connecting with objects that people have touched to track down missing author Maggie, who seemingly fell off the earth at a certain point. His POV goes abruptly dead, and we don't hear from Travis's narration again after.
Next, we jump to an off the grid community called Pastoral that is led by a man named Levi, and we follow the POV of Theo, his wife Calla (I think this was her name?), and Bee, Calla's sister. Bee is blind and can hear unborn baby's heartbeats and other things that help the community, as they cannot leave to go to town because of a disease from the surrounding forest called The Rot. Also, the rain is bad and you don't want to get caught out in it.
I can't really give anything else without spoiling, but once we hit the Pastoral transition, I guessed one of the major plot twists immediately, because it was just so obvious from the set up and clues immediately given. Maybe if we'd had a little time to separate the beginning portion from the next section, our brains would have forgotten what had just happened and it would have been more surprising? Also, the big twist as to what's going on in Pastoral and the mystery surrounding it all was not what I was hoping for at all. I was expect layers of fantasy, horror, or at least magical realism, and the explanation behind everything felt like a let down for me. If you can keep an open mind and are ok with the pieces not quite fitting together, you should give this one a try for yourself.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy....more
This really should have been a 5 star read for me, based on the angst and forbidden tension, but there's one thing that held me back. Review to come.This really should have been a 5 star read for me, based on the angst and forbidden tension, but there's one thing that held me back. Review to come....more
Here's the thing, folks: if you're looking for a super scary tale for fall, this probably ain't it. Personally, I like to read atmospheric,4-4.5 stars
Here's the thing, folks: if you're looking for a super scary tale for fall, this probably ain't it. Personally, I like to read atmospheric, spooky novels at night during the fall, but if it's too scary I can't read it before bed. I am who I am. However, if you like a mild to moderate creep level in your fall reads, with a heavy focus on grief, trauma, and mental health, you've come to the right place.
[image]
At first glance, Horrid has the typical traits of your average horror novel-a creepy old house, small town with big secrets, family loss-but that's kind of where the similarities end. Katrina Leno choses to deviate from the status quo and deliver a tale of gut churning, relatable storytelling; instead of focusing on jump scares and tangible monsters, we receive a healthy dose of family dysfunction, mental health disorders, generational trauma, and a rage-fueled grieving process of the loss of a loved one. That's not to say that there isn't a paranormal aspect to this book, there is, but it felt so rightly dwarfed by these real struggles that my heart grew three sizes like the Grinch's did on Christmas morning. I think I'm going to leave it here, but if you're looking for an atmospheric, thought-provoking YA horror novel, please give this one a try.
Content Warnings:(view spoiler)[Death of a parent, pica (specifically regarding the ingesting of paper, hair, and rose petals), death of a child, death of a sibling, bullying, past child abuse, past brief animal harm, teen alcohol consumption. (hide spoiler)]...more
"I pray I'll see you again. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me."
WHEW. You think you know where this book is going, and then it goes ther"I pray I'll see you again. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me."
WHEW. You think you know where this book is going, and then it goes there. Mexican Gothic begins in such an unassuming way, where you think you're walking into a traditional haunted house story, and then everything shifts to pull you under like a riptide that doesn't loosen until you turn the final page. Before I dive into my review, I think it's fair to note that the majority of this book is atmospheric, character driven, and the slowest burn imaginable; for me, this worked spectacularly well, as I love to feel completely absorbed into the narrative in horror novels. And yes friends, this is most definitely a horror novel. I'll include content warnings in a spoiler tag below for those who are interested.
"Noemí's father said she cared too much about her looks and parties to take school seriously, as if a woman could not do two things at once."
Maybe the reason why this slow burn worked so well for me is because I instantly connected with Noemí; she is confident, intelligent, and the life of the party. When her father receives a suspicious letter from Noemí's cousin, Catalina, he sends Noemí to investigate and report back. As expected, everyone involved gets more than they bargained for, and what begins as a handful of unusual occurrences slowly morphs into a whirlwind of horrifying circumstances.
"This house, she was sure, was haunted. She wasn't one for believing in things that go bump in the night either, but right that second she firmly felt every spook and demon and evil thing might be crawling about the earth, like in Catalina's stories."
One of the things I loved the most about this story is how vastly different the haunted house felt. The author has successfully blended the traditional aspects of the old, decrepit, ghost filled residence and a new, more modern aspect, one I won't go into detail of for fear of spoiling the big twist. I think she nailed it on the head when she stated in her Goodreads interview that this book is for the reader who is both classy and trashy, because it has the high entertainment value that fast fiction lovers rejoice in, but it is also filled with beautifully devastating prose. If you, too, have a love affair with all things that go bump in the night, Mexican Gothic should be your top priority this summer. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to those who have a desire to spend long hours in a derelict house and an iron stomach.
"The truth was she was afraid of going to bed, of what nightmares might uncoil in the dark. What did people do after witnessing the horrors they had seen? Was it possible to slip back into normality, to play pretend and go on? She wanted to think this was exactly the case, but she was afraid sleep would prove her wrong."
*Content Warning:(view spoiler)[Sexual assault, incest, murder and gore, cannibalism, themes challenging white supremacy and eugenics, discussions surrounding the death of a parent and other family members, miscarriages and stillbirths, discussions surrounding suicide, and the consumption of alcohol and smoking. (hide spoiler)]
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy....more
Loading...
