Huh. That was not at all what I thought it was going to be, but it was entertaining. I'll never look at a mannequin the same way again. 3.75 stars, roHuh. That was not at all what I thought it was going to be, but it was entertaining. I'll never look at a mannequin the same way again. 3.75 stars, rounded up....more
*screams in frustration and throws book across room* WT-ever-loving-F was that about?? This book was scary and suspenseful and well-written, but I hat*screams in frustration and throws book across room* WT-ever-loving-F was that about?? This book was scary and suspenseful and well-written, but I hate-read the entire thing because just about every character in it is absolutely awful. And that includes the main character, as she's the most horrible of them all. I mean, I get it, grief can make you act in ways you wouldn't normally act and can tear relationships apart, but Rachel is – and you should cover your ears here if you're of a sensitive disposition – a raging bitch throughout this entire novel. Her husband Finn is only marginally better and the townspeople are … well, they deserve everything they get, let's just put it that way.
But, yeah, this book is scary. I don't often get creeped out by what I read, but I read this last night before bed and then kind of didn't want to turn the lights out (and may or may not have dinked around on my phone for half an hour to bleach my brain before doing so). This is apparently the author's debut novel and I'm super impressed, because she really knows how to write horror. The plot is solid, and it grabbed me from the very start and didn't let go until the incredibly f'ed up ending. I've absolutely no complaints there.
Rachel, though … ugh. Dolores Umbridge made me seethe less. She continuously makes stupid, brash decisions with no thought for the safety or feelings of others. She knows better than everyone else and won't listen to reason because SHE'S THE CHIEF (Chief of Raging Bitchdom, amirite?) and takes it as a license to act like a twat. I hated her with a fiery passion … which means that I liked her way, way more than she likes her husband. I mean, that scene with Finn and Charlie and Lucy and the woods? Who TF goes straight to (view spoiler)[my husband is an evil monster and I'm going to put a bullet in his head (hide spoiler)]?? And both she and Finn deserve a smack in the head for the way they talk about their kids. “Aiden was so perfect and the most wonderful thing in the world and we loved him so much … and, oh yeah, we have these two daughters and they're alright, I guess.” The townspeople are assholes and hate Rachel and Finn for all the wrong reasons, but they almost certainly would have hated them just as much had they gotten to know them because who wouldn't??
The supernatural parts, though? Bloody fantastic. I don't know if this novel is based on actual folklore or if everything is totally the author's invention, but it's wonderfully creepy (and also more than a little traumatizing).
So, yeah. 4.5 stars for the writing and negative 1,000,000 stars for the Kennans and their shitty, dysfunctional family. Negative 999,995.5 stars seems a little harsh, though, so I'll just round up to a four. If you can get past the awful characters, Nowhere is really an excellent and well-executed horror read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25, 2025....more
After the Forest is a dark and bewitching reimagining of The Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, although it's so much more than just a retelling – it'After the Forest is a dark and bewitching reimagining of The Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, although it's so much more than just a retelling – it's the story of what comes after. When this book begins, the events of the famous fairy tale are years in the past and Greta (Gretel) and Hans (Hansel) are adults who are still trying to forget the traumatic ordeal that took place in the witch's cottage so long ago.
Honestly, the first 15-20% of this book was a bit of a struggle. It wasn't bad by any means, but I was just completely uninterested in the characters and nothing much of note happened. Once I made it through those first chapters, however, things picked up quite a bit and I found myself completely immersed in the story.
The best way I can think of to describe this book is that it's, well … a fairy tale. This are witches, shape-shifters, narrow-minded villagers, romance with a handsome and mysterious stranger, bewitched baked goods, an evil villain (complete with magic apples), and an ending that … well, I won't tell you how it ends because I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that it's very fairy tale-ish.
I really liked the main characters in this story. They're imperfect and flawed and in some cases not entirely honorable, but they have intriguing backstories and complex personalities. The plot is imaginative and well-written, and after that first 15% or so of the story I found it to be fast-paced and entertaining.
I'm not normally one who enjoys romance in books much, but the burgeoning relationship between Greta and Mathias wasn't too irritating as far as these things go. I mean, sure, it's a fairy tale so they're head over heels for each other within 2.5 seconds of meeting and discussing marriage shortly after learning each other's names, but otherwise I found it rather sweet.
Overall, After the Forest is an original and enjoyable debut novel that nicely complements the Grimm Brothers' original tale. I look forward to reading more by Kell Woods in the future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review....more
A decent collection of short stories. They aren't quite up to the brilliance of Truman Capote's later works and are for the most part rather unmemorabA decent collection of short stories. They aren't quite up to the brilliance of Truman Capote's later works and are for the most part rather unmemorable, but considering how young he was when he wrote them, they're really not bad. They're certainly better than what I wrote in my teens, although “Snuggle Bear Fights the Terrorists” was quite the hit in freshman English.
Merged review:
A decent collection of short stories. They aren't quite up to the brilliance of Truman Capote's later works and are for the most part rather unmemorable, but considering how young he was when he wrote them, they're really not bad. They're certainly better than what I wrote in my teens, although “Snuggle Bear Fights the Terrorists” was quite the hit in freshman English....more
Okay, so first things first: When the blurb says that this collection of stories “conclud[es] with the author's account of how an obscure horror film Okay, so first things first: When the blurb says that this collection of stories “conclud[es] with the author's account of how an obscure horror film brought him closer to his lost father,” we're literally talking about the entire second half of the book. The first half is short stories, the second half is a meandering nonfiction piece about a horror film that probably 98% of the people who will read this book have never seen. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, unless what you're hoping for is an entire book of Connolly's short stories (which are always fantastic).
And the short stories in Night and Day are indeed fantastic. They're sometimes spooky and sometimes funny, and they're always entertaining. There are two stories that revolve around the Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository, which is a very special sort of library. There are also monsters and bears and ghosts, and as someone who often doesn't really “get” short stories, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed all of them (except I guess I'm also not really surprised, because I am a John Connolly fangirl).
The monograph about the obscure horror film Horror Express, however? Meh. It's fine, although I only made it about halfway through Part 2 before I started skimming a little … or, okay, maybe a lot. There's talk about Connolly's father and trains and airplanes and the people responsible for creating the film, and it's all decently interesting. It's obvious that Horror Express means a lot to the author. However, I have to confess that I would have much rather had another nine short stories instead. Sorry, John. If it's any consolation, The Book of Lost Things is still one of my top three favorite novels of all time.
So, yeah. If I were asked to write a TL;DR for this review, it'd probably go something like “great stories, too much nonfiction.” The stories are really well-written, however, and if you've enjoyed Connolly's previous story collections, you'll likely enjoy this one too. Just don't expect an entire book of short fiction, because that's definitely not what you're getting here.
My overall rating: Four stars - five shiny stars for the first half and three for the lengthy (and somewhat less entertaining) conclusion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 22, 2024....more
As far as I can tell, this book is about two people who are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, because that is the only way that any of it makeAs far as I can tell, this book is about two people who are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, because that is the only way that any of it makes sense. And yet I kind of didn't hate it?
I mean, okay, so I learned French as a second language, but I haven't used it in years and years and years so when I try to read something in French it's all jumbly. Like, I can understand the general gist of the text, but the individual bits don't all quite make sense? That's what the first third of this book felt like, except that it is most certainly written in English. Everything was just kind of, I dunno, fuzzy around the edges and I sort of knew what was going on but not totally?
And then the middle is a proper ghost story. Angie (who is called “Lynda” in the Goodreads blurb but is most definitely named Angie in the story) and her son Rust are receiving strange Christmas cards in the mail, and things start to get creepy. They spend a lot of time chasing after their mail carrier and talking about mince pies and lining things up on their mantel, but it's all oddly entertaining.
And the ending? Well, the heck if I know what that was about. It's like a (very tame) The Shining meets a fever dream.
So, yeah. I feel like I shouldn't have enjoyed this one – I don't generally like books that make me feel like I've done heavy hallucinogenic drugs, but I was totally invested. Who is sending those weird Christmas cards? And why are they so obsessed with their mail carrier? It's all very witty and there are some truly funny lines (in an understated British sort of way), which I think did a lot toward, you know, making me not hate it.
I'm still not convinced that carbon monoxide wasn't involved, though. I mean, there is a lot of talk about firewood and the fireplace and not once did Rust and Angie-not-Lynda check their chimney for obstructions. Just sayin'. (Edit: Now that I think about it, I seem to recall snow falling into the fireplace via the chimney at one point. Oh well, there goes that theory.)
My overall rating: (a very weird) 3.6 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 8, 2024....more
If there's one thing I've learned from my recent horror reads, it's that you should never ever accept a suspiciously cheap house in a small town. It'sIf there's one thing I've learned from my recent horror reads, it's that you should never ever accept a suspiciously cheap house in a small town. It's obvious that the main character of Gothictown hasn't read the same books, however, because if she had she would have deleted that spam email so fast. And who moves to small town Georgia based on a spam email anyway?? Billie Hope (she was destined to live in the south with that name, amirite?) is the queen of questionable decisions, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
This novel is entertaining-ish. The main character isn't particularly likeable – she drives drunk and is a terrible pet owner and enjoys snogging men who aren't her husband – but she's more likeable than most of the other characters, I guess. The plot is all over the place and doesn't have a lot of depth to it, but there was enough action and suspense to keep me reading and curious about where things were headed. And Juliana is definitely a creepy place – the phrase “gentle Juliana” made me physically cringe every time I read it.
I'd love know how Juliana funded the “Initiative,” by the way. For a town that doesn't even have a proper restaurant and apparently (view spoiler)[very few citizens who actually pay property taxes (hide spoiler)], they sure do have a lot of money to be handing out $100 houses and business grants.
The ending has a completely different vibe than the rest of the book – this is a horror(ish) read with the ending of a cozy mystery. And it's very much an “everybody clapped” sort of situation. (I mean that literally. Everyone really does clap.) Apparently the bar for (view spoiler)[becoming mayor of Juliana (hide spoiler)] is very, very low. Like “I've lived here for approximately six minutes and know how to cook pancakes” low.
So, I dunno. Did I love it? Not exactly. But there's some supernatural bits and some thriller-y shenanigans and a murder or two, so it's … interesting. There are no “echoes of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery” (despite what the blurb says) and it's not fine literature, but if you're looking for a light but unsettling read, this one might be a decent choice. 3.35 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25, 2025. ...more
Heck yeah! Grady Hendrix always has these books with fabulous titles and super intriguing blurbs, and every single time I give in and pick one up I enHeck yeah! Grady Hendrix always has these books with fabulous titles and super intriguing blurbs, and every single time I give in and pick one up I end up disappointed. This one, though … this one is absolutely fantastic. I've read some of the other reviews and everyone keeps on commenting about how very un-Grady Hendrix-y this particular book is, so maybe it's a fluke but I'll take it. It's feminist and witchy and heartwarming and heartbreaking and unputdownable and did I mention witchy?
I mean, there's a witch that moonlights as a librarian. Or a librarian that moonlights as a witch, I dunno. Probably the first one. But there's a librarian and a bookmobile and a witchy spell book and I am all about books that are about books. Not that this one is just about a book, mind you – it's also about patriarchy and helplessness and power and feminine rage. I was only alive for approximately 6.5 months of the 70s so I have no idea how accurate of a portrayal this book is of how unwed pregnant girls were treated in 1970, but it's absolutely enraging.
Be forewarned that this book includes some very graphic childbirth scenes. Sweet baby kittens on a cracker, I have never been so happy that my son was adopted in all my life. But if you've ever wanted to learn how many layers of muscle a doctor cuts through during an episiotomy, this is your book.
There's not much outright horror to be found here (well, other than the childbirth scenes mentioned above, ha), but there are a few delightfully creepy bits. Most of the “horror” has less to do with anything supernatural and more to do with how the young girls in this book are treated by the people in their lives and by society as a whole.
So, yeah. Great book. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a little creepy and a lot enraging and kind of makes me want to go out and fight the patriarchy. Grady Hendrix might just make a fan out of me yet. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is January 14, 2025....more
Such a ridiculous plot and so very, very unbelievable. It's a good thing that I listened to this one because I spent so much time rolling my eyes thatSuch a ridiculous plot and so very, very unbelievable. It's a good thing that I listened to this one because I spent so much time rolling my eyes that I never would have finished a print book. 1.8 stars, rounded up....more
I have read a lot of really weird books lately and Listen to Your Sister is right up there with the weirdest of them. That's not necessarily a bad thiI have read a lot of really weird books lately and Listen to Your Sister is right up there with the weirdest of them. That's not necessarily a bad thing – I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this one – but holy heck I'm not even sure what I just read. I went into it expecting more of a “creepy cabin in the woods” type story, but it turns out it's not really about the cabin – or the woods – at all.
It also deals with some pretty heavy subjects. Childhood trauma, reluctant sibling guardianship, abandonment, parentification of a child, death of a parent, guilt, missed life opportunities, and strained family ties are all topics that are addressed in this novel. The author does a wonderful job of showing how all of these repeated traumas can fracture a person and cause them to resent those that they love most.
At the same time, though, the Williams siblings obviously care a lot for each other and this isn't a story devoid of hope. Even when they're at odds with each other, Calla, Dre, and Jamie still have each other's backs. And they're a witty bunch. I absolutely would not call this a funny read, but it does have some pretty hilarious lines mixed in with all the more serious bits.
As for the plot … I dunno, you guys. I think this is a book that is best gone into mostly blind. It's a fever dream-y and unsettling tale that's as creepy as it is heartwarming. And it's very, very weird. But overall? It's certainly worth a read and perhaps one of the most original books I've read in a long time. This is apparently Neena Viel's debut novel and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 3.95 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is February 4, 2025. ...more
Labyrinth meets John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, kind of. I mean, I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it as much as either of those two, which isn'tLabyrinth meets John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, kind of. I mean, I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it as much as either of those two, which isn't surprising considering the adoration I have for both (one of my favorite films and one of my favorite books!), but it definitely has some of the same vibes, seeing as how there's a young girl on a quest through a dangerous and magical land and all that that entails.
There are lots of things to love about this book. There are fairies and witches and handsome princes. There's a magical quest and monsters to be slain. The prose is lovely (although perhaps a bit florid for my tastes) and the world-building is immersive. There's romance and complicated mother-daughter relationships and curses to be broken. Basically, it's all one big dark fairy tale and I am all about dark fairy tales.
At the same time, however, Gemma's quest just seemed so superficial at times. She flitted from one dangerous circumstance to another, but there was very little depth to many of the situations. For example, her escape from the Woods Below (which you think would be an ordeal considering how difficult it was to get there to begin with) is essentially limited to “they searched around and eventually found an exit.” Woo boy, that'll get the adrenaline pumping.
My biggest issue with this book, though, is what was done to Silvanus's character. He started out as this mysterious and alluring fairy prince and them somehow ended up the Scrappy-Doo of the fairy woods (Lemme at 'em! Lemme at 'em!). I don't want to say too much and spoil things, but he pretty much becomes a caricature of himself and I didn't like it one bit. Props to Gemma for her reaction to his Scrappy-Dooing (yes, this is a verb, created by me just now) at the end, though.
But still, despite these issues, it's pretty much impossible for me to dislike a tale that involves a dangerous quest through a magical forest. It's not The Book of Lost Things (which you should totally read if you haven't already), but it is dark and fantastical and enthralling and maybe even a bit heartwarming too.
My overall rating: 3.65 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is November 12, 2024....more
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes was written … *checks watch* … almost 100 years after the debut of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, but EstlemanDr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes was written … *checks watch* … almost 100 years after the debut of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, but Estleman has done a fantastic job of capturing the tone and writing style of the originals. At the same time, he's also mostly faithful to the plot of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – I actually kind of wish that I hadn't reread it so recently because it killed a bit of the suspense knowing exactly what was going to happen. But still, this was an enjoyable read. I haven't quite gotten around to reading all of the canonical Holmes stories yet, but I think I might try Estleman's Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula next, as I'm curious to see how Holmes and Watson intertwine themselves with Stoker's classic tale. 3.75 stars, rounded up....more
Most important things first: Does the cat live? (view spoiler)[Nope, and it's an awful death and there's lots of talk about it for the rest of the booMost important things first: Does the cat live? (view spoiler)[Nope, and it's an awful death and there's lots of talk about it for the rest of the book. Definitely don't read this book if you can't handle cat death and mutilation. (hide spoiler)]
So, yeah, I have no idea what I just read. This started off as a fairly typical “people in a remote cabin in the woods have scary things happen” horror story, and then it got very, very weird. I mean, people are passing out and there's a moose and it maybe talks and everything gets fever-dreamy and I don't even know what that ending was supposed to be. And then I dozed off and had a half-dream that the food that I'd eaten at the Greek festival earlier in the day was drugged and that's why I couldn't understand anything that happened in this book … and to be honest, that's still my best guess as to why this story is so weird because the only other solution I can come up with involves the author and an entire sheet of LSD. One way or another, I'm positive that hallucinogenic drugs were involved.
I did enjoy the beginning. Well, perhaps “enjoy” is a strong word because it's all rather depressing, but I was definitely invested in the story because I am a big fan of the whole “broken people go into the woods and get monstered” trope. And then a moose maybe started talking and I'm sure there is some sort of deeper meaning to everything that happened but it obviously all went right over my head. The Goodreads blurb says it has something to do with “the horrors of grief and the hunger of guilt” so I guess I'll just go with that.
Moose aside, however, the most baffling part of this book is why Christine brings groceries into the house, cooks and eats dinner, and then puts the groceries away afterward. I mean, if it's all shelf-stable pantry-type stuff, okay, I guess. But there were obviously cold/frozen items and now that I think about it, maybe it was the main character who was on drugs because that is the only way that the grocery thing makes sense.
Anyway, if you enjoy fever dreams and (view spoiler)[cat mutilation (hide spoiler)] and defrosted groceries, definitely give Cold Snap a read – perhaps you'll like (and understand) it more than I did. 2.15 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 15, 2024....more
Well, there is definitely a reason that all of the other mothers hate Florence – she's unbearable. She's immature and unreliable, a bad friend and motWell, there is definitely a reason that all of the other mothers hate Florence – she's unbearable. She's immature and unreliable, a bad friend and mother, and she has some impressively bad decision-making skills. This book, however, is an absolute blast. I mean, sure, Florence is awful, but she's awful in the most entertaining way possible. Kind of a humorous train wreck, I guess you could say. I'm glad she's not a real person because (the British equivalent of) CPS would need to be called, like, yesterday, but as a fictional character she's pretty amusing.
When Florence's 10-year-old son Dylan becomes a suspect in the disappearance of one of his classmates, she decides to investigate the case in an attempt to direct the suspicion elsewhere. And, well, Florence is morally bankrupt so, you know, shenanigans ensue. Seriously, some of the things she did in this book literally made me gasp out loud. Florence is such a terrible person, y'all. I mean, she's not a serial killer or anything like that and she obviously cares about her kid (although not enough to not leave him home alone overnight while she goes on a date, mind you), but let's just say that this is not a book about a worried mother who works calmly and rationally with the authorities to ensure that proper justice is served.
The mystery (what happened to that asshole rich kid Alfie?) is a solid one, and while I kind of guessed at the big reveal a few times, I didn't truly figure out what was going on until Florence did. It's well-written and suspenseful and almost unputdownable. Florence isn't exactly Sherlock Holmes, but she doe share his love of cocaine so I guess there's that? (Or at least I think it was cocaine. I dunno. The drug was never specifically named and I'm not exactly Pablo Escobar here, you guys.)
So, yeah. If you enjoy mysteries with unlikeable main characters and humor and all kinds of drama, definitely consider giving All the Other Mothers Hate Me a read. It's a wild ride!
My overall rating: 4.35 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 11, 2025....more
I can't believe that I finally finished this book, you guys! I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a solid read – probably one of my favorite Poirot noveI can't believe that I finally finished this book, you guys! I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a solid read – probably one of my favorite Poirot novels so far, really – but I have been horrible about listening to audiobooks lately so reaching the end of this one was a long, slow process.
But anyway, Five Little Pigs is another fantastic mystery by Dame Agatha. Poirot is as brilliant as ever, and it has all of the twists and turns (and rich people behaving badly) that you'd expect from a Christie novel. I particularly enjoyed the epistolary bits in the second half, and I found all of the characters to be interesting and well-written (although not particularly likeable). Caroline Crale was convicted of her husband's murder sixteen years prior, and Poirot is hired by her daughter in order to clear the family name. Of course, suspects abound and everything is not as it initially seems.
Hugh Fraser does a wonderful job as the narrator, as always. Although he played Arthur Hastings in the television series, his Poirot accent is really on point.
Also, I just have to tell everyone that I actually guessed the culprit of this one before the big reveal. Well, technically I had two guesses and one of them was right and one of them was right-adjacent, but it's the closest I've ever come to figuring out the murderer of a Poirot novel before his final monologue* so I'll take it as a win.
4.55 stars, rounded up. Five Little Pigs is a particularly outstanding installment of an already delightful series.
*Not including The Murder of Roger Ackroyd which was spoiled for me by an over-enthusiastic intro writer – I actually guessed that one before I read it. Seriously, Louise Penny, WTF??...more
Beast of the North Woods: Brought to you by Culver's. Okay, so maybe not really, but it's kind of funny how many times Culver's is mentioned in this nBeast of the North Woods: Brought to you by Culver's. Okay, so maybe not really, but it's kind of funny how many times Culver's is mentioned in this novel.
But, anyway, this is another enjoyable installment of the Monster Hunter Mysteries series. I can't say that I enjoyed it quite as much as its predecessors, but it's a light and fluffy cryptid mystery and that's exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. Newt, as always, is the star of the show, although I swear he spends most of this one sitting in the car. Honestly, I'm starting to worry about Newt a bit – Morgan doesn't seem to find leaving him in the car during the Wisconsin winter to be concerning, and does he ever eat actual dog food or does his diet consist solely of Culver's™ burgers??
The murder mystery is fun, though. I feel like it's a little less cryptid-y than the previous mysteries were, but I have no real proof to back up my claim. It was entertaining to learn about the Hodag and the town of Rhinelander, Wisconsin and its Hodag obsession. Morgan seems to lean on her friends particularly hard for solving this one, and somehow Devon the shop assistant has – conveniently for Morgan – progressed to hacking bank accounts and credit card systems at this point. And, although Morgan has always been a character with a defective sense of self-preservation, expect brilliantly stupid, um, stupidity (hey, you want a well-written review, go read The New York Times!) from her this time around. I mean, why shouldn't she walk off alone into the deep dark woods just because a random note pinned to a door tells her to??
There's also a short bit where Morgan becomes an insta-expert on pig breeding, so that's fun.
Ol' Flatfoot Sanders is back for this installment, although his and Morgan's relationship is pretty lacking in this one (which, whatever, he's boring and naggy). I mean, they spend an entire trip sleeping in separate beds in adjoining hotel rooms, you guys! And, sadly, no one actually calls him Flatfoot Sanders in this book, which is really a bit of a disappointment.
Anyway, this is an easy, uncomplicated, and entertaining read. It's not fine literature by any means, but I'm definitely still looking forward to the next book in the series. 3.6 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is January 28, 2025....more
DNF'ing @ 25%. I really, really wanted to love this one because Wicked was great, but this book is practically unreadable to me. The writing is … wellDNF'ing @ 25%. I really, really wanted to love this one because Wicked was great, but this book is practically unreadable to me. The writing is … well, I don't even know how to explain the writing. There are short, repetitive sentences that are written in such a way that they just don't make much sense. I wouldn't exactly call it purple prose, but it's like the text kind of skirts around what it's trying to say instead of saying it directly? I dunno. I read some sections of this book out loud to my husband to make sure it wasn't just me who found it incomprehensible, and he said that it sounded like I was reading poetry (and not in a good way). I don't know why Gregory Maguire decided that this was the writing style he wanted to use for this one, but it just does not work for me. I gave it until the beginning of Part Two hoping that something would change, but it didn't and I can't suffer through another 220 pages of this, sorry.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25, 2025....more
Hilarious. I adore John Connolly and his Samuel Johnson novels, so how did I have no idea that this short story existed?!? If you enjoyed the originalHilarious. I adore John Connolly and his Samuel Johnson novels, so how did I have no idea that this short story existed?!? If you enjoyed the original books, "The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness" is definitely worth a quick read. Several of the characters from the original series make an appearance, and it has all of the brilliant humor and wit that you'd expect from a Samuel Johnson story. The most feared assassins in the Multiverse, The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness, have been sent to kill the demon Nurd and his friends, but they might just end up getting more than they bargained for ......more
What in the ever-loving fudge did I just read?!? I mean, the blurb told me exactly what this book was going to be about so I guess I shouldn't be surpWhat in the ever-loving fudge did I just read?!? I mean, the blurb told me exactly what this book was going to be about so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I absolutely did not expect it to be so dark. If you're going into this one planning to read about a benignly meddlesome old woman and a mischievous young boy playing harmless pranks on each other, well … it's certainly not that. Which I guess is a good thing, because that sounds like a boring read now that I think about it. Havoc is a lot of things, but boring is not one of them.
Our narrator is Maggie, a nosy octogenarian who has taken it upon herself to “fix” other people's lives, even if they haven't exactly asked for her help. She's already fled one hotel in Europe due to her meddling taking an unexpected turn. She's unlikeable and unreliable and should probably be in some sort of retirement home with locks on the outside of the doors. What will happen when Maggie pits herself against someone who's just as awful as she is? And what if that person just happens to be an eight-year-old boy?
It's probably best if you go into this book mostly blind, but I will reiterate that this is a dark (and insane) read. It starts off fairly tame and then goes completely off the rails. You can feel the tension build as you turn the pages. And then the ending is kind of insane but also kind of brilliant and I am not exactly sure how I should feel about any of it.
My overall rating: 4.45 stars, rounded down. If you like twisted and suspenseful tales narrated by awful old women with a whole host of personality disorders, definitely consider giving this one a read. It's a wild ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is December 3, 2024....more
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