4.0 Stars This was such an addicting thriller. This is one where a savvy reader can sort out some of the early twists but it does not take away from th4.0 Stars This was such an addicting thriller. This is one where a savvy reader can sort out some of the early twists but it does not take away from the fun of the story. I was completely engrossed in this one and didn't want to stop reading because it was just so enjoyable....more
2.5 Stars This book started out strong with a compelling premise and an emotional beginning. However as the story progressed it became more disjointed 2.5 Stars This book started out strong with a compelling premise and an emotional beginning. However as the story progressed it became more disjointed and ultimately did not live up to the usual quantity of the author's work. The idea behind this one felt regrettably amatuer. I was quite disappointed.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher...more
3.5 Stars This was a fun plot for a thriller that plays with wellness culture or, specifically, how society has turned wellness into a commodity to be 3.5 Stars This was a fun plot for a thriller that plays with wellness culture or, specifically, how society has turned wellness into a commodity to be sold. I liked the topic but I wish the story had pushed the story further. It played it a little safe while I wished it had been more punchy....more
4.0 Stars This series has quickly become one of the best mystery series I have read. I haven't read every book, but I have loved many of the entries.
Th4.0 Stars This series has quickly become one of the best mystery series I have read. I haven't read every book, but I have loved many of the entries.
The mystery is always the right balance between being dark and cozy. The story is comforting yet still does not shy away from the darkness of humanity.
Also, I love the Quebec French settings. This audiobook had a different narrator. I liked the last one but I appreciate that this narrator is local to the area.
The best element continues to be the characters. I adore Garmache and Bouvier, who have grown and developed so much over the course of the series.
I loved the specific plot of this one and found it to be one of the best storylines I have read in this series.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves well written character driven mysteries.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
After loving Maeve Fly by the same author, I was eager to read a full length novel by the same autho4.0 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/y9h_dc_MtCo
After loving Maeve Fly by the same author, I was eager to read a full length novel by the same author. Thankfully this did not disappoint.
I can be hit or miss with post apocalyptic so I was unsure how'd I'd get along with this plot. The lust plague sounded silly, but it managed to actually feel serious.
I personally really enjoyed the religious angle, or rather the criticism of the purity culture that surrounds religion. The author certainly has a strong point of view. I happened to generally shared those views so I didn't mind the opinions.
The character work was strong and I enjoyed the wider worldbuilding. I personally would have preferred a tighter narrative like Maeve Fly, but it was still an enjoyable story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
This was a rich piece of gothic historical fiction. Admittedly, this isn't my favourite subgenre whi3.5 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/y9h_dc_MtCo
This was a rich piece of gothic historical fiction. Admittedly, this isn't my favourite subgenre which is represented in my rating. However I can still appreciate a well written story.
I would recommend this one to anyone who loves Gothic fiction. This especially would make a good Halloween read.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
This is one of those cases when I really wanted to love this book. Admittedly, I have been hit or mi3.0 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/y9h_dc_MtCo
This is one of those cases when I really wanted to love this book. Admittedly, I have been hit or miss with this author, but their hits have become all time favourite.
In comparison to some of their previous books, this one is much less “weird” and perhaps a little more commercial, which makes it easier to recommend to a wider audience. However, I just struggled to connect to our protagonist and, thus, struggled to become engrossed in the larger story.
There is lot of good parts to this one and I would still encourage readers to give it a try but it just wasn't the home run I expected.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.5 Stars I enjoyed elements of the story, particularly the social commentary that reminded me of Jordan Peele's movies. I found the second half fairly3.5 Stars I enjoyed elements of the story, particularly the social commentary that reminded me of Jordan Peele's movies. I found the second half fairly messy from a narrative perspective. This novel had a lot of great ideas but tripped a bit on the execution....more
This was such a deceptively lovely, horrific little horror novel. First the writing has a beautiful 4.5 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/RdthP9SPEjE
This was such a deceptively lovely, horrific little horror novel. First the writing has a beautiful literary quality that made the entire short work a joy to read for anyone who appreciates good prose. As someone who loves Montreal, I enjoyed the initial references to that beautiful series.
Second, this book is wonderfully psychological which is so hard to pull off. The subway tunnels truly felt suffocating. The story starts off so subtle I assume it wasn't actually going to hit those creepy moments, but the story delivered some truly horrific moments that have stuck in my brain.
The marketing for this book compares it to House of Leaves which I feel is an unfair comparison. I sort of understand why it was done but it will undoubtedly lead readers to be disappointed. This book is fantastic but the narrative is quite different from that beloved book.
I adored the ending section of this novel that both messed with my brain and made me laugh in surprise. I'll let you discover that part for yourself. I also really appreciated the thoughtful exploration of mental health and trauma written into this narrative.
I would highly recommend this novel to any horror readers looking for a punchy literary story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.5 Stars I always appreciate releases of older titles that were previously unavailable to me. As a long time fan of Ronald Malfi, I never had the oppo3.5 Stars I always appreciate releases of older titles that were previously unavailable to me. As a long time fan of Ronald Malfi, I never had the opportunity to read this one before.
This one has all the hallmarks of the author. We have a character driven small town story with usual creepy horror plot elements. I liked this one, but I feel that the author has written stronger novels. This is representative of the author's style and could be a starting place. I think I would have judge this one easier if I wasn't comparing it to my favourites by the author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.0 Stars I am always on the lookout for winter and Chrismas so I was excited to receive this novella. I liked the premise because grief can be such a 3.0 Stars I am always on the lookout for winter and Chrismas so I was excited to receive this novella. I liked the premise because grief can be such a powerful theme in horror.
Despite it's potential, I found this one to be only fine. It leaned heavily into familiar tropes and didn't do much particularly new.
I would primarily recommend this one to fellow readers who are also looking for wintery Christmas books.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.5 Stars I always love finding horror stories written from different perspectives so I was very excited to learn about this one. I typically love poss3.5 Stars I always love finding horror stories written from different perspectives so I was very excited to learn about this one. I typically love possession stories but can struggle with ghost stories. I liked this one but wished I had been more engrossed. Personally, I think it would have worked better as a novella because I found that this novel went on too long for my tastes.
I would still recommend it to horror readers looking to experience a story from a different perspective.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
This was an enjoyable sequel to the supernatural thriller, Shutter. I like the use of photography in3.0 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/RdthP9SPEjE
This was an enjoyable sequel to the supernatural thriller, Shutter. I like the use of photography in this series that makes for an internet lense to tell this story.
I typically love indigenous fiction and wished that those cultural elements had played a larger role in the story. I wanted to learn more through this narrative, but found the description to be a bit surface.
Overall this is a fun installment in the series but perhaps not as memorable as I would hope it to be.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
4.0 Stars This was such an enjoyable thriller. I found myself frequently switching allegiances and suspecting everyone at different times. It's been qu4.0 Stars This was such an enjoyable thriller. I found myself frequently switching allegiances and suspecting everyone at different times. It's been quite a while since I was this engrossed in a thriller.
I would highly recommend this one to fellow readers looking for a good new twisty mystery.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
2.5 Stars This was a bit of a miss for me. Objectively, this one offered a fine delivery of a very classic horror story involving the cursed object tro2.5 Stars This was a bit of a miss for me. Objectively, this one offered a fine delivery of a very classic horror story involving the cursed object trope. However, it failed to invoke much of an emotional response for me.
My biggest disappointment was the artwork which is usually my favourite part of his books. Some of the pictures are just so flat.
I think this one will most appeal to readers who really enjoy traditional older books with the usual tropes. If you already love Brom, you will undoubtedly want to try this one out.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
As someone who loves dark academia, I was really anticipating this new release. The premise sounded incredible but I was disappointed to find2.5 Stars
As someone who loves dark academia, I was really anticipating this new release. The premise sounded incredible but I was disappointed to find the actual story did not live up to those expectations.
My issue is that characters are incredibly important in these kinds of stories and I found these ones so flat. Without feeling attachment (or even interest) with the characters, I struggled to become and stay immersed in the plot.
Other fans of dark academia may enjoy this one more but it unfortunately did not work well for me.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.0 Stars These stories were fine but suffered in my enjoyment because they all felt too similar to his previous art. I love his artwork style but at t3.0 Stars These stories were fine but suffered in my enjoyment because they all felt too similar to his previous art. I love his artwork style but at this point, I think I have read too much of their work and realized how similar it all has become. I think I am burnt out from reading so many of these stories over the last several years and I am now finding it hard to see if it's me or the stories....more
This was such a wonderfully unexpected novel. From the premise, I expected a slick, action packed sp4.0 Stars Video Review https://youtu.be/RdthP9SPEjE
This was such a wonderfully unexpected novel. From the premise, I expected a slick, action packed spy novel full of the usual cliche action.
Instead I was so surprised to find this brilliant, razor sharp narrative. I loved the distinct voice of our female protagonist. It was such a good balance between humorous and biting.
The entire narrative is framed around the psychology of Neanderthals. It was the most obtuse juxtaposition and yet completely works.
I would highly recommend this novel to readers looking for an offbeat literary thriller....more
3.0 Stars This is a cute novel that walks the line between contemporary fiction and something a little darker. I have read this author before so I wasn3.0 Stars This is a cute novel that walks the line between contemporary fiction and something a little darker. I have read this author before so I wasn't surprised by this mix of genres.
I wish I had been more engaged in this story but struggled to invest in the plot. I think this is a hard genre to make fresh because there are already so many books like this one getting published.
I think Rachel Harrison’s books are most successful when she explores less familiar plots because this one really suffered from comparison.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher....more
3.5 Stars This was a slow burning supernatural thriller mixed with coming of narrative. I liked this one but I will admit that it didn't entirely grabb3.5 Stars This was a slow burning supernatural thriller mixed with coming of narrative. I liked this one but I will admit that it didn't entirely grabbed me.
I am obsessed with Chasing the Boogeyman and its sequel, Becoming of the Boogeyman, so I was disappointed when this one did not hit those same heights.
It's still a solid novel but I found it very predictable and safe. Readers who don't mind a familiar story will likely enjoy this one more so I would certainly recommend trying it for yourself....more
Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)
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Books:
2024
(78)
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