C. J. Daley

Grabbed this on kindle and gave it a go. My new job has little bits of time where I can read, but not quite long enough to pick up a book, so this short read was perfect.

This is an extreme horror story, which is not usually my cup of tea. And honestly, that just scratches the surface. It’s extremely horrific, that’s what it is!

An abused doll comes to life, seeking revenge on papa for everything she has seen and endured. His latest victim is still tied up in the basement, and Dollface is just in time to recruit her help—rescuing her, and possibly traumatizing her herself.

Extremely sickening, and over the top, Dollface makes papa feel each and every regret possible. This story made me have to stop reading more than once, setting it aside to focus on something else. The descriptions hit me right in the stomach, unsettling and viscous. I will never be able to view anything cherry the same.

Regardless of how horrific it can feel, remember that papa deserves what’s coming to him…so good for her.

Here’s another I read for my book club, the Hudson Valley Housewives, and it’s another I probably would not have read without it being someone’s pick.

This is a kind of crime mystery, but instead of a cop or detective, the main POV is a recruited children’s psychologist, Casey Walker, that specializes in autism. The mayor’s wife has been killed, and an autistic teen, Mason, son to a kind of celebrity content creator, was found at the scene covered in blood and uncontrollable.

I’ve never read this author, was unfamiliar with them, so throughout the continuously deep information dumps on autism and therapy, all I found myself thinking was, “god I hope this was well researched.” And after finishing and seeing the author’s bio, I do feel more at ease on the knowledge part, but I found villainizing a special needs teen was super risky.

I would say that the information in the above paragraph, as well as the way it was weaved into the possibility of a murder happening, was definitely one of the few things that kept me engaged and roped in. There are several attempts at unseen twists, however they are so straight forward that there’s little to no surprise with almost all of them, IE. Casey thinks the mother is doing something and the twist is…simply that she’s right??

The ending has a winding lead up to a scene right in front of a swamp, the author kind of remarks on the possibility of animals within the water, and then it literally leads to nothing at all. The final twist involves something that I do not believe was well threaded into the story, to the point where it comes out of left field. It felt wasted, or like being cheated.

The cover had me thinking that they could have been going for like a southern belle/beauty pageant thing with the crown. The watery swirls could have been some hint to the swamp at the end or something, but I think honestly, the most likely thing is that this was a real cheap stock cover that got zero thought. And while the title’s color certainly pops, I’d much rather have a cover that matches the story somehow.

Overall, I will say that I was at least never bored while reading this. A story of a mother’s love, or lack thereof, and her willingness to do anything for attention.

Grabbed this a bit ago on kindle, and needed a short read for slow bits at work, so this fit perfectly.

This is a story of enslavement and loss. The ancient protectors of the land, the Chiroluna, the masters of moonlight, oversee the land, bringing their bats with them to pollinate the land and keep down the insect populations. However, they’ve been attacked, and one, Aysel, has been forced to remain in her human form for decades. The king, smitten with her human beauty, has effectively clipped her wings, forcing her to wed him, to attend him, to dine with him, but never to enjoy the moonlight again.

However, there are those that still believe in the old ways, seeking the other lost Chiroluna, and painstakingly waiting until the time is ripe to free the Queen. So while this is a dark and abusive tale, it is also one of hope, strength, and eventual freedom.

I’m impressed that in so few words the author was still able to paint multilayered characters. The King, though mislead (and manipulative) is not wholly evil. His love for his Queen is such that he can’t even see the damage caused to his lands by the absence of the Chiroluna. I truly believed that HE believed he was keeping her safe. The author makes a point to state that he used to be kind, gentle even. Perhaps the impending loss of the Queen was a gut feeling for the King, turning his anxiety to cruelty. But, giant mutating bat women have got to fly… and the Queen was a great example of persistence and strength.

This was a quick and well written read, I’d definitely suggest it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the audio ARC! Saskia Maarleveld did a great job and brought the story to life, giving the character voice kind of a Poker Face, Natasha Lyonne vibe.

After a traumatic experience as a child, in which she and her mother were forced to flee their little cabin, Anne turned to a life of crime to make ends meet. Always the professional, Anne had so far gotten away scot-free, only agreeing to one final score. However, after a bank robbery gone wrong, she may be forced back into things she’d been running from all her life.

This was a really unique blend of crime and supernatural. It really does feel like bits of It Follows, The Evil Dead, and even Smile meshed together with a criminal on the run. As Anne dodged police and public recognition, there is something eerie and slithering following her all throughout the background.

With an almost whiplash pacing, I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in this one, only wondering how things would pan out when the climax seemed to happen too soon (it doesn’t). And of course with such a pace, it does go a bit too fast for the eerie suspense to build up, however the scenes the entity appears in were incredibly creepy, particularly the police station scene.

The only thing that stuck out for me was the police officer as a side character. Anne specifically shoots his partner in the knee, injuring him, but stating several times she did not kill him. But then the kidnapped officer says that no one will believe him that he wasn’t involved and therefore he decides to help her? It just seemed odd to me a kind of a really weak reason for him to be there. Although I did enjoy Anne being multilayered and pulling almost everyone that meets her into her orbit because she wasn’t wholly bad.

Overall, this is a very good one!

I was a huge fan of Candy Cain Kills, so when I saw this one in an audible sale, I grabbed it immediately.

As a debut, I found this to be an incredibly cohesive and well done story. Howard is getting on in years, and although he’s grown tired of signing photos for (less and less) fans, he still feels a sense of pride in being the horror star in the Night of the Reaper franchise. But when he finds out that they plan on rebooting the series, and sowing their fields with some much younger seeds, deep-seated rage grabs hold. Trevor Mane, a recovering addict that’s aspiring to retake his career, is all-too eager to snatch up the role of the Reaper from underneath him.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two actors, both displaying their own end of the spectrum in Hollywood horrors. Howard, once a slasher staple, has been cast aside—the slowing stream of revenue and fans leaving him unwanted. Meanwhile Trevor, struggling with the heavy expectations of childhood acting, has fallen to drugs and alcohol to carry the heavy weight of disappointment. Neither receive the help and care from the industry they deserve, and the recasting of the Reaper has set them both on paths of destruction. Both personal and exterior, no one is coming out unscathed.

As someone relatively new to horror (couple of years now…) the Night of the Reaper parts still brought to mind the slashers of old, like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and the blurb mentioned Scream. But it also reminded me of some newer ones like Fear Street: Part Two and even last year’s Thanksgiving with its witty, borderline cringey one liners and wacky kills. The blurb linking it to The Shining is of course a great mention, as that kind of creeping psychological thriller is absolutely present with Howard. It also has that kind of The Evil Dead ‘is this really happening supernatural feel’ as well as the typical vibes you get with Cabin Fever.

What the author delivers is this unique blend of horror. Each part features a reading from one of the Reaper series entries, as well as the climax itself giving way to full blown slasher. Then that psychological aspect meshing in to make you question everything. It’s very well done. I so curious what a sequel would be like…

I’ve been eying this one since I got in as a BoTM pick, but got so busy that I only just now got to it when I saw it on sale from Audible. I’m glad I did. Gabino does a lot of work to get a light shined on indie works, so I’m glad to read his work finally.

Dark, dangerous, and absolutely beautiful; this novel is a deep dive into loss, grief, the lengths any one human can go, and striving to accept what’s happened.

In a scene all too familiar, when Mario’s daughter gets sick, the bills start stacking high, and his employer doesn’t want to continue giving him time off. In desperate need for cash, and willing to do anything for his family, Mario is forced to a life of crime in an attempt to make ends meet. After a few successful jobs, Mario is invited to one with a much bigger score. One final job. The path that follows is nothing short of spectacular—supernatural, horrific, nightmarish, and filled with turns.

The author’s writing is poetic in prose, while to the point, and packs a punch without giving way to too emotional a story. He tackles race and racism in the south, even showcasing what being an ally means through an integral character. It’s one of those reads where you’re like, “oh, that’s not what the book is about, but that’s what the book is about.” Shining a light onto something we don’t all get to experience.

The major themes of family and regret are prevalent, while the nightmares of our world collide with those of something other. At no point did I know what would happen next, and honestly I didn’t know if I wanted it to end, or continue on damaging me forever.

“You can wrap a shotgun in flowers, but that doesn’t make the blast less lethal.”

This was included on audible, so I have it a go. If you can’t tell in recent years, I’m definitely on an ocean/shark journey (Jaws, all of the Meg series, Megalodon: Bloodbath).

This was a bit confusing honestly. Where almost all of those I named above feature something other than just sharks, be it the mafia, rich overlords, drug cartels, competitor countries, and more, this novel felt almost entirely about something else. It begins with a focus on Somali pirates, where someone is hired to create a group of people that can rescue hostages. While the first mysterious siting of the beast happens here, it is then gone for such a huge portion of the story as to be forgotten.

The shark, the meg, is a clone, as of course the original species is long extinct, and while each of these books tend to search for a reason why there’s a killer beast on the loose (especially the extinct prehistoric kind) this one spent so long in getting to the point that it kind of erases the threat.

The end itself does have some of the desired killer shark energy I was so invested for, so at least I got that. It is however, kind of outlandish (even for a megalodon) in a kind of almost ‘original idea for Jurassic Park 4 plot’ way—think militarized dinosaurs…

Although it mostly lacked what I was looking for, it does have some strong characters, as well as character development, within the crew of navy seals, and it was fast paced enough to enjoy.

300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, this tells the Targaryen history from Aegon the Conquerer to Aegon III. It is both the rise of the dragons in Westeros, as well as the beginning of decline.

Honestly I picked this up simply to stop having stuff spoiled for me online after each episode of season two of House of the Dragon. If I can see it online, or google the answer myself, I might as well just read the story.

The writing in this is just simply so superb that it blows my mind. It is so well done, so meticulous, so real. Each page is like a section of a textbook, each sentence like a piece of history. And with that, it has its climactic moments, as well as its tiring ones. The conquering of Westeros, while interesting, was one of the drier parts. I’m not sure if he was just getting started, or if that just wasn’t his focus. I’m not sure how that’ll become its own show, as the burning of Harrenhal, a part that seems so extreme, actually happened in a single night. I did like that he addressed the clash of religion with the Targaryen’s incestuous nature though.

At about 50% into the story, you finally get to the crowning of Viserys and to his children. Aka the start of HotD. At about 25%+ of the book itself, this is the largest story it has to offer. The dance of dragons is long, bloody, and absolutely spilling with betrayal. Truly the amount of times Rhaenyra gets betrayed is mind blowing. And while the show seems to want to drag out every single line of dialogue possible, the book has an awful lot of dragons flying into action and fighting. I won’t say more for spoilers-sake but the fact that the show writers keep changing things for no reason doesn’t make any sense to me. Same with their desire to connect so heavily into GoT itself. The two are not really related whatsoever.

While I really enjoyed this, and I get that he’s going for a ‘time-period based’ fantasy, I just wish he spent more time on the story than on caring so much about girls’ virginities.

I received this early to possibly provide a blurb, and that’s just wild to me that someone would allow me to do that??

This is compulsively readable. Concise writing that’s straight to the point and easy to read. I suggest not picking this up unless you know you have time to finish it, because you won’t be able to put it down.

A little girl prays for the return of her father, meanwhile their prophet knows better than to bother. A young woman prepares for her wedding, though her mind often wanders, thinking back to the strange woman she met by the stream. Her marriage should be heaven sent, but something is off.

Each section is led by one of the community’s tenets, which brings life to this very small feeling world, and helps to further illustrate just how controlled they all are by their prophet. Jane, the strange woman from the woods, has been biding her time—will the outcome be worth the wait?

The author managed so much in so few words! I’m impressed and I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this on my lunch break. I really enjoyed how this could be set during any time period. It’s a struggle of womanhood and religion, and it could be set in a cult-like setting like the movie the Village, modern, but cut off. Or it could be a period piece. Hell, it could even take place in its own world, the story being so secluded.

While feeling so down to earth and real, this was bloody bloody revenge.

Huge thanks to Saga Press for the physical arc! Getting to be a part of their program is fantastic and I can’t wait to get into more books.

This is a fun mix of classical feeling fantasy, with notes of historical, epic, and even high fantasies. The younger cast has something fun and almost middle grade to it, while the action itself definitely reads as adult. It also packs all the necessary beats to be its own fairytale, with dragons, wizards, love triangles, happy endings, et al.

The King and Queen of Bellemontagne are receiving princes left and right, all in pursuit of their daughter, Princess Cerise’s, hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Robert, the kingdom’s dragon exterminator, clears out the walls of the castle to ensure it’s at its best for the arrival of a certain prince. Robert hates his job, believing that dragons are more than the vermin they are considered to be. Prince Reginald is a coward, always wanting less than his station as Prince. His father, King Krije, is a powerful and imposing figure, wanting his son to prove his worth to the realm. Fate intertwines the three, drawing them in and forcing their hands as they seek to protect their desires and each other.

Robert proves to be quite the main character. He is brave and carries strong morals. He is heroic and sacrifices, all while not wanting to be the hero. He is in essence, an iteration of the farm boy meant for so much more, and his power is required for the survival and betterment of others.

The action is at points dark, with dragon fire leaving only the bleakest hope of survival. However, when the wizard Dahr gets officially involved, I found some of the final bits to be a bit confusing, and if not confusing, just less enjoyable. Still a worthy read by all means, just some further clarity on those beats would have heightened it all!

I read this to rate for the Indie Ink Awards and I’m glad I was able to reserve it. For some reason it took me over a month to cut through, no idea why, but I’m glad to have read it.

This is a fantasy novel that takes place on a planet that has two separate species of humans on it. One lives close to the earth, hunting and surviving off the land. The other is more technologically advanced, living in a society further along than ours. Balika, an outsider, is thrust out of the only comfort she’s ever known. Sammah, also an outsider, is thrust out of his comfort zone when a friend starts getting close to him.

I loved that the two main characters mirror each other throughout the entirety of the novel. Their journeys may not be identical, but their struggles, their internal turmoil, as well as their outcomes, mirror, intermix, and come together in a really special way. And I especially appreciated the author’s ability to write the character of Balika as different while not making her seem inferior. While her people might have thought the construction machines were giant beasts, not understanding technology, there is nuance and intellect described throughout that highlights very well as just different, not dumb.

In a sense, I will say that the two storylines did not mesh all that well for me. As in, they just didn’t gell for me, and for most of the novel, I wasn’t sure where the build up would take me. It certainly pays off in a big way, it just took a while for me to catch up.

As much as this is a scifi fantasy, it also has notes of eco-horror too. Protecting the world from destruction, as well as repairing what’s been done. There’s also all the necessary dystopian scifi notes of a world that’s too attached to the simplicities that technology bring. All in all a solid mixture.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this one. The audio by Imani Jade Powers was well done and a part I definitely enjoyed.

This was a unique story and take on the vampire. Not your conventional vamps, I really liked that the author mixed historical lore on vampires, demons, devils, and also just made up some of his own stuff. Overall they were the driving force that kept my enjoyment. They are brutal, commanding, savage even. And described in a way I’ve never experienced.

The novel itself though, features Sarita as the main character—oh and her hulking protector, called Angelo. He has saved her from drowning, from party kids getting a little too drunk, from going to the wrong places at the wrong times, and of course from someone she loved very much? Although later there is a reason given for why this happened, it just felt too random/weird too fast, and the description of why just never really caught up for me.

This was a little too all over the place. The pacing of which, with its horrendously repetitive pondering of why this was happening to Sarita, was far too slow, and then the sprinkling in of hyper-violence, just didn’t make sense for me. I was bored, then really engaged, and then it’d dissipate again. The big bad was described as this all powerful being, just to really not be all that climactic. It just had some unfortunate shortcomings.

With such a cool cover, I really wanted to love this one, and while I was kept on the line with the vampire stuff, the story was a bit of a loss for me.

Another one that I read for book club that I would not have necessarily picked up otherwise. Honestly, I’m a bit conflicted with it.

The novel is about two agents on opposite sides of the war. What may have started as an attempt to turn each other, eventually leads to a budding romance of a sort. Through their correspondences, they are truly free, truly themselves, and therefore it’s all the more alluring. Not only must they hide the letters to each other throughout time and space, they must also shield their minds from the leaders that would surely turn them in.

The correspondences, as well as why they are feeling the way they are, are quite beautiful. The nature of needing more and finding it in the strangest place is perhaps a cliche, however it’s completely modified by them being fully crafted, time traveling soldiers. They visit strands of time (the description of which brought to mind the Marvel show Loki for me) stealing, kidnapping, killing, and pretty much whatever else is required of them. So them finding each other, and sharing these desires, is practically impossible. Yet it happened all the same. That’s what I really liked.

What I struggled with, was the lack of everything else. While it wasn’t necessarily the fact that it was missing, it could be awfully confusing when little snippets were dropped. I wanted more. More description, more explanation, more scifi craziness. Without it, and it being so short, I found it to be kind of lacking. It just needed a bit more to glue it all together for me.

I received this to judge for the Indie Ink Awards for two different kinds of rep, disability and Latinx. I already owned the kindle version.

This has one hell of an opening. Jamarnid was sleeping with a harlequin. Well, he thought she was human, which was still a crime, but this one’s even worse. She became pregnant, which is treason, and he was sentenced to death. The entire opening is a whirlwind of lore, action, and torture. He is willing to die for his crimes, but not everyone may agree. It’s fast and strong and you feel it even though you’re still learning characters.

Otherwise though, I do wish that it was labeled as the prologue, rather than chapter one, as it’s really the only chapter that truly takes place in the past. It kind of made the rest of it harder to follow, as the pace never quite speeds up that much again.

This is a multiple POV fantasy that features different races and ages. Full blood elves, harlequins, half bloods, and humans (mostly just mentioned). After the opening, the exiled members have fallen victim to two different purges from the full blood elves. Those that survived made their own city, Almjarhad, where all they want is to live self sufficiently. The POVs, as the blurb states, showcase the hero, the seer, the child, and the condemned, and with that of course, peace is never that simple. I really enjoyed each character and how the author had them operate with each other, especially when they appeared in each others chapters.

There is a very cool and well written sword fight in this, but other than that, this did want for action in my opinion. With the large and intense opening, I guess I expected something to come and outdo that, and there isn’t anything. Although, I will say that this is only book one and it does end with practically everything in a cliffhanger. So I assume the build to action is what follows.

Went with the audio by Connor Brannigan and its very well done.

This is a very bizarre story. Franklin received a set of random texts from a neighbor he doesn’t know. He’s lonely, so he accepts her offer to come over and hang out. Regardless of the red flags, in which there are numerous, he finds himself staying. She contradicts herself, claiming he’s wrong even when it was a comment she made only moments before—clearly gaslighting him. She seems to mistake him for someone else, and over time it only gets worse. After ignoring a text to take her medicine, Franklin invites Lynda over in hopes of shaking her out of it in a new setting.

Unfortunately, things only get worse. The night is fueled by arguments, misunderstands, the need for reassurance, sexual endeavors, and even self harm. I do feel like bits of his loneliness and his ability to brush things off resonated with me as at least ‘possible,’ even though I would have gotten the hell out of there wayyyy earlier. I do feel like Lynda’s assaults were not that deftly handled though, as some of her triggers seemed to be the opposite of expectations.

Regardless, the ending is even more out of left field than the entire story, and the insanity is catching.

The narration by Connor Brannigan is good and has a tone that works well for the subject matter.

I’m not really too sure how to describe this, but ‘weird fantasy’ is what came to mind throughout listening. I think that’s kind of fitting honestly. It’s dark in nature, but it’s also missing common fantasy and horror notes. This is something different.

The penumbra men are seeking answers. Answers that were lost to them, as well as their faith. Vvlna, was the name of their sun, but they’ve lost a use for it in this new world. And as the blurb states, they will find those answers in the house of wolves, but not all of them will make it there.

To me this read like a short section of a history textbook. It’s not exactly any kind of linear tale, but the tone of it speaks to mythology or lore. This is a chronicle of the penumbra men. I felt it was well written and I really enjoyed the voice, but it’s not really long enough to open up into anything, but maybe that’s actually the point.

A first for me from both authors, but it’s a quick, unique read that I’d recommend.

The audio done by Dan Lawson was fantastic. Quick, clean audio, and good distinction for each character.

The novel begins with the narrator, Mark Prewitt, telling the reader that there is a house with a ghost, and that he fell in love with a witch. It worked perfectly as set up for me, as for the remainder of the book, it was like looking over my shoulder waiting for the exact moment those reveals would have an effect.

Mark just wants to make enough money this summer to get his car running. That, and to have as much fun with his friends as possible. But when a prank goes too far, Mark is forced to cross paths with the Farrow sisters in the hopes of making amends, but there’s also a dirty secret that may create a problem of its own.

The Farrow sisters are the town pariahs. Their parents pulled them from school after the death of their eldest sister, and now they’re seldom seen, and wholeheartedly hated. But as Mark meets George (short for Georgia) he realizes that while the family is strange, they’re mostly misunderstood. A friendship, and possibly more, blossoms.

Part of why I loved the opening is because the novel doesn’t really have much in the way of action. Mark goes to work, and he has two jobs. Otherwise he rides his bike to his friends or to see George. That knowledge that something’s coming stays right in the back of your head the whole time.

It’s also a great coming of age story, with super strong dialogue. Although I am born five years after the novel is set, I feel like the 90s were truly the last generation of kids to have that walk/bike everywhere feel. Especially the ‘go wherever you want as long as you’re not in your parents house’ attitude. So that felt nostalgic while reading.

This might be a first of its kind for me, but this is like reading a horror/romance? The possible intrusion of the ghost, a seance gone bad, the witch antics, the almost Addams family plus abusive dysfunction of the Farrow family, all while George and Mark are growing closer, was a unique blend.

I particularly liked the dissection of high school classism, as Mark battles between his heart and his head. He wants to see more of George, desires to be with her, but what would that do to him if anyone found out? Could he afford to become a ghost as well? To become another town pariah? Sometimes, especially with the fickleness of kids, you don't get a choice.

The ending does pick up, has stakes, and losses. And I really enjoyed the open ending. This was a great read and a first for me from the author.

The last of the series for me that was waiting to be completed. When the others were all free, this one wasn’t, and as a novella, I didn’t think it was worth a credit. But it was part of that last audible sale for only $2 so I grabbed it.

This is a novella that showcases the struggles behind getting the Tanaka Institute up and running after the capture of the meg pup at the end of book 1.

They are struggling with electrical problems, management problems, and especially financial problems. They have no money and the megalodon’s pen needs an awful lot of work. Just like with many real large sharks in captivity, there isn’t enough circulating water for her, and she struggles to survive. Which is obviously a huge issue in itself, but they also have no money to feed her.

The set up itself is kind of cool, and I’ll be honest, I was definitely thinking about more of the series after some time away from it, but this wasn’t all that great. It seems like the author just can’t leave stuff alone. Outside the institute, one side is covered in sea lions, the other, filled with surfers looking to take advantage of the large waves. Naturally theres a huge great white attacking them. Oh, and a cookie cutter shark bites a diver…because you know, the megalodon isn't enough. Every shark is just super blood thirsty.

The Meg pup gets some food finally and then they are unexpectedly saved by a huge donor. It just kind of tells you how it ends without revealing anything, which makes it super bland.

Apparently this story is actually a part one, with at least two more supposed to be coming out, but that seems to have not happened. Or at least not yet. I saw a reviewer on goodreads saying this is just for completionists, and honestly it isn’t necessary at all, so that’s true.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio of this one! The narration was done by the author, which is always awesome! Other than a couple little tonal things when chapters switched, it all sounded great.

Pluralities is a journey of identity, self discovery, and the search for inner peace. The main character, sometimes referred to by her mother as just ‘SHE’, wears her she stamp and goes to work every day until one day, the burnout and desire for more becomes far too much to bear. A lucky car ride home from the boy from the froyo stand changes everything.

The novella features another POV, which is a galactic space prince gone rogue and his sentient ship. He wants to be an adventurer, to forge his own path, and to not be held by the confines of his family. And while this did confuse me a bit (I wasn’t expecting it), I loved that the two stories were perfectly paralleled.

This does include a sex scene, which is typically not my bag, however this is a scene of awakening and discovery. It’s about feeling, imagining, becoming more. And while I can’t completely understand or empathize, I thought it was done exceptionally well.

‘SHE’ has never felt like one, she doesn’t think she’s truly a woman. And after this awakening, they still don’t truly know what they are or what they desire to be, but that’s okay. I loved the inclusion of someone further along their own path being included to tenderly be there for all the ups and downs.

If you’re looking for a resource that does a great job of explaining the feeling, the why, and even the lack of why that people feel while discovering their gender or personhood, this describes it very well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this one! The audio by Ramón de Ocampo was pretty solid!

The premise for this is that Liam’s mother is a screenwriter for tv. Her big idea gets picked up for the latest Shark Night on the Danger Channel and her big promise is that Liam will NOT have to be the kid inside the tank. Naturally, we know that’s not going to be true.

As usual, this has all the silliness, the cliffhanger endings, and all the possible scares it could…just like the Goosebumps books. I’m just always curious as to why these separate releases aren’t just GB. He has a very signature style anyway. I wonder if it’s a Stine or a publisher thing.

This was enjoyable and silly and quick, exactly what I’d want and expect from a Stine read. The only snag for me was the fact that it’s literally called Shark Night (both the book and the channel’s special) and yet the shark has the most limited page time? Especially when other ‘things’ have more.

This is part of the author’s forthcoming A Stitch Between Worlds, but as it also has a live separate release, I wanted to share a review for it here as well.

This is a futuristic story, taking place in what felt like a Blade Runner-esque Japan, where memory has become the only form of currency. And just like with dollars and cents, where there’s profit, there’s always someone wanting more. The rich covet, investing in people who are referred to as Hard-Drivers, aka those kept safe like a piggy bank of others memories. This has some thriller notes that were reminiscent of the film In Time, and some of the more scifi notes involving memory recall/replay that are hit upon in the movie of the same name, Rememory.

Felix and Jock are on the run. Wanted by the authoritarian, or perhaps even empirical, OneWorld. The deal they made with the yakuza is only going to keep them safe for some long. The seemingly all-powerful Nagasaki will do anything to remain in power and have memories to spare.

What follows is a fast paced technothriller that plows straight on into an all out revenge story. The scifi elements lend themselves well to a cyberpunk dystopia, and the central theme made for a unique and addictive read.

Went with the audio for this, Dominic Hoffman did a fine job.

I read this one for a book club. It was not my pick, and most definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. And while that is the reason why I’m in the book club, I’m just not really sure how to rate it because of that.

This read like there was no editorial say to tell the author that the story did not need 555 supporting characters. There’s actually so many characters, and so many seeming endless backstories, that I genuinely do not remember any character names other than DoDo.

The novel is about Chicken Hill and it’s residents. They are primarily Jewish and black, which is mostly what the story is about, however literally every single character gets a name and a backstory. For me it drowned out everything else, and I didn’t think there was any discernible through line for the entire novel. Not really sure about this one, but I don’t think I’d suggest it.

Went with audio on this, Justine Eyre and Holly Palance do a good job. One did the narration when the main character wasn’t involved, which I liked somewhat less, but was still enjoyable. The other, voicing the main character, Frankie, did a fantastic job.

Death Warrant is the largest TV show of all time. It features people who have chosen to sign up and be killed off for the enjoyment of millions. The seemingly only positive side, the advertisement earned in the episode is paid out to the loved one of their choice. It’s usually in the millions.

At the novel’s start, Frankie is interested in signing up. She’s a professional mentalist, doing odd jobs mostly, but she does have a bi-weekly night show as well. While she’s not unsuccessful, her brother suffered an accident, where he received brain damage, and therefore he’s hardly scraping by with his old student loans chasing him. So Frankie wants to clear those debts for him forever. The thing is, whether the network decides to work with them or not, they’ve mastered wiping the interviewees memory, so that they’ll have absolutely no memory of the attempt. No desire to re-sign up, and no stressing the supposed day of death.

This felt similar to Mark Towse’s The Generation Games, while not involving ageism, they both travel down to one of the most extreme natural conclusions to where the world could go. With the growing violence of shows, games, movies, where will the need to outdo eventually take us? And I loved the little tidbits in this one that were somewhat scifi-esque that showed it was near future, while not taking away from the story.

I really enjoyed how the author does not tell the reader whether or not Frankie was accepted into the program. And when things start going really well for her, and her success is on the rise, it’s always on the back of the readers mind that the big day could be coming. I really thought this was a good showing of how good things come to those who wait, or even, good things are right around the corner if you just hold out. Especially because the TV show itself is just a high paying form of suicide. The twist at the end does kind of subvert my feelings on that being what the author’s actual message was, but I still enjoyed where it led to regardless.

Huge thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical arc!

Holy cow. This book was freaking awesome, and so compulsively readable. I know the blurb likens it to Goosebumps already, but it really felt like an amped up, adult version to me. The chapters that flashed forward, featuring different sets of people, all read like Goosebump-infused interludes. And with some pretty horrific outcomes.

When bong hits and spliffs aren’t enough, best friends, Barry, Lars, Frankie, and Snaps, take a fateful trip to Lars’ sleazy uncle’s house. All for the promise of a great high… through teleportation. Some clearly explained, and rather scientific reasonings linking the story to The Philadelphia Experiment, make the reader buy in immediately. The rest is history. Some dangerous, mutilating, and deadly history.

The four best friends convince Lars’ uncle to give them a copy of this killer VHS, the ultimate teleportation device, which leads them to make their own copies. The years that follow are different for each of them, but no less gruesome across the four.

Millican does a great job of creating some unique and awfully gross body horror. And I really enjoyed the evolving and differing scenes he painted in each instance the teleportation goes wrong. Some of them brought to mind the multi-zombie from The Walking Dead: Dead City, and the murderous blob from the end of Evil Dead Rise.

The single human world, the differing dimensions, infiltration, as well as the ending, really introduced some intriguing and really unique thoughts on how teleportation could possibly work, and how it could go wrong. So while this story was an absolute blast for me, it also introduced some things that I’ll be thinking through for some time.

Thanks to Cemetery Gates Media for the physical arc!

This is a rereleased story, that has been updated and elongated along the way from the original. The release also features two forewords, an afterword, as well as extra stories. The additional content from the author was cool as it kind of felt like being included in the know.

This story has all the makings of something right up my alley. Someone running from a shady past, a small town, one that’s filled with old traditions and dark secrets, and it’s a cop crime story. The opening is eerie and has all the makings of a creepy atmosphere that could have kept the reader guessing. The witness testimony, as well as the evidence tape, could have grown into something really mysterious.

Unfortunately, this story is quite short, and doesn’t really have the legs to get that atmospheric feeling out there. It relies heavily on the plot, and kind of barrels ahead full throttle until it eventually comes to its short end, petering out. Charlie, while being an interesting character, doesn’t actually have that much to lose, and with it being so short, it kind of feels as if his backstory is just thrown in.

The ending is rather straight forward, with little to surprise the reader. And while that isn’t always a problem for me, I did feel like it happens just to happen, to have an end. Most of my enjoyment was saved by some of the characters, so while it was short, I didn’t entirely dislike it.

The short stories that accompany, according to the afterword, all connect in a singular way, or a theme, but for me they still felt kind of just tacked on. Especially with the longer story being the actual release. Again, not always bad, but in this case, unnecessary. I'm not sure if this will be a hit with folks, but if you're looking for a quick crime story this could be it.