C. J. Daley

This is Christine Bennett mystery # 5, which naturally I’ve never heard of, so why not pick up a random one for Christmas.

In all seriousness though, this actually does a great job of filling you in on needed information while not being an info dump. Nor does it feel like you’re lacking for not reading the others. I was pleasantly surprised.

This series started in the nineties, and in today’s world would probably be marketed under ‘cozy’, which just seems to mean it lacks the “on screen” violence of most modern mystery/thrillers. The deaths are for the most part less gruesome or in this case, completely unknown until the very end, as the person is missing.

It’s written well, and has a simple style that added to my enjoyability. It being included for free on audible also certainly helped, as I may not have picked it up otherwise being in the middle of a series and all, although I do like the cover a lot.

Christine “Chris” Bennett almost became a nun, now she’s an amateur sleuth instead. Her husband is an NYPD officer, and tries to help, but she does the connecting of dots all on her own. So when one of her favorite priests goes missing on Christmas, she’s pulled back into a blend of her old and new worlds.

Personally a 4/5*. Liked it, but was kind of light on the Christmas.

As soon as I saw this cover, I immediately grabbed a copy and started reading it. Christmas horror is 100% my style this year.

Douglas finds Christmas lights, blinking in not-red and not-purple, within the storm drain. He doesn’t know why, but he feels drawn to them and fishes them out. They then cause havoc throughout their little town’s tacky lights competition.

This was pretty much what I gathered from the blurb, and it delivers on it quite well. What I didn’t expect, was the heavy gut punch of grief that this short story packs. I recently attended an indie author’s presentation on Victorian grief, and they spoke of how sons, daughters, siblings are often pushed aside in their grief, making way for the parents first. This exemplified that explanation fantastically. Douglas is dealing with his grief silently, because he is seen as the absence rather than the survival, the continuation after loss. It was really well done and added a much needed layer to the story.

Maybe it’s just me, but the storm drain/kids fighting to save a town when the parents don’t believe them felt very reminiscent of IT to me, as well as a blend of others.

Personally a 4/5*, check this one out!

I am, as ever, a little late. I received this from NetGalley, but wanted to wait for the correct seasonal feel.

This has a bit of an issue with formatting, but I was able to get through it, and the writing is easy to read and without typos. The book does feature artwork throughout, but the style isn’t always the same, and some of them are actually almost creepy when they aren’t meant to be.

This is a reimagining of the story of Santa Claus. It starts with an immigrant toy maker and his toy shop. He eventually adopts two orphans that have good carving skills, and makes them his apprentices. One of the children ends up being Santa. The strange thing to me with the story though, is that it almost seems to not be about Santa at all. His real name is John Nicholas, and things happen around him, and he just kind of becomes Santa. He’s not really the whimsical, saintly guy we’ve come to think of. He does deliver toys to the children of the world, however it wasn’t even his idea or plan.

I did find enjoyment in this story, but the writing style felt more like note taking/plot points rather then the telling of an actual story. Also with some of the content and the way it’s written, I’m not even sure what the age group it’s aiming for is. Personally a 3/5*.

I actually preordered a paperback of this, but I’ve been too busy to get to it. The author very kindly sent me over an audible code, so I was able to fit it in sooner. Sadly there is a short story where you are not supposed to say the rhyme out loud so now I am unfortunately cursed. Alex Schiffer does a pretty solid job with narration though.

This collection features 15 short stories, some of which have been published elsewhere before, but were entirely new to me. One of the cool things about them being from other anthologies is that you are getting a slew of locales and types of horror in this single collection, nothing reads as one note.

My personally favorite was Percepto! not only in its shock value, but also for the classic Vincent Price. A close runner up was Sally Under the Bed, which to me felt almost like Hendrix’s Ankle Snatcher but from a younger perspective and somehow even creepier.

Naturally, I’m really here to talk about It Haunts the Mind. The collection’s namesake, but also a short story from the world of The Exorcist’s House (which I absolutely loved). I believe this fits somewhere within the opening of the novel and the family moving into the vacated house. Three teens plan to get drunk and look around. They’ve heard rumors, but they aren’t scared. Fans will see a familiar face, and be haunted by a familiar, foul-mouthed presence. With it being short it doesn’t quite hit the same level of creepy, but I enjoyed the extra layer in background.

Personally a 4.5/5*.

I received a copy to review for BBNYA, and my review has been withheld until after the competition ended. I also grabbed a paperback copy, as I prefer to read physical. And what a beautiful cover.

This is a fun mix of elemental-esque magics, as the seasons are at war with winter. The big bad is so bad that he is locked away and still posing problems. One of the most enjoyable things, is that while the stakes are high, world-endingly so, the entrance of our de facto hero is in the king’s kitchens as a lowly kitchen boy. He does desire to be a knight, but he’s just a boy. One with nearly no experiences in life.

Through the novel, the author shows Garlan as he leanrs, experiences, and grows. He has to experience danger, loss, near-death activities (several times), and even new friendships. He is not infallible, nor is he invincible, he feels both real and knightly.

Although the ending does really deliver on the whole battling seasons plot line, I did find some of the other stops/action sequences to feel a bit uninvolved. They served the purpose of teaching Garlan, but at the same time didn’t always tie back to winter.

Personally a 4/5* for me. As this is more so whimsical than many other fantasies, as well as featuring such a young protagonist, the fairytale-esque style of storytelling did make this read a little overlong for me.

This was included for free from audible, and as it bridged the gap between holidays, I gave it a go. I’ll share the bio, as this is kind of a real short one:

“Most of you know I’m not known for my short stories, apparently I’m much too long-winded. But on occasion there are some things I just need to pull from my head and put on paper. I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into the things that keep me up at night.”

The first story opens up with the author writing his family and home into a zombie apocalypse. As he is an apocalyptic writer, it makes sense, but I also thought it was a really cool idea too. They barricade themselves upstairs and fight to keep the hoard at bay.

The following stories feature some of the characters from his works, which I have not read, and I can only assume would be much more enjoyable if I had first. However, they do seem to be at least mostly unrelated to the other works, because you can follow along easily enough, it’s just some of the personal relationship stuff that doesn’t hit.

Personally a 3/5*, an enjoyable and real short collection. The narration was real Bostonian, but enjoyably fitting.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. The author also had it up for free on kindle, so I grabbed it for a verified review.

This prequel novella caught me off guard. It’s not only a post apocalyptic story, but also a scifi/futuristic story. The blend of which worked really well for me. It also read as withholding information on purpose, rather than just waiting for the full length novel like some other prequels do, which I appreciated, and it definitely kept me wanting.

Our gritty main character, Thibault, will do anything to free his wife. Sometimes that grittiness made it a little hard to believe the loving/longing relationship he still holds for his wife, but I had to keep reminding myself that it’s also post apocalypse, so people change and do whatever they have to to survive. When faced with an ultimatum, a final job, one that forces him to do something practically suicidal or never see his wife again, of course he must agree.

I thought the stakes were high and mostly were delivered on. I do wish some of that withheld information was explained a bit more by the end, but it was certainly intriguing and would read more.

I would be remiss to not mention the main factor that detracted from my enjoyment of the book though, which took it from a solid 5* down a notch. At the end of the book, there is a call to action to sign up for the author’s newsletter to receive a bonus epilogue. Personally and unfortunately, to me, the epilogue comes post story, but is typically integral to the lead up to the following book. To me that makes it necessary reading, not a “bonus” and that lack of accessibility hurt it overall. Like receiving 90% of the book you thought you bought. So personally a 4/5* for me.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team.

This is posed as humorous fantasy, and it certainly delivers just that. It’s enjoyable, witty, a little inappropriate, and adventurous. I love the idea of a team of adventurers just being awful at it. They may end up being in the right or wrong place at any given time, and lord only knows how they’ll fumble it. Beden just wants to prove himself. He just can’t seem to get things right. Oz, his wizard companion, cannot keep his pants on long enough to cast a spell, and his remaining partner is all brawn and no brains. So when they get buddied up with another group led by Jyden, they can’t seem to mesh. She’s hard headed, determined to lead, and breaking the group apart with her personality.

The character work is fun, with witty banter, and each person being unique in their own abilities (if you can call them that). My only gripe is that as it’s titled “episode one” it does feel like the first piece of something, not like it’s own story. The ending and really only the start of explaining the world feels more like a couple of chapters of something rather than it’s own novella.

Personally a 4/5* for me as it’s fast and fun and real easy to read

https://literal.club/cjdscurrentread/book/j-todd-kingrea-with-a-blighted-touch-z7324

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team.

Take this with a grain of salt/sand/ashes/world making crystals (if you will)…as this story unfortunately did not connect for me. I found it to read as disjointed, often jumping between times while also switching characters in a way that did nothing but confuse me. The scenes are often very short, perhaps a couple hundred words each, and it felt like I couldn’t sink my teeth into anything. Like I was constantly trying to connect or understand but then it changed again. Even after finishing, I’m not quite sure what the plot is.

Perhaps just not my style, writing taste, or the wrong story for me, as I actually highlighted quite a bit that I thought was fantastic. Quotes and odds and ends that hit me as profound. As I received this to review, it wasn’t an actual kindle version, so I couldn’t upload them to goodreads sadly.

Personally a 3/5* for me. Just not to my taste.

I received a copy to review for BBNYA, and my review has been withheld until after the competition ended. I also grabbed a paperback copy, as I prefer to read physical.

One of the things I worried about as this is my first year with BBNYA is the idea of 2,000 words being enough to fully grasp the worth of a story. For me, this story was not a huge win for me for round one. I was intrigued, but not desperate to continue. Luckily, I received it again, because this was one hell of an action adventure story!

This reads like a young adult historical fiction where the Templar order is searching for lost artifacts. The back likens it to Indian Jones and Uncharted. At first, I thought it odd that it didn’t mention Assassin’s Creed, as it seemed unlikely the author had not heard of it, but then I figured that might have put them as villains in readers’ minds.

Noah is desperate to follow in his family’s footsteps, to prove himself to his father, and to join the Templar order. This is the last thing his father wants, but unfortunately, it’s not entirely up to him.

The action is slick and believable, never going to the action-hero limit, while still being edge-of-your-seat enjoyable. The diving scenes really helped amp up the claustrophobic feeling and that added to the overall climactic built.

Personally a 4.5/5*. Really enjoyed it, but some of the teenage boy thoughts got a bit repetitive.

Saw this for free on Twitter and immediately gave it a go! It just released the 14th, so check it out!

I wish this had been available for my spooky season reads, but it was good nonetheless. This felt like it had the same vibe as Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge, while being entirely different. Maybe it’s just the pumpkin heads.

Why is it that spooky stories come alive? Why is it that the dark and terrible lore is always true? The Pumpkin King is no different. Emil never believed it, was made fun of during the war for sharing it as a tale from his town. But clearly something is taking people out every autumn. Now that he’s home, that doesn’t mean it’s any realer, right?

Personally a 4/5*. Concise, written well, and dark.

Saw that this was included listening on audible, and in the “fallout” of being done with the Meg series, I decided to give this a go.

This is all the blurb says, and honestly it’s not even that accurate/descriptive, but for some reason my brain definitely said, ‘yeah this must be another shark novel’. It’s not. To my surprise.

“A young couple go to Bermuda on their honeymoon. They dive on the reefs offshore, looking for the wreck of a sunken ship. What they find lures them into a strange and increasingly terrifying encounter with past and present, a struggle for salvage and survival along the floor of the sea, in the deep.”

A honeymooning couple (one is divorced and not that young) find a hidden shipwreck underneath a known shipwreck. In typical Benchley fashion, there is also a gangster with unbelievable connections. He wants what they’ve found, and he’s willing to kill to get it as they race to collect it. It does add the layer of tension the novel needs, but it does feel oddly reminiscent of Jaws. This novel is certainly different though, as it’s also full on historical fiction too.

Personally a 3/5*

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase this in paperback, as I prefer to read physical, and I liked the cover.

This novella features a gritty fantasy world and focuses on a group of assassins. They moonlight as s*x workers, blacksmiths, medical stall workers, all with the aim of collecting information on their marks and raising a little funds. They have all been recruited by a masked-wearing man, one that seems to know all, and has the plans kept mostly mum.

In one scene, they focus on saving a captured priestess turned new member of their group. Call it an unannounced recruitment. It was in this scene that I felt like it hit a bit of a stride. It was explained that each woman had a different but pivotal role, and here it was showcased. Annah is the blade in the night, while Erika is more of a heavy hitter.

The finale takes off with them reaching a new area and needing to take out three cronies before getting to the big bad. This felt like an in depth Assassin’s Creed scene or set, which if you know me, I love AC, so this was a huge part of my enjoyment with this novella.

The action/assassinations were all unique and well written, and I enjoyed taking the journey with them. I will say that the characters worked much more as the group then on their own for me, but I think with that could be changed in a full novel.

Personally a 4/5*

I was apparently approved for this from NetGalley, but then I got so busy that I completely missed it. So, very sorry about that! The narration by Lindsay Dorcus was awesome.

Wardens are like rangers and wizards mixed into one. Our main character, Aelis, is a sword wielding, wand caster, and the new arriving overseer of Lone Pine. She is a necromancer, an anatomist, and pretty good with a sword too. The world pieces Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and even Harry Potter, and I could see people thinking Gideon the Ninth too. With all that in mind, the blend read very unique to me, as well as fully fleshed out.

The inner thoughts of Aelis, somewhat sarcastic and even self-deprecating, mixed with the more deadpan and steadfast personality of her half-orc guide, Tun, read as a great dynamic. I did struggle a bit with the half-elf love interest though. It felt kind of like pushing for a sapphic subthread that didn’t really need to be there. Or at least it wasn’t fleshed out enough for me.

I’d also liken it to some older fantasy series in the sense that it doesn’t deliver on some gigantic climax. That didn’t really work for me in the moment, but I think I’ve just become so engrained in the modern delivery of heavy action before the end. This does not have that, and that’s actually okay. It’s not without action, nor is it boring at all!

Personally a 4/5*. The peppered in flashbacks from school at the Lyceum really added depth to the world and the MC.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase the audiobook, as I am super busy, and the narration was a nice plus.

This was an interesting mix of kind of slice-of-life styled mundane work and then urban fantasy-ish blended cosmic horror and action. A car park. Creepy lights and darkness. The car park workers. Discovering a cistern that’s slowly churning out multi-dimensional monsters. Oh and the monsters turn to sludge when they die, so no one will believe it.

The main character, Sam, is enjoyable and believable. Her experiences are so real and frustrating that I didn’t mind sitting in the booth with her while she worked. As a retail worker, I have experienced and heard some of these things myself, so it was spot on (sadly!).

I liked the idea of her recruiting the other car park employees to protect the place and stake out the cistern, however I did find the ending to come up a bit short. Both in the literal scale, and excitement. It wasn’t outright flat, it just felt as if it came and went, the action happening in one single little burst. It made the built up stakes not read as quite real.

Personally a 3.5/5*, I’d still recommend as I’m sure book 2 adds even more to it.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase this in paperback, as I prefer to read physical, and I liked the cover.

As a prequel, I was surprised how character focused this was, especially because it came out after the series first book (something that seems quite popular in current fantasy series). It opens right into a very morally grey set of characters, and as with all wars, they are on both sides. I enjoyed all of the perspectives and the ways in which they were different. And the author definitely has a deft hand with written intrigue.

The world seems to have a system where whenever someone dies, everything they’ve ever handwritten disappears. It’s intriguing for sure, though just barely touched upon. I don’t know if this is because you are supposed to be teased into reading the first book, or because it was originally explained at length in the novel, but as a standalone for SFINCS, it didn’t really work for me, feeling more like a possible companion to book one in that sense, rather than a standalone prequel.

The action sequences, though rather short, are intense, written well, and definitely make you feel like you’re thrust right into the thick of it. Because it’s character focused though, I do feel like it fell a bit short on delivering against its title of “The Revenge of Thousands.”

Personally a 3.5/5*. I am trying to judge it as a standalone for the competition, but my own thoughts are that I would very gladly continue right into the first book!

I received a copy to review for BBNYA, and my review has been withheld until after the competition ended.

I was very lucky to receive this through more than one of the stages of BBNYA, not because reading 2k and 10k excerpts are really my thing, but because this was so enjoyable.

A middle grade scifi/fantasy adventure featuring ghosts? Those are some of my favorite things! This novel has so much growth to it, and I love that the author showed the main character going back and forth in her growing just like children do. There’s so much heart and struggle in this one and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The characters, from Eva, the first human born on Mars, to her friends, the cast is diverse and interesting and they react and respond like actual friends do. The science is there, but not overwhelming as it’s targeting kids. The same can be said for the action. It’s thrilling without being too much, but it does have realness to it.

Personally a 5/5*

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase this in paperback, as I prefer to read physical, and I liked the cover.

Kilo is a Shadow. Sworn to protect the people without killing. But when he is faced with the decision to let his friend die, or take a life, he makes the only choice he could.

The story follows along with the consequences of Kilo’s life after taking a life, much of which are self inflicted. I will say, it does suffer for me because it doesn’t actually pan out within the novella. He doesn’t have a set plan for retribution, and because of that he just kind of goes back to living life while simultaneously carrying the guilt for his actions. It does end on a note of hope, but it loses the ‘why’ for me during the novella itself.

Personally a 3/5*, featuring a unique world that meshing Japan with some of its own things. The descriptions are strong and the action was fluid.

Gave this a go when I saw that all except for 2 are currently included with audible. Just in time to head into October spooky reads, and I love some scifi shark horror. Each one’s been a little less science and a bit more fiction, but parts have remained fun.

Let me just say, this dude waited SIX full length novels using the identical formula, to then hit us with a CLIFFHANGER? I’m maddddd. I had read that this was supposed to be the last one, and maybe it had just gotten too long and he had to split it, or maybe he just likes torture. Especially because he apparently hasn’t even started to write the 7th entry, and this one released in 2018…

This one reined in the story a bit, a lot of my complaints about the last one going off the rails were missing from this plot thankfully. It’s still virtually the same story for 6 books in a row, but it’s action packed with an addictive pace. There is something about the way he writes to lends itself to an enjoyable creature feature.

On a serious note, if the objectification and sexualization of every single female character wasn’t enough, the stuff the author puts Terry Taylor through has got to be pretty on the nose about how he feels about women as a whole. She nearly dies over and over, giving Jonas the opportunity to be the hero. She gets an extreme anxiety disorder, more than likely PTSD too. Then she gets Parkinson’s. This one it’s cancer then a coma. Prime example being that Terry is the main reason that Jonas agrees to the mission in this one, and Terry doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb.

If you can get past that, these are still a lot of fun. Personally a 4/5* for me, and definitely my favorite cover. Meg is not the main character anymore sadly.

This is an indie fantasy that I threw on my wishlist because of the cover, and I got it as a gift for Christmas—which is awesome. 

One of the things that struck me immediately when I started reading was the author's chosen voice and how it came across. It's first person, and a lot of the comments are witty, tongue-in-cheek, retorts and I felt like it had an immediate likening to the voice of Jeff Lindsay throughout the Dexter series (vastly, wildly different content though). Therefore, I was pretty taken with the novel right off the bat. 

This is an urban fantasy, which other than showing us part of a small town (and one specific bar) in Alaska, does most of its storytelling in another dimension. This happened to really work for me, as I don't typically get along with urban fantasy too often. The world building and the explanation of all of the lore did a fantastic job of distancing the real world from the other dimension for me. And at just over 200 pages, the author did a great job of not making it feel like an info dump. Nor are we walked through every single day in the life of training, which was refreshing to me most of the time. 

The magic system, or ethos, is passed down through lineage and is from a direct bloodline with the gods (do not think Percy Jackson here...it's not). A person's full potential is only unlocked after their ethos has been evoked. One thing I loved about this magic system is that it was linked to stamina, but also emotions. There is no 100 page bout of the main character overusing and passing out, no training to use a bit more day after day. It's just boom, here you have it, now please just figure out what your power is. 

The plot was solid, and the writing is of a good quality for sure. A few parts skipped around a bit for me, where pages would cover months at a time, but I'll allow it to get a 237 page gut-punching fantasy. There is most definitely some spiciness in this novel, if that's your thing. There is also a straight up erotic scene, if that's also your thing. It is most definitely not my thing, but it didn't ruin it for me. 

Worth your time, money, or effort to read. Follow and support the author!

This is one of the Give Yourself Goosebumps books, and I think the series was serviced really well as a choose your own adventure. It made it both scarier and more climactic flipping back and forth through the pages. At one point I had all five fingers of one hand between pages so that I wouldn't miss any of the endings. 
I went into this hoping for a Goosebumps version of The House of Wax and to a certain extent, it is, but it also does it's own thing. A bit more supernatural, and it pulls a few characters from the original series to appear as wax figures! 
Personally a 5/5*, really enjoyed this format. 

This is an Eye of the Universe prequel novella, and you can get a copy by signing up for the author's newsletter like I did! (Get it here: https://marktimmony.com/signup/ )

So I had seen this author's work come up multiple times on bookstagram. As he's writing magical fantasy, with awesome covers, I was of course very interested. But with all the other books I was working through reading and reviewing I just hadn't had the time yet. Then I saw the chance for a prequel novella (which I'm sure y'all know I love by now) and I had to have it. And come on? The cover of this one is easily the best! 

So per the author's note at the back of this prequel novella, this story takes place approximately 2000 years before the events of book one. After seeing that I'm rather impressed at the author's ability to write such a poised, concise story that has action, heart, emotion, and I'm sure tons of context clues and references to the series. In such a short amount of time the author makes you care for the characters and world. 

The world building is definitely a favorite of mine in this. Although at times it can be confusing, as I haven't read any of the longer works yet, but I absolutely love that the author just goes full throttle on it. Names, places, events, and magic just happen at full speed. There is a very science-y, astral projection type magic in this (that definitely made me think Doctor Strange-esque things) and although I'm still not sure I 100% followed, I am definitely 100% all-in on it. 

I can't wait to have the chance to read more if this is what's in store. 

This is a prequel to The Darkness Within Saga, and yet another free Podium Audio from audible. Free is my favorite price. 

This one kind of falls in between my two most recent prequel reads. It does a great job of not being an exposition or lore dump (similar to Terry Goodkind's Debt of Bones), but I feel like it kind of lacks a decent amount of world building, or explanation/thoroughness. That's not to say that I think it's bad in any way, it just referenced some things (or only mentioned people once) and it felt like it was leaving me hanging. But I guess that's the nature of short prequels!

The story follows Yrlissa Blackmist, an elven assassin and overall badass. She's been alive for an unbelievable amount of time, and as an assassin, she doesn't have the best track record...some people are pissed. So as one does when faced with multiple enemies, she falls in love and starts a family. Read or listen for yourself to learn why (and it's included from audible, the narrator is good!).

Something the author does really well with this one is the characters (that are the main feature in the prequel). They feel fleshed out and interesting and there was a certain amount of heart even with it being so short. The best take away for me though (very much like Shackled by Michael Wisehart) is it left me wanting more. I feel the draw, I am interested enough to grab the next. Luckily this one is once again a shorter series (although not finished yet), so I will probably continue with it at some point. 

I was super stoked when I was approved for the audiobook from NetGalley. I am a huge fan of The Shadows and The Whisper Man, so I couldn't wait to get to this one. I love how the audio mixes crime with horror elements. 
Sadly, I'm not much of a fan of this one. I feel like the book lost me within the first 20 minutes of audio. This book features like Goosebumps-level short chapters but from different perspectives. Not to mention also time periods? It jumps so fast and so often that you aren't really spending significant time with anyone, which wasn't allowing me to settle into any one perspective. It was incredibly confusing. 
The hooks and twists of the story were lacking for me, they read as kind of unbelievable. I'm not sure if it was because they were too simple, too coincidental, or because they actually didn't make sense. This read like a book that got published 2 or 3 drafts before it was finished. There's interesting stuff here, but it's not collected well. The Angel Maker? It's like oddly referenced two or three times, sounds super creepy and weird, but literally has no pay out. Did they forget? It kind of sets up its horror elements, but then forgets to add them in. 
Personally a 2/5* for me. Oddly disappointed!