Review: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady HendrixThe Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Also by this author: My Best Friend's Exorcism, Paperbacks from Hell
Published by Quirk Books on April 7, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Thrillers
Pages: 408
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Goodreads
Patricia Campbell's role as a stay-at-home mom has evolved over time. Now that her children have gotten older and have their own lives, they don't need her as much anymore.  Instead, a large portion of her time is taking care of her senile mother-in-law.  The one thing she looks forward to is her book club.

They aren't the "traditional" book club, so to speak.  What once started as a stuffy, boring discussion of the "standard" book club choices transitioned into one focused on true-crime. Made up of some of her closer friends, their discussion easily vacillates between neighborhood gossip and the most recent serial killer they've read about.

Everything changes when they meet James Harris. James moves into the neighborhood to take care of his elderly aunt.  Thus far, he's kept to himself, preferring to keep indoors during the day.  Patricia's mother-in-law swears that she knew him as a child, but her senility prevents anyone from really believing in her.

When strange things begin happening in town, and children begin to go missing, Patricia worries that the very man they've welcomed into their homes is just as deadly as they killers they discuss in book club.  Unfortunately, James Harris has won the hearts of those around him.  It's up to Patricia and her book club to rid the their neighborhood of the monster that dwells among them.

Whoah!! I’m a fan of Hendrix’s books (I’ve read every one of them) but this one quickly rose to the top as a favorite.  Toted as Dracula meets Steel Magnolias or Fried Green Tomatoes, it really is the most unique of vampire tales.  Hendrix took his time building up the characters, allowing readers to get a fake sense of security about this southern book club.  Additionally, it pays homage to the 80s and 90s and some of the traditional vampire lore, but quickly takes off to create a truly captivating and genuinely well-developed story-line.

Those  who have read Hendrix before are familiar with his satire; though it’s not as prolific in this title it certainly comes to light several times throughout.  This, too, is perhaps a touch higher on the horror and gore scale (I’m not complain) so perhaps this is why I tend to favor it more than the others.

Hendrix excels and proving what I’ve been saying for years: book clubs kick ass!

All in all, a completely captivating read. Highly, highly recommended!

Posted in Horror, Review, Thriller | 2 Comments

Review: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Jenn
Review: The City We Became by N. K. JemisinThe City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
Published by Orbit on March 24, 2020
Genres: Action & Adventure, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Goodreads
A young grad student gets off the train, no knowledge of his identity.  Questioned, he claims the first identity he sees: Manny (Manhattan). At some level, he can feel that his past had tones of overpowering violence, but as yet is unable to comprehend the full picture.   As he enters the city, he can feel the power held within, the very essence flows through him.  He is not alone.

Throughout the city, there are others like him.  Physical avatars of the other boroughs of the city, the call to join together to help heal the primary avatar and overcome an invading evil weaving its tentacles through the very essence of what makes New York the diverse city it has become.

Words cannot describe the poetic power that resides within the pages of this book.  We often refer to the soul of a city, but what if a city had an actual soul? A soul so strong that it takes the form of a human avatar?

This is but just the start of a new series of great cities; I found it quite fitting that New York be the first. The great city of New York, its very existence threatened by a Woman in White who threatens gentrification through force, ignoring the brilliant beauty in the diversity of those who inhabit the city.

Jemisin excels at story-telling, this frighteningly so close to reality world is no different. While I could have rushed through my reading of this book, I found myself intentionally pausing, putting the book down, refusing to allow the conclusion.  There isn’t a single aspect of this book that I can critique, so instead I shall sit back and commend its absolute brilliance.

Though labeled as fantasy, readers will pick up on stark and frightening realities that exist in our very real, very terrifying world.  As I read this book, we are all watching citizens of New York as they are forced to join together an fight against the enemy that is COVID-19.  Jemisin describes a city as a family that must come together to protect one another, for fear of death.  Did it not send chills down my spine when I realized that the very moment I closed this book, the 7:00 PM hour, is the very moment New Yorkers come together through cheers and applause, to thank the first responders as they battle this horrific enemy?

This is the first book I’ve given five stars to in some time; likely the last. This is a book that everyone should be reading, fans of fantasy or not.  Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Fantasty, Review, urban fantasy | 1 Comment

Review: The Return by Rachel Harrison

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Return by Rachel HarrisonThe Return by Rachel Harrison
Published by Penguin on March 24th 2020
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Occult & Supernatural
Pages: 304
Source: the publisher
Goodreads
Julie went missing after a hike in the woods.  After months pass, many believe she is gone for good.  Elise, however, knows deep down that Julie has somehow survived.  Then, two years to the day she disappeared, Julie returns, seemingly with no knowledge of what transpired over the last few years.

Elise and Julie plan to join their closest college friends, Molly and Mae, on a girls reunion trip to a remote inn. When they see Julie, now emaciated and a shell of the woman she used to be, they know something is wrong.  As their weekend continues, more and more is revealed about how Julie has changed.  What happened to Julie in those woods and who, or what, returned in her place?

This is just what I was craving; a completely unique and chilling read.

The setting was phenomenal; a remote inn, with extravagantly- themed rooms.  Having stayed at a hotel like this before, I can vouch to feelings of unease when our senses are surrounded by a setting so unique.

The dynamic between the four women was completely transfixing.  Elise was closest to Julie and the first to see that something was very wrong with her; the others chalked it up to her experience and the recovery.  Eventually, as more was revealed, however, they were the quickest to distance themselves from her, yet pushing Elise to find out more about what happened those two years she was gone.

As Julie sheds  the facade of the young beautiful woman she used to be, her true identity is absolutely terrifying.  Bit by bit, an aspect of her beauty is lost. Certainly not something anyone squeamish should endure!  While the origination of her…altered self wasn’t fully detailed, it was just enough to add to overall feelings of dread and terror.

This is a title that will make you want to read with the lights on, and remind you to never, never hike alone.

 

Posted in Horror, Review | Leave a comment

Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher (egalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie WrobelDarling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
Published by Simon and Schuster on March 17, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 320
Source: the publisher (egalley)
Goodreads
For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts spent the majority of her life in doctor's offices and hospitals.  She received a feeding tube when she was just days old.  She was bound to her wheelchair, her hair fell out, and her teeth rotted. Despite all the tests and doctors, no one could determine the cause.  Her neighbors held fundraisers to pay for her care; hundreds of people prayed for her recovery.  Unfortunately, however it turns out the very hand that feed her was the one causing all the pain.

Her mother, Patty Watts, served five years in prison. Rose Gold's testimony was the key that lead to her sentencing.  Up until the end, Rose Gold refused to visit her.  However, in a shocking turn of events, Rose Gold opens her home to her mother.

Patty says she forgives Rose Gold, but Rose Gold is no longer a naive and weak child.  She's grown and matured in the last few years.  She's ready to face her torturer.  Even more, she's ready to even the score.

What a completely twisty read! The format (alternating chapters from the point of views of Patty and Rose Gold) really add to the tension, for the reader follows both women from the past to the present, Patty focusing on repairing the tarnish on her name while Rose Gold delves into what transpired the five years her mother spent in prison.  The challenge is knowing whose point of view you can trust (if any) in a completely astounding series of twists and turns.

As an avid fan of thrillers (I read quite a lot of them) I tend to pick up on things quickly, not very often shocked or surprised by what I read.  Yet every time I turned the page, I gasped or was completely astounded by what was transpiring.  I was completely captivated throughout the read, staying up far too late to finish.

One of the challenges of a twisty read is the conclusion.  Do you leave it open ended? Or try to wrap it up neatly, everything “solved” in the last few pages? What Wrobel did (yes, I’m being completely vague here), left me turning the last pages, gasping, the only word I was able to utter was “Wow!”

Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Review, Thriller | 1 Comment

Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher (egalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Deep by Alma KatsuThe Deep by Alma Katsu
Also by this author: The Hunger, Red Widow
Published by Penguin on March 10, 2020
Genres: Fiction, General, Historical, Horror, Thrillers
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher (egalley)
Goodreads
Among the passengers of the Titanic, something sinister lingers. Disappearances, mysterious deaths, and attempted suicide are on the minds of many as they sail through the quiet and desolate ocean.  Annie Hebbley, a quiet and obedient stewardess, finds herself afflicted with strange compulsions toward the Fletcher's, one families she is assigned to assist.  She finds herself questioning the stability of the mother, and drawn to their infant child and the father, Mark. Though they have never met prior to boarding the ship, she feels a connection that cannot be broken.

Alas, before the passengers are able to find the root of their uneasy feelings, tragedy strikes and the ship sinks.

Four years later, while Annie has survived the fate of the Titanic, she has spent the time since in an asylum, refusing to alert her family of her existence.  She finds relief work as a nurse on the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now a wartime hospital ship.  When she learns that Mark, too, survived the sinking and is now a patient on board the Brittanic, something that has lain hidden over the last several years reawakens.  What if the ghosts of her past, the very ones that led her to flee on the Titanic,  are the very ones responsible for the terror that inflicted the passengers?

Leave it to Katsu to turn an already terrifying historical series of events to something even more sinister and horrific! I’ve long been obsessed with the events that led to the sinking of the Titanic, so when I learned of the premise of Katsu’s newest title, I knew I had to read it.

An insane amount of research went into the writing of this title. It’s obvious in the details (but also in Katsu’s social media streams, be sure to follow those if you don’t already); The Deep is based on Violet Jessop, an actual survivor of both the Titanic and the Brittanic.  What I find is most remarkable about this title is that Katsu is able to put a completely unique (and horrifying) twist on a series of events that are such a big part of world history.  Deep down, although I knew the fate of both ships, the sheer suspense and detail in Katsu’s writing kept me captivated, almost as if I was on-board the ships as well.  The pacing creeps along like the mighty ships through the ocean waters, slow and steady, the destination simultaneously daunting and unknown.

I’ve intentionally left details out regarding the provenance of the evil that lurks on these sister ships; it is up to the reader to uncover these details on their own.

All in all, a completely compelling and chilling read! Highly recommended!

Posted in Historical Fiction, Horror, Review | Leave a comment

Review: The Chill by Scott Carson

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Chill by Scott CarsonThe Chill by Scott Carson
Published by Simon and Schuster on February 11, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
Goodreads
In upstate New York, a village lays beneath the waters of the Chilewaukee reservoir.  Politicians of that era deemed the demise of the town necessary for the greater good; millions of people living downstate now had access to water.  Locals, however, believed differently. Residents of the small village since the formation of this country, they held a grudge against the big-city politicians that wiped their homes from existence.  Generations later, many have moved to the neighboring village, feelings of malcontent ever-present.  Some say the citizens of the village never left, continuing to watch over the land they held so precious.

Now, an inspector finds that the dam has been neglected for far too long. The waters of the Chilewaukee (known to locals as The Chill) hold more than just an abandoned village. A dark prophecy remains, one that is aching to be fulfilled.  An abundance of rain causes the water levels to rise, increasing the call for a sacrifice pay for the sins of their fathers.

I enjoy a good thriller with a well-developed backstory! The story of the Chilewaukee reservoir is a haunting one; an entire village lay submerged beneath the water.  With it comes a cast of well-developed characters, both past and present.  Aaron Ellsworth, son of the sheriff, had so much going for him until one single act cost him is future. Gillian Mathers, a police officer, has direct ties to those lost in the Chilewaukee.  Her father, Deshawn, works on the very tunnels that bring the reservoir water down to Manhattan.  His character seems to be the only one accepting of the fate that has been bestowed upon them.  Once fearful of what remains beneath the reservoir water, a newly gained respect is earned once he understands it’s power.

This thriller has been pegged by many as a horror, simply because of the mention of ghosts and a haunting past. I feel this does this a disservice, immediately removing it as an option for those who prefer not to read that genre. I wouldn’t call this a horror, much like I wouldn’t classify a book with a love scene as a romance.  This has far more of the characteristics of a thriller for it to be labeled anything but that.

My only challenge with this title is the nicely wrapped up ending. It seemed to rushed; give me an ambiguous ending over a rushed one anytime!

Finally, though the name Scott Carson may seem like a new name to the thriller game, it is just a pen name for an author many of us have grown to love.  I was given a hint prior to reading this title, but elements of his previous writing made it quite apparent early in the read.  I’ll be interested to see who guesses the identity (without Googling!).

All in all, a truly captivating read.

Posted in Mystery/Suspense, Review, Supernatural, Thriller | 2 Comments

2020 Big Game’s On Read-a-thon: Post-Game!

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Jenn

 

I sincerely hope everyone who participated (officially or unofficially) in the #biggamereadathon enjoyed themselves!  It’s time to report back on our success!  In the comments below, or in a blog or Instagram post, share your successes. Don’t forget to mention if the predictions you made earlier in the game came true!  Discuss your favorite parts of the read-a-thon, was it the food, the books, or the commercials?

Thanks to all who participated!  This just goes to show you can turn any event into a bookish event 🙂

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2020 Big Game’s On Read-a-thon: Half-Time!

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Jenn

 

Half-time is here! It’s is time to reminisce on what you’ve read so far today.  How has your reading gone so far?  What snacks have you partaken in?

Despite all of my attempts, I wasn’t able to start a book on our drive home from Philadelphia.  That said, I did start reading as soon as the game came on!  I’m reading The Chill by Scott Carson! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as food, so far we’ve partaken in: pizza, wings, buffalo chicken dip, potato skins, pigs in a blanket!

While there won’t be any official posts until the wrap-up tomorrow, keep us updated on your progress in the comments below or, if you are on Twitter, use the hashtag #biggamereadathon!

Game on!

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2020 Big Game’s On Read-a-thon: Kick-Off!

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Jenn

It’s finally here, the kick-off for The Big Game’s On Read-a-thon!  Although the official Superbowl kick-off isn’t for several hours yet, I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to start reading if they choose! There’s still time to sign-up if you haven’t already!

Please enter the link to your kick-off post below.  Discuss the books you are planning to read, the food you are planning to snack on, etc.  Since this is a completely laid back, relaxed read-a-thon, feel free to do it any way you chose! No blog, no worries! Just share your plans in the comments below, on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Just make sure you use the hashtag #biggamereadathon so we can keep track of your posts!

We’re in Philly heading back to DC today, so while my reading will start early, the food part starts when we get home!  Pizza, wings, appetizers and buffalo chicken dip are the plan!

What is your reading/food line-up!?

 

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2020 Big Game’s On Read-a-thon: Pregame

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Jenn

It’s Superbowl Eve! Before the big game begins tomorrow, I wanted to go over a few “rules”, which aren’t really rules per se but to go along with the whole football game theme I’ve got to stick to the terminology! 

The read-a-thon officially runs all day tomorrow, February 2nd.  Sign up here!

You do not have to spend the entire day reading. Read an hour here or there, no pressure.

A kick-off post will go up tomorrow at 6 am.  Again, no pressure, just do your post whenever you feel like it.

Mini-challenge posts will pop up periodically throughout the day.  Feel free to participate in as many as you like, but again, these are not mandatory.

A wrap-up post will go up first thing on Monday morning.

Ok, I think that covers it!  Easy peasy, right? Check back tomorrow morning for the official kick-off post!

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