Review: Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert
A huge thanks to Flatiron Books for this gifted book.
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publish Date: June 28, 2022
Hardcover
352 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Review:
A huge thanks to Flatiron Books for this gifted book.
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publish Date: June 28, 2022
Hardcover
352 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Review:
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publish Date: October 7, 2021 (first pub 9/7/21)
Paperback
340 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Paranormal
My Review:
Thanks so much to DarkLit Press for this gifted copy.
Publisher: DarkLit Press
Publish Date: May 2, 2022
Paperback
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
My Review:
Huge thanks to Tor Nightfire for these gifted copies.
Publisher: Nightfire
Publish Date: May 17, 2022
Hardcover
320 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
My Review:
Jessica's Review:
Thanks so much to Bloom Books for Young Readers for this gifted copy.
Publisher: Bloom Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: May 3, 2022
Hardcover
32 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Childrens
My Review:
This is a very short book with adorable illustrations and reminded me of the talks I had as a kid. "What are you?" "Where are you from?" "You have your mother's eyes." etc. But ultimately I always tried to be whoever the person talking to me wanted me to be. Too Korean for the US. Too American for Korea. As I've gotten older I've become extremely proud of my heritage and while yes, my family is from here and there and I am of mixed heritage... through it all I'm ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ME and this book just exemplifies how important that is. Love.
★★★★★
Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy.
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publish Date: May 3, 2022
Audiobook
16 hrs 28 min
Series: Alchemical Journeys #2
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction
My Review:
I should've listened to the lot of you telling me over and over and over again to read Middlegame. But did I? No. Did I know Seasonal Fears was the second book in the Alchemical Journeys series? Also, no. Did I listen to all 16+ hours anyways because it was absolutely fascinating? YES.
I have no reference as to whether or not you need to read Middlegrade before this one. However, I am a big person who likes (and strives) to read series books in order (do I always succeed? clearly not). I do feel like this read very easily as a standalone. I do think that maybe I would've gotten a *little* more out of it had I read the first one? *shrug* But it's really hard to say. What I DO know is that McGuire is a freakin' genius and I love the world in SEASONAL FEARS. Two teens, in love and destined in their connection? Summer, Winter. Sometimes you just cannot stop what you're meant to be.
Now, I admit wholeheartedly that I got lost a few times. There's SO much happening and it was hard to keep up at times. What with the various names and the intricacies of the seasons, etc. etc. I could go on and on and on about what I couldn't comprehend. But once I stopped thinking too hard about it and just accepted it, I could sit back and enjoy Benson narrating the story.
I definitely need to go back and read Middlegame. And I hear there's a rumor there's going to be more books in this series so count me on that train ride!! Also, please give me a one way ticket into Seanan's brain please and thank you.
★★★★
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publish Date: July 9, 2019
Kindle Edition
126 Pages
Series: Molly Southbourne #2
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction
Who was Molly Southbourne? What did she leave behind?
A burnt-out basement. A name stained in blood. Bodies that remember murder, one of them left alive. A set of rules that no longer apply.
Molly Southbourne is alive. If she wants to survive, she'll need to run, hide, and be ready to fight. There are people who remember her, who know what she is and what she's done. Some want her alive, some want her dead, and all hold a piece to the puzzles in her head. Can Molly escape them, or will she confront the bloody history that made her?
My Review:
Emily (@exorcismofemilyreed) introduced me to this series a while back and I simply LOVED the first book, The Murders of Molly Southbourne. And what a concept!! Every time Molly bleeds, her blood makes more Mollys and they are NOT nice. So Molly spends her days and nights trying not to hurt herself while simultaneously fighting off her own "clones" who are hell bent on killing her. Phew - what's a girl to do?!
Somehow I missed this second installment so when the third, The Legacy of Molly Southbourne landed on my doorstep, I knew I had to come back and read this one ASAP in anticipation. Now, I don't know if it's because it's been so long, or maybe this has a little bit of that "second-book-in-a-series curse" as a filler to kind of trudge through for a culmination of sorts in the third book. 🤷 I just didn't find myself as engaged in this one. Though I did enjoy getting to learn a bit more of how Molly came to pass.
Overall a decent installment but I'm guessing the third book is going to make it all worth it. And if you ever see yourself coming after you.... RUN.
★★★
Thanks so much to Booksparks & Blackstone Publishing for this gifted book.
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publish Date: April 26, 2022
Kindle Edition
354 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Thriller
My Review:
Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy.
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publish Date: May 10, 2022
Audiobook
8 hrs 43 min
Standalone
Genres: Sci Fi & Fantasy
My Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy and sci-fi portions creating this story that touches on some very important topics while also giving us this character driven novel of a woman going against the grain and not backing down. Coming into her own in a variety of ways all the while dealing with the atrocities that come with the entertainment field.
While this is very character driven, I didn't feel that oomph from Luli that I would expect. I enjoyed her attitude. I loved that she went to play monsters over the glorified typical beauties most women are put into. Preening her scales deliciously. And the narrator was fantastic, which I think helped with the story. I felt like that last portion kinda had me scratching my head a little but I was along for the ride. And the sex scenes - me-owwwwwwwwww.
Somebody make me a Siren Queen. 😉
★★★★
Thanks so much to Flatiron books for this gifted copy.
Publisher: Flatiron Book
Publish Date: May 10, 2022
Hardcover
384 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Paranormal
My Review:
Teddy, the young boy Mallory is sitting for for the summer. Such a kid! And I adore him! I loved his relationship with Mallory and just how good she is with him. Then we get to see the story ramp up as the child like illustrations start to take on a life of their own. And then on page 189, with one of the illustrations, I pointed at it and yelled, out loud, "I KNEW IT!" and of course... that was the first sentence on the next page. Mallory and I were seeing the SAME THING. 🤣 I simply love it when a book gets me involved this much!
Then we get to the last 15% or so and boy does it ramp up. Maybe even goes off the rails just a bit much and I spy plot holes but I'll gladly hop right over them because I was having so much fun with the story. And while epilogues can make or break a book sometimes, I was really happy with the way this ended. It got me right in the feels. BAM.
This story didn't go where I thought it would. I consider this more of a light horror read from the paranormal aspect but ultimately it's a thrilling good ride. Love.
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
This was my introduction to Jason Rekulak and you better believe this will not be the last book I pick up by him. HIDDEN PICTURES was addictive from start to finish and I loved how dark it was and the pictures added in really set the creepy tone for the book. With the photos included in the book, I'd highly recommend reading the physical book (if you're able to, of course) as opposed to the ebook or audiobook to really get the full experience, however, I am curious how they would translate into the audiobook form (although I've seen other reviews that said the narrator was perfect)
Mallory is now 18 months sober and is offered a job as a live-in nanny by a wealthy family. She gets to watch five year old Teddy over the summer and live in the guest house on the property - what Mallory considers a fresh start. Teddy loves to draw and is often found drawing things you would expect a preschooler to draw, until one day his drawings take a dark and disturbing turn. When Mallory sees his latest creation: a man in the forest dragging a woman’s body, she becomes increasingly concerned. As time goes on Teddy’s drawings become more concerning, and what were once simple stick figures begin to turn into incredibly detailed artwork.
Despite the pacing never really slowing down the ending really ramps up the stakes and I couldn't put it down. Gotta love when you become so invested in the characters that you HAVE to see how it's going to end without delay. I've had some solid reads so far, but this one definitely stands out. It had a little more originality than the typical supernatural/mild horror thrillers, and especially compared to other thrillers these days. The relationship between Mallory and Teddy was a shining point in the book and I did enjoy how things wrapped up in the end.
Thanks so much to NightWorms for this gifted review copy.
Publish Date: April 30, 2022
Kindle Edition
Standalone
Genre: Horror
My Review:
Thanks so much to Gallery/Scout Press for these gifted copies.
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publish Date: April 26, 2022
Hardcover
352 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
My Review:
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: July 28, 2020 (first published September 17. 2019)
Hardcover
301 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
My Review:
Jessica's Review:
I've had this book waiting for some time on my shelf and I'm glad we picked it for #BuddyReadsToDieFor this month. I truly didn't know what to expect when starting this book - I really have to get better about reading the synopsis again but I think it helps me go in with zero expectations. I got a little bit of mystery, some paranormal elements, and some great Cajun folklore.
What would you do if your significant other disappeared without a trace? Victor left one night and didn't come back, but when his wife stumbled into a revival tent she found him alive and well, only it wasn't really him. He is now a reverend and claims he has no idea who she is and insists she has him mistaken for someone else, but a wife knows her husband. How far would you be willing to go to save your spouse and get them back?
So I realized while reading I had actually heard the legends of the rougarou before, when we visited the Audubon Zoo in NOLA. I remember the little exhibit they had for it and how fascinating I thought it was, because I'm a sucker for any and all folklore. This was one I found myself going down the rabbit hole and researching after finishing up the book and learning more about the rich culture down in the south. Despite there being a couple things here and there that I wasn't the biggest fan of, I still highly recommend this book and I will definitely be picking up more from the author in the future.