Coleen
This story was sometimes confusing, especially the ending, but I still liked it. Sam and her guilt and problems with her property and neighbor Zanth were weird but still intriguing. Her obsession with nature was understandable at the end.
I liked the quotes
“The way they always said eyewitnesses' accounts should be treated with suspicion, that the brain reconstructed what it couldn't remember-in other words, the brain lied. To itself and others. You couldn't trust a brain any more than you could trust a soul.”
“...what if she could walk through the darkness and back into the moment when she'd made that decision, what if she could find herself there again, and do something different?”
I just had the loveliest time reading this book. I appreciated that it was a Korean myth so I am unfamiliar with the base story.
Mina was EXTRAORDINARY! Her inner strength, and love of her family, her land, and its people made her admirable. While fierce, she also had a vulnerable side that was unsure if the actions she took were right. Sometimes she would be impulsive in the most marvelous ways usually while trying to be helpful to the spirits.
Fate plays a big part in this tale. Is she fated to be the Sea God's bride and help her people? While the fated aspect made the outcome expected it was still skillfully written and you wanted to go along on Mina's adventure. Her fated love with Shin was perfection. One example was when she went to the Goddess of Women and Children with a paper boat wish of a human, the Goddess demanded to be paid and then laughed in her face and tossed the wish in the fire. She tried to retrieve it but burnt her hand instead. Shin left the paper boat wish near where she was sleeping, it was burnt a little but still intact.
If you want a wonderful heartwarming fantasy story I HIGHLY recommend this one. You won't regret it.
This was a GREAT new take on a retelling of Dracula. A modern day vampire story with a superb feminist slant. Mina was very relatable. I thought that the way she had fled her home as a teen which led to her becoming a psychiatrist who wanted to help women was well-done specifically. The struggles she had with coping with her trauma.
As for the tense parts. The mystery behind her friend Lucy's condition, and the connection to a bigger story of a lot of women being in danger was gorgeous. The kick-ass camaraderie of Mina, Mam, Quincey, and Singer was phenomenal.
The Welsh folklore was also a highlight for me. The only drawbacks for me were some things while overall satisfying were also expected. Not necessarily telegraphed but presumed that they were going to happen. I don't feel it took too much away from my enjoyment.
Great book HIGHLY RECOMMEND
At first, I wasn't too invested in this story. While I found it interesting and liked the characters, especially Montserrat, as I said it didn't “grab” me right away. Then something changed. All those unintended and ominous consequences for Montserrat and Tristan because of trying to help out Abel won me over. I appreciated the historical aspects of the story that touched on the Nazis and their affinity for all things occult if it gave them more power. The occult element and the curse were bewitching and well-written. I was captivated by the paranormal climax. I even had a soft spot for Montserrat and Tristan's slightly expected and minorly telegraphed coupling. I'll definitely keep reading this author's other works. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to read a spellbinding historical paranormal mystery
This was a delicious creepy retelling of Poe's original work. I admit it has been a bit since I've read the original short story but I will remedy that soon.
The creeping dread of this infected household both mentally and physically. Then to help matters out is Alex Easton. This character was rightly worried about what was happening within the house and to the Ushers. SpoilerI loved it when it was discovered it was a fungus similar to cordyceps which makes zombie ants. Instead, this unnamed fungus made animals then people act against their will. It reminded me just a little of the fungus in The Girl With All the Gifts, but less brain eating zombies. Madeline's last speech was disturbing in the most delicious way.
Great story I'd recommend it to anyone
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This book was part mystery, horror, and magical realism. I like that it is a book within a book about the stories of these intertwined people who have something tragic happen to them. It made you question what the real story was because of the layers. There was a little part interwoven about trapping people. My favorite quote about that was, ‘You can make a trap out of anything: a painting or a word.'... ‘You can send a soul out into a star, imprison it on the head of a pin.' ... ‘Anything can be a prison.”
It was a little confusing at times, but not in a bad way. I do appreciate how you think you know what is going on and then nope that's not it, made it very mysterious. Didn't see what happened with Harper coming at all. Overall, it's a good book and I HIGHLY recommend it.
If I could give this book eleventy bazillion stars (out of 5 of course) I would. I feel like T.Kingfisher AKA Ursula Vernon wrote this book with me in mind. I had to resist the urge to highlight all the quotes and descriptions that greatly appealed to me. It probably would've been 3/4 of the book anyway LOL.
This book was filled with humor, horror, and insanity. It was a total nod to cosmic/weird horror. If you read the author's note in the back you'll see that Kingfisher said they were using a quote based on The Willows by Algernon Blackwood (which I haven't read but plan to remedy).
The willows™ were filled with inexplicable beings who were a danger to anything that came to their otherworld. It was an eerie place filled with unspeakable things that were a threat to your body and mind. With the climax, you get the bunker quote “Pray they are hungry” because sometimes these beings want to play instead of just eating you. It is better to be eaten in this scenario.
GREAT BOOK! I will recommend it to everyone like a proselytizer for a new religion because this book was worthy of my worship.
Naomi Novik has become an auto-buy author for me and she hasn't let me down yet.
-Araminta, or, the Wreck of the Amphidrake 3.75/5:
-After Hours 4/5
-Vici 3.75/5
-Buried Deep 5/5: So DAMN good! I loved this retelling of the Theseus myth. Ariadne was wonderfully written and her love for her brother and her intelligence was just beautiful.
-Spinning Silver 4/5
-Commonplaces 3.5/5
-Seven 4.5/5
-Blessings 5/5: Perfect little story. The drunk fairies and their “blessings” were a hoot. Loved the ending!
-Lord Dunsany's Teapot 4.25/5
-Seven Years From Home 5/5: JFC that was a great story! The buildup of the war between the Esperigans and the Meldians was remarkable. The viewpoint of an imperial outsider becoming an ally was gloriously done. The Meldians were so freaking mesmerizing I want a whole book about the Meldians now!
-Dragons & Decorum 3.75/5
- Castle Coeurlieu 4/5
There is a sneak peek at her work in progress called The Long Way Round and I'd suggest getting your hands on this book to read this story. I'm already excited for the story tentatively titled Folly.
I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Fun characters that were easy to relate to, even if one of them was a ghost. This cozy mystery was more about how the MCs got along and how they learned to be friends and communicate. I am definitely interested in continuing this series if Olivia Blacke is going to continue it like she implies. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who just wants a fun light “paranormal” mystery.
This was an interesting book. The author's subtle writing on climate change was great IMO. I liked that the family felt that because they were “caretakers” of the bog it would always take care of them, however the bog like any natural thing can only be abused so much before it starts failing. The story is from different POVs of this family. The characters were sometimes sympathetic and sometimes annoying and bordering on unlikable but they were really well written.
I'm really glad I read it. Would recommend.
This was an interesting thriller with a paranormal overtone. I loved each of the ghosts and their stories. How are these ghosts going to resolve their own murders by the same man? Their search for solutions were fraught with tension but also with despair because they didn't have a big impact on the living world. I especially loved the author's take on what happens to us after we die. It seemed comforting to know how these women would go on after they left the living plane. Overall really good book and I definitely recommend it!
This was a good book overall. I'd give it 3.5 stars. The witchy part was the best part IMO. I'm not sure how I feel about the women being unable to really control their magic though. I feel that cheapens the female characters' power. Overall, it's a pretty good book. Would suggest it to those who like stories about witches and about family.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This was a mostly good book. It dragged a little at points. The reveal of the past seance gone wrong was just too much build-up for not enough payoff IMO. It was spooky and chilling and pretty well written for most of the book. The only thing that made it downgrade from a true 4 star book was towards the end of the book. I was on board with an evil spirit but I felt it was overwrought and took down my rating.
I'd recommend this book to people who want a pretty well written spooky read.
The ending makes this a 3.5 star book instead of the 3 stars I was originally going to give. This was less of a retelling than I was expecting. There is very little Dorothy Gale. It's more about a female psychologist who gets drawn into Dorothy's orbit after she is accused of murder and sent to an insane asylum. She is drawn because her cousin (conveniently Frank Baum) is a newspaper reporter sent to cover Dorothy's murder trial. The only part I disliked was the “pious” narrator. I wanted to punch them in the nose.
This wasn't quite a 4 star book but I did round it up. Overall, this was an interesting book. I liked the mysterious factor of where their sister Avery was. Spoiler I liked that the haunting was actually them in the present haunting their past selves. I know this is a young adult book and I'm not it's target audience, but I did find some things bordering on teen angst.
If you like haunted house books or books that do a slight twist on the stereotypical haunted house I'd suggest this.
I still LOVE this book. Margaret and Hal buy their “dream home”. The problem is it's haunted. Margaret is bound and determined to stay. There is a repeating theme of abuse. First Margaret's husband abuses her, and then the house abuses her. BTW I'm glad Hal died because seriously even though he wasn't currently abusing Margaret he was just awful. She is always willing to bend. I love that she has rules about the house and the hauntings. I'd forgotten how the book made time seem slippery, which I greatly liked. My favorite supporting characters were Fredricka and Edie. I was totally invested in their friendships even though Margaret is the only living one. Of course I loved the epic battle against “Master Vale” at the end. That Margaret wanted him to GTFO of her house. I especially loved it when things were starting to look grim and Fredricka was the first to step in and help followed quickly by Edie. Then all the ghosts just dog-piled him! EPIC!
I was hoping for more horror action than the “ghost” of the grave digger. The “ghost” is probably a living person, at least that is what is hinted at. This made me think of Six Feet Under, so I liked that trip down memory lane. Although the Gold Family was a lot more successful than the Fisher family. Whenever the book mentioned how the dead patriarch Gregory Gold I was vain and wanted to live forever I thought about that part in the Fame song “I wanna live forever”. I was caught up in the family dynamics for most of the book. There are some truly unlikable characters and some endearing characters. I knew the killer wouldn't be Fiona, River's (MC) mom. I often felt Lisa Childs was trying to force us into believing Fiona did kill her husband which I didn't like. The underlying Spoiler DNA story was interesting. It was a recurring theme in the book. I also liked the small love story between River and Luke. If you like stories that talk about family dynamics especially toxic ones or slightly cozy mysteries this book might be for you.
This book was at times discombobulating as all fun time travel stories are. I liked that the MC “Little Cat” was unnamed but Commander Graham Gore gave her one. I liked that Graham Gore was a real person who knew Robert McClure “Robbie” the discoverer of the Northwest Passage. I'm VERY interested in the people who tried to find the Northwest Passage so this was right up my alley. I especially loved the part when Graham called Sesame Street (he doesn't like t.v.) “deformed monstrosities against the will of God”. I was happy about the love story between Graham and Little Cat. I liked that Adela was the main character from the future and the reason the Ministry even had the time machine in the first place. Even though it seems the time portal was not destroyed I have hope that the Ministry of Time will be made obsolete. Even though it was unwritten if the MC finds Graham I feel it in my heart she does. Overall GREAT book would HIGHLY recommend.
I liked the whole story. It took a lot of my power to not read ahead. The characters were great. I liked that Judyyta “Judy” found Barbara in the end. I also liked that Judyta didn't use Barbara to further her career. I liked that a lot of the characters were so relatable. I was poor with an absent mother like Louise. I didn't fit in and had trouble making friends like Tracy. I was even punk like Barbara when I was 13. I liked the planning that went into trying to frame John Paul the little heart on her mural. I wondered about the characters after the story was over. Did Louise get convicted because of the planted drugs? How did Judyta advance her career? Something specific but did TJ get the Hewitt land when Peter Van Laars II died? Worth the read. Highly recommend.
This book made me so anxious for Eve while reading it I had to put it down. It was so good. I was trying to figure out what was real and what was generated by the evil entity Thomas. I know everything. I liked that it had real life psychiatric issues like the Mandela effect and Capgras syndrome (where you think someone you know like your family or someone you're really close to has been replaced by a doppelganger). I felt so bad for Eve “Emma” implied “Alison”. The only thing that bugged me just a little was how much effort was put into verifying her claims. Like a forensic team being sent out or her parents being asked if she was their daughter. Still very good IMO. Read this book if you want to become a little paranoid. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
As usual Stephen Graham Jones did a phenomenal job. I liked that it was coming of age and revenge and of course I'm here for the slasher action. Tolly a 17 year old kid who only has one good friend Amber in his small boonies town. They go to a party one night and Tolly gets infected with the slasher bug. Maybe he was a secret slasher all along who knows? He was out for revenge. He had lost countrol of himself and couldn't stop killing those that wronged him. If you like somewhat introspective stories, coming of age stories or slasher stories definitely read this book.
This story made me think on what some of the characters did after the story was over. To me that marks it as a really good story. The story was a historical fiction about old Hollywood and the people in it. It was also about the biblical character Salome who I barely know anything about because there is not a lot to her story in the bible. Very well written and super interesting. It talked about things I had little knowledge about and usually don't think about and fully engaged me. If you like very well-written historical fiction or are even a little curious about old-time Hollywood I'd highly recommend it. Heck read it anyway because it was very good. 4.5 stars
The first book What Moves the Dead was a little more disturbing in a good way but this was still highly enjoyable. It talked about a succubi type being that attacked during your dreams. She was causing problems at the MC Alex Easton's home. It seemed a little less threatening to everyone because it was a slow-paced attack but still creepy. Overall I'd give it a firm 4 stars.