Voodoomary

Overall, this was a pretty fun book, though the main issue is that a story with this title usually doesn't demand so much patience. As expected, there is a summer camp massacre at the very beginning, but then the entire first half shifts into police drama. Because who doesn't love thrilling, edge-of-your-seat small-town bureaucracy? Definitely not what I was looking for here.

There are a few chapters told from the perspective of a younger character who survives the initial murder spree, and those scenes were much closer to what I wanted from the whole story. However, they felt randomly thrown in and made the main narrative seem pretty boring by comparison. It is also supposed to take place in the 90s, but the only real indicator is a quick reference to a "new band called Nirvana." Given that this town feels like a place where time stands still, I'm not sure that detail was even necessary.

Things finally pick up by the halfway point, but I really don't know why the author didn't weave those elements in much sooner, as he is definitely going to lose less patient readers. The second half is a blast, I just wish the book had been more consistent overall.

Having read the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, I went into this expecting a fun ride, but I actually liked Clockwork Angel even better. Set in Victorian London, the story follows Tessa Gray as she gets swept into a hidden world of Shadowhunters, automatons, and dark magic. The Victorian steampunk aesthetic brings a fresh, historical twist to the demon-hunting chaos we saw in the modern-day series.

It leans more traditional YA than a lot of today's heavier romantasies, but it’s a refreshing break without excessive angst. It’s firmly fantasy over romance; the plot takes clear priority over relationships, meaning the characters actually deal with the clockwork monsters before they worry about feelings.

I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator made some... choices (her voice sounds significantly older than the characters, and at times felt like library storytime), Clare’s storytelling was easily strong enough to keep me hooked the entire time.

This collection is a newer release of classic Christie short stories, just repackaged in a different order. As someone who has read almost all of her mystery writing, I’m always looking for a good excuse to revisit it. This series is supposed to be centered around the seasons; while some of these stories are wonderfully "beachy," others just don't mention rain, which I guess is close enough for a summer vibe.

The best part of this collection is the variety. While Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are her famous headliners, some readers might not know about Tommy and Tuppence, Parker Pyne, or my favorite, Harley Quin (not from Batman - calm down, nerds). If you're curious about her lesser-known characters, this collection serves as a fantastic introduction.

Not her best, but still Foley. The setup is fun and the Paris atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, but some unnecessary pieces drag the pace and a few coincidences tip into goofy territory.

What saves it is that Foley never takes herself too seriously, which makes the more ludicrous elements easier to swallow than they would be in a writer with more literary pretension.

She tells a good story, stays consistent in her own logic, and is reliably entertaining even when she's not firing on all cylinders. I like some of her other books better, but I'll read whatever she writes.

Almost Famous if the magazine was Tiger Beat instead of Rolling Stone - and that's not necessarily a criticism. Reid writes for readers who want reality softened and there's genuine warmth and craft in how she does it. Once you settle into that register it's a pleasant ride.

The oral history format is well executed and the book moves quickly. The central challenge is asking you to care deeply about music you've never heard because it doesn’t exist, which means all the commentary about transcendent songs floats without anything to anchor it. It's a concept that feels like it was always looking for a visual medium to fully come alive.