The nitty-gritty: Flyaway is dripping with style and atmosphere, but the plot and characters fell flat for me. Howling wilderness, my mother had once called the bush beyond town. Dad had laughed. My heart sat high in my chest. I was more alive and more scared than I had been for years. Ahead of us, […]
The nitty-gritty: Ambitious and complex, We Ride the Storm, although beloved by many readers, didn’t quite work for me. There has been a lot of hype surrounding We Ride the Storm, and tons of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But this time the hype backfired for me, and I ended up really struggling […]
The nitty-gritty: Big ideas, big dinos and lots of thoughtful commentary, Hella was an odd combination of quick thrills, fascinating facts and very uneven pacing. I had high hopes for Hella, and although it started off with lots of promise, halfway through the book I realized that there were several problematic elements that would ultimately […]
The nitty-gritty: Fans of sci-fi graphic novels will probably love this, but I struggled a bit with the format and plot. Before I get into my review, I want to mention that I’m not a big fan of graphic novels, and I’ve struggled with them in the past. Every time I’m offered the opportunity to […]
The nitty-gritty: A promising start deteriorates into some very odd plot choices and pacing issues, although I adored the author’s atmosphere-infused writing. Have you ever read a book that started out strong—I’m talking five-star strong—but later deteriorated into a much lower rating? Well unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to me with The Ancestor, I’m very […]
The nitty-gritty: I loved the moody, dangerous quality of these stories, but both endings left me confused. Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks! is a series of short horror fiction by various authors, and I was recently offered a review copy of their most recent release by Mike Thorn. Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation is […]
The nitty-gritty: I adored the magic system in this story, but I wasn’t as excited about the plot. I have such mixed feelings about this book, which makes me a little sad. From the moment I saw the magical cover, I knew I wanted to read The Gossamer Mage, but I have to admit I […]
The nitty-gritty: A story with a fascinating premise that is heavy on philosophical musings, this one just didn’t work for me. This is my first Karen Lord book, and I found out after I finished it that it’s actually set in the same world as Redemption in Indigo. I’m wondering if I might have connected […]
The nitty-gritty: Although atmospheric and well written, Five Midnights just didn’t provide the suspense and horror I was hoping for. Five Midnights didn’t quite live up to my expectations, although there were elements that I really enjoyed. But some elements just didn’t mesh for me and I ended up feeling ambivalent at the end. However, […]
The nitty-gritty: A mixed bag of both thrilling tension and a slow, ponderous beginning, The Luminous Dead worked on some levels but failed on others. This is a hard review to write. On one hand there are things about The Luminous Dead that I loved, elements that the author did really well. But on the […]