The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric, eerie tale with a fairy tale vibe, Starling House will delight readers with its fantastical mysteries, subtle romance and heartfelt friendships. “It’s something about the way the shadows fell in Eden, after Eleanor died. It’s the way everything soured: the river ran darker and the clouds hung lower; rich coal seams […]
The nitty-gritty: Evil apples take on the residents of a small town in Chuck Wendig’s latest, a tension-filled, bloody tale of survival. “This is the apple in your hand. Some would say it is so red that it looks black, but that’s not quite right. It’s the color of wine and offal, of liver soaked […]
The nitty-gritty: An unexpected and bloody homecoming awaits the protagonist of Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison’s latest, a thoroughly entertaining surprise of a story. “All happy families are alike, I thought. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Once again, Rachel Harrison has surprised and delighted me with an outstanding story that did not […]
The nitty-gritty: Beware the month of September, when the ghosts come out and the walls bleed, in this outstandingly creepy and heartfelt story about coping with all of life’s challenges. “I put my hand in hers and saw the whole scene from the night she died—the candles and the dining room and the laughing man […]
The nitty-gritty: A heartbreakingly beautiful story with an unrelenting sense of danger, Whalefall surprised me in every possible way. “Hope collapsed every morning at six a.m.: Sleepers, arise! Jay began to see Dad’s siren as the opening punch of a boxing match, Mitt Gardiner versus his life. Dad didn’t want the house, not really. He […]
The nitty-gritty: Romance, history and horror combine in this well written and dramatic tale. After hearing so many good things about Isabel Cañas’ last book, The Hacienda, I was very excited to dive into her latest. And I can see what all the fuss is about! Vampires of El Norte is an engaging historical romance/drama […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of fascinating history, slow build suspense, and two unforgettable main characters, Silver Nitrate is a must read for Silvia Moreno-Garcia fans. “Editing was changing. The Moviola and the Steenbeck machines were yielding space to video monitors, tapes, and computers. Beyond the Yellow Door was an item from another era; it enchanted her […]
The nitty-gritty: Engaging characters, romance, intrigue and dragons make Claws and Contrivances another delightful entry in Stephanie Burgis’s Regency Dragons series. “It has been delightful to meet you, Mr. Aubrey. I shall look forward to meeting you again, for the first time. Just remember: you’ve never seen me before!” I’ve been a fan of Stephanie […]
The nitty-gritty: The “cursed movie” trope is alive and well in Josh Winning’s latest, a creepy, madcap adventure that, while a lot of fun, falters when it comes to the characters and their actions. It pains me to give Burn the Negative anything less than five stars, since I really expected to love this. Josh […]
The nitty-gritty: Caroline Hardaker’s latest explores the pain of transformation and the beauty of becoming one’s true self in this emotional tale of one man’s journey through mental illness and grief. Mothtown is an unusual, dreamlike novel that follows a character named David through childhood and into adulthood as he tries to come to terms […]