Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Fury by Alex Michaelides

The Fury was the first book that I’ve read by Alex Michaelides. I know a lot of you might find that shocking after the success of The Silent Patient, and after reading this I wish I would have jumped on that bandwagon sooner. (It is on my TBR to read soon)

To start this off, The Fury is told by Elliott, an unreliable narrator. When I started this book, my first thought was “Oh, here’s another version of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.” What I found amusing was that right away this was made reference to by the narrator. It took me a chapter to get into how the narration was written, but once I did I couldn’t put this book down.

Set on a private Greek island, it follows a group of friends on vacation. In a tragic turn of events, one of the characters is murdered. The scenes that play out create a new take on the murder mystery.

What was interesting was that after I finished reading this book, Alex Michaelides had an event near me and I was able to attend. Having the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at his writing process for The Fury and hear how much of his personal life he put into all of his works gave me a new perspective. Also, all his books have character tie-ins.

If you have a chance to read The Fury, I highly suggest it. If you read any of his other books, let me know in the comments which was your favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celedon books for an advance copy of The Fury in return for my honest review. I give this book 4.25 stars.

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Book Review: The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate

Hollywood in the 1940s wasn’t all glitz and glamour for the actors of the time. Based on the life of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American woman who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mammy in Gone with the Wind, ReShonda Tate takes you on an in-depth look at Hattie’s life and struggles after winning this prestigious award. On what should have been the brink of her career, Hattie struggled to maintain a career while staying true to her beliefs and goals. A strong woman, she did not back down and fought for everything that she achieved while striving to open doors for others.

The Queen of Sugar Hill is a thought provoking historical fiction novel, and I found myself digging deeper into several of its main themes. This book is a must read for fans of old Hollywood.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an advance copy in return for my honest review. Publication date is January 30, 2024, and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

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Book Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

What the River Knows is a well researched historical fantasy by Isabel Ibañez. Set primarily in Egypt, she takes us on the defiant coming of age story of 19 yr old Inez as she traverses an unfamiliar land while trying to find answers to her parents untimely deaths.

I stepped out of my comfort zone to read What the River Knows— I’m not a huge fan of fantasy— but I’m so glad that I did. The descriptions had me longing to be standing along the Nile and taking part in the excavation of a temple. The use of magic wove beautifully into Egyptian history, and propelled the story forward.

The characters of Inez, Whit, and Ricardo were well written. Incorporating the use of Spanish and Egyptian into the text was a great enhancement. While the ending completely left my head spinning and second guessing everything that happened, I am anxiously awaiting the next chapter.

My only critique is that this book is a slow burn, and feel that it could have used a little more action in spots. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Publishing date is Oct. 31, 2023..

4 out 5 stars.

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Book Review: Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren

Fans of true fiction, this review is for you.

After watching the documentary Confronting a Serial Killer, I was hooked on the story of Jillian Lauren and Sam Little. When I saw that there would be a follow up book, I immediately added it to my TBR. Behold the Monster gives an in-depth look at the relationship between the most prolific serial killer in the US, Sam Little and the author Jillian Lauren.

I thought hard about this book review, and feel that it’s best to break it in two; fiction and non-fiction.

The amount of time and dedication that Jillian Lauren put into Behold the Monster is apparent from the first page. You can feel her anxiety and anticipation as she visits Sam in prison to procure the murderous details that ultimately help convict him on numerous unsolved cold cases. Driven by her need to help the unnamed victims, Jillian takes you down the path that consumed her life for many years. I found the book hard to put down while reading about her experiences with Sam, the multiple detectives, the families, and in the courtroom. The descriptions were gripping, and had me wanting to read more about their interactions.
However, I was a bit put off by the addition of the fictional chapters of Sam Little’s victims. I appreciate that she wanted to give a voice to those that were murdered, but I felt that these chapters were a dramatization that didn’t need to be there.

I feel that Behold the Monster is ultimately worth the read and I give it 3.75 stars. Look for the book to be released on July 18, 2023.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of Behold the Monster in return for an honest review.

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Book Review: Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.


Dead of Winter follows Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan on what is supposed to be a romantic getaway in a remote cabin. However, it turns out to be anything but the trip that they envisioned. Stranded by a snowstorm on the way to their destination, the tour group is faced with an unseen threat that begins killing them off one by one.


This was my first time reading a book written by Darcy Coates, and I was hooked from page 1. The tension and suspense were well written and had me on the edge of my seat. The descriptions of the characters, surroundings, and the gore made it easy to visualize exactly what was happening. I was invested in the story from the first chapter and continued to guess who the killer was until the very end. I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars, as I feel it ended abruptly without a complete wrap-up of some of the storylines.


Overall, I found this read extremely enjoyable and tense. Look for this book to be released on July 11th.

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Book review: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

To be honest, I was originally drawn to this book because of its cover. Addicted to anything vintage, I knew that this was a book to read.

Set in the small town of Fell, New York it follows the story of Carly Kirk who is on a mission to find out what happened to her aunt Viv Delaney 25 years earlier. Viv disappeared from The Sun Down Motel in the middle of the night, with no trace. Presumed dead, Carly attempts to piece together any clues to come to a resolution.

The book was an easy read, and the stories between the two characters mesh well to create a clear story. However, one of the reasons that I wanted to read it is that it was said to be creepy; this was one part that I was disappointed with. To me, there was the potential to make the story have a creepy factor, but it fell short.

That being said, I really enjoyed reading this novel. If you’re looking for a thriller/mystery I highly recommend grabbing this book and giving it a try.

 

 

 

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Book Review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Sometimes, a book comes into your life at the right time. That was the case for me with the third installment of Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You series.
Originally, I decided to read this book with the hope of finding redemption for the main character Louisa Clark. If you read my review of After You, you probably know that I was not a fan. I’m glad to say that after reading Still Me, I felt the same connection to the story that I had with the first book. Other than mentioning a few characters that appeared in the second installment, this story veered away from the direction of the sequel.
Still Me follows Louisa as she sets off to New York City to begin a new chapter in her life. Having obtained a position as an assistant for a wealthy family, she finds herself immersed in a culture completely different from the one she left back in England. Finally able to put much of what had happened over the last few years behind her, she works toward a new beginning with her job and her personal life. However, the past has a way of reinserting itself whenever you least expect it.
It just so happened, I began reading this book at a time of transition for myself. After almost a decade, I left a job that I was comfortable in so that I could begin a new adventure of my own. As Louisa was figuring things out day to day, so was I.
Overall, I am glad that Jojo Moyes continued Louisa’s story in the way that she did. I recommend reading this, especially if you were a fan of Me Before You. 
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Book Review: The Hunger by Alma Katsu

I hadn’t heard of The Hunger by Alma Katsu prior to checking Twitter at the end of March. At the top of my feed was a tweet from Stephen King giving praise to it, but what really caught my attention though was that he cautioned reading it after dark.
So, off to the bookstore I went. I’m the type of person who likes to physically hold a book instead of spending hours reading it on a screen after working on a computer all day. At checkout, the girl behind the counter asked about the book. My reply to her was, “Stephen King recommended it, so it has to be good. Right?” We left the store, and I couldn’t wait to start reading at least the synopsis and reviews on the way home. What stood out right away was a positive review from R.L. Stine on the back cover. Growing up, R.L. Stine was my go to author. I didn’t read many of his Goosebumps books, but I probably have most of his other books sitting on my shelf. My conclusion… If they both like this book, it’s definitely worth a shot.
The Hunger is a historical fiction horror novel based on the Donner Party. The book is an easy read and immediately held my attention; I’m all for a good book about wagon trains and settling west. What I was most disappointed about though, was that I didn’t find the book frightening or creepy at all (which was the main reason why I wanted to buy the book). I think maybe I’ve just watched too many horror movies, so I might be immune to what others consider frightening.
Taking the horror aspect out of the equation, I really enjoyed reading The Hunger. In my opinion, the author does a good job keeping the reader interested when the subject matter easily could’ve become blasé. I had a hard time putting the book down, and found that the ending was not what I expected at all.
If you’re looking for a good historical fiction novel, I do recommend reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu.
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Book Review: Lily Collins Unfiltered

I’ve always been one to glamorize the Hollywood lifestyle; in fact, I’ve become kind’ve addicted to checking tabloid websites several times daily. It wasn’t until I saw Lily Collins in the movies The Blind Side, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Love, Rosie as well as the Amazon series The Last Tycoon that I decided to try her autobiography.
I’ll admit, when I first started reading it I didn’t think that I’d get very far. I mean, who really wants to read about a misadventure tweezing your eyebrows? However, I am really glad that I persisted.
This book is filled with stories of Lily’s inner struggles with self confidence, an eating disorder, her unhealthy obsession with working out (which is always what you want to be reading about while on the exercise bike at the gym), and how she battled to become her best self. In today’s society, if I had a pre-teen or teenage daughter this would be a book that I would recommend that they read. The constant reminders that your uniqueness is what makes you beautiful are empowering, and I found myself pulling strength from her words.
This is a good book to read if you struggle with insecurities. I, myself, struggle with self self-esteem issues, low self-confidence, and an almost daily battle with anxiety and/or depression. This is just a part of who I am, and I can’t let it dictate my life anymore. So, in honor of finishing this book, I plan to make 2018 the best year ever and not let my insecurities hold me back. I hope you give this book a chance, and are able to connect with it as well.
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Book Review: The Demon of Brownsville Road by Bob Cranmer and Erica Manfred

Being from Pittsburgh, when this book was first released in 2015 I remember seeing it all over the news channels. At the time I thought, “Wow! There’s a house this close that’s haunted enough to have a book written about it, I can’t wait to read it!” Unfortunately, life got in the way and over the last two years I’ve thought about it a few times, but it wasn’t until recently when some of my coworkers were discussing it that I finally picked it up.

To get into the review, there are some parts of this book that are creepy and moments when I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Truthfully, I can’t understand how the Cranmer family stayed in the house after dealing with years of having a demon terrorize their lives. If it were me, when things began to escalate I would’ve fled. The chapters of the book that I enjoyed the most were about the history of the house and the potential reasons that caused the demon to take residence inside. Dating back to the 1700s this place had quite a dark past and it only makes sense that they were still dealing with remnants of those times.

However, I think much of the book was filler. From a personal standpoint, I think a lot of the political and religious aspects could’ve been left out to create a better read. There was an insinuation that was made in the book that I took some offense to. The author was describing the change in his children, they were suddenly listening to loud music and wearing black clothes, he attributed this to demon influence. As a child growing up in the 90s myself, I can assure you that there was no demon influencing my decision to wear a lot of black clothing (and I still do) or listening to heavy metal/rock.

That being said, if you are looking for a book about a house that has a dark history and the steps that were taken to rid the premises of a demonic infestation and can look past the filler, then this might be a book for you. Personally, I think that if I had a second chance with this book I would pass and find a different one to try.

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