4.5

A captivating thriller! I was hooked 50 pages in and didn’t want to put it down!

A non-spoiler review to come! But I loved it. Left me unsettled

I am so grateful to have received A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons as an ARC via NetGalley.

The book kicks off right in the middle of a bank robbery gone wrong. Anne, who has had a troubled past, gets away with her injured partner and takes a cop hostage. With nowhere left to go, she returns to a place she never thought she'd visit again. A place that holds bad memories and dark secrets: her mother's cabin. Anne was young when she was there last, and her last memory of the place is fleeing in the middle of the night with her mother and getting in a deadly car accident.

But going back was a mistake. Something inhuman begins stalking Anne. And it will do everything in its power to get what it wants.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves the movie The Thing! Also if you're a fan of bank heists and crime fiction this book is right up your alley.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I loved Anne's character.
Even though she didn't make the best life choices, I liked her.
She felt real and fleshed out.

I also really enjoyed the plot. After the cabin I wasn't sure where this book was going to go, so l was definitely surprised by the direction it went. My biggest complaint with this book is it felt too long. By the halfway point the scare of the monster began to lose its effect. I kept expecting it to show up at any given time.

It almost felt like this book was trying to tackle too much at times.

But I will say when the monster first comes into play it was
CREEPY. I would not want to see that thing in a dark alley. I do not know how Anne kept her cool.

This book comes out August 6th and is published by Tor Nightfire. Be sure to check this one out!

This book follows Ethan, who lost his best friend in the middle of the night thirty years ago. Ethan is an insomniac who can't sleep well some nights. When odd things start happening around the neighborhood, he begins to investigate Billy's disappearance.

Overall I really liked this one. While not my all time favorite from Sager, I felt like this was a great book. I enjoyed that this is his first male main character and hope to see more from him! I also loved the 90s/summer vibes this book gave. Could not be released at a more perfect time! " The suburban mystery with a creepy institute lurking beyond the woods was such a great setting.

I gave this one 4 stars

4.5

Such a beautiful read. This book tackles so much in such a fantastic way. It’s a New Adult murder mystery turned urban fantasy. It has friends to lovers as well which I love. It also tackles racism and mental illness.

The writing is absolutely beautiful as well. And the romance is a slow burn well worth the wait.

If you’re looking for a fantastic new book to pick up and get lost in, check out Sky of Dreams! You won’t regret it.

Thanks so much to the author for reaching out to me on Instagram for a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Find me at @pages_and_ash