Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eggcatsreads's Reviews (480)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun cozy little mystery that I would suggest to anyone who likes mysteries and novels that feel like curling up next to a warm fire to read.
We follow our main character, who is recovering from a tragic accident that took the life of her husband, as she takes over her recently passed uncle’s orchard and decides to make a cidery on the property. However, by refusing to sell her property to a mysterious unknown corporation, she soon realizes that there’s more danger to this small Pennsylvanian town than expected.
I liked that there were hints of a potential romance, but nothing that was actually explicit nor took away from the story. There’s nothing wrong with romances in mysteries, I just personally wasn’t wanting one this early. I liked that she takes her time to get to know her potential love interest as friends first, and she waits until she thinks she’s ready to move on from the loss of her husband. I also liked that she was a disabled main character, with multiple mentions of her difficulty walking, as well as her use of a cane.
This book starts off slow, and I was considering DNFing it, as it started to look like there was more of a romance focus than on the potential mystery. However, just when I was losing interest there was a murder and then the novel really starts in earnest. I liked that the main character spends a great deal of her time investigating the murder, as well as the mysterious unknown trying to purchase her orchard, in addition to her day-to-day life. I know nothing about cideries or orchards, and it was interesting to see the entire project come together as the novel progresses. I also liked how this book captured that small town feel really well, with everyone knowing everyone, and by simply visiting and talking with people you can learn a lot about the history of the area. (Also, not related, but it was also fun as someone who lives in Pennsylvania to know the locations of the places mentioned - it really made the feel of the book really organic.)
This book is a fun little mystery that I think anyone who would like something described as “cozy mystery” would enjoy. The romance in this novel (the little that is there) develops naturally, and is not the main point of this book. The investigations feel natural, as well as the figuring out who the culprit is and its resolution. All-in-all this book really captures the vibe of the cover, and I think if the cover looked like something you’d be interested in you’ll like this novel.
This was a fun cozy little mystery that I would suggest to anyone who likes mysteries and novels that feel like curling up next to a warm fire to read.
We follow our main character, who is recovering from a tragic accident that took the life of her husband, as she takes over her recently passed uncle’s orchard and decides to make a cidery on the property. However, by refusing to sell her property to a mysterious unknown corporation, she soon realizes that there’s more danger to this small Pennsylvanian town than expected.
I liked that there were hints of a potential romance, but nothing that was actually explicit nor took away from the story. There’s nothing wrong with romances in mysteries, I just personally wasn’t wanting one this early. I liked that she takes her time to get to know her potential love interest as friends first, and she waits until she thinks she’s ready to move on from the loss of her husband. I also liked that she was a disabled main character, with multiple mentions of her difficulty walking, as well as her use of a cane.
This book starts off slow, and I was considering DNFing it, as it started to look like there was more of a romance focus than on the potential mystery. However, just when I was losing interest there was a murder and then the novel really starts in earnest. I liked that the main character spends a great deal of her time investigating the murder, as well as the mysterious unknown trying to purchase her orchard, in addition to her day-to-day life. I know nothing about cideries or orchards, and it was interesting to see the entire project come together as the novel progresses. I also liked how this book captured that small town feel really well, with everyone knowing everyone, and by simply visiting and talking with people you can learn a lot about the history of the area. (Also, not related, but it was also fun as someone who lives in Pennsylvania to know the locations of the places mentioned - it really made the feel of the book really organic.)
This book is a fun little mystery that I think anyone who would like something described as “cozy mystery” would enjoy. The romance in this novel (the little that is there) develops naturally, and is not the main point of this book. The investigations feel natural, as well as the figuring out who the culprit is and its resolution. All-in-all this book really captures the vibe of the cover, and I think if the cover looked like something you’d be interested in you’ll like this novel.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Severn House for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Suicide, mental health, medical institutionalization, stalking, sexual assault (not heavily explicit), transphobia, gore (mild), war, PTSD, animal torture/death (mild)
This is a beautifully written literary horror novel that tackles trauma, loneliness, and human connections - and how not being alone and finding these connections can be the way to actively combat the demons haunting you. In this novel, even until the last page you won’t be entirely sure what is reality and what is an unreliable narrator - and yet, the story will still suck you in until the last page. I thought Eddie was a fascinating main character, as he was broken, traumatized, and in many aspects not the “hero” he strived to be. He self-admits to being drawn to broken people who need his protection - regardless if they truly need him at all. However, his flaws make him a realistic protagonist, and as the story progresses and his investigation leads him further and further into the grim underbelly of reality, we want him to succeed. .
Many reviews mention the blurb being misleading, and I agree with them - mostly. I would say that everything that happens in the blurb description is true, but this novel uses them more as a storytelling device to explore the trauma and mistakes Eddie has made in his life. I would take the blurb with a grain of salt, as this story would not fit under fantasy-horror in my opinion, and the use of magic is more of a background to the surrounding events. The magic and the Painted Man are less aspects of the world, but rather a way to show how trauma can haunt and “possess” you - to the point that eventually you feel it’s better to give in to these darker desires than fight to live another day. Even as we begin to understand who, or what, the Painted Man is, we’re never really certain if the events described in this book really occurred - or if they are how the traumatized people in this novel interpret them.
A great deal of this novel is a form of inner monologue for Eddie as he goes about his life, and starts to slowly lose his grip on his life after his trauma from the Vietnam war. He has hearing and memory issues, and trouble connecting with people on a personal basis - which is the catalyst for him losing his job at the beginning of the novel. Losing the one thing he had going for him, and being estranged from his parents and an ex-girlfriend, he decides he isn’t much use to anyone and wants to take himself out of the equation entirely.
However, he is interrupted before he can take more than a few pills by a gunshot from the woods nearby. Deciding to investigate, he sees a woman in a red dress running away - sounding distressed - and finds a notebook on the ground that seems to have been hers. At this point in the novel, a second POV begins with the voice of the woman in her notebook as she writes down her thoughts. As Eddie reads further into the notebook, he believes he has some kind of connection to this woman and is compelled to save her - becoming almost an obsession for him.
This is also interesting, because we spend a great deal of the novel unsure if these events actually occurred as we (as Eddie) experienced them, since he was heavily under the influence at the time. This unreality only becomes stronger the further we investigate into the journal, and the deeper Eddie’s investigation goes. As he continues, he meets two pivotal characters that know more about this mysterious woman than they will tell him - Carrie and Lou. Through becoming closer to Lou, and talking with Carrie, Eddie is unintentionally pulled further into the unknown world of magic both operate in - and both warn him of escaping before it’s too late.
A large focus on this novel is on both of the main male characters - Eddie and Lou - as having had previous instances of stalking women. It’s honestly a testament to how well this novel is written to make both sympathetic characters who the reader will root for - even while even the characters themselves acknowledge that their past behavior was unacceptable. I thought this novel did very well to play into the stereotypes of the quintessential “stalker” - one is a shy, soft spoken man with a stutter who becomes attached to anyone showing him kindness, and the other is a dishonorably discharged traumatized war vet believing his girlfriend still needs him around. In any other novel, these characters would be one-dimensional villains - but in this one, they are sympathetic protagonists who have made mistakes in their past..
I found Lou in particular to be an interesting examination of the “stalker” stereotype. His hair is sometimes not in great condition, he likes to watch movies more geared towards children, he becomes attached to anyone who shows him kindness to the point that it leads to him stalking this person. On top of all that, he also has a severe stutter and likes to give off the idea that he isn’t intelligent, to make his life easier. And yet, Eddie is drawn to him to learn more - even when Lou refuses to give him any information on the mysterious woman he is trying to find. As these two traumatized men, who have issues fitting into regular society, come together to find friendship - they learn how to rely on one another and find strength in their bond. I really enjoyed their dynamic, and how they gained strength from each other to help curb their more pronounced issues (Lou with being shy and differential, and Eddie with anger issues). They in a way protect each other, and through their relationship both grow as people to learn how to move forward in the world and their lives.
I’ve seen multiple people question the lgbt/queer label on this novel, and spoil it by saying it only occurs at the very end of the book, and personally I’d disagree with that. HOWEVER, without giving any spoilers, I will say the only difference between the end and the rest of the novel is how explicit the representation given is. There is no surprise to how the events at the end unfold, and once we finally learn all the clues to putting all the pieces together on the mystery woman's identity, they all fit together perfectly. My only surprise at the “reveal” was how well it was done and how perfectly it tied the preceding events together. I think I would enjoy this novel on a reread, knowing the reveal, to be able to see all the hints I might have missed before.
I would suggest this novel to anyone who likes horror, but who wants the horror to be the device to tell the story of the characters and their motivations. This would not be a good fit for anyone wanting a straightforward dark fantasy horror, as this book heavily focuses on the thoughts and relationships surrounding the main character Eddie, as opposed to the magic in this world. I would describe this more as a literary horror novel, which examines the stereotypes people fit into, and how by opening up to one another we can learn to live and grow past them.
–
Spoilers beyond this point.
I keep seeing reviews spoiling the ending for this book and claiming the character of Lou is transmisogynistic, and that Eddie’s response is ALSO transmisogynistic. This isn’t true. The REASON Eddie has issues with the demon only referring to Lou as Nicole and “she” and a “woman” is because LOU THEMSELVES says that he doesn’t feel entirely like a woman, and if he was born as a girl he STILL wouldn’t see himself as a woman. Lou is nonbinary. And it’s honestly SUPER disheartening to see SO MANY people just decide that a nonbinary person in the 80s, who doesn't have access to the words and lingo we use today, is transmisogynistic. Eddie himself asks Lou if he’d prefer to be called a woman named Nicole, and LOU says no. Nicole is a PART of her identity, but not the ENTIRE THING. And after this point Eddie switches between he and she when referring to Lou. The REASON that it’s wrong that “Nicole” only comes out entirely as a woman when she’s possessed by a demon, is BECAUSE she’s not ONLY a woman named Nicole, she’s also a man named Lou, and a person who doesn’t solely identify as either gender.
Stop saying this is transmisogynistic, you’re being enbyphobic by claiming that Lou HAS to be a woman - DESPITE THE CHARACTER THEMSELVES saying they’re not. This book does absolutely NOT do the “man in the dress” gag (y’all do realize it’s only transmisogynistic when it’s a joke, right? Men can wear dresses, but I guess if you can’t understand people who don’t fit in the gender binary you might not be able to see that.)
Eddie uses the phrase “man-woman” to describe Lou BECAUSE THIS IS THE 80S AND NEITHER KNOWS THE TERM NONBINARY. I had to come back to edit my review because of this nonsense. The book clearly has Eddie ask Lou his preferences in how Eddie should refer to her, AND it’s obvious that Eddie accepts EVERY PART of Lou/Nicole - including them not solely identifying as a woman. If that were to ever change, Eddie would support her. But as of now, Lou EXPLICITLY states that they don’t think they’d be comfortable only being a woman if they were born in another gender.
Nonbinary people exist. Not everyone fits into the gender binary and seeing one (1) character do that doesn’t make it transmisogynistic, you’re just being transphobic. Thanks.
–
Initial thoughts after finishing this book:
HOLY SHIT. I have so many thoughts. I loved this. This blew me away so much I was not expecting it at ALL. Am I still a person after reading this? Are any of us????
TW: Suicide, mental health, medical institutionalization, stalking, sexual assault (not heavily explicit), transphobia, gore (mild), war, PTSD, animal torture/death (mild)
This is a beautifully written literary horror novel that tackles trauma, loneliness, and human connections - and how not being alone and finding these connections can be the way to actively combat the demons haunting you. In this novel, even until the last page you won’t be entirely sure what is reality and what is an unreliable narrator - and yet, the story will still suck you in until the last page. I thought Eddie was a fascinating main character, as he was broken, traumatized, and in many aspects not the “hero” he strived to be. He self-admits to being drawn to broken people who need his protection - regardless if they truly need him at all. However, his flaws make him a realistic protagonist, and as the story progresses and his investigation leads him further and further into the grim underbelly of reality, we want him to succeed. .
Many reviews mention the blurb being misleading, and I agree with them - mostly. I would say that everything that happens in the blurb description is true, but this novel uses them more as a storytelling device to explore the trauma and mistakes Eddie has made in his life. I would take the blurb with a grain of salt, as this story would not fit under fantasy-horror in my opinion, and the use of magic is more of a background to the surrounding events. The magic and the Painted Man are less aspects of the world, but rather a way to show how trauma can haunt and “possess” you - to the point that eventually you feel it’s better to give in to these darker desires than fight to live another day. Even as we begin to understand who, or what, the Painted Man is, we’re never really certain if the events described in this book really occurred - or if they are how the traumatized people in this novel interpret them.
A great deal of this novel is a form of inner monologue for Eddie as he goes about his life, and starts to slowly lose his grip on his life after his trauma from the Vietnam war. He has hearing and memory issues, and trouble connecting with people on a personal basis - which is the catalyst for him losing his job at the beginning of the novel. Losing the one thing he had going for him, and being estranged from his parents and an ex-girlfriend, he decides he isn’t much use to anyone and wants to take himself out of the equation entirely.
However, he is interrupted before he can take more than a few pills by a gunshot from the woods nearby. Deciding to investigate, he sees a woman in a red dress running away - sounding distressed - and finds a notebook on the ground that seems to have been hers. At this point in the novel, a second POV begins with the voice of the woman in her notebook as she writes down her thoughts. As Eddie reads further into the notebook, he believes he has some kind of connection to this woman and is compelled to save her - becoming almost an obsession for him.
This is also interesting, because we spend a great deal of the novel unsure if these events actually occurred as we (as Eddie) experienced them, since he was heavily under the influence at the time. This unreality only becomes stronger the further we investigate into the journal, and the deeper Eddie’s investigation goes. As he continues, he meets two pivotal characters that know more about this mysterious woman than they will tell him - Carrie and Lou. Through becoming closer to Lou, and talking with Carrie, Eddie is unintentionally pulled further into the unknown world of magic both operate in - and both warn him of escaping before it’s too late.
A large focus on this novel is on both of the main male characters - Eddie and Lou - as having had previous instances of stalking women. It’s honestly a testament to how well this novel is written to make both sympathetic characters who the reader will root for - even while even the characters themselves acknowledge that their past behavior was unacceptable. I thought this novel did very well to play into the stereotypes of the quintessential “stalker” - one is a shy, soft spoken man with a stutter who becomes attached to anyone showing him kindness, and the other is a dishonorably discharged traumatized war vet believing his girlfriend still needs him around. In any other novel, these characters would be one-dimensional villains - but in this one, they are sympathetic protagonists who have made mistakes in their past..
I found Lou in particular to be an interesting examination of the “stalker” stereotype. His hair is sometimes not in great condition, he likes to watch movies more geared towards children, he becomes attached to anyone who shows him kindness to the point that it leads to him stalking this person. On top of all that, he also has a severe stutter and likes to give off the idea that he isn’t intelligent, to make his life easier. And yet, Eddie is drawn to him to learn more - even when Lou refuses to give him any information on the mysterious woman he is trying to find. As these two traumatized men, who have issues fitting into regular society, come together to find friendship - they learn how to rely on one another and find strength in their bond. I really enjoyed their dynamic, and how they gained strength from each other to help curb their more pronounced issues (Lou with being shy and differential, and Eddie with anger issues). They in a way protect each other, and through their relationship both grow as people to learn how to move forward in the world and their lives.
I’ve seen multiple people question the lgbt/queer label on this novel, and spoil it by saying it only occurs at the very end of the book, and personally I’d disagree with that. HOWEVER, without giving any spoilers, I will say the only difference between the end and the rest of the novel is how explicit the representation given is. There is no surprise to how the events at the end unfold, and once we finally learn all the clues to putting all the pieces together on the mystery woman's identity, they all fit together perfectly. My only surprise at the “reveal” was how well it was done and how perfectly it tied the preceding events together. I think I would enjoy this novel on a reread, knowing the reveal, to be able to see all the hints I might have missed before.
I would suggest this novel to anyone who likes horror, but who wants the horror to be the device to tell the story of the characters and their motivations. This would not be a good fit for anyone wanting a straightforward dark fantasy horror, as this book heavily focuses on the thoughts and relationships surrounding the main character Eddie, as opposed to the magic in this world. I would describe this more as a literary horror novel, which examines the stereotypes people fit into, and how by opening up to one another we can learn to live and grow past them.
–
Spoilers beyond this point.
I keep seeing reviews spoiling the ending for this book and claiming the character of Lou is transmisogynistic, and that Eddie’s response is ALSO transmisogynistic. This isn’t true. The REASON Eddie has issues with the demon only referring to Lou as Nicole and “she” and a “woman” is because LOU THEMSELVES says that he doesn’t feel entirely like a woman, and if he was born as a girl he STILL wouldn’t see himself as a woman. Lou is nonbinary. And it’s honestly SUPER disheartening to see SO MANY people just decide that a nonbinary person in the 80s, who doesn't have access to the words and lingo we use today, is transmisogynistic. Eddie himself asks Lou if he’d prefer to be called a woman named Nicole, and LOU says no. Nicole is a PART of her identity, but not the ENTIRE THING. And after this point Eddie switches between he and she when referring to Lou. The REASON that it’s wrong that “Nicole” only comes out entirely as a woman when she’s possessed by a demon, is BECAUSE she’s not ONLY a woman named Nicole, she’s also a man named Lou, and a person who doesn’t solely identify as either gender.
Stop saying this is transmisogynistic, you’re being enbyphobic by claiming that Lou HAS to be a woman - DESPITE THE CHARACTER THEMSELVES saying they’re not. This book does absolutely NOT do the “man in the dress” gag (y’all do realize it’s only transmisogynistic when it’s a joke, right? Men can wear dresses, but I guess if you can’t understand people who don’t fit in the gender binary you might not be able to see that.)
Eddie uses the phrase “man-woman” to describe Lou BECAUSE THIS IS THE 80S AND NEITHER KNOWS THE TERM NONBINARY. I had to come back to edit my review because of this nonsense. The book clearly has Eddie ask Lou his preferences in how Eddie should refer to her, AND it’s obvious that Eddie accepts EVERY PART of Lou/Nicole - including them not solely identifying as a woman. If that were to ever change, Eddie would support her. But as of now, Lou EXPLICITLY states that they don’t think they’d be comfortable only being a woman if they were born in another gender.
Nonbinary people exist. Not everyone fits into the gender binary and seeing one (1) character do that doesn’t make it transmisogynistic, you’re just being transphobic. Thanks.
–
Initial thoughts after finishing this book:
HOLY SHIT. I have so many thoughts. I loved this. This blew me away so much I was not expecting it at ALL. Am I still a person after reading this? Are any of us????
A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Orbit Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As the third book in this series, it had a lot riding on its shoulders. And as a whole, it did its job perfectly. The romance build-up felt natural, and Dante was an easy love interest to root for (most of the time). Cherry was a fun FMC and I enjoyed spending the majority of the novel in her head, especially as I felt a great deal of the time she reacted the most appropriately to the situation(s) at hand. She leveled out Dante’s….Danteness… well, and once they started being on the same page with everything I thought their romance was cute and well-done. And it was fun to watch Dante learn how humans do things, as he was somehow even less prepared for a human wife than Fallon.
I felt this one was written slightly better than the second, but I enjoyed the plot to the first one more than this one. However, overall this was an enjoyable contribution to this series and I had fun reading it - which is all I really ask for, really.
I had some complaints, and I’ll list them here, but they don’t overall take away from the enjoyment of the story nor do I think they should deter anyone from reading. If you liked the first two books in this series, you'll like this one just as much. It's fun, it's cute, it's sexy - and we get to vicariously live through Cherry of having a rich dragon husband to basically sugardaddy her. So, really, what else could we want?
Also. I know everyone keeps saying this is the last book. But. BUT. Ma’am. You can’t mention Ambrose and then add ANOTHER LAMIA here, and not expect me to keep asking for a lamia romance. Dragons and werewolves are cool and all. But please. PLEASE. Give me a snake man. (You even mentioned that they have 2 dicks!! C’mon, please, stop holding out on us!)
–
Okay. Spoilers ahead. Reader beware, and all that.
–
1. HE JUST BITES HER????? I gotta be honest, that was the biggest issue with this “kidnap and slowly fall in love” romance, here. I honestly think it would have been better if he didn’t bite her at the first opportunity, because I spent the entire novel not knowing if Cherry actually liked him at all, or if she was just aroused. I thought it could have worked without the instant sexual attraction fed by the bite, and just have her attracted to him, anyway (like with Cin and Brie). And then, no one else had the “YIKES, MAN” response to him biting her without consent that I did. Like, Felix was already on thin ice but at least by the time HE did, Brie already said she’d be okay with it and he was a little insane on the love potion - even before Dante gets drugged he’s already thinking of just finding a woman and biting her first (despite the other demons being like “humans don’t work that way, do NOT do that!”) I just felt like this entire book could have been essentially the same, even if that part was taken out.
2. The other dragon’s reasoning was bullshit, and Cherry immediately accepted it AND invited him over? No. Also, if that were the case, why the FUCK did he attack Dante? Bro. And why did he kidnap her in the first place? None of this makes sense.
3. Cherry was a bit too lackadaisy about finding out her family is fine and that everyone is okay - the fact that she didn’t immediately want to go over ASAP after 5 years is insane.
4. I kind of feel like the author didn’t really think about what 5 fucking years in essential isolation would do - I think if we were going this “princess in a castle” route, we should have Sleeping Beautied it. Then the other dragon’s reasoning would make sense - his minions accidentally kidnapped her and put her in an enchanted sleep, he didn’t know where she lived but just wanted to keep her safe anyway. Voila.
5. The talking sword came back. Wish she didn’t.
6. Bro? The cat???? What.
Also, I didn’t think the cat subplot was necessary considering we already got the “kidnapping demons and forcing them to bloodsport” plot. But, I digress.
7. Gotta be honest here. Up until this book I thought Cherry was kidnapped as a child. Apparently I didn’t read the first book closely enough, but I thought she was like. A child. So this book was a bit of a “*insert Tim Allen heuuuuh sound here*” moment for me.
As the third book in this series, it had a lot riding on its shoulders. And as a whole, it did its job perfectly. The romance build-up felt natural, and Dante was an easy love interest to root for (most of the time). Cherry was a fun FMC and I enjoyed spending the majority of the novel in her head, especially as I felt a great deal of the time she reacted the most appropriately to the situation(s) at hand. She leveled out Dante’s….Danteness… well, and once they started being on the same page with everything I thought their romance was cute and well-done. And it was fun to watch Dante learn how humans do things, as he was somehow even less prepared for a human wife than Fallon.
I felt this one was written slightly better than the second, but I enjoyed the plot to the first one more than this one. However, overall this was an enjoyable contribution to this series and I had fun reading it - which is all I really ask for, really.
I had some complaints, and I’ll list them here, but they don’t overall take away from the enjoyment of the story nor do I think they should deter anyone from reading. If you liked the first two books in this series, you'll like this one just as much. It's fun, it's cute, it's sexy - and we get to vicariously live through Cherry of having a rich dragon husband to basically sugardaddy her. So, really, what else could we want?
Also. I know everyone keeps saying this is the last book. But. BUT. Ma’am. You can’t mention Ambrose and then add ANOTHER LAMIA here, and not expect me to keep asking for a lamia romance. Dragons and werewolves are cool and all. But please. PLEASE. Give me a snake man. (You even mentioned that they have 2 dicks!! C’mon, please, stop holding out on us!)
–
Okay. Spoilers ahead. Reader beware, and all that.
–
1. HE JUST BITES HER????? I gotta be honest, that was the biggest issue with this “kidnap and slowly fall in love” romance, here. I honestly think it would have been better if he didn’t bite her at the first opportunity, because I spent the entire novel not knowing if Cherry actually liked him at all, or if she was just aroused. I thought it could have worked without the instant sexual attraction fed by the bite, and just have her attracted to him, anyway (like with Cin and Brie). And then, no one else had the “YIKES, MAN” response to him biting her without consent that I did. Like, Felix was already on thin ice but at least by the time HE did, Brie already said she’d be okay with it and he was a little insane on the love potion - even before Dante gets drugged he’s already thinking of just finding a woman and biting her first (despite the other demons being like “humans don’t work that way, do NOT do that!”) I just felt like this entire book could have been essentially the same, even if that part was taken out.
2. The other dragon’s reasoning was bullshit, and Cherry immediately accepted it AND invited him over? No. Also, if that were the case, why the FUCK did he attack Dante? Bro. And why did he kidnap her in the first place? None of this makes sense.
3. Cherry was a bit too lackadaisy about finding out her family is fine and that everyone is okay - the fact that she didn’t immediately want to go over ASAP after 5 years is insane.
4. I kind of feel like the author didn’t really think about what 5 fucking years in essential isolation would do - I think if we were going this “princess in a castle” route, we should have Sleeping Beautied it. Then the other dragon’s reasoning would make sense - his minions accidentally kidnapped her and put her in an enchanted sleep, he didn’t know where she lived but just wanted to keep her safe anyway. Voila.
5. The talking sword came back. Wish she didn’t.
6. Bro? The cat???? What.
Also, I didn’t think the cat subplot was necessary considering we already got the “kidnapping demons and forcing them to bloodsport” plot. But, I digress.
7. Gotta be honest here. Up until this book I thought Cherry was kidnapped as a child. Apparently I didn’t read the first book closely enough, but I thought she was like. A child. So this book was a bit of a “*insert Tim Allen heuuuuh sound here*” moment for me.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and DAW for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An in-depth fantasy world (with dragons!) with multiple POVs occurring on opposite ends of a conflict, and it’s not until things really kick off where we can see how everything interconnects and works together. If you like slow-building fantasy where there are both heroes and villains on every side, then you’ll like this novel. Much of the slow advance to learning how everything works together strongly reminded me of Samantha Shannon’s “Priory of the Orange Tree” - if you liked how slow and in-depth that novel is, I think you’ll find similar enjoyment from this novel as well. (And this book does start slow, but trust me it does pick up once the events start unfolding.)
This story is told through multiple POVs, but I will say that for once I didn’t have much confusion about who was who. The characters (and their names!) were unique enough that I was able to pretty early on identify who and what was going on - which is rare for me, I’m kind of stupid in this department normally. I liked how much of the worldbuilding was slowly given to us by the world and actions of each named character, and while there was a lot of information to take in it never felt info-dumpy to me. Something I really liked about the multiple POVs in this book is that many times the character we were reading about would either mention, or talk to another character - and then we would have a POV from that character. It made connecting who was who easier in my opinion, as we had essentially an introduction to that character and then a more in-depth look into them.
My only issue with this novel was that there were a few times I was kind of confused about what the conflict exactly was, or what goal the characters were working towards. It could be that I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have, but sometimes the characters would decide on a plan that didn’t make a great deal of sense to me - nor did it fit into the urgency of what exactly was going on.
However, I found this book engaging enough that while it was personally a slower read, it was an enjoyable one. I was engaged as we were learning more about the interconnections of the politics and the church, and thought the religious twist that the characters discover was really well done.
(Also, I don’t know what it is, but it seems like every book I read with a religion has a similar twist to it - Seven Faceless Saints and The Ghost and the Fallen, are two novels with a similar religious situation going down.)
The ending was an interesting twist, and I will be reading the next in this series to see what these characters do with the events that unfolded at the end of this book.
An in-depth fantasy world (with dragons!) with multiple POVs occurring on opposite ends of a conflict, and it’s not until things really kick off where we can see how everything interconnects and works together. If you like slow-building fantasy where there are both heroes and villains on every side, then you’ll like this novel. Much of the slow advance to learning how everything works together strongly reminded me of Samantha Shannon’s “Priory of the Orange Tree” - if you liked how slow and in-depth that novel is, I think you’ll find similar enjoyment from this novel as well. (And this book does start slow, but trust me it does pick up once the events start unfolding.)
This story is told through multiple POVs, but I will say that for once I didn’t have much confusion about who was who. The characters (and their names!) were unique enough that I was able to pretty early on identify who and what was going on - which is rare for me, I’m kind of stupid in this department normally. I liked how much of the worldbuilding was slowly given to us by the world and actions of each named character, and while there was a lot of information to take in it never felt info-dumpy to me. Something I really liked about the multiple POVs in this book is that many times the character we were reading about would either mention, or talk to another character - and then we would have a POV from that character. It made connecting who was who easier in my opinion, as we had essentially an introduction to that character and then a more in-depth look into them.
My only issue with this novel was that there were a few times I was kind of confused about what the conflict exactly was, or what goal the characters were working towards. It could be that I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have, but sometimes the characters would decide on a plan that didn’t make a great deal of sense to me - nor did it fit into the urgency of what exactly was going on.
However, I found this book engaging enough that while it was personally a slower read, it was an enjoyable one. I was engaged as we were learning more about the interconnections of the politics and the church, and thought the religious twist that the characters discover was really well done.
(Also, I don’t know what it is, but it seems like every book I read with a religion has a similar twist to it - Seven Faceless Saints and The Ghost and the Fallen, are two novels with a similar religious situation going down.)
The ending was an interesting twist, and I will be reading the next in this series to see what these characters do with the events that unfolded at the end of this book.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Orbit Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As the second book in this series, it’s just as cute with sexual chemistry as the first. In this one, we follow our lovable werewolf Felix as he finds his fated mate (or does he?), as unfortunately he finds his mate after being hit in the head with a love potion. Is it just the potion? Or is it a true mate? Drama, heartbreak, and sex ensue.
This gives the story some delicious angst to go along with all the nice sexual chemistry - as Brie falls in love, she’s never certain if Felix will feel the same way after he’s cured. I, personally, LOVE me some angst/hurt-comfort so I was living for this dynamic. (Especially since we, as the reader, absolutely KNOW it’s going to work out - but SHE doesn’t. Glorious.)
While personally, I didn’t quite like this story as much as the first, if you like this romantasy series/concept/worldbuilding - you’ll like this book. There’s nothing here that would make this NOT work for you, in my opinion. Some of the cringiness that was present in the first book feels a little stronger in this one, but nothing that’ll make it unbearable.
Overall, this book was a fun, light, romantic read with some deeper plot thrown in to add drama and danger, and if you liked the first book in this series you’ll like this one as well. We get into Felix’s head a bit more, we learn more about how the world is responding to the fact that demons live amongst humans now, and we see some of our previously loved characters back in this book. What else could we ask for?
There were a few scenes, and a few things that happened that made this more of a 4 star than a 5 star slam dunk for me, but like I said - if you liked the first, you’ll like this one.
ALSO. BRIE AND URSA AVOIDING THEIR LOVE INTERESTS. Once again, I’m humbly requesting a book with Ambrose in it.
–
(Spoilers: I’ll list the things that I personally found to take me out of the story, but TBH I’d only read this if you’ve read the book to see if you agree with me. None of these are anything that I think should be the, if any, reason for you to decide to not read this book in this series. I just need to complain. Don’t read further if you don’t either want A) spoilers, or B) me to nitpick a bit too much. I liked this book, don’t get me wrong. It was fun, it was sexy, it was flirty, and it accomplished everything I read it for. SO. None of these are, like, death knells or marks against it - just things that I, personally, did not like and that made it 4 stars instead of 5.
1. The random Cthulhu tentacle summoning took me a bit out of it. I get bondage, don’t get me wrong - but, like, personally if I’m going to deal with weird tentacle play I want it to make sense with the character doing it. Also, it kind of came out of nowhere? Listen, personally I’d prefer my love interest to be a bit more eldritch horror if we’re going to bring out the tentacle bondage play. Otherwise, it kind of felt a little too hentai anime to me.
2. In the same way, when we DID finally meet the eldritch horror we kind of cringed it a bit too hard for my taste when we started talking about omegaverse fanfiction. I’m. Listen, okay, no judgment, but that felt too on-the-nose for what I’m dealing with. I’m not even kinkshaming and I ALSO wanted to leave when the horror did. It felt a bit too….random, quirky…? for my tastes.
3. I’m sorry. But. The fated mates were a bit TOO fated. I’m all for fated mates, but it kind of loses its mystique when the human character who doesn’t have human mates spends all her time reading werewolf erotica WITH fated mates. A bit too on the nose for me.
4. The whole random incel storyline? Okay, but really? (And the one dude was named Chad…) It just took me out of the book for a bit, I’m sorry. Not to say that the storyline couldn’t have worked, but I felt the whole “these bad guys are incels” made it a bit too on the nose. They could have just hated demons, they didn’t have to spell it out for me that these were bad people.
As the second book in this series, it’s just as cute with sexual chemistry as the first. In this one, we follow our lovable werewolf Felix as he finds his fated mate (or does he?), as unfortunately he finds his mate after being hit in the head with a love potion. Is it just the potion? Or is it a true mate? Drama, heartbreak, and sex ensue.
This gives the story some delicious angst to go along with all the nice sexual chemistry - as Brie falls in love, she’s never certain if Felix will feel the same way after he’s cured. I, personally, LOVE me some angst/hurt-comfort so I was living for this dynamic. (Especially since we, as the reader, absolutely KNOW it’s going to work out - but SHE doesn’t. Glorious.)
While personally, I didn’t quite like this story as much as the first, if you like this romantasy series/concept/worldbuilding - you’ll like this book. There’s nothing here that would make this NOT work for you, in my opinion. Some of the cringiness that was present in the first book feels a little stronger in this one, but nothing that’ll make it unbearable.
Overall, this book was a fun, light, romantic read with some deeper plot thrown in to add drama and danger, and if you liked the first book in this series you’ll like this one as well. We get into Felix’s head a bit more, we learn more about how the world is responding to the fact that demons live amongst humans now, and we see some of our previously loved characters back in this book. What else could we ask for?
There were a few scenes, and a few things that happened that made this more of a 4 star than a 5 star slam dunk for me, but like I said - if you liked the first, you’ll like this one.
ALSO. BRIE AND URSA AVOIDING THEIR LOVE INTERESTS. Once again, I’m humbly requesting a book with Ambrose in it.
–
(Spoilers: I’ll list the things that I personally found to take me out of the story, but TBH I’d only read this if you’ve read the book to see if you agree with me. None of these are anything that I think should be the, if any, reason for you to decide to not read this book in this series. I just need to complain. Don’t read further if you don’t either want A) spoilers, or B) me to nitpick a bit too much. I liked this book, don’t get me wrong. It was fun, it was sexy, it was flirty, and it accomplished everything I read it for. SO. None of these are, like, death knells or marks against it - just things that I, personally, did not like and that made it 4 stars instead of 5.
1. The random Cthulhu tentacle summoning took me a bit out of it. I get bondage, don’t get me wrong - but, like, personally if I’m going to deal with weird tentacle play I want it to make sense with the character doing it. Also, it kind of came out of nowhere? Listen, personally I’d prefer my love interest to be a bit more eldritch horror if we’re going to bring out the tentacle bondage play. Otherwise, it kind of felt a little too hentai anime to me.
2. In the same way, when we DID finally meet the eldritch horror we kind of cringed it a bit too hard for my taste when we started talking about omegaverse fanfiction. I’m. Listen, okay, no judgment, but that felt too on-the-nose for what I’m dealing with. I’m not even kinkshaming and I ALSO wanted to leave when the horror did. It felt a bit too….random, quirky…? for my tastes.
3. I’m sorry. But. The fated mates were a bit TOO fated. I’m all for fated mates, but it kind of loses its mystique when the human character who doesn’t have human mates spends all her time reading werewolf erotica WITH fated mates. A bit too on the nose for me.
4. The whole random incel storyline? Okay, but really? (And the one dude was named Chad…) It just took me out of the book for a bit, I’m sorry. Not to say that the storyline couldn’t have worked, but I felt the whole “these bad guys are incels” made it a bit too on the nose. They could have just hated demons, they didn’t have to spell it out for me that these were bad people.
A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and RDS Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me by surprise by how much it got me. It starts slow, but then suddenly the pace picks up and then out of nowhere it grabs me by the throat and kills me by the end. I loved this. It’s unbelievable this was only 180 pages because the rollercoaster it took me on felt both much longer, and like no time passed at all. I’ll be thinking about this novel for a while after reading it.
Even knowing some background on the original novel of “Frankenstein” and what occurs during this interlude, I was SHOCKED by the turn of events in this novel. I feel like this novel would work for anyone with barely any knowledge on the source material, as well as someone well-versed in it. This book takes on a life of its own, where even seemingly to know what will happen will not prepare the reader for what DOES happen.
This book starts off slow, and it very slowly ramps up the pacing. We follow Agnes as she lives on this tiny island called Eynhallow, with her husband and four children. She’s not exactly content with her life, but it’s her life and she’s resigned to living it. When suddenly a new stranger arrives on this island - a strange recluse nobleman named Victor Frankenstein. Forced by her husband to bring him food and clean his house, they soon strike up a friendship of sorts. Victor - in complete contrast to her husband - listens to her and seems to value her company. As they grow closer together, however, something dark is lurking in the shadows of this island - and neither one is prepared for how this interlude will end.
If you like slow-building gothic horror, where the danger very slowly creeps up on you until suddenly it appears and completely changes the entire tone of the novel you are reading - I highly suggest picking up this book.
This book took me by surprise by how much it got me. It starts slow, but then suddenly the pace picks up and then out of nowhere it grabs me by the throat and kills me by the end. I loved this. It’s unbelievable this was only 180 pages because the rollercoaster it took me on felt both much longer, and like no time passed at all. I’ll be thinking about this novel for a while after reading it.
Even knowing some background on the original novel of “Frankenstein” and what occurs during this interlude, I was SHOCKED by the turn of events in this novel. I feel like this novel would work for anyone with barely any knowledge on the source material, as well as someone well-versed in it. This book takes on a life of its own, where even seemingly to know what will happen will not prepare the reader for what DOES happen.
This book starts off slow, and it very slowly ramps up the pacing. We follow Agnes as she lives on this tiny island called Eynhallow, with her husband and four children. She’s not exactly content with her life, but it’s her life and she’s resigned to living it. When suddenly a new stranger arrives on this island - a strange recluse nobleman named Victor Frankenstein. Forced by her husband to bring him food and clean his house, they soon strike up a friendship of sorts. Victor - in complete contrast to her husband - listens to her and seems to value her company. As they grow closer together, however, something dark is lurking in the shadows of this island - and neither one is prepared for how this interlude will end.
If you like slow-building gothic horror, where the danger very slowly creeps up on you until suddenly it appears and completely changes the entire tone of the novel you are reading - I highly suggest picking up this book.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Argyll Productions for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of those YA fantasy novels that I like to describe as “perfect for when you’re 13 and 31,” in that, this is timeless and I think this would be a perfect fantasy novel to read, no matter what your age. It can be really hard to find novels like this, where I believe I would have liked it just as much if I had been able to pick it up while I was in middle school, as I do now as an adult reading it. I have very few novels I consider like this - Sabriel by Garth NIx being the biggest one, with A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge another one with a similar vibe.
We follow a thief named Nivvy, as he unintentionally begins a journey with someone who may or may not be, or will become, an evil Queen. He works with her to help her steal her kingdom back, but along the journey discovers that her success may not be the best thing in the long run - even if it potentially grants him great acclaim as the one who helped her. A large portion of this novel is his growth from focusing on his own selfish interests, to those of helping others, regardless if it benefits him directly.
The magic system in this novel is interesting, as it works by using magical objects - and telling the story of the object. I thought that was an interesting twist, especially given a large portion of this novel is about storytelling and the importance of both telling a story, but also how it is told.
This book also had a really cool concept of people who are turned into animals, but still maintain many of their human abilities, called former-humans. I thought this concept was really cool and interesting, as many fairytales have people being turned into animals - but less focus on how they then continue to live their lives after being changed (or are simply changed back). The concept of these “people” being both a person and an animal at the same time, while still having their autonomy and respect they should be given, was really interesting. When the novel first began, I saw many of these “former-humans” as being worthy of pity and hoped that they would all change back by the end - but as the novel went on, and we saw how many of them were happy and content with their lives, I realized the issue was more complex than simply surface level.
I was honestly a little wary with the 500+ page count, but to be completely honest at no point did the story feel like it dragged or should have been cut short. The journey and character developments of each of the characters worked, and even if not everything was “fixed “ by the end, I would consider this book to still have a happy ending of sorts. This is a kind of YA fantasy with growth and character developments that I would recommend to practically anyone, as I think anyone who likes fantasy would enjoy the journey this novel takes them on.
This is one of those YA fantasy novels that I like to describe as “perfect for when you’re 13 and 31,” in that, this is timeless and I think this would be a perfect fantasy novel to read, no matter what your age. It can be really hard to find novels like this, where I believe I would have liked it just as much if I had been able to pick it up while I was in middle school, as I do now as an adult reading it. I have very few novels I consider like this - Sabriel by Garth NIx being the biggest one, with A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge another one with a similar vibe.
We follow a thief named Nivvy, as he unintentionally begins a journey with someone who may or may not be, or will become, an evil Queen. He works with her to help her steal her kingdom back, but along the journey discovers that her success may not be the best thing in the long run - even if it potentially grants him great acclaim as the one who helped her. A large portion of this novel is his growth from focusing on his own selfish interests, to those of helping others, regardless if it benefits him directly.
The magic system in this novel is interesting, as it works by using magical objects - and telling the story of the object. I thought that was an interesting twist, especially given a large portion of this novel is about storytelling and the importance of both telling a story, but also how it is told.
This book also had a really cool concept of people who are turned into animals, but still maintain many of their human abilities, called former-humans. I thought this concept was really cool and interesting, as many fairytales have people being turned into animals - but less focus on how they then continue to live their lives after being changed (or are simply changed back). The concept of these “people” being both a person and an animal at the same time, while still having their autonomy and respect they should be given, was really interesting. When the novel first began, I saw many of these “former-humans” as being worthy of pity and hoped that they would all change back by the end - but as the novel went on, and we saw how many of them were happy and content with their lives, I realized the issue was more complex than simply surface level.
I was honestly a little wary with the 500+ page count, but to be completely honest at no point did the story feel like it dragged or should have been cut short. The journey and character developments of each of the characters worked, and even if not everything was “fixed “ by the end, I would consider this book to still have a happy ending of sorts. This is a kind of YA fantasy with growth and character developments that I would recommend to practically anyone, as I think anyone who likes fantasy would enjoy the journey this novel takes them on.
A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Orbit Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you were looking for a fun, cozy, romantic comedy romantasy, then look no further. This is such a fun read that as soon as I started reading this I devoured it until I was finished.
I love some tropey romantasy where I don’t really need to focus too hard and I can just join the ride, and this fits that niche perfectly. There is a touch of BDSM thrown in, a smidge of “fated mates,” and a LOT of “touch her and die” from Fallon. (If you think too hard about the multiple mutilations and deaths in this book, you might explode to be honest, but honestly I’d just enjoy the ride and let the story do whatever it does.)
The worldbuilding was interesting, and while it tackled some heavier topics, none of them took away from the romance between Cinnamon and Fallon - as it shouldn’t! Along the course of basically a road trip to save the world, they fall in love (and have sex) and save the world and free the demons from the evil witch. I thought the world building was fun and easy to get into, and made me want to continue reading this series for as many characters as the author could dream up.
I have seen some criticisms that I do agree with - namely, the violence against innocent people in this book (ie. People are killed for not knowing something, while another character is saved from the same fate by happenstance; Fallon simply kills people for not immediately listening to Cinnamon when she doesn’t really give a compelling argument for them to believe her; Fallon is a little too gung ho about murdering people and Cin is a bit too “oh well” when he does, etc, etc.) Honestly, if I was intending to read this as a serious fantasy and not a fun romcom then I think it’d bother me more. But as it is, I just wanted to vibe for the 2 hours it took me to read this so it was fine.
ALSO. Can we have a book on Ambrose. Please? Or literally ANY snake demon? That’s all I’m asking for here, as SOON as he showed up I immediately wanted a romance with him. I’ve been obsessed with nagas since I can remember and I’d kill for a romance with either a naga or a lamia. (I also love dragons, do NOT get my translating-the-runes-in-my-Dragonology-books ass wrong, here, but. But! I also need a lamia romance. Stat.)
If you were looking for a fun, cozy, romantic comedy romantasy, then look no further. This is such a fun read that as soon as I started reading this I devoured it until I was finished.
I love some tropey romantasy where I don’t really need to focus too hard and I can just join the ride, and this fits that niche perfectly. There is a touch of BDSM thrown in, a smidge of “fated mates,” and a LOT of “touch her and die” from Fallon. (If you think too hard about the multiple mutilations and deaths in this book, you might explode to be honest, but honestly I’d just enjoy the ride and let the story do whatever it does.)
The worldbuilding was interesting, and while it tackled some heavier topics, none of them took away from the romance between Cinnamon and Fallon - as it shouldn’t! Along the course of basically a road trip to save the world, they fall in love (and have sex) and save the world and free the demons from the evil witch. I thought the world building was fun and easy to get into, and made me want to continue reading this series for as many characters as the author could dream up.
I have seen some criticisms that I do agree with - namely, the violence against innocent people in this book (ie. People are killed for not knowing something, while another character is saved from the same fate by happenstance; Fallon simply kills people for not immediately listening to Cinnamon when she doesn’t really give a compelling argument for them to believe her; Fallon is a little too gung ho about murdering people and Cin is a bit too “oh well” when he does, etc, etc.) Honestly, if I was intending to read this as a serious fantasy and not a fun romcom then I think it’d bother me more. But as it is, I just wanted to vibe for the 2 hours it took me to read this so it was fine.
ALSO. Can we have a book on Ambrose. Please? Or literally ANY snake demon? That’s all I’m asking for here, as SOON as he showed up I immediately wanted a romance with him. I’ve been obsessed with nagas since I can remember and I’d kill for a romance with either a naga or a lamia. (I also love dragons, do NOT get my translating-the-runes-in-my-Dragonology-books ass wrong, here, but. But! I also need a lamia romance. Stat.)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Cemetery Dance Publications for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novella unfortunately never fully grabbed me, and by the end I was more confused than anything else. We follow our main character Kaye, an Episcopal priest as she questions her faith and her beliefs, while feeling stuck about them due to the smallness of the town she’s in. It’s stated multiple times that above all else, she wishes to keep her job. So, despite having multiple crises of faith and incorporating varied understandings of the Bible in her faith, she remains the same for her small church in order to keep the small amount of attendance she currently has.
Honestly, while this novella describes itself as “ madwoman in a mad town” I kind of thought neither were entirely true. The town itself isn’t mad, it’s simply Smalltown USA with typical conservative, Republican beliefs in it. And Kaye only begins to lose her mind when confronted with a random stranger who may or may not be a god, and who challenges her beliefs about what is real. To be honest, I kind of felt the inclusion of “Janus” as a character was out of left field, and it would have felt more natural for Kaye to more organically become delusional, as it were.
Personally, this novella wasn’t bad and if abstract horror is your jam I think you’d really like this. However, this novella was simply too abstract and not personally clear enough for me to understand what was going on, for me to properly enjoy it.
This novella unfortunately never fully grabbed me, and by the end I was more confused than anything else. We follow our main character Kaye, an Episcopal priest as she questions her faith and her beliefs, while feeling stuck about them due to the smallness of the town she’s in. It’s stated multiple times that above all else, she wishes to keep her job. So, despite having multiple crises of faith and incorporating varied understandings of the Bible in her faith, she remains the same for her small church in order to keep the small amount of attendance she currently has.
Honestly, while this novella describes itself as “ madwoman in a mad town” I kind of thought neither were entirely true. The town itself isn’t mad, it’s simply Smalltown USA with typical conservative, Republican beliefs in it. And Kaye only begins to lose her mind when confronted with a random stranger who may or may not be a god, and who challenges her beliefs about what is real. To be honest, I kind of felt the inclusion of “Janus” as a character was out of left field, and it would have felt more natural for Kaye to more organically become delusional, as it were.
Personally, this novella wasn’t bad and if abstract horror is your jam I think you’d really like this. However, this novella was simply too abstract and not personally clear enough for me to understand what was going on, for me to properly enjoy it.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and DarkLit Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority for this book in the fact that I didn’t really enjoy it the way I felt I should. It was listed as an aquatic cosmic horror story (very little is MORE my jam than that), and while that’s not a lie, it is barely one and only towards the end. A good portion of this book focuses on both of the brothers Eric and Jamie, and their estranged relationship to both each other and their father.
I will be honest, my review is a bit meaner than I intended it to be, but with both aquatic and cosmic horror being one of my favorite genres, I really expected to like this more than I did. However, I think you should read this novel for yourself as it’s not bad, it’s just not what I wanted nor expected out of a horror novel with this premise. I think a reader without the same expectations that I had would love this story.
The first about 30-50% of this book is Jamie’s reflections on growing up with his brother, and his strange actions while sleepwalking as a child - and how it, in turn, changed his personality to become more aggressive and violent. The story kicks off with them reuniting at a bar in Hawaii, and Eric seeming to be involved in some shady business and involved with drug deals. Things escalate quickly, and soon he, his brother, their friend and their father need to escape onto the father’s boat into the ocean.
(I was expecting a much more natural progression for them to be on the boat, and for the horror to then start slowly as isolation and resentment between the brothers set in. This is my own fault, but when I see “aquatic horror on a boat in the middle of the ocean” I kind of assume the inherent horror of the ocean to be involved. As it is, there really isn’t any reason for this novel to take place on the ocean.)
Finally, once the cosmic horror aspect arrives, it is almost very quickly explained away and then the novel ends. In fact, even the horror aspect itself is still revolving around Eric, like we (as Jamie) have been doing the ENTIRE novel. I understand themes and how this could be a thematic throughline of Jamie’s life revolving around his brother to the point that even when the world ends it’s because of Eric, but I kind of felt like this reading was me trying to grasp at straws to justify the “twist” ending.
At the end we have a brief epilogue of a letter from a scientist studying the strange phenomena occurring, which implies the story continues on past this point, but to be honest I was more frustrated I couldn’t experience THAT novel. It’s definitely me, but I think I’d have preferred an aquatic horror novel focused MORE on the aquatic horror aspect, with them slowly studying and experiencing the phenomena as it slowly starts to unravel space and time around them.
However, clearly I’m in the minority for this novel and so if you like any kind of cosmic horror I absolutely encourage you to check this out. I think maybe if I had been more aware of the type of aquatic cosmic horror this novel was, I might have enjoyed it more. As it stands, I wasn’t expecting such a long runtime to be focused on the relationship of the brothers, or Eric ruining the lives of everyone around him for no reason, which definitely dampened my enjoyment reading this.
Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority for this book in the fact that I didn’t really enjoy it the way I felt I should. It was listed as an aquatic cosmic horror story (very little is MORE my jam than that), and while that’s not a lie, it is barely one and only towards the end. A good portion of this book focuses on both of the brothers Eric and Jamie, and their estranged relationship to both each other and their father.
I will be honest, my review is a bit meaner than I intended it to be, but with both aquatic and cosmic horror being one of my favorite genres, I really expected to like this more than I did. However, I think you should read this novel for yourself as it’s not bad, it’s just not what I wanted nor expected out of a horror novel with this premise. I think a reader without the same expectations that I had would love this story.
The first about 30-50% of this book is Jamie’s reflections on growing up with his brother, and his strange actions while sleepwalking as a child - and how it, in turn, changed his personality to become more aggressive and violent. The story kicks off with them reuniting at a bar in Hawaii, and Eric seeming to be involved in some shady business and involved with drug deals. Things escalate quickly, and soon he, his brother, their friend and their father need to escape onto the father’s boat into the ocean.
(I was expecting a much more natural progression for them to be on the boat, and for the horror to then start slowly as isolation and resentment between the brothers set in. This is my own fault, but when I see “aquatic horror on a boat in the middle of the ocean” I kind of assume the inherent horror of the ocean to be involved. As it is, there really isn’t any reason for this novel to take place on the ocean.)
Finally, once the cosmic horror aspect arrives, it is almost very quickly explained away and then the novel ends. In fact, even the horror aspect itself is still revolving around Eric, like we (as Jamie) have been doing the ENTIRE novel. I understand themes and how this could be a thematic throughline of Jamie’s life revolving around his brother to the point that even when the world ends it’s because of Eric, but I kind of felt like this reading was me trying to grasp at straws to justify the “twist” ending.
At the end we have a brief epilogue of a letter from a scientist studying the strange phenomena occurring, which implies the story continues on past this point, but to be honest I was more frustrated I couldn’t experience THAT novel. It’s definitely me, but I think I’d have preferred an aquatic horror novel focused MORE on the aquatic horror aspect, with them slowly studying and experiencing the phenomena as it slowly starts to unravel space and time around them.
However, clearly I’m in the minority for this novel and so if you like any kind of cosmic horror I absolutely encourage you to check this out. I think maybe if I had been more aware of the type of aquatic cosmic horror this novel was, I might have enjoyed it more. As it stands, I wasn’t expecting such a long runtime to be focused on the relationship of the brothers, or Eric ruining the lives of everyone around him for no reason, which definitely dampened my enjoyment reading this.