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findingmontauk1
Devils Unto Daughters by Amy Lukavics was recommended to me by Mindi (@Gowsy33 to any of my bookstagram friends on here). Well, she didn't know at the time she was speaking directly to me, as it was one of her IG stories. BUT if I have learned anything it is that when she says she likes a book, then I NEED THAT BOOK! It's pretty simple actually. One review said it was like Little House on the Prairie if it had been written by Stephen King. Those two recommendations paired with the Amazon summary were more than enough to get me excited for this one:
The cover of this book is a little terrifying to me. Based on the cover alone, I did not know going into it that it was, in fact, a YA novel. But I actually enjoy most of the YA novels that I read so that didn't deter me one bit. But I do not think it has to be categorized as a YA novel; it can be categorized as simply a horror novel. There are so many messed up and creepy scenes and events in the book that the reader can look past the fact that the general audience is teens. I mean some of those scenes are SO disturbing. Without giving too much away, I can say that I will never EVER see ants in the same way again. Or scarecrows. Or pigs. Or cabins. Or cabins that have blood-soaked floors that I so often visit.
Being a YA novel, the pacing was fast but you still get a chance to know all of the characters. I even became emotionally invested in two of them and was slightly heartbroken a time or two. With every page and every scene the story builds suspense and terror until it's rather shocking conclusion that knows the wind out of you.
Amy Lukavics is an author that is slowly seducing me and I am eager to choose the next book of hers that I will read! 3.5 stars out of 5 for me on this one!
The cover of this book is a little terrifying to me. Based on the cover alone, I did not know going into it that it was, in fact, a YA novel. But I actually enjoy most of the YA novels that I read so that didn't deter me one bit. But I do not think it has to be categorized as a YA novel; it can be categorized as simply a horror novel. There are so many messed up and creepy scenes and events in the book that the reader can look past the fact that the general audience is teens. I mean some of those scenes are SO disturbing. Without giving too much away, I can say that I will never EVER see ants in the same way again. Or scarecrows. Or pigs. Or cabins. Or cabins that have blood-soaked floors that I so often visit.
Being a YA novel, the pacing was fast but you still get a chance to know all of the characters. I even became emotionally invested in two of them and was slightly heartbroken a time or two. With every page and every scene the story builds suspense and terror until it's rather shocking conclusion that knows the wind out of you.
Amy Lukavics is an author that is slowly seducing me and I am eager to choose the next book of hers that I will read! 3.5 stars out of 5 for me on this one!
3.5 out of 5! not bad! looking forward to getting more into Koontz later on!
Jack & Jill is a novella by Kealan Patrick Burke about a girl who experiences some out-of-the-ordinary terrible things and how those events still haunt her as an adult with a family of her own. We get to see childhood innocence, death of a family member/sibling, grief, mental illness, and child molestation all in one short novella. It’s like a smorgasbord of cringe-worthy debauchery! The way that KPB can craft all of this together the way he does is just further proof that he is brilliant and MUST be either sacrificing goats on the daily or summoning some badass dark wizard for help!
What I enjoy most about this story is the imagery Burke uses. A lot of this book is non-dialogue so his descriptions have to be good, am I right? One of my favorite examples is when he is talking about a childhood home: “Entering the gloomy hallway was like stepping back inside the womb… the house was smaller than I remembered it, the rooms narrower, as if my absence had created a vacuum that pulled the walls in closer.” Being able to evoke those same feelings a lot of us have about returning to our childhood homes and now they seem so small and faded is just the start of how good he is in this book! And some of the chapters are the protagonist’s dreams… and… they are TWISTED!
Another strong aspect of the book is how there seems to be this constant struggle of perception versus descent into madness versus reality. It’s not until at least halfway through that you begin to question the accuracy of the protagonist’s recollections and status of her stable mental faculties. What starts out as relentless nightmares results in a twist and shocking moment that made me cringe, drop my jaw, you name it. But that is what KPB does; he pushes his stories to those points that make you go, ‘OH MY GOD!” and then you thank all the Gods that you are reading his stuff! That climactic moment…
As with some of the best horror stories, this one really messes around in humanity and reality. It is easily a 5 out of 5 from me and I am excited there are so many more stories from him that I still get to read!
What I enjoy most about this story is the imagery Burke uses. A lot of this book is non-dialogue so his descriptions have to be good, am I right? One of my favorite examples is when he is talking about a childhood home: “Entering the gloomy hallway was like stepping back inside the womb… the house was smaller than I remembered it, the rooms narrower, as if my absence had created a vacuum that pulled the walls in closer.” Being able to evoke those same feelings a lot of us have about returning to our childhood homes and now they seem so small and faded is just the start of how good he is in this book! And some of the chapters are the protagonist’s dreams… and… they are TWISTED!
Another strong aspect of the book is how there seems to be this constant struggle of perception versus descent into madness versus reality. It’s not until at least halfway through that you begin to question the accuracy of the protagonist’s recollections and status of her stable mental faculties. What starts out as relentless nightmares results in a twist and shocking moment that made me cringe, drop my jaw, you name it. But that is what KPB does; he pushes his stories to those points that make you go, ‘OH MY GOD!” and then you thank all the Gods that you are reading his stuff! That climactic moment…
As with some of the best horror stories, this one really messes around in humanity and reality. It is easily a 5 out of 5 from me and I am excited there are so many more stories from him that I still get to read!
Like you and most others, I do not have the time (or brain power) to contemplate the cosmos and learn everything that I can about it. And like 100% of you reading this, I am not an astrophysicist. Thankfully, Neil deGrasse Tyson has simplified the essentials down into a short book for us! The book provides a great introduction on a variety of topics “from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.” You will at least know enough to impress that hot Tindr date or boost that ego around the office after reading this one! Is it any coincidence that Tyson was born the same week that NASA was founded? Did you just have a big bang moment in your head? Good. GOOD.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is how it entertained and informed at a level that left me wanting more and did not overwhelm me and put me in a state where I completely zoned out. Sometimes a topic can be so over your head or heavy that you just give up completely. But Tyson keeps you on the hook the entire book.
I have read from a few people that this book was not so great because it is a consolidated version of some of his other books, so none of the information is really new. Well, I haven’t read any of his other books. Well eff that! I think I did it the right way because now I want to learn MORE and get his other books! It’s as if my mind was meant for Tyson to penetrate with his huge… amount of knowledge!
To sum up this review, I give Astrophysics For People In A Hurry 4 out of 5 stars. And I am glad I am not, in fact, an astrophysicist because it seems like I would have a lot of headaches…
What I enjoyed the most about this book is how it entertained and informed at a level that left me wanting more and did not overwhelm me and put me in a state where I completely zoned out. Sometimes a topic can be so over your head or heavy that you just give up completely. But Tyson keeps you on the hook the entire book.
I have read from a few people that this book was not so great because it is a consolidated version of some of his other books, so none of the information is really new. Well, I haven’t read any of his other books. Well eff that! I think I did it the right way because now I want to learn MORE and get his other books! It’s as if my mind was meant for Tyson to penetrate with his huge… amount of knowledge!
To sum up this review, I give Astrophysics For People In A Hurry 4 out of 5 stars. And I am glad I am not, in fact, an astrophysicist because it seems like I would have a lot of headaches…
James Newman, y’all! If you are not reading him or have not heard of him, then you need to rectify that! This is my fourth book of his I have read and they have all been 5-star reads! And bonus: he’s super cool and interactive on Instagram and Twitter! Ok, so back to this book. The cover lists it as “White Trash Noir,” and I had no idea what that meant.
But after about 30 pages or so I was able to. Unlike Newman’s other books I have read, this one is not “super horror”-esque, for lack of better terminology. This reads like a pulpy, shocking, gory thriller. And it’s about a disfigured ex-pro wrestler in some town with strip clubs with no names, trailer parks, and criminals like “Coko Puff” and “Daddy.” Make a little more sense now?
This. Book. Is. Incredible! I really would like Nick Bullman to become the lead in a SERIES of books by Newman (wink wink if you are reading this, sir!!!) He was living the high life. Famous. Seemingly good looking. A ladies man. You name it. Basically he was a wrestler who could do whatever he wanted and get away with anything. Kind of like Hulk Hogan or John Cena.
Then he pulled the shit straw and ended turned out a man who reminded me of Mickey Rourke’s character in Sin City. A teddy bear of a man underneath a haggard facade. Someone you would not necessarily want to strike up a conversation with and stuff, but also DEFINITELY not someone you would ever want to piss off for fear of dismemberment, lots of pain, and death.
Newman has a way of telling incredible, page-turning stories. I fly through his books effortlessly because of how enriching the stories are. An author I randomly ran across on Instagram, James Newman has worked himself into my top favorite authors list (a list which, might I add, includes Sai King, himself!)
I was excited to discover that Newman has another side to him other than horror. While I love horror and HIS horror, knowing that he has another layer to his writing just means that he can write THAT much more and tell so many more stories.
So.. what have we learned? Newman is multi-faceted in his writing genres. He can drop Easter eggs to other books of his and make a reader giddy. And his books, horror or pulpy, white trash noir, offer a glimpse into the darkest parts of our humanity. You know who else does that? Stephen King. Yea, I SAID IT. AND I WON’T TAKE IT BACK! GO read him!
But after about 30 pages or so I was able to. Unlike Newman’s other books I have read, this one is not “super horror”-esque, for lack of better terminology. This reads like a pulpy, shocking, gory thriller. And it’s about a disfigured ex-pro wrestler in some town with strip clubs with no names, trailer parks, and criminals like “Coko Puff” and “Daddy.” Make a little more sense now?
This. Book. Is. Incredible! I really would like Nick Bullman to become the lead in a SERIES of books by Newman (wink wink if you are reading this, sir!!!) He was living the high life. Famous. Seemingly good looking. A ladies man. You name it. Basically he was a wrestler who could do whatever he wanted and get away with anything. Kind of like Hulk Hogan or John Cena.
Then he pulled the shit straw and ended turned out a man who reminded me of Mickey Rourke’s character in Sin City. A teddy bear of a man underneath a haggard facade. Someone you would not necessarily want to strike up a conversation with and stuff, but also DEFINITELY not someone you would ever want to piss off for fear of dismemberment, lots of pain, and death.
Newman has a way of telling incredible, page-turning stories. I fly through his books effortlessly because of how enriching the stories are. An author I randomly ran across on Instagram, James Newman has worked himself into my top favorite authors list (a list which, might I add, includes Sai King, himself!)
I was excited to discover that Newman has another side to him other than horror. While I love horror and HIS horror, knowing that he has another layer to his writing just means that he can write THAT much more and tell so many more stories.
So.. what have we learned? Newman is multi-faceted in his writing genres. He can drop Easter eggs to other books of his and make a reader giddy. And his books, horror or pulpy, white trash noir, offer a glimpse into the darkest parts of our humanity. You know who else does that? Stephen King. Yea, I SAID IT. AND I WON’T TAKE IT BACK! GO read him!
my first disappointment of 2018. glad this one's over!! Full review to come
A quick and haunting read and a great introduction to this author. full review to come!
I am one of those people who must read the book before watching the TV show or the movie. In this case, I saw so many advertisements for The Alienist TV show until I caved and set up my DVR to record the show and purchased the book. Even after seeing the previews, I did not totally know what it was about other than, “WHOA! That looks awesome! And Dakota Fanning is badass!” That’s basically how I left it. SO I get the book and tell my husband about it and we are both like, “What’s an alienist?” And I didn’t know the answer. Until I opened the first page and saw the definition right there.
So to me it sort of sounds like Mindhunter meets the Victorian Era from page one! The story takes place in 1896 in New York. Boys who wear powder and pretend to be girls in the skin trading business are turning up dead, their bodies mutilated, eyeballs removed, and genitals stuffed in their mouths. The book is full of psychological profiling as a trio and their troupe set out to catch this wicked killer! I do not want to say anything else about the story itself. I will go ahead and say this was an EASY 5 out of 5 stars for me and ALL the thumbs ups in the galaxy!
The Alienist, written by Caleb Carr, is super fast paced and easy to read. While set in the 1890s, it reads with a mix of Victorian Era and present-day language. Basically, it’s not pretentious and anyone could read this and enjoy it!
The characters are so awesome. You have Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, the child & criminal psychologist (or “alienist”), John Moore, the newspaper reporter, and Sara Howard, an unwed secretary in the Police Department who owns a gun, is totally badass, and is trying to become the first female police officer in New York City. She kind of reminds me of Susan Delgado from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: Wizard & Glass.
I was totally with them every step of the way as they navigated the slums, brothels, and clubs of New York to find this killer. I highly recommend this one and am eager to read the second in the series now. And now I can start clearing out my DVR because, let’s face it, like any “To do” or “To watch” list, crossing off and removing items is one of the best feelings in the world!
So to me it sort of sounds like Mindhunter meets the Victorian Era from page one! The story takes place in 1896 in New York. Boys who wear powder and pretend to be girls in the skin trading business are turning up dead, their bodies mutilated, eyeballs removed, and genitals stuffed in their mouths. The book is full of psychological profiling as a trio and their troupe set out to catch this wicked killer! I do not want to say anything else about the story itself. I will go ahead and say this was an EASY 5 out of 5 stars for me and ALL the thumbs ups in the galaxy!
The Alienist, written by Caleb Carr, is super fast paced and easy to read. While set in the 1890s, it reads with a mix of Victorian Era and present-day language. Basically, it’s not pretentious and anyone could read this and enjoy it!
The characters are so awesome. You have Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, the child & criminal psychologist (or “alienist”), John Moore, the newspaper reporter, and Sara Howard, an unwed secretary in the Police Department who owns a gun, is totally badass, and is trying to become the first female police officer in New York City. She kind of reminds me of Susan Delgado from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: Wizard & Glass.
I was totally with them every step of the way as they navigated the slums, brothels, and clubs of New York to find this killer. I highly recommend this one and am eager to read the second in the series now. And now I can start clearing out my DVR because, let’s face it, like any “To do” or “To watch” list, crossing off and removing items is one of the best feelings in the world!