A chilling blog post, a child’s mysterious drawing, a murder victim’s last sketch. All of these are clues in Strange Pictures, a new crime book by anonymous Japanese YouTuber Uketsu. I hadn’t seen any of Uketsu’s videos, but was sufficiently intrigued by this unique storytelling style and I ended up loving this book!

I absolutely devoured Strange Pictures in one evening. I’m on a real crime kick at the moment and Pushkin Vertigo is fuelling my reading, but Strange Pictures is a little different from their other offerings. Rather than a straightforward narrative, Uketsu incorporates pictures and images into their writing, giving readers a visual aid to the story they’re telling. In another author’s hands, the use of the pictures may have felt gimmicky, but it’s clear that Uketsu is a great storyteller and this method works so well.

These bite-size d mysteries intriguing on their own, but seeing the bigger picture was one of the most rewarding parts of reading this book. Much darker than I anticipated, Strange Pictures is a haunting story that is hard to put down.

Apparently there are two more coming and I can’t wait to read them!

It will never cease to amaze me that more people don’t know about the tragedy of the Donner party. In California, you learn about the state’s history in the 4th grade, and the wagon trails that brought white settlers to California and Oregon are an important part of that history. Granted, the 4th grade is a little young to be learning about survival cannibalism, but that’s a conversation for another day.

I recently listened to a podcast about the Donner party and decided to read one of the books that podcast used as a source. Given my lifelong fascination with the gruesome tale, I thought it was time to learn more than just the sanitised version I was taught in that 4th grade history class. The Indifferent Stars Above is a really fantastic book that lays out all the circumstances and choices - both large and small - that led to the party being stranded in the mountains. We mostly follow Sarah Graves, a young bride from Illinois who ultimately survives the ordeal. Through her, Brown details life on the trail for the pioneers - what they ate, what they wore, what they packed, and how they socialised. Combining the mundane with the gruesome, Brown does a great job building a narrative that is both compelling and informative.

The only downside is that the audiobook narrator is a little lackluster, but that’s more forgivable for non-fiction than it is for fiction.

If you have stepped foot into the true crime space, you probably know John Douglas’s name - he's an incredibly important figure in the development of criminal profiling and one of the people responsible for the concept and classification of serial killers. I've always been interested in behavioural science (yes, I was a Criminal Minds addict) and wanted to learn a little more about Douglas and the unit he worked with. 

This book wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, which isn't really his fault. I was hoping more for a first-hand history of the Behavioural Science Unit and the now-famous serial killer interviews the unit conducted. While there was a bit of that, this book is mostly a collection of anecdotes of John Douglas's time hunting various criminals. You do get the distinct impression that John Douglas's biggest fan is John Douglas himself - yikes. Mindhunter was an interesting but ultimately forgettable read. 

I’m a huge fan of T. Kingfisher’s books and am always on the lookout for more fantasy that shares her style. Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill is exactly that – a charming, cosy yet bloody debut novel that is an absolute delight to read.

This book is told in the first person with Jenny as our narrator. An ancient lake monster who just wants to mind her business, her peace is disturbed when the villagers throw a suspected witch into her waters and she makes an important decision – she saves the witch. This spurns her to leave her lake and send her on a wonderful character arc. I loved seeing her grumpy facade slip as she grew closer to her companions. She is, however, very much not human and this is a theme explored in the story. She is also more than a monster – she has such wonderful depth of character and I just adored seeing the story through her eyes.

I loved the setting and the world that O’Neill creates in Greenteeth. She works with existing British folklore and weaves a tale of fae and mythology that spans across Britain. Jenny’s lake, the countryside the crew traverse, and the fae creatures are all a delight and so vivid. The addition of some of my favourite tropes – found family and a good old fashion quest – make it a fun, cosy, and compelling tale.

The book does slow down a little in the middle and there were some choices with one particular character that I didn’t love, but otherwise Greenteeth is a great fantasy read for people like me who want a bit of teeth to go alongside the cosy vibes. If you like T. Kingfisher’s fantasy stories as well as cosy fantasy that still involves limbs being forcibly removed, Greenteeth is the book for you. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

That title! That cover! With my background in Victorian literature and love of all things Gothic, I knew Victorian Psycho would be right up my alley.

Victorian Psycho is absolutely bizarre and unhinged. It’s a short book but it packs a serious punch, immediately drawing us into Notty’s world and mind. Through the madness, Feito writes a refreshing take on Victorian society, class, and the Victorian family.

I think there’s a lot of places in which this book could have fallen flat, but it came together and worked so well. The main reason for this is Notty’s wonderful, totally compelling voice. She’s completely unhinged, but also funny, witty, and extremely charismatic. The decision to write this book in a first person POV was absolutely the correct one – I don’t think it would have worked without the view into Notty’s head.

Victorian Psycho is one for the ‘weird books for weird people’ crowd (like me). This most certainly not be for everyone, but the right reader will love this messed up, compelling, gory tale.

Is this what romance readers feel? My feet are kicking, my cheeks are blushing. I used to read a ton of romance books, but have long since moved to fantasy and horror titles. While I like a dash of romance in my books these days, it’s rarely my favourite part of any book. I didn’t think that Someone You Can Build a Nest in would be the book my weird little heart was looking for, but it turns out it’s exactly what I needed.

Shesheshen is a wonderful character. She’s funny and clever, fiercly loyal and kind, and also a shapeshifting monster who feasts on human flesh and absorbs bones and organs to build her own body. Cute! I’m a sucker for the ‘learning what it means to be human’ trop you so often see in science fiction (it’s one of the reasons I love Star Trek so much), and it’s wonderfully utilised here. Shesheshen is a fantastically complex character with a lot of heart – I love her so much. But she’s not the only star of the show. The entire cast is wonderfully written. Homily, Shesheshen’s human love interest who has no idea her new girlfriend isn’t actually human, is the perfect match for Shesheshen’s ferocity. She’s quiet and kind, but struggles in the face of her awful family.

Alongside a large cast of side characters, both horrendous and hilarious, this book features wonderful worldbuilding and a quest for vengeance. It’s gory and bloody, sweet and cosy. Sure to delight both horror and fantasy fans, Someone You Can Build a Nest in is a sweet, unusual romance story for those of us looking for something a little off the beaten path.

Heather Parry’s debut novel has been on my radar for ages for a number of reasons and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. Based on a very true story, Orpheus Builds a Girl is a gripping, dark, and deeply disturbing tale of obsession, possession, and one woman’s agency.

This story is told in a dual narrative – Gabriela opens the story by telling you you she is going to right the wrongs of her sister’s story and the lies told by Wilhelm. What unfolds is horrifying. Dual narratives are interesting to me because often one perspective is more engaging than the other. While the book begins with Wilhelm being the much more interesting POV, Gabriela’s chapters quickly catch up, especially when their lives collide and entwine. 

The choice to use a dual narrative is rather genius on Parry’s part. The center of this book is Luciana’s lack of agency and autonomy – she’s constantly pushing for freedom throughout her entire life. Notably, her voice is lacking in this narrative, driving home the point that she loses everything.

Parry’s writing is beautiful and compelling – she keeps you reading despite the dark and disturbing content. Orpheus Builds a Girls will make you deeply uncomfortable. It will make you upset and not feel good. It wont be for everyone, but if you like your literary fiction on the darker side I’d highly recommend picking it up.

I’m a huge fan of Tender is the Flesh, Bazterrica’s breakout novel, so expectations for The Unworthy were extremely high. While the narrative style wasn’t quite for me, I still enjoyed (is that the right word?) this brutal dystopian novel.

The Unworthy is beautifully written, accentuating the horrors of the House of the Sacred Sisterhood and what the narrator experiences there. The pain and struggles of the main character, the descriptions of the cult and their practices, and the pain of her past are vivid. as well as the desperate hope she clings to. Bazterrica has a real knack for blending beauty and horror, creating narratives that feel truly unique.

The downside of this book for me is that I found the writing style a little hard to follow. The Unworthy is essentially a story told in scraps of paper – the text is made up of bits of writing the narrator is able to write and hide away in secret, resulting in a jumbled, non-traditional narrative. It isn’t just this book that I struggled with – I tend to struggle with this type of writing in general, so it’s absolutely not on the author! Despite this, it was a good choice for the story being told – the reader really gets an insight into the frantic panic and fear the narrator feels every day, making it an extremely visceral read.

A funny one for me! While I preferred Tender is the Flesh, The Unworthy is a fantastic new novel from Bazterrica. While it didn’t necessarily work for me on all levels, I will always enjoy immersing myself in her wonderful writing (despite the horrors she conjurs).

Collections of short stories are always hard to review! I find that most short story collections, whether they’re written by one author or many, tend to be a mixed bag, and Never Whistle at Night is no different. There were some stories in this anthology that were absolutely fabulous but others that I really didn’t get on with. However, with 27 stories, there is something for everyone in this volume. Overall, it’s well worth a read and is a great starting point for finding some new Indigenous authors to read.

This was my first foray into Hayne’s fiction writing and I really enjoyed it! Stone Blind is a reimagining of Medusa’s story, but gives all the context that is usually left out from her tale. Haynes has a wonderful knack for modernising mythology, but still sticking with the original sentiments of the story she’s retelling. Medusa becomes more than a monster – she’s a three-dimensional, tragic character.