kirby2002's reviews
1115 reviews

 This was my first Ronald Malfi book and will not be my last. I wouldn’t consider this a horror novel; it’s more of a thriller. I was intrigued from the very beginning and fully invested. I started losing interest around the middle when the story got repetitive and dragged on, but it did pick up again towards the end. Overall, it was a solid 3-star read.

Stars:3⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: .1🌶️
Eyeroll: 1⭐️
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Joe Hempel
Narrator Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No 

I really liked this and read it in one sitting. It hooked me from page one, and I couldn’t put it down. It was an original concept, and I enjoyed the book's format. I loved the hidden Morse code messages and had fun translating them. The only reason this is not 5 stars is that there were a lot of unanswered questions; it could have been a little longer and scarier. I look forward to what Marcus Kliewer releases next.

Stars:4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 1⭐️
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Series: No
Format: Hardcover
Narrator: N/A
Narrator Rating: N/A
Cliffhanger: No 

This one was hard to rate. I thought the story was original and was intrigued to read it, but it never quite reached its potential. It took me less than a day and a half at work to finish listening to it, and it kept my attention, but overall, it was forgettable. I finished it less than a month ago and have forgotten most of the book. I only know the main character's name because it's in the book description. 

Stars: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:  0 
Eyeroll: 1⭐️
Genre: Horror
Series: No 
Format: Audiobook
Narrator Joe Hempel 
Narrator Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No

I read my first T. Kingfisher novel, Paladin’s Grace, in January, and I loved it. I quickly added all her books to my TBR, and I have read/listened to a bunch of them. I determined that I enjoy her fantasy/romantasy books more than her “horror” books. Mostly because I wouldn’t consider any of her “horror” books to be horror; they are fantasy with a bit of creepiness, and the fact that they are categorized as horror makes me expect something very different from what I get. But there are also things I love about her books. Her FMC are realistic women; they are all over 30 and have different shapes, sizes, and looks. They are not 20-somethings that are drop-dead gorgeous with perfect bodies. Also, not every male character is a love interest. The characters have relationships with men that aren’t romantic. In this book, the MMC is a gay neighbor. All her books are funny, sometimes laugh out love funny. I love some witty banter. 

 

I enjoyed The Hollow Places more than her other horror books. It was nicely paced, had an original story, was slightly creepy, and had a good ending. But it didn’t wow or scare me. 

 

Stars: 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Spice:  0 

Eyeroll: 1⭐️ 

Genre: Horror 

Series: No 

Format: Audiobook 

Narrator Hillary Huber 

Narrator Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Cliffhanger: No 

I did not like this as much as the first one. It felt like a filler and was very repetitive. A lot of drama could have been avoided if someone had made a phone call. The whole book was pretty unforgettable. 

Stars: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:  1 🌶️ 
Eyeroll: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Yes
Format: Audiobook
Narrator Zachary Webber
Narrator Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: I don’t remember

 This is a decent Urban/Steampunk Fantasy. It was a quick listen with a nice mix of magical creatures, mystery, humor, action, and magic. 

 

Stars: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Spice:  0 

Eyeroll: 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Genre: Urban Fantasy 

Series: Yes 

Format: Audiobook 

Narrator Travis Baldree 

Narrator Rating: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Cliffhanger: No 

I enjoyed the first two books in the series. They had a great mix of supernatural creatures, and they were a fun and quick read—this one I did not like as much. Sam kept being thrown into these life-or-death situations, only for Clive or one of her super-powerful friends to come along and save her. Then she would recover; she would shower and have sex with Clive all in the same night. This happened at least 3 times in this book. The danger and urgency became less impactful with each situation because a similar situation had already happened. By the end of the book, I wasn’t concerned about Sam’s well-being. If you remove that aspect of the book, I enjoy the story. The characters are likable, the world is interesting, there are all different types of supernatural creatures, it is humorous at times and heartfelt at others, and it has a good mix of romance. This series has everything I want in an urban fantasy; I wish it were executed better. You don’t have to almost kill off your main character multiple times to create drama. 

Stars: 2.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 2🌶️ 🌶️
Eyeroll:3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Yes
Format: Audiobook
Narrator Samantha Desz
Narrator Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cliffhanger: No

I had such high hopes for this book. The description sounded creepy AF, and everywhere I looked, people said it was the scariest book they had ever read. I had to get it and read it right away. I ordered this with my BOTM, and I couldn’t wait. I started it the day I got it, and I hated it. I honestly threw the book across the room when I was done. It's been almost two months since I've read it, and my feelings for it are still strong. I have a lot of issues with this book, but the biggest one is the writing style. It is told from Bela’s POV, and it is not in a traditional style. It is more like a play than a novel. There is dialogue and narrational action, and that's it. There are no formal chapters and no descriptions. Some people might have enjoyed this, but I did not. Issue #2: Bela. She is supposed to be eight years old. Sometimes, she is written like a 5-year-old and others like a 15-year-old. Her parents will talk to her like a child one minute and then confess their deepest, darkest secrets the next. Issue #3: I almost stopped reading this because she calls him Daddo. It was cute and adoring initially, but it slowly drove me insane. Issue #4 is Other Mommy. She had the potential to be shit-your-pants scary, and she wasn’t. The scenes with her were creepy, but that’s it. I wanted so much more. Issue #4: The whole exorcism scene was bad and made no sense. I had issues with almost everything about this book, but those are the big ones. I think I hated it so much because this book had so much potential. Other Mommy lives in a kid’s closet, and only she can see her. She starts as a friend and confidant, only to turn into an evil presence that wants to possess her body. That written as a traditional novel would have been fantastic. 

Stars: 1 ⭐️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll: 4 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄
Genre: Horror
Series: No
Format: Hardcover
Narrator NA
Narrator Rating: 
Cliffhanger: No