morganjanedavis's Reviews (396)

4.5. This book took me through a rollercoaster of emotions from the beginning. Claudia's best friend Monday has seemingly vanished. After Claudia gets back from her Summer in Georgia with her grandma, she's beyond excited to reunite with her. As the school year begins she sees no trace of Monday, which is very uncharacteristic of her bestie. Claudia reaches out to Monday's family, her own family, her teachers, and even the police independently, only to be left with half-hearted excuses and "Yeah I'll follow up on that" responses from all parties. The reader is left wondering if Claudia will have to take all matters into her own hands to find her friend, if it isn't already too late.

While this book is classified as a thriller/mystery (it does contain those elements but, that isn't what left me *feeling* at the end), I viewed it more as a fictional work that acts as social commentary on the disparities between the disappearances of Black and white people, especially women. When Monday is noticed to be missing by Claudia, NO adult takes real action steps to locate Monday. Slowly but surely, Claudia is able to decipher breadcrumbs left by her best friend, and pieces together the heartbreaking reality of what happened to her. When I read through Monday and Claudia's heartbreaks time and time again, with no one doing anything to help them, I wanted to cry for both girls. Monday deserved so much more and the signs of what she was enduring were evident if investigated clearly. I loved how the author paralleled different systems failing each girl, Claudia being failed in a much more salvageable way by her school system and Monday being failed fatally, by all those around her. This book contains a jarring sharp pain that is only characteristic real events. Monday's Not Coming is more than the typical thriller/mystery, delivering insight to justice inequality between Black and white people in a way that is raw and emotive. The only reason I didn't rate this as a 5 was because of the minor loose ends that were left untied. This is a must read.

Wow, what a book. I loved every minute of this story. While the basis of the memoir revolves around Dave's path to becoming a world renowned artist, there is an emotional layer to the book that I did not expect. Highlighting his experiences in Scream, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters, Grohl includes raw elements of the human experience that any reader could relate to. From his estranged relationship with his dad that made him become a doting and ever-involved father to how the loss of friends along the way shaped him as a person, The Storyteller is raw, real, and heartfelt. If you're a fan of any of the bands Grohl is in (Nirvana and Foo Fighters is what initially even drew me to this book) this will be a real treat. Getting to hear wild stories from Grohl's time in both bands first hand gave me a new appreciation for artists and musicians alike. Normally, audiobooks are my least favorite way to consume any type of book but, getting to hear Grohl narrate his own life story made me feel like I was listening to one of my dad's friends tell me some crazy shit they got into, and I loved it. Highly recommend LISTENING to this!

In the third book of the Blackwater saga, plot points of the past begin to come together, tensions rise, and supernatural occurrences plague the Caskey family. Elinor and Mary Love’s animosity towards one another comes to a head when Mary Love does not do right by her son financially, resulting in dire consequences. Miriam is coming into her own and is very evidently following in the footsteps of her “mother” Mary Love. This book contained pivotal information to the saga and I love that it contained more supernatural elements than The Levee. This book shocked me in a multitude of ways and I cannot wait to see how these carry over into the next book, The War.

While this book proves to be one of the slower of the Blackwater saga to start, it really gains traction in the last 20% or so. The War highlights shifts in the family dynamic, with the younger girls Miriam and Frances becoming adults and true assets to the Caskey family. Miriam sheds herself of her perpetual coldness towards her family and becomes an essential player at the mill, helping her father immensely while forming a stronger bond with him. On the other hand, Frances is faced with inexplicable challenges that she can only speak with her mother about, as she knows she is the only person who truly understands. Grace and Lucille’s storylines were presented beautifully as well, I loved that these women are truly coming into their own and flourishing as adults, regardless of the opinion of others. McDowell also gives a bit more insight into Elinor’s mysterious state of being that has been passed down to Frances. Overall, while this book was more focused on familial relationships and members of the family maturing and/or settling down, there were still spooky elements, especially towards the end, that kept me on my toes.

Haunting, thought provoking, heartbreaking. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a story of two sisters and their elderly uncle living together after the unsolved poisoning of the rest of the Blackwood’s immediate family. Six years later, the villagers never miss a chance to taunt Merricat when they see her, due to her older sister Constance’s assumed guilt in the crime. How far will this go? Who poisoned the dead Blackwoods?

This is a short read, so I don’t want to give too much away but I cannot get this story out of my head. Mob mentality turned sinister is such an eerie yet fascinating concept to me (think the movie Mother!—-AAH), and it was done so well here. Violation, gaslighting, greed, TAKE TAKE TAKE TAKE mentality that the Blackwood’s endured made me want to pluck these characters from their environment and into safety. Eloquent prose, in true Jackson style. That’s all I’m going to say about this, PLZ READ!

The Blackwater saga follows the Caskey family through the years. It highlights their business journey, familial ties, and the mysteries that are Elinor Caskey and now Francis Caskey. The Fortune is the next to last book in the series, where Miriam seeks out to make them even more rich, the elders settle into old age, and Francis becomes a mother. This novel shows a real shift from childhood to adulthood in the Caskey sisters, with them taking on roles and responsibilities that previously would have been left to the adults. What repercussions do these shifts cause?


This may be my favorite book so far in the Blackwater saga. Reading through the changes the family are going through, and SO quickly, made me not want to put the book down. Frances' pregnancy, birth, and then incessant visits to the Perdido river and the rift it caused between herself and her family (aside from her mom) makes me wonder if they're going to start ~figuring it out~. The ending honestly was s o bittersweet and what makes me wonder if Oscar and/or Billy are going to attempt to figure out what is truly UP with the Caskey women. I feel like this build up of tension was the perfect way to set the scene for the final book, and has me on the edge of my seat to see what's going to happen next.

The last book in the Blackwater saga—☹️

This book is consistent with the rest, giving a good mix of family things as with supernatural happenings mixed in. Change happens for all Caskeys in the final book, both old and young. This is honestly all I can say about the book without giving any spoilers

2.5
I mean….okay. I really tried to get into this book and the premise is really cool! Jones’ writing style is just truly so so hard for me to get into…at all…ever. He provides beautiful details on the most mundane parts of the novel but when it’s time to actually get into it and create mental images during parts where the plot picks up, it’s always the characters living inside their heads without any true indication of what’s going on outside of that. While that specific pov seems interesting, it’s instead repetitive af and leaves little room for the reader to sort through the manic state of the characters and the heavy events happening. I also don’t find the little quips/~funnies~ funny

When Jess worms her way into Dr. Shields’ research group, she’s expecting a few questions to make a quick buck, nothing more. Subject 52 (Jess) becomes the sole subject and is required to complete strange and personal tasks for Dr. Shields’ “research”. As things take a sinister turn, secrets uncovered make Jess’ judgement murky—who can she trust? And how long does she have to figure it out?

This was a lovely thriller! It’s told from differing points of view, bouncing from Dr. Shields to Jess’ inner thoughts. The chapters are short and end elusively, which made it that much more of a page turner. I’ve never read a book that has been published under a duo of writers; Greer and Hendricks have set the precedent in this category and the bar is high. The writing style was pointed and strong with a fast-paced, question everything plot that pulled it all together. I’m going to look for more books by this duo in the future.

When Karen is involved in a gnarly car accident that has been linked to a murder victim, both her and her husband become concerned. It wouldn't be so bad if Karen could remember the events of the night but, due to the accident she has no recollection of why she got into a wreck, much less why this ties back to a murder victim. As the novel progresses Tom and Karen's trust erodes, as well as their relationships with friends. Who can they trust? What really happened that night?

This was such a good thriller. It grips you from the prologue and keeps you interested with a fast-paced plot full of dynamic characters. My favorite aspect of the book were the short chapters spanning over multiple points of view that always left with a cliff-hanger. While some of the major events of the plot were predictable, the last 10 pages of the book truly threw me for a loop, especially that ending! Lapena's style gives you an inside look into each character's mind without being boring and droning on and on. I also loved the little breadcrumbs left for the reader to follow such as the gloves in the first few chapters and the significance they held later on. I devoured this in a day, it truly demands to be read; stellar thriller.