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morganjanedavis's Reviews (396)
Sean hasn’t spoken since the incident. When he’s sent from care to live with his retired grandfather, he’s able to devote his free time to doing what he loves: creating art. At first, his grandad’s home is a safe haven compared to Sean’s old life and he begins to really enjoy his time there. That is, until he snoops around his grandad’s old collections of works and stumbles on The Book of the Baku. As Sean reads through the different stories within the book, strange things start to happen. Eventually, his new house morphs from a place of refuge to a danger zone, his grandfather turning cold and essentially acting like a zombie. Sean has to figure out how to stop the Baku from sucking all of their life force, before it’s too late.
The Book of the Baku is an emotionally charged read. I was overwhelmed with empathy towards Sean, so many terrible things for a young boy to suffer. The relationship with his grandfather was endearing, with both characters trying to navigate a new relationship they desperately want to flourish. His experiences paired with the Baku’s nature made for a perfect storm, without the reader realizing it until all is revealed. Normally when a read saves the bombshell for the VERY end and hints at said bombshell throughout, I feel a lag, and the other details become less important as I’m focused on THE THING. That wasn’t the case here, the Baku and its (victims? worshippers?) were engaging to read about and I enjoyed the detail poured into each child’s backstory. When the shoe did finally drop, Boyle hit HARD, my empathy for Sean increasing tenfold. Although Sean endured horrible things, the reader is left with the message that with the help of others, perseverance is possible.
The Book of the Baku is an emotionally charged read. I was overwhelmed with empathy towards Sean, so many terrible things for a young boy to suffer. The relationship with his grandfather was endearing, with both characters trying to navigate a new relationship they desperately want to flourish. His experiences paired with the Baku’s nature made for a perfect storm, without the reader realizing it until all is revealed. Normally when a read saves the bombshell for the VERY end and hints at said bombshell throughout, I feel a lag, and the other details become less important as I’m focused on THE THING. That wasn’t the case here, the Baku and its (victims? worshippers?) were engaging to read about and I enjoyed the detail poured into each child’s backstory. When the shoe did finally drop, Boyle hit HARD, my empathy for Sean increasing tenfold. Although Sean endured horrible things, the reader is left with the message that with the help of others, perseverance is possible.
Erika has a face that makes you want to talk. She’s not sure exactly why but, when put in one-on-one situations with people, their secrets start flowing. When she bumps into Grayson, a high-profile lawyer, in a bookstore he falls spell to her special talent. Erika is hired to work for him on the spot, specifically to get into the minds of people surrounding cases and fish for new information. Tell Me Everything outlines her work on a landmark sexual assault case that set the national standard on advocacy, victims’ services, and consequences for perpetrators on college campuses, specifically in relation to college athletes. While diving into these assaults, Erika has to face the damage done by her own abuser years before.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. Initially, I felt that by including her own experiences and true crime elements, the narrative would become jumbled and I’d prefer one aspect (memoir or true crime) over the other. I was totally wrong. Erika’s experiences went hand-in-hand with what the victims in the case went through, and her especially empathetic stance allowed for a more nuanced perspective than a typical private investigator. The instances of sexual assault mentioned were gut wrenching and graphic. The lengths that all parties went through to cover up and brush off the assault/rape/molestation that occurred made my stomach churn but, it was interesting to see the gaslighting happening on a case-wide scale as well as in Erika’s personal life as she fought her own battle. This book is a great introduction to true crime or memoir as it’s split fairly equally between the two. If Krouse ever decided to write a full length book on either subject separately, I’d purchase immediately. This was an important yet enjoyable read.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. Initially, I felt that by including her own experiences and true crime elements, the narrative would become jumbled and I’d prefer one aspect (memoir or true crime) over the other. I was totally wrong. Erika’s experiences went hand-in-hand with what the victims in the case went through, and her especially empathetic stance allowed for a more nuanced perspective than a typical private investigator. The instances of sexual assault mentioned were gut wrenching and graphic. The lengths that all parties went through to cover up and brush off the assault/rape/molestation that occurred made my stomach churn but, it was interesting to see the gaslighting happening on a case-wide scale as well as in Erika’s personal life as she fought her own battle. This book is a great introduction to true crime or memoir as it’s split fairly equally between the two. If Krouse ever decided to write a full length book on either subject separately, I’d purchase immediately. This was an important yet enjoyable read.
Abby longs for a good mother. Her own mother is out of
the question and her mother in law has been nothing but
cold and callous. Ever changing moods, passive aggressive
tendencies, and genuine disdain for Abby has driven them
apart. Until Lauren dies. A new chapter is waiting for Ralph
and Abby now. A fresh start. Abby needs this, this
opportunity to be a functional family and ultimately, to be
mother (NOT A MOTHERTHING), a good mother, a great
mother. Her plan is put into place and seems to be
working…but a mother(THING)'s love knows no bounds.
Lauren is back. Driving Ralph into a dangerous depressive
state, driving Abby to madness. Abby has to act. She has
to stop Lauren, this MOTHERTHING, from destroying her
chance at normalcy; not every mother knows best.
Motherthing is contemporary horror. Sharp, unsettling
energy and visceral imagery guide you on a slow and
steady creep towards insanity.
Hogarth's writing style is hypnotic: I couldn't unpeel myself
from Motherthing. I'm in awe of her ability to articulate the
most mundane events in a way that adds layers of emotion
EVERYTHING adds to the plot so that it becomes heavier,
thick, more pointed as each chapter passes.
The love/bond/wrath of Motherthing is inescapable and
although that feeling is there from the beginning, it festers
and morphs into an oozing (mother) THING that is
smothering, all-encompassing, horrific.
Total annihilation
feels inevitable, and it is.
Motherthing is perfect, a perfect baby. Read it please.
Thank you so much @netgalley & @doubledaybooks for
approving me for one of my fave reads of the year!
the question and her mother in law has been nothing but
cold and callous. Ever changing moods, passive aggressive
tendencies, and genuine disdain for Abby has driven them
apart. Until Lauren dies. A new chapter is waiting for Ralph
and Abby now. A fresh start. Abby needs this, this
opportunity to be a functional family and ultimately, to be
mother (NOT A MOTHERTHING), a good mother, a great
mother. Her plan is put into place and seems to be
working…but a mother(THING)'s love knows no bounds.
Lauren is back. Driving Ralph into a dangerous depressive
state, driving Abby to madness. Abby has to act. She has
to stop Lauren, this MOTHERTHING, from destroying her
chance at normalcy; not every mother knows best.
Motherthing is contemporary horror. Sharp, unsettling
energy and visceral imagery guide you on a slow and
steady creep towards insanity.
Hogarth's writing style is hypnotic: I couldn't unpeel myself
from Motherthing. I'm in awe of her ability to articulate the
most mundane events in a way that adds layers of emotion
EVERYTHING adds to the plot so that it becomes heavier,
thick, more pointed as each chapter passes.
The love/bond/wrath of Motherthing is inescapable and
although that feeling is there from the beginning, it festers
and morphs into an oozing (mother) THING that is
smothering, all-encompassing, horrific.
Total annihilation
feels inevitable, and it is.
Motherthing is perfect, a perfect baby. Read it please.
Thank you so much @netgalley & @doubledaybooks for
approving me for one of my fave reads of the year!
Dan Torrence has been dealt a hard hand. His father died tragically when he was 5, his mother passed away when he was 20, and all that's been left to him is debilitating alcoholism. Danny has done some bad things in his past, because of the drink. But he's trying to do better now. Getting it together, moving to Sidewinder. Here he's found an AA sponsor, an orderly job at the Hospice, and a very unlikely friend. This friend shines, shines BRIGHT. Brighter than Dan ever knew possible. Dan knows he has to protect his new friend, especially since someone is coming. Abra saw her: Rose the Hat. Her and her crew eat up steam, the souls of children who shine, so that they can retain immortality. Rose knows just how bright Abra's shine is because she's determined. Motivated. Nothing will stop her from collecting the girl, and eating up all her steam. Danny and Abra feel her coming, but will they be ready?
As someone who loves The Shining, Dr. Sleep made me nervous. Even though this is a King duology, (so I prob shouldn't have doubted it lol) I was skeptical that the sequel wouldn't live up to its predecessor since there's more than 30 years between the two. As soon as I reached the 25 page mark, I knew it would deliver. The parallels between Danny and Jack were evident, and it was bittersweet to compare the different ways in which the two men handled their addictions. Where The Shining only has a few main characters, Dr. Sleep has a full cast of characters, all of which are well developed and unique. The True Knot and its fairly large group of members were especially fun to learn about, even if their intentions weren't. The plot is never stagnant, and I loved that within each chapter the viewpoints changed while the characters were experiencing the same events. Characters with a vast range of Shining talents, jumping into others bodies to "see what they see", and locking ghosts up in your head are plot points that could easily become murky/hard to understand, simply because it is a LOT. King describes every one of these events perfectly; these add clarity to the big picture rather than taking away from it. Dr. Sleep contained more dark fantasy/nostalgic supernatural elements rather than horror. It fully felt like an ode to Constant Readers, consistently dropping clues/information that originated from The Shining. I loved this so, so much. If you read and enjoyed The Shining, get on Dr. Sleep STAT.
As someone who loves The Shining, Dr. Sleep made me nervous. Even though this is a King duology, (so I prob shouldn't have doubted it lol) I was skeptical that the sequel wouldn't live up to its predecessor since there's more than 30 years between the two. As soon as I reached the 25 page mark, I knew it would deliver. The parallels between Danny and Jack were evident, and it was bittersweet to compare the different ways in which the two men handled their addictions. Where The Shining only has a few main characters, Dr. Sleep has a full cast of characters, all of which are well developed and unique. The True Knot and its fairly large group of members were especially fun to learn about, even if their intentions weren't. The plot is never stagnant, and I loved that within each chapter the viewpoints changed while the characters were experiencing the same events. Characters with a vast range of Shining talents, jumping into others bodies to "see what they see", and locking ghosts up in your head are plot points that could easily become murky/hard to understand, simply because it is a LOT. King describes every one of these events perfectly; these add clarity to the big picture rather than taking away from it. Dr. Sleep contained more dark fantasy/nostalgic supernatural elements rather than horror. It fully felt like an ode to Constant Readers, consistently dropping clues/information that originated from The Shining. I loved this so, so much. If you read and enjoyed The Shining, get on Dr. Sleep STAT.
3.5
Loved the representation, depictions of trans sex, and inclusivity.
Did not love how muddy the plot was, how confusing the jumps from character to character could be, and ultimately how the story ended. The elements for a great gory spooker were there but, they weren’t delivered in a way that was able to be followed in an enjoyable way.
Loved the representation, depictions of trans sex, and inclusivity.
Did not love how muddy the plot was, how confusing the jumps from character to character could be, and ultimately how the story ended. The elements for a great gory spooker were there but, they weren’t delivered in a way that was able to be followed in an enjoyable way.
Cosmic horror doesn’t normally work for me but it did here. The processes of grief depicted were intense but necessary. I loved this so much!