shawna_reads's Reviews (471)

"What could be worse than losing part of your life? Losing the capacity for passion and hope, being left alive but with emotions other than bitterness and despair."

Bibi Blair is only 22 when her doctor tells her she has a rare form of cancer and doesn't have long to live. However, two days later she is mysteriously cured. She becomes obsessed with the fact that she was spared in order to save someone else, someone by the name of Ashley Bell. Her life becomes a dangerous path as she faces a world of crime and conspiracy in a race to save Ashley.

It's been a couple years since I last read a Koontz as the last few books I read were total duds. I truly believe I read a lot of his better books when I first started reading him which is why I've been coming across the not so great ones 😅 I still have a handful of his books on my tbr so it was time to get back into him. 

Ashley Bell was an enjoyable thriller with an interesting premise. The chapters were short so I found myself flipping through the pages pretty quickly despite being a chunky book. There were some twists and turns that I did not see coming which held my attention in order to figure out what was going on and who this mysterious Ashley Bell was. There were also some spooky, supernatural elements that were added to make it more enticing.

As intriguing as the storyline was, I did not care for any of the characters and the ending was lackluster. I also found the book to be unnecessarily long that easily could have been 200 pages shorter. I was originally going to rate it lower, and maybe I'm still being generous with my rating, however, because of the twists and supernatural elements, it was enjoyable enough 😅

Lullabies for Suffering is a powerful anthology of 6 stories surrounding addiction. They are raw and emotional as you read about characters struggling with addiction, real life horrors, and their day to day lives. Each story focuses on a different addiction as it comes in all forms - drugs, alcohol, pain, etc. Each story is beautifully written and packs a gut-wrenching punch. I couldn't pick just one quote so I decided to share one from each story.
 
"The same happens to everyone. Even if you're known in life, we're all strangers in death." - Kealan Patrick Burke 

"What you need and what you want are two different things and having your needs met isn't as good as getting what you want, but getting what you want can ruin you." - Caroline Kepnes 

"She was shedding her addiction, slithering out of her old casing like a snake, or better yet, a caterpillar in a cocoon waiting to grow wings and fly off to a glorious garden. Somehow the world hadn't destroyed her." - Mark Matthews 

"Pain is a gateway, I was understanding. And I was simply unable to get through the opening cutting afforded me. It offered me a peephole. I needed a window." - John FD Taff 

"Yeah, addiction is everywhere. The world is rough, so we become addicted to social media. We become addicted to booze or porn. We get addicted to money and sex and lying. We become addicted to a million things that help us escape reality." - Gabino Iglesias 

"Love was a crematorium that lit you up and burned you out at the same time." - Mercedes M. Yardley

"She has everything and she has nothing. All the dark secrets untold."
 
When Freddie receives a weirdly arousing video from an anonymous user, his life spirals into paranoia as he continues to get videos specifically addressed to him with information no one would know. Freddie races to figure out who this stranger is and what they want.
 
Wow, this novella packs a punch! It is all too real as today's generation spends a lot of time online and you truly never know who's out there to get you. It's scary what online stalking can do to a person as one wrong move, such as clicking on a spam link, could turn your life upside down. 
 
At first, I thought, "Freddie, you're dumb. Why would you click on a random link from someone you don't know???" Because common sense, right? But as the story progressed, I couldn't help but feel bad for him because nobody deserves what he went through. Anyway, I won't say much more as it is under 100 pages and I don't want to spoil the book. This is a tense, fast paced psychological thriller for the digital age that will have you at the edge of your seat from the first chapter!

"No matter how much the deceased were loved, life did not wait for the grieving."

A mysterious group of detectives work for Miss Brickett's Investigations and Inquiries in the secret tunnels below the city of London, solving crimes the police cannot. One night, a filing assistant receives a warning letter and is found dead moments later. Marion Lane, a first year inquirer, finds herself drawn into the investigation when her friend is framed for the crime.

I wanted to like this book so much more because it had everything I love. Mystery? Check. Historical fiction set in 1900s London? Check. Murder? Check. The setting was compelling as the story mainly took place in the underground tunnels, adding another secretive layer to the mystery. I felt like this created a claustrophobic atmosphere that gripped the reader.

A few characters were likeable, however I found the majority of them irritating with the lack of communication between them because everyone needed to keep secrets from one another 🙄 Also, for some reason, going into the story I expected Marion Lane to be an older lady with a mysterious air to her (don't ask why because I don't know 😂), but instead was a young lady training to be an inquirer who was kind of annoying yet slowly grew on me by the end.

Overall, I had fun reading this book. Despite my rating, I'm almost thinking about getting the second book? It might not have wowed me, but it was still enjoyable and I'm a little curious as to what occurs next with this mysterious group of inquirers 😅

"What you go searching for and what you find aren't always the same."

Richard and Juliette Willoughby are grieving the sudden death of their son, Ewan. Starve Acre appears to be a haunted place as Juliette is convinced that Ewan still lives there. In order to cope, she seeks help from a group of occultists while Richard keeps busy by searching for a legendary oak tree on the property.

This was an atmospheric story of grief and hope with subtle horror tones. It is always interesting to read about the different ways people grieve because Richard and Juliette's processes were polar opposites. I liked how the story switched back and forth from the past to the present to get a background on Ewan's personality and the troubles the family faced in the past as well as present day.

The pacing was slow and I personally found some parts of the story boring as the characters didn't seem to have much personality and Richard was such a hypocrite 🙄 I also wasn't a fan of the ambiguous ending after slowly chugging along through the story for absolutely zero climax. However, the premise itself was interesting, the prose was beautiful, and the imagery was depicted well.

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
 
These Wounds We Make is a collection of 13 supernatural horror stories. From a raging ghost looking for his dog to annoying neighbours to a rat girl to a mysterious guardian angel, these stories are creepy and unsettling. I enjoyed Gemma's last collection, Cruel Works of Nature, so I had high expectations for this one and it delivered. 
 
This was a solid collection of stories with themes of vengeance, restitution, and redemption. They were harrowing and compelling, and once again, I loved the illustrations Gemma added at the beginning of each story. My favourites included:
 
🐀 Have You Seen My Dog?
🐀 I Am Ghost
🐀 Cell Block B
🐀 The Strangler
🐀 How Not to Get Rid of a Body

"I read somewhere that filmmaking is artful lying, and I always liked that. As sick as my shit gets, that quote is my true north."

Tony Anastos lives in his parents' basement, works a dead end job, and makes low budget horror flicks. When a new co-worker, Anna, becomes interested in his movies and wants to seek fame, Tony thinks this is his chance at stardom. He will do anything to get recognition, even when his new film calls for blood.

This is a quick page turner at only 90 pages. Our protagonist sacrifices everything to follow his dreams of fame, even when things get bloody and start to go wrong. At first he's shocked, but then goes with the flow for his own benefit. I didn't care for any of the characters, especially when Anna appeared out of nowhere and took the show from Tony. I thought that was weird since it suddenly felt like the whole thing was about her and not Tony, which could be the point, but I didn't like that 😅

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into this one, but I had high hopes as novellas usually pack a punch. The story is violent and gory and has a great build up, but the climax felt lackluster. Something could have been added or changed to make it a better storyline.

"The weak shouldn't have to fear the powerful, and the powerful shouldn't simply be allowed to take what they wanted without consequence. Power should be a burden, not a shield. It should be used to everybody's betterment, not merely for the person who wielded it."
 
It is 1634 and Samuel Pipps, a well known detective, is being transported to Amsterdam for a crime he may or may not have committed. His loyal bodyguard, Arent, travels with him to prove his innocence. As soon as they set sail, devilry occurs on the ship and three passengers are marked for death. Arent must solve a mystery that includes his past before it is too late.
 
Stuart Turton did it again! He weaved together another mystery that had me captivated and perplexed. It was like I was a detective with an outside perspective and, while I had my suspicions, was unable to solve it 😂 As soon as you suspected one person, new clues and revelations were thrown at you to think "wait, it was so and so instead". There were tons of twists and turns that kept me wanting more and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough!
 
There was an abundance of characters that were either liked or disliked, such as the Governor General, the rough around the edges sailors, and other heirs, but I absolutely loved Arent, Sara, and her too smart for her own good daughter, Lia. They worked together so well to put the pieces together before it was too late. And the setting of the ship was wonderful and atmospheric as it created a sense of dread of being trapped on the water.
 
Some sections were a little slow and dragged on, and the ending felt rushed with several reveals, however it did not take away from my overall enjoyment.

"People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didn't believe in that. Tomorrow wasn't getting ready for them. It didn't even know they were there."
 
A father and son are making their journey across America. Their destination is the coast, but they don't know what awaits them. It is cold and dark, and all they have is a pistol, scavenged food, and the clothes on their back.
 
This is a bleak story that follows the relationship of a father and son as they are on their journey. The prose was beautiful and I couldn't help but feel for the characters as their focus was on survival and how much they depended on one another. The harsh climates they faced, the lack of food - I couldn't imagine experiencing that myself.
 
I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did, but I have come to the realization that stories that focus on a journey with not much happening in between aren't really for me. I appreciated the story for what it was, the writing flowed well, and the relationship depicted between the father and son was beautiful, but that was about it. I also did not like the lack of quotations indicating who was speaking. However, if you're into books like this, then I do recommend it!

"Men aren't our enemies unless they prove they're our enemies."
 
Rosie endures years of abuse by the hands of her corrupt cop of a husband, Norman. One day, she realizes he is going to kill her and decides to flee. In a new city, she begins her new life where she finds herself drawn to a painting called Rose Madder, however she can't help but be on the lookout for Norman as she knows he will stop at nothing to find her.
 
King did an amazing job of portraying domestic abuse in a respectful manner. It was raw and emotional, but he also twisted it in typical King fashion to its extreme and made it horrifying and unsettling. I truly felt afraid for Rosie with the way Norman was depicted and the great lengths he went to in looking for her all because she wanted better for herself.
 
The character development was amazing. Rosie went from a scared, timid woman to a strong, resilient one learning new skills and transforming her life into a new one. She met some wonderful people along the way who really added to the story as well. On the ther hand, Norman's mental state further declined and he became scarier and more vicious by the minute. 
 
There was an element that was added to the story that made it outlandish, however it worked well. I won't go into detail as to spoil it because I was personally surprised by it having known nothing about it. It was one of those things where the story would have worked with or without it, but it definitely made for an even wilder storyline which I ended up really enjoying. All in all, it was a great book!