Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Serena’s Review: “Immortal Dark”

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Book: “Immortal Dark” by Tigest Girma

Publishing Info: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.

It began long before my time, but something has always hunted our family.

Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad.

To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’s wickedness speaks to Kidan’s own violent nature and tempts her to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill Susenyos at all costs.

When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. There she discovers a centuries-old threat—and June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees and either break free from the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love—and the blood it requires.

Review: I’ve been looking forward to this one for a few months! While vampires aren’t my favorite supernatural beings, I’ve had a lot of success with some of the recent books featuring them. On top of that, this one added in several other tropes I enjoy: dark academia, gothic fiction, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.

Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. But it was by no means a complete loss, and by the time I had finished the book, I had mentally slotted this author into the “worth checking out again” category in my head. So, let’s start with what I did like. The writing had a lot of potential, I think. It got bogged down a bit in info-dumping and confused world-building, but on its own, it was good. There were several turns of phrase and story-building moments that stood out, and the strength of the writing itself is largely what pulled me through when I began to struggle.

I also liked a lot of the ideas that went into this world and its society, especially the dark academia aspects. There was a lot of creativity to be found here, and, as much as I hate the term, the gothic “vibes” were well done. I definitely wanted to learn more about this world, and became increasingly frustrated when the book continued to lack clarity with some of these elements.

Clarity, overall, was a real problem. Which was odd because there were also significant moments early in the novel that felt extremely info-dumpy. There were also a plethora of different plot lines and magic systems that were all introduced early in the book. So even with clunky exposition moments, I still felt unclear on exactly how any of this worked exactly and how these various plotlines were meant to weave together.

I also struggled with the characters themselves. For all that I love enemies-to-lovers romances, I’ve realized that I’m also fairly picky in this regard. Sure, they can be enemies, but there’s a point of animosity that it’s difficult to believe anyone would come back from. And that’s what we had here. These characters HATED one another and were truly terrible to one another, so much so that it was difficult to buy their slow reconciliation. To be fair, the book doesn’t rush this, and even by the end, it’s more of a “hate less” situation than anything.

But the biggest problem here was the struggle I had to become invested in the main character. She was truly terrible at times, and her hatred of the vampires was uncomfortable at times. On one hand, I appreciate books that don’t shy away from demonstrating what bigotry can look like. Many authors simply take the safe route and show villains being bigots and then pat themselves on the back for “tackling” a tough topic. But here, our main character is too truly blinded by her hatred of an entire group of people to engage honestly with the individual in front of her. However, while I appreciate the difficulty of this task, it still left me following a character I struggled to like.

As for the rest of the characters, most of them felt like cardboard cutouts of characters, reading as very flat. And while I think the writing was strong in its descriptive elements for the most part, the dialogue was a mess. There were many times where I honestly have no idea what the characters were even trying to say. It’s like they were talking in riddles simply because it was meant to make them seem deep. But in reality, they were saying nothing and no one talks like this.

This book was a bit all over the place. I think there was a lot of potential here, and perhaps the author will settle in to her style a bit more as she moves forward. But on its own, this book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. I think it will best work for dark fantasy/romance readers who enjoy fairly extreme versions of enemies-to-lovers romances. Take “The Cruel Prince” dynamic and elevate the cruelty, essentially.

Rating 7: While the descriptive writing was good, the story felt bogged down by too many plot lines and inscrutable magic systems.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Immortal Dark” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Vampire Renaissance and Magic Schools, Academies & Universities.

Kate’s Review: “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s”

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Book: “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” by Hanna Alkaf

Publishing Info: Salaam Reads/ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from the publisher.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: An all-girls school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light.

For over a hundred years, girls have fought to attend St. Bernadette’s, with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women. Unfortunately, there is also the screaming.

When a student begins to scream in the middle of class, a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school. By the end of the day, seventeen girls are affected—along with St. Bernadette’s stellar reputation.

Khadijah’s got her own scars to tend to, and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she’d rather keep closed. But when her sister falls to the screams, Khad knows she’s the only one who can save her. Rachel has always been far too occupied trying to reconcile her overbearing mother’s expectations with her own secret ambitions to pay attention to school antics. But just as Rachel finds her voice, it turns into screams.

Together, the two girls find themselves digging deeper into the school’s dark history, hunting for the truth. Little do they know that a specter lurks in the darkness, watching, waiting, and hungry for its next victim…

Review: Thank you to Salaam Reads for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I went to an elite private school in St. Paul, Minnesota, and let me tell you the pressure was pretty horrendous (especially for a girl with a slew of learning disabilities and ADHD). But because of this experience that continues to kind of haunt me to this day in some ways, I’m always interested in a thriller/horror story that has an elite private school as its location. So when I was approached to read “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” by Hanna Alkaf I was pretty much on board right away. You already had me at private school woes of school girls screaming their heads off, but then you really sold me when 1) it was in a locale and culture that I’m not super familiar with, as this book takes place in Malaysia, and 2) there was a hinted at supernatural side to it. So I took the plunge with high hopes, and I’m happy to say that they were pretty well met!

In terms of a mystery thriller with a potential supernatural twist, “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadettes” checks a lot of boxes that make it a successful read. We have our two protagonists Khadijah and Rachel, who have alternating chapters and can give us multiple insights across the story as the mystery unfolds (aka, why are their classmates at their prestigious all girls school suddenly screaming for no discernible reason, and what isn’t the school telling the students?). I liked following both of them as they had very different paths in terms of getting the clues together, and as there were more and more questions about whether it is hysteria, something otherworldly, or perhaps something totally understandable, I found myself more and more eager to get to the solution. Some of the imagery in this book was also downright frightening, with Alkaf setting the scene and creating a vision in my minds eye of a girl screaming her head off that really got under my skin. This may be a bit more of a mystery thriller than a horror story, but let me tell you, the bits that were horror were superb.

And even beyond the well paced and creepy mystery and horror story at hand, I really liked the other themes of this book, specifically the calling out and dressing down of violent misogyny and the silencing of women to keep a system untouched and in place. Both Khadijah and Rachel have different ways that they are being silenced, and I liked the choice that Alkaf made to show that there are different ways for these girls to be silenced, whether it is Khadijah’s selective and self imposed non speaking due to the trauma that she endured at the hands of her stepfather, or Rachel not feeling like she can have a say in any part of her future due to her overbearing and cold mother. We shift between both of their perspectives, and it was effective to see their different experiences and the different ways that they fit into the overall mystery of why their classmates are screaming, and how their experiences are both the results of societal expectations for women in their community, with Khadijah being basically silenced in the wake of her stepfather’s crimes and her victimization, and Rachel being pushed into a very specific acceptable box. Throw in the fact that the school is trying to hide a dark history with screaming girls and bouts of hysteria, and doesn’t want Khadijah making waves as she investigates, and you have a critique of misogyny that sears and burns in the best ways.

“The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is a well done thriller/mystery/horror tale. Hanna Alkaf is someone to watch. I know I will be doing so.

Rating 8: A tense and angry horror story that calls out violent and systemic misogyny and lauds feminine rage, “The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is a searing YA tale of all too real terrors to go with the fantastical ones.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s” is included on the Goodreads lists “Books by Malaysian Authors/Set in Malaysia”, and “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “The City in Glass”

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Book: “The City in Glass” by Nghi Vo

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.

Review: I’ve only recently discovered this author, and my first introduction was to jump in to the middle of an ongoing series of novellas. Which, objectively, was probably a foolish decision. But it does serve as a testament to the skills of the author that I still found myself fully drawn in and enjoying my read, even as I met these characters and this world for the first time! That being the case, however, I was excited when I saw that she was releasing a new stand-alone fantasy novella! Perfect for a relative newbie like me!

The very premise of this book sounded like it was right up my alley! I love second-world fantasy stories like this, the sort that require elaborate and detailed world-building on the author’s part to weave together a landscape completely foreign to our own. Add on top of that the rather classic angel/demon enemies-to-lovers storyline, and I was in! These expectations, based on the short summary we were given, were both perfectly on point for what this book has to offer and a bit misleading.

The concept was just as described, but there’s no emphasizing enough the powerful writing that went into describing the unique relationship between the city and the chaotic demon, Vitrine. She’s a demon in the truest sense, in that she’s passionate but unpredictable, as much a patron to her city as she is a force similar to the weather, capricious and destructive. But what really sells the heart of this story, is the tragedy that follows. The loss of her city and then the endless battle she finds herself in with the angel that wrought it.

I think I have certain expectations (whether good or bad, who knows) about what enemies-to-lovers stories look like. And, if you’re a fan of that sort of romance, you probably do too. Well, I’m here to say that this isn’t that! This is a devastating exploration of two beings destined to hate one another who cautiously become intrigued and then slowly beguiled by the other. However, none of these feelings undo the massive tragedy that came before, and a sense of darkness looms throughout. The ending is also not a “romance” ending, if you know what I mean. Instead, it was as strange, beautiful, and tragic as everything that came before in this book.

For all that I loved about this book (beautiful writing, creative world-building, complicated characters), I would have a hard time saying that I “enjoyed” this read. It’s not that kind of book. Beach read, this is not. However, readers who enjoy this author or who are looking for a lyrical, more complicated, approach to the oh-so-popular enemies-to-lovers storyline should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: Beautiful and tragic, this book explores themes of loss and re-birth all through the lens of two fantastic characters, an angel and a demon.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The City in Glass” can be found on this Goodreads list: [ATY 2025] Fictional Location

Kate’s Review: “So Thirsty”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here

Book: “So Thirsty” by Rachel Harrison

Publishing Info: Berkley, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep.

Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi.

Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever.

The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

It is October 1st!! We are officially at the start of my favorite month of the year, and we are also officially in full on Halloween Season, with that most blessed of holidays happening as the month comes to an end. And like I always do for October, I am starting my Horrorpalooza Celebration, in which I dedicate all of my book reviews to horror centered reads. I am always eager for this time of year and this celebration, and I decided that I wanted to kick it off with Rachel Harrison’s new novel “So Thirsty”. I love Rachel Harrison, and I was very eager to see what she was going to do with vampires, as I’ve really liked her takes on other horror sub-genres and how she makes them perhaps a little lighter, while still having some great scares. And “So Thirsty” was a great way to kick things off.

Harrison has always approached horror stories with a quick wit and some well done beats that find quality scares while still being approachable to those who may not be as entrenched in the genre, and she continues that pattern here. Our story is simple: life long friends Sloane and Naomi are going on a girls trip for Sloane’s 36th Birthday. Sloane is feeling stuck in a rut with a cheating husband and boring routine, while Naomi has been traveling Europe with few constraints and a side of flakiness. In hopes of loosening Sloane up, Naomi gets them invites to a big isolated house with some oh so charming strangers, and before we know it Sloane and Naomi have been turned into vampires, wondering what happens next, but perhaps also seeing a new beginning. As a plot it’s great. I love the idea of being changed into a vampire acting as a new start or a way to get one’s groove back, and I thought that Harrison made the vampires in this story appropriately predatory while also being very fun and genial. Less blundering than the “What We Do in the Shadows” group, but not as menacing or cruel as the “Near Dark” nomads. I really enjoyed all of them and their banter and humor, but also liked how nasty they could be when needed (and when their vampiric nature called for it). And there were definitely some moments in this book that were pretty scary and even gory, without being too over the top. Which would make it more accessible to people who are looking for something this Halloween season but may not like things to be TOO bloody.

I also really enjoyed the character development between Sloane and Naomi, both as a friendship pair and as individuals. As Sloane is our main character I expected it for her story arc, and while it didn’t really go outside of the box of ‘ennui and people pleasing woman who is approaching middle age finds her spark again’, I thought that it was a very satisfying storyline to follow. Her frustrations with her life (a boring job, a cheating husband, few things that bring her joy) felt pretty realistic, as did her hesitance to try and change things out of fear of what that change could do to a life she already knows, even if it’s boring and unsatisfying. I also enjoyed her chemistry with Henry, who starts as a mysterious guest at the ill fated party they attend, and turns into a symbol of what Sloane’s life COULD have should she be willing to take a leap (though it’s not like she’s going to have a choice). But what surprised me story wise was that we also got to see a bit of growth for free spirited party girl Naomi, who seems to have the opposite issue of Sloane, but is still in need to confronting how dissatisfied SHE is, even if it’s for different reasons. We don’t get into her head nearly as much, but Harrison knows how to imply and hint at Naomi’s own inner conflicts. And seeing both of these women be confronted with a life changing moment in time, and having to suss out and hash out their complicated friendship because of it, was an arc that I quite enjoyed. Harrison really has a knack for displaying all the ups and downs of female friendships and how they can be incredibly gratifying and fulfilling while also having complexities that can hinder them. Sloane and Naomi are another solid example of that.

“So Thirsty” is a fun way to kick off Horrorpalooza! I always look forward to Rachel Harrison for the spooky season and this one didn’t disappoint!

Rating 8: A fun and introspective tale about friendship and embracing oneself no matter what changes may occur, “So Thirsty” is another entertaining and satisfying novel from Rachel Harrison!

Reader’s Advisory:

“So Thirsty” is included on the Goodreads lists “I Support Women’s Wrongs”, and “Pink Horror Genre”.

Not Just Books: September 2024

While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Slow Horses” Season 4

More often than not, bookclub often devolves to me and my friend Aimee ranting about the trend of streamers releasing their seasons week-to-week and hence undercutting one of the primary appeals of streaming in the first place: binge watching. In protest (probably protest that hurts no one but myself, but alas), I often wait to watch a show until the entire season has been released. However, for shows that I watch with my husband, our combined impatience often gets the best of this strategy, and such has been the case with this most recent season. All of my favorite characters are back in their full ridiculous and incompetent glory, and Gary Oldman is back to rudely dismiss them all. The writing on this show is excellent, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys spy/thriller shows!

Movie: “Hacksaw Ridge”

This is one of those movies that has been on my list to watch for quite sometime. But it’s also the kind of movie where you really need to be in the right mood to handle the grim subject matter. The story itself is uplifting and incredible, but the actual horror that was the battle on Hacksaw Ridge cannot be undersold. The movie does a great job of balancing both this horror as well as the incredibly heroism of Desmond Doss, brilliantly portrayed by Andrew Garfield. We also see a lot of focus on the European side of WWII (for good reason), but I think it’s often largely forgotten how much of a focal point the Pacific War was through these years, particularly for the U.S. public at the time. Obviously, this movie was well received in pretty much every way, so a recommendation from me many years later is rather silly. But, well, it’s good and you should watch it!

Netflix Series: “The Perfect Couple”

Yes, you got me Netflix, I am one of those viewers who will often check out your new show/movie/what-gave-you if you cast a major star I enjoy as a lead. And I’ve always liked Nichole Kidman. She always seems to bring complicated layers to her performances, leaving viewers often befuddled as to how they are meant to feel about the character. Such is the case here as well, as the story follows a murder that occurs at a wealthy family’s wedding. Most of the cast shine, though I will say, the other lead actress, Eve Hewson, was a bit of a struggle at times. It’s hard to know whether this was due to the writing or her performance. But the strength of the rest of the cast and the intriguing murder mystery still left me enjoying it overall.

Kate’s Picks

Podcast: “Tooth & Claw”

This past month “Last Podcast on the Left” did a series on SeaWorld and the orca Tilikum, the notorious whale that was responsible for the deaths of three people while in captivity. It was a fantastic and devastating series, and while reading on the Reddit boards what other people thought I kept seeing reference to another podcast called “Tooth & Claw”. I decided to give it a go, and I was really happy with what I found! “Tooth & Claw” is a podcast run by a conservationist/wildlife biologist named Wes, his brother Jeff, and their friend Mike, where they talk about incidents and cases of animal attacks. They’ve covered stories like The Night of the Grizzlies, The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks, other famous cases, and numerous stories that perhaps went viral but aren’t as well known. But it’s not just sensationalism, as Wes always has great information about ecology, biology, and zoology for each episode, and does a great job of contextualizing the animal behavior (I never imagined I would be so enthralled by percentages of types of food sources for grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, but lo and behold I was!), while also giving tips on how to safely interact with wildlife . I’m learning a lot while also getting to hear harrowing tales of animal attacks, it’s win win.

TV Show: “The West Wing”

This has been on the Not Just Books list before from both Serena and myself, but my husband and I are doing another re-watch and it’s been taking up a lot of my non book down time. And it’s still a great show that MOSTLY holds up (there are some moments that make me go ‘well we know better now’, but for a twenty five year old show and having not too many is impressive). I’ve been pretty nervous (perhaps terrified) about the state of politics in the U.S. this year given that it’s once again a Presidential Election cycle and things just continue to escalate, but I’m enjoying the Bartlett White House and all of the people who work there. Josh Lyman continues to be super relatable (there is a reason I was once described as the Josh Lyman of book club), and more than ever I am yelling “LISTEN TO TOBY, TOBY IS RIGHT!!” on this rewatch. Which you can take as you will. I don’t know how the election is going to shake out in November, but I’m living vicariously through this show and crossing my fingers.

Netflix Docuseries: “Mr. McMahon”

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband was a huge WWF/WWE fan when he was a kid and a teenager, and he still likes to dip in to watch pro-wrestling for the big events like Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, and Summer Slam. I watch with him too because it’s fun to watch him be so nostalgic and entertained, but also because I find pro-wrestling to be SO fascinating as it’s a bunch of super athletic theater kids. But I have always HATED Vince McMahon, the absolute monster who is responsible for making WWE what it is today…. but also for a slew of depraved and horrifying behaviors and crimes. So obviously we were both very excited to watch “Mr. McMahon”, the docuseries that kind of peels back the image of Vince and his company and compiles and exposes him for the trash heap psychopath that he actually is. It wasn’t really news to me and my husband, as we’ve been well aware of his bullshit and horrible behavior for years now. But man, having it all in one place? It’s jarring. But what’s even more disturbing is that I didn’t even feel that the series went as hard as it could have! It’s also a little unnerving to see so many people involved with the company STILL being unable to call him out for what he is. But maybe not surprising. Good riddance, Vince, you slimeball.

Kate’s Review: “Nightmare of a Trip”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Nightmare of a Trip” by Maureen Kilmer

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A horror-tinged National Lampoon’s This is one family getaway they’ll never forget… Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, when they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned farmhouse in Indiana, the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie past that will follow them the rest of their trip. From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormal-activity plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with family bonding, or will the road less traveled become the highway to hell?

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

My family never did a huge cross country road trip when I was a kid, though we did take four-five hour trips to visit relatives in Iowa or drive to the Apostle Islands on occasion. I think that my parents knew that none of us had the wherewithal to do the long drives across multiple states, and since we could afford plane tickets, that’s what we did. But even with the smaller road trips I was compelled to pick up “Nightmare of a Trip” by Maureen Kilmer. I had enjoyed another of her books, and the promise of a haunting story mixed with “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is hard to resist. Unfortunately, my high hopes were a bit dashed this time.

First what I did like. The entire concept of a stereotypical American family road trip being waylaid by supernatural hijinks is a pretty fun idea. Given that I found Kilmer’s book “Suburban Hell” to be a fun satire on American suburbia I was hoping that “Nightmare of a Trip” would have a similar execution and also be a fun satire. And there were definitely some fun things about this book. The idea of a Cracker Barrel being thrown into chaos due to poltergeist activity is hilarious, and I also enjoyed the stress and exhaustion of Leigh and Nick as they are trying to take their kids on a memorable family vacation while also keeping their shit together. Because there were a couple nights at Disney World this past Spring where once the kid was in bed my husband and I just collapsed in a puddle of burn out, and Kilmer nails the feel. It’s also the kind of spooky story that I would be more than confident to recommend to people who want something a little scary to read for Halloween, but not TOO scary. I definitely think it’s important to have varying degrees of horror stories for readers, and “Nightmare of a Trip” would be a pretty safe choice that still gets the reader in a scary story mood.

On the flip side, however, “Nightmare of a Trip” didn’t have the same oomph that “Suburban Hell” did, as I wasn’t nearly as invested in the characters this time around. Sure I found some of them realistic, as mentioned above, but Leigh as our narrator was pretty bland. I appreciate a harried mother character, but I was hoping that we would get a bit more exploration beyond a harried mother, especially since I find the greater strengths in books like this to be the characters when the horror is muted a bit. Along with this, the humorous/satirical elements of this book, which should have been the biggest narrative strength, just didn’t land as well as I had hoped it would. It isn’t BAD. It just isn’t very interesting. Pretty middle of the road. And that’s fine! I had just hoped for more.

“Nightmare of a Trip” is a quick read that is light on scares but still entertains. I had hoped it would be as enjoyable as “Suburban Hell”, but even if it didn’t live up to my expectations I still found it mostly fun.

Rating 6: It’s fun and frothy and probably a good choice for someone looking for some lighter horror this Halloween season, but it was pretty middle of the road.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Nightmare of a Trip” is included on the Goodreads list “All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in September 2024”.

Serena’s Review: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” by Olivie Blake

Publishing Info: Tordotcom, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.

Review: As promised, we’re back with round two of my foray into short story collections this week! My first few experiences with this author were incredibly positive, but as I’ve read more and more, I’ve found myself struggling to connect with her writing style and becoming frustrated with what feels like a lack of substance in service of style. That being the case, I was curious to see what a short story collection by this author would look like. Would be more of the former or the latter?

Unfortunately, I have to report that this one fell largely in the latter category. However, one of the benefits of short story collections is that there are multiple options of stories with which to connect. So while the novel as a whole fell flat, I did have a few favorites that I’d like to dive into before getting into the rest of it. One of my favorite stories was one that showed up early in the collection. It told of a magical bridge and its watcher who was obligated to offer and grant certain types of wishes to any who found it. Over the course of the story, we see the young woman who is this guardian slowly become disillusioned to the sorts of wishes many people are asking for (there’s a recurring group of people who get into a lot of trouble with contradictory wishes). She also slowly begins to fall in love with a young man who, against all odds, continues to find the bridge over and over again, even though it always changes locations. It’s a sweet story and it played well with the tried and true fairytale concept of “wishes gone bad.”

However, even here, this story illustrated one of my recurring frustrations with this collection. By the end, it just sort of…well…ends. More over, the way the ending for this one is written, it comes across as ambiguous with the intent to be “deep,” which, instead, just leaves it actually feeling frustrating and pretentious. Over and over, throughout this book, there were stories that had interesting worlds and characters, but there was something about either A.) the style of writing or B.) the way the themes were presented (often in this ambiguous, quasi-intellectual manner) that made them read as, again, pretentious. And too often, the stories would end abruptly, and I was left wondering what the point of it all was.

Writing short stories is incredibly hard. Not only is it such a short length within which to work, but I do think there is this false idea floating around out there that these sorts of tales must be “artsy” and “deep” and “say things.” Here, we see this author fall into this trap. Instead of simply telling good stories, she seems to get bogged down in these secondary concerns. There would be small nuggets within most of the stories, but too often these were lost in the mess of everything else. There was another interesting one early in the book that dealt with a character essentially getting paid their entire life’s earnings early in life, and then be obligated to “work it off” from age 30 on. This was such an interesting concept, especially as it played out by increasing the main character’s anxiety rather than offering the promised freedom. But then, again, there were a bunch of other themes jammed in there, added characters who felt like they should be more important than they were, and an ending where it felt like the entire exercise was rather meaningless and a waste of a good concept. It’s hard to really describe, but these were the sorts of problems that plagued most of the book.

Overall, I think this collection was solidly just ok. None of the stories were outright bad, and a few of them I enjoyed for the most part. However, I think the author’s writing and approach to story-telling left something to be desired, with “vibes” and “style” too often taking precedent over simply writing a good story. If you’re a big fan of this author’s work, this still might be worth checking out. But if you’re only mildly interested in short story collections (like me), than this one may end up feeling lackluster.

Rating 7: Too heavy on the quasi-intellectual vibes to be a truly enjoyable read. Though there were still a few gems hidden away within.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” can be found on this Goodreads list: 52 Book Club 2024: Summer Mini Challenge – 100m Sprint: A Short Story Collection

Ripley’s Reviews: “Ripley Under Ground”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

“Ripley’s Reviews” is an ongoing series where I will review every book in Patricia Highsmith’s “Ripley” Series, as well as multiple screen adaptations of the novels. I will post my reviews on the first Thursday of the month, and delve into the twisted mind of one Tom Ripley and all the various interpretations that he has come to life within. Up next is the second book in the series, “Ripley Under Ground”.

Book: “Ripley Under Ground” by Patricia Highsmith

Publishing Info: Doubleday, June 1970

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: It’s been six years since Ripley murdered Dickie Greenleaf and inherited his money. Now, in Ripley Under Ground (1970), he lives in a beautiful French villa, surrounded by a world-class art collection and married to a pharmaceutical heiress. All seems serene in Ripley’s world until a phone call from London shatters his peace. An art forgery scheme he set up a few years ago is threatening to unravel: a nosy American is asking questions and Ripley must go to London to put a stop to it. In this second Ripley novel, Patricia Highsmith offers a mesmerizing and disturbing tale in which Ripley will stop at nothing to preserve his tangle of lies.

Review: My next installment of my “Ripley’s Reviews” series is, admittedly, a little earlier than it would normally be, as this is the end of the month instead of the beginning of the month. But with Horrorpalooza starting next week I wanted to take on my thoughts on “Ripley Under Ground” now instead of waiting until November. Let’s keep this review series at a steady clip, shall we?

Set a few years after the events of “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, we rejoin Tom Ripley as he is basking in his affluent life that he has built with his inheritance from the Greenleaf family (whose heir apparent Dickie he murdered and stole his identity for a bit), as well as his marriage to pharmaceutical heiress Heloise. He’s been pulling an art forgery scheme to line his pockets as well, and it’s interesting seeing how he is still up to his old tricks and still benefitting from them. Highsmith took a different approach this this one, however, in that instead of climbing his social ladder through misdeeds, we now see Ripley trying to maintain his position at the top. He’s still smarmy and creepy, and it’s so interesting seeing many of those around him just not get that every aspect of his persona is fabricated (and those who DO kind of get it are just as culpable in their own ways). If you enjoyed the first book, there is a lot to like here, though I would argue that it’s not as compelling because we aren’t really getting anything new in terms of his character or his plot line. In this book Tom seems to be perfectly content living his life in rural France with the spoiled Heloise, but once one card from his house is pulled (when an art enthusiast correctly spots the forgeries), Tom can’t help but try and solidify his scheme, but manages only to make it worse. Soon he has a body, a paranoid accomplice, a simpering wife (who returns from her Greek vacation early) AND Dickie Greenleaf’s cousin Chris on his plate.

So this is once again a story about whether or not Tom will be able to get away with it, especially since he now has the paranoid and mentally unstable Bernard Tufts (forgerer turned body disposal buddy) acting incredibly unpredictable in the wake of the cover ups (he is a chimp with a gun, as my friend group likes to say). And once again Highsmith makes the reader actually wait to bated breath to see if Tom can pull it off, and the reader kind of WANTS him to pull it off. I will say this, the plot may have been a little more ho hum this time around, but in terms of his character Ripley is still Ripley and that is a very good thing. Even if his trajectory is well worn territory.

From murder and identity theft to art forgery and more murder, “Ripley Under Ground” was a continuation I had expected more from, but still found a nasty and enjoyable character in Tom Ripley. Next up is “Ripley’s Game”. Whatever shall he get into next?

Rating 7: Not as compelling as the first in the series, but “Ripley Under Ground” is a solid continuation of Tom Ripley, his fraudulent schemes, and his penchant for murdering to keep his lifestyle afloat.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Ripley Under Ground” is included on the Goodreads list “The Vilest Man in Fiction”.


Serena’s Review: “Buried Deep and Other Stories”

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Book: “Buried Deep and Other Stories” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.

Review: I don’t typically read short story collections because, with all honesty, I very rarely enjoy them. I’m the sort of reader who really wants to sink into a world and (ideally) follow a single POV character who I become wholly invested in over the course of the story. It’s all quite focused in to detailed character work and epic storytelling and worldbuilding, all of which are difficult to convey in the much smaller wordcount allowed to short stories. Beyond this, most of the collections I’ve read in the past were assortments of authors all contributing to one work, which left a lot of variability in quality throughout the entire read. All of this long winded intro to say, this week I’ll be reviewing not only one short story collection, but two! And they are each wildly different experiences.

Today, we’re going to start on the high note! It probably shouldn’t have been so surprising that I ended up loving this book, given the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever rated a Naomi Novik below an 8 (the vast majority of them have been 9s and 10s, even!). But as we’ve just discussed, I struggle with these sorts of collections. But, if anything, with this book Novik has convinced me that in the right hands, I can enjoy a short story collection just as much as the next person!

In fact, in many ways, it felt like this collection of stories was written just for me. Not only was I rewarded for being a reader of all of Novik’s previous series (we have two Temeraire stories, a “Spinning Silver” story, and a “Scholomance” story), but the other tales she tackled were also of peak interest for me. It was almost freakish! There was a Greek re-telling, a “Pride and Prejudice” re-telling, and a “Sherlock Homes” story that focused on Irene Adler! Can it get more perfect than that? Honestly, if I had sat down and picked out series/stories that I would have wanted to read short stories of, these would have been at the top of my list! And they were all done so well!

I don’t want to cover every single story in this collection (though I enjoyed them all, even if I had favorites), but I’ll talk about a few of my favorites. I really loved the aforementioned “Pride and Prejudice” story. Novik managed to not only re-tell the entire novel in an impressively thorough manner, but also adjusted it to fit within her Temeraire world. This version’s Elisabeth Bennet was a dragon rider and much of the tension with Mr. Darcy was derived from the fact that she’s a military member. It was both incredibly unique but also fit perfectly within the boundaries of the original story.

I also really loved returning to the “Scholomance” world. This story takes place after the events of the trilogy, giving readers a look into how the school operates now that El and Orion have done their work. Of course, it was great seeing some familiar faces (though, sadly, not El herself), but the new character to this story was also fantastic! Through her eyes, we see how other magical communities have dealt with the dangers of this world. There was also an added twist to certain aspects of the magic itself, which I felt was both very creative but also felt natural to this pre-existing world.

I also really enjoyed the Greek re-telling of the story of the Minotaur. Told from the perspective of the Minotaur’s sister, Novik infused the story with a whole new level of tragedy, but also beauty. The Irene Adler story was also good, though here I did feel that by the end of the story, I had been hoping for a bit more…I don’t know, point to it all. So, too, the “Spinning Silver” story was also good. It was a shortened version (I believe this was the first attempt at the story that was later expanded into the full length novel), but essentially hit the same beats, though had a different ending. While I enjoyed reading this one, it did hit home how much I loved the novel version. This one just didn’t pack the same punch, and I enjoyed the ending of the original novel better.

While none of the stories were misses, I did want a bit more from a few of them. The collection begins with a pirate story which I think is the weakest of the bunch (a bit unfortunate that it’s first). There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it also didn’t seem to have a lot new to say or offer. Likewise, there’s a story about fairy wishes gone wrong which I really liked, but then it felt like it ended abruptly, almost feeling as if it was the first chapter to an entire book. I was mostly just mad that I couldn’t keep reading it! And lastly, I also enjoyed the look into the new world that her next series will take place within, but this story itself also felt a bit listless. I wasn’t clear whether these were the characters we would be following in the next book or not, but as it stands, by the time the story ends, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it as a story on its own.

Overall, this was an excellent collection! I think I can even say that it’s my favorite short story collection of all time (take from that what you will, given my general lack of interest/familiarity with the genre). I think most any fantasy fan would find something to like from this book. Though I will say that it’s one of those collections that greatly rewards readers familiar with Novik’s entire catalogue of work; it’s practically a must for fans of her books!

Rating 9: Absolutely fantastic, introducing readers to entire new worlds while also re-warding fans with a return to beloved worlds and characters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Buried Deep and Other Stories” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Collections of Short Stories and Books I’m Dying to Get My Hands On.

Kate’s Review: “Tiny Threads”

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Book: “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC24.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer—and discovers the dark side of the glamorous world of fashion—in this gorgeously sinister novel of supernatural suspense.

Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: a high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line.

But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare, as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on Samara turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why Samara begins hearing voices in the dark in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress and anxiety, or by the number of drinks she consumes every night.

And it may not only be Samara’s unraveling psyche, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the house of Mota—may have been built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamor and beauty, before those shadows claim her…

Review: Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

Whenever we go to ALAAC I always come with a list of titles that I am looking for. I resign myself to the fact that my desired titles aren’t always going to overlap with what is available, but this past year I had a pretty good ven diagram of things I wanted and things that were available. One of the books I was on the hunt for was “Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera, partially because Cynthia Pelayo had been singing its praises (and I really enjoy her books), and partially because I LOVE a dramatic interpretation of the fashion industry. If it has horror elements, I’m even more sold. So when it was available I was very, very pleased. I went into it expecting a full on horror story. I found something a little different, but in a positive way.

This wasn’t as scary as I had hoped that it would be, but what it lacked in obvious scares it made up for in a good old fashioned feminine rage story and a psychological spiral of our main character, who keeps hearing ‘rats’ in her new aparment’s walls at 2am. We follow Samara, who has moved from New Jersey to California after she is hired by the iconic (but recently struggling) fashion designer Antonio Mota to work as a fashion promoter in his fashion house. What should be a dream job and an amazing opportunity is not so much, as Samara soon realizes that Mota is an abusive narcissist, there are many divisions in the company, and her new home in Vernon, California, is being disrupted by a hostile work environment and strange noises that keep her awake at night. The pressure and the lack of sleep make Samara more inclined to turn towards a bottle as she desperately tries to help throw together a make or break fashion show, and she has started seeing strange and disturbing images of a woman, as well as the name ‘Piedad’ everywhere. It’s pretty clear to this seasoned horror reader what Rivera was setting up, but the execution of watching Samara spiral into deeper and deeper madness (or is it a horrifying enlightenment?) was intense and nerve wracking. Rivera also examines through Samara, as well as other Latine women characters, a hostile racism and misogyny that is seeping at every turn, whether it’s Antonio’s abuses, or the history of the town and how it has used brown skinned women as worker bodies that are expendable, or how powerful white people take advantage of them in all kinds of ways.

I am also a huge sucker for drama filled stories that take on the fashion industry. I am by no means a fashionista, as you can usually find me wearing jeans, band tees, hoodies, and pajama pants, but I am very fascinated by fashion and beauty and the industries that promote those concepts up (and profit off of them). I enjoyed the way that Rivera portrayed Mota fashion house as a place that creates gorgeous and decadent clothing that is envied and coveted by many, but how how it also rings their employees dry, and how at the end of the day it is a capitalistic machine that is out to make money and to convince the masses that they should be spending their money on their designs. Even the setting of Vernon, California, is the perfect vehicle for this, as it’s a small town that was built on corporate need and greed, and sustains itself through this while also reeking of it (literally; there is a meat processing plant that stinks the community up and is hard to ignore). “Tiny Threads” does a great job of juxtaposing the beauty ideals that the fashion industry pushes forth with the mass production corporate greed that ultimately brings harm to many who work within that system, and how they aren’t so dissimilar be it fashion or meat packing and slaughterhouses. I found it compelling and haunting.

“Tiny Threads” is a great adult debut for Lilliam Rivera, and an incredibly psychological horror tale that has just as many real world scares as it does supernatural ones. Highly recommended!

Rating 8: Intense and angry, “Tiny Threads” is a psychological ghost story that takes on misogyny, violence, racism, and the fashion industry.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tiny Threads” is included on the Goodreads list “2024 Mystery Thrillers Crime to Be Excited For”.