Tag: 6 Rating

Kate’s Review: “Listen To Your Sister”

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Book: “Listen To Your Sister” by Neena Viel

Publishing Info: St Martin’s Griffin, February 2025

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

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

Book Description: For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

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

I’m the oldest daughter in my family, though given it was just me and my younger sister and that I’ve always had various mental health and learning disabilities I’ve contended with I’ve never felt like I’ve been ‘the one who holds it all together’, as many Oldest Daughters do. But my late Aunt Jan was absolutely the prototypical Oldest Daughter, having basically raised my mother (who was the youngest of five) due to a twelve year age gap and the burden of parentification thrust upon her over, and whenever I think about Oldest Daughter stories I always think of her. So when I heard about the general plot of “Listen To Your Sister” by Neena Viel I was very interested in the Oldest Daughter/Sister theme, and then even more so when it was being compared to Jordan Peele movies. What a combination! And I was pretty pleased with what I found.

In terms of the themes and the horror elements of this book, I really enjoyed the way that Viel portrays Calla, one of of three protagonists and eldest sister to her brothers Dre and Jamie, who is a teenager to whom she has been made legal guardian. Calla is clearly overworked, spread too thin, and deeply anxious about having to be a guardian to Jamie, who has been getting into various dust-ups that come back to her (as wholly justifiable as they may be in many cases). I don’t want to give too much away about this book and the horror beats that it possesses, as I think that these things are being held close to the vest for a reason, but I thought that the metaphors for an overburdened eldest child really worked in this book. The horror beats really do harken to the likes of a Jordan Peele movie, and I kept thinking about “Us” as I was reading, though that’s about all I am willing to say in regards to that, fearing I’ve already given too much away. Just know it’s uncanny and a bit freaky at times, but it all fits perfectly into the social commentary that Viel is putting forth.

I also loved the way that Calla, Dre, and Jaime clearly love each other, but are all still SO young and reeling from their traumatic childhoods and the racism that they face every day, and how that makes for difficult processing and damaged relationships in spite of their love for each other. The sibling relationships and the ups and downs that come with them felt very real, and this book has a HUGE heart that I enjoyed but isn’t afraid to put the dysfunction and messiness on display. Viel gives a lot of solid characterization to Calla, Dre, and Jamie, and by seeing the story through all of their eyes I could sympathize with all of them as well as get frustrated with all of them depending on the choices they were making.

I will say that there was a bit of a pacing issue in this book, at least for me, as it lagged a bit in the first half and then REALLY sped up in the second. As someone who tends to have attention issues when it comes to reading, especially when feeling high anxiety (and I mean LATELY that’s been ramping up again), the pacing disparities were noticeable. This may not be the case for all readers, but it was a hiccup for me.

Overall, I enjoyed “Listen To Your Sister”! It’s always great to see new horror voices and I’m going to keep an eye on Neena Viel in the future.

Rating 7: An entertaining horror story about family, generational trauma, and trying to hold it all together that has a lot of good symbolism and metaphors.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Listen To Your Sister” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Books 2025”.

Serena’s Review: “Wisteria”

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Book: “Wisteria” by Adalyn Grace

Publishing Info: Little, Brown and Company, August 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: own it!

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

Book Description: Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.

Previously Reviewed: “Belladonna” and “Foxglove”

Review: I often use December as a month to check back in to books that published earlier in the year but that I didn’t get around to in a timely manner. And yes, that is the case here. However, it’s also the case that I’ve delayed writing this review because it’s been a challenge to get my thoughts in order, mostly about how disappointing I found this book to be. All the more shocking given the high that was “Belladonna” when I read it two years ago.

That said, there were some positives, and those all came in the first half of the book. Reading this first half, I was having such a blast that I felt confident that we had finally returned to much of what I loved about this series. While “Foxglove” was a bit of a mixed bag, I did very much enjoy a deeper introduction to Blythe as a main character, and she shone here in this first half, with all the spirit and spunk that I came to expect from a woman who had lived through what she had and who had made the choices she did at the end of the last book. I also really loved the “enemies” portion of this enemies-to-lovers romance that we explored in this first section. Aris was such a pill, and it was hilarious. The two had great banter during this section, and I appreciated the slow build of respect he had towards Blythe’s bravery and determination in the face of his ridiculousness and the various challenges placed before them.

Unfortunately, even here, problems began to arise. First and foremost, the contrived nature of the plotting. At the end of “Foxglove,” the reader, Signa, and Death are all aware of the true situation between Aris and Blythe. But then, through sheer authorial shenanigans and contrived magical circumstances, Signa is never given a chance to tell Blythe any of this. I get that this reveal coming early would have materially changed the story, but this is the kind of fact that must be dealt with when plotting out an entire trilogy. The author could have ended the previous book in a way that left Signa and Death unaware, thus removing the need to come up with excuses for them not to inform Blythe. Or perhaps some more believable means could have been constructed to delay the knowledge, but that’s tough, as we saw here. The way it is handled is incredibly plot convenient and there is nothing done to really hide this from the reader.

This problem with plotting carried on through the middle and, especially, the end of the book. Not only do Blythe and Aris go from a fairly good slow burn build to “now we’re instantly in love!” with very little explanation, but the author introduces world-changing new characters halfway through the book. Characters who should definitely have been present, if not at least referenced, in the previous books. Not only did the presence of the new character muddle this story, but it opened a million plot holes in the previous books as well, which is the worst thing you can do in a final book to a trilogy. Additionally, entire subplots are dropped in whole cloth, like Signa’s sudden obsession with uncovering the truth behind her mother’s murder. And, in a similar manner, these new subplots are never truly dealt with or pulled into the main story in any way that justifies their presence in the first place.

And all of this together, bad on its own, is all the worse for only coming up halfway through the last book a trilogy! Which, surprising no one, greatly damaged the end of this book. If I had to come up with a word for it, I’d choose “silly.” Events and choices that are clearly meant to land a significant emotional punch instead induced a massive eye roll. Every bit of it was frustrating and left gaping questions about how any of this really worked. Worse, some of these choices directly conflicted with themes regarding choice and personal agency that had been built up as so important earlier in the book.

Given how much I enjoyed the first book in this series and even the first half of this book, it’s so disappointing having to write this review. Looking back at the entire venture, it feels as if the author had a great idea for a stand-alone fantasy book and then somewhere along the line was pushed into extending it by two books. But there was never a truly good story there to support this decision. I’d still recommend the first book to readers, but I’d probably tell them to just quit before the final few pages and leave it as a single entry story, as this is one of those truly unfortunate situations where the last book retroactively harms the entire story as a whole.

Rating 6: So disappointing. Not great on its own, but it was even more frustrating seeing the affect this book has on some of the characters and story arcs of the previous books.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wisteria” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Gothic Fantasy Romance and Magic, Adventure, Romance.

Serena’s Review: “The Last One”

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Book: “The Last One” by Rachel Howzell Hall

Publishing Info: Red Tower Books, December 2024

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

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

Book Description: Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help.

Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting.

As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.

And no one is what—or who—they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself.

Review: I was definitely excited to check this one out when the publicist reached out with a copy! From the looks of things, it seemed like it was going to be the sort of romantasy that leaned more heavily into the action than the romance, something that I typically prefer when it comes to balancing the two. However, while this proved to be correct, other factors involved left this one slipping as my reading continued.

But let’s start with some pros! And first and foremost that comes down to the action! This is a very fast-moving book, chock full of adventure and fight scenes. Right out of the gate, the plot takes off and never really stops. Now, whether the actual story is being advanced with all of this action is another question, but if you’re looking for a fast read, this one should come through for you! I’ll also say that I enjoyed the romance. There wasn’t tons of it, and I think this worked better for the conceit of this book. The MMC knows her past, but she doesn’t, which could lead to a really unfortunate power dynamic. Instead, the love story plays a definite second fiddle and only really moved towards the end of the book. The writing also has a very casual and approachable style of storytelling. Again, this was a specific problem point for me, but it could also be a feature for others, particularly readers who enjoy the very casual voice that you often find in urban fantasy style books.

And look, I enjoy urban fantasy, so once I understood the style of the narration, it was easier to go with it. At the same time, I really have almost zero tolerance for books that have inner monologues where the author actually types out the words “ugh” or “yuck.” It’s a massive pet peeve of mine and immediately throws me out of a book. I can’t seem to ever take a heroine seriously who is written in this style. However, I’m aware that this is an incredibly subjective point, so take from that what you will. That said, I also feel like this mixing of modern language into what feels like a high fantasy book left me feeling very unmoored as to what type of world and setting I was supposed to be picturing. As a fantasy reader who really enjoys worldbuilding, to lose a sense of place in service of quippy modern language is a huge net negative.

From there, while there is a lot of action involved in the book, the pacing was fairly poor. The middle of the book lagged, with very little actually happening of any worth. You’d feel like things should be happening, but then, looking back on the last 50 pages, you’d see that nothing really had. This wasn’t helped by the way the main character’s past was dealt with. She is a character without knowledge of her past and the majority of the book is taken up by this point. Indeed, it began to feel as if the author was intentionally dragging things out in the middle just to prolong this reveal. Which then came at the verrrrry end of the book. And then, by the end, I was left wondering why I had to bother with this book at all? It felt as if I could have read the first few chapters, skipped to the end with the reveal, and then been all set with my prequel chapters out of the way for the next book, the real beginning of the series.

I know this author is quite beloved, so I’m sure there are readers who will gobble this up. Indeed, if you’re a big urban fantasy fan this might work better for you than it will for those who prefer high fantasy. However, I think some of the language decisions and the way the primary conflict regarding her memory was handled ultimately harmed the book.

Rating 6: I can’t get over “ugh” being written out in the first few pages. Sorry, not sorry.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Last One” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2024 Fantasy and Science Fiction Books by Black Authors

Kate’s Review: “We Did Nothing Wrong”

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Book: “We Did Nothing Wrong” by Hannah Jayne

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, December 2024

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

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

Book Description: Lia thought of the dark night, of the broken street light.

Had Diana gone out to meet her? Had she been waiting for her, alone in the park? Or had someone been waiting for Diana?

Lia and Diana are the It girls of Empire Hill High. Their lives are perfect….until Diana disappears and the rumors start flying. Everyone thinks Diana is a runaway, including the police. Lia is secretly convinced it’s all a prank. Then she finds a crushed red rose tied with a candy-cane ribbon where Diana went missing. And next to it, a  YOU. It’s the same ribbon Lia’s received on gifts from a “secret admirer.” Did someone come for Diana that night? And will Lia be next?

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It had admittedly been a little bit of a dry spell for YA thrillers before the past couple of weeks, but with “Heart-Shaped Lies” being spotlighted last week I broke that streak, and now I follow that up with “We Did Nothing Wrong” by Hannah Jayne. If the last YA thriller was a soapy murder mystery, this one is solidly missing person, a sub-genre I enjoy very much. So when I read the description for this one with a missing girl at its heart and a left behind best friend who is frantic (and feeling a little guilty), I was very eager to check it out. And it had some mixed results.

Firstly, however: the good. I will say that by the time we were getting to the last third of the book, the pace really picked up, the red herrings and reveals were flying, and I was quickly charging through because I was so interested in seeing how it was all going to shake out. I’d keep thinking “Diana has to be alive, right?” only for a few minutes later to think “No, Diana’s dead, that has to be it”, and then keep flip flopping as Lia keeps digging in and finding more clues. I liked that Lia was also what I would consider a ‘more realistic’ teen detective, as she has kind of been thrust into it out of desperation for Diana’s sake AND her own guilt about how their relationship had been as of late (namely, cheating with Diana’s boyfriend Eli), and therefore is more harried and chaotic as opposed to calculating and methodical. And finally, I also appreciated how Jayne tackled the role that law enforcement was playing in this story, as they go through the motions looking for Diana, but aren’t REALLY trying too hard, convinced that she’s a runaway and therefore not a priority. It’s a sadly common narrative in real life abduction cases sometimes, and having a story with a not necessarily malevolent investigative team, but certainly an inept and lazy one, was an interesting choice for this book to make, and it was one that worked for me.

But unfortunately, the pacing was a bit off in this book, with a lot of slow but not super engaging build up dominating for a little too long for me. I thought that the book was spinning its wheels for awhile, with a lot of it being Lia dealing with her guilt about her friendship with Diana growing distant, and her poor decision to sort of pursue Eli behind Diana’s back. We get some background throughout of their complicated relationship, one that certainly felt genuine (because as someone who DID have a very complicated relationship with one of my best gal pals in high school it was very relatable). But the ruminating and angsting on Lia’s part was a bit repetitive, and by the time we had finally gotten to the uptick in action and a very satisfying finale I felt that it was a little late getting there.

All in all “We Did Nothing Wrong” was pretty run of the mill. When it finally got going I was entertained, but I think we needed to get there sooner.

Rating 6: Once the pace picked up near the end I became invested, but it took a bit to get there.

Reader’s Advisory:

“We Did Nothing Wrong” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on the Goodreads shelf “Missing Girls Books”.

Serena’s Review: “The Kiss of the Nightingale”

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Version 1.0.0

Book: “The Kiss of the Nightingale” by Adi Denner

Publishing Info: Tundra Books, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: 1890, Lutèce: In this city, Talents are everything: precious gems that gift unrivalled skills to their owners. The most coveted, Elite Talents, are claimed by the aristocracy, passed through generations by blood magic.

Cleodora dreamed of inheriting her father’s Tailoring Talent, but when he died, the magic died with him. Now she’s left with empty promises, a dress shop she can’t keep afloat, and her bed-ridden younger sister.

But everything changes when she meets the dark-eyed Lady Dahlia Sibille. Dahlia offers Cleodora a Singing Talent – a chance to save her beloved sister and rewrite her own fate. From the first instant, Cleodora is bewitched… There’s just one catch: she needs to steal an Elite Talent from the prestigious Lenoir family.

As Lutèce’s nightingale, Cleodora is the star of the opera’s galas and balls, worlds away from the darkness and dust of home. But the handsome yet infuriating Vicomte Lenoir is nothing like she expected.

Soon, the Vicomte’s teasing smiles win her over, even as Dahlia’s seductive whispers linger in her ears. Torn between Dahlia, who gave her everything, and the Vicomte, who holds the price of her freedom, is Cleodora in danger of losing it all? Or can she prove that magic isn’t the only gift that counts?

Review: Anytime a publisher releases a fantasy book set in Paris with an elaborate mask on the cover, you know they’re trying to pull in the “Phantom of the Opera” fans. Works on me every time! Obviously, reading the book summary, we see an even more direct connection with our main character performing at the opera. However, the read-alikes don’t ever directly mention “Phantom” but instead reference Leigh Bardugo and Bridgerton. All of this to say, I wasn’t quite sure exactly what I was going to get when I picked up this book!

Unfortunately, I did struggle a bit with this one. However, I always want to start with some positives, and for this one, that definitely comes down to the overall tone and vibe of this world. As the cover promises, the story takes place in whimsical, lush, and extravagant version of Paris. The author’s writing was particularly strong in these descriptive areas, with a heavy focus on the fashion of this world (unfortunately, I’m one of those readers who needs less as far as these sorts of descriptions go, but for others, this will be a real strength!).

I had a bit of wavering appreciation for the main character. On one hand, I always love stories that revolve around sisterly relationships, and when the story was focused on this, I enjoyed it most. However, as the story progressed, I became more and more frustrated with her decision making and internal thought process. More than once she comes across as incredibly incompetent. I also dislike main characters who are immediately the best at everything, but here we had the other side of the coin. In the same vein, I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance. All of the relationships felt very bland and one-note, and the primary love story never really captured me.

However, my biggest issue came with the world-building. The concept was both too simple and too complicated at times. For one thing, I simply don’t understand why these gems wouldn’t be being stolen all the time by everyone. The story presents Cleodora as this rare being for this approach, but honestly, this is such a basic response to this sort of inequality (where the thing causing the inequality comes down to a basic, material item that is easy enough to steal) that it’s hard to buy that this isn’t a near-universal problem in this world. Beyond that, for being so incredibly powerful, we don’t really see the ways in which a society made of people with these sorts of gifts would be changed from our own. There should be many areas of life that would be directly affected by this. How does law enforcement work? Politics? Wouldn’t corruption being an almost crippling problem within this society?

There were also many nods to “Phantom of the Opera” but not enough to make it anywhere near a direct re-telling. Instead, it walked some strange line where it was clearly influenced by this tale, but also wasn’t interested in following much of the plot of that story. It was odd more than anything else. I’d say, this book would be of most interest to YA fantasy readers who enjoy lush worlds with an emphasis on the descriptions. However, the characters and world-building were on the weaker side.

Rating 6: The writing hits some nice notes with its descriptions of elaborate settings and ballgowns, but the world-building leaves much to be desired.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Kiss of the Nightingale” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Edwardian Fantasy and Fantasy with a healthy dose of romance.

Book Club Review: “Spells for Forgetting”

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

We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Spells for Forgetting” by Adrienne Young

Publishing Info: Delacorte Press, September 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+/owns it

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

Book Description: A deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love.

Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings.

But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.

August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery.

Repeat Author: Adrienne Young

Kate’s Thoughts

I will admit that this book had been on my physical home pile for the longest time, because Serena gave it to me for Christmas one year and while I was absolutely interested in reading it, I just never got around to it (like so many books I own). So when it was a Book Club pick I was pretty thrilled to finally sit my butt down and read it. And I did so while up North next to Lake Superior, which was the perfect vibes for this book. I ended up really loving it.

As someone who is a big witch enthusiast (in media, literature, and real life), I really enjoyed the way that Young had the magic in the story, and how it wasn’t super overt or ‘stereotypical’. but was still very mystical. A nice mix of “Practical Magic” and the ideas of women being healers and guides. I also really enjoyed the overall mystery at hand, with Emery (and the whole community) still reeling from the death of her best friend Lily, and how her boyfriend August was suspected and then absconded with his mom before anything could really come of it. It fuels suspicion as well as longing for Emery, and it makes for a very loaded moment of reunification when August returns years later. The mystery itself was pretty well done, with perspectives from not just Emery and August but also from other members of the town as they get single chapters for themselves. It’s pretty clear that August is innocent for the reader, but while that may have dulled the suspense for some people I actually liked that the focus wasn’t on did he or didn’t he, and instead was on ‘if not him, who?’.

I also liked the small town secrets themes in this book. I’ve always enjoyed it when authors peel back the somewhat gilded facades of close knit communities that feel safe, only to reveal the darker undertones of the people who tout the supposed safety. I didn’t have as hard a time guessing who was actually responsible, but I felt that the mystery was less the point and it was more about love, loss, and secrets kept hidden. And in those ways I really liked this book.

I will definitely have to read more Adrienne Young. I’m glad that I finally got around to this one!

Serena’s Thoughts

Obviously, I loved this book when I read it a few years ago and nothing really changed when I read it for the second time! I can’t remember what time of year I read it during last time, but this one really hit all of the fall vibes for me this go around. I’ve also now read another of Young’s books that fits into the same lyrical fantasy sort of sub-genre that I’d put this one in and, while I liked that one too, I think this is the better of them. There’s a nice balance between all of the elements that make it the kind of book that would appeal to many different readers. The second-chance loves story is sweet. The small-town drama and murder mystery is compelling. And the touches of magic are full of whimsy without ever distracting from the more pressing plot points.

As a fantasy fan first and foremost, I think the fact that the magic is such a lowkey portion of this story and that I still loved it as much as I did speaks to Young’s talent as an author. There’s just something about her style of writing that grabs me. It’s, yes, lyrical at times, but she also aptly captures human nature as well, highlighting the best and worst of people’s feelings and instincts. Even the villains in this story are understandable, even if they are ultimately horribly wrong in their actions. So, too, our main characters are flawed and much of the story is them coming to understand one another as adults, years past the heady bloom of teenage love.

I was incredibly excited to have an excuse to re-read this one. And it was even more of a joy as I was able to jump from this book right into my galley copy of her next book that’s due out in January and seems to have many similarities in tone and vibe. Count on a review for that one near the publication date!

Kate’s Rating 9: A taut mystery, a malevolent small town, and some creepy witchy beats really made this a winner for me!

Serena’s Rating 9: Young captures not only the whimy of small-town life, but also the darker undercurrents of a close knit community with a long and storied history.

Book Club Questions:

  1. This book covers many subgenres, from small town romance to mystery to fantasy. How well did these genres blend together? Which elements were your favoirte?
  2. Throughout the book, we get to see chapters from various townspeople’s perspectives. Did any of these stand out for you? Is there one of these characters you’d like to hear more about and why?
  3. Did you have any theories about Lily’s death or the fire at the apple orchard?
  4. We see the romance play out both in the past and in the present. Did you like this relationship? How did you feel about Emery and August?
  5. What did you think about the way the story wrapped up? Was there more you’d like to know?

Reader’s Advisory

“Spells for Forgetting” is on these Goodreads lists: Spooky Season Reads and Charming Magic.

Next Book Club Pick: “The Familiar” by Leigh Bardugo

Ripley’s Reviews: “Ripley’s Game”

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“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 third book in the series, “Ripley’s Game”.

Book: “Ripley’s Game” by Patricia Highsmith

Publishing Info: Random House, March 1974

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: Living on his posh French estate with his elegant heiress wife, Tom Ripley, on the cusp of middle age, is no longer the striving comer of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Having accrued considerable wealth through a long career of crime—forgery, extortion, serial murder—Ripley still finds his appetite unquenched and longs to get back in the game.

In Ripley’s Game, first published in 1974, Patricia Highsmith’s classic chameleon relishes the opportunity to simultaneously repay an insult and help a friend commit a crime—and escape the doldrums of his idyllic retirement. This third novel in Highsmith’s series is one of her most psychologically nuanced—particularly memorable for its dark, absurd humor—and was hailed by critics for its ability to manipulate the tropes of the genre. With the creation of Ripley, one of literature’s most seductive sociopaths, Highsmith anticipated the likes of Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter years before their appearance.

Review: We took a break last month from my “Ripley’s Reviews” Series due to Horrorpalooza (though you got TWO in September), but we are now back to this project and Tom Ripley continues to be loathsome and a literary legend. I was not familiar with the premise of “Ripley’s Game” before I started researching this series, and when I did get to this title I didn’t really know what to expect. I mean, outside of Ripley being the worst. And the worst he was. And it may be getting a LITTLE hard to handle for me.

Highsmith does breathe some new life into her Ripley stories with this third entry, as not only are we now delving somewhat into a Mafia thriller, but we also have two narratives we are following this time around. The first is, of course, that of Tom Ripley, who is still living his best life on his French estate with his vapid wife and all his ill gotten wares. He is approached to be a hitman for an acquaintance, but has no interest and instead suggests his friend seek out a man named Jonathan Trevanny, a lower class man with cancer, as he only ha a few months to live, surely, and may want the money to support his wife and child after he passes. Thing is, Trevanny doesn’t only have months to live, but the rumors make him think that perhaps he IS dying faster, and decides to take on the hits to keep his family supported. But Ripley can’t help himself, and inserts himself into Trevanny’s life further, and with that he’s up to his old tricks. I liked that we got to get into Trevanny’s head in this one, as it really showed his motivations and his anxiety and panic as he and Ripley are engulfed into Mafia dealings and the dangers that come with that. It was certainly interesting going in that direction as well, as you kind of wonder if Ripley may be biting off more than he can chew (but then we know he isn’t; we still have a couple books left). Also, this is another Ripley story that feels VERY queer coded, what with Tom once again obsessing over another man and inserting himself into his life. I know Highsmith had a lot of self loathing regarding her sexuality, and it’s interesting knowing that AND seeing Tom have these moments and layers.

But something that I did notice this time around is that I am starting to be a bit put off by Ripley and the things that he is doing. And I don’t mean that in a pearl clutching kind of way, after all this is Tom Ripley we are talking about here. It’s not like I think that he’s just ‘misunderstood’ or whatever. But I think that this time around, unlike in the two previous books, mostly the first book, Ripley seems to be absolutely destroying the life of Trevanny for no other reason than pettiness and a misplaced obsession. It’s one thing if Ripley is going in and wreaking havoc on the likes of the Greenleaf family, in that even though I’m not letting him off the hook for Dickie’s murder, at least there is some villainy of the selfish millionaire class that makes it feel more ‘fun’ in a way. Kind like in the “You” books where Joe Goldberg is a villainous murderer and stalker, but the people he is up against are all so unlikable and vile in their own ways that it’s more satirical and entertaining (while still making the various murders of the women he’s obsessed with just horrifying). In this book Ripley is gaslighting and setting up a lower class picture framer WITH CANCER to commit murders and drive him to the point of insanity all because he insulted him at a party once, and we don’t REALLY get the sense that Highsmith was unpacking the parallels of having a fun villain while dealing with the horrible things he’s done. I’m kind of grappling with this and trying not to feel like a hypocrite, and maybe that’s a feeling I have to own and Highsmith had the last laugh here. But this one felt a bit more misery filled than the previous two books, and as such I didn’t enjoy it as much.

We will see where we get with the next in the series, “The Boy Who Followed Ripley”. I don’t think that the bloom is off the rose yet, and I WILL say that I will be VERY interested to tackle a film adaptation of this one down the line.

Rating 6: I was quite in favor of two perspective narrative, but this was Ripley at perhaps his most vile, and the humor and satire didn’t balance it out as much for me this time.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Ripley’s Game” is included on the Goodreads list “The Vilest Man in Fiction”.

Kate’s Review: “This Girl’s A Killer”

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Book: “This Girl’s a Killer” by Emma C. Wells

Publishing Info: Poisoned Pen Press, 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: Meet Cordelia Black. Cordelia loves exactly three things: her chosen family composed of her best friend Diane and her goddaughter; her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip); and killing bad men.

By day she’s a successful pharmaceutical rep with a pristine reputation and a designer wardrobe. By night she’s culling South Louisiana of unscrupulous men—monsters who always seem to evade justice, until they meet her. It’s a complicated yet fulfilling life that requires complete and total control at all times. But when the evening news starts throwing around the words “serial killer,” pressure heightens for her in the South, and it’s only exacerbated when Diane starts dating a man Cordelia isn’t sure is a good person—someone who might unravel everything Cordelia has worked for. Soon Cordelia’s world spirals, and she loses her grip on those tightly held threads that keep her safe.

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

Horrorpalooza is over, and now I start to work back towards the books that I read before October that didn’t fit a horror theme to fit within that month’s review schematics. We had a cartel thriller on Saturday, and now we get back to good old fashioned women’s centric thrillers with Emma C. Wells’s novel “This Girl’s a Killer”. This has been on my list for awhile now, and now the time has finally arrived. With admittedly mixed results.

There were definitely things that did work, however. Most obviously to me is that I do love stories like this, with sarcastic and quippy morally grey narrators doing pretty terrible things but for fairly understandable reasons. I enjoy the idea of a pharma rep named Cordelia (I just kept thinking of Cordelia Chase from “Buffy”) being professional and put together by day, and then murdering abusive and violent men by night after the legal system fails to do anything about them. I enjoyed the story arc at hand, with her having an ‘oh shit’ moment when finding out that her company is recalling the drug she uses for her schemes (as it works SO WELL to knock men out you see), and then things slowly falling more and more out of control. Partially because she kind of starts dating a cop, partially because she really hates her best friend Diane’s new boyfriend. The thriller aspects are more about how and whether she will get away with her crimes, but it’s also a little tongue in cheek which gives it a bit of zip.

But on the flip side, it isn’t really anything that I haven’t seen before in the women’s centric poppy serial killer tale. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I did find this book to be a very quick read and an entertaining one at that. After all, who doesn’t like to read about terrible predatory men getting justice doled out from a pissed off woman with a serial killing habit to feed? The problem is that Cordelia as a protagonist is trying to be “Promising Young Woman” vis a vis “Dexter”, but I didn’t feel like she had the complexities to back it up and is instead a bit of a caricature without the depth I was hoping for. Girlboss serial killer who loves her bestie and her high fashion labels and aesthetic is fine, but I was really hoping that she’d be a bit more interesting. I have similar criticisms for the supporting characters, with said bestie Diane being a little on the saccharine side and her daughter Samantha being precocious as hell bordering on a little unbelievable. As an escapist bloody romp this works, but I think that had the characters been stronger it really could have knocked it out of the park, and it didn’t quite get there.

It’s kind of strange to refer to a story about a serial killer in designer clothes as ‘cozy’ reading, but if you like thrillers you will probably feel that same vibe. Overall “This Girl’s a Killer” is pretty fluffy thriller fun that doesn’t take itself super seriously. I can dig that vibe this time of year.

Rating 6: Fun for what it is, but none of the characters moved outside of static two dimensional personalities and the story suffered for it.

Reader’s Advisory:

“This Girl’s a Killer” is included on the Goodreads list “Best Serial Killer Books”.

Kate’s Review: “The Demon”

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Book: “The Demon” by Victory Witherkeigh

Publishing Info: BookBaby, October 2024

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

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

Review: Thank you to Books Forward for sending me an eARC of this novel via NetGalley!

I can’t believe that we are about two thirds of the way through October already. We’ve tackled a few sub genres this Horrorpalooza, from vampires, to ghosts, to serial killers, to the apocalypse, and now we are taking on another popular horror trope: demonic possession. It’s not a trope that I read that much, but if there is a generally tantalizing hook with a story I will give it a go, and “The Demon” by Victory Witherkeigh has that hook: A creature called the Demon has recently possessed the body of the Girl, but cannot remember why it has done so, and now has to figure out what it’s mission is, while also dealing with a true human horror: freshman year of college.

The horror… the horror… (source)

It was a roll of the dice, as it’s a sub genre I’m wary of and it was a book I hadn’t heard of, but that hook, man. I couldn’t pass it up. And the hook was everything I wanted it to be! There were other aspects, however, that didn’t work as well.

First thing I will do is talk about what I did like about this book, and that is the fact that the premise is strong as hell and that a lot of the time we got some really solid moments with this premise in mind. I have always loved a story about an otherworldly being taking on the body/identity of a human and having to learn to live like a human, from Jeff Bridges in “Starman” to the demi goddess character Illyria on the show “Angel” (absolutely rotten than the show was cancelled so shortly after her character debut; I just loved her). So I absolutely loved the way that The Demon is having to not only adjust to living in a human body, but also having to maneuver through college of all things. So many great moments happened with this concept, whether it was the Demon dealing with roommates, student groups, or having to get a prescription for birth control. I also liked seeing the Demon make connections with other humans, be they awkward and romantic, or gentle and familial with one of the few actually okay people in The Girl’s family, namely her grandmother. All of these beats worked really well for me, being a huge sucker for this kind of trope. I also liked the way that Witherkeigh addresses themes like colonialism of the Philippines and racism that comes with that.

On the flip side, I wasn’t aware that “The Demon” was a sequel to another book called “The Girl” until I had started reading it and began to wonder if I was missing some context due to how much info wasn’t really established. Since I hadn’t read the first one in the series, I was definitely missing some context as to the Demon’s motivations, her relationship with Death, and the ins and outs of The Girl’s family and her relationships and their motivations. It was like diving into a story starting in the middle, and that made things confusing. Admittedly this isn’t really the fault of the book as the assumption would obviously be that I WOULD have that context, but in this situation I didn’t. So that isn’t necessarily a ding on the story as a whole, but it did affect my personal experience with it. The other thing was that at times this book did feel a little meandering and unfocused, with a structure that felt a bit like a set of vignettes that had a thread through that could have been stronger and more taut.

So this was a bit of a unique situation and I don’t know if I can fully review “The Demon” as I didn’t approach it with the context that is assumed to be had by a reader. But I did really enjoy the moments of a fish out of water as the Demon tries to survive college.

Rating 6: A really cool premise with some really fun moments, but I definitely missed some context and some of it felt unfocused.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Demon” isn’t on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on the list “Demonic Possession”.

Book Club Review: “Attachments”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell

Publishing Info: Dutton, April 2011

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Repeat Author: Rainbow Rowell

Book Description: “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you…”

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now—reading other people’s e-mail. When he applied to be “internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can’t help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late to introduce himself. What would he say . . . ?

Kate’s Thoughts

This was one of the book club choices that I was most intrigued by this cycle, as I have read a fair number of Rainbow Rowell stuff, but I haven’t read any of her adult novels (“Fangirl” may fall into this? I think I was told it was New Adult when I read it for grad school). So going in to read not only and adult one, but also her first novel, was interesting to say the least! I also found it to be VERY of the time it came out, while still having some enjoyable things that held up in the modern day.

For one I really liked the email banter between Beth and Jennifer, as I have had work friendships like this where we just bullshit all day to offset the drudgery of being on the clock (admittedly my experience with this was working on the floor of a museum and finding other floor staff to chat with). Rowell has always had a zippy charm in her dialogue, and I really believed that Beth and Jennifer were best friends and work besties to boot. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments for me with these two, as well as some really well done bits of pathos in regards to Jennifer’s pregnancy journey as it has its ups and downs (definitely know there’s a content warning in this regarding miscarriage). If this book had been all about their friendship laid out in epistolary form, I’d have been wholly sold.

However, this is a romance novel, and when it comes to our male romantic interest Lincoln I just didn’t click with him as well. I’m not going to say that he’s a Joe Goldberg type like some people do, as I really don’t see his inadvertent stalking as malicious or devious, but it was interesting seeing it play out as cute when nowadays we are a little more sensitive to these kinds of things (I also would be a huge hypocrite to call it out as I absolutely LOVE “You’ve Got Mail” and Tom Hanks is kind of doing this to Meg Ryan in that movie). But my biggest gripe was just that I didn’t find Lincoln super interesting, as he falls into a lot of well worn tropes now, like the fact that he’s a HUGE CINNAMON ROLL NERD while also being INCREDIBLY ADONIS HOT. I also think that I needed a bit more direct interaction between Beth and Lincoln to really feel like the pay off at the end was real.

All in all, “Attachments” was fine. It was a quick read and it was a fun book club discussion!

Serena’s Thoughts

My experience reading Rainbow Rowell is pretty much identical to Kate’s. I believe we were both first introduced to the author in library school and then both proceeded to be assigned and read the same two books from her. I enjoyed them both, for the most part, but they also fall well outside my usual reading preferences, so I’ve never returned to the author. That being the case, I was excited that this was a bookclub pick which essentially forced my hand on the matter!

I also agree with much of Kate’s assessment, however. I, too, was much more invested in the female relationships and the themes of friendship, grief, and support that were explored throughout the story. Not only was the dialogue between them hilarious, but through their relationship, the story dives into the deeper elements of the story. Dialogue has always been a strong suit of Rowell’s, so perhaps this was no surprise. But it was a nice reminder of what I enjoyed most about her other books!

Like Kate, however, I was less invested in the romance. Which was a bit of a problem, as the book is first and foremost a love story. I, too, struggled to truly buy Lincoln as a character. Much of his characterization seemed to directly contradict itself. On one hand, he was presented as this nerdy guy who lived at home. But on the other hand, he’s this super hot guy who comes across as very charming. Obviously, nerdy guys can be attractive as well, but the entire premise of the book seemed to rely on the fact that he’s existed on the periphery of people’s lives, going unnoticed. Which…I just find hard to buy.

Nothing about this book was outright bad, but it did feel very average throughout most of it. I found myself struggling to want to finish it and simply not that invested in the romance at its heart. Part of this could just be the fact that I don’t typically enjoy contemporary romcoms, however, so take my review with a grain of salt!

Kate’s Rating 6: It’s cute enough and I liked the banter between Beth and Jennifer, but I wasn’t as invested in Lincoln and the romance didn’t really click for me.

Serena’s Rating 6: Same, same. There were bright moments, but it’s hard to truly rate a romance highly when you didn’t really care about the love story itself.

Book Club Questions:

  1. How did you relate to the time period setting of this book, as it takes place during Y2K? If you remember this time, what were you doing on New Year’s Eve before 2000?
  2. What were your thoughts on the romance between Lincoln and Beth? Did it work for you? Why or why not?
  3. What did you think about the two different writing styles, one being epistolary the other being more traditional narration?
  4. What were your thoughts on Jennifer’s pregnancy storyline?
  5. How do you think this story would change if it were taking place in the 2020s?

Reader’s Advisory

“Attachments” is included on the Goodreads lists “Internet Rom Coms”, and “Nerdy Guys Are Hot!”.

Next Book Club Pick: “Spells for Forgetting” by Adrienne Young