«That had been the boy’s one slip: showing Gil the truth. He was evil. »
Right on the cover page, the Observer describes thi⭐️1 star ⭐️
«That had been the boy’s one slip: showing Gil the truth. He was evil. »
Right on the cover page, the Observer describes this ‘terrifying’ psychological thriller as “Horribly claustrophobic, in the best possible way” . Horribly claustrophobic? Yes, I’ll give you that. The endless paranoia and resentment that constantly loops in Gil’s whiny thoughts were suffocating. He constantly switches from feeling somewhat fulfilled of his life to subconsciously perceiving it as pathetic and poor. Gil was the real nightmare here.
Sure, maybe he’s right and his nephew is a secret sociopath and only he can see it, but the search for the truth becomes absolute obscured by Gil, being so self-absorbed, weird and annoying, that it completely took all enjoyment away from the story.
«Maybe you think you know. Maybe you think you can see it, far off: the revelation»
My two year old could see the revelation. Awfully predictable and boring — you know from the beginning where the story is going, you hope for a mega twist to make you gasp and fall for the story, you end up launching the book across the room in disappointment.
~~ Pre-review update: How can I like a book if I completely detest the main character? Answer, I can’t. ...more
We had moved halfway across the world less than two days ago and already I was getting embroiled in my own true crime show, o
⭐️ 2.5 stars ⭐️
We had moved halfway across the world less than two days ago and already I was getting embroiled in my own true crime show, one that I wanted no part in.
{ To those who got mad ‘cause I read a YA thriller when I don’t like the genre… Oops! I did it again! }
This made me feel super nostalgic of my teen years and also made me feel super old. Stylistically, it’s perfect for teenagers — simple structure, an easy plot with a couple twists, and a hint of young love. Personally? It was really predictable and boring. The ending was rushed and inconclusive. I really need to start checking tags and blurbs before buying books. ...more
« How very odd it must be, living at the mercy of the tide. »
[ Another pretty cover that will sit on my shelf just for me⭐️ 2 stars ⭐️
« How very odd it must be, living at the mercy of the tide. »
[ Another pretty cover that will sit on my shelf just for me to glare at it every time I see it. *intense hate stare* ]
The Blue Hour was excruciatingly boring and predictable. It was a painful slow burn, a mess of annoying characters, boring art fluff and an absolutely unsatisfying ending. I’m pretty sure I hated every moment of this. Possible spoilers.
When the tide comes, Eris in unreachable.
The Eris Island setting was evocative and had a very chilling yet beautiful vibe to it. I loved the imagery of the endless sea, the not-quite-an-island getting cut off from the mainland for hours or even days. It was a perfect mix of artistically stunning but also eerie and daunting at the same time. The setting is where my praise for this book ends.
It is strangely thrilling, the idea of her as forbidden object of desire rather than wife.
↳The fuck, my dude?? Let’s leave the “mystery” to the side for a sec and take a look at these awful characters, ‘cause this quote is just the tip of the fuckery iceberg. From the late reclusive artist, center point of the mystery, to the curator of her pieces aka the lovely man whom this quote belongs to, the wife the exes the missing husband the friends — they all sucked. The relationships are messy and borderline toxic, everyone cheating on everyone, manipulative and scheming. Not having a relatable or even simply an enjoyable character made this read 10 times more unbearable and a chore to finish.
He sees the light again, from the lighthouse, it is strobing, flashing faster now, faster, it is no longer white, now it’s blue. Now it’s blue.
We all know the ending is what makes or breaks a thriller. Not that I thought this was salvageable by then, but the ending definitely made it worse than I thought possible. The plot is really slow and the mystery completely predictable. You know when you think Nah, that’s too obvious it can’t be that? Yeah, it was the super duper obvious thing. Not only was it predictable, but it felt rushed and incomplete, unfinished plot points left unraveled, more questions than there were answers.
I could rant for ages but would rather spare myself the migraine, so TL;DR slow burn mystery with too little action and an unsatisfying ending.
An act of violence can be an act of devotion, too.
« Just when you think you’ve seen the worst human beings have to offer, you find out you’re wrong. There’s no end to evil. »
Whil⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
« Just when you think you’ve seen the worst human beings have to offer, you find out you’re wrong. There’s no end to evil. »
While investigating a disappearance in the area, it doesn’t really cross Holly’s mind that an old couple of professors could be involved. No one knows what hides in the Harris’ basement…. or in their fridge.
~ SPOILERS AHEAD ~
Wow. Ok, lots to unpack here. First off, Holly was an exceptional character. I think she might be is my fave crime thriller FMC I’ve read yet. She’s strong, determined, real, badass — Holly was cracking skulls then cracking jokes, so pretty fucking awesome to me.
This was my first Stephen King novel (I know, I’m super late to the party) and I’m glad I picked a good one to start with. I might not know Holly’s backstory from the other stories, but I didn’t feel anything missing from the character development. All the characters had depth and realism, they were all very distinct and unique.
The family that slays together stays together.
I don’t know if I find it believable that a couple of 80 year olds could go on killing for so many years, but the plot was still pretty fun and thrilling. I liked that we already know from the beginning who the killers are and we’re working our way backwards to the why and the how. It was fun to follow along the investigation, seeing them start to put the puzzle pieces together, screaming in my mind OHMYGOD you’re so close!.
“Why?” “Because I love my wife.” He pauses, then adds, “And myself, of course. I love myself.”
So despite how ridiculous I found the killers, this read was entertaining and had the right amount of thrill to keep me engaged throughout, awesome characters that made it even better and an incredible finale.
« The thing about human flesh is that you start off curious. Then you get to liking it. Eventually you get to love it, and one day you can’t get enough. »
CW (spoilers): - Violence & gore - Kidnapping & death - Mentions of homophobia & racism - COVID - Mentions of parental death (due to COVID) - Cannibalism - Mentions of rape (not MC) ...more
« Tonight’s murder mystery party was supposed to be a fun way for attendees to mingle with the authors while solving a fictiona
⭐️ 2 stars ⭐️
« Tonight’s murder mystery party was supposed to be a fun way for attendees to mingle with the authors while solving a fictional murder. I hadn’t planned on stumbling across a real body. »
I have once again been fooled by a pretty cover. The vibes I was expecting → cozy murder mystery, cute small town, Halloween & October energy. The only vibe I got → absolute boredom. This was the most boring murder mystery I have ever read. Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop at least stayed true to its title, because the writing was chaotic and juvenile, pages and pages of useless dialogue, all an I did this, I did that. The ‘mystery’ was predictable, the characters all so bland they meshed together.
If the author has to continuously remind us who is who, ‘oh there is Taylor, you know the one from the ghost show that has been mentioned at least 10 times already? Remember her?’, either they also believe all their characters are that forgettable or this read is meant for a younger audience and I didn’t realize.
So yeah, this author doesn’t work for me, this book didn’t work for me. ...more
“But we’re still playing the killer’s game. He came up with the rules, and we’re probably still moving at his speed.”
The first 2⭐️ 2.5 stars ⭐️
“But we’re still playing the killer’s game. He came up with the rules, and we’re probably still moving at his speed.”
The first 200 pages were awesome, very gripping and interesting. I loved Joona, badass super detective, from the start. I love a good police procedural show, hunting down serial killers, uncovering clues and mysteries, so this read seemed perfect for that.
«We aren’t pyromaniacs; we don’t let the fire burn out of control. We are the fire.»
The killings and the spider analogy were very creative, thrilling and definitely disgusting, but exactly what I expected going into this. But then.. the story gets a little too weird.
And that’s where it completely lost me. It took some very weird turns, a lot of the characterizations were so odd and kind of fucked up, I actually started wanting the killer to kill them. Like, ‘yas bitch kill the motherfucker, he deserves it’. If I find myself getting angry at the characters, screaming DUMBASS at a book, I might not be enjoying it? Right?
I didn’t read the other books in the series (my bad), and I think I might’ve felt more connected, more invested in the characters had I read some of the others. Also, this storyline seems pretty connected with the previous book, both in terms of backstory on the characters and regarding the killers story and motives. So, maybe do as I say not as I do, and read the others before reading this one.
The premise was very intriguing, but I didn’t vibe well with some of the plot points, how the authors decided to go with this story. This is most likely a me problem, so don’t let any of this stop you from reading this crime thriller series.
“I’ve started to think that everything we do, even the things we don’t… it all gets added to the balance, it determines who we are.” “And that nothing in this world ever really disappears, even if we sometimes wish it would.”
TW (spoilers): - Violence - Gore - Death - Sexual harassment - Depictions of SA & coerced sexual relations ...more
«This ship wasn’t a gem on the ocean floor, waiting to be found. It was a trap. A monstrous, hideous trap.»
Exploring the Arcadia⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️
«This ship wasn’t a gem on the ocean floor, waiting to be found. It was a trap. A monstrous, hideous trap.»
Exploring the Arcadia shipwreck should’ve been easy, should’ve been the experience of a lifetime. But now they’ve awakened the ship… and it wants to keep them.
— SPOILER FULL REVIEW —
Yes, yes and yes. I loved everything about this. From the mysterious history surrounding the SS Arcadia to the flashbacks of those aboard, the eerie underwater scenes, the increasing anxiety during the dives — I could go on and on because everything about this book was perfectly chilling and captivating for me.
« The water felt unpleasantly alive. As though something pulsed between them and the shipwreck three hundred feet below. As though it was calling to them.»
From Below spooked the fuck out of me and I love that. The ocean is creepy enough all on its own, but add in a haunted shipwreck, ghostly figures just around the corner, surrounding darkness AND limited oxygen?? Fuck to the no. [but also yes please, scare me]
“That’s you, right? Or is it Hestie? Someone’s holding on to my foot.” The silence dragged out for what felt like an eternity. Then Vanna said, softly, “No. We’re still on the higher floor.”
This was awesome and terrifying, enthralling from start to finish. I felt as though I was exploring the deep dark waters right alongside the crew, fighting for air, fighting for escape.
Tap. Tap. Scrape. Like fingernails digging at the metal. Like something that desperately wanted to be let out.
The ending was unexpectedly sweet and happy. After all the tension and anxiety they gave me throughout the book, I was glad to see such a positive ending. Felt like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for so long....more
She sits on the bed too. Slowly. Next to me. And she asks: Can I go into your heart?
Something felt wrong here, and I’m not talking⭐️ 2 stars ⭐️
She sits on the bed too. Slowly. Next to me. And she asks: Can I go into your heart?
Something felt wrong here, and I’m not talking about the creepy ghost/demon thing. Other Mommy, the entity, was the only element I thought was done well of the whole book. It was creepy, subtly, hidden in the shadows.
The house is quiet around us. It’s like I can hear the quiet.
The author chose a specific style to emphasize that the narrator is a child, and even if I can appreciate the originality, it was very disjointed. Instead of giving me the immersion I wanted, I felt distanced, like I was watching from afar the story unfold when I want to feel like I’m living it.
What if I say yes? Will she stop getting closer?
Bella’s POV also took away most of the spook factor. While Other Mommy was extremely creepy in theory, most of the book is them just running and talking and long monologues on the meaning of life and secrets and humanity and houses and rooms. So whatever little chill I got when the demon shows up was immediately drowned out by the adults talking to a child about the weirdest things.
In short, a shame I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would.
Our house is haunted and we tried to leave it. We tried. But it’s us. It’s me.
« He was mine. He was always supposed to be mine. »
Sweet and spicy novella. Loved seeing Wyn and Danny again, especially f⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
« He was mine. He was always supposed to be mine. »
Sweet and spicy novella. Loved seeing Wyn and Danny again, especially from Wyn’s POV. And I loved seeing him so smitten for his human, so swoony.
“Why don’t you get me on my back and fuck me as hard as you can, Danny?”
The smut was as good as book one, of course. Passionate and loving. Seeing them get to commit to each other on a more complete level, get their lovely ever after, was perfect and really completes their story. And, oh my god, I didn’t know there might be an Orlith book?? Yes, please.
“I never really believed in fate, or soul mates, but… I think you’re mine.”
CW and tropes (spoilers): - Monster x human - Vers MCs - Rimming - Atypical anatomy ...more
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