tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10887112261910434272024-03-05T23:36:39.844-05:00Storeys of StoriesA Book-Themed Blog: Join Me in Reading Storeys of Stories!Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.comBlogger421125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-23263142972041130922024-02-24T01:23:00.005-05:002024-02-24T01:23:57.654-05:00Review: RENTAL PERSON WHO DOES NOTHING by Shoji Morimoto<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMKVWePxJiELqgsbv29_Tzdydip66fihdyQUBORn4ppSa381BP4z_-UgKI2YTmczBxmrzJVg55G_jAlc-jkZ_YuyoR3HPYSWhn9ApeB7VR3E7ADXLTrqaDU_muqtkIfumOVuA0dUIU9Jnkm0Dp3uN2_3gqcgQw8dNvh8YuIb3-Eg6lEnkLDC-o9154r8O/s1000/rental%20person.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="721" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMKVWePxJiELqgsbv29_Tzdydip66fihdyQUBORn4ppSa381BP4z_-UgKI2YTmczBxmrzJVg55G_jAlc-jkZ_YuyoR3HPYSWhn9ApeB7VR3E7ADXLTrqaDU_muqtkIfumOVuA0dUIU9Jnkm0Dp3uN2_3gqcgQw8dNvh8YuIb3-Eg6lEnkLDC-o9154r8O/s320/rental%20person.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Rating: 4.5/5 stars<p></p><p>I found this book to be fascinating and I’m so happy I spent the time reading it. </p><p><i>Rental Person Who Does Nothing</i> is a memoir of exactly that: a rental person who does nothing. Do you need a person to accompany you to an event but can’t ask anyone in your personal life? Do you want some company while you quietly work at home? Do you want to try a new restaurant but don’t want to go alone? That’s what Rental Person is for. </p><p>I was unaware of Shoji Morimoto before reading this book, despite his prolific online presence. I was intrigued by the title alone, which is why I decided to pick it up, and I’m so happy I did. This was one of the most unique and thought-provoking books I’ve read in quite some time. </p><p>Morimoto recounts many of his experiences as a rental person, but he also provides commentary on the idea of a society that finds value in a rental person and also the value that someone can provide who simply does nothing. In fact, my favorite part of the book was the commentary he provides about the value a person has regardless of their job and the value they provide just for existing as a person, even if they do nothing. </p><p>He states that his dream was to do nothing, and he hated working for his company simply because he needed money when he didn’t like anything he was doing at work. So he started his rental person business. I say “business” but it’s important to note that Rental Person does not charge for his services, only for transportation and any applicable food. But his time comes free. He discusses in detail why he decided to operate this way, and I found it all to be extremely fascinating. </p><p>I would definitely recommend this book. The concept alone is worth reading about, but hearing specifically about Morimoto’s experiences and thought processes makes for an incredible experience.</p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-44713982501292130092024-02-10T10:53:00.001-05:002024-02-10T10:53:18.513-05:00Review: THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNP_6ane877HoxtCjwVLOvG8MnnjOcI6ZD79xLp5wkF58gYCouMtm59_pw84fwsElU8qtjfF-EUXuGAY7IkEcFCXRhadQkjje-0lbcVFGR5OAH3hpblRrElCKmvR0iuK2LvYI_WNWshSgAGeLu80yMX5rx_dfp9auFMBzFYHnX7kRc1xhxtWH-Q9fX-t5/s1000/familiar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="694" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNP_6ane877HoxtCjwVLOvG8MnnjOcI6ZD79xLp5wkF58gYCouMtm59_pw84fwsElU8qtjfF-EUXuGAY7IkEcFCXRhadQkjje-0lbcVFGR5OAH3hpblRrElCKmvR0iuK2LvYI_WNWshSgAGeLu80yMX5rx_dfp9auFMBzFYHnX7kRc1xhxtWH-Q9fX-t5/s320/familiar.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>Rating: 3/5 stars<p></p><p><i>The Familiar</i> was good, but nothing about it really wowed me. I enjoyed my time reading it, but it likely won’t be a standout or memorable book for me this year, sadly. </p><p>I wish the setting was more prominent. If I didn’t know before starting this book that the story takes place in the 1600s during the Spanish Inquisition, I wouldn’t have been able to gather that information from the narrative. Maybe that’s just me being dumb though, because I have heard others mention the setting was a prominent feature. </p><p>The entire book was rather slow-moving to me, and I do wish the pace had been faster. I felt the whole time I was reading that it was moving along very leisurely, and that frustrated me a bit. Especially when the plot picks up, the pace should too, but I personally feel that it did not. </p><p>I felt rather emotionally distant from the entire story, including from the characters. All the characters outside of Luzia and Santángel fell flat for me, unfortunately, and I found myself not really caring what happened to any of them. I was most invested in Luzia of everyone. </p><p>I really enjoyed Luzia as a protagonist though and thought she was deceptively strong-willed, which I love to see. She had a tiny bit of magic, which was cool too. Even though she had the ability to use some magic, this story definitely reads like a historical fiction and not like a fantasy though; the fantastical element is so small, found in just her tiny miracles and in the familiar’s immortality, but that's really it. </p><p>I didn’t feel the chemistry between Luzia and Santángel at all. He seemed pretty creepy to me the whole novel, but love was clearly developing between them. When did he turn from the unsettling emaciated immortal creature to the handsome and loving man? </p><p>I didn’t particularly care for Santángel as a love interest, but I do appreciate that Bardugo included a non-traditional love interest in this novel. I did enjoy learning about his backstory and why he is immortal though. In fact, that was the most captivating chapter of the whole book for me. </p><p>The ending kind of came out of nowhere, and while I’m not sure yet if I liked it or not, I do appreciate it and the message it was communicating. I like that it wasn’t a conventional ending either, something both expected and unexpected at the same time. </p><p>Maybe Leigh Bardugo’s writing style just isn’t for me. I have enjoyed the books I’ve read by her but I haven’t really loved any of them. I felt emotionally detached from <i>The Familiar </i>and from most of the characters, and I’m sad about that. I was prepared to love this book and have a great time reading it, but it was just a book that I read, no emotional strings attached, no significant impact on my life hereafter. I know many people are going to love this book though, and I wish I were one of those people too. It was fine, but that’s about it. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-17734767205588351782024-01-22T23:00:00.006-05:002024-01-22T23:00:37.203-05:00Review: WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdJAkDbELjZg13SJdGDOLh6e-k7estU5hraQnr_LMZxjCn-b6XtmWCt_pu3VrVKR2Tdw8wEjrc87hTkuMnkdo8r-tXlE3tRLnI1WgymrJoXZUVMaFgeyNvgQ8KMy9kXwhtPhi7zkKFkkvArZq1PCmG-AArboVnFF0J1PZLqVzW-TC-3sgSygUWBWn0avv/s630/IMG_0267.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdJAkDbELjZg13SJdGDOLh6e-k7estU5hraQnr_LMZxjCn-b6XtmWCt_pu3VrVKR2Tdw8wEjrc87hTkuMnkdo8r-tXlE3tRLnI1WgymrJoXZUVMaFgeyNvgQ8KMy9kXwhtPhi7zkKFkkvArZq1PCmG-AArboVnFF0J1PZLqVzW-TC-3sgSygUWBWn0avv/s320/IMG_0267.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Rating: 3.25/5 stars <p></p><p>I absolutely loved <i>What Moves the Dead</i>, and it was the book that got me hooked on both T. Kingfisher and horror novels last year. I was so excited to see that she was releasing a sequel to that beloved book. </p><p><i>What Feasts at Night</i> sees the return of our intrepid solider, Alex Easton, on a new adventure with our favorite mycologist, Miss Potter. They both journey this time to a hunting lodge, where they find the caretaker dead and a strange silence permeating the area. As rumors of a breath-stealing monster swirl through the air, Alex must keep their guard up in the lodge—and in their dreams. </p><p>I enjoyed this story, but it was not as good as <i>What Moves the Dead</i>. That book had a sort of magic to it, plus a strong gothic atmosphere and sentient mushrooms, and this book was missing all of that. </p><p>I love T. Kingfisher’s writing and I will continue to read every book she writes. I would definitely recommend reading <i>What Moves the Dead</i>, which can be treated as a standalone, but I’m hesitant to recommend <i>What Feasts at Night</i> since it’s subpar to the first book, unless you’re a huge T. Kingfisher fan like me. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-61477733080004003792024-01-02T23:02:00.001-05:002024-01-02T23:02:11.948-05:00Top 5 Books I Read in 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2f0fNop6GHGENVcJ16Eku_pEqRtuA1xIW36W5pnVxxzxnV40SQdUJvf-hJhn2U9ugvLdZt22TqaBbYcSQGmBuSNlIFjE7QG-pxXJ9Q_u9a-3dBZ3FGZdjjn9I28ljecpuZ65fBLpFLPeIKQoZyTZEdvuq8jKiBgxiOosI9HpbTzSe5VvDxVbBIrLjGDO/s500/june%20farrow.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2f0fNop6GHGENVcJ16Eku_pEqRtuA1xIW36W5pnVxxzxnV40SQdUJvf-hJhn2U9ugvLdZt22TqaBbYcSQGmBuSNlIFjE7QG-pxXJ9Q_u9a-3dBZ3FGZdjjn9I28ljecpuZ65fBLpFLPeIKQoZyTZEdvuq8jKiBgxiOosI9HpbTzSe5VvDxVbBIrLjGDO/w133-h200/june%20farrow.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>1. <i>The Unmaking of June Farrow</i> by Adrienne Young <p></p><p>I didn't expect to love this book so much, especially not to have it be my top book of the year, but Adrienne Young blew me out of the water with this literary magical realism tale that was at times historical and at other times romantic. I don't know how to properly describe it without giving away some of the reveals that made it so magical for me, but I will say that there are magical doors and beautiful friendships and second chances. The writing is stunning. Don't look up anything more before reading; just jump straight in. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gkwcPdvhMV-doR-u2EUIDK8OT-J4ITWdyb5MiunZyEoSmC3WTA2JlyCSefhC5A_bHSSn10L3_OaGe6osCpavC1VRLZdG-JVITsPL4U14m8mm6LM9WIsNipooVz6OVPAqBxPKV89jekondVNvVEuouqcSNj7mKS3iNQPIStWWG2fgAhUPTyb_O0tplwnf/s2850/starling%20house.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gkwcPdvhMV-doR-u2EUIDK8OT-J4ITWdyb5MiunZyEoSmC3WTA2JlyCSefhC5A_bHSSn10L3_OaGe6osCpavC1VRLZdG-JVITsPL4U14m8mm6LM9WIsNipooVz6OVPAqBxPKV89jekondVNvVEuouqcSNj7mKS3iNQPIStWWG2fgAhUPTyb_O0tplwnf/w132-h200/starling%20house.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>2. <i>Starling House</i> by Alix E. Harrow <p></p><p>This is my favorite Alix Harrow novel. This book is ethereal and transportive, perfect for anyone interested in reading about the dark secrets of a cursed town, a generational history that gets twisted through time, a pair of protagonists fighting for survival, a sibling relationship to envy and found family bonds stronger than steel, an unexpected yet swoony romance, and a house brimming with monsters. A creepy, old, gothic, sentient, house that may or may not be the real main character. This story captivated me from the beginning. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrV3yBA0qEtBQCPsIxexYMue_qIZlXc8WaPPm2Mj-Ebbj8Zv5a8fvwYIRWwHApbyZvMCvY69dPI8kIDlYXv2rATEWxED60XTD0bYSk7C1tNs1-Wpx47Ko2iflbHbqjWZ72QK7h3Titz0wSEbWoNivIYkB5DGp-DdsQSpDJeYUGSEJCymLYTsgu7bNOSSd/s530/swordheart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrV3yBA0qEtBQCPsIxexYMue_qIZlXc8WaPPm2Mj-Ebbj8Zv5a8fvwYIRWwHApbyZvMCvY69dPI8kIDlYXv2rATEWxED60XTD0bYSk7C1tNs1-Wpx47Ko2iflbHbqjWZ72QK7h3Titz0wSEbWoNivIYkB5DGp-DdsQSpDJeYUGSEJCymLYTsgu7bNOSSd/w133-h200/swordheart.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>3. <i>Swordheart </i>by T. Kingfisher <p></p><p>This year I discovered T. Kingfisher, and she has become one of my favorite authors now. <i>Swordheart</i> was my favorite book from her this year. It's about a woman who has suddenly inherited an estate, and the man who is trapped in the enchanted sword that she finds within the house. It's a romantic novel, an adventure, and a comedy. It was such a fun and wholesome reading experience for me. Highly recommend to fantasy and romance fans. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAck9uohtQ_0mKzOQI3XFc_rHGCr8rPjSkuGjrJK7ET5xyybnxzNZRTBwONy6tSUgvVWqJ2fbX2ci_06dOQVq6uDyVKsON3-1PIcToo-ynspa_F31d1o8yHVJoeoEK3Rp0U8RoY-aQtv-xIK4OZ1gzMMAivll9scE2LbdtU6p2bkxBWcNWzpyWymcI-o2/s2493/yumi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2493" data-original-width="1604" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAck9uohtQ_0mKzOQI3XFc_rHGCr8rPjSkuGjrJK7ET5xyybnxzNZRTBwONy6tSUgvVWqJ2fbX2ci_06dOQVq6uDyVKsON3-1PIcToo-ynspa_F31d1o8yHVJoeoEK3Rp0U8RoY-aQtv-xIK4OZ1gzMMAivll9scE2LbdtU6p2bkxBWcNWzpyWymcI-o2/w129-h200/yumi.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>4. <i>Yumi and the Nightmare Painter </i>by Brandon Sanderson <p></p><p>An Asian-inspired romantic fantasy written by my all-time favorite author? Sign me up! This book pays homage to the movie <i>Your Name</i>, one of my favorite movies. The protagonists wake up in each other's bodies and basically have to watch the other person live out their life while they watch from spirit form. There's a magical noodle shop, magical energy lines, and magical stone stacking that can summon spirits. Very magical and fun and feel good. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaAYdfwETxtrG4r2ZTGzWVtmGAGiyH7E2jFSJrOYKKbPCli12XF1VoqUlj3RdLFXA2I6DN7lclQA1P4CKryc49Ud49wlNmJnuRXKgKjUHz6g3rK9q5HHLo2V8CQbLUcyW6SkWm19JGQm9pF8K-2ZknQjaBKc7exq2oHPzW6IwIl4XixlPTAMcpCGBRgLW/s500/plain%20bad%20heroines.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaAYdfwETxtrG4r2ZTGzWVtmGAGiyH7E2jFSJrOYKKbPCli12XF1VoqUlj3RdLFXA2I6DN7lclQA1P4CKryc49Ud49wlNmJnuRXKgKjUHz6g3rK9q5HHLo2V8CQbLUcyW6SkWm19JGQm9pF8K-2ZknQjaBKc7exq2oHPzW6IwIl4XixlPTAMcpCGBRgLW/w133-h200/plain%20bad%20heroines.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>5. <i>Plain Bad Heroines </i>by Emily M. Danforth <p></p><div>This book helped me to realize that I do in fact enjoy horror novels. I loved everything about this. A trio of women in the past experiencing terrors at school, and a trio of women in the present day making a film about the historical trio but while experiencing their own terrors on the film set. There are wasps. There is romance. There is drama. There are drawings and poems throughout. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from this author. </div>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-13479152607752862892024-01-01T21:38:00.005-05:002024-01-01T21:38:58.280-05:002023 Reading Goals Review + Yearly Stats<p> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Reading Goals Review</b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">My first goal was to <b>read 100 books</b>. I managed to read 148 books this year!! </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">View my Goodreads Year in Books </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2023/10397449" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">to see all the specific titles I read in 2023!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">My second goal was to <b>read my TBR pile</b>. </span>I had 532 books on my physical TBR list on January 1, 2023. I wanted to reduce that number as much as possible. The ultimate goal was to read more from my TBR than I added to it. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish this goal as my TBR at the end of the year was at 606. *crying emoji* <br /><br /></p><p><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yearly Statistics</b></p><p><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span>Number of books I read in 2023: 148</span><br /><span>Number of those books that I listened to on audio: 87</span><br /><span>Number of books I read from my TBR: 75</span><br />Number of ARCs I read <i>before </i>the publication date: 24<br /><span>Number of series I started: 23</span><br /><span>Number of series I completed: 15</span><br /><span>Number of books I DNFed: 14</span><br /><span>Number of books I reread: 3</span><br /><span>Number of books I acquired this year: 167<br />Number of those books acquired that were TBR books: 149<br /></span>Amount of money spent on books this year: $1,519.11<br /><span>Number of books I unhauled this year: 28</span><br /><span>Number of books on my TBR at the beginning of 2023: 532</span><br /><span>Number of books on my TBR at the end of 2023: 606</span><br /><br /><i>Books I read that were . . .</i><br /><span>Middle Grade: 5</span><br /><span>Young Adult: 31</span><br /><span>Adult: 111<br />Nonfiction: 8 </span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">*Note that I categorize anything not specifically labeled as middle grade or young adult as an adult title, such as nonfiction, humor, graphic novels, or religious books that could be enjoyed by any age group. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i>Star Ratings:</i><br /><span>1 star: 18 books</span><br /><span>2 stars: 29 books</span><br /><span>3 stars: 30 books</span><br /><span>4 stars: 39 books </span><br /><span>5 stars: 31 books </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;">Reading Survey</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span>Favorite book of the year: <i>The Unmaking of June Farrow </i>by Adrienne Young</span><br /><span>Least favorite book of the year: <i>Pop Kids</i> by Davey Havok </span><br /><span>Most surprising book of the year: <i>What Moves the Dead</i> by T. Kingfisher </span><br /><span>Most disappointing book of the year: <i>The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England </i>by Brandon Sanderson </span><br /><span>Longest book of the year: <i>Don Quixote </i>by Miguel de Cervantes </span><br /><span>Shortest book of the year: <i>The Long Way Up </i>by Alix E. Harrow </span><br /><span>Book that was on my TBR the longest that I read: <i>Love Letters to the Dead </i>by Ava Dellaira </span><br /><span>Biggest accomplishment: <i>The Freelance Editor's Handbook </i>by Suzy Bills </span><br /><span>Most read genre: Fantasy (48%) </span></span></p><p><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;">Reading Reflections</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">This year was a good year. I managed to read all of Brandon Sanderson's secret projects plus his other new releases. I read a book by almost all of my favorite authors. I finished up a lot of series and started even more. I committed to DNFing more books, especially early on in the year. I went through a period of romance books and discovered I love clean romance novels. I read some great fantasy, but I also read some great non-fantasy. I discovered horror this year with T. Kingfisher and Eric LaRocca and found love in <i>Plain Bad Heroines</i>. I read a good amount of nonfiction, including memoirs, reference, and religion books. Overall, I'm really pleased with my reading year in 2023. </span></b></span></span></div>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-39639379619949134692023-12-29T22:29:00.002-05:002023-12-29T22:29:14.295-05:00Review: HEIR OF UNCERTAIN MAGIC by Charlie N. Holmberg <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1TQczDtG3-D5y67NKDTERec_-8_vPjOG7SfYak73sVrgKsiPzrutkT2A2RyYzPMK8n3RNCugp2wkmUlxrLfbu13JNT9fkUGS6Frs1Mpm__fhQ1G6V0VsLL9doErUEKtyaGjS1zpL46s_wIlexEWQ2qUHP2W-f3OAD7oFglfYBLLdbhqpB63SovouZ6p2/s1200/magic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1TQczDtG3-D5y67NKDTERec_-8_vPjOG7SfYak73sVrgKsiPzrutkT2A2RyYzPMK8n3RNCugp2wkmUlxrLfbu13JNT9fkUGS6Frs1Mpm__fhQ1G6V0VsLL9doErUEKtyaGjS1zpL46s_wIlexEWQ2qUHP2W-f3OAD7oFglfYBLLdbhqpB63SovouZ6p2/s320/magic.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Rating: 4/5 stars<p></p><p>I really enjoyed <i>Keeper of Enchanted Rooms</i> and excitedly picked up its sequel, <i>Heir of Uncertain Magic</i>, soon after finishing it.</p><p>Charlie Holmberg's writing style never fails to delight me. I love her books so much.</p><p>This series is a cozy historical fantasy with some romance and some mystery. It's the perfect combination of genres, and Charlie writes them all so well together. I particularly love that her romances are always slow-burn and always clean; I really appreciate that.</p><p><i>Heir of Uncertain Magic</i> was a good follow-up to the first book in the Whimbrel House series. This book introduced multiple POVs, including one perspective from a dog, which was really fun to read. I also loved seeing the progression of Hulda and Merritt, both as individuals and as a couple. They are both really delightful.</p><p>I am having the best time reading this series and I can't wait to continue on with <i>Boy of Chaotic Making</i> soon! </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-12314901632995509542023-11-23T12:43:00.004-05:002023-11-23T12:43:33.310-05:00Review: KEEPER OF ENCHANTED ROOMS by Charlie N. Holmberg<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtJ3adkByEngqD_nTIWoMd0fkZe82fmm7Hu7nO2xziqWOoUvULVpUSltqIGkBG4b3svKYc_cVQE-eyNDpCGyst9ANsPG2BaDm7lT5NU-vcmhI5fYlLzxLhzsaC76dQTW3G1qM6PDhiy0livLqMmbsYeSGD9zMZwXzShYL7dcMCSzW3vp90oliVoWF4pcY/s1000/keeper%20of.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtJ3adkByEngqD_nTIWoMd0fkZe82fmm7Hu7nO2xziqWOoUvULVpUSltqIGkBG4b3svKYc_cVQE-eyNDpCGyst9ANsPG2BaDm7lT5NU-vcmhI5fYlLzxLhzsaC76dQTW3G1qM6PDhiy0livLqMmbsYeSGD9zMZwXzShYL7dcMCSzW3vp90oliVoWF4pcY/s320/keeper%20of.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Rating: 4/5 stars<p></p><p>I really enjoyed this book. Charlie's books never fail to impress me. </p><p><i>Keeper of Enchanted Rooms</i> is a historical cozy fantasy with some mystery and some romance. I love the combination of all of those genres together, and it works really well in this book. </p><p>I love that there are twelve different kinds of magic in this world. There is a handy guide at the beginning describing them all, but I thought it was super neat because most fantasy stories only have one or two kinds of magic. </p><p>Hulda and Merritt were both wonderfully stubborn characters whose interactions I really enjoyed. I loved their slow-burn clean romance. Charlie does slow-burn clean romance so well. </p><p>I am super excited to finish this series and see where the story takes me. I know I am going to fall more in love with these characters and this world. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-67389344576822905882023-11-23T12:03:00.001-05:002023-11-23T12:03:10.200-05:00Review: HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN by Erin A. Craig<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5IIUKm0qQN0-RUXA0o-dYIZ21B-3CoIeC57d8ohiR4XcoCxKozK2DC_l-MPw4KBXVjX1bZtYhdJiAVxuya1oHexZBazi7-ZcVPnIpD1ttPJiFLeN_Zx6hYM4oJ85q4Eee8DE6Cp6qCXEKpY-vtJR5UnAEf__ojqeryg1TNYN2h7-yq5BJAnTL5M6cTRu/s533/62649010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5IIUKm0qQN0-RUXA0o-dYIZ21B-3CoIeC57d8ohiR4XcoCxKozK2DC_l-MPw4KBXVjX1bZtYhdJiAVxuya1oHexZBazi7-ZcVPnIpD1ttPJiFLeN_Zx6hYM4oJ85q4Eee8DE6Cp6qCXEKpY-vtJR5UnAEf__ojqeryg1TNYN2h7-yq5BJAnTL5M6cTRu/s320/62649010.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Rating: 3/5 stars<p></p><p><i>House of Roots and Ruin</i> is a standalone companion novel to <i>House of Salt and Sorrow</i>. You don’t need to read that book first to understand this book. And frankly, this one is better so just read this one instead.</p><p>Read if you like: <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>lots of plants, especially poisonous plants </li><li>slow-burn clean romance </li><li>a mysterious and potentially dangerous house with hidden rooms </li><li>ghosts </li><li>a historical-feeling setting </li></ul><p></p><p>I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, but I don’t know how memorable it will be. I don’t remember anything about <i>House of Salt and Sorrows</i> except that the ending was confusing, and I do think I will remember more about this book, but probably not many relevant details. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-52112359160850489772023-10-10T15:15:00.000-04:002023-10-10T15:15:30.871-04:00Review: TWO TWISTED CROWNS by Rachel Gillig<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZv3ucJHgTjsZqwz102L2O-Ii0G-2oFWYI3sOOupXsWBgbQn2KhZhlJpK3HRlmjJi9ilBE-BUpODG1dBdNrJ2Q9fDi4Llv0u-2TtyRydBwrhnUIue694LT8AkFCMyQa1TCnTONo-XRl0uSApkKrej9bhdSsJl9OJ4Lzw356iTnIgysfjwcVTwBnxAUf8ZN/s630/ttc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZv3ucJHgTjsZqwz102L2O-Ii0G-2oFWYI3sOOupXsWBgbQn2KhZhlJpK3HRlmjJi9ilBE-BUpODG1dBdNrJ2Q9fDi4Llv0u-2TtyRydBwrhnUIue694LT8AkFCMyQa1TCnTONo-XRl0uSApkKrej9bhdSsJl9OJ4Lzw356iTnIgysfjwcVTwBnxAUf8ZN/s320/ttc.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Rating: 5/5 stars<p></p><p>Suspense, action, romance, betrayal, intrigue, magic: this book has it all. </p><p><i>Two Twisted Crowns</i> is the sequel and conclusion to <i>One Dark Window</i>, which follows a girl who is inhabited by the soul of a monster she calls Nightmare. I really enjoyed the first book, but I absolutely loved this second book. </p><p>We solely followed Elspeth’s perspective in the first book, but here we interchange between Elspeth’s, Ravyn’s, and Elm’s POVs. And I loved it! I didn’t care for Elm in the first book, but I really grew to love him after reading through his eyes. By the end, I was actually looking forward the most to his chapters. I also enjoyed his and Ione’s relationship more than Elspeth and Ravyn's, although I still loved both couples. </p><p>I do appreciate that the romance in this series is fairly clean, having only one spicy scene in the first book (even though it was unnecessary) and none in the second book. I’m always on the lookout for fantasy books with clean romance in them. I loved the character-building and character relationships that were present in this series. </p><p>Regardless if you think the story itself is interesting or not, this book is still very well-written. Gillig set a good foundation in <i>One Dark Window</i> and seamlessly built on it in <i>Two Twisted Crowns</i>. Somehow I liked this book even more than the first, even though I was skeptical when I first picked it up. The ending here nicely wrapped up all the plot points and answered all my questions. It was a very satisfying conclusion where I didn’t fully know how everything would play out until it did. </p><p>I would recommend this series. It’s pitched as being similar to <i>For the Wolf</i> and <i>Uprooted </i>and <i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i>, all books that I did not enjoy, yet I still ended up loving the Shepherd King duology. Each of the above books has a female protagonist, a dark forest, a castle, ancient magic, a historical setting, and a romance with a mysterious man. However, <i>One Dark Window </i>and <i>Two Twisted Crowns </i>handled that all in a way that I enjoyed reading about while the other books did not. I can’t really pinpoint what the difference is, other than possibly that I like Rachel Gillig’s writing style while I do not like the other books’ authors’ writing styles. Either way, I was very surprised that I ended up loving this duology so much, and I can’t wait to read future books from Rachel Gillig. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-21822499005279947052023-09-26T23:50:00.003-04:002023-09-26T23:50:51.348-04:00Review: THE PROX TRANSMISSIONS by The Starset Society<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk-FGNHADjk6eZ0Oa8n5fxTvRO0YVesiiOtGQzuZeYM0A3aMqnUbTFDvlRo4nLccnokCXiz3NX715Kmrc_lWTlPjLV4BPwyckV8M3D12yyvcXp92rAV0EFGzIBgNXVnECHPzq4kZaZboki-dkR8GTa02DzEnpcYClHXTujQYnJ573C6MBtwsOfTqi6nuu/s500/prox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk-FGNHADjk6eZ0Oa8n5fxTvRO0YVesiiOtGQzuZeYM0A3aMqnUbTFDvlRo4nLccnokCXiz3NX715Kmrc_lWTlPjLV4BPwyckV8M3D12yyvcXp92rAV0EFGzIBgNXVnECHPzq4kZaZboki-dkR8GTa02DzEnpcYClHXTujQYnJ573C6MBtwsOfTqi6nuu/s320/prox.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Rating: 2.5/5 stars <p></p><p>This novel is one for fans of the band Starset. They’re my favorite band, which is why I picked up this book. <i>The Prox Transmissions</i>, written by the singer of the band, is a prequel of sorts to their first album, <i>Transmissions</i>. </p><p>If you’re not familiar with the lore of the band, Starset was “commissioned by The Starset Society to spread broad awareness of The Message through music and media. The Message contains the knowledge necessary to spare the future of humanity.” The primary objective of the Starset Society is “to shed light upon various emerging near-future technologies, investigating the potential and inevitable social, economic, political, and philosophical impacts thereof,” and one of the ways they do that is through the band Starset. The Message was received by the Society in a mysterious transmission from space, and the known details of that transmission are laid out in the book <i>The Prox Transmissions</i>. <br />(If you’re confused and want clarification, listen to the band. 🙂) </p><p>I thought the premise of the novel was quite interesting. I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, but I was able to follow along just fine and stay engaged the whole story. The writing style is a bit amateurish, but I didn’t really have a problem with it.</p><p>The plot itself is intriguing—our protagonist Stephen receives a mysterious message leading him to obtain a mysterious transmission, and he has to decode its meaning before the enemy corporation steals the data from him. Even though Stephen receives more than one transmission from the planet Prox, this book only delves into the first transmission, leaving this book feeling incomplete in a sense, like not all the questions were answered. It does end on a cliffhanger though, and I know the Starset Society has more books planned for release in the future. </p><p>I thought the plot was the strongest part of this book as neither the characters nor the setting were very fleshed out. There was only the tiniest bit of backstory given to Stephen, but everyone else felt rather two-dimensional to me. Unfortunately, every female in this book is described as “beautiful” in a way that is cliched and over-sexualized, not to mention that the word “sensuous” is used as a synonym for “female” in one instance. </p><p>My biggest complaint, however, was that this novel badly needs a copyeditor. There are typos on nearly every page: incorrectly used punctuation, misspelled words, poor grammar choices, inconsistent word usage, and even some words cut off due to poor layout choices. Did I mention improper punctuation? The biggest offenders are missing quotation marks and missing hyphens, which made for a few confusing sentences as my brain was trying to figure out the intended meaning. As an editor, I could feel my eyes burning as I read this book. But if you can get past all that, then the story is actually worth reading if you’re a Starset fan. </p><p>I would recommend this book only to hardcore fans of Starset who want to know more about the lore behind the band. There are a handful of references to lyrics and other things related to Starset lore, such as mentions of “Carnivores” and the “BMI” and the “Everything Machine,” among others. Any regular sci-fi reader would be able to understand this novel just fine, but I don’t think it would be as enjoyable or meaningful if you aren’t familiar with the band because you wouldn’t understand the references, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you aren’t a fan<span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">—a</span>nd frankly, there are better sci-fi novels out there to read instead. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-41694899544470371262023-09-19T00:57:00.002-04:002023-09-19T00:57:39.786-04:00Review: SWITCHED by Amanda Hocking<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvtIvSX0vmYaYIJ35teX55H_CFz7opl_lQ-Vn67uNUgocStXR1uMTXcgLukZKQJFGryUinl6spO9p-PxmpN1qwLNrBmL-OGraljDPcrCebZgQZSqAEglU0KKIDrBHKCK16Kmv9_N3JEt7UvPg9CNRlTgOSSh5PwTeJRWBzmuSSiD7bEpkQ68mt0UXWy1L/s1500/switched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvtIvSX0vmYaYIJ35teX55H_CFz7opl_lQ-Vn67uNUgocStXR1uMTXcgLukZKQJFGryUinl6spO9p-PxmpN1qwLNrBmL-OGraljDPcrCebZgQZSqAEglU0KKIDrBHKCK16Kmv9_N3JEt7UvPg9CNRlTgOSSh5PwTeJRWBzmuSSiD7bEpkQ68mt0UXWy1L/s320/switched.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Rating: 2/5 stars<p></p><p>This book—in fact, this whole trilogy—has been sitting unread on my shelf for over a decade, and 2023 is finally the year I get to remove it from my TBR. </p><p>The first thing I noticed while reading is that this book has very plain writing. It’s certainly fast-paced and entertaining, but it’s also full of overused tropes (although they probably weren’t as overused when this book was originally published). You have the girl who’s not like other girls who’s also secretly a princess soon-to-be-Queen over a whole kingdom, and let’s not forget she has a hidden special ability that’s going to help save her people. And of course, there’s also the hot guy who’s not like other guys who she falls in love with. We have all read this story many times before. The difference here is that she secretly belongs to a tribe of trolls called the Trylle. I don’t think I’ve read a troll book before. </p><p><i>Switched </i>is extremely insta-lovey. Like I’ve never read a book with more overt and quick insta-love than this one, and I’ve read a lot of books. Wendy chooses to leave her family and follow Finn, whom she hasn’t had more than three interactions with, into Trylle, and she comments how she’s happy she can spend her life with him. Like girl, get to know him first. </p><p>I probably would have enjoyed this book a decade ago when I actually acquired the book, but now as a twenty-something adult with a lot more books under my belt, <i>Switched </i>just feels amateurish and cliche to me. It also doesn’t really hold up in today’s market as I encountered a handful of phrases and descriptions that would be deemed either offensive or outdated in today’s society. </p><p>Overall, I can’t really recommend this book. It sounds like I’m bashing it pretty hard, but it’s not a bad book for its time, and I’m sure I would have loved it had I read it back in high school when it was published. However, it doesn’t hold up in 2023, nor does it align with my current reading tastes. I’m glad I at least read <i>Switched</i> though because I felt like I would be doing a disservice to my sixteen-year-old self if I didn’t read it after having owned it for so long; however, I will not be continuing with this series. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-79347174793692791802023-09-14T14:41:00.000-04:002023-09-14T14:41:00.910-04:00Review: THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUWLWgMuNKekZCL8vdnmonoJv3x-g7-6fA_BG69qlv_qWCliY0j2LTnr5iZzjV2EHG63Sl_1nSLzJznv8JLdJSSWu6htaNYXDlEtOuP2t4lAkHRD7C-6LQCxRpPbreR1agkPytY2pK_R3var2qaBfLBodr6Y40x0tOqKJQHeEfiMZaFdIPKvpaok-HQHW/s1000/june%20farrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUWLWgMuNKekZCL8vdnmonoJv3x-g7-6fA_BG69qlv_qWCliY0j2LTnr5iZzjV2EHG63Sl_1nSLzJznv8JLdJSSWu6htaNYXDlEtOuP2t4lAkHRD7C-6LQCxRpPbreR1agkPytY2pK_R3var2qaBfLBodr6Y40x0tOqKJQHeEfiMZaFdIPKvpaok-HQHW/s320/june%20farrow.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Rating: 5/5 stars<p></p><p>After being pleasantly surprised by Adrienne Young’s <i>Spells for Forgetting</i>, I wanted to give <i>The Unmaking of June Farrow</i>, her newest adult novel, a try. And I’m so glad I did because I liked this one even more! It was incredible. </p><p>June is the last of the Farrow woman, an ancestral line that has been cursed with madness. June’s mother went mad and left her alone as a baby, and June just witnessed her grandmother’s death after she fully succumbed to the madness. And now June is next. She knows what’s in store for her, but that doesn’t make her any more prepared when she starts seeing objects that aren’t real and hearing people talk who were never there. </p><p>June’s slow descent into madness makes her quite the unreliable narrator—you can never be sure if what she’s experiencing is real or not. But I still loved her. I thought the characterization in this novel was done well. </p><p>Magical realism doesn’t usually work for me: I want something either realistic or fantastical, not somewhere in between. Yet I have loved both of Adrienne Young’s magical realism novels that I’ve read. Her writing style is really suited to this subgenre, and the small town setting with a mysterious history and some soft magic makes her stories work rather well. It also probably helps that her stories lean more toward the magical side than the realism side, which I enjoy. </p><p>I was really drawn into this narrative and had a hard time putting the book down. I found it easy to connect to the characters and fall in love with Jasper, North Carolina as I was drawn deeper and deeper into its history. I really can’t say any more about this novel, though, as I don’t want to spoil anything, and I feel like adding any other details about the setting or the characters or the madness would be a potential spoiler. I went into this book blind, having read only the words on the cover of the book before picking it up, and that’s what I would recommend. The more you know, the less exciting the reveals in the story will be, in my opinion. </p><p>I’m a fan of Young’s adult novels and will read any she writes in the future. <i>The Unmaking of June Farrow</i> is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. It’s an excellent read for a cozy autumn day, and if you enjoyed <i>Spells for Forgetting</i> then you will likely enjoy this one as well. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-25326718508593339642023-09-11T22:40:00.008-04:002023-09-11T22:40:56.816-04:00Review: MASTERS OF DEATH by Olivie Blake<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRKJd6LDRFu_BhHmikTAEroeHrZaKxcFhlEA6tmnPmNcoVrz0BA156t6zs_7p33pi4MbPrQCY0cPRtbZ1kN9-WD_MUF_7Tb87UzmTfh6-EcD_G60v07zHA0_Zr-qB8ByfMLJ2vESMuP24CuaF-LQt82c6CK-Z7sk6Hb_bYCKmP9ttQJZgPk2WD2yZPRlY/s630/masters%20of%20death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="407" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRKJd6LDRFu_BhHmikTAEroeHrZaKxcFhlEA6tmnPmNcoVrz0BA156t6zs_7p33pi4MbPrQCY0cPRtbZ1kN9-WD_MUF_7Tb87UzmTfh6-EcD_G60v07zHA0_Zr-qB8ByfMLJ2vESMuP24CuaF-LQt82c6CK-Z7sk6Hb_bYCKmP9ttQJZgPk2WD2yZPRlY/s320/masters%20of%20death.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Rating: 2.5/5 stars<p></p><p><i>Masters of Death </i>hooked me with its very exciting synopsis: Viola is a vampire real estate agent trying to sell a haunted house. Tom, the ghost haunting the house, doesn’t want the house to sell so he scares away any potential buyers. So Viola enlists the help of a medium named Fox, who is a fraudulent medium but the real godson of Death, to help her rid the ghost from the house. However, Death has recently gone missing and the aforementioned characters must play a dangerous game to find Death and return him to the world. This mysterious game is one that only the immortals play and there is only one rule: don’t lose.</p><p>That sounds incredible, right??</p><p>Well, I found the story to be more convoluted than necessary at times and also longer than it should have been. The book really feels like a mashup of two separate plots: one where Viola is trying to sell the house, and one where the characters are playing the game. I didn’t enjoy reading anything about the game because it honestly made no sense to me. I still have no idea what the game is. The characters alluded to gambling, battling immortals, or actually having nothing to physically lose in order to win. But it is still quite unclear to me exactly what this dangerous game entails, which is why reading about it wasn’t enjoyable for me because I just felt lost.</p><p>I did enjoy the plot surrounding the house, which was more present at the beginning of the book, and I did like the characters. Olivie Blake is skilled at crafting fleshed out and likable characters in each of her novels and this one was no different.</p><p>I think <i>Masters of Death</i> is a novel that I will need to reread to fully grasp the whole story. I’m a little conflicted about my rating because there were parts that I really enjoyed but also parts that I didn’t enjoy at all. I definitely liked it better than Blake’s <i>One for My Enemy</i>, but I enjoyed <i>The Atlas Six </i>and <i>Alone with You in the Ether </i>more. Her books are really hit or miss for me and I can’t pinpoint why.</p><p>Overall, I would recommend this book if you think it sounds interesting to you with the caveat that there is a lot more going on in the story than the synopsis initially alludes to and you have to pay close attention to understand it all.</p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-8618478737455220582023-09-10T17:14:00.000-04:002023-09-10T17:14:09.780-04:00Review: THIS IS HOW WE END THINGS by R. J. JACOBS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwDDWoD8L_FFRXdt10Lo3DAOV-eZC_2DtzqAIw3rvxXGE5Ynlus-24UpLyCQgUPMQPt6CllZdLNf0QTLB2Ifa6fZgz4KIal_hj4r720HtuAIIkMayY6AU4Ayn26_LGZ3xg6K9mdixiFRCX22NE2pzprcI0bSeNjSOR3WrAQMxdUfUrZcyBpTfZipA-sq_/s1000/end%20things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwDDWoD8L_FFRXdt10Lo3DAOV-eZC_2DtzqAIw3rvxXGE5Ynlus-24UpLyCQgUPMQPt6CllZdLNf0QTLB2Ifa6fZgz4KIal_hj4r720HtuAIIkMayY6AU4Ayn26_LGZ3xg6K9mdixiFRCX22NE2pzprcI0bSeNjSOR3WrAQMxdUfUrZcyBpTfZipA-sq_/s320/end%20things.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Rating: 4.25/5 stars <p></p><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">Pitched as a dark academia thriller, </span><i>This Is How We End Things </i><span style="font-style: inherit;">is a fast-paced murder mystery with lots of twists.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The story takes place at a university among a cohort of six PhD students who are studying the psychology of deception. Which means they are all very skilled at lying. And then one of them ends up murdered.</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even the most skilled liar can’t keep their darkest secrets from coming to light during the investigation, and each student has secrets they’re aiming to keep hidden.</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I really enjoyed this novel, but I wouldn’t describe it as dark academia. It has an academic setting and there’s a murder, but I don’t feel like it has the right vibe to fit in with the dark academia subgenre. For one, the main POV in the novel is a detective, and I feel like in dark academia, there are no detectives right off the bat. The focus was less on the students’ POVs and actions and more on what the two detectives were discovering as they were investigating the case. We did get POVs from the six students as well as some other minor characters, but I did feel like the “main character” of this book was Detective Larson.</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall, though, this book was a quick read that really captured my interest. I read it very quickly and had a great time trying to solve the mystery along with the characters. </div>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-25872941405251260672023-08-11T10:00:00.001-04:002023-08-11T10:00:00.154-04:00Review: EVERYDAY ANGEL by Victoria Schwab<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxUlNPfcwP4sixxM4OjQ8VLxBRvyav8RTU8NnVYBf2fEj5ZmJmptfiEEUoMJBamRt0D81gc_ab1hoTdaapt1JqR394JLFEQoQ31pHb4mq6cYXUgj6Dd0JSq4UCNDOW8CxTwo5lP6OO_jy6Z77FwKFQS62Rin19k8FTbnKxZnN7z6lFYv6Y5YBrGlrw82b/s436/everyday%20angel.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxUlNPfcwP4sixxM4OjQ8VLxBRvyav8RTU8NnVYBf2fEj5ZmJmptfiEEUoMJBamRt0D81gc_ab1hoTdaapt1JqR394JLFEQoQ31pHb4mq6cYXUgj6Dd0JSq4UCNDOW8CxTwo5lP6OO_jy6Z77FwKFQS62Rin19k8FTbnKxZnN7z6lFYv6Y5YBrGlrw82b/s320/everyday%20angel.jpeg" width="220" /></a></div>Rating: 4/5 stars<p></p><p>I’m obviously not the target audience for this series, but I decided to read it anyway because I’m trying to read everything Victoria Schwab has written. I still really enjoyed this series though, and I think it would be especially great for the target audience of 12-year-old girls.</p><p>Aria is a guardian angel, and she has to earn her wings by helping three different girls through tough moments in their lives.</p><p>Each book is a standalone story following a different girl with a different problem. In the first installment, Aria helps Gabby deal with her brother’s sickness. In the second book, Aria helps Caroline deal with bullies at school. And in the last novel, Aria helps Mikayla learn to balance her happiness with her passion for dance.</p><p>Each book discusses friendship and family and the importance of helping others and being a kind person. These books are very wholesome and fun, and I know I would have absolutely loved them as a young girl.</p><p>Book 1, <i>New Beginnings</i>: 4/5 stars <br />Book 2, <i>Second Chances</i>: 4/5 stars <br />Book 3, <i>Last Wishes</i>: 4.25/5 stars</p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-43634224437395595902023-08-10T10:16:00.000-04:002023-08-10T10:16:09.444-04:00Review: A STUDY IN DROWNING by Ava Reid<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW3DXU0qSmfpRbDjtQGFq2j4gXw1GWnKJ_sbAB-IL8wQqhmxahB4XWKfmo9auIY7XM6ijzWZZlOFk66VipMGYWDMgFACO4ux8QppTfAFYcnUK0dBL1nRljIqLcI5xX4L6EhQZ8wuquZScGRcGFcXbRooaFRuSSIi50mqMvp8saPeBpx-pbgjATzXm4r5E/s1118/drowning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW3DXU0qSmfpRbDjtQGFq2j4gXw1GWnKJ_sbAB-IL8wQqhmxahB4XWKfmo9auIY7XM6ijzWZZlOFk66VipMGYWDMgFACO4ux8QppTfAFYcnUK0dBL1nRljIqLcI5xX4L6EhQZ8wuquZScGRcGFcXbRooaFRuSSIi50mqMvp8saPeBpx-pbgjATzXm4r5E/s320/drowning.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Rating: 4/5 stars<p></p><p>I was not prepared for how much I liked <i>A Study in Drowning</i>. This is my first novel by Ava Reid but it definitely won’t be my last because I absolutely loved her writing style. </p><p>We follow Effy, an architecture student who wishes she were a literature student. She finds solace in the classic novel <i>Angharad </i>written by the mysterious Emrys Myrddin, and then one day she is given the opportunity to redesign the Myrddin estate and she couldn’t be happier. </p><p>While working on her plans at the Myrddin estate, a literature scholar named Preston shows up and is determined to prove Myrddin’s works weren’t actually written by him. At first, the two butt heads over their differing opinions of Myrddin, but eventually some secrets come to light that cause them to join together against dark forces. </p><p><i>A Study in Drowning</i> is a magical and atmospheric novel with a dark setting, historical undertones, discussions of academia, old secrets buried in a crumbling house, a soft romance, and ethereal and captivating writing. I really enjoyed the novel, and I liked that it had a completely different feel from the generic YA novel format. I would absolutely recommend this book. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-64829961498950359732023-08-06T06:00:00.001-04:002023-08-06T06:00:00.139-04:00Review: HAIRBALL by Matt Kindt<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ6yy4FvgHbjBg8mFtIi6cL8khEHc0dXdIfid3BdLt1cKJpmtEMFPAqdCJM6AyJkwwGWT1ZWREDxrv50iw5SDfsCtGBAi7tGf7b6mto6GnWqAn_xhRIT9aX5bbdZd62r3HH2lbQ4e6d1U_vQkn_R6t89nKLZq9WCZ8uGOtxYZhXzlfetKWOQJ6nOSV66R/s450/hairball.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="450" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJ6yy4FvgHbjBg8mFtIi6cL8khEHc0dXdIfid3BdLt1cKJpmtEMFPAqdCJM6AyJkwwGWT1ZWREDxrv50iw5SDfsCtGBAi7tGf7b6mto6GnWqAn_xhRIT9aX5bbdZd62r3HH2lbQ4e6d1U_vQkn_R6t89nKLZq9WCZ8uGOtxYZhXzlfetKWOQJ6nOSV66R/s320/hairball.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Rating: 1.25/5 stars <p></p><p>I'd never heard of this graphic novel before and just happened to see it as available to download on Edelweiss. Pitched as Junji Ito meets Hayao Miyazaki, <i>Hairball </i>seemed like the perfect story for me because I love Hayao Miyazaki and I'm becoming more and more interested in horror stories this year. Plus, I love cats. </p><p>Unfortunately, I did not like this book. I didn't care for the actual story, the characters, and especially not for the art style. The art was almost hard to look at, it was so bad. </p><p>I really don't know who to recommend this book to, because it's definitely not one for Hayao Miyazaki fans. If you are interested in a cat that's a literal demon and is tearing a little girl's life apart to the point that she starts going crazy and has to go to therapy because of this cat, then you might enjoy this book. But it wasn't for me. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-18154132045369904462023-08-05T17:28:00.002-04:002023-08-05T17:28:47.904-04:00Review: DEFIANT by Brandon Sanderson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89lfP_s-WFe2M6jzZ09mt5j26Ps755ZZIEaJTGX7XVk-Nh9ZQ8dQRYZfoLcpUyfg7okmOnsiaqmg3BQcIrptJTZgtHmypgrpTIh4CIYgNLR0zk_y80T03ZO-XHH3J00yD7OyYYEBfSypIo0DPIK8_eyncpmllIB-BN3awF6xJyp1LUbDEgLcKMaP2OtqV/s1500/defiant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="994" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89lfP_s-WFe2M6jzZ09mt5j26Ps755ZZIEaJTGX7XVk-Nh9ZQ8dQRYZfoLcpUyfg7okmOnsiaqmg3BQcIrptJTZgtHmypgrpTIh4CIYgNLR0zk_y80T03ZO-XHH3J00yD7OyYYEBfSypIo0DPIK8_eyncpmllIB-BN3awF6xJyp1LUbDEgLcKMaP2OtqV/s320/defiant.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Rating: 3.5/5 stars<p></p><p>I was extremely excited to read <i>Defiant</i> as it was one of my most anticipated books of this year. It both did and did not live up to the hype for me. Let me explain.</p><p><i>Defiant </i>is much darker than previous installments. It’s not as lighthearted and funny. I know Spensa has grown and evolved as a character over the past three books, but that also means her personality has become more somber and she no longer is full of bravado and anger like she was in the beginning books. This book is also primarily about Spensa, and there are hardly any scenes involving M-Bot or Doomslug, my two favorite characters and the source of the majority of the comic relief. So needless to say, this book just felt <i>different</i>. The last twenty percent was actually quite violent, too, which felt a little out of place considering how Spensa has changed during this book. </p><p>I did enjoy the book as a whole, though, and <i>Defiant </i>was still a satisfying series conclusion full of unexpected twists that we’ve all come to love from Brandon’s books, but it also just felt like it was missing something. I can’t really put my finger on what exactly, and I wasn’t necessarily disappointed by the book, but I also wanted something more. </p><p>I think that, overall, fans will enjoy this book and enjoy the conclusion to the Skyward series. We do get tiny cameos from many characters we’ve come to know throughout the whole series, including some new POVs besides Spensa’s. This series is the first true science fiction series I’ve read since space-based sci-fi isn’t my preferred genre, but I did still enjoy the series and I enjoy Brandon’s storytelling and characters. I’m excited to see what the future holds in the Skyward Legacy series coming out sometime next year. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-44767970584425111532023-07-02T15:57:00.000-04:002023-07-02T15:57:46.700-04:00Review: THE NEVER-ENDING END OF THE WORLD by Ann Christy <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_PuCVoe0duNNh1DpwdPg9iyBg2SehBGbSL7QnOwpz0zJZJzWGjICpBbI1m8qT7BtFHe1AxE2Ck2-5TH0kdBM1NaVNfBMsN6siP3f_805u7maLq-Vnhv6UJkFmGGmXtY4SpLQ7Jl37EzYQhVodIzw7hilDmtAI7BLJyz_jnfGEDFYHpSDduL0TIZIW3dn/s1000/neeotw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_PuCVoe0duNNh1DpwdPg9iyBg2SehBGbSL7QnOwpz0zJZJzWGjICpBbI1m8qT7BtFHe1AxE2Ck2-5TH0kdBM1NaVNfBMsN6siP3f_805u7maLq-Vnhv6UJkFmGGmXtY4SpLQ7Jl37EzYQhVodIzw7hilDmtAI7BLJyz_jnfGEDFYHpSDduL0TIZIW3dn/s320/neeotw.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Rating: 4.75/5 stars<p></p><p>This book is fantastic! I would even say it’s one of the most interesting and most unique science fiction novels I’ve read.</p><p>I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway, and I’m glad I did because I don’t think I would have ever picked it up otherwise, but I ended up loving it.</p><p><i>The Never-Ending End of the World</i> is a science fiction dystopian novel with a slight mystery/thriller aspect to it. The world has essentially “ended” as most people and things get stuck in time loops, and those select few not stuck in the loops have to navigate the new world around them.</p><p>I loved getting to know our protagonist, Coco, and that we get to see her learn and grow across decades of her life. It’s not often I read a book that covers such a vast timeframe and I enjoyed the experience. Not only do we get to see so many characters develop in so many ways across the span of the novel, but we also get to see how the world post-apocalypse might function.</p><p>Those people stuck in loops relive the same moments over and over again, anywhere from just a few seconds up to a twenty-or-so-hour loop. And they absolutely must not be disturbed or they will react with extreme violence toward the person who broke their loop.</p><p>Coco sets off to explore the world and find other non-loopers like her, and she ends up finding a whole community. The book follows their lives as they forage for food, build homes and families, and ultimately try to figure out a way to stop the looping and learn why it happened in the first place.</p><p><i>The Never-Ending End of the World</i> features a unique concept that I really loved, fun characters, and immersive worldbuilding. And it’s a standalone! I would recommend this book to any fans of dystopian science fiction who love character-focused stories.</p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-66106582933988850912023-06-06T22:14:00.000-04:002023-06-06T22:14:46.077-04:00Review: EVERYTHING THE DARKNESS EATS by Eric LaRocca<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_T8SoOCKIR0PwkUP97s3wiJOSHe1GEIvsyt-AMjwgZkRA6G2zPxjlihyx9P1wNbTnCaZI_jfU58XkmmpynjA1MV7iRMwDyTzGPTSBEDCFTZo523AC5Rz5gHVhLuwGcuEPjWyTBBvxPpgiAQKIMigqrY288N39ouO1hxrzldy_CRPOamW2Aneemazrg/s2048/IMG_0252.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_T8SoOCKIR0PwkUP97s3wiJOSHe1GEIvsyt-AMjwgZkRA6G2zPxjlihyx9P1wNbTnCaZI_jfU58XkmmpynjA1MV7iRMwDyTzGPTSBEDCFTZo523AC5Rz5gHVhLuwGcuEPjWyTBBvxPpgiAQKIMigqrY288N39ouO1hxrzldy_CRPOamW2Aneemazrg/s320/IMG_0252.jpeg" width="202" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rating: 3.25/5 stars </span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A string of mysterious disappearances in a small town has everyone on edge as they wait to see who will be taken next. The police are doing nothing, the residents are scared, and the darkness is coming. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This novel has the feel of a collection of short stories that are all interconnected. There is no single main character or group of protagonists, but instead there are snippets of various people’s lives throughout the novel, all of them coming up multiple times and all being related in some way. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I enjoy Eric LaRocca’s writing style. This is my third novel by him, and even though none of his books have received five stars from me, they have still all been great reads that I would recommend to horror fans. I will continue to read whatever new books he publishes in the future. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even though I liked this book overall, I didn’t, however, particularly love the supernatural aspect of the story. There is a source of darkness that is said to be God incarnate in the world and it is maliciously evil, and I didn’t like seeing God being portrayed in that way. I’ve never been the biggest fan of reading about deities in fiction, even fantastical and mythological ones, but I prefer it even less when the god in question is our actual God. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Likewise, I enjoyed the first 60% or so of this novel more than the back half. Can’t really say why’s specifically—maybe something to do with the weird rituals toward the end? Either way, I still recommend <i>Everything the Darkness Eats</i>. It was compelling and eerie, and the characters were fun to get to know. </span></span></p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-82161357442245108662023-06-05T09:46:00.001-04:002023-06-05T09:46:11.748-04:00Review: FOUR FOUND DEAD by Natalie D. Richards<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCHt6g8dalbkzL3DGcj8eICLIwdv-X2r7rd0QVJId6X0ugVHe7VIw_kCHUZFvV3DThoQfOFlywZUqqzjsDkcZ301hyMEdZYb4WLftpYeeHV9kvczQyjyjLTIqToGmbFHW0W8E-ImTjNH48JtQCL9ksJjA11cyBaa003dWGNYwOHoVy3J5t30-Kq0X1g/s1000/IMG_9356.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCHt6g8dalbkzL3DGcj8eICLIwdv-X2r7rd0QVJId6X0ugVHe7VIw_kCHUZFvV3DThoQfOFlywZUqqzjsDkcZ301hyMEdZYb4WLftpYeeHV9kvczQyjyjLTIqToGmbFHW0W8E-ImTjNH48JtQCL9ksJjA11cyBaa003dWGNYwOHoVy3J5t30-Kq0X1g/s320/IMG_9356.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rating: 3/5 stars</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I picked up this book because the author was visiting my local bookstore and I wanted to attend the event, but I felt that I should read at least one of her books beforehand. </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I liked the premise here: seven teens are working late at the movie theater on the last night ever it will be open. But once all the customers leave, the manager essentially locks them in and starts getting a little violent. The teens escape to the attached abandoned mall as they try to outrun their manager who is killing them off one by one as they are looking for a way to ultimately escape the entire building altogether. </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I love the idea of an abandoned mall as the setting for a thriller. And the novel takes place in Sandusky, Ohio, which I have been to multiple times! So I thought that was pretty neat. It was also exciting to know from the beginning that four of the characters were going to be dead by the end of the book, so I try to guess whose untimely end was going to be next. </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I enjoyed <i>Four Found Dead</i>, but it was also very middle-of-the-road. The setting and the synopsis made the book sound like it was going to be better than it actually was, which is to say that the execution is what was lacking. I flew through the first 50%, but after that it wasn’t as “thrilling” as I expected it to be. The narrative felt a little repetitive at times, too. </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Overall, this was a fine thriller while I was reading it, but it will likely not be too memorable in the long run. I was able to meet Natalie Richards at the author event, and she was a delightful and fun person to chat with. I ended up grabbing two other books by her that sounded like they would be more my style as I’m definitely interested in reading more of her novels in the future. </span></span></p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-32936239284383126272023-05-29T11:49:00.000-04:002023-05-29T11:49:29.736-04:00Review: THE TREES GREW BECAUSE I BLED THERE: COLLECTED STORIES by Eric LaRocca<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlRFiRbsquwJxzFyCkmE4mEP9KxZJAlQzN4gijwT1NyjygUNrqqRDNOvyl4_Tl5rVRALTSCP1aqYRefnOdbfP5W53IiAl0MyDF6ob2n3aQOpRiqrCEkL6qqUMf3s37CrRJCq233rYtj9_sxnOn-HGd00PX_kGHSd9i08HKB5RhF_oR0TuOiGV0TmQWg/s400/IMG_0251.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlRFiRbsquwJxzFyCkmE4mEP9KxZJAlQzN4gijwT1NyjygUNrqqRDNOvyl4_Tl5rVRALTSCP1aqYRefnOdbfP5W53IiAl0MyDF6ob2n3aQOpRiqrCEkL6qqUMf3s37CrRJCq233rYtj9_sxnOn-HGd00PX_kGHSd9i08HKB5RhF_oR0TuOiGV0TmQWg/s320/IMG_0251.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rating: 3.2/5 stars</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You Follow Wherever They Go”—1.5/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not off to a great start. This story really did nothing for me and I’m not sure what the point of it was. It was also very short, and I’ve noticed that the shorter the short story, the less likely I am to like it. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Bodies Are for Burning”—3/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This story definitely has tense undertones, and the author writes it in a way where you feel kind of nervous and worried for the character the whole time. I thought it was well-written and an interesting concept. Enjoyment-wise it was middle-of-the-road for me though. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Strange Thing We Become”—4/5 stars</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I enjoyed the forum-post style this story was told in. It was counting down to an event, giving it that ominous air of something gone horribly wrong but you don’t know yet what happened. This story was sad but also compelling. I think I liked it. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Trees Grew Because I Bled There”—4/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well if that wasn’t the most disturbing story I’ve ever read. It definitely goes head to head with “Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke,” but I really don’t know which one was more egregious. This story was creepy and unsettling, evoking feelings of imminent disgust and ominous dread lingering in the distance. Definitely worth a read for any body horror fans out there. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re Not Supposed to Be Here”—3.5/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t particularly enjoy most of this story, but it had a very impactful ending. The ending completely threw me for a loop and made me rethink the whole of the story up to that point, which I think is the mark of a twist done well. This story will definitely stick with me. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass”—2/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This story ventures into some animal-themed horror. All of LaRocca’s stories that I’ve read have interesting concepts and masterful executions, but not all of them are enjoyable for me to read, and this is one of those. I don’t love reading about kidnapping as that is a truly terrifying concept to me, and this narrative bordered on that. I’m not totally sure what the point of this story was or what the title is referring to, either. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’ll Be Gone by Then”—3.5/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Starts out as a pretty normal story with a few morbid moments throughout, but then concludes with an eerie and unsettling ending that kind of turns the nature of the narrative on its head. I liked this story, but didn’t love it. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You”—4/5 stars </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This wasn’t horror, just kind of sad and maybe a little uncomfortable to read, but not horror by any means (as far as I can tell). I enjoyed the story, but this is one where I don’t fully understand the implications of the ending. The romantic in me also wished for a different outcome. </span></span></p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-21094307367586021342023-05-25T00:30:00.007-04:002023-06-06T22:17:43.317-04:00Review: THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, AND OTHER MISFORTUNES by Eric LaRocca<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4pX_TKRNew5pgVrZ8NOiG5hgSRAw84juxkRw0nOz-6Yw9m0JewHsi4tgfinaOA8xfW3ak4w2PYLm4xhgokR4im55l3a91PxGAdNe_rT8jzIu8Q9lyRAOROnFEGVzpUWGTl075AYvLv-K7lkn9U-zqMLxbIuMXPpNV8TQBz84CZAKM_24hOQ8RDSWIQ/s1000/IMG_0249.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4pX_TKRNew5pgVrZ8NOiG5hgSRAw84juxkRw0nOz-6Yw9m0JewHsi4tgfinaOA8xfW3ak4w2PYLm4xhgokR4im55l3a91PxGAdNe_rT8jzIu8Q9lyRAOROnFEGVzpUWGTl075AYvLv-K7lkn9U-zqMLxbIuMXPpNV8TQBz84CZAKM_24hOQ8RDSWIQ/s320/IMG_0249.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div>Rating: 3.75/5 stars <p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke”—4/5 stars </b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So this was the most disturbing story I’ve ever read. I’ve heard about this book a lot without ever hearing what this book was about. I’m trying to find my niche horror genre so I’ve been reading different types of horror stories lately, and this was definitely the most disturbing of the bunch. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke” is an epistolary novel that chronicles the correspondences between two people. It dives deep into manipulation in a master/slave type of relationship. That’s all I’m going to say though because I think it’s best to go in knowing little. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t really know what to rate this story as I couldn’t look away and was completely engaged as I flew through the narrative, but I also don’t know if I really enjoyed it or not. The story will stick with me as it’s definitely unforgettable, but it’s also just so disturbing. I know I’ve already used that word in this review but it really is the best way to describe this novella. It’s disturbing and gross and, at times, baffling. It’s almost like the author deliberately included scenes that were intended to have the biggest shock value with the reader. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even saying all that, I would recommend this to fans of horror—maybe specifically those of body horror?—and fans of fast-paced epistolary stories. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“The Enchantment”—3.5/5 stars </b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, this was disturbing, but not as much as “Things Have Gotten Worse.” Maybe that’s just Eric LaRocca’s style. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s about a couple who goes to live on an island all alone when weird things start happening to them. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought this story started out strong and had a good middle, but I didn’t love how it ended, mostly due to the fact that the story isn’t speculative but then adds in speculative elements at the end. I think I have found that I prefer non-speculative horror, while I prefer speculative elements solely in fantasy and sci-fi instead. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am curious after reading the first two stories what the author’s fixation is with crucifixion as it comes up in both stories. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over”—3/5 stars </b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was the weakest story in the collection for me. Still interesting, but not as memorable and disturbing as the first two. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A man finds a shard of bone in his backyard with his neighbor’s initials carved into it and begins to investigate it. This story is about how far one will go to maintain appearances to continue being a “good neighbor.” </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As stated in the author’s afterward, all three stories in this collection focus on the human desire to connect with someone or something else, and to what extent someone will go to find or maintain that connection. I appreciated that they all had a connecting theme to tie them together. I would recommend this collection to fans of macabre horror stories that shock you and make you think. </span></span></p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-4452406512073933832023-05-25T00:14:00.005-04:002023-05-29T14:40:14.029-04:00Review: NIGHTFALL AND OTHER DANGERS by Jacob Steven Mohr<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuXO__74rsOPNXXJ7tUKhj7KnnLT0yyhDQUkFeipBxLOE78Ai8CHFi3rlmEpEApS4Fdv48JekWvqVk8Q36fFjsTHEVVrFVDbRKvUq8Xyqz0vNDzJ2eUUacZMVAFhlrq82KJmSh0aex8lCN7lm5r0Mxx76vjTUuU271SDy1U8DUetw1LnDltyM0JuLoQ/s871/IMG_0248.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuXO__74rsOPNXXJ7tUKhj7KnnLT0yyhDQUkFeipBxLOE78Ai8CHFi3rlmEpEApS4Fdv48JekWvqVk8Q36fFjsTHEVVrFVDbRKvUq8Xyqz0vNDzJ2eUUacZMVAFhlrq82KJmSh0aex8lCN7lm5r0Mxx76vjTUuU271SDy1U8DUetw1LnDltyM0JuLoQ/s320/IMG_0248.jpeg" width="211" /></a></div>Rating: 2.4/5 stars <p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">My rating for this book based on an average of my ratings of all the individual stories is 2.4/5 stars.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am fairly new to the horror genre, having really just started reading it earlier this year. I was able to meet the author of this short story collection, and he sold me on it by telling me that it contains stories from a variety of horror subgenres, so it would help me figure out which subgenres I prefer reading. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve always struggled with short stories in general because of the lack of any kind of character development, world building, or concrete plot, so do keep in mind that I’m already a little biased against them. I know short stories are meant to deliver something different than the aforementioned story traits, but it’s still hard for me to enjoy most short stories simply because they are so short. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I will preface my reviews of each story by saying that I think Mohr is a good writer, but a lot of these stories were simply not my style preference. I rate books based solely on my enjoyment level, so while I didn’t really enjoy too many of the stories in <i>Nightfall and Other Dangers</i>, I think seasoned horror readers and short stories lovers will enjoy this collection more than I did as they are more used to the genre conventions and will be able to tell the difference between the various subgenres within. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Nostalgia”—3.5/5 stars</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love the idea of a garden of hands, but at only half a page long, this story is too short to even be called a story. At best, this is the start of an idea for a story. I wish this had been longer because I enjoyed what little there was. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You Are the Hero of Legend”—3/5 stars</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every sentence in this story starts with the word “you.” I love stories told in second-person perspective, but it felt a little repetitive here. I feel like that’s the point though, although we never discover who the narrator is, which I feel is one of the best mysteries in any second-person POV story. I liked the writing style, but the story was quite short again so it’s hard to form a real opinion on it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Song of the Summer”—1.5/5 stars</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally a story of a proper length, but unfortunately this did nothing for me. I saw the twist coming and I was kind of bored with this one. I also don’t prefer slasher stories. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Panic”—5/5 stars</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This story was great! The only one in the collection that I truly loved. I love stories that feel unsettling and eerie, that evoke a sense of impending dread. There’s something inexplicably mysterious and creepy going on and I was desperate to figure out what was happening. The only thing I didn’t prefer here was that this story had an ambiguous ending because I am someone who needs ANSWERS. But I still liked it. I need more horror like this, but I don’t know what to call this subgenre. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Some Bad Luck Near Bitter Downs”—2/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two brothers accidentally obtain a severed head. Sounds cool, except this story felt like it was a western, which I didn’t like. Guns and whiskey and guns: not my thing. I like the idea of severed heads, which may or may not still be alive, but I didn’t like the setting or characters in this one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Mister Mickenzie”—3/5 stars</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was a longer story that had me simultaneously intrigued and bored. Two little girls are joined during playtime by their mysterious imaginary friend who decides the rules to all the games: Mister Mickenzie. My main problem here was once again the lack of a concrete ending. I like my stories wrapped up neat with a bow, but this one had a more ambiguous ending, alluding to something but it’s still not clear what will happen. Those who enjoy open-ended stories will likely like this better than I did. It wasn’t bad—certainly creepy and unsettling—but it was also not really my jam either. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“1855”—1/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t have much to say about this story as it did nothing for me and I was honestly quite bored, which is unfortunate as the author states this is his favorite story in the collection. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“A Real Likeness”—2/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This story had a strong start but ultimately was a flop for me. A college art student notices something strange take shape in his portraits. I thought it sounded cool, but there was no real resolution, no noticeable horror aspect, and the ending didn’t make sense to me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Copilot”—4/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a bit of sci-fi horror, although the horror element is pretty minor to me. I like stories where other beings invade human bodies though, so this worked for me. This is my second favorite in this collection, and the only story besides “The Panic” that I genuinely enjoyed here. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Red Meat”—2/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know if this is Japanese horror or just a generic gory story, but it didn’t really do anything for me either way. The gore didn’t bother me, and the ending was interesting, but I just felt nothing while I read. I think it needed to be longer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Last Supper”—2.5/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Definitely an interesting concept with a cliffhanger ending, but again, it needed to be longer. I want to know more about the world because I kind of get the sense the two characters are some of the last characters alive and I want to know why. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“She’s New in Town”—1.5/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A girl with weird eyes buys a pair of sunglasses at a grocery store. That’s it, that’s the whole story. What was the point? Where was the horror? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“When It Rains”—1.5/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, what? Maybe I’m just dumb or a very unseasoned horror reader, but I’m just not seeing the point of most of these stories or what makes most of them horror stories. This story was kind of pointless to me. A sort of anti-meet-cute. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sometimes You Get Two”—2/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve never cared about hunting, and this, the longest story in the collection, happens to be entirely about deer hunting. Completely just not my thing, and I could not wait for it to end. And then then end was so convoluted that it just made me angry. What the heck even happened? It made absolutely no sense to me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Machete at the End of the World”—1.5/5 stars </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got more from the author’s description of what’s happening in this story than I did from the actual story. He said it’s a slasher meets post-apocalyptic fiction, and I wouldn’t have guessed either of those genres from actually reading it. I feel like a broken record at this point, but this was confusing and I don’t understand what it was supposed to communicate. </span></p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088711226191043427.post-13179982901765351152023-05-25T00:03:00.005-04:002023-05-25T00:03:44.384-04:00Review: SALT TO THE SEA by Ruta Sepetys<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YyDVj__3qqrN2gkYo-uQRqf666gS1SYHIoKEm09dfl5IEVQCATmaYY79_xsDnOBrxKD1wKvb6XGMbJOZZUXmox7-PGxTm6gO6GvG7IjOAgdNUMj-vGsqnYp4xlPHOJZTUEtSsdk2liBvayEc6wdYKigSvrgU0tN_kmlp84qL0WTN5_X7UyCOpwHRrQ/s2549/IMG_0247.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2549" data-original-width="1686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YyDVj__3qqrN2gkYo-uQRqf666gS1SYHIoKEm09dfl5IEVQCATmaYY79_xsDnOBrxKD1wKvb6XGMbJOZZUXmox7-PGxTm6gO6GvG7IjOAgdNUMj-vGsqnYp4xlPHOJZTUEtSsdk2liBvayEc6wdYKigSvrgU0tN_kmlp84qL0WTN5_X7UyCOpwHRrQ/s320/IMG_0247.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div>Rating: 1.5/5 stars <p></p><p>DNF at 44%. </p><p>Ruta Sepetys has a real talent when it comes to writing historical fiction, and this book is no different. It is well written and well researched. The reason I DNFed it though is that it is very sad, and I have realized I can’t do sad World War 2 fiction anymore. I just have no desire to continue reading it. I need something happy. But if you enjoy authentic WW2 stories then I would definitely recommend this novel, and I would also recommend checking out other books by Ruta Sepetys as well, especially <i>The Fountains of Silence</i>, which is just as well written and researched, but it’s happier and romantic instead. </p>Korynne Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824251883984816828noreply@blogger.com0