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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

REVIEW: She is a Haunting, by Trang Thanh Tran

A house with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic.

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

As I read the description for this novel, prior to requesting it, I envisioned a horror story. Similar in my mind to The Ring and maybe more psychological, I guess.

And while this fits the bill as a horror story, it also incorporates other themes that add so much to the dynamics of this story. Set in modern-day Vietnam, there are threads through out of a barely functioning dysfunctional family, the repercussions of French colonialism, and generational traumas. I worried that it would be too "busy,"

The story was truly haunting and darkly delicious. It was satisfying for this lover of horror stories. Part psychological and part just gory and gross. Jade's response and reactions are completely believable and real. 

I had a handful of issues from the crafting perspective. Jade is the only character really developed. To some extent, it worked (Ba basically abandoned the family when Jade was young, so the fact that he is not "developed" helped show the very broken relationship Jade has with him), but characters that were pivotal (Lily, Florence) were sparsely described.

The house itself, the setting of the whole story, is a character in and of itself because of the haunting. I couldn't create images in my head of it--the rooms, the garden--because it wasn't given enough words. Maybe this was intentional (this could be any house?), but I like more detail.

Overall, it's a really good, creative, scary debut. I recommend it.


What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

REVIEW: The Island,, by Natasha Preston

They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren’t counting on forever.

Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich—or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley—social media influencers with millions of followers—have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They’ll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment. 

When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than they’d imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park’s themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They’re given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.  


But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.

I've read that Natasha Preston is the "queen of YA thrillers." Apparently, I'm not reading enough YA thrillers and I need to fix that by reading her entire back catalog.

The premise is very "now." Teenage social media influencers, all posting to their various platforms as they travel to and settle in at the island. They are there as a an advance team of sorts, the first guests at a new and not yet open theme park resort, to do what influencers do. On an island with limited access, it's already exclusive. The fact that these 6 are the only ones (other than employees) to have seen it--well, the TikToks practically film themselves!

But one goes missing, then another. The owner's right hand girl, who they've put their trust in, is acting sketchy. The owner keeps disappearing. Agatha Christi meet something akin to "Pretty Little Liars." It even evoked some "Knives Out" feels for me. Honestly, I could see this as a movie.

Characters were honest, writing top notch. I felt like Paisley, the narrator and a true crime podcaster (at 17), was the best sort of narrator for the story. She was the one influencer who seemed least likely to be an influencer, and that made her more believalbe. I had a case of "book-somnia" one night so I could finish it in one sitting. 

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Random House Children's/Delacorte Press through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: Queen Victoria's Daughters-in-Law, by John Van der Kiste

Purchase on Amazon

Of Queen Victoria’s four sons, the eldest married a Danish princess, one a Russian Grand Duchess, and the other two princesses of German royal houses.

The first to join the family of the ‘Grandmama of Europe’ was Alexandra, eldest daughter of the prince about to become King Christian IX of Denmark. Charming, ever sympathetic and widely considered one of the most attractive royal women of her time, she was prematurely deaf and suffered from a limp which was made fashionable by court ladies due to her popularity. Alexandra proved an ideal wife for the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.

Grand Duchess Marie, daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and wife of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and later Saxe-Coburg Gotha, was cultured and intelligent, but dowdy, haughty and, convinced of the Romanovs’ superiority, resented having to give precedence at court to her in-laws.

Louise of Prussia, a niece of William I, German Emperor, had the good fortune to escape from a miserable family life in Berlin and marry Arthur, Duke of Connaught, a dedicated army officer who was always the Queen’s favourite among her children.

Finally, Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont, sister of Emma, Queen Consort of the Netherlands, became the wife of the cultured Leopold, Duke of Albany, but he was haemophiliac and their marriage was destined to be the briefest of all, cut short by his sudden death less than three years later.

All four were very different personalities, proved themselves to be supportive wives, mothers and daughters-in-law in their own way, and dedicated workers for charity at home and abroad. Based partly on previously unpublished material from the Royal Archives at Windsor and Madrid, and the Leonie Leslie Papers, University of Chicago, this is the first book to study all four as a family group.

I've read a few of Van der Kiste's other books about royals and have always been fairly well-impressed. Every thing is backed by detailed and thorough research. In this case, a look at 4 women, from different different situations throughout Europe and Russia was fascinating. Van der Kiste did not tell each story in isolation, but rather interwove them as the historical timeline allowed.

This book reads a bit academic, but "fans" of history, and particularly Victorian history will enjoy it nonetheless. 


What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Pen & Sword through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

REVIEW: The Architect, by Jonathan Starrett



Not a bad story, and certainly appropriate for middle grade readers. As an adult, it felt like it came right out of an Alan West's Batman era, feeling (and reading) hastily thrown together and slapstick-ish. Just not as well-crafted as similar stories for this age group. 

The religious overtone isn't in your face (think Narnia-style), and honestly if I wasn't familiar with the publisher, I probably (as an adult Christian) wouldn't have made the connection. I do like the idea of The Architect vs The Projectionist and their roles and positions in the society. 


What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Enter Text Here through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Saturday, February 4, 2023

REVIEW: The Spite House, by Johnny Compton

Available February 7, 2023

Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.

When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.

The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.

Wow...I just read that this is Compton's debut. 

My goodness, I expect some good things from him.
Southern Gothic set in middle of nowhere Texas, black lead characters. So much to unpack just there. The characters are realistic and exactly as relatable as they should be. Each one gets an opportunity to carry part of the story from their own POV. It does get a little confusing (wait, who's talking?), but that built some of the low-level fear/anxiety a good horror novel has in it.

The house...it isn't a character of it's own, like many a good haunted house story has. No, the Masson House harbors hauntings and haunted people. However, its haphazard construction feel does makes it creepy in its own right.

Overall, a solid first offering from a new voice. It's a good scary story and while not everyone's cup of tea, I can see a teenager or two staying up late to read.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Tor Nightfire through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

BOOK REVIEW: The Ptolemy Project, by Kate St. Clair

Four Teams. One Test. No Way Out.

Wake up, report to the tect, try to survive.

Life on Carcer Station is a change from the daily struggle of four strangers, Lyra, Zeke, Aquila, and Pollux.
As Children of Titan, the first generation born on Saturn’s colonized moon, they’re used to following rules. But when they wake up on an empty space station with no memory of how they got there and no one in charge, the ghosts of their past scratch their way to the surface. Then things start to go wrong. The power in Carcer Station shorts out, and the veil around them thins. The four must fight to stay alive inside a system that’s falling apart as quickly as their own minds. Even if they can make it out, will they be able to find a way back to Titan, and to a society that accepts them—scars and all?

The first in the new series Children of Titan. It's a really interesting read. It's intense, in the way really good sci-fi adventures are. The characters are well-developed and layered. Likeable, even with all of their considerable scars and pasts.

The premise isn't an unfamiliar one. Four, seemingly unrelated, characters are left at the mercy of the technology around them. They don't have enough information to know what is going on, and soon they learn the situation is dire.That's been done, but the back story of what pits them all together is different. I don't want to slip and spoil something, but their histories are formidable and daunting. But somehow that's what makes them gel so well together.

I look forward to the next book in the series. This series has some definite escapist potential.


What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Greenleaf Book Group through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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