Tag Archives: 5 stars

11 Oct 2023

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews, Science Fiction
Book Title:
Starter Villain
Book Author:
John Scalzi
Page Count:
264
Publishing Date:
September 19th, 2023
Publisher:
Tor Books
Date Read:
October 7th, 2023
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.

My Review

Okay, so…this isn’t usually the kind of book I would read. The cover drew me in, and the synopsis capture me with three words. Talking. Spy. Cats. Yes, talking spy cats. With a book that boasts having talking freaking spy … Continue reading →

5 stars
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07 Aug 2023

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

Posted in Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Reviews, Thrillers
Book Title:
Stolen Tongues
Book Author:
Felix Blackwell
Page Count:
320
Publishing Date:
January 1st, 2017
Date Read:
June 25th, 2023
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Prime Reading
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Synopsis

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back. Originally a contest-winning story on reddit.com’s horror community NoSleep, Stolen Tongues has received widespread acclaim and has been optioned for film.

My Review

Stolen Tongues was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I have seen this book around and it has gotten a lot of glowing reviews among those who enjoy the horror … Continue reading →

5 stars
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12 Jul 2022

Waif by Samantha Kolesnik

Posted in Horror, Novellas, Reviews, Thrillers
Book Title:
Waif
Book Author:
Samantha Kolesnik
Page Count:
122
Publishing Date:
December 1st, 2021
Publisher:
Grindhouse Press
Date Read:
July 10th, 2022
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

Angela has everything she thought she ever wanted—a successful husband, a lavish house, and a bottomless fortune.

But the sight of a strange man in a grocery store one night reawakens her dormant sexuality and soon Angela embarks on a dangerous descent into the world of underground pornography and back-alley plastic surgery.

As the stakes get higher, long-buried memories resurface and Angela finds herself enamored with Reena, a fetish film performer. With some help from a queer gang called The Waifs, Angela is forced to make the decision between her unhappy upper-class life and the treacherous world of underground film.

My Review

I went into this novella without any idea of what to expect. Not only had I not read anything by this author, since I tend to stay away from novellas, I didn’t read anything even remotely like this. Ever. I … Continue reading →

5 stars
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10 Mar 2022

The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul

Posted in Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Reviews, Thrillers
Book Title:
The Blackstone Chronicles
Book Author:
John Saul
Book Series:
The Blackstone Chronicles, #1-6
Page Count:
542
Publishing Date:
February 10th, 1998
Publisher:
Ballantine Books
Date Read:
March 8th, 2022
Format:
Paperback
Source:
Borrowed
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Synopsis

Now, for the first time, the New York Times bestselling serial thriller is complete in one terrifying volume. John Saul, the master of supernatural suspense, John Saul, brings to chilling life the small New England town of Blackstone--and the secrets and sins that lay buried there. . . .

From atop Blackstone's highest hill, the old Asylum casts its shadow over the village. Built in the 1890s to house the insane, the Asylum has stood vacant for decades. But now, the wrecker's ball is about to strike--and unleash an ominous evil. Strange gifts begin to appear on the doorsteps of Blackstone's finest citizens.

Each bears a mysterious history.

Each brings a horrifying power to harm.

Each reveals another thread in the suspensefully woven web of . . .

THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES

Part I--An Eye for an Eye: The Doll

Part II--Twist of Fate: The Locket

Part III--Ashes to Ashes: The Dragon's Flame

Part IV--In the Shadow of Evil: The Handkerchief

Part V--Day of Reckoning: The Stereoscope

Part VI--Asylum

My Review

Until recently, I didn’t even know that this series came together in one book. My mom bought the series as it was released, one each month, back in 1997. So I have the original books, which apparently aren’t in print … Continue reading →

5 stars
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01 Mar 2022

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Posted in Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Reviews, Thrillers
Book Title:
Come Closer
Book Author:
Sara Gran
Page Count:
196
Publishing Date:
July 1st, 2003
Publisher:
Soho Press
Date Read:
March 1st, 2022
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.

The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. Is she possessed by a demon, or is she simply insane?

My Review

“What we think is impossible happens all the time.” Come Closer by Sara Gran is one of those books that I took a chance on – it sounded interesting and it was available to read for free on Prime Reading, … Continue reading →

5 stars
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12 Mar 2021

Snowflakes by Ruth Ware

Posted in Mystery, Reviews, Short Stories, Thrillers
Book Title:
Snowflakes
Book Author:
Ruth Ware
Book Series:
Hush, #1
Page Count:
26
Publishing Date:
July 30th, 2020
Publisher:
Amazon Original Stories
Date Read:
March 1st, 2021
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Prime Reading
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Synopsis

When a barrier between truth and illusion grows stronger, a family’s trust crumbles in this arresting short story by the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.

Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.

Ruth Ware’s Snowflakes is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.

My Review

So after reading the Dark Corners collection from Amazon Original Stories, I decided that I wanted to check out another collection – this one being the Hush collection, which promises mysteries and thrillers. Because thrillers tend to by second favorite … Continue reading →

5 stars
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26 Feb 2021

Hannah-Beast by Jennifer McMahon

Posted in Horror, Reviews, Short Stories, Thrillers
Book Title:
Hannah-Beast
Book Author:
Jennifer McMahon
Book Series:
Dark Corners, #1
Page Count:
49
Publishing Date:
September 27th, 2018
Publisher:
Amazon Original Stories
Date Read:
February 25th, 2021
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Prime Reading
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Synopsis

The fate of a lonely girl becomes part of a town’s shameful secret history in Thriller Award winner Jennifer McMahon’s terrifying story of guilt, retribution, and one tragic Halloween night.

Thirty-four years ago, on October 31, poor Hannah Talbott took part in a scavenger hunt gone violently wrong. The mean girls made sure of it. To this day, for a haunted local mother, the most unsettling Halloween costume of all is an urban legend they call Hannah-Beast. It’s a reminder of the past she can’t forget. Especially tonight when it’s come back, so close to home.

Jennifer McMahon’s Hannah-Beast is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.

My Review

In 1982, a girl named Hannah was teased and emotionally abused by a group of girls, and despite that, she didn’t recognize it and thought that they were her friends. They pulled horrible pranks on her, including one that went … Continue reading →

5 stars
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11 Mar 2020

The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

Posted in Fantasy, Reviews, Young Adult
Book Title:
The Cerulean
Book Author:
Amy Ewing
Book Series:
The Cerulean Duology, #1
Page Count:
484
Publishing Date:
January 29th, 2019
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
March 10th, 2020
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased
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Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Ewing (The Jewel) comes the exciting first book in a new fantasy duology. Rich, vivid world-building and ethereal magic combine in an epic tale that’s perfect for fans of Snow Like Ashes, These Broken Stars, or Magonia.

Sera Lighthaven has always felt as if she didn’t quite belong among her people, the Cerulean, who live in the City Above the Sky. She is curious about everything—especially the planet that her City is magically tethered to—and can’t stop questioning things. Sera has always longed for the day when the tether will finally break and the Cerulean can move to a new planet.

But when Sera is chosen as the sacrifice to break the tether, she feels betrayed by everything in which she’d been taught to trust. In order to save her City, Sera must end her own life.

But something goes wrong, and Sera survives, ending up on the planet below in a country called Kaolin. Sera has heard tales about the dangerous humans who live here, and she quickly learns that these dangers were not just stories.

Meanwhile, back in the City, all is not what it seems, and the life of every Cerulean may be in danger if Sera is not able to find a way home.

My Review

I first came across this book when it was released, and it sounded really interesting, but I wasn’t really in the mood for a fantasy at the time so I didn’t buy it until I discovered it again when the … Continue reading →

5 stars
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04 Feb 2020

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Posted in Fiction, Mystery, Reviews, Thrillers
Book Title:
Then She Was Gone
Book Author:
Lisa Jewell
Page Count:
359
Publishing Date:
April 17th, 2018
Publisher:
Atria Books
Date Read:
January 6th, 2019
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Library
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Synopsis

THEN

She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW

It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

My Review

Then She Was Gone was one of the best books that I have ever read. It was one of the most terrifying tales of psychological suspense that I have read to date – as a mother, this book will for … Continue reading →

5 stars
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20 Nov 2019

The Lost by Natasha Preston

Posted in Mystery, Reviews, Thrillers, Young Adult
Book Title:
The Lost
Book Author:
Natasha Preston
Page Count:
304
Publishing Date:
April 2nd, 2019
Publisher:
Sourcebooks Fire
Date Read:
November 15th, 2019
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Library
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Synopsis

The queen of YA thrillers is back with another page-turner, and this time, it's a fight to survive.

In Piper's hometown, teenagers keep disappearing, and everyone assumes they're just a bunch of runaways. But when yet another person disappears, Piper and her best friend Hazel suspect something more sinister is going on.

So they decide to investigate, determined to learn the truth. Their search for answers leads them to the source of the missing people...and their captors. Piper and Hazel suddenly find themselves locked away in a secluded building in the middle of a privately owned forest.

But the building isn't only meant to keep them imprisoned; every room is a test to see if they can make it out alive.

And failure means being lost...forever.

My Review

The first book I ever read by Natasha Preston was The Cellar. After I read The Cellar, I read The Cabin, and I really liked that one, too. While I didn’t love it as much as I loved The Cellar, … Continue reading →

5 stars
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