Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn Narrated by Mark Deakins, Rebecca Lowman, and Cassandra Cambell

 

I would argue this book is better than Gine Girl. The storyline and characters are more interesting and I didn't find myself hating everyone in the book. 

This story follows Libby Day, the lone survivor of her family's murders excluding her brother who was sent to prison for said murders. Libby has lived her whole life off the money sent to her after the murders and has believed wholeheartedly that her brother is guilty. It's not until she's faced with a dwindling bank account that she accepts an offer to meet with true crime fanatics groups obsessed with her family's murder. The group begins to make her question whether her brother really did kill everyone. She begins returning to her past to find out the truth of what happened. 

The book features sections in the present in which the reader goes with Libby as she tries to find the truth and sections from the day her family was killed by her brother, Ben, and her mother, Patty. Slowly, the reader pieces together what really happened that night. The storyline is fascinating. The narrators do an excellent job of giving voice to the characters. I found myself rooting for Ben, losing hope in Ben, and so on. I was not expecting the ending at all which is something I love in this type of book. 

If you like a good crime novel, I highly recommend checking this one out. I also recommend the audiobook if that's something you like. As far as content warnings go, I would say beware of gore, death, murder, child abuse, mentions of sexual assault, and more. As always, I turn my readers to StoryGraph for a full list of possible content warnings as provided by other readers. 

As always happy reading, and I'll see you all in 2023. 

Review: Debate and Decadence by Sula Sullivan

 

This book is a quick cozy read set in a fantasy world where a witch and a demon fall in love. The book starts with Amaya, a reclusive witch living happily in her home in the woods with occasional visits to the city. Later, Rue, a demon city girl, comes knocking on her door to avoid marrying her cousin and because she believes Amaya is her fated mate. Amaya is reluctant to let this woman in, but Rue doesn't give her much of a choice. The two begin binding as Amaya teaches Rue about living in the woods and Rue fills Amaya in on the happenings of the wealthy. 

It's a classic grumpy sunshine type of book with a very wholesome sapphic relationship. This is a spice-free book so it has some kissing and implied intimacy. I loved the whimsical atmosphere of the woods and the fantasy creatures present in this book. Amaya's home seemed so cozy and I'm honestly jealous I don't live there. Right now the book is available on Kindle Unlimited for those interested, but you can also purchase a physical copy or ebook if you don't have that subscription. I think this is the perfect read for those looking to have a little bit of cute relaxation during this busy time of year. 

The content warnings on StoryGraph are at present very minimal, but given the lighthearted nature of the story, I don't think there was much to be aware of. The StoryGraph page mentions blood and bullying as possible content warnings to be aware of. I really recommend checking this book out if you're looking for a good witchy sapphic read. 

As always, happy reading. 

Review: Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber

 

This is the prequel to Death Troopers in which the origin of the zombie virus is explained. It starts on a Sith planet where Sith students train at the academy run by Dark Scabrous. Scabrous is determined to find the key to immortality which as you can guess leads to a zombie outbreak. It's not like they're on a nice planet either, it's freezing cold and so hostile that the ancient Sith academy is crumbling into ruins. Definitely not the place you want to be for a zombie outbreak. 

The key to the zombie juice is a special flower that has to be tied to a Jedi. This is what brings Hestizo and her bonded flower to the ice planet. A bounty hunter named Tulkh, who's a Whiphid (you should Google that), takes her from the special Jedi gardens to Dark Scabrous. (Y'all for whatever reason I thought Hesitzo and Tulkh were going to be a thing, but look up a picture of a Whiphid, I don't think they're compatible with humans.) Anyways they get to the academy where Scabrous is experimenting on the students he thinks are doing the worst. On a planet far off in the galaxy, Hestizo's brother, Rojo, senses that something has happened to her and he goes on a mission to find her. He's a Jedi knight. 

All the Sith students start to get sick with this zombie disease and run around to eat each other. What makes the disease worse is that Sith don't help each other at all. They believe in every person for themselves which is probably the worst motto when there's a bunch of zombies running around. Spoiler: one person can't take on hundreds of enemies. Chaos ensues and the reader follows the perspectives of multiple different characters. 

Overall this was a fun read. I did get the Kindle version so only half of the book was actually the book and the rest was just previews of other books which I found to be weird and annoying. I feel like if I'm reading a book, most of it should actually be the book I bought. Anyways, given the fact that this is a zombie book the content warnings mostly have to do with bodily harm and cannibalism. As always, I recommend looking at StoryGraph for a full list of possible content warnings (this one is author approved which is the first time I've seen that on the site). 

Happy reading and stay warm/cool! 

Review: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

 

As we all know by now, I am a memoir lover. I want to know everyone's story. We all know Carrie Fisher from her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise. However, personally, she's a really interesting lady. After reading Selma Blair's memoir, in which she talks about her friendship with Carrie, I decided I wanted to read her memoir. 

Carrie Fisher's book is a bunch of random memories that she explains is her trying to rediscover herself after her electroshock therapy treatments. She talks about what it was like growing up with famous parents (mostly about her mother with anecdotes on who her father was sleeping with). She talks about being in Star Wars and how she wished there had been some girl stuff, like a big shopping trip. She talks about the time her brother shot himself and her daughter, Billie Lourd (she's a great actress and you may have seen her in the newest Star Wars films alongside her mother, Scream Queens, or American Horror Story. She also mentions that men loved to tell her that she was a part of their fantasies when they were young (and to that I say, what is wrong with their brains that they think they should share that?) 

Carrie Fisher is absolutely hilarious. She reminds me of this older woman I met at the Ren Fest a few years back who upon seeing I had a retainer told me: "You'll have to wear that every day, except maybe once a month with your husband". (I'll let you infer what you want from that). I just feel like Carrie would have given me some similar advice. If you're missing Carrie, like I know many Americans have been since her passing, I highly recommend checking out the audiobook version of her books. You'll feel like she's with you, telling you her story and letting you laugh along with her. 

There are of course content warnings for this book given the nature of reading a memoir written by a mentally ill person. She talks about her electroshock therapy briefly, talks about her times in rehab facilities, talks about how she is specifically mentioned in the abnormal psychology book, and more. As always, please check out StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings as provided by other readers. I also recommend checking out StoryGraph as a way to keep track of the number of books you read in a year as well as the number of pages. They allow you to set a reading goal for the year which I find to be really fun to complete. 

As always, happy reading! And please take care of yourself as the year wraps up. I know this can be a busy and stressful time. 

Review: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

 

Star Wars + zombies, what else could you need in a book? The story starts on an imperial prison barge headed to a distant planet to drop off enemies of the empire for hard labor. We're introduced to two young men whose father has recently died, the doctor of the ship, and one of the imperial leaders. Everything is going to plan until the engines suddenly stop stalling the ship in a deserted section of the galaxy. Their only choice: board a death star that is mysteriously abandoned in search of parts. They aren't expecting what's waiting for them on that ship and how it will impact the barge when the team returns. 

This book was very fun, but it did take way longer than I had hoped for the zombies to actually be introduced. They don't come in until about halfway and for me, that's way too late in the book. By the time they do come in, almost everyone is dead and there's no longer the fear of being eaten by zombies on the same scale it would've been had there been more characters alive. I did enjoy the background on how the zombies came to be (it's further explained in a prequel that I am currently reading, Red Harvest). The idea of being trapped in space in a ship full of zombies is also terrifying. There are also some familiar characters that make an appearance which is fun. 

If you're looking for a fun read and like zombies or Star Wars, I highly recommend reading this book. The content warnings to be aware of are descriptions of cannibalism, violence, descriptions of viscera, etc. As always, I recommend checking StoryGraph for a full list of possible content warnings. 

Happy reading and in exciting news, I am one book away from my reading goal for the year. 

Review: Mean Baby by Selma Blair

 

I love listening to a memoir especially if it's read by the author. I first encountered Selma Blair like many my age: as Vivian Kensington in Legally Blonde. For those unfamiliar, she's in Cruel Intentions, Hellboy, and many other films. She was also a model so you may have seen her in fashion magazines. You may also know her as an advocate for people with MS or the actress who goes to events with a cane. Before I listened to her book, I didn't know much more about her than her face and the fact that she had MS. 

I'm going to include my content warning earlier than I typically due as I will be discussing some of the mentioned warnings as a part of my review. This book is about Selma Blair's life and as many life stories go, there are many hard things mentioned in the book. There is a discussion of alcohol addiction, suicide attempts, sexual assault, an adult attempting to have a relationship with her when she was a minor, discussions of eating disorders, descriptions of experiences in rehab facilities one of which caused her to develop an eating disorder, and illness-related body discussion. I believe that Selma handled these topics with grace, but it is always good to be aware of what you're getting into so you can be in the right mindset before hearing potentially triggering information. As always, I point readers to StoryGraph for a full list of warnings as provided by other readers. Please be gentle with yourself when approaching potentially sensitive content whilst reading. You and your mind deserve to enjoy books in a safe way. 

In her book Mean Baby, Selma details a life well lived. She manages to balance the good and the bad. She has anecdotes about many famous people, my favorite being her friendship with the amazing Carrie Fisher. Selma's life was difficult. She battled mental illness most of her life, was what some may call groomed by a trusted adult who worked at her school, her mother was a great woman but had serious beauty standards for herself and her children, she battled with alcoholism from a young age, and was sexually assaulted multiple times due to her alcohol problems. 

Selma's alcohol addiction began when she was a child and persisted for a long time in her life. She discusses how dependent she felt on drinking in order to get through school and get through difficult times later. She also details multiple suicide attempts one in which the person she called to help her tasks advantage of her. She talks about the difficulties she faced in school and being kicked out. She talks about the great loves of her life and how they have impacted her. Her details are intimate and relatable. You can hear the emotion in her voice at many times throughout her book which made me love her even more. The process of listening to this book was really the process of falling in love with this woman for me. I feel deeply connected to her in a way that she will never know. 

I also appreciate her detailings of her bodily struggles throughout her life. Selma likely lived with MS for most, if not all, of her life. She talks about the frustrations she felt towards her body which would often not do what she wanted it to do. Learning she had MS was good for her because it allowed her to learn to be more forgiving of her body. She hopes that her experience can be helpful for those living with MS and those simply experiencing what it's like to live in a body that can be difficult. 

The part that left me with the most hope was Selma's writing about her son, Arthur. That kid really sounds like a handful who isn't always as forgiving of his mother, but it's clear that he brings real joy and purpose into his mother's life. Selma makes it seem that all the hurt and struggle are worth it because she got to have this boy that she loves so dearly. Her details of motherhood are extremely honest. She talks about how difficult it could be especially with a baby as demanding as Arthur. 

Mean Baby is such a personal and intimate memoir. It is excellently written. If you can listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend doing so as Selma's voice just made it so much better. This book was such a journey to listen to and I'm so glad Selma Blair decided to share it with the world. Please check it out. 

As always, happy reading. 

Review: Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston

 

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House. It was the cover art that initially made me want to read this book. I mean look at how cool it is. I'm glad that the inside of the book matched my expectations after seeing the cover. 

Sir Callie and the Champions of Heltson follows the story of Callie who is decidedly not a girl and very resistant to anything that would force them into the girl box. This is complicated though, especially in a world in which girls have magic and boys do not and people who are neither do not exist.  The book begins with Callie and their dad, a knight, escaping from their mother who'd forced Callie to behave like a girl. Callie and their father find a community in which people who are different live together peacefully. The safe haven they found only lasts so long though and soon a letter from Helston (where the castle and royal family are) is delivered to Callie's dad. He's expected to go train the prince to prepare him to be king. 

Callie, who's always dreamed of being a knight insists on going with their father, but their other dad warns that Helston is not all that Callie has imagined. Unfortunately, Callie finds this to be true when upon their arrival they are sent to live in the Queen's quarters and learn to behave like a lady. Callie is a knight and believes strongly that knights do what's right and this gets them into trouble. They push up against societal norms, against the villain of the story, Lord Peran, and encourage their friends to behave the same. 

Esme Symes-Smith wrote an incredible villain. In many fantasy stories, we see villains as supernatural entities, but in this story, our main villain is just a man with too much power. Lord Peran is so infuriatingly evil. I had to take a break to let the anger subside before continuing reading he made me so angry. He hates people who are different and most horribly, he enjoys bullying children. He's a good villain for kids though. I remember being a young queer kid myself and having to push against adults who felt they knew so much more than I did. Even now, as an adult myself, I still feel that sometimes the adults get it wrong. 

Callie is brave in a way that I wish I could be and has the opportunity to battle their enemies in a way I wish I could. If I could take a sword and fight some of these politicians, I would as Callie does. I also found that this book was cathartic. For many queer adults, we have a lot of anger and fear left over from our childhoods. There were many times when we were not big enough, or strong enough, or listened to enough to do what Callie does. Through this book, I think we can find some healing in tackling society in a way many of us are unable to in life. 

This book is truly wonderful. It features of course a nonbinary kid which is very uncommon in the literature currently. It also features said nonbinary kid having two dads. It shows the importance of friendship. It shows that family can be who we choose instead of who we are born into. It shows that we can fight battles that are hard and scary. There's a lot of value in this book and while I do recommend it for middle-grade readers, I also think this book would be good for older readers as well. 

This book deals with a lot of complicated issues so there are content warnings to be aware of especially if you are going to be reading it with your kids. First of all, this is a book about knights so there are battles that take place that result in injury. There is also discussion of child abuse, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, mentions of death, and more. As always I will point my readers toward StoryGraph for a full list of warnings provided by readers. 

Please check this book out, it is absolutely incredible. The book just came out the other day so it needs lots of love from readers. As of now, I'll be anxiously awaiting the second book to see what Callie and their friends get up to next time. 

As always happy reading. 

Review: Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

 

Katee Robert never fails to impress with her works. The romance and intimacy of this book are excellently written. It ties into her A Deal With a Demon series to make it even more exciting. 

Mina is the daughter of one of the seven bloodline families. Her father sends her to be impregnated or killed by the last of one of the bloodline vampires, Malachi. Mina isn't expecting to be given some choice in this situation and doesn't expect the attraction she feels for Malachi. As she gets more wrapped up in him, and later wrapped up in two of his close friends, escape from her father begins to feel more and more realistic. 

The men in this book as Mina calls them are absolutely delicious. Who doesn't want three sexy vampire men wrapped around their fingers? While there are many intimate interactions, the conflict of this story balances it and doesn't take away from it. I also really enjoyed how Katee implemented known vampire lore but also created her own. It made the book familiar and yet unique. 

This is a great book for lovers of monster romance and why choose romance books. This is the first book I've read with the main character having multiple lovers so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it, but as a girl who always wants every character in the Shall We Date? phone games, I should've known I would enjoy this. Malachi is very kind to Mina and their connection exists right from the start. They are in a forced proximity situation, but there is no denying the attraction they feel for each other. Wolf is wild and fun but has a deeper part of himself that Mina and the other men get to see. He's the crazy, bad boy that I wanted as a young woman. Lastly, Rylan (my favorite). Rylan is apprehensive at first and even hates Mina, but the challenge of it makes it so much better when he finally gives in. I love a man who loses control and Rylan fulfills that, although the other men do as well. 

I can't recommend this book enough. I can't recommend Katee Robert enough. She is brilliant in the crafting of her worlds and characters. I will mention some content warnings. Given that this is about vampires, there is lots of blood mentioned in the book, there is also pregnancy, what Katee calls dubious consent (This is consent, but there is a grey area here that is common in dark romance. Specifically for this book, Mina doesn't want to have to make the choice to accept these men, she wants them, but she wants them to take the choice away from her.), and murder. For a full list of content warnings, I recommend checking out StoryGraph. I am a strong believer that readers should be aware of the type of content present in a book so that they can enjoy it without facing content they find triggering or uncomfortable. This is a dark romance book so naturally, there are lots of content warnings to be mentioned. StoryGraph has a large list as provided by other readers. Please check this out before you decide to read the book. 

As always, happy reading, and I will be back soon with another review. 

Review: On the Plus Side by Sabrina Morgan

 

I read this book as an advanced reader copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Annabeth Miller moves to a new school with her brothers following the death of her parents. She's a bigger girl, used to the bullying that fat people face in our society. She doesn't expect anything different at this new school and although she makes a few friends right away, the popular bad boy decides to make her life more difficult by mocking her. The only thing is, Luke Ryder has feelings for this girl deep down, but he's the popular bad boy used to dating thin cheerleaders. He has a reputation to uphold and he can't be caught crushing on a fat girl. Despite his efforts to resist her, he finds himself becoming more and more interested in Anna. Eventually, he has no choice but to admit he finds her attractive and make an effort to redeem himself to her. Luke and Anna have their fair share of secrets that further complicate their blossoming attraction.

I love the found family aspect of this book. The characters really do care about each other which is such a comfort. Anna is realistic, she admits her insecurities about her body, but she never says she wishes she wasn't fat which is a refreshing view on fatness. I do wish that Anna's body wasn't such a huge focus in the book as I worry about the impact it could have on readers' body image. The romantic tension in the book is built up perfectly. The book reads a lot like a teenage movie: romance, drama, action, friendship, shenanigans, etc. It was overall a pretty fun read. The only things I didn't enjoy were the use of the word "females" to refer to women repeatedly and how quickly some things happened in the book. The "females" usage just felt a little sexist to me and I know other readers can find the term somewhat uncomfortable/offensive. However, it didn't overshadow the book itself. As far as some things happening fast, the love story is built up very nicely but some of the side plots happen very quickly so they might be confusing or random. However, I think everything tied together nicely in the end.

I think that anyone looking for a high school romance that reads like a good romance movie will enjoy this book. It was an overall fun read despite the sad and sometimes dark aspects of the story. I will warn readers there is fatphobia, attempted rape, physical violence, and murder in this book. (For more content warnings, go to StoryGraph, although as of now, the warnings have only been added by me). These things go along with the nature of Anna being a fat woman and Luke's involvement in semi-illegal stuff so it doesn't really spoil anything and it's good for readers to be prepared. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those looking for a fun, cheesy romance novel.

As always, happy reading.

Review: The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis

 

I grew up watching Star Wars as a little girl, so the stories have always held a special place in my heart. 

The Princess and the Scoundrel is about Han Solo and Princess Leia. The two get married at the beginning of the book (the descriptions seem so lovely) and then embark on a honeymoon cruise. It's interesting to see Han and Leia's relationship dynamic in a more in-depth view than portrayed in the movies. I was always somewhat skeptical about their relationship, they're both so headstrong, and I was even at the beginning of the book, but there's a lot of growth. I liked watching the two of them learn how to function as a part of a couple (although it's probably best to do that before getting married). 

The descriptions of the settings in this book are absolutely breathtaking. I loved reading about the ship, the Ewok village, and the ice planet they visit. Also, for those who are concerned about a Star Wars romance book, worry not, it's Han and Leia, of course, there's going to be action. I highly recommend checking this book out if you like Star Wars and want to see a closer look at Han and Leia's relationship. It was a pretty fun read. For those of you wondering, my boyfriend enjoyed the book as well. He gave it a five out of five and texted me plenty of times about how sweet Han is to Leia. 

I would say the content warnings for this book are pretty minimal. There's war, mentions of death, kissing, and sexual implications (most likely someone under 14 would not be able to tell what was happening). As always, I suggest checking StoryGraph although the warnings there are limited as well. 

Happy reading and I hop you're enjoying the fall. 

Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Narrated by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne

 

There's a lot that could be said about this book. It is about a man whose wife mysteriously disappears under somewhat suspicious circumstances on their fifth wedding anniversary. This man, Nick Dunne, is not a likable character. I found myself pretty quickly hating him and hoping he got arrested for his wife's possible murder even if he hadn't done it. He is a snob, a horrible husband, and a horrible man in general. And to be completely honest, I think he might've killed his wife himself if she hadn't disappeared. He's a horrible misogynist even if he claims that it's only towards his wife, which it is not. He feels an absurd amount of rage for literally any woman who does anything that upsets him. He is not a character that you want to root for.

Then there's the wife, Amy, whose perspective you also see, in the form of diary entries. I felt bad for her somewhat, but she was also pretty terrible. A snobby, conceited rich girl who thought she was better than every other woman and "not like other girls" in the worst way. I couldn't make myself hope she was okay. I kept reading about them and thinking, wow, they're horrible, they deserve bad things, do I really want to read this book? 

I kept listening to the audiobook though despite thinking it was maybe awful and maybe I shouldn't read it. As awful as Nick and Amy were, I found the story interesting. The mystery was complex, Amy was incredibly smart, and I really wanted to see bad stuff happen to Nick. That's probably not the best reason to keep reading a book, but oh well. It was a long one too, the audiobook is nearly 20 hours long. 

I can't go too much into detail to avoid spoiling it for those who haven't read it. It's a wild ride though. Nick is called by a neighbor and told that his front door is open on the day of his fifth wedding anniversary to Amy. When he comes home to investigate, he finds his wife gone and what looks like a crime scene in his house. The police and his inlaws and the world are originally on his side, but as more evidence appears and there seem to be no other suspects, Nick is the one to blame. While this is unfolding, Nick is going on the scavenger hunt his wife makes him every year for his anniversary and finds himself falling back in love with Amy. As the story unfolds, pieces of their relationship are revealed showing that things were not well for the Dunnes. The twists in this book are completely unexpected and fascinating. 

If you're looking for a book to keep you on your toes, I highly recommend checking this one out, just be prepared to hate Nick and Amy. The narrators in the audiobook also did an excellent job. They change their voices when reading the dialogue of other characters, show the emotions of the character they are (either Nick or Amy), and really added to the story. If you like audiobooks, this would be a good one to check out. 

Due to the nature of this book, there are a lot of content warnings to be aware of, some of which may be spoilers. I will list a few and point you to StoryGraph for a more robust list of warnings provided by readers. Some content warnings include murder, dementia, cancer, alcoholism, death, mentions of abuse, and more. 

As always, happy reading, and I'll see you soon with more reviews.