Review: Together We Burn

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.

This book sounded very interesting, and I was excited to read it. But I just could not get into it. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and the pacing felt very slow. It seemed like the author was spending too much time carefully crafting the setting and descriptions, that actual events and action and plot points got left by the wayside. I love immersive descriptions and usually think that they add wonderful layers and depth to books. But in this case, all of the similes and adjectives and metaphors and everything began to border on florid and repetitious. It was too much. I got really tired of how burning hot the sand was and dazzling the dresses were and...etc. I needed more focus on the plot and the characters.

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Review: Carolina Moonset

Carolina Moonset by Matt Goldman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an Advanced Copy of this book.

I have to say I was disappointed in this book. It started off great and really held my interest. The main character seemed interesting and the descriptions of the South Carolina Low Country completely drew me in. But about 1/4 of the way in the book thins kind of started to feel strange, and I just couldn't get back into the story.
Joey is visiting Beaufort, SC, to visit his retired parents. Joey's dad, Marshall, grew up in Beaufort and after having decided to return there found out he has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. The disease is affecting his short-term memory and is also causing long ago memories to stand out vividly. Joey soon learns of a long-standing hate between his father and the well-to-do Hammond family, as well as mysterious events from his father's past that seem all-too real to Joey's father. When someone in the Hammond family is found murdered, Joey worries that his father might become a suspect and tries to find a way to protect him while still trying to discover how the past is now affecting the present.
As I stated earlier, I really was enjoying this book until about the 25% mark. The descriptions of Beaufort and the surrounding areas were great. But then about the time that Joey began his relationship with Leela, the pacing began to feel extremely off.
Pacing problem 1: Once the murder occurred, Joey became convinced that his dad could have been responsible based on things mentioned in passing in conversations he's just had with people he hadn't seen in years. It began to feel like an episode Murder, She Wrote. It was like Joey was saying, "Well, So-and-so said that this guy didn't like my dad's best friend, so when he disappeared he MUST have been MURDERED!" or, "This guy apparently liked this girl because So-and-so mentioned it, so he MUST have KILLED HER!" There was just A LOT of jumping to conclusions with very little evidence. More time should have been spent following up leads, researching the past, or trying to figure out exactly what happened before Joey and his "sidekick" Leela started playing detective and taking things that very well could have been rumors or coincidences and treating them like hard facts (and she felt like some kind of weird sidekick, and not a partner or a fleshed-out character).
Pacing problem 2: Then to make matters worse things that did not have to be repeated were oftentimes reexplained for no good reason, while other things were described in redundant and excruciatingly unnecessary detail.
Pacing problem 3: (This might be a spoiler) Huge components to the mystery were left to Joey and Leela to "deduce" (and by that I mean jump to conclusions based on little to no evidence and then take them as hard facts...see above), and so when facts were finally confirmed by Marshall, they lost all their emotional impact on the story. This man who has been struggling with his memory is finally able to talk to his son and reveal important events from his past, but Joey (and the reader) is just sitting there like, "Yeah, we already knew that, Dad...and...?" And THEN, where there is a pretty huge reveal that no one saw coming, instead of playing out the scene in real time, the author decides to relate the scene as a recording. So instead of narrating things like tone of voice, body language, and other immediate feelings, everything is completely robbed of emotion. That was a very strange choice, to me.
Pacing problem 4: (Again, trying to to give away too many spoilers) When the killer was finally revealed, this person and their "relationship" to Joey just came off as completely bizarre and out of the blue. I was just sitting there reading like, "Huh?!" It really felt like the author just needed to wrap up everything and found the most convenient scape-goat.
I will say that this was a very fast read. So if you are looking for something to read on vacation or at the beach (preferably somewhere between Cherry Grove and Hilton Head!), and reading a book that comes across as an episode of Matlock doesn't bother you, then give this book a try. If you are looking for something more hard-hitting, well-plotted, and gripping, then I'd skip this one.

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Review: A Proposal They Can't Refuse

A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This book was entertaining. But it certainly wasn't terribly original, and it didn't knock my socks off.
It started off alright, with the grandfathers of our two main characters forcing their grandchildren, Liam and Kamilah, into an engagement. Liam and Kamilah have known each other all their lives and have not gotten along very well for the past several years. They hope that by going along with their grandfathers' plan they can in turn get the things they want out of their family businesses. But of course Liam and Kamillah's true feelings for each other only complicate matters.
From the first several pages, I wasn't sure that I wanted to even read the book, because Kamilah's family and Liam's grandfather were each excessively rude, dismissive, and pretty much just mean. Kamilah's family continually put her down, and Liam's grandfather was incredibly hard on him. It was off-putting and harsh to start right off the bat with that. But I pressed on and eventually became invested in Liam and Kamilah's relationship. I grew frustrated, however, because the pacing of the book was strange, which contributed to the fact that their relationship had very little growing or evolution throughout most of the book. The reader knows that Liam and Kamilah have cared deeply for each other--probably loved each other--for years, and have a long history together. But the reader doesn't really get to see it. I felt like I was missing an essential part of the story because I was just TOLD about important events in the history of their relationship in what kind of felt like an off-hand or glossed over way. Then things that were not really important at all, like furniture or friends' hairstyles or decor of competitor's restaurants or the layout of a nail salon were described in MINUTE detail. Too much time was spent on things that had no bearing on the story at all, and things that were important in the building of Liam and Kamilah's relationship were skipped over. Weeks went by in one sentence. It gave the impression that our two main characters relationships with their friends and family were more important to them and to the story than their relationship with each other--which felt very weird for a romance novel.
I did however appreciate the fact that towards the end when the whole fake engagement blew up in their faces (I don't think that's a spoiler--you have to know it's going to happen at some point!), both Kamilah and Liam got called out for exactly what they both had done wrong. They each made mistakes and had issues that need to be addressed and the people in their lives pointed all of that out to them and forced them to admit the things they'd done wrong, why it was wrong, and what they needed to work on in the future. And then both Liam and Kamilah apologized for their mistakes and realized they had truly messed up. That doesn't always happen in romance novels, so this particular part of the story was very well-done.
I am not sure if I would recommend this book or not. It was a very quick easy read, but parts of it were clunky and the pacing was very off. It was okay. Not great, but better than a lot I have read...

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Review: Juniper & Thorn

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman, and so was very interested to read this book. But I did not enjoy it at all. I am not sure if there are enough trigger warnings for this book. It was a lot. This book dealt with child abuse, psychological abuse, emotional abuse, eating disorders, sexual abuse, pedophilia, animal abuse and cruelty, sex trafficking, cannibalism, torture, xenophobia, and graphic depictions of gory injuries and death. And I'm probably leaving some out... It was too much. If the author was trying to make a statement about the horrible nature of these things, picking one or two to include in her story would have had a much deeper and meaningful impact on the reader than throwing everything in. It was almost like, "What know? Well of course they all ate the murder victim, killed their pet, murdered their family member.... Nothing else can surprise me in this book." Things that perhaps were supposed to be jarring and shocking became almost cartoonish by the end of the book. Another issue I had with the book was the overly sexualized nature of just about everything. Right off the bat I thought to myself, "Oh. Okay...we are going there...alright." And then things felt unnecessarily graphic and vulgar. The relationship between Marlinchen and Sevas felt rushed at best, terribly toxic at worst. These are two horrifically traumatized individuals who have just fallen into insta-love with the first person who has shown them glimmers of affection. By the end I couldn't wait to finish the book--not so I could find out what would happen, but because I just wanted it to be over with.
This book was dark, disturbing, graphic, gross, unsettling, and disjointedly weird. And none of that in a good way. Don't come into this expecting another book like The Wolf and the Woodsman, even though it is set in the same world. This is a horror book filled with the terrifyingly awful things that humans can do to each other, described in a strangely off-hand and matter-of-fact YET disgustingly graphic manner.
I would not recommend this book. And I am not sure I would read another book by this author, despite my opinions about her earlier work.

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Review: Twin Crowns

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I tried with book, but I just didn't like it at all. The story of two twin princesses, separated at birth, was juvenile, stilted, and boring. The word choice and way the characters talked felt robotic and jerky. It was like they were reciting what a 12-year-old imagines a "cool" fairy tale princess would say. Either be snarky and irreverent or proper and formal--it's almost impossible to pull off both, and usually when authors try, it just sounds cringy.
Because of the dialogue I just couldn't connect to the characters. Rose especially just felt like a caricature and was more than a little bit unlikeable.
I would not recommend this book.

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Review: On a Quiet Street

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received and ARC of this book.
Wow, this was a great book! Was it perfect? No, but it kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for characters (some of whom I wasn't sure I should be rooting for), turning pages because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, and yet not wanting the book to end. I loved it.
The story takes place in a seemingly-idyllic affluent neighborhood that at first glance might appear placid, boring, and "normal." But right off the bat the reader realizes there is much more going on beneath the surface and this quiet street is full of secrets, lies, and horrible crimes. Paige is trying to come to terms with the hit-and-run death of her son just a year before but is doing it by pushing away her husband, obsessing over her neighbors, and hounding the police about solving what she believes was her son's murder. Cora believes her husband is having an affair, no matter how much he denies it, and confides in Paige, who offers to investigate the matter. And then rumors surround Georgia, the young English wife of a prominent judge--is she just standoffish, or does she really have a mental health issue that is keeping her isolated in her own home with her young daughter? The way the lives of these three women intersect is twisty, beguiling, and shocking. Everyone is keeping secrets, and the way the secrets are slowly revealed and the lives of these women are changed in the process kept me guessing and gasping out loud.
The characters in this book are wonderful. Each of the three women are compelling and the way the author develops each character throughout the book is amazing. While Paige, Cora, and Georgia all do things that are dishonest, questionable, and perhaps even criminal, they all have rooting value and it is easy for the reader to grasp their motivations in their actions.
The plot while just a bit slow in the first fourth or so, picked up big time and had me at the edge of my seat from about 30% on. What started off as, "Oh no...she shouldn't be doing that," soon turned into,"No!! Why did she do that?!!" and then to, "Oh my goodness, NO! DON'T DO THAT!" And just when I thought I had figured out how things would go, an unbelievable twist would come up that would make me literally widen my eyes, think to myself, "What?! No way!" and wonder what on earth would happen next. So many little clues are dropped in here or there that I was soon thinking to myself, "Oh, that's why she said that," or "I remember when that was mentioned," or something along those lines. And even at the very end, the book got even more exciting in the last pages.
The best thing I can say about this book is that I kept checking how many pages were left because I did not want it to be over. Having enjoyed the author's previous book, Such a Good Wife, I was looking forward to reading this one, but this book absolutely blew me away. I would 100% recommend this book if you like mystery, crime, domestic thrillers, and a story that will keep you guessing.

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Review: Friend of the Devil

Friend of the Devil by Stephen Lloyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This was a VERY unique book, and I read it in October, which was perfect. It was a quick and quirky read full of bizarre goings-on, interesting characters, and unexpected twists. I had no idea what was going to happen, and that really made this book fun!
The reader is introduced to Sam, a hardboiled '80s detective who is investigating the theft of an ancient book from an isolated island-bound New England boarding school. As Sam questions various students and school employees while tracking down leads, the reader meets a disparate cast of characters from the terribly grumpy librarian, to the eccentric head master, to a jock on steroids, to a misunderstood nerd. The only one who seems in concert with Sam as he tries to do his job is Harriet, a young but intrepid writer for the school paper. As Sam and Harriet get closer to the truth behind the stolen book, missing students, and truly bizarre occurrences around the lonely and highly creepy school campus, what they learn may completely change both of their lives.
This was a really quick read. The story jumped from vignette to vignette, but that really kept me interested and made me want to know what on earth was going to happen next. The characters where funny, real, and spot-on. Harriet and Sam made quite a team, even though they worked alone for much of the book. The supporting characters were also well-drawn, even if many only appeared for a few pages.
This was a really bizarre and gory book, which made it absolutely perfect for a Halloween read. The ending came fast and furious, and I really can't describe it because it wasn't at all what I was expecting (and it might not be for some), but once I finished I realized it totally fit in with the tone of the book. If you are looking for a fast, fun, spooky, twisty, and completely unexpected book to read during "spooky season," I would absolutely recommend this one, for sure.

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Review: The Woman in the Library

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I loved this book! It is the story of four people who are brought together when they happen to be sitting near each other in the Boston Public Library Reading Room when a woman screams and is presumably murdered. The four strike up a friendship and decide that they owe it to the woman who was murdered to try and discover what exactly happened to her. Two of the four are novelists, which definitely adds to the story (while crime writers solving crimes themselves isn't a new trope in the mystery genre, this story does it very well). At the very same time that our four new friends are trying to solve the murder, the reader is reminded through emails that are interspersed throughout the book that this is in fact a manuscript that a writer named Hannah is in the process of writing, and she is receiving feedback, research help, and perhaps overzealous advice from a man named Leo. This also adds another layer of interest and even suspense to the book.
I enjoyed getting to know the four main characters and see how they developed as the reader (and the "narrator" of the story, Freddie) really got to know them. I got definite "Only Murders in the Building" vibes from the story, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters as their quest to find out what happened to the "woman in the library" grew. The interjections from Leo's emails were also very interesting and different, but a great addition to the book.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries. I read it quickly and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next!

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