Review: The Last Witch

The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of The Last Witch by CJ Cooke. Below is my honest review.

CJ Cooke is a master of weaving in historical aspects to a supernatural story, and in The Last Witch, she knits a fascinating and magical tale based off of the true events of Innsbruck and their witch trials.

I'd call this a masterpiece of a story about a strong woman fighting against the society that treats her as lesser and the man that despises them all just because of their gender.

Definitely recommended for historical fiction fans who don't mind a hint of supernatural mixed in, just a small hint.

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Review: The Last Spirits of Manhattan

The Last Spirits of Manhattan by John A. McDermott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the pre-release copy of The Last Spirits of Manhattan. Below is my honest review.

I was super excited about this one when I saw it on Netgalley. Alfred Hitchcock? Haunted House? Ghosts and supernatural stuff? Heck yeah! Alas, the excitement ended at the blurb.

The story took a long time to get going, and then it didn't really feel cohesive to me in the right ways. I was just... bored? Uninterested?

Overall, I feel like it was a decent book that just wasn't for me. I did really enjoy Snug's character, I liked Pete and Carolyn just fine, and I enjoyed the little side story glimpses of Igor and Renfro.

If you like historical fiction with just a touch of otherworldly, and you don't mind a plot that's mostly "watch these people prepare for a party and then throw the party" with not a lot of actual action, then you'll probably enjoy this one.

Two and a half stars, rounded to three.

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Review: The Haunting of Paynes Hollow

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the pre-release copy of The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong. Below you'll find my honest review.

If you've never read any of Kelley Armstrong's works, what the heck are you waiting for? She's got time travel books. She's got wilderness thrillers. She's got horror. She's got urban fantasy. And she does all of it well!

This is her latest foray into the horror genre, and I loved it. The characters worked for me, and so did the fantastic setting. What's creepier than being pretty much cutoff from most of the outside world and not being sure if what's happening is supernatural or just humans? I can think of a few things, but not many. And she has so much riding on the outcome of her staying cutoff from the world, so she's forced to push through.

This one really pushed the idea of having to realize that your perspective isn't always right, that you don't always know the people around you, and that everything comes with a catch.

Highly recommended for horror fans and Kelley Armstrong fans. Hopefully, this one gets her some MORE fans!

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Review: 25 Days: A Novel

25 Days: A Novel by Per Jacobsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for a pre-release copy of Per Jacobsen's 25 Days. Below is my honest review.

Well, I'm currently rethinking my annual desire to rent a cabin for Christmas vacation and sit up in the snowy wilderness because Per Jacobsen has demolished the idyllic feeling of said vacation and replaced it with a slasher straight out of horror cinema.

The Grays decide to take a week vacation in a remote cabin up in the snowy mountains in early December. For Adam, it's a chance to reconnect with his wife Beth and strengthen what was slowly starting to unravel. Oh, and a chance to get their kids Abby and Chloe off of their electronics and spend time together as a family. So what's not to love about a cabin nestled in a clearing up in the mountains? It has a barn with fluffy little animals for the girls to play with, and it has a food stock in case a snowstorm traps them up there. It's basically a little slice of heaven for a family getaway. Or at least, it should be... unfortunately, someone has their eye on this little family and starts leaving progressively more violent presents in a stocking nailed to the barn door, and as the days pass like an advent calendar, the Grays start to realize that there's a high chance that they won't make it out alive.

Was it perfect? Nah, there were some trope-y moments and some dislikeable character moments, and there were quite a few suspend-your-disbelief moments. But was it fun? Absolutely - for us, the reader. Not for the Grays... yikes not at all for the Grays.

This would make an excellent movie. Maybe one day it will be!

Recommended for horror/slasher fans and fans of remote isolated settings.

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Review: Silver and Lead

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the pre-release copy of Seanan McGuire's Silver and Lead, book 19 in the October Daye series. Below is my honest review.

Anyone who knows me or has seen or followed my reviews knows with absolute certainty that I am a HUGE Seanan McGuire fan. It should come as no surprise that I devoured and adored this entry into one of my favorite series, the October Daye series.

In this one we have Toby almost ready to pop, so of course, the villains have to get up to their shenanigans and disturb the last bit of her pregnancy with an adventure. This time it involves items stolen from the Windemere's royal vault - items that are VERY dangerous - and naturally, as hero of the realm, it's up to Toby, on the verge of childbirth and with a very zealously overprotective family (due to the events of Titania's spell from the last two books) who want to keep her safe, to retrieve these items. And naturally, hijinx of the greatest order ensue.

This one was so much fun (for the reader, not for the characters!), and I really enjoyed getting to see some relationships revealed, repaired, or restructured as we went along. And let's be honest, the end reveal makes me SO ready for the next book.

Also included at the end is a little shorty from Simon's perspective, and it brings about its own little joys as well.

Highly recommended, but with the caveat that if you start here, you're going in with 18 prior books and countless short stories of this world's history missing from your context.

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Review: Hollow

Hollow by Taylor Grothe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the pre-release copy of Taylor Grothe's Hollow. Below is my honest review.

Taylor Grothe's Hollow was their debut YA horror novel, and boy did it deliver hard! You jump right into the story, with neurodivergent Cassie returning to her hometown after leaving four years prior. While she was gone, she fell off the grid and didn't keep up with her old friends, mostly because she was struggling with new diagnoses and her parents' divorce. So stumbling upon said friends, including the girl she had feelings for before leaving, definitely was an awkward situation. As they try to rebuild something, a group camping trip takes a massive turn and the group is split, shoving Cassie into a cultish community living out in the wilderness, The Roost. From there, the story pushes darker and darker, as Cassie tries to balance who she is with who she wants to be and how she wants to relate to other people... and her friends are all in danger, lost in the woods.

1- I love books with cults, even if they're just intentional communities with cult-ish similarities.

2- I loved the neurodivergency rep.

3- I loved the LGBTQ+ rep (but I will note that stopping in the middle of chase scene to ask what pronouns to use was a little awkward).

4- I loved the buildup to a grande finale. It was top notch.

5- Some of the twists aren't as surprising, but how they're revealed is still fantastic.

I'll definitely read more from Taylor Grothe, especially since I've seen they have at least two more novels coming in the next few years.

Highly recommended for YA fans, horror fans of all ages, and people who just like a good page-turner.

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Review: Thief of Night

Thief of Night by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the pre-release copy of Thief of Night by Holly Black. Below you'll find my honest review.

I really wish this one had been a trilogy and not a duology, because I absolutely wasn't ready to say goodbye to Charlie Hall and the ragtag cast. I really want more in this world, even if it's not with Charlie and Vince/Red and Posey and all of them. The magic system with shadows and blood is fantastic!

Maybe one day Holly Black will return to this world. Fingers crossed. Until then, highly recommend this duology, but please start with Book of Night. Jumping in on the last half of a two book story is just silly!

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