Review: The Book of Accidents

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey publishers for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Chuck Wendig. His Miriam Black series is fantastic, and I loved the Heartland Trilogy. I had some issues with his last chunkster novel, Wanderers, but still enjoyed it overall.

The Book of Accidents was a home run. Seriously, if you're a fan of the weird, wacky, deep character driven Stephen King type story, then you'll enjoy this one. It's weird. It's creepy. It's got some scary human things and some scary supernatural things.

I was really impressed with this one. It was plotted well. It explained just enough without explaining everything. It showed instead of just told. It had unexpected reveals. It developed a strong cast of characters. It built and built, without being too slow.

I'm actually hoping we get a sequel, as there was just enough left open that I could see a sequel happening. But we'll see.

Definitely recommended! Four stars!

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Review: Bloodless

Bloodless by Douglas Preston
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Phew, what a ride it's been. 20 books in (plus the standalones that tie in with character crossovers, so more like 23-24), and I still love this series.

Potential spoilery hints ahead. I haven't given any specifics, but if you don't want to even have a hint of what's going on, please stop reading!

But this one hit like a ton of bricks. It jumped the shark quite a bit with its main antagonist/plot, and the ending left much to be desired, with a seriously disappointing ending to a long-developed storyline that left a bad taste in my mouth. Much of the story and plot in this one was made moot by later events, to the point where the book felt bloated a bit.

I know things have to change to keep the story moving forward, but not at the expense of what you've been working towards for soooo many books.

I guess we'll see how it plays out. I'll still pick up the next one... I am invested in this series and in these authors, after all. But I'm not nearly as excited about the series any more after this entry. I've never given an entry in this series such a low rating...

Just wasn't my favorite in the series. As always, with a series like this, please start at the beginning. Jumping in here wouldn't provide you with the context you need to understand who these characters are, what makes them tick, or the emotional effects of the events of this book.

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Review: The Final Girl Support Group

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love cheesy horror movies, and while I tend to find the slasher genre a bit meh, the concept for this book sounded like a lot of fun (for the reader, not for the characters!). A bunch of final girls form a support group, and then slowly start getting killed off again.

I figured out the biggest twists early, but that didn't really diminish the entertainment value of the story and the journey to the end. I do wish we'd had a little more after-the-fact closure, but I think the ending did justice to the characters and who they were, and I liked the growth in the heroine.

Was it as good as The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires? No, I don't feel that it was. Would I recommend it? Yes, it was still very entertaining.

Four stars!

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Review: The Night Hawks

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I was younger, as in grade school/high school/college, I mostly read mysteries. They were just my thing. I started with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, the Clue books from Scholastic Book Fair brochures, the Boxcar Children. I graduated into Agatha Christie and some more modern authors.

And then I discovered Goodreads and branched out into other genres. After that, a friend's Urban Fantasy suggestion led to a years long obsession with the genre, at the expense of reading more mysteries.

But you know what? I picked up Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series, book one - The Crossing Places, for a group read, and fell in love with her writing. I love her characters, her mysteries, the perfect balance of intrigue and character development with a dash of history and setting thrown in.

This entry into the series was no exception. As we've gotten to know the people of the town, we've seen the cast grow, and that's blossomed into being deeply invested in their lives outside of the main mystery plot as well.

This one definitely throws some wrenches into the works.

Highly recommended for mystery lovers, but please please please, jump in with the first book rather than delving into this one too early. There are plot points that will be much more appreciated with knowing the character history.

Four and a half stars, rounded down.

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