Review: Their Vicious Games

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me an early copy of this novel. Below you'll find my honest review.

I loved this one! Adina was easy to root for, as she held her ground, did her best without compromising her morals, and fought hard for her future. There weren't a ton of likeable characters in this one - that was kind of the point, I think - but a few that stood out to me, other than Adina, were Pen, Saint, and Graham. They all had their flaws, but they were still interesting and deep characters to read about and find room to like them. Most of the others are purposefully awful.

The Finish was wild. I am not sure how so many people could be involved without questions regarding the deaths, but then again, wealth breeds security and freedom to do as you wish.

I loved the minority representation - there were POCs (including the main character) and a gay character, as well as multiple social classes. Obviously, the author is a POC, so it was done with respect and done well.

Highly recommend this one for those who like books like Hunger Games, One of Us is Lying, semi-horror/semi-thriller YA books. It was REALLY hard to put down.

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Review: Camp Damascus

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for gifting me an early copy of this book. Below you'll find my honest review.

The internet knows Chuck Tingle as the writer of very strange, very specific erotic fiction... until now. This short novel will make everyone realize that he's not just a weirdo (which he is), but he's also much, much deeper.

This book revolves around the lengths religion will go to in order to change people it sees as "bad" even at the cost of stepping outside ethical or moral bounds or being hypocrites themselves. And as a gay man raised in the Bible Belt, I could completely identify with this situation.

My biggest gripe with this one is that, in the end, I needed just a bit more. I needed some more closure. I needed to understand how things were going to be moving forward in this world, and I didn't get that. But the rest of the book? Yeah, it was a masterful fictionalization and hyperbolic/fantastical revelation of what many of live on a daily basis because of the actions of "Christians" who "love us." (Please notice I put quotation marks for a reason.)

All in all, a powerful book that will put Chuck Tingle on the "normal" side of the literary map. But for the world's sake, I hope he continues writing both the "normal" and the "weird." The world needs more people pushing boundaries in good ways.

Highly recommended.

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Review: Dead of Winter

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an early copy. Here's my honest review:

Darcy Coates, you hooked me with this one. I'm going to have to go back and read the rest of the stuff you've written! You have a new fan.

I absolutely loved this novel, and definitely would love to see it translated to the big (or small) screen somehow. The characters are fantastic, and the setting is perfection. The storm and the cabin and the neverending snow almost feel like a second antagonist, creeping in around the characters, holding them hostage, aiding the Butcher to take them out, one by one. It's got a very Agatha Christie kind of vibe - the "locked room" type mystery, the cast of easily suspect-able characters, the confusion around every turn. While it's a little more graphic than a Christie, it's definitely drawn some inspiration from the Empress of Enigmas, the Mistress of Mystery, the Queen of Crime.

I'm not going to lie - I figured out a lot of what was going on early. That's one of the pitfalls of reading lots of mysteries and thrillers and way too many movies. But that really didn't stop my enjoyment watching it play out, and having Coates nearly convince me I was wrong a few times.

Absolutely recommend. This was a gem!

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Review: The St. Ambrose School for Girls

The St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for gifting me an early copy. Below is my honest review.

This one has some content/trigger warnings: mentions and depictions of suicide attempts/suicidal thoughts, mental illness/bi-polar disorder, bullying.

I gave this one four stars. I took a star off because I figured out the killer really early, even though the murder doesn't occur until very late in the story. I also felt like the story moved pretty slowly and focused a lot on Sarah's mental illness. I appreciate that the author worked very hard to depict bipolar disorder in an accurate and respectful manner, but sometimes the long bunny trails into Sarah's imaginary meanderings became a distraction from the actual story for me.

Overall, I was really impressed with Jessica Ward's ability to switch from her usual PNR worlds to this realistic and intense dark academia story. I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes a gritty, dark, boarding school type story with a mystery thrown in.

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