Review: Mapping the Interior

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for my pre-release copy of Mapping the Interior. Below is my honest review.

I am really enjoying getting to know the works of Stephen Graham Jones, and this novella was a gem. It built the horror up easily, tore it down, and built it back up again - over and over until the end came. It provided depth of both character and plot, and the setting was absolutely spot on.

Honestly, I'm very impressed with a novella with this much power and worldbuilding.

Definitely recommend this one for horror fans, but be warned there's some serious trigger warnings for family trauma.

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Review: The Staircase in the Woods

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the pre-release copy of Chuck Wendig's latest horror novel, The Staircase in the Woods. Below you'll find my honest review.

Have you ever seen those really cool pictures people take and put on the internet of old, run down, abandoned houses? Or random parts of houses still standing when the rest is gone? This is kinda like that, but just a staircase. A staircase in the woods, leading up from the ground, leading up into nowhere, is waiting to be found. I've seen photos of random things like this found in the woods, and always thought there had to be good stories around them.

This takes that concept and give it the Wendig version of the Stephen King treatment. A group of friends, in their high school years of course, go camping in the woods one weekend. Five go in, but only four leave. One decides to go up the staircase they found in the woods, standing all on its own, and disappears, just as the staircase does a moment later, never to be seen again. Years later, they're all drawn back into the crazy when one of them leads them straight to another staircase in another forest, and this time, the hunt for their long-lost friend is on. What awaits them at the top of the staircase? Well, I have to leave that for you to read and find out. But what I can say is that this is a horror novel that lives up to the word.

I absolutely loved this one and highly recommend it to horror fans, especially if you like King-esque stories. Top notch, five stars.

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Review: The Ghost Woods

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of CJ Cooke's The Ghost Woods. Below you'll find my honest review.

The Ghost Woods was pure excellence. I loved every second of it, and had a hard time putting it down even when I was exhausted and needed to go to sleep. The "haunted" nature of things, the science, the character depth, the setting... all added up to a fantastic mysterious horror-adjacent read.

Highly recommended for horror, mystery, and natural science fans, but please note it's not really scary horror, just tension building gothic mystery style horror.

Also, trigger warnings for any and all things surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, including stillbirth, miscarriage, adoption loss, and becoming pregnant due to very bad circumstances (trying to avoid a specific word here to prevent my review from being flagged or denied, but I hope I made it very clear.

Five stars, more if I could.

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Review: The Ashfire King

The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the early copy of The Ashfire King. Below is my honest review.

I've been trying to wait patiently for the sequel to The Stardust Thief for a few years now. It was one of my favorite reads of 2022, and it was smashingly good. I know Chelsea Abdullah had some issues arise, not sure whether those were personal or publishing related, that delayed the book a little. But it was TOTALLY worth the wait.

This one picks up where the other left off, and finds our cast of protagonists splintered into a handful of smaller groups. As each of those groups push towards a reconciliation, the obstacles in their way begin to reveal much more important paths that they must follow that override their main goal of reuniting.

We meet some new goods, some new evils, some new villains, and some new heroes.

All in all, this one was a whirlwind (get it? Nabila and whirlwinds? Aww, read the book and you'll get it) of fun and adventure.

I am so glad she's working hard on the final book in the trilogy. I can't wait for it!

Five stars, highly recommended, but please read The Stardust Thief first. This is book two of a trilogy, and you kinda need book one's story first.

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Review: The Book That Held Her Heart

The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the advanced copy of The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence. Below is my honest review.

I've read quite a few of Lawrence's trilogies over the last few years, and let me tell you this: he's a master of trilogy plotting. This one is no exception, and might honestly be the best one he's written so far.

The characters are great, the settings are random and varied and could be any time and anywhere, and the twists just keep coming.

I don't want to spoil anything, but this one ties up the trilogy in a way that seems to fit the story, but not really what the reader expects. Not gonna lie, one thing definitely added some heartbreak for me.

All in all, 4.5 stars (because of that heartbreak, jeez Mark don't do this to me), rounded up.

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Review: The Last Session

The Last Session by Julia Bartz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This one was a wild ride! After The Writing Retreat, I had high expectations of Julia Bartz's second novel, and she delivered.

It did everything well - world building? Check. Really deep and developed characters? Check. Top notch plot twists? Check. Awesome locale? Check. Perfect build of foreboding atmosphere? Check.

Highly recommend this one to fans of culty stuff, mysteries, and working through personal traumas through the written word.

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