Review: Lucky Day

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the pre-release copy of Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. Below you'll find my honest review.

In usual Chuck Tingle fashion, this novel was WEIRD AF. But really, it was weird in the best way possible. We open with our statistician MC Vera enduring the most mind-boggling, brain-exploding, kookiest crappy day imaginable as an extremely low-probability event occurs surrounding her. I'm talking monkeys in costumes bashing people's brains in with typewriters and fish falling out of the sky kinda wacky.

Fast forward a few years, and Vera has become a hermit, finding no value or purpose in life and thinking nothing matters, barely just existing... until Agent Layne breaks in and says they need her help. He works with government agency with zero oversight, managing the results and continuing weirdnesses (yeah, I made up a word) of LPEs, and he has a lead on the MAIN CAUSE OF ALL OF THEM.

Needless to say, in true Chuck Tingle manner, hijinks and chaos ensues. And this one even throws some serious cliched tropes on their heads (I can't clarify further, sadly, as that would spoil things, but hopefully when you're done, you know which ones I mean.)

Absolute gem of a story, which isn't surprising because Tingle's mainstream published works the last few years have been top notch. Sure, his self-published pseudo-smut is fun too, but he really shines in this world of horror and thriller that he's stepped into, and I'm so glad he's branched out.

Highly recommended (but be warned, horror-fans, this one is more thriller than horror, though it does have some horrific things!).

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Review: The Society of Unknowable Objects

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the pre-release copy of The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown. Below is my honest review.

If you haven't read The Book of Doors, then you haven't seen just how much fun Gareth Brown's stories are. If you have, then you know going into this one to expect lots of mayhem and kookiness.

This one revolves around a small group of people who have inherited spots in The Society of Unknowable Objects, a team that is aware of seemingly everyday items that hold great powers and is determined to prevent them from being abused by bad folks. They seek them out and bring them home, locking them up to make sure they don't fall into the hands of those who would use them for evil or greed or selfishness.

But there's a small problem with that... someone else is aware of these items, and has made it his goal to stockpile power, and he'll stop at nothing to do it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one. Great characters, really fun superpowered items, and a special little bit at the end that made me smile.

I look forward to the next book Gareth Brown puts out. After the end of this one, I'm 100% certain he's got more coming.

Definitely recommend, and highly suggest you read The Book of Doors as well. Four stars.

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Review: Not Quite Dead Yet

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and RHPG Ballantine/Bantam for the pre-release copy of Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. Below is my honest review.

This one was a ROLLERCOASTER of emotion and action and reveals.

I had a really hard time putting this one down when it was time to sleep, which should tell you what you need to know - I recommend this one completely.

Jet has been murdered. Well, she's been mortally injured and only has a week to live, and the odds are pretty much impossible for her to survive. So while she's not dead... yet... someone tried to murder her, and pretty much succeeded. But the kicker? She's got nothing to lose and a week to figure out who killed her.

Talk about a fun twist! (for us, of course, it really, really sucks for Jet). Little does Jet know, her quest to figure out who killed her will dig into the skin of her town, revealing connections previously unknown, mysteries people have tried to bury, and the sins of the past that have somehow continued to haunt all the way up to the present.

The pacing on this one was fantastic, making it hard to not just read a little more, a few more pages, one more chapter until BAM, I was done. The characters were great. The twists were well done. The solution was excellent.

And, well, Billy. That's all I can say. BILLY <3.

Highly recommended. Five stars.

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Review: Codebreaker

Codebreaker by Jay Martel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Wednesday Books for the pre-release copy of Codebreaker by Jay Martel. Below is my honest review.

If you loved National Treasure (I did), this book is for you. If you love secret codes and treasure hunts (I do), this book is for you. If you're a fan of YA (I am), this book is for you.

What's the fuss? This one is an absolute thrill ride of fun. Secret codes galore, danger around every corner, twists and turns and plot twists, a road trip of museums and libraries and monuments, and so much more are mixed into the pot for Codebreaker and I loved it!

Highly recommended (with the caveat that it does include parents dying, so trigger warning!).

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Review: The List

The List by Steve Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Steve Berry's upcoming novel The List. Below is my honest review.

Fans of Steve Berry know that his genre tends to be adventure thriller tied up closely with history - the events of the past having a major impact on the storyline, and lessons about history weaving in and out of the writing. In The List, Berry has stepped out of that genre and into pure thriller, setting up a plot where the company elites are so concerned about the bottom line that they have turned to murder to save corporate funds. While there was one history lesson in this one, it was extremely brief.

I absolutely loved this one. Sadly enough, it was believable, and I wouldn't be surprised if something similar has actually occurred (or is still happening!).

Berry notes in his post-novel details that this is one of the first novels he ever wrote, and he never submitted it for publication all those years ago, that he pulled it out and began tweaking it and tightening it up, and making sure it was up to date with technology and current events. That's really impressive to me because while some of the high quality of the novel might have been because he's much more experienced now, you can tell that even back then, it had the right bones and the right parts to be a great story.

Highly recommended, and it's a standalone so no need to invest in a long series to avoid spoilers or missed information. But I'd still recommend his Cotton Malone series if you end up liking this one!

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Review: The Last Wizards' Ball

The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the pre-release copy of The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris. Below is my honest review.

I really loved the beginning of this series, but I'm not as pleased with the prior book and this book. It felt like she didn't really know how to tie things up, and I was hoping for more of a happy ending than we got. Kinda felt like the last few books of Sookie's series... just not as good as the rest, almost like she'd checked out. I hate to say that, but it's how I felt then and it's how I feel now about Lizbeth's series.

One thing that I adored from the first half of the series was Lizbeth and Eli's relationship, which took a nosedive in the last two books, and I was very unhappy with the end of the series and how it left things.

On a better note, the events of this one were superb. It was Bridgerton meets dystopian alternate universe, with a mix of magic and historical fiction mixed in. But it also felt like this one didn't really have a plot - there wasn't a whodunnit, there wasn't a main thread that drove the story and had a beginning, middle, and end. It just had a story that we watched happen and then it was over, without much closure as we only get Lizbeth's viewpoint so we never know the rest.

All in all, I liked the series, but the first few books set up a fantastic story and the last few let me down. Three stars for this one, and I guess three stars for the series overall. Still recommended for Charlaine Harris fans, as the characters are great.

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Review: The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the pre-release copy of The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware. Below you'll find my honest review.

I really love Ruth Ware's novel, but her most famous isn't my most favorite. I liked The Woman in Cabin 10, and it was the first Ruth Ware book that I read. After reading more though, it just wasn't as good, to me at least, as some of her others. So when I saw that we were revisiting Lo Blacklock in a sequel, I was a little apprehensive.

I'll be the first to admit it: my trepidation was unfounded. In one of her best books, Ware has redeemed Lo Blacklock for me and made me really love her and hope for more (which I doubt we will get, as Ware isn't a fan of writing sequels and prefers standalone writing). This one was plotted well, the mystery was great (even if certain parts of the solution felt a little obvious, the getting there was fun), and Lo was developed even more into a much more deep and likeable character.

Highly recommended for mystery fans, Ware fans, and fans of book 1.

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