Review: The Calamities

The Calamities by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the pre-release copy of Chuck Wendig's The Calamities. Below is my honest review.

Ughhhh, Chuck, the majority of the time, your books are big wins for me, but this one didn't work for me at all.

The characters weren't really likeable or root-for-able, though I am hoping Key completes her quest and Silas was a creepy yet interesting POV. The plot was kinda messy and all over the place with a lot of extraneous complications, and the pacing was just off. I felt like there was a lot of potential that was spent on making things gruesome for shock value rather than put into the main storyline.

There was a lot of build up at the end, leading to something huge, but then it just kind of abruptly stops and you're left feeling like "that's it? that?" and that was disappointing.

I did like the concept of the soul-bargaining and the elixir, but I felt like it took a massive back burner to the convoluted plot.

I didn't hate it overall though, and I'll consider reading the second/final book of the duology when it comes out, to see if it picks up and utilizes all the potential built in this one.

I give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to three for a "didn't love it, didn't hate it, liked it I guess."

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Review: Dreamland

Dreamland by Olivie Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the pre-release copy of Olivie Blake's Dreamland. Below is my honest review.

This is a hard one to review because it was VERY convoluted at the beginning, which made it hard for me to get into. But I pushed through, and I'm glad I did. Turns out, it was weird and confusing with unlikeable characters, but also compelling to watch things fall apart.

I'm not really sure how to explain my feelings, because I was drawn to the circling of the drain that Anya seemed unable to shake - she was drawn to the chaos like a moth to a flame, and I was drawn to watching her sink further and further like the call of the void.

But again, no one was really likeable in this one. No one made me root for them, not even the tortured Julian, even though he was probably the one I rooted for the most, as much as I could, I guess.

What a weird, confusing, but even still, entertaining book. 3.5 stars rounded up.

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Review: The House That Eats the Dead

The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Bantam for the pre-release copy of The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty. Below is my honest review.

I love haunted house stories, and this is definitely haunted house adjacent. After the family moves in, the weirdest things start to happen and every member of the family begins to change.

I really enjoyed watching Claire grow to understand the house and its hunger. I felt like the pacing was on point, and I felt that the revelations along the way made total sense.

There were some really sad parts, especially due to the house's influence over the world after it eats.

I had to knock off a half a star because, well, Max Doty, you know what you did (hint: there is a dog in this book.)

All in all, a fantastic story. This is the second thing I've read this year that started as a reddit serial, the other being We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, which was also top notch. Publishers take note, there are some badass writers on reddit and you guys should be stalking subreddits like "nosleep" and finding these gems.

Highly recommended for horror fans and haunted house (or haunted house adjacent!) stories. Four and a half stars, rounded down.

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Review: Reliquary

Reliquary by Hannah Whitten
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the pre-release copy of Reliquary by Hannah Whitten. Below is my honest review.

What happens when you take a character desperate for a place in the world and adrift, a rich family with everything to lose, and smush the two together in a Lovecraftian isolated oceanside castle? You get this book, and I. WAS. HERE. FOR. IT.

No matter how many warning signs we see or the creeping sense of dread, it's impossible to put this one down. The saltwater tale seeps into your skin, into your organs, into your soul, and you just have to keep going to see what's going to happen next.

Absolute gem of a book. Five stars. Highly recommended for fans of horror, Lovecraft, isolated settings, creepy cultish vibes.

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Review: A Family Affair

A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the pre-release copy of A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor. Below is my honest review.

Warning: Please note that this novel is the second in the Smallhope & Pennyroyal series, which is a spinoff of the Chronicles of St. Mary's and The Time Police series. It does have spoilers for some of the events of St. Mary's and the events of Time Police 6, in addition to the obvious references to the events of The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal.

I loved this one, which is par for the course for everything in the St. Mary's-verse. This one sees both of our main characters dealing with issues with their respective families, and jumps around a bit. It's nearly impossible to say much without giving massive spoilers, but I will say - Pennyroyal's story is a bit of a tearjerker, and Amelia's family dealings are quite a hoot to read, mostly because Smallhope is the queen of petty pre-emptive strikes and I'm here for it.

Highly recommended, but do take note of my warning above. This one does discuss the events of the rest of the St. Mary's universe books, especially the recent events of Time Police 6.

Five stars. GIMME MORE JODI! I NEED MOOOOOOOORE!

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Review: Carry Me to My Grave

Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the pre-release copy of Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden. Below is my honest review.

I really hate describing a book as "meh." As an aspiring (and imposter syndrome suffering) writer myself, I know how much of your heart and soul and sweat and tears get poured into every page, so it pains me to write that word in regards to someone's hard-earned page count.

But this? Meh. The concept was great, but I really didn't enjoy it executed this way all that much. The characters felt trope-y, and lacked a lot of real depth. Their behavior in every scenario was exactly as you'd expect or predict. The majority of the book felt like "oh we got away!" "oh no we didn't!" "oh no people died around us!" "oh we got away" "oh no we didn't!" "oh no people died around us!" over and over and over.

I very much enjoyed Golden's All Hallows and The House of Last Resort, so was very disappointed to find that, in my opinion, this one didn't live up to the quality of those.

But I didn't hate it. Like I said, the concept was interesting. And the monsters *were* creepy. I just couldn't love it either, because part of it felt... I dunno, phoned in?

Two and a half stars, but I'll round up.

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Review: Unpredictable Magic

Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for a pre-release copy of Faith Hunter's Unpredictable Magic. Below is my honest review.

YAY! More in the world of Jane Yellowrock! This time, we're checking in after a time jump. There's been a Witch War, unleashing demons on the world. We're following Angie Baby and little EJ, but they're all grown up now. Heck, the book starts with Angie Baby already having been married and divorced!

I am so glad we get more in this world, and I'm so happy that Faith decided to give us this story. I read in the acknowledgements that she had thought the final Soulwood book would be the end of her writing, but she was convinced (send that person a winning lottery ticket please!) to keep writing for fun instead of writing for deadlines, and this was the result. And supposedly we will get some more??? Celebration all around!

This one was tangly in true Jane/Nell fashion. Vampire plots, layer upon layer, are revealed, and the stakes are higher than they've ever been before with the EEBs being weaponized. We even get a few cameos! :)

I really loved this one. I can't wait for more!

Five stars, highly recommended, especially for fans of Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram.

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