Review: The Secret Attic

The Secret Attic by Chelsea Conradt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and for the pre-release copy of The Secret Attic by Chelsea Conradt. The following is my honest review.

I absolutely loved this one. Twists and turns galore, creepy as heck dolls, and tension that builds. If I ever find a secret attic with a bunch of dolls in it, I'm out. See ya. Later toots, I'm out like Mark Cuban on a bad pitch on Shark Tank. Absolutely not.

Alas, the main character doesn't choose to run screaming away from the secret attic she finds, which is for the best (for us) because it gives us this novel!

Five stars, highly recommend for thriller fans.

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Review: It Came from Neverland

It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for my pre-release copy of Cynthia Pelayo's It Came from Neverland. Below is my honest review.

I'm a bit disappointed. This one had such an intriguing premise, but the execution was quite lacking. The stakes never really felt high. The plot dragged until the last 20%, and I almost gave up multiple times. I'm glad I didn't because I enjoyed parts of the story, but it was a slog.

The characters were kinda shallow and under-developed. There was talk of an entity that made Peter what he is, but then it's never mentioned again when they're discussing how to stop Peter for good... what's stopping the entity from creating another Peter?

There were SO many typos. SO SO SO many. And the shifts from current reality to a memory of time in Neverland and back weren't really indicated, so all of a sudden mid-page you'd be thrust into a conversation that was a memory being relived, but nothing told you that. It was jarring.

The "happy ending" part was awkward and cringy as well.

Two stars, meh, and I hate saying that about any book.

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Review: Marion

Marion by Leah Rowan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a pre-release copy of Marion by Leah Rowan. Below is my honest review.

One of my favorite musicals ever is one called "& Juliet." It posits the following: what if Juliet didn't kill herself for a dude at the end of Romeo & Juliet, and instead woke to find Romeo dead and decided to run away and travel Europe, find a meaning to her life?

This is a similar set up: What happens if Marion Crane turns the tables on Norman Bates when he attacks her with the knife in the shower? What if she kills him? What kind of fallout would there be?

It's a really fun twist on Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho, but it's been modernized and some of the names changed a bit. And there's even a little Alfred cameo in there, which I think Hitchcock would have loved.

All in all, I think it was a really solid book. I had a few issues with the ending of the narrative feeling a little abrupt, but it was a great read overall.

Highly recommended, 4.5 stars rounded down.

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Review: "What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic

"What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic by John Hatch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions

Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the pre-release copy of Seanan McGuire's Velveteen vs. the Consequences of Her Actions. Below is my honest review.

It would seem Seanan has a thing for personifying the seasons into fun characters (see: Alchemical Journeys series), because this one has Velveteen visiting three of the seasons - Winter, Spring, and Autumn - to see if she wants to pledge herself to any of them. She's doing this as a result of the promise she made in the last volume, and boy do the seasons have it out for her. So of course, lots of hijinks ensue.

I love all the characters in these, and I love how much McGuire makes sure to show how deeply the characters care about each other and the lengths they will go to in order to save one another.

This one was lots of fun (for the reader... the poor characters are put through hell!), and I was really happy with how it all tied up.

Highly recommended, but hopefully you've read either Volumes 1 & 2 or their omnibus combination, Velveteen vs. The Early Adventures. This is a direct continuation of that storyline, consisting of Volumes 3 & 4.

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Review: An Ordinary Sort of Evil

An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's/Minotaur for the pre-release copy of An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong. Below is my honest review.

This is definitely one of my favorite entries in the series thus far! I loved the mystery, I actually didn't guess the solution, I enjoyed the case-related characters (especially Art), and I absolutely adored the development of our main characters and their relationships.

If you haven't read this series and you're a mystery fan, you should definitely pick this series up. Start now before it gets even longer and you're behind that much more!

If you're a fan of time travel or things like Outlander or The Chronicles of St. Mary's, you're probably going to enjoy this series.

Five stars, highly recommended.

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Review: The Dorians

The Dorians by Nick Cutter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the pre-release copy of Nick Cutter's The Dorians. Below is my honest review.

What a ride! I really enjoyed this one by Nick Cutter, my first by him but not my last, mostly because I really cared about (some of) the characters and was hoping for something happier for them. It's hard to hope when the book literally starts with them on the verge of death!

But what happens when someone without the maturity or social awareness or ethical foundation decides to play god and mix the dna of some creatures/plants that defy aging? Nothing good or happy, let me tell you that much!

This one would make a great movie, especially in today's CGI age where they could cast a younger group and age them up for the beginning part.

Highly recommended, five stars - mostly for horror/thriller/sci-fi fans.



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