Review: Secondhand Luck

Secondhand Luck by Kim Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of Secondhand Luck by Kim Harrison. Below is my honest review.

Kim Harrison built a really cool world in Three Kinds of Lucky. In Secondhand Luck, she tore it to pieces and built it back even cooler.

Most of the time I feel like book two in a series is weaker than book one, as they're still finding their footing and trying to make sure the characters all have storylines, etc. But in this one, I felt like it was stronger than book one, or at the very least, just as strong.

It really changed the game up. I loved the development of new bonds - specifically the ones Pluck has with himself and those around him. I loved the fun powers. The villain was actually pretty scary and always a step ahead.

Five stars, highly recommended for urban fantasy fans. But do yourself the favor of reading book one first.

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Review: Operation Bounce House

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman. Below you'll find my honest review.

This one was a roller coaster! I recently discovered and binged the entire library of available installments in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and LOVED them, so when I saw this standalone by Dinniman on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it.

Sadly, for the first half (maybe 60%) of the book, I was struggling hardcore. It was slow and a little repetitive. But the last 40-50% totally made up for that in awesomeness, so I'm glad I didn't give up!

He's crafted a novel that touches on how we treat people we perceive differently than ourselves, the issues with AI, and what it means to be a human on every end of the spectrum of behaviors.

I don't want to give too much away (Roger was my favorite, so I'll say that), but I'll say this:

First half or so - 2 stars. Needed some pacing work.

Second half or so - 5 stars. Top notch, real emotional and storyline payoff.

So on average, that's about 3.5 stars (2+5 = 7, divided by 2 = 3.5), and I'll round up because the last half was that good, so 4 stars overall.

Recommended for fans of sci-fi and dystopia, but be warned, don't go in expecting Dungeon Crawler Carl. Give it a fair shake as its own thing, like I did by the end but should have at the beginning.

(PS - thank you, Dinniman, for the little easter egg of Princess Donut.)

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Review: Strange Animals

Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the pre-release copy of Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson. Below is my honest review.

What a weird and wonderful and wild story! It definitely lives up to the "strange" descriptor. It's reminiscent of Seanan McGuire's Incryptid but much different take.

One thing I really enjoyed about this one is how isolated it felt. The whole book takes place in a small area set in the Catskills, a few mile radius around a specific spot, and includes a campground, a clearing in the woods, a gas station, a horse farm - all within that radius of said specific spot - and the surrounding forest. Anderson did an amazing job at really cutting us off from civilization and delving us straight into the story involving that specific area... while also finding a way to make the cryptid world mysterious and feel like a much much larger thing than the tiny circle of mountainous forest our story is set in.

I also found the creatures to be very inventive and quite entertaining to read about, so I was thrilled there.

I am not sure if this will have a sequel or if it'll just be standalone. I'd be thrilled to read more set in this world, but also felt like this one ended well enough to be standalone if the author chooses that.

Four stars, highly recommended for those who love the strange and exciting and mysterious creature feature.

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Review: Pendergast: The Beginning

Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Below is my honest review.

I am *super* excited that we are getting a pre-Relic Pendergast tale. There is so much history that's hinted at and revealed over the course of the extremely long series, so having full length stories going into depth for some is such an awesome thing.

I really loved this one. It's classic Pendergast, but it's early on in his career and explains some really lingering questions: why was he transferred to NYC? Why is Proctor so loyal? What happened to his New Orleans partner agent?

It had a great plot, some very Pendergast-novel murders, and some fun little tidbits of sci-fi goodness.

Keep at it, Doug and Linc. We need more Pendergast stories, and I'll gladly devour any stories about him from ANY point on the timeline.

Five stars, highly recommended, AND since it's a prequel that was specifically written to be another potential starting point for new readers, you can start with this one if you'd like.

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Review: The Room in the Attic

The Room in the Attic by T.M. Logan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of The Room in the Attic by T.M. Logan. Below you'll find my honest review.

Absolutely a five star read. I wanna start with that. I couldn't put this one down. I started it at bedtime (which is really the only time I have lately for reading) and meant to go to sleep at a decent hour, but read until almost 2 am. Then the next night, I did the same thing, finishing it in the second sitting.

The tension is so well designed, the mystery is so well plotted, and the chapters end with just the right little nudge to read one more. My only complaint is how long it took the main character to consider what was actually going on as a possibility.

Also, I really thought the kids were well written and adorable.

I'll definitely be reading more of Logan's thrillers. Hopefully they're as good as this one.

Highly recommended for mystery-thriller fans. Five stars.

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Review: Night Terror

Night Terror by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the pre-release copy of Night Terror by Vincent Ralph. Below is my honest review.

I very much enjoyed the first novel, Dead Fake, in Vincent Ralph's new Bleak Haven YA horror/thriller series, but I think this one was actually way more fun. This one felt more like a horror type novel than the first, which was more mystery/thriller, and I really enjoyed seeing the characters rise to the occasion and fight for their lives while trapped in a locked mall with the villains. It was creepy and would make a decent movie (as would the first), so I'm hoping Ralph and his agents pitch this to Netflix to do like they did with the Fear Street trilogy.

This one takes place in the 80s, whereas the first novel was set in modern times, and Night Terror tells one of the stories alluded to in Dead Fake - how the history of the town is rife with tragedy and murder.

I liked the cast, especially Grace, and this one was definitely a win for me.

All in all, a solid entry into this new series about a town plagued by violence, blood, sadness, etc. Book one, Dead Fake, is set to be released at the same time as this one, with hopefully more to come.

If you're a fan of the horror/thriller genres and 80s nostalgia, then you'll enjoy this foray into the YA horror space. Fans of the Fear Street trilogy about the same story spread over different time periods, then you'll enjoy this series as well.

Four "why did you read from that cursed book, dude?!" stars.

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Review: Dead Fake

Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the pre-release copy of Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph. Below is my honest review.

I really enjoyed the first novel, Dead Fake, in Vincent Ralph's new Bleak Haven YA horror/thriller series. It had lots of twists and turns and was a lot of fun to read. I liked the whole "preview deaths by AI video" concept, as it was both creepy and disturbing. I thought the main character was developed well enough to root for, and the cast of secondary characters was pretty good too.

All in all, a solid series opener about a town plagued by violence, blood, sadness, etc. Looking forward to reading my ARC of book two, Night Terror, also releasing soon.

If you're a fan of horror and thriller genres or slashers, then you'll enjoy this foray into the YA horror space. It's also a bit of mystery, so that made for some extra fun.

Four bloody slashery stars.

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