Review: The Caretaker

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria 12:01 books for the pre-release copy of The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer. Below is my honest review.

What a wild ride! As we follow our hot mess express MC into the worst quick buck part-time job in the history of the world, we see a little glimpse into more of Kliewer's mind-bending imagination, and I am totally here for it.

This was an absolute gem. Paced well, crazy enough to make you wonder if things were real or not, creative to the very bone, and an excellent candidate for a screen adaptation (which I've heard is in the works?).

Between this and We Used to Live Here, Marcus Kliewer has reached my list of top must-buy-immediately horror/sci-fi thriller writers.

Highly recommended, five stars.

View all my reviews

Review: Thrall

Thrall by Rebecca Mahoney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the pre-release copy of Thrall by Rebecca Mahoney. Below is my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this one. Great characters, good development, awesome setting, creepy villains, and a really fun take on vampire lore, without all the "oh vampires are so sexy" stuff that so many vampire stories have since Twilight.

I can't wait to see what Rebecca Mahoney comes up with next, because she's got a new fan here!

Five stars, highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Review: Paranormal Payback

Paranormal Payback by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of Paranormal Payback by a bunch of great authors! Below is my honest review.

Mister Petty by Jim Butcher - 5 stars - This story is set in world of the Dresden Files. Goodman Gray is such a fun character and I'd like to see him more often!

The Underground Goddess by Kevin Hearne - 4 stars - an interesting tale about some modern day witches.

Dying Isn't Just for the Young by Holly Black - 4 stars - This is set in the world of Coldtown. It was really cool to see some of the world of Coldtown from someone else's perspective, absolutely.

A Midsummer Night's Scheming by Delilah S. Dawson/Isla Jewell - 3.5 stars - This is set in the world of Arcadia Falls. This was a weird tale about a magical woman coming into her powers and getting a donkey familiar, Gary, who was hilariously weird, and helping get some revenge on the awful people who hurt her sister.

Contained by Tanya Huff - 3.5 stars - This is set in the world of Henry Fitzroy. Definitely made me interested into looking into this series. Henry was a cool character.

Dirt by Jennifer Blackstream - 4 stars - This is set in the world of Shade Renard/Blood Trails. I think I would have enjoyed this one so much more if I'd had more knowledge of the world. Yay for a new UF series to add to my list, though!

Black Bond by Maurice Broaddus - 4 stars - Some much overdue justice is served!

Dog-Eared by Kim Harrison - 5 stars - This is set in the world of The Hollows. I freaking adore Al and Newt so this story was an absolute gem.

Razors and Revenge by Faith Hunter - 5 stars - This is set in the world of Jane Yellowrock. I'm hoping we see some more of Shiloh in the upcoming Angie Baby/Evan Jr series. She was an interesting combination of lore!

A Clean Break by R.L. King - 3.5 stars - This is set in the world of Alastair Stone. I'd take a leap into this world again to get to know it better.

Grave Payback by R.R. Virdi - 3.5 stars - This is set in the world of The Grave Report. I read one of these in the last anthology, Heroic Hearts, and added it to my list. I need to go ahead and get to the series already!

The Broom by Kerrie L. Hughes - 4.5 stars - This is set in the world of Great Lakes Grimoire. I was very intrigued by the brother-sister pair and the magic they used. I definitely want to pick up more of this series!

All in all, a great anthology! Definitely worth a read.



View all my reviews

Review: What We Did to Survive

What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for my pre-release copy of What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally. Below is my honest review.

I loved the first two Megan Lally books. They were so much fun. This one was good as well, but didn't carry that same... je ne sais quoi... for me. There was a lot of bickering in this one - understandable considering the situation they were all in, but it felt a lot more juvenile than YA. I did like the characters, and the plot overall was decent. The villain was realistic and very close to the idea of "everyone knows a douchebag like this" (but maybe without the willingness to kill LOL). The twist at the end didn't feel original and kind of killed the emotional payoff of what they went through for me.

All in all, 3.5 stars rounded up. Still a fun read, but not my favorite of Lally's books.

View all my reviews