Review: So Thirsty

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the early copy of this delicious novel. Below is my honest review.

I discovered Rachel Harrison last year, thanks to getting an early copy of Black Sheep from Berkley, and am really glad I did. Her horror novels are a LOT of fun, finding a perfect balance of gruesome and comedic, dark and snark, human and monstrous.

So Thirsty was a rollicking good time, and honestly, a lot deeper than you'd think when you picked up a horror novel. This isn't just your average vampire novel. This one delves into the themes of relationships... love, friendship, family, and most importantly, the relationship you have with yourself.

One thing I really love is that it does have some setup at the beginning, but it's sprinkled in as Sloane and Naomi hit the road on a friend-trip for Sloane's birthday, and the whole atmosphere just screams "this won't end well." Once they hit the resort, the gas pedal is pushed all the way down and doesn't let up. From creepy shadowy figures at their second floor windows at night to rattling chains in the basement to an unquenchable thirst for blood, this one will grab you by the neck and hold you while it drains you until late into the night.

Absolute gem of a novel. Highly recommended. I can't wait to catch up on Harrison's catalogue. I already have my copy of Such Sharp Teeth and will be taking a bite out of it soon.

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Review: Nightmare of a Trip

Nightmare of a Trip by Maureen Kilmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for the pre-release copy of Nightmare of a Trip! My honest thoughts are to follow.

Maureen Kilmer's Suburban Hell was a highlight of my 2022 reading, and even though I somehow completely missed that she had a 2023 release with Hex Education, I'll definitely be getting my hands on a copy of that to catch up on.

I really loved Suburban Hell, so I was super-excited about Nightmare of a Trip. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. Did I enjoy it? Sure, but it just didn't have the same pacing excellence, lacked the strong character relationships, and had a very meh ending in comparison to Suburban Hell. I feel like the story struggled with some repetition (that I think was supposed to help build tension but didn't really accomplish that successfully).

I think my biggest issue was that it felt like we really just got a few fun ideas for horror movie scenes and then the story in between was "how can we get to those moments."

I still enjoyed it, and will definitely still pick up Hex Education to catch up (and read whatever her next release is), but this one just didn't nail it for me.

3.5 stars, rounded to 3. I'd still recommend it for Kilmer fans and fans of horror. It wasn't a bad read at all, just not as WOW after Suburban Hell set such a high bar.

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Review: This Book Kills

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the pre-release copy! Below is my honest review.

This book was just FUN. The school setting was well done, the characters were entertaining and had depth, and the mystery unfurled over the course of the novel with really good pacing. I really enjoyed the development of relationships between characters throughout the story, which felt natural to me, and I very much enjoyed the diverse main character's perspective.

My only real gripe with this one is that, if you are a big mystery reader, you're probably going to guess the ending like I did. But that being said, it didn't really detract from the FUN of the novel, so I still chose to rate this one high.

Four stars, definitely recommend to mystery/YA fans. Give it a shot, and I think you'll enjoy it.

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Review: One House Left

One House Left by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the pre-release copy of One House Left by Vincent Ralph. Here are my honest thoughts.

This one was a lot of fun, but it also had some pacing issues. I felt like there was a lot of repetition -

Family life: parents doing their thing, brother fighting and coming home late, sister crying on the phone, oh, I can't tell my family that I have friends

Friend group: I need to stay away. I don't want to. I'm gonna stay away. Okay, I'll hang out.

School: Oh look, another note/article.

All of this repetition made the first half of the book a bit of a slog, even though there were some interesting things sprinkled in to help make it still hold a bit of my attention, and I mean the urban legend parts, of course.

Once the 75% mark hit though, the story accelerated really fast, and skyrocketed straight towards an ending that was impossible to see coming because of the unreliable nature of the storytelling method.

All in all, it was really fun when it was fun, but the pacing issue knocked off a star for me. Recommended for Vincent Ralph fans, YA horror fans, and slow burns.

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Review: Angel of Vengeance

Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Angel of Vengeance. Below is my honest review.

Let's get one thing straight here: I'm a LONG-TIME Pendergast stan... like, 20 years I've been following this series kind of fan.

Angel of Vengeance ties up the trilogy started with Bloodless and continued in The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, and it concludes with a BANG. I really can't spoil anything here, but this one definitely brought the trilogy to a satisfying close. There's only one small thing that bothers me, and I can't say what that is because I don't want to spoil even the tiniest of things, especially because all in all, it's not really a huge deal.

I love the twists and turns in this one, and how they have to outsmart their vile ancestor with schemes within schemes. I love Constance's humanity in this one - her unwavering thirst for vengeance and desire to protect her loved ones. I loved Diogenes' semi-redemptive arc in this one... but seriously, Doug and Linc, we're going to need a new spinoff because of the events of this book.

I just really loved this one. Coupled with The Cabinet of Dr. Leng as two parts of a story that is set up by the machine introduced in Bloodless, this book duo really shows that even after all of these years, Preston and Child are still at the top of their game (even if I still think Bloodless is one of my least favorites in the entire series, these two more than made up for that).

Highly recommended, but seriously, don't start here. This is book 22. Not a good place to jump in, fellow readers.



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Review: The Pairing

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. Below is my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. Casey McQuiston just knows how to write queer love in a way that brings joy, and I love that so much.

This one had two bi main characters, so there was lots of love to go around! LOL.

While there was some drama, because of course there has to be, you could feel the character's pull towards each other like gravity and the backdrop of touring Europe was perfection. My biggest gripes were the detailed wine discussions, the nonstop misunderstandings due to the body count competition, and the constant "oh, everyone in all these countries clearly want to hop in bed with me!"

All in all, another solid book from McQuiston. I'll definitely be reading whatever they put out next!

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Review: Arkangel

Arkangel by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the pre-release copy of Arkangel by James Rollins. Below is my honest review.

First, if you're reading this review and you haven't read the rest of this series... what are you waiting for? Stop here and go on then! This is book 18, for goodness' sake!

18 books in and this is still one of my favorite series. I've followed it since the release of Map of Bones, and I'll continue to follow up until it ends (which hopefully is a LONG LONG time from now). (PS, in addition to these 18 books, some of the characters that join this series along the way are from his other works, like Subterranean and Deep Fathom, etc)

This one has some WILD stuff: lots of ice, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade style puzzle rooms, carnivorous plants (TERRIFYING), and lots of shootouts and chases and danger.

Highly recommend this series. It's so much fun. You can certainly jump in here if you want, but I'd definitely beseech you to start at the beginning. You'll miss so so so much if you don't.

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