Review: The House by Eden Darry [Horror]

 

Rating: 1/5 stars

This review contains mild to moderate spoilers. Proceed at your own risk, although I wouldn't recommend reading this book in the first place so it's kind of a moot point.  

Bold Strokes Books usually blows it out of the water, so I suppose it was inevitable that something like this would happen eventually. 

Like The Upstairs Room and The Little Stranger, this is a novel about a (potentially) haunted house. One of the most classic horror tropes there is, there's a hundred thousand minefields you need to be sure not to step in so your book is actually engaging, and The House manages to stand in all of them. 

I'm not a horror buff. I've only seen a handful of horror films, and 6.3% of the books I've read have been horror. (Shoutout to past me's diligent Goodreads tagging that allowed me to do the math.) But even I knew exactly where this was going, and what the twists would be, and what every single trope was.

Here are some tropes I noticed, none of which were executed particularly well.

- Moving to a country house with vaguely bad juju but hell, it's ridiculously cheap!

- A child has an imaginary friend, called Koosh.

- The other child has psychic dreams.

- A journal of a Victorian inhabitant of the house is discovered, called Nathanial Cushion. Yes, Cushion, like Koosh, which of course does not get noticed by Fin. Because I, and most readers, am not as stupid as these characters, I noticed immediately. It should also be noted that the first diary entry Fin reads dates from 1888, which seems a lot like a very heavy-handed connection to Jack the Ripper. We get it, he's evil. 

- The bad guy is the Baddest Bad Guy To Ever Bad, a misogynistic sociopathic murderer who is terrible in every way. Men like this do, obviously, exist; the issue isn't that it isn't realistic, but that it is boring.

- Fin starts to be angry and verbally vicious after moving into the house. Instead of a slow build-up, however, it comes completely out of leftfield. 

- Fin finds a trapdoor. This is cliche enough as it is, but of course the trapdoor slams shut behind her. And of course this passageway is a keystone of the denouement. 

- Fin's related to the Evil Victorian Ghost, because it wasn't cliche enough already. 

The writing itself was... average. Nothing exciting, just something to hang the plot off like scaffolding, but nothing bad either. 

You may potentially enjoy this book if you have lived under a rock your entire life and have literally no knowledge of horror tropes. Otherwise, you'll see everything a mile off and roll your eyes the whole way through. 

Needless to say, I do not recommend. 

Review: Milk Fed by Melissa Broder [General Fiction]

 

Rating: 4/5 stars. CWs for book: eating disorders, parental abuse, mentions of homophobia. "The word golem, in English, means shapeless mass. But in Hebrew, it means unfinished substance." The golem is one of the central motifs of this novel, and in some ways, the book itself is an "unfinished substance" as well - but not in a bad way. It's left open-ended and nebulous, but that's the idea - in life, there aren't any endings (except death, which would have gone against the optimistic flair of the novel), but ever-constant change and development - and Rachel, the protagonist of this book, has certainly changed for the better. The title is possibly the most well-chosen title I've seen in a long time. As it suggests, this is a novel about being mothered. What it definitely isn't, is a novel about mothers. It's a novel about seeking that primal, maternal comfort from anyone and anything you can when the woman who birthed and raised you is only ever a source of poison. As a novel in the "literary fiction" sort of category, it's certainly not for everyone. What it is, however, is a love letter. A love letter to food, to eroticism and sapphic love, to Judaism, and ultimately, to yourself.  Amazon Afflilate links for Milk Fed paperback: UK | US | DE

Review: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K.J. Charles [M/M Romance, Historical]

 Rating: 5/5 stars

Minor spoilers ahead, perhaps? I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this, which in no way affects my rating or review. Another delight of a regency novel by K.J. Charles! This was excellently plotted and paced, with the sophistication of characters I've come to expect from this author. Realistic characters with realistic vices and virtues to match, and both the main characters being very likable while still having their flaws. The interactions between Robin and Hart were very well done, and I loved how Robin wasn't automatically offended when Hart suggested he look after him financially; in pretty much every book I've read with similar themes, the would-be sugar baby (in lieu of a better term) is always offended to highlight the fact that they're "not a whore" or something. In contrast, Robin gets off on being called a "thousand-a week whore," which is both a Big Mood and very refreshing . The way both characters navigate this difficult situation is fantastic, with each character making mistakes but never being overly melodramatic in response; conflict seems to arise organically, rather than being obviously manufactured like many other books. 100% recommended for regency fans, romance fans, m/m fans, "indecent proposal" fans, and basically everyone. The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K.J. Charles will be available on Amazon from 24th February 2021.

Review: Fellside by M.R. Carey [Horror, Mystery/Suspense]

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

M.R. Carey solidified himself in my mind as a masterful writer of horror and suspense with The Girl With All the Gifts and its sequel, so I was both nervous and excited for this - excited for the obvious reasons, and nervous because if this disappointed me, it was falling from a great height - and since this has quite mediocre ratings on Goodreads (3.5 at the time of writing), this worried me even further. 

Thankfully, this was one of the semi-regular times when Goodreads and I have differed in opinion. 

I hadn't read The Girl in a long time, so although I had a vague memory that I liked Carey's writing style a lot, I had forgotten just how good it was. This is basically the blueprint of how to write a horror/suspense novel - perfectly paced; exquisitely structured with layers of plot and mysteries that tangle and unfurl; unpretentious writing that nevertheless had some absolutely fantastic turns of phrase and descriptive flourishes without overwhelming the narrative, like just a pinch of saffron in a dish. 

There's also an absolutely stellar cast of characters. Set in a prison that's rotten and corrupt to the core, Carey introduces the most unsympathetic characters and somehow manages to twist them into being sympathetic, whereas others really are just pure evil. 

Watch out, Stephen King - you've got a challenger for the best horror/suspense writer!

My Favourite Books of 2020

You don’t need me to tell you that this has been a year of unprecedented horribleness, especially for me for all sorts of non-COVID personal reasons. But one thing that wasn’t a giant pile of flaming garbage about 2020 was reading, so here’s a wrap up of my absolute favourite books I’ve read in 2020.

Final Lover – Jocelynn Drake

Final Lover is the third and final book in the Exit Strategy trilogy by Jocelynn Drake. I can’t really say anything at all about the plot, because it will spoil the first two books, but it was a perfect finale. The first book in the series is titled Deadly Lover, and it’s an M/M romance/thriller featuring two assassins used to working alone who have to join forces for a job. Dark and delicious!

Deviant Desire – Jackson Marsh 

An incredibly fun historical mystery with an M/M romance. Long and layered, with fantastic character development, this certainly exceeded my expectations. Strangely enough, however, I simply couldn’t get into the sequel and had to DNF it. Them’s the breaks, kid!

Pendulum – Joel Abernathy 

Another M/M romance – is anyone else detecting a theme here? This time, it’s a paranormal featuring werewolves and vampires, yet somehow Abernathy manages to breathe new life into this trope we have seen a thousand times before. Angsty and dark, this is certainly not a light read, but it’s very worthwhile.

Hush – Tal Bauer 

An incredibly engaging political thriller with, you guessed it, an M/M romance. A masterpiece in character development and suspense, Hush broke my heart and then put it back together again, and it will stay with me for a very long time. I’m definitely going to be looking through the rest of Bauer’s bibliography.

The War Master: Only the Good – Nicholas Briggs et al. 

A Doctor Who spinoff from audioplay masters (no pun intended) Big Finish. The Master is one of my favourite characters in the whole of the Whoniverse, and this collection of four stories certainly did him justice. Derek Jacobi is also an absolutely superlative actor, both on screen and in audio.

Of the City of the Saved... – Philip Purser-Hallard 

The next novel in the Faction Paradox series after the absolutely phenomenal This Town Will Never Let Us Go. Although by a different author and with a completely different style, Of the City of the Saved has the same postmodern, almost psychedelic feel of the first book, with possibly the most intriguing concept I have ever heard: in the City of the Saved, where every single human who has ever lived and will ever live resides in an immortal afterlife, a detective must solve an impossible murder.

The Fever King – Victoria Lee 

This was the YA novel that restored my faith in YA. I don’t read much of it nowadays – ever since I fell outside the intended age range I’ve never been able to get into them as I used to, even though I’m only a couple of years older – but The Fever King was one of my favourite books of 2020, YA or otherwise. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic America that has been decimated by a virus (because I had to read at least one virusy book in 2020) that either kills painfully, or in a very small number of cases, gives you magic. It’s very gritty, and doesn’t fall into the same tired old tropes that lots of YA dystopians do.

Doctor Who: Embrace the Darkness – Nicholas Briggs 

Another Big Finish audio, this time featuring the Eighth Doctor. This is the sort of unsettling, gorgeous gothic sci-fi that only Doctor Who can do, and when it does it right, it does it really well. Although not as popular as Chimes of Midnight, which was released close to Embrace the Darkness and has a similar gothic feel, I enjoyed it far more. Certainly one of the more underrated entries in Big Finish’s Main Range of DW audios.

Featherhood – Charlie Gilmour 

I won’t go into too much detail about this wonderful memoir, as I’ve already written a blog post on it, but this is certainly a must-read.

Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass – Lana del Rey

I’ve always admired Lana del Rey as a lyricist as well as a singer, so of course I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of her first poetry book. At a time where overly-minimalist, shallow and surface-level poets such as Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace seem to be the most popular (sorry if you’re a fan, but they’re emphatically not for me) it’s fantastic to see a poet with more complexity and, yes, thought put into her poems. The hardcover is also beautifully presented, the font in a typewriter face and interspersed with del Rey’s photography that’s just as whimsical and quietly melancholy as her poetry.

The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson 

I DNF’d this when I first tried to read it in 2015, but since I am a huge Branderson (I’m never going to stop calling him this, so get used to it) fan, I’ve left it quietly waiting on my shelves for the right time – and 2020 was the right time. I honestly have no idea why I DNF’d it, although I was sixteen and I had all sorts of impaired judgement going on at that time. The Way of Kings has the sort of multi-layered narrative, wonderful characters, and one-of-a-kind worldbuilding one expects from Branderson, but as this is the first book in a projected ten-book series, the magic system unfolds far more slowly than in his previous books, leaving shadowy areas of intriguing mystique.

Review: This Is How You Lose the Time War [Science Fiction]

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

“This feels like teetering on the brink of something that will unmake me.”

Utterly impossibly, this book managed to exceed my expectations. Do not take me lightly when I say I expected this book to be a masterpiece - and it was more.

Literary genre fiction is something so rare it’s sometimes considered impossible. This Is How You Lose the Time War laughs in the face of critics who disparage science-fiction, and it is not literary and poetic in spite of being science-fiction, it simply is.

I feel like this book has turned me inside out, leaving my nervous system exposed like wires, raw and aching. I am going to carry this book with me for a very long time, like these characters carry their letters.

Review: Reverie by Ryan La Sala [YA Fantasy]

 

Rating: 3/5 stars

Ryan La Sala puts a lot of good ideas forward in his debut novel, such as the eponymous concept of a “reverie”, a dream-like state that can pull people into it and have devastating consequences. Unfortunately, however, I think the book failed to deliver on its promise.

Kane made some stupid, illogical decisions such as trusting/not trusting certain people that made absolutely no sense and were clearly there only for the furthering of the plot. The plot itself was very slow-going at first, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but even when it picked up it felt oddly disjointed, like an inexperienced knitter dropping stitches all the time and not having the skill to fix it. 

The romance was same gender (m/m) which was nice, but the trajectory was very predictable. The characters were also not particularly interesting.

Basically, a classic 3 star book: interesting premise, failed execution.