Book Review: The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley

 

Goodreads Summary: That's the one. That's the girl who's going to die.

I didn't believe in the Rule of Three. Not at first. It was just one of those urban myths you hear about all the time. A story my boyfriend told me about a girl cursed by the number three. A girl whose parents had killed themselves after her sibling had died in an accident. Which meant that she was doomed to die too because that's the Rule of Three.

Bad things always happen in threes, they say, and they are right. Because it's happening again.

But this time the curse is coming for me. And worst of all?

It's coming for you, too.

Goodreads Rating: 3.28 stars with over 700 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Adult, Fiction

Goodreads/StoryGraph Challenge: 11/30

2025 Reading Challenge: #2 Read a book under 350 pages (Read the full here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well as we jump into March. I feel a little bit like I'm cheating by listing this book as the book for under 350 pages, considering I listened to the audiobook version. Whatever, I'm going with it. I'm absolutely exhausted, so I will jump into the review.

The premise for The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley is exciting, and it grabbed my attention when I was looking for something new to listen to. Initially, I found myself really engaged in the story from Amy's perspective. I didn't necessarily agree with her choices, but I understood why she made them. She was easy to feel sorry for, which made it easy to stay interested in her story. Ila's story was spookier, but I don't know if I felt as engaged with her background as Amy's. When it got to Eve's part of the story, I was somewhat checked out but wanted to finish it. I think a lot of it was just the amount of discussion about death. Amy's story was hard on me mentally, just the way she described her feelings about her parents' deaths. I've been in a really melancholy mood the last few days, and I'm wondering if the book has anything to do with it. Either way, I was disconnected from Ila's story and even more disconnected from Eve's.

Despite that, I wanted to finish the story and figure out what was happening. I had my guesses; some were correct, and some were not. There's a nice little twist at the end that really caught me off guard. It saved the book for me. The book wasn't bad by any means; it was just a lot of details about things that felt completely irrelevant. I feel like there were at least 3 chapters on how the old microfiche machines worked in a library. I get it. The book was published in 2024, and it's cool and vintage. But as someone who has used them (oof. That hurts my pride a bit. I'm OLD), they seriously aren't that interesting to need detailed information on how to twist the dials. It was probably just setting the scene, but it was too much.

I really enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook. There are 5 of them. They all had different voices for the characters they were reading. I also appreciated the aspect of investigating urban legends in the story. Having listened to True Crime Podcasts, I know how passionate people can get about mysteries they want to solve. It was a fun inclusion to the story.

Overall, I can't really say if I enjoyed it. I didn't hate it, but so much took me out of the story. I liked the premise and thought some of the mystery aspects were surprising, but I wasn't as engaged with it as I would have liked to have been. I'm giving it a 3-star rating. 

Book Review: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

 

Goodreads Summary: You won't want to leave...until you can't.
Half hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Long plagued by troubling rumors, the former abandoned sanatorium has since been renovated into a five-star minimalist hotel.

An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin's taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge--there's something about the hotel that makes her nervous. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her. With the storm closing off all access to the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

Elin is under pressure to find Laure, but no one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she's the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they are all in...

Genre Listing: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Crime

Goodreads Rating: 3.37 stars with over 145,000 ratings

Goodreads Challenge: 25/30 ( I will likely update it from 30 at some point.)

2023 Reading Challenge: #27 Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends (the entire challenge can be found here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! Please do not get used to me doing two posts in a day. I read a lot while I was off work/traveling and am trying to catch up before I forget things. This post will catch me up. I picked up The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse a while ago and just now got around to reading it. It was a great fit for #27, as I have a lot of Sarah (or Sara) in my life. 

I set myself up for disappointment with this book. Somehow I went into this book thinking it would be more of a haunted situation, and it was definitely not. I spent the entire book wondering when the ghosts would appear, only to learn there were no ghosts. There were only some angry Europeans with an agenda.

I found Elin, Will, and Issac hard to relate to as characters. They all seemed emotionless, given the situation they found themselves in at the hotel. When deaths start happening, it's up to Elin to solve them as the only pseudo-law enforcement still there when the storm hits. I felt like her "solving" the case was just accusing everyone still left at the hotel by jumping to conclusions. The motive also really didn't make sense. While it was a horrible situation, it was a bunch of loose connections forced into a hidden agenda that didn't fit the rest of the story. There was no natural build-up to it that allowed for it to make sense. It just felt like an afterthought to the rest of the story.

This definitely wasn't my cup of tea for horror/mystery. It may be because I got myself too psyched up for it to be a haunted sanatorium, but it all just felt forced together and wasn't that entertaining. I'm sure some will like it since it has over 3 stars, but I prefer a little more story than just solving by accusing everyone.

Book Review: Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

 

Goodreads Summary: Christopher is seven years old. Christopher is the new kid in town. Christopher has an imaginary friend. The epic work of literary horror from the #1 bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

We can swallow our fear or let our fear swallow us. Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with Christopher at her side. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It's as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out.

At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six awful days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again.

Soon Kate and Christopher find themselves in the fight of their lives, caught in the middle of a war playing out between good and evil, with their small town as the battleground.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.54 stars with over 44,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy, Adult Fiction, Paranormal

Goodreads Challenge: 15/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #37 Read a book over 600 pages (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I'm going to just jump right into it with this review. No life changes since my last review two days ago, except that I probably had some snacks and a nap like the giant toddler I am. Sometime last year, I saw the book Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky being discussed in the various book groups I follow, and I decided to pick it up when it was on sale. I like horror; I just don't read nearly enough of it. This seemed like it might have the potential to be somewhat scary. Unfortunately, I don't get scared that easily when it comes to reading.

This review is going to need a disclaimer. If you have any triggers while reading, I do not recommend reading this book. The list of trigger warnings is way too long to list. If you have specific ones you are concerned about, by all means, comment or reach out to the other contact options on the blog. I'm more than happy to assist. 

Going into this book, I did not know it was 700 pages long. I probably wouldn't have read it if I had known that. I have to mentally prepare myself to read anything over 500 pages. The story was interesting enough to make me want to find out what happened, but through most of it, I was just ready to be done with it. It became very close to being a 'Did not finish' for me. The only reason it wasn't is that I was already around 400 pages in when thinking about it. 

I try to be constructive in my reviews when I don't care for a book. I know that authors work hard on their stories, and I don't want it to appear like I am attacking them. That is one hundred percent, not my intent. I also try not to spoil a book, but I can't make any guarantees about that with this book.

We'll start with the good: I thought it was a unique concept, and Christopher and his mother were likable characters. I also liked how descriptive it was with the setting and scenery.

What almost made this a DNF for me was that it drug on for what felt like forever. I was curious to see what would happen but was bored waiting to get there. The descriptions were somewhat creepy, but I never felt scared or creeped out while reading. Reading a few more chapters and finishing the book almost became a chore. 

In addition to the story dragging on and on, the book switched gears from this creepy thriller to a super preachy religious tale about halfway through. It felt really out of place and led to some big philosophical epiphany that was trying too hard to be clever. I will fully admit to being a religionless heathen. I don't mind reading about it; however, I actually find the history of religions interesting. However, had I known I was getting a half-baked sermon on acid, I probably wouldn't have picked the book up. 

For me, this is a one-star. I'm sure others may love it and think it's great. If this sounds like your thing, by all means, read it. It has a lot of positive reviews on Goodreads. This is just not for me, and I genuinely feel like I wasted almost a month having it open on my kindle. 

Book Review: The First Prophet by Kay Hooper

 

Goodreads Summary: Within the FBI, there exists a team of psychics whose powers cannot be denied. But these agents are feared—by a cabal of conspirators with only one weapon: to blind the psychics to the evils all around them.

Months ago Sarah Gallagher woke from a coma with psychic abilities she couldn't control. They changed her life and cost her the man she loved. And now, someone is playing games with Sarah's mind.

It begins with Sarah's home being destroyed by fire—an act of arson that draws novelist Tucker Mackenzie into Sarah's confidence. But he has other reasons for pursuing a woman who can see what others can't. So does a mysterious enemy intent on eliminating Sarah and everyone she cares about. Because it's only a matter of time before her visions lead her and Tucker to a secret many will kill to hide. Only then will they begin to discover the scope of a terrifying conspiracy so deep and complex that they can trust almost no one.

Good Reads Ratings: 3.86 stars with over 4,500 ratings

Genre listing: Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Crime

Goodreads Challenge: #47 Read a book that involves a conspiracy (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of the weekend. I'm going to keep this review relatively short. I'm exhausted, and after I write this, I plan to just play on my phone until I pass out for the night. Exciting plans, I know. This is what happens when you're secretly an elderly person disguised as a 30-something.

I was going to initially use The First Prophet by Kay Hooper as my book that was recommended by a friend. However, the more I got into it, the more it became apparent it was about a conspiracy (I had forgotten initially), so I decided to slot it for #47 since that would be harder for me to find than a recommendation from someone. 

It took me a bit to get into the book. I don't really blame the story for that, however. I started it when I was reading Time's Convert, and given that both books switch points of view a lot, it made it hard for me to pay attention. Once I got into it, I enjoyed it. I liked reading about Sarah and watching her figure out her psychic abilities. I liked Tucker, but I felt like he needed more faults. He was too weirdly good at everything. Having him around made the conflicts seem too easy and predictable. The twist at the end did surprise me a bit, however.

I liked the book. However, I don't know how quickly I will pick up the series. I'm apprehensive because I still have unanswered questions, but I get the feeling that they aren't going to be answered as it pertains to Sarah's storyline specifically. I hope I'm wrong, though, as I did enjoy it, and I'm curious to see where the story goes with Sarah and Tucker. There are a lot of secrets that will be interesting to see how they unravel.

It was a fun read, and I'd buy the next book if I came across it in a bookstore.

Book Review: Hunted by Darcy Coates

 

Goodreads Summary: 22-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.

Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they’re not alone in the forest… and that Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident.

By that point, it’s too late to escape.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.08 stars with over 8,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Survival

Goodreads Challenge: 18/36

2022 Reading Challenge: #33 Read a book that does not have a person (or people) on the cover (Find the entire challenge here)

 

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! As I write this, Reading Challenge Co-Conspirator is at the airport and preparing to make her way to Minnesota. It has been several years since we have seen each other, but I am so excited that she is spending our birthday week in Minnesota. We have some plans, including an Alice in Wonderland-themed escape room and tickets to  Wicked. We mostly plan to sit on my couch, binge a lot of TV, and read books. There will most definitely be snacks. Stay tuned; we have some fun Birthday blog fun coming.

 

So, on to Hunted by Darcy Coates. This book was a bit of a different read for me as I do not typically gravitate towards the survival suspense genres. Lately, I have wanted to read something that had the potential to be scary. I do not know that I found this scary. Some parts made me think, "oh, that is creepy," but that was about it. 

 

The book follows Chris and four of his friends as they form a search party to find Chris's missing sister, Eileen. The challenges they face are primarily psychological, which I found interesting. I thought Darcy Coates did a great job explaining how disorienting this forest would be, especially if there are additional threats to consider. The story also alternates between a few friends, their different perspectives, and the lead investigator on the disappearance case. I thought Delgado was the more interesting of the characters and had an interesting back story. With the book ending, I would read a crime thriller series where she is the main character.

 

I enjoyed the book, but I think the last 20-30% fell flat for me. I wanted to read about what was happening to Chris and his friends and see if they survived the forest. I also wanted to see if Delgado pieced the evidence together, but I figured out who was behind the disappearance early in the book. I think it was supposed to be a big reveal, but I was not all that surprised. Once the book got closer to the end, the story felt more tell than show, and it seemed like a packaged ending. I would still recommend it to anyone who wants a shorter survival thriller.

 

 

 

Book Review: The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker

 

Goodreads Summary: For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize he was on his way to deliver one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive.

As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows even in death, the killer is far from finished. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the body, Porter finds himself caught up in the mind of a psychopath, unraveling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own.

With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer’s identity remains a mystery. Time is running out and the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written fast-paced thriller.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.16 stars with over 26,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Detective, Crime

Goodreads Challenge: 10/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #35 Read a Psychological Thriller (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

I'm not really sure how this book wound up on my radar. I think I was digging through Kindle Unlimited trying to find something dark and twisted. This book definitely fits this requirement. I was drawn in pretty quickly to the case and what was going on. 

I don't really read a lot of Psychological/Crime thrillers, but the plot felt unique to me. I thought it was interesting that we not only got the present-day solving of the case but also information about the serial killer's past in his own words via his diary. I thought 4MK's diary entries were fascinatingly twisted. It was interesting to see how he was raised and groomed for what he became. He was also eerily polite. The entire time I was reading the book I felt like the serial killer was some hybrid of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons and Ted Bundy. 

I really liked the red herrings in this book. It wasn't super straightforward forward and it kept me guessing. Not only just with the case, but 4MK's past, and personal things going on with Detective Porter. I will say that while I enjoyed the book, I think I was more invested in 4MK's background than Porter's. There was a bit that tried to make him feel relatable, but mostly he just felt like a placeholder because somebody had to solve the case. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and will probably read more of J.D. Barker's books in the future. I don't think I'll jump right into another one, however. Mainly because I still have a ton of spots to fill on this challenge. I would not read this book if you're easily triggered. This one deals with domestic abuse, torture, workplace harassment, etc. However, if you are looking for a gory, twisted detective story, I would definitely recommend this one.

Book Review: The Passage by Justin Cronin

Goodreads Summary: "It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born."
An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can't stop society's collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

Goodreads Rating: 4.02 stars with over 204000 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires, Paranormal, Dystopia, Thriller

Goodreads Challenge: 36/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book that was recommended to you (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hi Readers. I hope everyone is doing well. I finally finished a book. I'm so proud of myself. The Passage took me nearly a month to complete. Readers. Let me offer you some advice that you didn't ask for. If you and your spouse both work full time and are in Grad School full time, a 700-page book may not be a quick read. Had I been an intelligent human and looked at the number of pages before I selected this, I would have waited to read The Passage. This was recommended to me by one of my co-workers, who is also a huge bookworm. The sales pitch for it was, "Hey, you like vampires, right?" It doesn't take much for me to want to read a book, honestly. 

I'm not really sure where to go with the review for this one, which is part of why it's taken me four days to get around to writing. I liked The Passage by Justin Cronin. I thought it was an interesting concept. However, I felt like the book was really disjointed. I don't know if it was actually the book or my state of mind right now. Just as soon as I got into a character's story, the Point of View switched. There were so many different views that I just couldn't keep track of all the characters. Once I finally started getting into the story, the timeframe shifted, and it was 100 years in the future. Because of this change, there was a whole new set of characters that I had to get used to. It made it really hard to stay in the moment of whatever was going on.  I felt like I was reading two separate books. 

One big piece of the puzzle that I still feel like I'm missing is the why. That part never really felt clear to me. There was a group of scientists initially, and I don't really understand why they took the actions they did. I don't know if it was to find a cure or some other reason. I never really had a good grasp of why they brought Amy into it. 

All of the confusion aside, I did enjoy the story, as I said earlier. I was more entertained by the dystopian aspect of the story just because things had started to make a little sense by then. I felt more interested in Peter, Theo, Lish, Sarah, and the others in their group than the other characters earlier on. They felt more well-developed to me. Auntie was probably my favorite character in the book, and I wish she would have gotten a little more time in the story. I'm really hoping that her journals at least play a more significant part in the later books. 

I'm keeping this review short today. Overall, I really wish I liked this book more than I did. I don't know if I would have liked it more if I had read it at a different time. I'm not writing off the rest of the series; it just may be a bit before I get into the rest of the books. 

Book Review: The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy Coates

 

Goodreads Summary: Sometimes, the dead reach back...
Leigh Harker’s quiet suburban home was her sanctuary for more than a decade until things abruptly changed. Curtains open by themselves. Radios turn off and on. And a dark figure looms in the shadows of her bedroom door at night, watching her, waiting for her to finally let down her guard enough to fall asleep.

Pushed to her limits but unwilling to abandon her home, Leigh struggles to find answers. But each step forces her towards something more terrifying than she ever imagined.

A poisonous shadow seeps from the locked door beneath the stairs. The handle rattles through the night, and fingernails scratch at the wood. Her home harbors dangerous secrets, and now that Leigh is trapped within its walls, she fears she may never escape.

Do you think you’re safe?

You’re wrong.

Goodreads Rating: 4.06 stars with about 200 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Ghosts, Thriller, Gothic, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 35/50 

2021 Reading Challenge: #41 Read a book where the main character is elderly (find the complete challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm off for the next few days while we deal with our move. Yay! I'm super ready both to be done packing and to be in the new house. I'm also super excited to not have to work for two days.

I've wanted to read more horror for a while, and I recently discovered Darcy Coates on Kindle Unlimited. The Haunting of Leigh Harker seemed pretty interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I managed to pry it out of my hands the first night, and then the following night, I was up until 4 am reading it because "I've only got eighty more pages left." Man, that was stupid. I was so tired the next day! It was definitely worth the read, though. 

I really liked how this book started out creepy. There wasn't a slow build to gain suspense. From the first page, I was curious as to what was happening to Leigh, who she was, and why she was in the situation, she was in. Given that I stayed up until 4am reading it, I think it's safe to say that I never lost interest either. 

I cheated a little bit on where I put this on the challenge. Leigh is very much the main character, and she's not elderly. However, an elderly woman in the story is very much a pivotal character in the book. This story very much couldn't happen without her, and thus this book landed on #41. Plus, I didn't want to burn one of my last two free spaces. 

I really enjoyed the story, and I liked figuring out with Leigh what was going on and more about her. If you need all of the character's backstory upfront, this is not a book for you. Most of Leigh's story isn't fully explained until the end of the book. It is, however, under 300 pages, so it's not that long of a wait. I'm actually really impressed that this story was able to be told in so few pages. 

I felt like a lot of the ending was pretty predictable, but I still felt engaged with the story. If it had been anything else, it just wouldn't have made sense with how the book played out. There were some surprises mixed in, but the overall went how I expected. Sorry for being so vague. I'm trying really hard not to spoil everything. Many of the themes within this book were reminiscent of a very famous thriller movie from the late 90s.  I still think it's worth the read and would recommend it to someone who likes Horror and wants to be a little creeped out but not outright terrified. It's also good if you don't want to dedicate a lot of time to a book but still get a good story. 

Book Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

 

Goodreads Summary: Someone, or something, must be haunting the ship. Between mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths, the guests of the Titanic have found themselves suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone from the moment they set sail. Several of them, including maid Annie Hebley, guest Mark Fletcher, and millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, are convinced there's something sinister--almost otherwordly--afoot. But before they can locate the source of the danger, as the world knows, disaster strikes.
Years later, Annie, having survived that fateful night, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship. When she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier fighting in World War I. At first, Annie is thrilled and relieved to see he survived the sinking. But soon, Mark's presence awakens deep-buried feelings and secrets, forcing Annie to reckon with the demons of her past--as they both discover that the terror may not yet be over.

Brilliantly combining the supernatural with the height of the historical disaster, The Deep is an exploration of love and destiny, desire and innocence, and, above all, a quest to understand how our choices can lead us inexorably toward our doom.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.37 stars with over 5,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy, Adult, Thriller, Ghosts

Goodreads Challenge: 29/50 (Oh hey, I'm finally ahead of schedule. Which is good because Shadow Rising will probably set me back) 

2021 Reading Challenge: #24 Free Space, Pick any book! (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is having a delightful Saturday. Monday is my birthday, so I took yesterday off work and was actually productive. I cleared out my desk at work since I'm going full-time remote (Yay, no more commute! Not that I've had one for a year and a half.) I also did a bunch of laundry and some homework. For dinner, the husband and I tried a new-to-us place. It was a bistro in a bowling alley and surprisingly upscale (luckily only in looks, not in price.) Chris had the ribs, and I had some of the best gluten-free pizza I've had in seven years of having to eat gluten-free. We were going to go to the zoo today, but it's scorching and humid, so no. I imagine we'll probably just go walk around the mall like cool kids to get out of the apartment for a bit. Also, Reading Challenge Co-Conspirator, Tress, has a birthday on Tuesday. Go give her some love on her blog. Tress's blog can be found here. 

Okay, so book review time. If you recall, a few weeks ago, the husband let me loose in Barnes and Noble. The Deep was one of the two books that I picked up while I was unsupervised. I've wanted to read more fiction about the Titanic, and so I saw the cover realized that The Deep was about both the Titanic and its sister ship, the Brittanic. Fair warning, this review is going to be kind of full of spoilers because I can't really discuss my thoughts on this one otherwise. I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

The Deep by Alma Katsu takes on an interesting perspective and combines the sinking of the two ships with the paranormal. I think this book is a perfect example of an interesting premise, poor execution. It really needed to be scaled down by a content editor. The book is just over 400 pages, and there are somewhere around ten (maybe more) perspectives that are shown in the book. Off the top of my head, I think there were perspectives from Annie, Caroline, Mark, the Astors, The Astor's servant, Violet, Dai, Les, Mr. Stead, Charlie, a doctor, and Annie's Mother. It made it really hard to stay into the story, mainly because most of these points of view felt like nothing more than filler. They didn't really add to the story. Their primary purpose was to provide additional experiences as to why the ship was haunted, but it mostly just felt like I was reading the perspective of all 2,230 people on the Titanic.

A lot was going on in this book. I felt like I was reading Girl Interrupted if it were set on the Titanic and influenced by Irish folklore. The haunting and ghosts felt understated. As I mentioned before, there were many people's stories told to explain how it was haunted. However, it mostly boiled down to ominous feelings other than one seance where the paranormal activity was easily explained away. What little it did touch on beyond that seemed easily forgotten. I didn't find the horror aspects of this scary, and honestly, a lot of it felt predictable where Annie was concerned. The main "thriller" aspects were surrounding secrets that Caroline and Mark were hiding. After 300ish pages of a discombobulated story, is fully explained in 30 pages towards the end of the book. The entire book essentially boiled down to the sinking of the two ships was because a pissed-off ghost regretted choices they made while alive and had to deal with the consequences.

I really wanted to like this book. I love history, and I've always been fascinated by the unfortunate happenings of the Titanic.  However, there were just too many characters' perspectives that felt like they didn't need to be there. The hauntings were lackluster, and for being labeled as horror, it wasn't scary at all. I've been debating giving it a two or three rating, and I will give it a two. Honestly, there just wasn't enough there that I did like to warrant the higher rating. I was incredibly frustrated most of the book because of how disjointed it was. I hardly ever read more than one book at a time, and I think I've read a few while struggling to get through this one. I will, however, give credit where credit is due. This book did actually take the time to include LGBTQ+ relationships. There's one included that felt genuinely real to me, and I thought it was well done. It didn't feel like it was included just to be trendy. I felt like the characters did love each other, and honestly, if they had their own prequel of before they got on the Titanic, I'd read it. I just didn't feel like they had a lot to do with the specific story at hand. I also think that the author hinted towards a polyamorous relationship. I don't know if the three characters involved were in a true relationship with one another, but it definitely seems like they could have been if their circumstances had been different. I definitely applaud Alma Katsu for including that in the story.

Book Review: The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

 

Goodreads Summary: There's something wrong with Ashburn House...The ancient building has been the subject of rumors for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.

Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.

Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.

As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumors about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realizes she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.

Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.02 stars with over 8,600 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Gothic, Ghosts, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 36/60 (Still really behind, because of who I am as a person)

2020 Reading Challenge: #17 Read a Suspense or Horror book (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

I have no idea what day it is, and I blame The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates. I've been up very late reading this book since I started. It's totally a good idea to read a horror book beginning at 2 am, just FYI.

It may have just been the haunted house and potential for ghosts, but I was instantly drawn into Adrienne's world. I thought she was a likable character. Her story was a little bit of a sad one, but it was short, so the introduction to her wasn't bogged down with all these details of her life before the book starts. I dig that she named her cat Wolfgang.

At first, I wasn't sure if The Haunting of Ashburn House was actually going to be scary. It didn't seem like it at first, but I was enjoying the story, so I didn't mind too much. Some things were a little bit creepy at first, but I wasn't turning on the lights to make sure the ghosts weren't in my apartment. That all changed around chapters 29 and 30. 

I'll try to be vague because I don't want to ruin the surprise in the book, but I wasn't expecting the haunting thing to be what it was. Hopefully, that makes sense. The clues were to what was going on were kind of there, but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't really try to figure it out. I just wanted to be in the moment reading. 

I really liked how the story concluded (again, trying to be vague because I don't want to give spoilers). I thought it was kind of a sweet ending, which was surprising for a ghost story. The one knock I really have is the friends that Adrienne made. The sweetness kind of seemed a little fake to me, but I could just be jaded and expect there to be ulterior motives behind nice gestures. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't even halfway through, and I was telling friends to read it. I also went through and added a bunch of Darcy Coates' books to my want to read list. It was one of those books that just caught my attention early on and never let go. There were a couple of spots that I thought were kind of funny as well, so it was a nice balance. A lot of Darcy's books are on Kindle Unlimited, so after I finish an author requested review, I'll probably go on a book binge. 

Book Review of Broken Glass by Alexander Hartung

Goodreads Summary: One murdered, one missing. Both are almost identical.

Detective Nik Pohl has seen every shade of darkness in his career. Not used to playing by the rules, he finds himself frozen out by his superiors. What’s worse, now he’s being blackmailed by a shadowy businessman into investigating a seemingly crimeless disappearance.

A young woman, Viola, left her home months ago, leaving a letter to her parents saying she wouldn’t be coming back. With a little digging, Nik discovers the case of an almost identical-looking woman who went missing in similar circumstances. There’s one important difference: that woman is dead. Viola may still be alive… but perhaps not for much longer.

When Nik is viciously attacked, it becomes clear that whoever is behind Viola’s disappearance has some high-level connections, and they will stop at nothing to shut him down. But he’s in too deep, and the clock is ticking. He has to find Viola, and her captors before it’s too late.

Goodreads Rating: 3.83 with just under 1,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 32/50

2019 Reading Challenge: #17 a Detective Novel (Find the full challenge here)
Review:
Hey. Look. I read a book for the challenge, and it was a First Reads! I may have talked about the First Reads before, but basically, how it works is you sign up, and each month, you get a free kindle book that's just released or a hardback discounted. I have a massive stack of unread ones on my kindle. So yay. I read one.

One of the things I really appreciate about how Tress and I have designed the reading challenge is it's meant to get people out of their comfort zone. Broken Glass by Alexander Hartung was definitely out of my comfort zone, which is weird because I like crime related things I just don't read much of it. Broken Glass starts off a little slow. Nik seemed like a disgruntled cop with anger issues and wasn't overly interesting to me at first. It really didn't pick up for me until he got really into Viola's case. Viola's case isn't the only one discussed. Many things need to be solved, and Viola's story is just a starting point.


As the story gets more in-depth, and towards the end, it's evident that Nik has some serious issues that's made him kind of the good cop gone rogue. He's definitely not corrupt, but he does things his own way and doesn't play by the rules. I think this aspect of the story is a little cliche, but once I got interested in the story, I didn't really mind. It did make for some predictable plot twists, however. Balthasar and Jon as characters were ok. Balthasar actually reminded me of Woody, the Coroner from Psych. His oddities and the way he acted made it so I couldn't picture anyone but Woody. Jon, I could take or leave. He's kind of mysterious and just there footing the bill. I'm curious to see if more of his story comes out in the series.


I think that Viola's story kind of gets lost in the mix. She's the reason that Jon reaches out to Nik, but there are so many other crimes and surrounding things that overshadow finding her. It's mentioned a lot, and eventually, she's given some justice, but I feel like presenting her case as the main one is a little misleading. Honestly, after Nik goes undercover and solves that case, the story surrounding Viola loses momentum.


Overall, I liked the story, and I'd read another book in the series. I don't know that I'd go out of my way to pick the next one up, but if it showed up in my Kindle recommendations, I wouldn't be upset about it. It's a decent start to a series and could get really interesting. 

Book Review: Catch and Kill by J.D. Lasica

Goodreads Summary: What happened to the girls? Overnight, hundreds of teenage girls disappear from the streets of America. 

Off the coast of Florida, a virtual reality theme park opens for the super-rich. 

Are the two connected? 

When two assailants accost twenty-three-year-old Kaden Baker at an awards gala, she enters a maelstrom of high-tech international intrigue that pits her against a mysterious foe. 

It will take all her covert ops and hacking skills as she allies with a group of family members to battle an enemy out to unleash a mass attack on the U.S. and West by stealth. 

Can they bring the girls home and thwart the unthinkable? 

Goodreads Ratings: 4.14 stars with just over 100 views

Genre Listing: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 12/50 (Holy hell I'm behind.)

2019 Reading Challenge: #12, Free Space (Find the full challenge here)

Review:

Holy crap it feels like FOREVER since I've posted a review. I actually read a book but to fulfill my fantasy novel spot on the reading challenge, but I was so busy I never got around to doing a review. Now I don't even remember the name of the main character. Anyways, I finally got a chance to finish Catch and Kill. As a disclaimer, I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I kind of have to do this review in a vacuum of sorts. From what I can tell on Goodreads Catch and Kill is the second novel in the series. I don't know how much of the themes in this book are carried over from the first book. I will say that I don't think this will really affect the readability. It did raise some questions for me about Kaden's past, but J.D. Lasica does a reasonably good job about recapping to where it didn't feel necessary for me to stop and go read the first book. I was drawn into Kaden's story right away. A special ops thriller with a female lead? Sign me up! Plus, the dynamic between Kaden and Bo was unique, and not one I would expect in a thriller.

My favorite thing in this story was the technology. I felt it was really well done and fascinating. In the world that J.D. Lasica's created, everyone wears smart glasses. The wearers can see a lot of information about other people and their surroundings. Kaden has developed an AI that lives within her smart contact lenses. The AI comes in pretty handy throughout the story and even has an amusing persona. The AI centered vacation island was particularly fascinating. Lasica's created a unique economy for the island based on points for community helpfulness. 

I think the hardest part from me is that the entire book switches from so many points of view. I feel like there were at least ten different characters that we saw the story through. I accept that I appreciate a more linear timeline than some readers. I like one to two points of view, generally. However, this seemed like a lot of character switching in only 400 pages. All of this switching made it kind of hard for me to follow along or really get thoroughly invested in the story. It seemed like as soon as I'd start to get really into the story, it'd switch characters, and I'd have to get reacquainted. I will say that eventually, everything does come together, and I don't know that the story could be told more linearly.  So, if you start to read Catch and Kill and start getting frustrated like I did, keep going and give it a chance.

I could get interested in most of the characters except for the villain, Incognito. He didn't really feel like he fit in with the story. I think his story was almost too complicated. Instead of making him interesting, it just made me not want to read about him. I think if the main plot were this billionaire businessman bought out an island and made it a hub of sex-trafficking and fantasy for the rich, it would have been more plausible. But there's this whole extra plot about using it as a front of terrorism, and it just didn't fit. Now, as I said before, I'm starting this with the second book. So this could very well be an ongoing theme through the series, and I'd have no idea. I think for this to work better, it would need to be its own plot based on the terrorist plot, and maybe a different villain. With what's in Catch and Kill, it just felt like it was thrown in to make things more complicated when it didn't need to be. I probably would have been hooked without it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I didn't love it. I found it hard to stay interested in, even though it is well written, I think that a lot of research went into the tech used in the story as well as the military aspects, which I appreciate. I'm guessing that people who enjoy the Jack Reacher type of novels would like this book. My issue with the book is that the constant character changing and overdeveloped villain took me out of the story.

Book Review: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

Goodreads Summary:  In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.
In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he's put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead.

That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.
Goodreads Ratings: 3.52 stars with over 35,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Fiction
Goodreads Challenge: 10/50
2019 Reading Challenge: 1.) A book with a red cover (find the full challenge here.)

Book Review:

Woohoo! At long last, I got the red cover off my list. This should not have been as hard as it was! I picked up several different kindle books with red covers that were either already on my kindle or free. I couldn't even get through like 20 pages of them. I ended up killing time on my lunch hour Thursday and wandering into the Books A Million right down the road. Side note, having a book store that close by is DANGEROUS. Anyway, I started reading it that night since I didn't have much time once I got back to work. I was instantly hooked. Read a bunch on my break on Friday, and then when I stopped into a pizza place on the way home read it while I was waiting. I could not put it down. I'm pretty sure once I got home Friday I ate dinner and crawled up with it some more. I ended up finishing it sometime early Saturday morning. 

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor alternates between 1986 and 2016. I'm shocked that I enjoyed the timeline aspect of the book as generally, I prefer more linear timelines. However, in the Chalk Man the alternating works. It starts with a body being found from an unknown point of view and then progresses to getting to know Eddie and his friends as kids and then knowing Eddie (or Ed) as an adult.

When the story switched to 1986, I felt like it had a Goonies/Stand By Me gang of friends vibe. I think what I liked most about this, characterwise, is that each kid had their own personality. I felt like they were all well developed and Eddie's narration gave each of his friends their own backstory. I thought their development into adults was very well done. I thought what their adult lives had become made a lot of sense with what description was given of them as children.

I think that my favorite part of this story was the wit. It's not outright comical by any mean, but several pieces were just witty and clever. If I had been reading it on Kindle, I probably would have soo many highlighted quotes. If you enjoyed the quotes I used to post, be sure to follow me on Goodreads. I haven't really been putting them in the posts lately, but I always make them public on GR.

This book was definitely suspenseful. I think that C.J. Tudor did a great job of giving several possible characters being the murder. I was actually surprised because I didn't really expect who it ended up being. I especially didn't predict the motive. I'm trying to not give too much away, but there are so many potential suspects, and no one's really ruled out until the very end. I think part of this is that just about everyone in the story has their own secrets. I absolutely loved the things that the characters were hiding from one another. I mentioned to a Twitter friend (Follow me for blog updates: @LinzBassett) that The Chalk Man is super twisted. A lot of the twistedness comes from the secrets. I'm going to be a bit spoilery here, Eddie has the most F***ed up secret, which is probably why he's the main character. It made my True Crime loving self thoroughly creeped out. Yes, I'm aware that the fact that I enjoy this kind of stuff is just not right. I have never once in my life claimed to be normal, and at nearly 32 years old I don't plan to claim it now.

If you want a thriller that you can't put down, I highly recommend The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. It's a relatively short read, but there's so much character depth, twists and turns, and wit that make it a fantastic read. I'm already thinking about rereading this just to see if there's anything crazy I missed.

Book Review: Six Scary Stories selected and Introduced by Stephen King

Goodreads Summary: Six Scary Stories selected and introduced by Stephen King

Number 1 bestselling horror author Stephen King introduces and presents six gripping and chilling stories in this captivating anthology!

Stephen King discovered these stories when he judged a competition run by Hodder & Stoughton and the Guardian to celebrate the publication of his own collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. He was so impressed with the entries that he recommended they be published together in one book, which Cemetery Dance Publications and Hodder & Stoughton are pleased to report has become a reality. The six stories are:

WILD SWIMMING by Elodie Harper
EAU-DE-ERIC by Manuela Saragosa
THE SPOTS by Paul Bassett Davies
THE UNPICKING by Michael Button
LA MORT DE L'AMANT by Stuart Johnstone
THE BEAR TRAP by Neil Hudson

Reader beware: the stories will make you think twice before cuddling up to your old soft toy, dipping your toe into the water or counting the spots on a leopard…

Goodreads Rating: 3.59 Stars with over 2,000 reviews
Genre Listing: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Thriller
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Goodreads Challenge: 8/30
2018 Reading Challenge: #40 A compilation of Short Stories. 2018 reading challenge can be found here.

Book Review:

I'm not really sure the best way to go about reviewing this, as I've never actually reviewed short stories compilations before. (Mental note to do this more.) I've decided to review each short story as I get them done. In the end, I might pick a favorite (maybe a least favorite as well.) I think I'll give each a rating, and then my actual book rating will be an average of the 6.

These six short stories were all picked by Stephen King for a writing contest. It was narrowed down from 800 to six, and King states in his introduction that he felt all of these stories deserved to be published. With that, the idea for this compilation was born. 

First up:

Wild Swimming by Elodie Harper

I really liked that this story takes place in e-mails. It made it really easy to read and got to the point quickly. There wasn't a lot of background story, which was fine. It just jumps into Chrissy's travels, and her stay at a run-down inn. It gave just enough details to find Chrissy's adventures interesting. There was a good build-up within the e-mails that Chrissy sends her friend. They start innocently enough, but with each one, you can see Chrissy's fear grow. If this were to be published in a full-length novel, I'd definitely read it. I'd love to read a more in-depth version of the story with history on the sunken village and is being explored. 

Eau-De-Eric by Manuela Saragosa

Eh. I was not really a fan of this one. I found it weird and didn't really get the point of it. I think for this one to be scary it would have needed to be a bit longer. It was well written and interesting, but just when I could start to see how it would be scary, it ended. It made it really anti-climatic.

The Spots by Paul Bassett Davies

This one was pretty interesting, and I liked the psychology and experimentation of how someone would accomplish a seemingly ridiculous task in two different ways. First with the job just being a mundane request and second with an element of life or death introduced. I actually found the ending to be a bit humorous. Overall I thought it was a well-done story and I enjoyed it.

The UnPicking by Michael Button

This story was properly creepy, and I enjoyed every page of it. I loved the odd names that were given to the toys and how each had their own personality. The way the caused mischief started out innocently enough and kind of Toy Story-Esq but then quickly got very dark.  At the time of this compilation, Michael Button was working on his first novel. This short story was enough to make me want to seek out his work. 

La Mort De L'amant by Stuart Johnstone

I don't know that this one was necessarily scary, but it did have a lot of suspense in it. The story left me with all kinds of questions. Some of the questions that it raised were 'why was the old man at the bridge?', 'What was in the truck that he didn't want the officer to see,' 'Who was the woman he kept referencing.' I think the suspense definitely got my heart racing a little bit. Also, this is the second time this week I've heard/read the phrase "Dumb as a bag of hammers." I've never heard that before until this week, and now I've had it referenced twice. 

The Bear Trap by Neil Hudson

The sixth and final story in this compilation is an interesting one. It takes place in an ash-covered wasteland. Calvin, a young abandoned boy, is caught off guard by a stranger who is intent on taking Calvin's home for his own. I liked the detail in this one. It was gruesome and imaginative. A lot of the other stories left the ending up for speculation, but I think this one had a pretty concrete ending. I liked the story of Calvin and his three favorite bears. 

Overall Review:

I really enjoyed these six stories. They were all really creative and made me think. They were unique, and most of them left me wanting more. If nothing else I've got some new authors to stalk on social media.

Here is my list of favorites. 

1.) The Unpicking by Michael Button

2.) Wild Swimming by Elodie Harper

3.) The Bear Trap by Neil Hudson

4.) The Spots by Paul Bassett Davies

5.) La Mort De L'amant by Stuart Johnstone

6.) Eau-De-Eric by Manuela Saragosa

I can see why these were picked as the finalists for the contests. Average stars for my ratings on these comes out to 3.83, so I'm going to bump it up to four stars overall. I'd love to get a discussion going about these short stories, so if you've read them, please let me know what you think in the comment section!