review

Combination of Concepts

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Feather Falls by Shawn Hartje features an image of a bridge against a starry sky.

Collected within Feather Falls by Shawn Hartje are four short stories that range widely in topic from a couple who have a startling aquatic encounter that sparks a new breath of inspiration into their lives to a son coping with finding himself amidst dealing with his father’s eccentric, and potentially dangerous, attention-grabbing antics to a technologically enthusiastic winemaking mother’s attempt at addressing her insolent teenagers’ behavior to a group of words gathering for a party where they finally have a night off without needing to adhere to their definition but that doesn’t mean it’s a night without meaning.

With four quite distinct stories, this collection offers an interesting variety of narratives to provoke continued thought on the assorted ideas raised long beyond the conclusion of the tales with some of the stories tipping more toward the mildly surreal, others trending toward what might seem eerily timely, or a combination thereof. As with nearly any collection of stories there are bound to be those that may be more memorable or appeal more strongly to some readers than others; “Solar Maximum 2025” and “A Night at the U-Ball” stand out as rather intriguing concepts from these gathered stories, with the latter especially as a fun and entertaining exploration of language that also serves as a serious reflection of how society tends to function.

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Magically Missing

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer features an illustration of a tree with branches winding upward with green leaves and a orangish-red door at the base of the tree trunk as a red crow flies among the upper branches.

Sometimes not all those who are missing are lost, and for a few who have gone missing the truth about their disappearance is far grander than what people might be willing to believe in Meg Shaffer’s The Lost Story.

Best friends Jeremy and Rafe went missing in Red Crow state forest in West Virginia as boys, mysteriously reappearing months later with no explanation for where they’d been or how they managed to survive, and even thrive. Years later, Jeremy has become a missing person investigator, specializing in lost girls and has gained a fair amount of fame for it. Searching for her long-missing sister, Emilie asks for Jeremy’s help in finding Shannon. Jeremy agrees to help Emilie with some confusing answers and enigmatically states that they’ll need the aid of Rafe, who has no memory of their time in Red Crow but who will be able to guide them where they need to go, if he’ll set aside his resentment of Jeremy’s abandonment of him and agree to help them. Once ready and setting out into the forest an entirely new quest awaits them all in a world more enchanted and fantastic than could be imagined or believed but with the wonder and magic comes a cost to be confronted before the possibility of any happily ever after might be enjoyed.

With complex characters who sling witty banter without a second thought, cultural references strewn throughout, and a search for a missing person that becomes a most magical quest, the story is captivating and enjoyable as it taps into the childhood joys of fairy tales for the adults who still want to believe. There’s a distinct division between the magic and nonmagic realms and rules governing the magic realm are made clear, presenting difficulties in traversing between them and in divulging information about it as a measure of protecting it and the beings who reside there; there was blurring between the realms through dreams and Rafe’s art and then through the so-called king of the Bright Boys who Rafe had to confront, which raised a heavy topic of abuse and the narrative handled that topic with care. The brief chapters of Storyteller interjections provided both additional levity and some added context, sometimes for background on the characters or more generally in relation to how fairy tales typically function and how this particular story may then deviate from the norm, which was an entertaining aside from the main narrative thread that helped to round out the story. The events toward the end of this story pointed toward hope of a reunion, which offered an opening for another adventure with this motley crew.

Overall, I’d give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Child of Consequence

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for The Hidden Heir by Samuel Lockwood features a figure astride a horse riding in the fog toward a chain link fence with barbed wire atop it and a forest beyond it in greyscale.

An affair between Marilyn Monroe and President John F. Kennedy results in something more than just scandal with sweeping consequences years later in The Hidden Heir by Samuel Lockwood.

After learning that she’s pregnant by none other than President John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe meets with a small group intent on preserving the status and interest of the family’s political ambitions, including Kennedy’s advisor, and Jackie Kennedy, with JFK quietly standing in the background, to discuss options, which boil down to getting an abortion or faking her death to vanish from public life and raise the child in secret. Choosing the latter, Marilyn raises their son, Clyde, on a ranch in Montana under constant surveillance, but otherwise in isolation, until her death when she finally reveals the truth about his parentage. Reeling in shock but filled with a determination to fulfill his mother’s wish that he live a normal life, Clyde makes a plan to escape the ranch and share his story with a reporter to get the message out as broadly as possible, but he’s got to do so before those with more power and influence than him try to suppress the truth, and reality, of his existence.

Presented through the lenses of a variety of characters involved, the story of Clyde’s life is a whirlwind adventure based within an intriguing alternate version of history. Quickly progressing and engaging, the narrative tackles the large elements of politics and the power and corruption wrapped up within it and family and the bonds forged with those of both blood and found. The personalities of the characters were fleshed out well and made to be rather distinct, which made it easy to connect with them, or root against them in certain cases; with notable historical figures in play, their depictions were well handled and the differentiations for the alternate version of history portrayed were interesting to see as some were such deviations from their known public personas that it was jarring to imagine.

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cyclical Suffering

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera features a red background with a dressmaker mannequin body being cut across the chest with scissors.

Sometimes dreams, as wonderful as they may appear on the surface, have a darkness lurking beneath to be grappled with before too much harm comes to pass as one young woman soon discovers in Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera.

Samara has finally landed the life she’s dreamed of with a job working for a legendary fashion designer Antonio Mota to tell the story of his career as he launches an inspired return, which also is happily across the country from the past she’s desperate to escape in New Jersey. Though a bright and shining opportunity to begin with there’s some darkness that begins to seep in at the corners, first in some strange sounds in Samara’s apartment, then with a haunting appearance of a woman outside her apartment at night, and finally as the stress increases with the impending approach of the fashion show with some improbable appearing and disappearing stitching on clothing and photos appearing in odd places that can’t easily be explained. Retreating into alcohol to cope with the stress and anxiety, Samara’s mind becomes a fragile mess and she questions both herself and those around her as she looks into the dark reality of just what lies beneath the shiny, beautiful surface of the world she’s become part of.

In a narrative that quickly and quietly introduces hints of the supernatural throughout the course of the more mundane daily minutiae of working for a demanding fashion designer before ramping up to a more overpowering and threatening presence of the supernatural, a strong sense of suspense and something looming just beyond reach is maintained for the duration of the novel. In the treatment of the people of the neighborhood over the years there was a portrayal of gentrification as a form of colonization with a violent, forceful minimization of those who made the area vibrant in favor of things more profitable and convenient than what might have been traditional or morally right along with a manufactured story to cover the true history of the place. With the mental toll on Samara it was unfortunate that the crutch relied upon to make her unreliable and unbelievable was alcohol as it’s an overdone method, but the unraveling that occurs was an apt way to depict the concept of pulling at just one small detail and how that can begin an unspooling that creates a bigger mess that you can no longer ignore.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Staged Slayings

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Autopsy of a Fairytale by Nicole Scarano features images of handcuffs, a detective's badge, drawn anatomically correct heart, rose petals, caution tape, manila case file, and some blood spatter.

Life in a small town was meant to reduce the stressors of city life but it seems that a homicide detective is incapable of escaping gruesome murders in Nicole Scarano’s Autopsy of a Fairytale.

After being attacked and left for dead on the job, Isobel “Bel” Emerson leaves the city for a quieter and smaller town in the hopes of a less stressful life with her trusty rescue pittie Cerberus in tow; though still a detective, Bel hasn’t yet faced the same level of horrors haunting her dreams until her partner calls her to a strange and gruesome scene of the murdered local furniture designer, who’s been posed to look like a chandelier. Pulled back into investigating homicides due to her experience, Bel faces down her personal terrors while the impossibilities of the case pile up as more bodies turned into household items appear and the limited clues point mostly circumstantially toward the reclusive millionaire, Eamon Stone, who bought and is renovating the abandoned mansion at the edge of town. Both drawn toward and suspicious of Stone, Bel knows there’s more to him than meets the eye but is it enough to keep away once she uncovers the truth about him and why he’s in town?

In a police procedural that plays mostly by the rules and draws inspiration from Beauty & the Beast, the story includes a touch of magic and dark whimsy in the presentation of the victims as various household items that align with their character that is familiar and entertaining. The allure between Eamon and Bel is overt and strong, but perhaps a bit too much so without having decent cause our build up to or for it; it didn’t really give off romance vibes as much as creepy stalker vibes until the very end when it morphed to slightly more protective when additional context, and the ominous threat for more danger, was provided. Cerberus is an adorable addition and offers humanizing elements to make Bel feel a bit more like a real person with responsibilities beyond herself, plus, you always trust a dog’s instincts, and he provided a major clue early on to who was going to be a suspicious culprit, which was a convenient and obvious option.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Omen of Other

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel features the upper half a face staring out against a dark turquoise background.

Two daughters who don’t quite behave as their communities believe they ought to forge new futures with paths paved with bloodied sacrifices in Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel.

Taught how to hunt, fight, and forge weapons by her father before he left to explore distant lands, Yafeu is seen by those in her village as rather odd but that still doesn’t stop her from being taken from her home and separated from her mother and brothers by slavers and transported across the Sahara and sold. Rescued from a brutal fate by a trio of women warriors led by Alvtir, Yafeu travels to a distant kingdom in the North where she bides her time waiting for Alvtir’s approval to join the ranks of the legendary shield maidens by serving as the handmaiden to Freydis, the softly spoken princess awaiting her politically strategic marriage, though she dreams of a happy one, and/or the survival of one of her brothers past birth. As Freydis hopes to become friends with Yafeu like her mother is with her own handmaiden, Yafeu initially brushes her off but comes to recognize that they may be able to help one another, and, in fact, their fates and survival, as well as that of many others, might just depend upon them working together to build a future bigger and brighter than they might have ever individually imagined.

Weaving together the stories of young women who are vastly different from one another yet are similar in not fitting with the expectations that others have for them, a narrative of survival and defying the odds for a chance of hope is presented; with focus centering on harrowing, formative experiences and the resulting character growth of Yafeu and Freydis primarily, as well as some for Alvtir, the narrative uses the myths from their respective homes to connect them and it’s through Yafeu that they come to recognize there’s some similarities to them and the various gods they pray to, taking the vast world they’ve already traversed and shrinking it even further in a way that’s familiar for readers, especially those of mythology. There are some strong and distinct characters, such as Yafeu and Alvtir, depicted throughout the story, but there are many others who are more one-dimensional or cliched, leaving them as less than memorable or feeling rather interchangeable, which is a shame as the cultures shown have rich histories to pull inspiration from. Though feeling rather disjointed and slow initially as the story jumped between Yafeu and Freydis’s perspectives, once they were both in the same location it smoothed out and became more cohesive, quickly picking up speed as events snowballed to an incredibly eventful culmination before resolving into a pivotal moment that sets the scene for more to come.

Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shielding Secrets

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow features a black background against which smashed, broken glass and a smashed orange and pink flower appear.

Best friends are torn apart by a terrible accident and as the remaining one tries to move on with her life, coping with her grief, some newly found realizations shake her to her core in Sloan Harlow’s Everything We Never Said.

An accident where Ella was driving killed her best friend Hayley and Ella can’t help but feel responsible, especially with missing memories making her doubt herself, but now that the summer has passed and she’s returned to school she’s facing more reminders of Hayley, with the greatest one being Hayley’s boyfriend Sawyer. As Sawyer and Ella spend more time together, they both realize they’re interested in each other, but Ella feels guilty about pursuing her feelings out of loyalty to Hayley; despite knowing that it’s an invasion of privacy, Ella reads a journal of Hayley’s that she found hoping that it might help to assuage her but instead it’s provided her with doubts about Sawyer as the relationship that Hayley wrote about was far from idyllic and a departure from what she knew them to be and how Sawyer is with her. With some harrowing memories from the night of the accident beginning to return, Ella’s unsure what to do or who to trust as she’s now burdened by the secrets that Hayley kept in their friendship.

A quickly paced story that addresses some substantial topics and places them within the setting of a high school and the lives of high schoolers, the narrative is presented from multiple perspectives to help slowly provide more context to the entire situation as it progresses. The secrets that are kept seem to have been done so primarily as a measure to protect others from coming to harm, and secondarily out of the character’s feeling some shame; simple, open communication could have prevented much of what occurred given that Ella and Hayley in particular talked about most everything else very openly, and given this tendency, shifting to closing the communication off is not only then out of character for them but a frustrating device to have relied upon to generate such angsty teenage levels of drama when tackling a heavier topic like domestic violence. Not using a name and instead using just a letter and then having numerous characters with names that begin with that letter provided alternative options to redirect and reframe the relationship depicted in Hayley’s journal, generating a tension for who it might be, though the likely suspects were genuinely few and easily picked out from textual clues.

Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Devotion and Distortion

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera features a red background with the title text in white and black headphone cord wires twining around.

A podcast dredges up the past and the details of a murder where the primary suspect has no memory of having committed it in Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.

Lucy was found covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood wandering the streets with no memory of what happened, leaving her the prime suspect as the one who murdered Savvy despite there being no clear motive for Lucy to do so. Having left the small Texas town and scrutiny of the people there years ago, Lucy is called back by her grandma, who has guilted her into returning for an uncharacteristic birthday celebration, but that’s only a ploy to help get Lucy to connect with Ben, the podcast host of “Listen for the Lie,” which is currently investigating Savvy’s murder; reopening old wounds and memories, Ben and Lucy work to solve the case of Savvy’s murder, following where the clues lead, even if they might prove that Lucy’s the one who did it.

Written in a style that’s propulsive with quickly moving action and snarky with a protagonist whose attitude gives major IDGAF energy and dark humor, the story’s narrative weaves together Lucy’s perspective with that of interspersed investigative interview-based podcast episodes as it directs and redirects attention to various versions of the truth as it takes readers along for a ride. The frequent thoughts of Lucy’s popping into her head about killing people easily made her unreliable as a narrator, not to mention the amnesia around Savvy’s death, but the killing voice at least did develop out into something a bit more tangible, though still heavy and grim, that spoke to character and was darkly entertaining. Though some characterization and behavior presented throughout was rather exaggerated and raised questions of believability, the level of exaggeration, and related humor, was at least maintained and consistent.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Manufactured Manipulations

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton features a pastel water color palate of oranges, reds, yellows, blues, and greens depicting an image of a mountain with a lighthouse nestled along a shore and boats in the water.

An island is all that’s left of the world after a destructive fog killed anything it touched and now there’s been a murder that’s doomed the remainder of humanity unless it’s solved in time in Stuart Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World.

On an idyllic Greek island, a village of one hundred and twenty-two, plus three scientist Elders, live in collaborative harmony, guided and comforted by Abi in their thoughts, as they live ensconced within their small world that’s the result of what remains after a killer fog circled the planet, ravaging anything it touched. Though nearly all the villagers go along with what the Elders and Abi tell them, Emory has always been an exception, questioning the rules and generally asking why; when she overhears the Elder Niema’s talk of an experiment and killing someone only for Neima to herself later wind up dead and everyone’s memories of the last twelve hours wiped, Emory takes up an investigation to reveal the truth and murderer, which happens to be their only hope of survival as the murder has lowered the security system that has kept the fog at bay. With the clock ticking down, fog encroaching, and with memories gone leaving everyone a suspect, the fate of humanity’s survival rests on the solving of this murder.

Following an ensemble cast of characters, but focusing most closely on Emory and her investigation, the narrative develops out and slowly reveals pieces of information that shed new light on the overall situation, which in turn might change the way in which it is viewed as part of the larger whole. There are plenty of secrets being kept and full truths being craftily obscured, primarily from the villagers but also between the Elders as well, which provided a level of necessary tension to the mystery of the murder at the crux of humanity’s survival that drove interest forward. The technology presented in the world and being researched, particularly that of Abi, as an artificial biological intelligence, was intriguing and frightening in equal measure with the possibilities it poses and how it follows, as well as devises, plans so well; with the plans that Niema put in place for the future of the village and villagers offered at the outset, the tone at the opening of the novel and the end serve as strong reflections of one another but the perception of them is shifted by the context of what’s learned in the interim.  

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paranormal Plots

Posted on by Jen Paul

Book cover for Bride by Ali Hazelwood features an image of a female presenting figure in a white jumpsuit against a black forest and starry sky background with a gray wolf with whited out eyes looming behind.

Years of systemic collateral and territorial boundary enforcement with the deeply-seated grudges fueling them may yet be upended with a surprising new kind of alliance forming in Ali Hazelwood’s Bride.

As the daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark is about to become collateral to keep the peace yet again, but this time with the Weres instead of the Humans. Marrying the Were Alpha Lowe Moreland, Misery isn’t merely a pawn in a political exchange this time but instead she has her own agenda as she’s trying to find out what happened to her friend Serena who’s inexplicably gone missing after leaving behind a lone enigmatic clue of L.E. Moreland and her recently adopted cat. Though Misery and Lowe may not fully trust one another, as they have their respective secrets to keep, they each are keen to protect those they care about, so as their priorities happen to align, they decide to work together to uncover the truth about the threats against those they love, which reveals a larger plot that poses a threat to them all if left unchecked.

Offering variation on a familiar tale that presents an interspecies dynamic reflective of a star-crossed lovers story that was light entertainment and built with a decent amount of tension, the narrative addressed and dispelled some well-worn cliches of the mythic creatures of the three domains of Humans, Vampyres, and Weres. Political machinations, power, and playing an expected part in plans comprise a large part of the expectations driving the world of the three domains, which gets reflected in characters to different degrees: Lowe exudes authority but it was more reluctantly assumed out of necessity whereas Misery had bowed to authority for so long that she’s finding more ways to toe the line more brazenly and do as she likes. The mis- or lack of communication between Lowe and Misery about the whole mate scenario, especially after they were intimate, was unnecessarily exaggerated, most likely to heighten drama, but it was primarily just unnecessary and felt incongruous to the situation and to where their relationship seemed to have developed to.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.