Category: Reviews

Reviews

The Haar Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Haar Review

*SPOILERY FILLED*

Muriel McAuley has lived in the Scottish fishing village of Witchaven all her life. She was born there, and she intends to die there. But when an overseas property developer threatens to evict the residents from their homes and raze Witchaven to the ground in the name of progress, all seems lost… until the day a mysterious fog bank creeps inland. The Haar. To some it brings redemption… to others, it brings only madness and death. What macabre secrets lie within… The Haar.

I really loved Muriel. Hearing her story and all the happy memories she had with her life with Billy really showcased how sad and old she has become. I loved how staunch she was in dealing with the execs who keep coming and soliciting her to sell her home. I can’t even imagine the feeling of helplessness and despair the whole situation would of caused.

I thought the Haar was going to be the monster in the story and not seperate. The Haar was just used as cover for Avalon to appear and was again used for their escape at the end. Given it was the name of the book I thought the fog was going to have more of a substantial role in the plot but it went another direction.

Avalon wasn’t that scary in my opinion, this kind of horror felt more on the campy side. The writing was very descriptive and the various method Avalon used to consume his victims were creative to say the least (the one where they turned into Muriel was definitely an interesting one). Overall this book was quite sad but it took us on a journey and was entertaining for sure!

⭐️4/5 stars Bloody, disgusting, sad and oddly charming

Reviews

Black Sheep Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Black Sheep Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD*

Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly…something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.

Vesper felt like quite a refreshing main character. She is very self aware and her cynicism and snarkiness was highly entertaining to read from. She does go through quite the emotional journey throughout the course of the storyline and I can’t say I agreed with every decision she made, and yet I was here for it! She definitely shouldn’t of went back to the farm the second time but the series of events that occur after was crazy.

I have to say that first twist that this religious cult Vesper comes from is actually a satanic cult actually shocked me.. I was NOT expecting that at all so that was quite fun. Again, it was quite a refreshing change from the usual cult tropes I’ve read from before. And the fact that the plot gets more and more unhinged as everything unfolds really sucks you in. I really liked how we are introduced to Hells Gate and how their whole way of life is explained. I wish we would of gotten more clarity about Constance though. She was such a compelling character and backstory that I wish we would of learnt more about her life and how she was ‘chosen’ by Lucifer and why she didn’t love Vesper.

I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen at any point of this book and there was just this overall creepy atmosphere and tone of dread laced throughout that added a nice contrast to how over the top and wild the concept which was quite surprising. This is another book where you really need to suspend your beliefs and just follow along for the ride.

⭐️4/5 stars gripping, shocking, fun and entertaining!

Reviews

I Was A Teenage Slasher Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on I Was A Teenage Slasher Review

*THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD*

1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, and shared sense of unfairness of being on the outside through the slasher horror Jones loves, but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.

Tolly as our main character was likeable but pretty pathetic in a way. I think it was the fact that he allowed people to do things to him that any other normal human being would take offense to which in a way I guess that parallels nicely with Justin’s storyline. Even the way he let Amber (his best friend) continually smash his head on her windscreen was a bit of a red flag for me. I was intrigued as we get straight into the book how he was going to ‘turn’ into a slasher and how he managed to evade capture all these years and I was quite happy with how the storyline played out albeit for the majority we aren’t shown exactly what happens.

I loved how Amber was just 100% on board with what was happening and actually believed Tolly. The fact that she even went as far as to call up her brother and then conduct those series of tests was very entertaining and makes the story a bit more believable in a way. I mean you definitely have to suspend disbelief for the most part as these events have only occurred because a teenage boy came back from the dead to enact revenge but it makes you more invested.

The only real flaw I found with this book was the amount of times Tolly would just go on these random long tangents in the middle of chapters. It was just very disjointed and made the story harder to understand, very chaotic. Which I suppose makes sense since he was infected and not in his right frame of mind at the time but made me have to slow down and focus on every word which took me out of the story.

⭐️3/5 very entertaining but confusing at times!

Reviews

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear Review

Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth. It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong. It wasn’t her. Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyyreka, the Land Beneath the Lake–and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.

Like most of the backstories for the Wayward Children’s series we are shown just how horrible these kids were treated by those around them who should love and care about them the most which is why these doors open for them. Nadya’s story wasn’t as harrowing as some of the other kids but I still can’t even imagine growing up the way she did. The abandonment from birth and then even though she is comfortable and happy with the body she was given having to try and please these ‘white saviors’.

I love when we get the chance to enter the worlds and experience them figuring out the rules and finding their place. Nadya’s experience out of everyone else I think was the most positive. Even though she has that scare right at the start with the frog, every else she encounted was very understanding of her situation and helped her out every step of the way. Her transition into Belyyreka was the least adventurous out of the rest. There wasn’t really any obstacles for her to overcome or mysteries to solve, she kind of just showed up and integrated herself into life there and lived happily until she fell back out.

So because there wasn’t really any real plots or mysteries to keep me in suspense I wasn’t all that invested in the storyline. I loved how we got to explore this new world but some of the descriptions made it hard to visualise in my head so it took me out of the story quite a bit as well.

⭐️3/5 could’ve packed more of a punch I feel!

Reviews

Funny Story Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Funny Story Review

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Daphne’s character definitely went on an emotional journey throughout the course of this book . There were many times where I wish she would of stood up for herself more, especially where Peter and her father were concerned. I however, have never been in her shoes so I can imagine how difficult of a situation being dumped a week before your wedding would be. I love how she comes to realise that she needs to cultivate her friendships more than the possibility of throwing herself into a new relationship and takes that more slowly.

I absolutely loves Miles. The fact that he is living his life despite the rumours around his character that was completely made up by Peter and Petra’s family. He didn’t need to prove himself to anyone but I love how above and beyond he goes with Daphne to show what kind of person he actually is. I love when male characters can anticipate the needs of their love interests and he did so many cute little things in this book that just is so endearing and adorable.

Overall I thought this book was very messy (in a fun way) and the drama just kept piling on. I didn’t quite enjoy that third act conflict between Daphne and Miles, especially when all they had to do was communicate with each other and it would of been resolved.

⭐️4/5 stars not my favourite Emily Henry but it’s up there!