Review: The River Runs Black (North Country #2) by Tessa Wegert

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The River Runs Black (North Country #2)The River Runs Black by Tessa Wegert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The River Runs Black is the 2nd-book in Tessa Wegert’s North Country series. I loved her entire Shana Merchant series, the series previous to this one, and highly recommend it if you love Police Procedural Mysteries.

I haven’t yet read the 1st-book in this series, In the Bones, but I did end up checking it out from my local library after I started this one. I’m really looking forward to getting to it!

I actually knew nothing about this going in. I thought it might be set in the same area geographically as the Shana Merchant series, but I had no idea that it’s a spin-off of sorts. I was so stoked to discover that.

While Shana isn’t a main character in this story, her husband, Tim Wellington, is and Shana does make appearances. I’ve really grown to love Shana over the course of the 6-books in that original series, so was delighted to have more access to her and her life.

You might be asking, do I need to read the Shana Merchant series first? My answer to that would be, no, definitely not. This is completely it’s own thing.

You may be inspired to go back and pick up the books in that original series if you end up enjoying this as much as I did, but it’s definitely not a necessity.

The mystery in this novel has a few different pieces. It begins when a local teenager dies of a drug overdose, and subsequently one of the deputies in Shana and Tim’s department ends up making a record-breaking drug seizure along the Canadian border.

While initially celebrated as a victory for the investigative team, little do they know it’s but a pebble in the pond of what is actually going on in Alexandria Bay.

After Lab results end up showing that the drugs that killed the teen, and the drugs recently seized, are not of the same origin, it indicates they have a much bigger problem on their hands than they initially realized.

Once they start seeing it, the evidence of drug activity is everywhere. Adding fuel to the fire of the investigation, two young women end up going missing, and it seems like this mysterious drug ring could be involved.

It’s a race against the clock as Tim and the rest of the team try to find the young women before it’s too late, and rid their town of these dangerous criminal elements.

As mentioned above, even though this doesn’t follow Shana Merchant, it does include many of the characters from the original series, such as Tim, Val and Mac.

I loved that it was set in the same town and I felt like I was already attached to them. It made it very easy for me to just settle into the mystery and get invested.

The setting is the Thousand Lakes region of upstate New York, which sits on the border to Canada, and offers up plenty of room for intriguing cases being on a prominent border. I always love Wegert’s mystery elements. They’re well-plotted and I love the way she paces her reveals and clues. You can always count on plenty of twists and turns.

I feel like the stakes are always high and propulsive. I’m usually at the edge of my seat by the end, wondering how everyone I care about is going to make it out unscathed.

Wegert always does a great job as well developing her characters and sense of place. I feel like after you read this, you’ll want to know more about all of them. I can’t sing Wegert’s praises enough. I’m a big, big fan and highly recommend checking out either series.

Thank you to the publisher, Joffe Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m locked into this series for the long haul now!

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Review: Wildewood by Jessica Thorne

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WildewoodWildewood by Jessica Thorne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wildewood follows Alex as she returns to her ancestral home, Wildewood, after the passing of her twin brother, Theo. Alex has made it a point to stay away from the family’s sprawling gothic estate, and this is her first visit in years.

She lost her father there, and now her brother, both in mysterious circumstances. She wants nothing to do with the property, and just plans to assess it and sell it. It would certainly be a desirable location for a luxury hotel.

Arriving at the property, she encounters Nick, the handsome groundskeeper and her late-brother’s best friend. Nick seems determined to stop Alex from selling the property, but what business is it of his anyway?

After Nick saves her from a near fatal fall, Alex begins to feel an unnatural pull towards the man. It’s like whispers in her ear, thoughts suddenly in her head, it’s overwhelming.

As Alex digs into her family history, and the history of the house, she makes some disturbing discoveries. She may be forced to face some dark truths, and will Nick end up being a help or a hindrance? Time will tell.

This is a good story. I don’t real a lot of Fantasy Romance, but I thought I would give this one a try because of how prominent it sounded like Wildewood, the property, was in the plot. I do love unsettling gothic stories where a place becomes a character unto itself.

This definitely checks that box.

The property itself was very well developed, and included a dark, mysterious forest surrounding the house. I loved the atmosphere and the way unsettling things start occurring during Alex’s stay, increasing as each day passes.

Alex started to feel unmoored, and she was anxious to figure out what was going on with this house, and I liked the mystery surrounding that. The aspect that lost me was unfortunately, the romance. It was okay initially, but then just got a bit heavy-handed for my tastes.

And I hear you, maybe I shouldn’t read Romantasy then, and while I mostly agree with you, I have found some Romantasy novels that I’ve loved, so I know it’s possible. I think it just all depends on the romance itself. Once it borders into cheesy territory, I’m out.

Nevertheless, I know a lot of people are going to love this. Particularly, if you’re more into Paranormal-type Romance stories. This property is very creepy, and Thorne does deliver that atmosphere and sense of uncertainty.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is very well narrated. Aoife McMahon’s voice and style of narration was perfect for this story.

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Review: Heart of Glass (Wonderland #2) by Jennifer Hillier

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Heart of Glass (Wonderland #2)Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heart of Glass is a follow-up to Jennifer Hillier’s twisty 2015-release, Wonderland. Set at an amusement park, Wonderland ended up being a 5-star read for me. I had a blast with it.

I never expected to be returning to the world of Wonderland, so was delighted when I first heard about Heart of Glass. After all this time though, could it stand up?

This worked great for me!

I’d heard some mixed things about it, so was a little nervous going in, but yeah, I had such a fun time with it, and would recommend it to anyone else who loved Wonderland.

In this book, there’s a few different things happening. It kicks off with a True Crime podcast that interviews The Carnival Killer, the man who was sent to prison for the killings from the 1st-book.

He shocks the nation when he claims that one of the victims, a local high school girl, wasn’t killed by him. He was with her that night, he admits, but he did not kill her.

It’s been 25-years. Why would he be saying this now?

Regardless of his motives, this startling recantation sends shockwaves through Seaside, the small town home of Wonderland. We then get the perspectives of Barb and Nicolette, the two best friends of the murdered girl, Lorelei.

We find out what has become of them since their best friend was brutally murdered. They were with her that night, they met The Carnival Killer, who was calling himself Sam at the time. They witnessed him and Lorelei making out, but what else happened that night? Lorelei never returned home, and their lives were forever impacted by that fact.

Not only do we get the podcast, and the two women’s perspectives, but we also get flashbacks to the past and what really happened on the night that Lorelei disappeared.

I found this to be incredibly well-plotted. I was hooked from the start. The audiobook production was fabulous and featured some of my favorite narrators. It also included fun sound effects, which made it extra engaging, IMO.

I do think perhaps the audio format would be the best way to take in the story actually. So, if you have that available to you, I highly recommend it.

Another notable aspect of this is the reality show angle. Nicolette, in her life since Seaside, has become a star on a popular reality show, think Real Housewives. So, there’s a lot in here just about that and her life, which was fun.

Even though I don’t watch reality television, the exceptions being some competitions shows like Survivor, DWTS and The Traitors, I have found that I really enjoy the incorporation of reality tv characters in my fiction for some reason.

It was fun for me too just seeing Barb and Nicolette as adults. Their lives had both changed so much since they were teens, and it was interesting watching them coming together again for a common goal.

I love Hillier’s writing. She’s great at character creation, and always has fantastic pacing and fun reveals. She never fails to draw me in and keeps me invested and at the edge of my seat. This was such a delightful and engrossing read.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to whatever Hillier has coming next!!!

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Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun

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Teddy Bears Never DieTeddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Teddy Bears Never Die is a translated Horror novel that follows a girl set on revenge, who pairs up with a possessed teddy bear in order to get it. Sound intriguing? I agree.

Hwayoung is the young woman in question, and the revenge she seeks is in regards to her mother’s death.

There was a mass-poisoning attack at the Seaview Parc, a luxury high-rise apartment residence, and her mother was reportedly one of the victims.

The poison was said to have been transmitted via tainted rice cakes, but Hwayoung knows that her mother hated rice cakes. Like really, truly hated them. There’s no way she would have eaten rice cakes willingly.

Hwayoung is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her mother, and bring those responsible to justice. This type of thing takes money though. Something she doesn’t really have, but she’s been hustling hard, saving her pennies, and her determination is unwavering.

As for the teddy bear, you’ll need to read it to figure that out.

I enjoyed this. The concept is great and I feel like Cho Yeeun explored some very heavy topics with grace and care, however that’s where I sort of lost interest, for lack of a better way to describe it.

It’s hard to explain. I appreciate the topics explored, however for me, when I was picking this up, I thought it was going to be light, fast-paced, fun and gruesome.

Even though I’ve been told my whole life, never judge a book by its cover, clearly I do. Because of this, I had a sort of expectations versus reality face slap with this one.

Nevertheless, a 3.5-star rating is a good rating. It’s a great book, just my personal experience with it wasn’t as high as I expected. Now that I have a better understanding of the author’s style though, I think future works that I pick up from her will be a better experience for me.

I would recommend this. As mentioned the concept is great and the hard-hitting topics, if expected, I think could make this a memorable reading experience. I think this would be an excellent fit for Readers who enjoy more Literary Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m happy to have been introduced to Yeeun’s work. I’m looking forward to more.

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Review: I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy

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I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark DetoursI Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a Horror short story collection from Nat Cassidy. This collection starts out with his previously published novella, Rest Stop.

Somehow, it’s unclear to me how, I hadn’t yet read Rest Stop prior to this, and I loved it. What a way to kick off a collection. It really set the tone for the numerous stories that would come thereafter.

I loved the variety in this collection, but also the overriding theme of these locations. I felt like it was a clever idea to frame a collection around. I really enjoy reading fiction with a true sense of place, think The Overlook in The Shining, a place that becomes a character unto itself.

And while not every story reached that level of place for me, I think you could see the idea of that in each story. How these various places, most seemingly normal, under the right circumstances could bring all the horror we crave.

So many of these stories gave me thrills and chills. I was locked in once I started, excited to see what each new story was going to present.

The audiobook was also very well done. There were some cool, fun sound and voice effects, and I felt that helped to elevate a few of these stories for me. My favorite was Laughlines. I love Epistolary format anyway, and found that one to be creepy AF.

I would definitely recommend this collection, both to fans of Cassidy, and to new Readers of his work. I think this could be a great introduction to his writing style if you’ve never read from him before.

Thank you to the publisher, Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, please be sure to read Cassidy’s Author’s Note, and in this case, Story Notes. He’s the king of the Author’s Note for me.

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Review: Cards on the Table by Lana Harper and Jilly Gagnon

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Cards on the TableCards on the Table by Lana Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Cards on the Table follows two witchy sisters, Tori and Cassie, who find themselves down on their luck when their tarot reading business is no longer able to sustain them. They’re late on the rent for their subpar Salem apartment and are on the eve of eviction.

It’s in this time of need that an apparent windfall is presented to them. A woman tracks them down and offers them a massive sum of money to travel to the Berkshires and play ‘witches in residence’ to an elderly widow.

They have mixed feelings, but honestly don’t see a lot of other options. This is their chance to get the money they need to finally have stable housing. Therefore they agree to the terms and head to Western Massachusetts.

Upon arrival they’re stunned by the opulence of the property. Surely, not just one family owns all of this. Then they meet said family. Oh boy, they’re some toxic folks, except for Rose, the widow they’re there to help.

She actually seems like a lovely woman, who called upon them because she has some unresolved spiritual needs before she passes, which seems imminent.

The dynamics in the house are complex though, and helping Rose without family intervention proves more difficult than one would expect. Tori and Cassie feel dangers around every corner. The house is a hotbed of competing motives, with everyone seemingly in it for themselves.

One fateful night, it happens. Rose dies. After her death, millions of dollars disappear from the estate overnight, and Tori and Cassie are instantly suspected as the culprits. The sisters were just there to try to help Rose, and get the money offered them for doing so. They wanted nothing else, but someone is clearly using them as the perfect scapegoats.

Can the sisters find out who the real thief is and prove their own innocence, or are they about to go down for a crime they didn’t commit?

This is a cute book. I always enjoy the vibes of Lana Harper’s books, as well as the character interactions, but unfortunately, the plots tend to feel a tad lackluster. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I tend to zone out with Harper’s writing at different points over the course of the stories.

I know this is cowritten, but honestly, I couldn’t tell. It felt very much in-line with The Witches of Thistle Grove series, which I’ve also enjoyed and continued one with, but never loved, if that makes sense.

The set-up of this was really fun. I did love the down on their luck sisters being offered this incredible opportunity and them taking it. The setting of the Berkshires and the atmosphere of this mansion were also very well done.

Some of the family drama got a little confusing and overused for me. I know that part of the story was important for where the plot was going, but it was almost too drawn out, causing my attention to wax and wane.

After Rose’s death, that’s when I became locked in, as that was when Tori and Cassie were put to the test. There were suddenly heavier stakes and that was the bit I found the most interesting.

I didn’t care for the romance aspects of the story, and feel like it would have been better without those bits. Let’s just have the family drama and the mystery. The romance to me felt forced and in no way enhanced my enjoyment.

This is a solid story though, and if you’re someone who enjoys romance in your mysteries, that part may be a win for you. Overall, it was a fun way to kick off my Spooky Season reading, and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would recommend this as a fun witchy story. Bonus points if you enjoy tarot included in your Paranormal Mysteries.

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Review: The Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich

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The Seventh SisterThe Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Seventh Sister is a Folk Horror novel from Dawn Kurtagich that’s written like a dark fable. This story follows seven sisters, hence the title, who after the tragic death of their parents, are sent to live with their Grandmother on the remote island of Beltane.

As the girls start to put the pieces of their lives back together, the island twists their experiences in a way that’s difficult to suss out fact from fiction.

We get snippets of their time as children navigating the dark depths of the island, but we also get their perspectives many years later, after all of them but one has tried to break themselves free of the island’s pull.

Ummm, this was a mixed bag for me. I don’t really know what was going on. I mean I do, but in the most general sense, and I don’t feel comfortable trying to summarize it.

For me, this was a case of the writing overshadowing the plot. I’ll be honest, I’m giving it 3-stars, but my experience was more of a 2-star kind of thing. Kurtagich’s writing is soooo good, but this story just did nothing for me.

As far as the content, I couldn’t have cared less. The sisters all blended together for me, and the whole Daudir thing, yeah, just not for me. I did enjoy the island setting though, so that was a good atmosphere. And that’s it. That’s all I have to say. I’m pretty ambivalent about it actually.

Thank you to the publisher, Brilliance Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I do love Kurtagich, so this isn’t going to stop me from picking her other works. I feel like this is more just a miss for my personal tastes.

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Review: Ten Years Gone by Wendy Walker

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Ten Years GoneTen Years Gone by Wendy Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ten Years Gone is the story of Clare and Griffin.

When they were teens they fell madly in love with one another. It’s the classic boy meets girl story, where the boy is from the wrong side of the tracks.

They risk a lot to be with one another, but the relationship doesn’t last as long as they would’ve hoped. Unfortunately, it ends abruptly with Griffin being incarcerated for murder.

After he’s locked up, Griffin refuses to remain in contact with Clare. It’s not that he doesn’t still care for her, he just doesn’t want her wasting her life on him. She’s hurt, but she’s also young and resilient. She does move on, but you never forget your first love. We all know that.

Ten years later, Griffin is finally being released. He doesn’t know what to expect from life on the outside and he could never have expected what happens to him. Newly released, he’s abducted, and he barely escapes with his life.

He finds himself on the run, hiding from who, he doesn’t know, but he needs to figure out the truth about the past if he has any chance of surviving for the future.

Clare is startled when she hears the news of Griffin’s release. She days away from her own wedding, but she’s never forgotten Griffin. When she starts getting cryptic text messages bringing up the past, she decides it’s time to figure out the truth of that night.

Alternating between the past and present, Walker did an amazing job weaving together this tense and exciting Thriller. I had so much fun with it. It’s definitely a Popcorn Thriller, juicy and enticing, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the Reader engaged.

There were so many times that I thought I knew the answer to it all, and while I was picking up on little things, it was much more complex than I originally anticipated. Walker was bringing the layers and I was sat.

I liked the sort of star crossed lovers aspect that Walker created here as well. Boy from the wrong side of the tracks, rich good girl dating outside her parents’ comfort zone, and the night that changed it all.

It was almost a bit too romantic for me, in regards to the way the characters thought about one another, but I think a lot of Readers will eat that aspect up.

Walker is such a great writer. There’s a fantastic flow and pace in all of her books, and this one is no exception. They’re just highly readable and so gripping. Once I started this, it was all I could think about. I just wanted to keep going.

It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t need it to be. It was fun. It was entertaining and I had a blast learning the truth at the heart of Clare and Griffin’s story.

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced and drama-filled Popcorn Thriller. Bonus points if you enjoy a little romance with your thrills!

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This book doesn’t release until 2027, but I couldn’t wait.

I love Wendy Walker!

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Review: We’re All Going to Die Tonight! by Veronica Bane

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We're All Going to Die Tonight!We’re All Going to Die Tonight! by Veronica Bane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We’re All Going to Die Tonight! is a fun and engaging YA Thriller, with a classic set-up and plenty of twists. We follow a debate team, traveling home from an unsuccessful meet. Since it’s a long journey, they’ve booked an Airbnb for the night, courtesy of one of their wealthier teammates.

The isolated mansion is perched atop a high hill and is said to be an exact replica of the Vandamm House from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

Before they can quite reach the house though, their van gets a flat tire, stranding them in the middle of nowhere in a heavy storm. They’re close though, so they decide to walk through the woods to the house.

Once they arrive, they’re drenched and tired, and honestly, pretty sick of one another. With 7 teammates, and 3 chaperones, even this mansion feels too small.

The storm increases and ends up knocking out the power, because of course it does. As the teens stumble around in the dark, trying to figure out what’s going on, they discover a severed landland, one of their friends unconscious after an attack, and a dead body outside.

The night has spiraled out of control, and with no idea who the killer might be, tension reaches an all time high. They have no idea who they can trust? Is the killer one of them, or is there a stranger lurking somewhere on this property?

This was a quick and entertaining read. I loved the set-up and the setting of the secluded mansion. I did find the outcome a little predictable, but still had fun, nevertheless.

The group of characters is super messy. There’s so much drama amongst them all, not just with the kids, but with the chaperones as well. I was sitting back with my popcorn just taking it all in.

I did feel like Bane maybe showed her hand a little too early, as far as who was behind it all, but maybe that’s just me coming at it with a lot of years of Horror experience.

It is for a YA audience, and perhaps some of the clues may not seem as obvious to someone just getting into the genre, or with a bit less insight into how these scenarios tend to play out. Maybe I’m just that good. ((LOL))

I didn’t need to be surprised by the outcome to enjoy it though. It was still a thrilling ride, and I loved the complicated, OTT-character dynamics. There was plenty of motivations for murder flowing around this group.

I’ve never read anything from this author before, but she’s definitely been added to my list of YA Thriller authors that I keep on my radar. I’ll never get too old for YA Thrillers, or Horror. I love the captivating stories that can be found within these genres in this age group. They’re generallly a bit less serious than novels in the Adult space, but no less enjoyable, IMO.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would definitely recommend this to other YA Thriller fans. It’s a great time!

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Review: They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough

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They Say a Girl Died HereThey Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

They Say a Girl Died Here is set in Harper’s Creek, a small farming community known for the murders of two young women, killed exactly three years apart. The presumed murderer was killed by the police as they tried to apprehend him. In local lore, he’s now known simply as the Farmhand.

Anna is new to town, moving there with her Mom and younger sister. They’re caring for her ailing Grandma, but even though Anna’s new, she’s heard all about the murders and the Farmhand.

As the three-year anniversary of the last murder approaches, Anna’s little sister is scared that the Farmhand could return, and because of a game she played with her new friends, she’s afraid she could be his next victim.

Anna, lacking in patience for anyone around her, insists to her sister that that’s ridiculous and she has nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, though, Anna does wonder if the police actually got their man.

Anna’s Grandma, who is starting to lose herself to dementia, has mentioned dead girls on a couple of different occasions in reference to their own home. These comments, though potentially meaningless, do help to further fuel Anna’s interest in the murders.

We follow Anna as she starts digging for the truth, both in the surrounding town and within their house. Anna’s not exactly a likable, or truly reliable narrator, so I wasn’t sure what the ultimate conclusion was going to be, but I did enjoy going along for the ride.

There are some great aspects to this book. I enjoyed the overriding mystery and the small town setting quite a bit.

Sadly, there were also things I didn’t like as much however, including Anna’s attitude. I did think she showed growth over the course of the story, but the 1st-half with her was pretty brutal. I don’t need to like characters, but I just found her personality so grating. It was almost unpleasant.

She was super negative and bit disrespectful to everyone around her, including her family, which tends to rub me the wrong way.

As mentioned above, I did like the overall vibes and mystery. The Farmhand had become an urban legend around Harper’s Creek, with the local kids using the story to scare one another. I thought that was fun and realistic to how a small town would be in the aftermath of something like that.

Pinborough never fails to capture my attention, so I did enjoy my time with the story for the most part. I just feel like in comparison to her other works, this won’t stand out as a favorite for me. It’s fairly forgettable.

Nevertheless, it’s still a very solid story, especially in comparison with a lot of others on the market. I’m a huge Pinborough fan and love to pick up new stories from her and will continue to do so in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, one of my faves, and she did a great job bringing the story to life.

I certainly felt like Maarleveld’s narration was a good fit for Anna’s character, and I would definitely recommend the audio format if you’re going to be picking this one up. It made the story even more engaging.

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