Review: This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

~ megs14malloy

This May End BadlyThis May End Badly by Samantha Markum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Weston School for girls has been engaged in an epic prank battle with the boys across the street at Winfield Academy for a century. This battle is on-going, with literally generations of girls and boys taking part.

Now that Doe is in her Senior year at Weston, she’s determine to win the battle once and for all. She’s a prank master and determined doesn’t even begin to describe Doe.

When the Weston headmistress makes an announcement that Weston and Winfield will be merging the following year, their campus descends into chaos. Chief among the dissenters, Miss Doe.

Doe is horrified. Weston and Winfield merging! She cannot possibly let that happen. Together with her best girlfriends, they vow to do whatever it takes to stop the merger.

One of Doe’s targets is Three, the kingpin of Winfield Academy. Smart, wealthy, good-looking and popular, Three is the kind of boy that has the world in the palm of his hand.

Doe just wants to knock him down a notch or two. She ends up making a deal with Three’s cousin, Wells, to fake date, thus getting under Three’s skin and throwing him off his game. With Three out of sorts, Doe should easily be able to outsmart the Winfield boys.

As the pranks begin to escalate, so does Doe’s so-called fake relationship with Wells. Will Doe lose sight of her goals, give them up entirely for a cute boy, or achieve everything she’s ever wanted?

The May End Badly is such a fun and cute YA Contemporary. Wells is one of the most swoon-worthy boys I’ve come across in a long time and don’t even get me started on how great this fake dating set-up was!

At first, I’ll admit, I was a little confused by the passion Doe had for the prank battle, but the more I got to know about her as a character, the more it started to make sense.

Doe came to Weston after going through a very difficult time in her life. Her parents had recently divorced and Doe had been having some behavioral issues at her old school. Weston became a safe haven for her. A place where she could feel safe and grow.

She wants to be sure Weston can remain that safe space for girls into the future. However, has Doe let her own experience blind her to that of others?

There are some really great friendships in this story. Doe’s friend group is very close, but still not afraid to call one another out on bad behavior. Wells also has a strong and interesting friend group, so it was nice to see that with both the boys and the girls.

I loved watching Doe and Wells relationship grow. There were moments when I absolutely wanted to shake her, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen between them.

Additionally, I loved the humor in this novel. There is some great, witty banter, including moments that had me in stitches. I even loved the parents. They were funny and helpful, which was so nice to see.

My only slight criticism of this novel would be that there was an issue going on at the school, with a teacher possibly being inappropriate with students.

Nothing about that storyline felt natural to me in the context of the rest of what was going on. This is obviously just my opinion, but it felt very forced.

It felt like there needed to be some tension at school, a villain, and this character was it. Oh and along the way we can stuff in some heavy social commentary.

It felt completely out of place with the rest of the story. I don’t know. I feel like I could have enjoyed this even more without that in there. It just felt disjointed to me.

Phew, that was uncomfortable to say, but overall, yesssss, I had so much fun with this one. I became so attached to Doe and completely head over heels in love with Wells.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from Samantha Markum in the future!

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Review: Fortuna Sworn (Fortuna Sworn #1) by K.J. Sutton

~ megs14malloy

Fortuna Sworn (Fortuna Sworn, #1)Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Fortuna Sworn is the last of her kind. It was her and her brother, Damon, but he went missing two years ago.

Since that time, Fortuna has spent her days blending into the human world while searching for him at night. On one of her searches she gets captured by goblins and brought to the market to be sold.

Luckily she’s able to escape the whole being sold thing, but she did catch someone’s eye whilst at the market; a very powerful faerie named Collith.

Before she knows it, she’s receiving a proposition, her hand for the possibility of getting her brother back. I am putting it simply, but you get the gist.

The story follows Fortuna as she enters the world of the fae, hoping against all hope that she’ll be able to find what she’s looking for.

But if she finds her brother, will he even want to be rescued? And what is she sacrificing in the process?

This was good. I liked it. A solid foundation for the start of a series. I don’t read a lot of fae books, in fact, I have only read a handful that I can think of, but I liked how this one was constructed.

Additionally, I’m very intrigued by the ending and will be continuing on to the second book.

I won’t claim I understand everything going on here, but I loved Fortuna as a character and want to learn more about her and this world.

Fortuna is a creature known as a nightmare, which I have never come across before. Basically, she can make people see, or experience, their worst fears just by touching them. She wields this power as a weapon and I got to say, it’s pretty badass.

As stated above, I’m definitely on board to continue on with this series. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was a great way to take in this story. The narration was fabulous.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m so happy I finally had the chance to check this one out. It sucked me in!

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The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

~ megs14malloy

The Resting PlaceThe Resting Place by Camilla Sten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Resting Place is the second novel I’ve read from Camilla Sten. The first was The Lost Village, which I read in early-2021 and gave 3.5-stars, not rounding up.

While there were aspects of that story I enjoyed, overall I would say I had been hoping for a lot more. I’m happy to report, The Resting Place gave me more.

This story is about Eleanor, who suffers from prosopagnosia, or face blindness. As in, she is unable to recognize facial features.

So, when Eleanor walks in on her Grandmother’s murder and comes face-to-face with the killer, she is unable to describe the individual after the fact.

The grandmother, Vivianne, was a real piece of work. She was not a nice lady and even though she raised Eleanor, she never showered Eleanor with the love that a mother-figure should.

She’s Lady Tremaine basically. That’s the vibe she was giving me.

Time passes and then Eleanor gets a call: Hey, hi, hello. So, your Grandmother owns this creepy manor home that she never told you about. It’s where you’re Grandfather died actually and guess what, now it’s yours. We need you to come to the house and work through some estate dealings. Okay? Great, byeeeeeee.

Eleanor agrees and travels to the property, tucked away in the Swedish wilderness, along with her boyfriend, Sebastian, her Aunt Veronika, and the probate attorney.

Once at the property, the interactions are tense. Eleanor’s Aunt definitely inherited the family gene of general bitchiness, so there are some uncomfortable moments.

Additionally, the property itself gives off an abandoned and haunted vibe. They’re told there’s a groundskeeper there, Benson, but they’re unable to locate him. That fact alone puts a dark cloud over the travelers.

It’s a confusing first day and what’s worse, there’s inclement weather coming in. Of course!

The Resting Place is told through past and present timelines. In addition to Eleanor’s perspective, you also get that of Anushka, who lived at the property decades before working as a housemaid.

Sten uses diary entries as a medium for telling some of the past perspective and I really enjoyed that aspect. There’s something about getting to read someone else’s diary that is just so darn intriguing.

There’s also some psychological tension created because of Eleanor’s prosopagnosia. The woman literally came face-to-face with a killer and survived. This killer was never caught. He or she could be anywhere, be anyone, and Eleanor has to live with that. How can she trust anyone?

In addition to the tension, this story is full, absolutely over-flowing full, of dark family secrets. The kind of secrets that are hidden from future generations. They’re that bad.

I love family drama and I love family secrets. I always enjoy watching people’s dirty laundry being aired. Call it schadenfreude, call it wicked, call it whatever you like, it’s just me.

My biggest complaint with this one is that I found it to be slightly confusing. After I finished reading, I was thinking about it quite a bit, discussing it with my dog, as you do, and I realized, I have a lot of questions.

Like here we were at the end, and I had numerous questions about the familial relationships, connections and the conclusion. I’m not sure if I just missed something along the way, or if the questions I have are questions that will arise for other Readers as well.

With this being said though, this is definitely a step up for me from The Lost Village. Which frankly, I like that for my relationship with Camilla Sten. We’re on an upward trajectory. I love that.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m excited to see what Sten serves up next!

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Review: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

~ megs14malloy

The Book of Cold CasesThe Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

In 1977, in the small town of Claire Lake, Oregon, two men were brutally murdered. The events seemed to be random attacks. The men chosen simply because of convenience.

Both murders took place roadside, like the men had stopped to help a driver in distress and received the surprise of their lives. At both crime scenes, a taunting note was left behind, similar to the Son of Sam, or the Zodiac Killer.

Local heiress, Beth Greer, is reportedly spotted fleeing one of the scenes. She’s subsequently brought in for questioning and charged.

The feisty and eccentric 23-year old is ultimately acquitted and returns to the seclusion of her mansion.

In 2017, Shea is a doctor’s office receptionist by day, but at night she spends her time running a popular true crime website, Book of Cold Cases.

Shea, the survivor of childhood abduction, knows first hand the absolute horror of violent crime. It’s now her passion. It’s the monkey on her back. Her childhood trauma has shaped who she is as an adult. She’s built up a lot of walls. Honestly, it affects her day-to-day.

When Beth shows up at the doctor’s office for an appointment, Shea can hardly believe her eyes. The infamous Beth Greer, in the flesh.

It doesn’t take a true crime aficionado to recognize Beth. Everyone in the area is familiar with the Lady Killer case that shook Claire Lake in 1977.

This is Shea’s chance. She can possibly be the one to get the answers everyone wants. Was Beth rightfully acquitted, or did a heartless killer go free?

Shea is shocked when Beth agrees to an interview. She hasn’t spoken to anyone on the issue for years, why Shea? Why now?

Over the course of multiple interviews, Shea unlocks doors to dark family secrets, long-buried memories and the truth behind the Lady Killer crimes.

Y’all, I had so much fun with The Book Of Cold Cases. It’s told with St. James’s deeply engrossing style, alternating between past and present timelines in order to build out the larger picture.

I really enjoyed learning about both Shea and Beth. The women were similar in a lot of ways, both having survived traumatic childhoods that ultimately shaped their lifestyles as adults.

I also enjoyed the Greer family mansion as the backdrop to a lot of the story. If these walls could talk, am I right!?

From the second Shea sets foot into Beth’s home, it’s like stepping back in time. Beth has essentially kept it as a time capsule from the 1970s, but why would such a wealthy woman choose to live that way?

Additionally, extremely mysterious and disturbing things occur there. Is this place legit haunted?

For me, the highlight was the relationship between Beth and Shea. In a way, it was like through their, I won’t call it friendship, but acquaintance, Beth was able to free Shea.

This might not make sense until you read it, but for me, that was the heart of this story. It was actually quite beautiful, even though their respective traumas were so dark.

St. James is such a compelling writer. She has an absolute gift for setting a scene and keeping you intrigued. I was captivated throughout my entire read.

The one, very minor, issue I had was that I wish it would have been more suspenseful for longer into the story. I don’t want to give anything away, so it is a little hard to describe exactly what I mean by this, but I’ll give it a shot.

I feel like certain aspects were revealed a little early, which sucked a bit of the mystery out. It does make sense that St. James chose to tell it that way though, as she is able to build other aspects of the Greer family lore/history only after the reveal is made.

Overall, I loved this. It’s intriguing start to finish, nuanced, with beautifully fleshed out main characters. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed any of St. James’ previous works.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it definitely met my expectations!!

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Review: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

~ megs14malloy

One Night on the IslandOne Night on the Island by Josie Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On the cusp of her 30th-birthday, Cleo Wilder, a dating columnist for a Woman’s publication in London, is given a special assignment by her editor.

She is being sent to Salvation, a remote Irish island, on a self-coupling retreat. There she will marry herself and write about it. Cleo accepts the assignment with grace, looking at it as a chance to get away and re-energize herself, as well as her writing.

Mac Sullivan is a photographer from Boston with familial ties to Salvation island and the very lodge in which Cleo will be staying.

The twist, Mac is planning to stay at the lodge himself. The very tiny, fit for one person, or a couple lodge. When the two discover the double-booking, they also discover there’s no place else on the island for one of them to stay and the next ferry doesn’t leave for days.

Short on options, they decide to suck it up and share the lodge until the next boat. They’re both adults. Neither one seems like a psycho-killer, so how bad could it be?

Therefore, they do what any consenting adults would do and draw an imaginary line. He has his space, she has her space and they are only allowed to meet and talk in the common areas. After all, they’re in a gorgeous location, full of warm and friendly people, it could be worse.

Due to their circumstances, and a bit of whiskey, Cleo and Mac get to know each other fairly quickly. They’re both impressed with what they see, soon discovering they’re compatible as well, but it’s complicated.

The remote location and separation from their regular lives provides both characters ample time for self-reflection as well. I enjoyed those quieter moments with each character as much as I enjoyed their witty banter.

There were so many aspects of this story that I loved actually. The whole thing. It was a complete package for me.

What surprised me the most was the found family element that was created involving the locals.

I wasn’t expecting that and because of those connections, this became more than just a romance story for me. I could feel the confidence and self-acceptance in Cleo growing as the story progressed. She was finding her own tribe; it was beautiful.

I loved that for her character arc. It gave the whole self-coupling thing a real boost. I felt that aspect, even though the main focus was the ‘will they-won’t they’ vibe going on between Cleo and Mac.

I think it is safe to say at this point that I am in love with Josie Silver. Seriously, such a fangirl. Sometimes I feel like, the way she writes her stories, we share a brain or something.

I just know we would be best friends!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am so excited to see what Silver comes up with next.

Until then, I need to finally get to The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. I’m really hoping to pick that one up this Spring!

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Review: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

~ megs14malloy

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The Hawthorne Legacy is the second installment in the hugely popular Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

This rags-to-riches inheritance mystery offers Readers a lot of riddles, a lot of intrigue and a lot of romantic drama. It’s like a tiny bit The Princess Diaries meets a lot of Knives Out.

This story follows Avery Grambs, who after the death of her mother, really struggled to get by. She moved in with her half-sister and was working hard just to complete high school. She dreams of a better life.

In an unbelievable turn of luck, Avery received word that eccentric billionaire, Tobias Hawthorne, has just passed, leaving Avery the vast majority of his fortune. The strangest part is, Avery has no idea who Tobias Hawthorne is. She’s never even met him.

The kink is that Tobias had a pretty big family that he has snubbed with his surprise bequeathment to Avery.

Now poor Avery has to live in Hawthorne Manor with the very same grandsons who were all but cut out of the elder Hawthorne’s will. That isn’t awkward at all.

While the first book, The Inheritance Game, gets you up to speed on all that, this second book builds on the mystery of Avery’s windfall, as well as a building of the relationships within her new world.

And keep in mind, this is an entirely new world for Avery. She is now in the realm of the uber-rich; the jet-setting elites who she has never interacted with before. With this comes a new set of challenges, including PR-issues, something Avery never would have thought of before.

If only that were her biggest issue though. Someone out there isn’t happy with Avery’s new found fortune and is willing to try anything to get her out of the picture. Permanently.

There’s also a bit of a love triangle happening. The Hawthorne family is full of handsome and charming young men, such a plus for our Avery.

Two of the boys in particular, Grayson and Jameson, are attracting a lot of her attention and thanks to the power of DNA-testing, it’s not creepy at all.

I had a lot of fun with this continuation. The Hawthorne Legacy may not be perfect, but it’s pretty freaking fun.

I need answers; so excited for the next book. Where’s this going from here!?

I am so intrigued with what the truth is behind this family. I love the continuation of the use of riddles and games, as well as Avery getting the chance to team up with the brothers to solve different aspects of the mystery.

I know a lot of Readers aren’t fans of love triangles, but I think this one is great. It’s not overplayed. It feels natural. There’s no catty fighting, or behind the scenes backstabbing. Avery is genuinely feeling a connection to both boys. Girl, I get it.

I’m so excited for August so I can get my hands on the third book. I need answers!!!

If you haven’t picked up this series yet, and love a fast-paced, fun-filled YA Mystery, you should absolutely start this series now. It’s completely addicting!

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Review: Hideout (Alice Vega #3) by Louisa Luna

~ megs14malloy

Hideout (Alice Vega #3)Hideout by Louisa Luna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Alice Vega, still kicking butt and taking names.

Hideout is the third book in Louisa Luna’s gritty Crime Thriller series, Alice Vega, featuring the badass people-finder of the same name.

In my opinion, the books in this series do not necessarily need to be read in order. In fact, I would argue they can also be read as standalones, however, you will be missing out on the gorgeous build-up of the relationship between Alice and her partner-from-afar, disgraced former cop, Max Caplan.

So, while they can be read any way you like, I would highly recommend starting at the beginning and proceeding from there. They’re all really good, so you should have a fantastic time catching up, at any rate.

After the conclusion of The Janes, which was set on the West Coast of the U.S., Max returns home to the East Coast battered and bruised. That was an extremely dangerous case for him and Vega both.

The two of them begin to settle back into their regular lives, Alice working missing persons cases and Max, most importantly fathering his daughter Nell, as well as performing his private investigative work.

Vega gets bored easy though, so when she is propositioned with an unusual case, finding a missing college football player last seen 30-years ago, she jumps on it.

Normally, Vega’s cases are very current and she’s battling a ticking clock, so this one is quite unusual. She begins her search where the man in question, Zeb Williams, was last seen. A small town in Oregon called Ilona.

As she begins to get to know some of the locals, Vega starts to understand this town may not be as sweet and pristine as it first appears. There’s a lot of dirty secrets and vicious inclinations hiding just under the surface; including an active branch of a white supremacist group.

Vega knows people are not being honest with her. She believes someone, maybe multiple someones, know what happened to Zeb. Additionally, she has a feeling the most powerful players in town may be involved.

Naturally, she calls Cap to bounce some ideas off of him. Well, really she wants his help, but Cap isn’t ready.

He has a lot going on in his own life, particularly struggling with the fact that his baby girl is almost a grown-up. He can’t drop everything and risk his life again just because Vega called.

I was really anticipating this release and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t vibe with this one quite as much as I did with the earlier books.

If you have read this, you may be able to predict what I am going to say, but for me, part of the magic of this series is the partnership between Alice and Max. Their personalities, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, compliment each other very well. It’s a solid investigative duo.

In this book, the vast majority of their interactions are long distance. This one is much more, Alice living her life on the West Coast and Max, living his life on the East.

Max is helping her only in minor ways. The case turns out to be extremely dangerous, and Alice, seemingly uncaring to risks, puts herself in incredibly nerve-wrenching circumstances. This woman seriously has a gut of steel. She’s not afraid of anything.

I do love Alice as a character for that very reason. She is extremely confident, but it’s because she works hard at it. She trains herself in body and mind and she knows she is prepared for anything. She knows she can perform even with her life on the line.

I also love Max. He has so many incredible qualities. I actually did really enjoy reading about his relationship with his daughter, Nell, in this one. She is a lot like him, which I think makes him really nervous!

My one hope is that in the next book of the series, which I am assuming there will be more, Max and Alice actually physically work the case together.

I feel like I am well and fully attached to these characters now. I definitely want to read more in this series. This one is really interesting. It’s a lot, but it’s intriguing.

I did like the backdrop of having the college football element. As a huge football fan, that was really fun. Something I don’t think I have ever read before in an Adult Mystery/Thriller.

Thank you to the publisher, Doubleday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I really appreciate it and will be keeping my fingers crossed that we get more of Vega and Cap!!!

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Review: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

~ megs14malloy

The Chalk ManThe Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eddie lives a quiet life in the same sleepy village in which he grew up. His day-to-day is fairly mundane. He’s a school teacher, who lives in a big house with a younger roommate and maybe he drinks too much.

That’s pretty much Eddie in a nutshell. Like many of us, his life wasn’t always quite so boring however. It just kind of evolved into its current repetitive state.

Little does Eddie know he’s about due for a good old-fashioned shake-up when a blast from his past returns.

His old friend Mickey is back in town and he wants to chat about a certain unresolved murder case from 1986. Eddie, who has been haunted by the events of that year, doesn’t really want to discuss it, but when Mickey tells him he may have the answer, Eddie can’t resist.

The conversation unsurprisingly stirs up all sorts of dark memories and emotions in Eddie. It’s tense. He and Mickey have been estranged for years. It’s not a warm and fuzzy reunion.

Mickey’s sudden reemergence in his life isn’t the only thing tied to the horrific events of 1986 though. The chalk men have also begun to mysteriously appear. Now Eddie must confront his fears and buried secrets head-on if he is ever going to be able to lay the past to rest.

I originally purchased The Chalk Man when in released in 2018, but then I sat on it for years. Honestly, I became apprehensive after reading some of the early reviews which basically alluded to this being a knock-off version of Stephen King’s masterpiece, It.

When my niece mentioned she wanted to Buddy Read The Chalk Man though, I threw caution to the wind and willingly jumped in.

I will say initially I was surprised by the number of similarities to It. I thought to myself, oh no, this could be bad.

However, I am happy to report that after that slightly frustrating start, this one really came around for me. I found it to be interesting as heck and loved the short chapters with their many mini-reveals. It made for a great Buddy Read and we had such a fun time discussing it along the way!

I believe this was Tudor’s debut and if so, I think it definitely sets the stage for her style. She brings a lot of creepy atmosphere in her stories and I loved the back and forth between past and present timelines in this one.

The sections from 1986, of Eddie and his friend group, had the heaviest It vibes, but I became so intrigued with the characters and all that was happening to them, that I eventually was able to overlook all the Itness.

I thought the mystery element was very well done and it definitely kept me guessing. I have also read The Burning Girls from Tudor and really enjoyed that one as well.

I would say, comparing the two, that her writing has matured a bit since this earlier release. I definitely look forward to picking up more from this author. I’m so glad that I finally gave this one a shot. Overall, a fun reading experience!

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Review: Secret Identity by Alex Segura

~ megs14malloy

Secret IdentitySecret Identity by Alex Segura
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

In 1975-New York City, Carmen Valdez finds herself working for the head of Triumph Comics as his administrative assistant. Carmen dreams of becoming a writer, but for now her assistant position will have to do.

Unfortunately, it’s just the way in the industry, in the times, in the culture. Carmen has so many ideas, but good luck having them heard.

When one of her coworkers, a seemingly harmless man named Harvey, approaches her with a proposition to fulfill her dreams, she can’t refuse.

He wants her help creating a new character. Of course her involvement would need to be kept secret initially, at least according to Harvey, but he sells her on the fact that after it is a success, they could reveal the truth to their boss. Then he’ll have no choice but to take her ambitions seriously.

Carmen isn’t naive. She knows she can’t trust Harvey completely, but honestly, what choice does she have. She’s desperate for a chance and her boss has repeatedly shot her down. This could be it.

Putting her reservations aside, Carmen agrees to help Harvey and over multiple brainstorming sessions, the two create Triumph’s first female hero, The Lethal Lynx.

After their scripts have been submitted, with Carmen’s name absent from the credits per their earlier agreement, Harvey is brutally murdered. With Harvey’s death comes absence of proof that Carmen played any role in their creation.

Harvey was the only person who knew the amount Carmen contributed to The Lethal Lynx. She is completely gutted. Carmen needs to find out what happened. It doesn’t seem random, but who would want Harvey dead?

Secret Identity took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this. Being pitched as a ‘literary mystery’ made me a little nervous. That’s not really my genre.

I’ve read from Alex Segura before, however, and enjoyed his writing style. Additionally, the fact that this has the comic book industry as the backdrop was extremely interesting to me. I decided to give it a go.

I’m so glad that I gave it a shot. This is literal scientific proof that reading outside of your comfort zone can be a good thing! Just trust me on this.

This entire book is dripping with atmosphere. 1975s New York City was a thing; a character unto itself. Segura brought all of that to life within these pages.

Carmen was an extremely likable character. It was captivating getting to know her, a bit about her past, and of course getting to see behind the scenes of the comic book industry.

I was super impressed with the film noir-quality Segura was able to channel into this story. It is such a unique and enjoyable experience.

As a side note, I did listen to the audiobook and highly recommend that format. Included in the narrative are occasional excerpts from The Lethal Lynx comics, for which super fun sound effects are included in the audio version. That was really a treat!

I would definitely recommend giving this one a go. There’s so much to enjoy in this story for a vast array of Readers.

Go ahead, give it a shot!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I had such a great time listening to this book and will definitely be picking up further works from Alex Segura!!

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Review: Sundial by Catriona Ward

~ megs14malloy

SundialSundial by Catriona Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Rob does not have a good relationship with her husband. In fact, their relationship is so toxic that I had to take a break from this book only 10% in just to get away from it.

The couple have two young daughters. Callie, the oldest, favors her father, while Annie, the youngest, is definitely her mother’s favorite.

Rob struggles to understand Callie and her increasingly disturbing behaviors. Unfortunately, the older Callie gets, the more frightening her behaviors become. It even seems that Callie may pose a serious threat to Annie, something Rob cannot stand for.

Rob’s husband, Irving, doesn’t see the way Callie is. He doesn’t understand Rob’s concerns, not that she could have expected him to be on her side regardless.

Knowing she has to do something before tragedy strikes, Rob steals Callie away and heads back to Sundial, the mysterious property where Rob grew up, deep in the Mojave desert. What her parenting plans are for after that point seem ominous, at best.

After the pair arrives at Sundial, the focus shifts to exposing the history behind the property, about Rob’s childhood and the truth of who she really is. Through this, the Reader also learns how Rob’s own history could be influencing her current circumstances, as well as her daughter’s lives.

I was very intrigued by the past perspective. It was an interesting set-up and like nothing I have read before. I enjoyed the SF-feel of some the activities occurring during Rob’s childhood.

I do think it is important to note that Rob’s parents kept dogs on the property and I don’t mean as pets. I was hesitant once I discovered that because I am quite sensitive to any harm coming to animals in books.

I can get past it, as long as it is not too drawn out, or as long as it has a point within the larger narrative more than just shock value. In this story, there’s a point. There were a few places I had to skim read, but for the most part, it didn’t have too much of an impact on my overall enjoyment level.

There were times that I even wished the entire book was just the past perspective, but on arriving at the end, it became clear why there’s two perspectives. I was impressed with how Ward tied it all together, as well as the themes explored by doing so.

The ending was wild and crazy, but I liked it. For the most part, while I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this story, as there is literally no joy to be found within these pages, it’s definitely intriguing. Ward succeeded in keeping me uncomfortably interested the whole way through.

It’s the kind of story where you are desperate to know what the heck is going on. I won’t claim to understand the points Ward is trying to make here 100%, but I think I have enough of it to be impressed.

Unique from start-to-finish, this is definitely worth a pick-up for Readers with the stomach and mental fortitude to tackle such a story.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I think it is fair to say that I will pick-up whatever Ward throws at us next!

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