Review: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (Goosebumps #5) by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (Goosebumps)The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb by R.L. Stine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While on holiday in Egypt, Gabe’s parents get called away, leaving him in the care of his Uncle, who happens to be an archaeologist working in the area.

This also means he’ll be spending a lot more time with his cousin, Sari, who admittedly, drives Gabe nuts. She can such a know-it-all and is always teasing and pranking him.

On an excursion to his Uncle’s worksite, Gabe begins exploring the tunnels of the ancient pyramid. It makes him feel strange being in there, like he’s not alone. It’s so eerie, and then he gets lost!

Will Gabe ever find his way out, or will he be just another victim of the Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb!?

The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb was Book #5 in the original Goosebumps series, and as you would imagine, it does feel like one of the classics.

It’s full of jokes and pranks. As any fan of the series can attest, Stine loves a jokester. It’s one of the true staples of his stories. He’s always peppering them in every way he can.

Overall, this is a fun story. There’s quite a bit of action I wasn’t expecting and I enjoyed the Egyptian setting. It’s exactly what I was in the mood for going in. There’s something to be said for Stine’s formula. Sure, it’s predictable, but you always know what you’re getting!

I would recommend this to fans of the Goosebumps franchise. If you’re new to them though, I wouldn’t start here. You have better options for a first go at it.

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Review: The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis

~ megs14malloy

The SafariThe Safari by Jaclyn Goldis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

As Odelia Babel, successful-CEO to a fashion empire, prepares to marry for the 2nd-time, she decides to take her family on luxurious vacation for the special day. The ultimate destination wedding weekend.

Her betrothed, Asher Bach, is decades her junior, much closer to her grown children’s ages than her own, but nevertheless Odelia swears it’s true love, and so does Asher.

They’ll be staying at Leopard Sands in South Africa, a posh safari well-known to the family, as they’ve frequented it many times before. Even though it seems like a perfect trip, not everyone is excited for the soon-to-be newlyweds.

Attending the family event are Odelia’s three adult children, Joshua, Sam and Bailey, her daughter-in-law, baby granddaughter and her assistant/best friend. In spite of the closeness of this group of people, there’s a ton of tension simmering under the surface.

Sam and Odelia end up having an epic fight. Things are said that push the boundary further than ever before.

The following morning, a mere hours before the wedding ceremony, Odelia is found dead. Suspicion immediately falls on Sam. Everyone heard the fight. It was bad.

Sam swears it wasn’t him. He has an alibi. He was with his sister, Bailey. At least that’s what he claims. Bailey is nowhere to be found…

As the investigation starts, everyone is a suspect and the once peaceful Leopard Sands begins to feel menacing and claustrophobic. Even though there’s literally endless land and space around them, this still managed to pull off a classic Locked Room Mystery feel that I enjoyed.

This is the 3rd-year in a row I’ve read a new release Thriller from Jaclyn Goldis, and The Safari is definitely my favorite. I was here for all the craziness, it got wild and the setting felt refreshing for the genre.

It’s a dramatically-messy family drama set against a backdrop of beautiful South Africa. I loved the fly on the wall experience I got with this one. It was quite entertaining. It’s a straight-up popcorn read, and I was invested.

I loved the set-up, and getting to know the family. The dynamics were messy from the start. I liked getting a front row seat to all that.

As it progresses, it starts to get a little manic, and I suspected everyone at one point or another. Maybe the baby did it? I honestly didn’t know. Maybe they all did it. We’ve seen that happen before.

There were some areas, mainly involving Bailey, that meandered a bit, and sort of went a little out of focus, but that was brought around in the end and overall, I was pleased with her story arc.

Additionally, towards the end, it did get a little difficult to track. There were side characters, locals to the area, that took up larger roles and some of them, and their connections to the story, started to get a little convoluted.

Overall though, this was an entertaining read. I got through it so quickly and had a lot of fun with the wildly OTT-drama. You won’t like a lot of characters in this story, but you may like watching them spiral.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Each one of this author’s releases have gotten stronger for me, and we love an upward trajectory. I can’t wait for the next one!

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Review: Xmas Break by J.E. Rowney

~ megs14malloy

Xmas BreakXmas Break by J.E. Rowney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Xmas Break is a fast-paced Horror Thriller novella set on Christmas Eve. The first thing that attracted me to this was the cover. I couldn’t resist it and after reading the synopsis, I was even more stoked.

Who doesn’t love a little holiday-themed Horror/Thriller?

This story revolves around sisters, Isla and Clara, who have been estranged since their mother’s death and subsequent inheritance fallout.

It’s been years since the two have spoken, when Isla suddenly receives an invitation from Clara to join her and her partner, Greg, for the Christmas holiday at their luxury mountain retreat. After discussing it with her husband, James, Isla reluctantly accepts the invitation.

They travel to the house on a snowy winter night, and it is indeed just as luxurious as promised. Unbelievable really. And there’s her perfect sister, with her perfect husband and her perfect decorations…

But something seems off. Her sister is acting strangely, but Greg even more so. Isla and James are growing increasingly uncomfortable. They try to have a nice dinner, but things feel forced.

Nevertheless, Isla is giving it her best effort. She is, and temps do start to thaw, a little. At least on the inside. Outside the storm rages on, and wouldn’t you know it, the power goes out.

The stakes continue to escalate as the night goes on, and soon it becomes clear that these sisters are going to have to put the past behind them if they want to survive to see another Christmas Day.

While stylistically, Xmas Break may not be the strongest book ever written, it’s still wildly-entertaining. This puts the Popcorn Thriller seamlessly into the Christmas holiday, and I’m here for it. Also, I did end up appreciating the more thematic messaging towards the end.

I would say this is completely OTT, so if you aren’t down for that type of Thriller, I would steer clear of this one. For those looking for a fast, fun ride, with ridiculous action and mostly unlikable characters, it’s a must read for you next holiday-themed TBR.

Thank you to the publisher, BooksGoSocial, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I read this in a few hours, and had a lot of fun with it.

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Review: Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters #1) by Ellen Oh

~ megs14malloy

Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters, 1)Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spirit Hunters is the 1st-installment in a Spooky Middle Grade series by Ellen Oh. This book follows Harper, a 7th-grader who has recently moved to a new town, along with her parents and younger brother, Michael.

As the Reader, you can tell that they’ve moved in part due to some sort of traumatizing event that’s happened in Harper’s life, but the truth behind that is slowly revealed over the course of the novel, instead of all at once.

This gives Harper a bit of mystery to her character, which captured my attention from the start. She’s a great character; one I was interested in getting to know.

There’s also mystery surrounding the new home they’ve moved into. Quickly, Michael starts acting strangely, talking about a friend no one else can see.

While his parents brush it off, children often develop imaginary friends during times of stress or upheaval, Harper is convinced something more is going on.

After making a new friend in the neighborhood, Harper then hears the stories of the house. It’s haunted. She knew it!

As Michael’s behavior continues to worsen, and living in the house becomes more disturbing, and even dangerous, Harper knows she needs to get to the bottom of the haunting and stop it, before it’s too late.

Spirit Hunters was such a fun and wild ride. This book, along with the next 2-books, have been sitting on my shelves for so long. I woke up one day in the mood for Middle Grade Horror, and decided it was finally time to give this one a go.

I’m so glad that I did. I loved all the characters and following along as Harper learned more about their new home, and about herself.

I loved how Oh created such a dark history for the house. It felt menacing, and I did feel a real intensity to the story as I began to fear for Harper and her safety. To me, sometimes MG authors may pull back, but I felt like Oh really dipped into Horror territory and I appreciated that.

The spirits in this story posed a real danger, and as the story raced towards the conclusion, I could not put it down. I had to know how it was going to turn out for Harper.

I also liked how this story explored Harper’s mental health in regard to a traumatic event that had happened in her past. It added depth to her character, and I liked how those details were included.

Overall, this exceeded my expectations, and I can’t wait to continue on with the rest of the series. I’m hoping to pick up the 2nd-book, Spirit Hunters #2: The Island of Monsters, very soon!

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Review: Goosebumps — Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #7) by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps, #7)Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Many know Slappy the dummy as one of the most iconic Goosebumps characters of all time. And while I have read other books with Slappy as an antagonist, I’ve no recollection of ever reading this, Night of the Living Dummy, Slappy’s first appearance.

Recently, I needed a quick, fun, not too mentally taxing, audiobook while doing things around the house and decided to pick this up. I’m glad I did, as it fit the bill nicely.

In this story we follow twins, Lindy and Kris, who find a discarded ventriloquist’s dummy. Lindy decides to save it, brings it home with them, and names it Slappy.

Kris, never wanting her sister to upstage her, needs to get a dummy of her own, which she names Mr. Wood. In classic Stine fashion, the sisters battle it out, performing with their dummies, but are the dummies battling too?

Something weird is going on. Disturbing things begin to happen when the dummies are around, and it soon becomes clear there’s an evil lurking in their house. Will the girls be able to band together and figure out what’s happening, or will the dummies force them apart forever?

In my humble opinion, this is definitely one of the stronger Goosebumps stories. At this point in the series, regardless of the direction his character goes in later stories and series spin-offs, Slappy does indeed feel menacing here.

While Stine always loves siblings fighting and having rivalries, I liked how the twins did eventually put their differences aside, and worked together.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this as one of the ‘must reads’ of the Goosebumps universe. I feel like it provides a solid foundation for Slappy’s character moving forward, and is also just a lot of fun!

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Review: It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson

~ megs14malloy

It Happened on the LakeIt Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Greetings again from Outlier Island!!

But this time I’m here, and I’m happy about it. I had so much fun with this, and I’m not getting that impression from many of my book friends who’ve read it.

This is a long one, I’ll admit. Coming in at well over 500-pages, that’s a bit unusual for a Thriller, or Domestic Suspense, but to me, it never felt too long.

I was so invested in all the juicy drama, trying to figure it out. My brain was spinning with all my theories…

I would definitely say it’s one of those books you just have to pick up at the right time, and luckily for me, I picked this one up at a time when it was exactly what I needed.

I don’t necessarily agree with the publisher comp to Rear Window, but in a way I can see what they were alluding to, as there is definitely a lot of ‘watching’ going on.

The drama of this story surrounds Lake Twilight, and the private island set in it, with its stately-Victorian home inherited by our MC, Harper Prescott. Even though Harper has an aversion to the property, she’s recently returned after some upheaval in her life, including a divorce.

When she was younger, Harper went through a lot of trauma on the property and the surrounding area, so it’s not surprising she hasn’t really wanted to spend much time there in her adult life.

While we don’t learn all that has gone on in Harper’s past right away, we are treated to past perspectives that help to fill in the blanks.

Harper’s present perspective is given as 1988, and the bulk of the action in the past occurs 20-years earlier in 1968. For me, I loved the back and forth, because it helped to slowly fill in the blanks and build out the story.

I say slowly, because it does take a long time to figure everything out, but not so much because the pace is slow, but more because there is soooo much to uncover.

Harper was considering fixing the property up in order to sell it, but being back stirs up so much unresolved issues and feelings, she’s not sure if she’ll actually be able to follow through with that plan. For now, she’s mostly focused on putting her past to rest.

Can Harper figure out the hazy puzzle that is her past before the island claims another victim, or will Harper finally be overcome by the things that have haunted her?

It Happened on the Lake features one of my favorite tropes and I think that’s part of the reason it was such a hit for me. I adore when a protagonist returns to their hometown, usually that they’ve fled years before, and ends up trying to solve some sort of mystery that’s been haunting them.

That’s exactly what this book is and I was in it with Harper. I also really enjoy Harper as a protagonist, because she was written in such a way that I wasn’t 100% sure how reliable her perspective actually was.

That sense of uncertainty had me questioning everything, and I think that upped the intrigue level for me. I wanted to trust her, but part of me wasn’t ready to let my guard down.

There were moments during the build that reminded me a lot of Riley Sager’s, The House Across the Lake. It has sort of similar vibes with regards to the lake, surrounding town, and the people watching people situations.

Obviously, the content of this is vastly different and it is more drawn out, but if you enjoyed that drama-filled lakeside setting, this could end up working for you too.

There’s a lot of moving pieces, particularly at the beginning, so it is the type of read where you have to be completely dialed in. If you miss anything, I can see it possibly getting confusing. Particularly due to the time jumps.

Regardless, I think if you’re in the right mood, and you have the patience for it, it’s a super fun and enticing read.

While it won’t be for everyone, I think for the people it hits with, like myself, it can be a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was hesitant to pick it up initially, because of that intimidating page count, but I’m glad I ended up giving it a shot.

It exceeded my expectations!

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Review: Whistle by Linwood Barclay

~ megs14malloy

WhistleWhistle by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After tragically losing her husband in a hit-and-run accident, Annie Blunt, a popular Children’s author, is looking to escape from NYC in order to get a fresh start for herself and her young son, Charlie.

Through her editor, she’s able to secure a lovely rental house in a small town in upstate New York, close to the Vermont border, or as Charlie calls it, ‘in the country‘. It will definitely be a big change of pace for them.

Looking for things to do at their new place, Charlie ends up discovering an old train set locked in a storage shed in the yard. Annie helps him bring it in the house and set it up, but there’s something nagging her about it; an unsettling feeling she cannot explain.

Strange noises, strange occurrences throughout the neighborhood, and a strange feeling haunting Annie’s every moment. She’s determined to get to the bottom of what is happening in their new place.

Is it her? Is the stress finally taking over, or is there something more sinister at play?

Interspersed throughout Annie’s story, we also get a past perspective that may provide the answers to what is happening to her and Charlie. It might not be a train journey, but this novel is certainly a journey. Wow!

Whistle was a very fun read. While it won’t go down in history as the most memorable Horror novel I’ve ever read, I appreciate the classic feel of the storytelling. Barclay definitely succeeded in captivating my attention.

It actually heavily reminded me of a less diabolical version of Needful Things. There were a lot of aspects of this story that reminded me of that one, and I wasn’t mad about it.

I appreciated that Barclay didn’t try to throw in a bunch of narrative tricks, or gimmicks. It’s just a straight-forward story that manages to be creepy as heck.

Also, I found the characters compelling enough to care for their outcome, which is always a plus. Additionally, I’ll never look at a toy train set in the same way again…

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I would definitely recommend it to any Horror Reader, or even people who maybe don’t read Horror as much, but want to dip their toe into an unsettling Supernatural Thriller once Spooky season comes along.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had never read from this author before, but I’m excited to look into his backlist!

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Review: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

~ megs14malloy

Well, ActuallyWell, Actually by Mazey Eddings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eva Kitt is the host of a sarcasm-heavy, internet-based chat show called Sausage Talk, where she interviews B-List celebs while noshing on hot dogs.

While she once dreamed of a serious career in journalism, that’s not how it worked out. She’s here now and she’s trying to do her best, even though it seems like the world may sometimes be against her career advancement.

Riley Cooper is the guy who broke her heart in college. Not just broke it, shattered it and danced on the pieces. He’s also a beloved social media personality, where he hosts a show on deconstructing toxic masculinity.

After a few too many cocktails, Eva watches one of his annoyingly-successful vids, and is disgusted he gets away with peddling lies. Thus, she makes her own scathing review of Riley’s work and character; as you do. She doesn’t have that many followers on her accounts. No one is going to see it, or take it seriously.

IT GOES VIRAL…and she said some things!!

Eva finds herself raked over the coals by her bosses, but then she’s given an opportunity to redeem herself. All she has to do is reach out to Riley and interview him on her show.

Eva would rather do anything, seriously ANYTHING, but that, but with her career on the line, she’s forced into the interview, where she finds Riley as handsome and devilishly-charming as before.

When he suggests that she allow him to take her on a series of six dates to make up for the past, all of which will be followed via social media, she begrudgingly accepts. It has nothing to do with him. She’s thinking of her career here…

As the dates progress, the two begin to relate to one another in unexpected ways. Did Eva have it wrong? Is the boy that broke her heart, suddenly the man that she needs to heal it?

Y’all, Mazey Eddings is a go-to Romance author for me, and this novel is the perfect example of why. I was immediately pulled in by the humor, banter and quick, yet thorough, character development.

The set-up is so fun. I enjoy stories involving celebrities of any kind, and Rylie was definitely giving off those celeb status vibes. I also loved the concept of the 6-dates for him to redeem himself to her. Each date was unique and helped to progress their relationship.

Eva was giving off major Bobbi Althoff vibes. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was seriously all I could think of. She did get a little frustrating at times, Riley was definitely the star of the show for me, but I did feel like Eva’s character showed some real growth over the course of the story.

I like how Eddings always has characters that are going through some fairly serious, and common, real-life issues. I like watching people work through challenges like that, and to see them open up and receive help from others in regards to those issues.

That’s life, right? It always gives the stories a bit more of a believable feel to me. No one is perfect, no one’s life is perfect, and I like the see the messy day-to-day things pulled through into my fiction. Maybe it helps me feel not so alone, IDK.

This is also super steamy. So we have the serious life stuff, but we also have some wild, toe-curling, giggling and swooning bedroom stuff. That’s a nice mix.

I would recommend this to any Romance Reader, particularly if you have read from Eddings in the past and enjoyed. There’s so much to love within this story.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. Eddings has crush another one! Well done!

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Review: Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner

~ megs14malloy

Girl in the CreekGirl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Erin’s brother, Bryan, went missing 5-years ago. His last known location was the small town of Faraday, Oregon, alongside the Clackamas River.

Erin has the opportunity to travel to Faraday, along with her friend, Hari, to work on a piece for their True Crime podcast. She’s not in town long, before it becomes clear that Bryan isn’t the only person to have gone missing from Faraday.

Erin quickly gets pulled into another missing person case, a more recent one, that of a young local woman, Elena Lopaz. Something stinks in this town…

After Elena’s deteriorated corpse is found, she’s transported to the morgue, from where she goes missing again, but how!? What the heck is going on in Faraday?

Girl in the Creek is an interesting story. I would say it’s a middle of the road read for me. It definitely had some compelling elements, and then had a few that were a bit more lackluster, IMO.

For me, the middle of the book was were it was the strongest. I was gripped as Erin really started digging in around Faraday, trying to get to the bottom of the disappearances and what could be behind them.

She ends up paring up with the older lady, Olivia, who owns the B&B she has rented, for a good portion of the investigation. I really liked the two of them working together. Olivia is a native of the town, whose own son went missing years before.

Olivia brought a lot to the table with her survival knowledge, and also her insight into the town and its history, of which her own father played a pivotal role.

There was also some really fun body horror included, and definitely more than one moment that made me cringe, which I love. Who doesn’t love that?

Gosh, I am realizing as I write this, how difficult it is to talk about this without spoiling anything. So much of what I want to say would give away the truth of what’s happening in Faraday and I definitely don’t want to do that.

I will say that I was a little disappointed by the way certain things were wrapped up. It almost felt like there was so much build, that was increasingly intense, and gripping, and then we get to the end and it’s like the author didn’t know how to wrap it up, so just threw some stuff in there and called it a day.

This seems harsh, I know it does, but I don’t know how else to express that feeling. I know that’s not true. I’m sure the author worked very, very hard bringing this to the conclusion that they wanted, but to me, it just felt overly simplistic in comparison to the build-up.

With this being said, this is a good Sporror story. I would recommend it to fans of EcoHorror. I loved the setting of the PNW, and felt like the author did a great job with building that sense of place. That was definitely one of the stronger aspects of the story for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This book certainly gave me a lot to think about, and I would be interested in picking up more from this author.

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Review: Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew From It by Greg Marshall

~ megs14malloy

Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from ItLeg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

I listened to this entire book while on a solo road trip home from holiday. It’s read by the author and I was captivated by his unique life, and frank storytelling style.

Initially, I wasn’t comfortable giving this poignant Memoir a star-rating, so just shouted out how I really, really, really enjoyed it. Since that initial impulse, I’ve changed my mind and decided that 4.5-stars seems quite fair.

I had never heard of this book prior to picking it up. I just stumbled upon it while browsing Libby prior to my trip. I was wanting to pick something up for Disability Pride month in July, and I knew I wanted it to be nonfiction.

The first thing that drew me to this was the pretty pink cover, and once I read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to give it a shot. It sounded unique, and well worth the listen. Both of which it definitely ended up being.

Greg Marshall does the narration and it made it feel so personal, hearing his story in his own way, the way he would want it to be told. He was frank with the details, but peppered everything with the right amount of humor to keep the Reader engaged. It felt like having a personal conversation; learning about a new friend.

Marshall is open and honest about living with cerebral palsy, something his family never seemed to name or acknowledge. We learn a lot about his parents and their quirky, yet loving, parenting style, as well as his siblings.

Especially impactful for me was Marshall’s descriptions of losing his father to ALS, as I have lost two members of my own family to that tragic disease, and know how helpless and devastating an experience that is.

I was moved by the way Marshall laid everything out. In his vulnerability, I think one can find great strength and inspiration. I also loved how he used humor to bring a relatable sense of humanity to his entire story. I thought it was incredibly well done and am so glad I picked it up!

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