ARC

Review: Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

~ megs14malloy

Lucy Undying: A Dracula NovelLucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Lucy Undying is an Adult Gothic Fantasy novel that reimagines some classic character arcs from one of my favorite novels of all-time, Dracula.

This is the 11th-book I’ve read from White. I had really been looking forward to it ever since I read the synopsis and first laid eyes on the stunning cover.

With a clever use of mixed media, as well as an intriguing present day narrative, White spins a tale spanning across generations. The way the historical and present perspectives were played off each other was very well executed.

As the synopsis notes, one of the main characters in this story is Lucy Westenra, who Dracula fans may recognize as Mina’s best friend. She’s also known to be Dracula’s first victim in the UK.

In Lucy Undying, White imagines what would have happen to Lucy after that, for her story didn’t end there.

In present day, we follow Iris, who’s family owns a health products empire. Her mom has recently died and Iris travels to London to stay at a mansion, known as Hillingham, that she’s inherited.

It’s there she makes new friends, explores the past through the pages of a journal she discovers hidden in Hillingham, begins to find her true self and hatches a plan to escape from the clutches of the evil company her mother left behind.

This story is layered. There’s a lot happening. Initially, you aren’t 100% on how all the different elements are going to come together, but each perspective is equally intriguing.

I loved the idea of the Hillingham house. I could just picture this neglected gothic property and loved Iris’s time there. Those scenes at Hillingham are some of my favorites from the entire novel.

I also did enjoy Lucy’s perspective. The more historical portions were well connected with the original source material and I liked hearing Lucy’s side of all that: her suitors, her mother, etc.

I was obsessed with this story for the first 65%. There was so much going on and I was enjoying the back and forth of it all, trying to piece it together.

However, around that 65% mark, there’s something revealed, where after that, I was almost over it. There wasn’t much intrigue left for me and I struggled to see how we still had so much story to go?

It did drag for me in that second portion, but picked up again in the last 10%. For me, I feel like this could have been cut down a bit, but that’s purely personal taste. NGL, I was over it, but others may eat it up the whole way through.

Overall, I felt this was a clever reinterpretation of Lucy’s story and an interesting exploration of where that could have gone. I know some true Dracula fans may be turned off by how much this changes some of the MCs of Dracula, thinking of Mina in particular, but I think you have to appreciate White’s creativity with it.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see what White delivers us next!

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Review: The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina

~ megs14malloy

The Murders in Great DiddlingThe Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Murders in Great Diddling is an Adult Mystery that follows the events in a small British village after a tragic explosion kills a not popular local citizen.

Berit Gardner, an author, moves to town searching for inspiration. There’s got to be stories just waiting to be told amongst the rag-tag group of locals. With a book deadline looming, she needs a story to pop up soon.

Berit never could’ve predicted she’d become a part of the story herself though, which is exactly what happens after an explosion in the village’s grand manor library, where Berit, amongst others, are attending a tea party.

A man is killed and the town descends into chaos.

The citizens of Great Diddling, each more eccentric than the last, band together and come up with a plan to turn the town’s new found notoriety into a windfall.

Thus, the Book & Murder Festival is created hoping to bring some needed tourists to town. Little did they know how much this would end up changing all of their lives.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. While it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I still found it to be entertaining and humorous. I love a bit a chaos.

I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend that format. The narration by Helen Lloyd was beautifully done and I swear, I could listen to her voice all day. It was perfectly matched to this story.

I was expecting a more Cozy feel. It def did contain some Cozy elements, but to me the tone, overall, felt more along the lines of The Thursday Murder Club as opposed to say the Nosey Parker Mystery series, in that it has some more serious issues explored alongside the actual mystery.

I feel like this was a good start to a series, although it will take me some more time to get attached to these characters.

I did love the setting. I thought Great Diddling was a lot of fun, the town struggling and then coming up with a plan to sort of reboost their economy, even if it was on the heels of a tragedy, was clever and I was rooting for them.

Overall, I found this to be engaging and amusing, even if slightly confusing at times due to the vast cast of characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. If this series continues, I will absolutely pick up the next book!

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Review: Under the Surface by Diana Urban

~ megs14malloy

Under the SurfaceUnder the Surface by Diana Urban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Under the Surface is the latest Thriller from one of my go-to YA authors, Diana Urban. I have been soooooo freaking excited about this one. I love Urban’s stories and synopsis for this sounded hella fun.

Teens trapped in the Paris Catacombs, yes, please!

This story follows Ruby and Sean, two teens enjoying Paris on a class trip. Ruby and Sean are good friends, but lately their feelings for each other have started to lean in a more romantic direction.

They’re both excited to escape from their regular lives for a bit and experience the City of Light together. It doesn’t get any more romantic than that.

Their romantic aspirations are derailed, however, when Ruby’s best friend, Val, sneaks away on the first night to meet up with a French boy she had met earlier in the day.

Not wanting Val to get in trouble, Ruby goes after her, hoping to bring her back before getting caught. In an unfortunate set of events, Ruby ends up reining other classmates, Selena and Olivia, into her endeavor.

When they find Val, she’s with the mystery boy and he has an enticing offer; the chance to attend an exclusive party underground in the infamous catacombs of Paris.

This intricate maze of galleries and tunnels were once used by the city as a way to house their dead, due to serious health concerns regarding overflowing cemeteries. It’s believed that over 6-million bodies were stored there.

As you can imagine, these catacombs are fascinating to many people. The girls weren’t immune. They were dying to explore this underground tunnel system.

Unable to find the party and feeling like they are being watched, and worse, possibly chased, the crew of teens end up hopelessly lost under the surface.

Up above, Sean is the first to suspect that something may be seriously wrong. It’s not like Ruby to disappear without telling anyone. Certainly not overnight. He won’t rest until the adults start to him seriously and begin a search.

And if they won’t, he’ll find her himself.

This book sucked me in pretty quickly. I loved the idea of these teens being in Paris on a Senior Trip and then having the ultimate misadventure. I had no idea how stressful it would become though.

Originally, I rated this 3.5-stars and rounded up to 4, mainly because it did slow down a bit for me in the 2nd-half; that being my only critique, that it’s a tiny bit too long.

With this being said, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, so decided a straight 4-star rating was more true to my experience.

I feel like Urban did a sensational job building the tension in this story. The level of claustrophobia and panic I started to feel, it was real.

Even considering being in the place of Ruby, Val, Olivia, or Selena, OMG, I can’t even imagine how horrifying it would be. Sometimes when I was reading, I had to get up and walk around, to stretch and take a break. It got that stressful, all whilst remaining entertaining.

The interpersonal drama is very YA, but it is a book for Teens, so what else would we expect. It fits the target audience. Also, that never bothers me. If it did, I wouldn’t gravitate towards YA books so often.

I do feel Urban did a great job making these characters relatable as well. They’re all going through different struggles common to the Teen experience. If anything, that should only help to connect Readers more with this story and the nail-biting events contained herein.

The things that happened in the catacombs, it got wild. Urban took it in a direction I wasn’t expecting. For me, I wouldn’t say I disliked the direction it took, but once certain things were revealed, I was slightly disappointed.

In saying this, I am not really critiquing the book, it’s not my story to tell and it’s 100% personal taste, but I just wish it hadn’t gone down certain paths, if you will.

Because of this, the first half was stronger for me than the second, however, I do think overall this is still an exciting YA Thriller, toeing the line into Horror. It succeeded in making me feel claustrophobic almost the whole way through!

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for YR, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I feel like this is Urban’s most adventurous work to date. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!!

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Review: Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker

~ megs14malloy

Haunt Sweet HomeHaunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Haunt Sweet Home is a Horror novella featuring a Reality TV show, part Ghost Adventures, part HGTV, wherein home makeovers are mixed with the ghosts that live there.

Our MC is Mara, who lands a job on the show as a PA. Her cousin, Jeremy, is the show’s host. He knows she’s been bouncing between different pursuits, trying to find her path, so at a family function he offers her the job.

Mara being Mara, she doesn’t commit right away. It takes some time before all the pieces fall in place. Once she is on the job though, she feels like it’s going to work. She feels like maybe she’s found her place.

This story follows Mara as she settles into her job, and tags along to the set of a few of the episodes. After a creepy coworker makes Mara begin to question everything though, events truly come to a head.

Due to the length of this, I’m not going to say anything more about the story itself. I loved the idea behind it and getting to be on set of the Reality TV show was a lot of fun.

I also loved the various topics explored, particularly those involved in Mara’s character arc. I really enjoyed how the author included excerpts from the show too. I felt like I could picture everything, and yeah, I was picturing Jeremy as Zak Bagans, sue me.

I listened to the audiobook for this and did really enjoy it. I thought the narrator’s delivery matched very well with how I was picturing Mara’s character. It brought it to life for me.

I would definitely recommend the audio format for anyone who has that option. Particularly with the Reality TV scenes, it just makes sense to hear it play out.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from Sarah Pinsker!

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Review: Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

~ megs14malloy

NightwatchingNightwatching by Tracy Sierra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Nightwatching is what nightmares are made of.

It was very good; disturbing in such a realistic way. It was told with such incredible intensity and was completely gripping. This author knows how to pull the Reader in.

It all begins on a cold Winter night, when a blizzard is raging outside the old farmhouse that a mother lives in with her two young children.

After retucking her son into bed, the Mom hears a noise she shouldn’t be hearing; heavy footsteps on the stairs. Quietly peeking down the long, dark hallway she spies the silhouette of a large man at the top of the stairs.

Pure fear rushes through her. She must protect her children.

As silently as possible, she gathers both children, along with a few comfort items and shepherds them to the oldest part of the house, where the hidden room is waiting to shield them from the intruder.

Climbing into the darkness of the tiny place, the mother must keep the children quiet and hope to wait out the evil lurking just outside the door.

I can’t tell you how truly horrifying this set-up is to think about. It’s actually one of my biggest fears and the way the author captured that sense of fear is amazing.

Those tense moments tucked in that secret room, trying to keep the children quiet, trying to keep herself from panicking, I honestly think my heart was racing just as fast as this Mom’s was.

While tucked in the hidden room, there are moments of quiet reflection, so we do get a glimpse through this Mom’s life and a background of her family.

Those moments, while slower and of less intensity than the present timeline, did add a nice reprieve from the scary bits, which I didn’t mind.

This went in an interesting direction that I wasn’t expecting and the author did make me question a lot of what I thought I knew. The gaslighting was off the charts.

For me personally, I felt the ending, or the way things wrapped up was a bit abrupt though. I could have enjoyed more time with these characters at the end.

There was so much build-up, to have the ending occur so suddenly, I guess it made the pace feel a little off. That’s 100% personal taste though. It’s definitely not that the author did anything wrong, and the conclusion did actually still give me chills.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a tensely frightening Thriller. This type of scenario I feel is a fear for a lot of people, both in what occurred at the house, and the way the MC was treated in the aftermath.

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

I’m sorry it took me so long to get to this one. I am really looking forward to more from Tracy Sierra!

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Review: I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell

~ megs14malloy

I Need You to Read ThisI Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Alex Marks moves to New York City, hoping for a fresh start and a place to disappear into. Her copy-writing job is low key, and otherwise she keeps to herself.

When her idol, Francis Keen, the woman behind the famous Dear Constance advice column is killed though, it’s the impetus that uproots Alex’s carefully planned quiet life.

Keen will need to be replaced. Her column is so beloved. They can’t let it die along with her. On a whim, Alex applies for the job and to her absolute shock, she gets it.

Shortly thereafter, Alex begins to receive strange letters, threatening in nature. She wonders why Keen’s killer was never caught and then begins to suspect those around her, including her new boss.

Unable to leave well enough alone, Alex begins her own investigation into Keen’s death. Will she be able to solve the mystery, or will she die trying?

I Need You to Read This is a solid story. I feel like it had similar traits to Maxwell’s previous novel, The Golden Spoon, in that it is a slow build really focused on character work.

It took me a while to get into The Golden Spoon, but once I did, I was hooked. I was so intrigued by that full cast of eccentric characters, the setting and the backdrop of the cooking competition.

Unfortunately, this one never ended up hooking me. It felt a lot more subtle and Alex’s character was just less enticing to me, as compared to the full cast in the last book.

Additionally, the set-up and setting itself, although I love New York City, wasn’t as captivating either.

These are simply personal taste items though and just because I was never truly keyed into this one, doesn’t mean you won’t be. Give it a go!

This is a solid story, with an interesting overall mystery. It did nothing off-putting and had solid characters. I would recommend it if you enjoy more Literary Mysteries, or anything set in the newspaper, or publishing worlds.

I did feel like, because of the newspaper setting, it had a film noir feel to it as well, which I do enjoy. If that’s something you like as well, it’s another reason to pick it up.

Overall, it’s a sold story, just not necessarily my bag. Maxwell is interesting, she sort of toes the line in between Cozy and Literary. Her stories have a unique feel and she definitely shines with her character work.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While not blown away, I definitely enjoyed this one and am looking forward to more from Jessa Maxwell!

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Review: William by Mason Coile

~ megs14malloy

WilliamWilliam by Mason Coile
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William was quite the experience. I read this today. Yeah, the whole thing today. A perfect day, IMO.

It’s definitely one of those stories that once you start, it’s close to impossible to put down. Coile kept me on my toes the entire time. I had so many questions!

The synopsis actually calls this a delicious one-sitting read, and they aren’t lying. Meeting Henry and Lily, and discovering what is going on in their home, it’s like watching a train about to go off the tracks.

There’s such an eerie set-up. You feel like the characters are keeping something from you, but you don’t know what. Additionally, there’s AI involved and for me personally, the future of AI tech is absolutely horrifying.

Both Henry and Lily are in the tech space, so their home is a virtual cornucopia of cutting-edge technological devices. Some of these things have never even been revealed to anyone outside the home.

When Lily has some co-workers, Paige and Davis, stop by for a meal, it should be a harmless event. Unfortunately, it’s anything but that.

The newcomers want to meet one of Henry’s creations, an AI called William. It’s at that point that things go from strange and eerie, to much, much worse.

I Buddy Read this with a friend and we both flew through it. There was quite a bit of super creepy Horror imagery that I was eating up and we did find a lot to discuss.

In addition to being frightened by the possibilities of AI, I am also horrified by dolls, or any iteration thereof. Trust, there’s plenty of that to go around in here!!!

I was so surprised with how this turned out and it was a race to the conclusion.. There were twists and turns I did not see coming. Jaw successfully on floor.

Overall, I felt this was a little heart-breaking, a lot thought-provoking, super creepy and hella engaging. Well done by Mason Coile. I know nothing about this author, but I already cannot wait for more.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am so happy to have a new Horror author to follow!!!

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Review: Tidal Creatures (Alchemical Journeys #3) by Seanan McGuire

~ megs14malloy

Tidal Creatures (Alchemical Journeys, #3)Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tidal Creatures is the 3rd-installment to Seanan McGuire’s epic Adult SFF-series that has not just created a whole new world unto itself, but a whole new cosmology.

Middlegame took the world by storm when it was released in 2019. I wasn’t immune. When I read it, I fell in love. I always knew McGuire was a talented writer with a plethora of unique ideas, but this thing is off the charts.

The sequel Seasonal Fears didn’t get quite the same level of fanfare upon its release in 2022, but I loved it nevertheless. I wouldn’t say I loved it as much as Middlegame, but it was a brilliant continuation of the story.

Tidal Creatures is a monster in the way it continued to build out this complex and enticing world. I loved meeting new characters like Kelpie, Judy and Isabella. The cast of characters felt broader in this one than the previous novels and it was interesting to learn about them.

Additionally, their interactions were deep and their banter, funny. Most of the new information we learned was accomplished through character conversations. Because of this, it never felt info-dumpy.

This story felt different too, in that it is a murder mystery of sorts. Someone is killing moon goddesses, and it’s up to our cast to figure out why and then stop them.

I thought that was an intriguing way to advance this overall story arc. The way it tied into the lore of the Impossible City and the concepts that we had starting building in the previous books was very well done.

I will say, I think if I read this again, I would probably enjoy it even more. There is a lot going on here and the way that the various perspectives are initially introduced, not coming together until a little way in, it was a lot to follow.

A part of me wants to say, I am done reading these as they’re released for the rest of the series. I want to wait until they are all out so I can binge them all at once.

Before Seasonal Fears released, I did reread Middlegame directly before I picked it up and I do think I enjoyed it that much more because of that.

But now, we’re so deep. I don’t know if I have time to reread them all prior to every other subsequent release…

This is easy for me to say now. I’m sure as the next book releases I am going to flock to it like a Publisher’s dream. All past hesitation blown out of the water by the overwhelming FOMO that I’m gonna feel.

Either way, no matter how it happens, I love this series with my whole heart and will happily see it to the end.

I would recommend continuing on with the series to anyone who read and enjoyed Middlegame. I also highly recommend the companion series, The Up-and-Under by A. Deborah Baker, for more insight into the background of this world.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

This series is an absolute tour de force in the SFF space and I cannot wait for more!

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Review: Seasick by Kristin Cast & Pintip Dunn

~ megs14malloy

SeasickSeasick by Kristin Cast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I’ll be honest, I think the trick with Seasick is going into it with the right mindset.

If you are expecting deep prose and super compelling character interactions, you may want to look elsewhere.

If however, you’re like me, and you’re just here for a good time, this could be a lot of fun for you.

To me, one of the things I appreciated about Seasick was that it didn’t seem to take itself too seriously. This is like B-Horror, which I am a huge fan of. It feels campy, and in spite of the mega-yacht setting, it feels low budget.

The plot and characters were outrageous, nevertheless, it was a wicked good time. I loved seeing that body count pile up, as I tried to figure out who was behind it.

This story follows a group of recent high school graduates, who after being inducted into a prestigious society in their small Oklahoma town, set out on a celebratory yacht trip to Bermuda. For some, a trip of a lifetime.

As the Reader, you’re clued in from the start that it’s going to end up being a total bloodbath, but it was fun watching that whole drama play out.

Estranged best friends, Yana and Naya, team up to figure out who the killer aboard is, before they fall victim themselves.

I mean, that’s it. It’s pretty simple, but it was a blast, NGL. This is like a made-for-tv movie with a ton of hot actors trying to survive a Slasher. It def gives those vibes.

The yacht setting was fun, because it feels claustrophobic. There’s literally no means of escape. These kids are trapped, and one way or another, they need to fight in order to survive, whether they like it or not.

I did enjoy a lot of the teen drama, but that’s sort of what I’m into. So, boys and girls behaving badly is like candy for me. I was eating it up.

Will this go down in history as one of my favorite YA Horror/Thrillers ever? No. However, can I walk away happy I read it and feeling like I had a really great time? Absolutely!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Campy Teen Screams and books set on boats. This is filled with catty drama and ridiculously fun kills. There’s a whole bunch of Readers for this out there, and you know who you are!

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a wild voyage!

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Review: One House Left by Vincent Ralph

~ megs14malloy

One House LeftOne House Left by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed One House Left. It deserves its comp to R.L. Stine, though this is better written…

I sort of totally kid. I love R.L. Stine and appreciate all of his work and his contribution to the Horror space. I still read his books today and will continue to do so, well, forever.

Anytime I see a new release compared to Stine’s stories, I am going to check it out. It’s the Publishers doing their work. They sold me. Sometimes it pays off, other times not so much. Happy to report it def paid off here.

This story follows 16-year old, Nate Campbell, who grew up on a cursed street, dubbed Murder Road, haunted by a vengeful spirit known only as The Hiding Boy.

Every few years a different house on the street is plagued by some sort of violent tragedy. Nate and his family, trying to outrun the curse, move to a new town at the start of this story and that is where we pick up with Nate.

We follow him as he navigates being the new kid, while also trying to outrun his past. Will he be able to do so? Is it even possible to escape from the clutches of Murder Road?

I was hooked into this one from the start. It was giving me total Fear Street vibes with the narration style and the way the MC, Nate, presented his story.

He was pulled into a clique of friends at his new school, led by the strong-willed, Max, who love learning about and exploring urban legends. Little did they know that Nate was actually living one.

Max seemed like such a cool girl to me. I loved her. Everything about the way she was described and the confidence with which she carried herself, she was def my fave in this one!

There’s all sorts of mystery throughout this story as well. I had so many questions. I didn’t really know what was going on half the time, purposefully on the author’s part, and it kept me hella intrigued.

People were acting strangely, Nate was receiving mysterious threatening messages, it wasn’t quite clear the circumstances under which Nate’s family left their old home; there was so much I wanted to know.

That’s one way to keep you furiously flipping pages!

There was a huge twist around the 70%-point, that legit left my jaw on the floor. I couldn’t believe what was happening and it totally changed my perspective on everything. I felt that was so well played by the author.

As far as reveals go, it was definitely one I did NOT expect!

I also loved the escalation of this story. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. The pacing was very well done.

There’s a lot that I appreciated about this story, but I won’t risk saying more because I don’t want to spoil anything. Just know, I was impressed.

Overall, I loved how the concept of Urban Legends was used by the author to tell this story. I found the characters so compelling, especially my girl, Max. As YA Horror novels go, this is at towards the top of the class!

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is the 2nd-book I have read from Vincent Ralph and I’m definitely seeing a progression in his work.

I look forward to reading more from him!

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