audiobooks

Review: Booked for Murder (Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries #1) by P.J. Nelson

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Booked for Murder (Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries)Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

📚♥️📚♥️📚♥️📚♥️📚♥️📚♥️📚♥️📚

Booked for Murder is the 1st-book in the Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries series. This is a new Cozy Mystery series set in a small Georgia town.

In this, we meet Madeline Brimley, who has just returned to her hometown of Enigma, Georgia, after the passing of her Aunt Rose, her dearest remaining relative.

Maddy has mixed feelings about going back. She always dreamed of leaving Enigma and heading to NYC, as an actress, to follow in her Aunt Rose’s footsteps, actually. Things in New York were tough though, and she actually ended up in the Theater circuit in Atlanta instead.

Even though Atlanta isn’t quite what she dreamed, it’s better than Enigma, and now she has to go back. Aunt Rose left Madeline her property, including her bookstore, the Old Juniper, which caters to the local college students.

Almost as soon as Madeline arrives back, though, things start going wrong. First, the long-standing and well-loved gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze, and then Madeline starts receiving disturbing calls from someone threatening her unless she leaves.

Madeline isn’t one to be easily intimidated however, so the calls and fire end up having the opposite effect, making her dig in even more.

She befriends a local student, Tandy, who seems to have also been quite close with Aunt Rose. Tandy inserts herself into helping with the bookstore, for which Maddy is grateful. That is until the next fire, that ultimately ends in murder.

Not fully trusting the local authorities, and also feeling slightly guilty over the violent death which took place in the bookstore, Maddy begins an investigation of her own.

Will she be able to find out who is after her, or will they end up getting to her first? It seems they’ve tried to kill already. The next time, they may actually be successful.

This was a fun start to new Cozy Mystery series. I did enjoy the bookshop setting and the small town Georgia feels. I listened to the audibook, and the narrator did a great job channeling some accents that felt true to the story.

At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to vibe with Maddy. She can be a little abrasive and off-putting at times. It almost felt at certain points that she was completely unreasonable and condescending to those around her, but I think it’s all just an intentional part of her character journey.

She did become more likable over the course of the book and I started to understand where she was coming from the more I learned about her.

There was also a nice mix of side characters, Gloria, the reverend of a nearby church being my favorite, as well as a potential love interest for Maddy.

I feel like Nelson did a solid job setting up the small town atmosphere, as well as providing plenty of room for Maddy, as well as this series, to grow moving forward. I would definitely be interested in reading more mysteries centered around the Old Juniper Bookstore.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would def recommend the audio format if you are interested in picking this one up!

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Review: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

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Incidents Around the HouseIncidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

On its own, this may have been a 4-star read, but the story mixed with the stellar audiobook narration made this such a fun and memorable experience.

I thought this was fantastically-eerie, and I appreciated the nods to the town of Goblin from Malerman’s earlier work. The horror imagery was also so well-imagined.

For me, Josh Malerman is an author who I either love his work, or don’t. Luckily, this was a complete success. I would say this is my favorite of his books that I’ve read so far.

In this story, we are following Bela, an 8-year old girl, who is perpetually haunted by a malevolent being she has taken to calling Other Mommy.

At first, Bela sees Other Mommy as a friend, but over time Other Mommy has grown a lot scarier, and a lot more persistent in her efforts to get Bela to ‘let her into her heart’.

When horrifying incidents begin happening around the house, it becomes clear that Other Mommy is getting tired of waiting. It’s growing bolder and seemingly more powerful. Even Bela’s parents can no longer explain away Other Mommy as being a figment of their daughter’s imagination.

They need help, which they seek outside the home, but nothing they try seems to work. They are desperate to keep Bela safe, but soon cracks within her parents marriage become craters.

Will they be able to reforge their family bonds for the good of them all, and hopefully banish Other Mommy forever, or will they ultimately fall under its evil influence?

This book instantly captured my attention. The audiobook, brilliantly-narrated by Delanie Nicole Gill, felt so authentic. Though 18-years old, I believe, Gill’s narrative voice actually felt like that of an 8-year old girl; no shade intended. The delivery was impeccable.

Getting this all from the perspective of an 8-year old, with age appropriate logic, made this feel creepier than it may otherwise have been. It also made the story feel unique and will stick in my mind for a long time.

I also appreciated how quickly Malerman kicked off the action and introduced us to Other Mommy. There’s not a lot of beating around the bush here. You’re just in it.

My favorite character in this story was Grandma Ruth. I love this type of character. An older one, who feels safe and wise, that comes in and helps the floundering younger people.

Grandma Ruth also added a bit of lightness to an otherwise dark-filled story. I loved how much she loved her family, and those relationships all felt very realistic.

There’s also some occult elements included, which I enjoyed. Overall, I feel like it’s a well-rounded story that built nicely in intensity throughout. I was fully invested in it.

I would absolutely recommend this to Horror Readers of all types. In particular, I would recommend the audiobook format, as I just feel it was so well done.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This makes me more jazzed about Malerman than ever. I can’t wait for his next release!

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Review: Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

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Not for the Faint of HeartNot for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Mariel, granddaughter of the infamous Robin Hood, is a new Captain in the Merry Men. She’s desperate to live up to her family legacy, which puts a lot of pressure on her.

Clem, a cheery backwoods healer, is taken prisoner by Mariel, and the MM, as retribution for Clem’s guardian offering healing services to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Forced proximity abounds as Mariel and Clem travel along together doing Merry Men things. Everything seems to mostly be going to plan, when Mariel’s father, Jack Hartley, Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in an ambush.

Now Mariel and the remaining MM, including sweetly-innocent Clem, must try to get him back.

With the woods at war, not everyone believes in the Merry Men as they used too. Soon enough, even Mariel is questioning what they stand for.

Will they be able to get Jack back? And will the Merry Men continue on their current path, or switch things up for a new generation of bandits?

This is a cute story that showed off Croucher’s signature witty writing style. I wouldn’t say I connected to this one at the same level that I did with Gwen & Art last year, but it’s still a solid Historical YA Rom-Com.

As with Gwen & Art, I did listen to the audiobook and definitely recommend that format. The accent of the narrator lends itself well to these stories, and truly helps to bring the action to life.

I appreciate how quickly Croucher can create characters I love. Both Clem and Mariel were so fun to get to know, though for different reasons. It definitely has a Grumpy-Sunshine element to it that evolved beautifully over the course of the story.

I particularly liked the journey for Mariel. As a member of an infamous family, she’s had a lot of assumptions made about her and preconceptions made about who she is as a person.

She’s had a real struggle trying to overcome those things and figure out what exactly her path is going to be.

I also enjoyed her learning more truths behind her famous family. Going in, I had forgotten this was connected to the legend of Robin Hood. I loved that inspiration.

I also really enjoyed, and was impressed by, how even though this is a magical and witty tale, Croucher again managed to seamlessly weave in some heavier topics. There’s a lot here for Readers to enjoy.

For me though, as mentioned above, I never ended up connecting with this as deeply as Gwen & Art, and I’m not sure how memorable it will be for me long term.

With this being said, it’s still a great YA book with a lot of important topics explored and representation. I’ll keep coming back for all Croucher’s future releases.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I love this kind of funny Historical romps, and hope Croucher continues writing them!

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Review: I am the Dark That Answers When You Call (I Feed Her to the Beast #2) by Jamison Shea

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I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call (I Feed Her to the Beast Book 2)I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call is good. I did like it and also feel it’s a solid follow-up to I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, but for me, unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as compelling.

While this still had the same gloriously-dark, often gory imagery, toe-curling body horror and rage-filled good for her moments, it nevertheless lacked a bit of the drama and the easily-understandable motivations of the 1st-book.

Additionally, part of the draw for me to that 1st-book was the backdrop of the high stakes, cut-throat world of a professional ballet troupe. There’s really not much of that left by the time the story progresses to this point.

This novel is set about two months after the events of the previous book, and Laure has pretty much left the ballet in her wake. She is spiraling a bit, drinking, partying and basically being a monster, menacing the streets of Paris.

It’s on one of these nights though, that she discovers the dead body of a woman she had been associating with. It’s this event that spurs Laure into seeing that something isn’t right within the city.

As it turns out, she’s not the only monster in town…

This focused a lot on Acheron and Elysium, as well as Laure’s family and potential reasons why she may have actually found herself in her current circumstances.

I did like learning more about her background, but as mentioned above, I did miss the ballet and Laure’s original ambitions. My mind wandered and at the end of the day, I’m sure there’s some substance that I sort of glossed over.

Nevertheless, I can appreciate what the author did here and I know so many Readers are going to love this. For me, it just didn’t quite live up to the first book.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Hold and Co (BYR) and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I will be picking up more from this author!

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Review: American Rapture by C.J. Leede

~ megs14malloy

American RaptureAmerican Rapture by C.J. Leede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

Oofhhh. American Rapture hit me like a punch to the gut. The Author’s Note made me cry legitimate grown-lady tears.

This is such a well-executed Apocalypse story; completely successful, IMO, with the topics Leede chose to explore. This is going to stick in my mind for a very long time.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? Maeve Fly. When I read Maeve Fly last year, I found it to be shocking, yes, but also smart and visceral.

That story was presented in a biting stream of consciousness narrative style from the perspective of the MC. That type of narrative choice isn’t my favorite and I often find myself struggling to determine what exactly the author is hoping for me to get out of it.

American Rapture is nothing like Maeve Fly.

I mean, I guess I shouldn’t say that, because in some ways it is. It’s also smart and visceral, as well as certainly memorable, but the tone throughout, and the way the story is presented, is vastly different.

This is a truly realistic Apocalypse story. We follow a teen girl named, Sophie, who was raised in an extremely zealous Catholic household.

Sophie has been very sheltered from the world, and as you get to know her, she feels emotionally stunted; certainly more naive than she should be at her age.

We discover that she has a twin brother, Noah, who has been removed from the household and sent away for unknown reasons. On the brink of the societal collapse, Sophie sets out to try to find him. On her own for the first time, Sophie is quickly schooled in the ways of the world.

The synopsis alludes to sexual elements and sex, as well as sexuality, are def amongst the topics explored here.

The virus in question has many symptoms, but one of the most shocking is that infected individuals act out in sexual ways, often attacking in violent, lust-filled rages. Sophie is witness to these on more than a few occasions.

For Sophie, having been completely sexually repressed, this is beyond incomprehensible. She was on the verge of her own sexual awakening when this all started, which further complicates her confusion, guilt and shame.

In a lot of ways, Sophie made me think of Carrie White. This is what would have happened if an Apocalypse had hit just prior to Carrie going to the prom.

I did love going on this journey with Sophie though. I had such empathy for her. I wished I could have been there to help guide her and reassure her through many of her most difficult moments; clearly, her parents were useless.

I will be honest, I did skip Chapter 44. I had been warned ahead of time of some content contained therein, that because of circumstances going on in my life, I wouldn’t have handled well at the moment.

Even skipping that chapter though, I still feel like I easily understood everything that was happening in the story directly thereafter.

I did listen to the audiobook and loved the narration by Moniqua Plante. They did a great job bringing Sophie to life. I felt like I was listening to her recount these events first hand. It drew me in and held me.

I do feel like even though disaster struck numerous times over the course of this story, the world was literally falling apart, it nevertheless left me with a sense of hope and light.

An understanding that no matter what you are going through, no matter what your losses, as long as you are breathing, you can push through. You can come out the other side, maybe not the same, not undamaged, but alive and with the chance to be happy again.

If you pick this up, and I recommend you do, please be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. I appreciate the novel even more after learning a bit about Leede’s own journey and the struggles that she had recently been going through.

I feel she put a lot of heart into this story. It’s thoughtful, impactful and gripping throughout. I was really impressed, and more importantly, moved by it.

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

It’s clear that C.J. Leede is an incredible talent with a lot of versatility in her writing. I cannot wait for more!!!

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Review: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

~ megs14malloy

Listen for the LieListen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Five years ago, Lucy’s best friend, Savvy, was brutally murdered. The night of the tragedy, Lucy and Savvy had been attending a wedding, along with many of their other friends and family members.

Later that same night, Lucy was found wandering, battered, bruised, and disturbingly covered in Savvy’s blood. Savvy’s body was eventually found. Lucy has no memories of what occurred that night, and of course all suspicions fell to her.

There was no proof Lucy was involved in the crime, she was never convicted of anything, but you know how the court of public opinion can be. In the aftermath, Lucy fled to L.A., hoping to never have to return.

It’s five years later though and her family is throwing her favorite Grandma an 80th-birthday party. She can go back for that at least…

As it happens, Ben Owens, creator and host of a popular True Crime Podcast, is also in Lucy’s Texas hometown and he wants to meet her. He’s digging around the case for content for the second season of his show, and of course, he’s ridiculously good-looking and charming.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because I do feel it is best enjoyed if you go in knowing as little as possible. Tintera did a great job of allowing this story to unfold in such a creative and enjoyable way. It shouldn’t be missed.

Listen for the Lie is definitely one of my favorite Mystery-Thrillers of 2024. This will standout in my mind for it’s overall intrigue and provocative storyline.

Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t read this yet, make sure you grab a copy of the audiobook. If this doesn’t win the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Audiobook category, there will be riots. It’s an exceptionally well-produced audio.

The podcast elements were perfectly blended into the overall story and it felt so real. I loved it. It kept me guessing and wanting more every moment I was reading it.

The characters were also well-developed and the drama kept me on my toes. Lucy’s Grandma was such a riot — absolutely hilarious and one of my favorite types of characters to read. Goals.

Lucy also had some character quirks I wasn’t expecting. Her narrative voice was snarky and frankly, surprising. She kept me guessing most of all. I loved being inside her head.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Mystery-Thriller fan, particularly if you enjoy podcast elements, or an amnesia trope. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: Under the Storm (Hallandssviten #1) by Christoffer Carlsson

~ megs14malloy

Under the Storm (Hallandssviten, #1)Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💛💕💛💕💛💕💛💕💛💕💛

Under the Storm is listed as the 1st-book in Christoffer Carlsson’s Hallandssviten Adult Mystery series.

Oddly enough, the 2nd-book listed in that series, Blaze Me a Sun, was translated into English first, in early-January 2023. I read it last year and really enjoyed it. It was a gritty crime story that successfully captured my attention throughout.

I found this one to be equally entertaining, but I gotta say, between the two, my timelines may be a little muddled since I read the 2nd-book first? I’m not really sure why they chose to release the translations that way…

Both are set in the same area of rural Sweden and contain the character Vidar, who sometimes appears when he is young, but mostly when he is an adult and he has become a cop. There may be other similar characters, but none that have as presently stuck in my mind as Vidar.

The primary event in this novel that gets the ball rolling is a fire in a farmhouse. In the aftermath, a young woman’s body is found in the remains–murdered. This was a huge event for this small town, the young woman was known by many and loved. It’s an unforgettable tragedy.

For 10-year old, Isak, that event is a pivotal moment in his young life, irrevocably changing his family dynamic forever.

The first suspect for the police is Edvard, the murdered woman’s boyfriend and Isak’s beloved Uncle. The investigation is quick. The people want a resolution. Edvard is tried and found guilty. He’s sentenced to life in prison.

Vidar is a rookie officer at the time of the fire and the first to respond to the scene. Initially, he feels proud of the work done. It’s certainly a defining moment in his career, but maybe not for the reasons he expects.

Years later, Edvard’s guilt comes into question and forces Vidar to consider aspects of the case he hadn’t before. Isak has always wondered about Edvard’s guilt versus innocence. Will he ever be delivered the truth?

Under the Storm is another very solid Crime Thriller from Christoffer Carlsson. I hope that these continue to be translated into English. There are currently 3-novels in the series already released, with a 4th expected next year.

I would be very excited to have the opportunity to continue on. I love this author’s writing. It feels lush, layered and poignant. The settings are well-developed and the characters evoke a real sense of empathy.

In this story, I truly felt for Isak. I loved following his story. Everything he was going through after the arrest of his Uncle. The emotional turmoil he felt over that. His anxiety over whether or not, if his Uncle really was a violent man capable of murder, was he just like him.

I loved how the author explored those ideas. It’s a side of crime we really don’t see considered that much in fiction. By that I mean, the fallout for the families of individuals accused and convicted of violent crimes.

I also really enjoy Vidar as a central character. He’s not perfect. His personal life is tumultuous and I like that. Despite his respected position at work, he is just a man, one who makes mistakes and has struggles of his own.

He is dedicated in his work though and does have a strong moral compass in that regard. I liked how determined he seemed to be about helping Isak get the truth he needed.

There were some time shifts in this that were a little unexpected. While at certain times I had to remind myself where we were in the timeline, how old Isak, or Vidar, may have been at the time I was reading, overall, I enjoyed the somewhat unconventional storytelling style.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Crime Fiction, particularly with strong character-focused narratives and small town settings.

I would also recommend the audiobooks should you have that option available to you. The narration by Peter Noble could not be more perfect. He has such a classic storyteller voice, it really brought these stories to life for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Hogarth, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Please translate the rest of this series into English! Pretty, pretty please!

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Review: The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict

~ megs14malloy

The Christmas Jigsaw MurdersThe Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In The Christmas Jigsaw Murders we follow octogenarian crossword puzzle setter, Edie O’Sullivan, who on December 1st finds a hand-delivered Christmas gift on her doorstep.

Upon opening it, Edie is intrigued: a jigsaw box containing 6-puzzle pieces. Once she’s pieced them together they reveal a portion of a crime scene, with blood splattered across black and white tiles and the outline of body.

How odd. What could this mean?

The Sender knew Edie might need a little help, so included the following message: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ Signed, Rest In Pieces.

Edie’s great-nephew, Sean, who she raised as her son after his parents were tragically killed, happens to be a Detective. She contacts him about her special gift and they intend to work together to figure it out.

Shortly thereafter, a local man is found close to death with a puzzle piece gripped in his hand. This pushes Sean over the edge. Edie could be in real danger and he expects her to shut down her little investigation into Rest in Pieces right away. Octogenarians aren’t so easily controlled, however. Anyone with elderly parents knows that…

As bodies continue to drop, Edie realizes she is this key to this all. Only her knowledge can solve it. Going against Sean’s wishes, Edie digs in deeper with the hopes of uncovering the identity of Rest in Pieces before anyone else can be killed.

I really enjoyed this detailed Adult Mystery. It’s probably my 2nd-fave out of the 3-books that I have read thus far from this author.

I liked the incorporation of the jigsaw puzzle pieces as clues left by the murderer. I also grew quite attached to Edie. She’s a bit of a curmudgeon, which I can get behind, and has quite the Scrooge character arc within this story.

While this wasn’t as Christmas-focused as I was expecting, it was still just enough to get my spirits up as we soar into the holiday season.

I do want to mention that I feel like some Readers may expect this to be a Cozy Mystery, maybe due to the inclusion of Christmas in the title, or just the basic synopsis, but it’s really not. This is a straight Adult Mystery with some heavier topics explored throughout.

I feel like a couple of Benedict’s earlier books could have fallen victim to this quandary. Readers going in expecting one thing, getting another and not being happy about it. That’s the only reason why I am mentioning that.

I enjoy Benedict’s mysteries. They intrigue me and I enjoy that the MCs are often dealing with some pretty significant real life things in addition to the mystery elements.

While her characters may be hard for some to understand, or get behind, I always end up rooting for them. Edie is someone I would want to be close to in real life. She’s a grump and so am I. I find that endearing. I can relate.

I’m hoping Benedict has a few more Christmas Mysteries in store for us. I would definitely be picking them up.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. The audiobook was fantastically narrated and I absolutely recommend that format for this one!

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Review: The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich

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The MadnessThe Madness by Dawn Kurtagich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was, wow…Dawn Kurtagich, I see you and appreciate you. This book is my tastes to an absolute tee.

Have you ever read a book and thought, this author and I share a brain, because that’s what I’m thinking right now.

I didn’t even realize this was an actual Dracula reimagining. As one of my favorite novels of all time, I love to see how current authors spin a tale influenced by that story. Kurtagich absolutely nailed it!

I highly recommend the audio format, should you have access to it. It’s narrated by one of my favorite narrators of all time, Imogen Church, and her inflection lends itself perfectly to this narrative.

This story is everything you would expect from the cover. It’s haunting, atmospheric and gripping. What you may not expect is how modern it is, as well as how impactful the characters arcs become.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to pick up a novel by Kurtagich, but I’ll tell you what, I won’t be waiting long until I pick up more. If they’re this good, I may have a new favorite author on my hands.

Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This will definitely be on my Most Surprising List of 2024!!

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Review: Bitter Is the Heart by Mina Hardy

~ megs14malloy

Bitter Is the HeartBitter Is the Heart by Mina Hardy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Bitter is the Heart took me by surprise. This story grabbed hold of me from the first chapter and never let go.

It was shocking, upsetting, disgusting, disturbing, toe-curling and eye-opening all at once.

In this novel we follow Tamar Glass, a woman haunted by childhood trauma who suddenly finds herself stuck caring for her abusive elderly mother, Ruth.

Tamar as a main character had my heart from the start. When I say she is haunted by her childhood, I mean it. There’s so much to unpack as far as her past relationship with her mother, as well as her father’s death, and even her relationship with her sister, Lovey.

Tamar is also starting to feel the effects of menopause and she has been through a divorce and is now on her own for the first time as an adult. Then mother arrives.

Ruth, Tamar’s mother, is reintroduced to her life in a disturbing way. Tamar wakes one night to find her Mom looming in the dark of her bedroom.

Ruth had been living in an Assisted Living facility 15-miles away and she had never been to Tamar’s house. How the heck did she end up there?

That scene set the tone for the entire novel. Hardy built out this story so well. She built the drama continuously. It’s brutal at times, but I was with Tamar all the way. I think some interactions between Tamar and Ruth could be shocking to some, but I feel like they felt natural and made perfect sense to me.

I feel like this book could have hit especially hard for me because I am close to the same point in my life that Tamar is, and while I can’t say I’ve been through the family struggles that she has, I can relate to a lot of the other aspects of her experiences.

I love that after her divorce she had returned to her hometown after a long period of time away. This did allow her to reconnect with people from her past, including her high school boyfriend, Miguel, who plays an important role in this story.

Incidentally, I also had a hs-boyfriend named Miguel…

There were so many scenes in this that left me with absolute chills, jaw on the floor, completely disturbed and needing more information. Once Ruth gets kicked out of her Assisted Living facility and moves in with Tamar, there was no turning back. It was high speed ahead.

Additionally, I loved the religious elements of this. Tamara is Jewish, and the Jewish faith was incorporated into this story in a big way. I had never read anything where it was done to this extent, and with this many impactful conversations. I feel like this will stand out in my memory because of that representation.

The only negative I can think of was there was a scene involving a puppy that I had to skip through. You’ll see it coming, Readers sensitive to animal content beware. Besides that, I was completely enamored with this story.

I noticed the synopsis recommends this for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher. The Khaw comp I don’t get at all. I do see Kingfisher, for sure. While Hardy doesn’t include as much dark humor as Kingfisher does, the Domestic Horror elements and Tamar’s dry delivery of her thoughts do line up with things such as A House with Good Bones, The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones.

When I was reading this I kept thinking of Ainslie Hogarth’s Motherthing, which I really enjoyed a couple years ago. I ended up connecting with this one more though because I feel like this has a more cohesive and traditional narrative style, which was easier for me to follow.

I also saw my friend, Crystal, compare this to My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon and I completely agree with that. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that myself while reading it.

If you enjoyed any of the books or authors listed above, you need to check this out. If you enjoy Domestic Horror, or Horror that incorporates Religious elements, you need to pick this up. If you just love Horror and always enjoy diving into a fun, disturbing story, you need to pick this up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. The audiobook was so well done. I loved this and can’t wait for more from Mina Hardy!

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