audiobooks

Review: Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding

~ megs14malloy

Speak of the DevilSpeak of the Devil by Rose Wilding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Speak of the Devil is a creative work of Crime Fiction told in a bit of an unconventional way.

I’ll admit, the first couple sentences of the synopsis are what sold me on picking this one up. I needed nothing further. Yes, please. You had me at ‘severed head’…

In fact, this story does begin with a severed head in a dingy hotel room. Seven women, all very different, but all somehow connected to the man to whom the head once belonged, are gathered around it.

They all had their own reasons for wanting him dead, yet none of them own up to the crime.

Can they figure out who is guilty before the authorities decide for them?

First off, I found this extremely interesting, the content and topics explored. However, I also found the construction of the story to be a bit jarring. There are a lot of characters and you get all of their perspectives. The narrative jumps around a lot, not only via perspective, but also in time.

With this being said, I found the individual perspectives compelling. As you read how each of the women are connected to the murdered man, Jamie, and you come to understand the different experiences that they each had with him, the true portrait of who Jamie was becomes clear.

The way he treated these women. His narcissism, abusive, violent and derogatory behaviors landed him in the spot he ultimately found himself in, headless.

But we can’t just go around decapitating men who use, abuse, gaslight and disregard us, can we?

While I did have some moments where I had to really search my brain to remember some previous connection, or fact, overall, I did enjoy this one.

There was a lot of great social commentary of the treatment of women who have been victimized; whether they are believed, or painted as somehow responsible for the evil things that have happened to them.

As a revenge story, I feel quite satisfied with this one and am definitely interested in picking up future work from this author. This got dark and I appreciate Wilding’s commitment to taking it there.

I would recommend this one to Readers who enjoy a lot of deep character work and social commentary in their Crime Fiction. Additionally, I would recommend the audiobook. I enjoyed the narration style quite a bit.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This has left me with quite a bit to think about!

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Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss

~ megs14malloy

Star Wars: The Clone WarsStar Wars: The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

It’s no secret that I love reading Star Wars novels. Whether they’re written for a Middle Grade, YA, or Adult audience, I love them all and always find them to be engaging and fun.

Recently I’ve been rewatching The Clone Wars animated series and that experience has really put me a mood for this whole era of the Star Wars timeline.

On a whim, I decided to grab this audiobook from my library. It is a novelization of the 2008-Clone Wars animated movie. Unsurprisingly, I was hooked within minutes.

I’ve read two of the other novelizations, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and loved them as well. There’s something so satisfying about revisiting these stories through a different medium, while getting additional content that helps fill out the story.

This story includes the first time, Anakin Skywalker, at this point a Jedi Knight, meets his new Padawan apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. I was so happy to read about that. I love their relationship and Ahsoka is such a special character.

If you aren’t familiar with this story, the basic gist is that the Clone Wars are on and Jabba the Hutt’s infant son gets kidnapped.

Jabba turns to the Jedi to help; he’ll do anything to get his son back. He’s a loving father, hard to believe, I know…

The Jedi agree to help, as they want access to Hutt-controlled space lanes to the outer rim. Obi-Wan and Anakin are assigned the mission.

Considering Anakin’s early life, he’s not thrilled.

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan convinces him and along with Ahsoka and some clone troops, they set out to find the missing Hutlett.

The Separatists are also interested in gaining exclusive access to those space lanes though, and just may have set a trap the Jedi are walking straight into. One involving one of my all-time favorite characters, Asajj Ventress.

This is a definitely a quick and exciting story. I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator, Jeff Gurner, absolutely slayed it. All the different voices were so unique and true to the characters; his Yoda was spot on.

If you’ve never listened to a Star Wars novel, but love Star Wars, I highly recommend them. The sound effects, music and voice work are always spectacular. They go above and beyond what you would normally hear on an audiobook.

It’s the full experience!

In short, I had an absolute blast with this. It is a fantastic novelization and as expected, the audio format is a stellar production.

Now I just need to rewatch the movie!!

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Review: Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler

~ megs14malloy

Going BicoastalGoing Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Going Bicoastal is the must-read Queer YA Contemporary Romance of the summer! It made me giddy. I loved it!

That may seem like a bold proclamation, but I mean it from the depths of my soul. I absolutely adored it, from the first chapter to the last.

In this story, our main character is Natalya, a bi Jewish girl, who lives with her Dad, a mathematics Professor in NYC. Her estranged Mom works in advertising and lives in L.A.

With summer approaching, Natalya needs to make a big decision. Her Mom wants her to go to L.A. to live with her for the summer.

They’ve barely spoken in years and going to stay with her Mom, means leaving everything she knows and loves behind; including her Dad and the red-headed girl she’s been crushing on.

Natalya can see the other side too though. It could be a chance to repair her relationship with her Mom. Does she want that? And the opportunity to explore new interests and opportunities; to get out of her comfort zone.

It’s such an important choice. How will she ever be able to make it? She has a tough time making regular impact choices on a regular day…

She can’t choose. So then, in the best use of the Sliding Doors plot device since, well, Sliding Doors, we the Reader, get to watch both choices playing out parallel to one another via alternating chapters.

We see Tal in NYC, breaking out of her shell, talking to the girl, taking on new interests and potentially healing things with her Mom through a long-distance option.

We see Nat in L.A., living with her Mom for the first time in years, working at her Mom’s business, meeting an interesting boy who also is working as an intern at her Mom’s office, and befriending others in the L.A. Queer and Foodie communities.

Natalya’s learning so much about herself and the plethora of new experiences are helping her understand what she may want for herself in the future.

Y’all, Adler absolutely crushed the construction of this story. While it may sound confusing, it is so seamless, it makes perfect sense as it’s unfolding.

I never found myself scratching my head or feeling like I was missing something. It’s easy in the moment to just coast along with Natalya on her journey.

It’s also fun developing opinions on which situation you would prefer. I was Team NYC from the start, and pretty much stayed that way throughout, although the LA scene definitely grew on me due to the all the delicious sounding food and super friendly people.

The writing is engaging and keeps you wanting to know more. I desperately wanted to know what was going to ultimately happen. As I got closer to the end, I wondered how Adler was going to be able to wrap it up.

I loved the ending. It was such a great choice in my opinion. I feel like this might not be for everyone, but I fully support the direction Adler went with it. My heart fills with joy even thinking about it.

Honestly, I appreciated so much how unapologetically sweet and hopeful this story is. Everyone deserves a happy ending, and I think everyone can find one here.

I definitely recommend this to YA Romance Readers, or anyone looking for a fun and unique Queer story. Be prepared to smile.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. 10-out-of-10 recommend!

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Review: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

~ megs14malloy

MotherthingMotherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Motherthing is a really, really good domestic horror novel. I found it to be so unique and strange.

The topics explored were interesting and I was definitely shocked by the final bits ((pun intended)). Yikes. Seriously, in some ways, I may never view the world the same again.

I’m sort of kidding with that reaction, but also not really. This one took me by surprise.

In this story we follow Abby and her husband, Ralph. At the beginning of the story, Ralph’s Mom is found dead in the basement of the home in which they all live together.

It appears she’s taken her own life. There’s a lot of blood. It’s super tragic for Ralph, and Abby as well, of course.

The heart of the story explores the aftermath of that sudden death. It explores Ralph’s grief and also Abby’s mixed emotions about her mother-in-law and her actions.

The narrative is stream-of-consciousness from Abby’s perspective and while generally, that isn’t a style I tend to enjoy, it actually really worked for me here.

I feel like when an author is able to bring a great sense of humor to the perspective we are hearing from, it definitely helps me to settle in and enjoy the story.

Keeping in mind this is an extremely dark story, with stomach-churning, toe-curling, won’t eat for a week imagery, it still had moments where I literally LOL.

Even with all the humor, I felt like Hogarth did a great job of capturing the different levels and outward expressions of grief. It came off as genuine and believable.

Additionally, while some aspects seemed jarring, because they were shocking in nature, or otherwise upsetting content, the flow of the story consistently worked throughout. It was well constructed and presented.

The final scenes had my jaw on the floor. I think I sort of got lulled into it all over the course of the narrative and wasn’t expecting it to go the direction it did. I loved that part. It was a super solid finish.

I recommend the audio format, if you are someone who enjoys audiobooks. The narration was perfect for the story and it definitely felt immersive to me.

I cannot wait to read more from Hogarth in the future. It’s clear she is super creative and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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Review: The Ascent by Ronald Malfi

~ megs14malloy

The AscentThe Ascent by Ronald Malfi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ronald Malfi is one of my favorite authors. Reading one of his books is like sitting at a campfire with an old friend and having them tell you a story.

The Ascent is one of his older titles, having first been released in 2010. It’s now being released in audiobook format, as of today, June 6, 2023, thanks to Tantor Audio.

I was so excited when I learned this was happening, as I always love a survival story, particularly if it involves mountaineering, or hiking.

In this story we follow Tim Overleigh, a sculptor, who after the tragic death of his wife, quit his craft and took up extreme sports as a way to escape his pain.

After a solo-caving accident left him close to death, Tim is in worse shape than ever. His rehabilitation was long and arduous, just ask his nurse. It took time and work before he could even walk again.

Six months later, back on his feet with the aide of crutches and visiting his local watering hole, Tim runs into an old friend, who makes him an intriguing offer.

The man’s name is Andrew and he is arranging an expedition to the infamous Canyon of Souls in the Himalayas. It’s clear to Andrew that Tim needs a life-changing experience like this. This trip could be helpful for his long-term mental health.

Tim initially is against it, but Andrew points out it won’t take place for another year. There’s plenty of time for Tim to prepare himself physically. Eventually Tim caves.

Using a plane ticket provided by Andrew, Tim flies to Kathmandu, where he meets up with the rest of the men that Andrew has recruited for the expedition.

With Andrew acting as their unofficial leader, the men set out on a journey up to the Godesh Ridge. Let’s say, things don’t go as planned.

The Ascent was such a fun read. It was quick and hooked me from the first moments. The audio narration was so believable as being from Tim’s perspective. It really added to my experience.

Malfi sure knows how to tell a tale. This is a freaking great story, layered and textured. It was compelling from the very start, all the way through to the final pages.

The tone of Malfi’s writing and the way he set-ups and builds his stories always reminds me of Stephen King, in the best ways. It’s so comfortable to read. I knew immediately that this one was going to work for me.

I think anyone who enjoys a tense Survival Story, especially involving mountaineering, will love this and be able to connect to it. Tim is a likeable character. He’s fighting to try to get himself out of a dark place and I think we all can relate to that in one way or another.

The intensity of this story builds throughout. It does get fairly wild, but never stops being page-turning. I was really impressed with this.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I may not have gotten to this one if it hadn’t been for the audio format, so I truly appreciate it.

I definitely need to continue working my way through Malfi’s backlist!

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Review: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

~ megs14malloy

All the Sinners BleedAll the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

When I first completed the audiobook for All the Sinners Bleed I decided to give it 4.5-stars, not rounded up. My thought process was that I didn’t connect to it emotionally in the same way that I did Razorblade Tears, which I gave 5-stars.

For some reason, in my little pea-brain, I was thinking because I didn’t feel that way that it wasn’t as good a story for me as that one. Hence the slightly lower rating.

Even though that was my reasoning initially, and I stress the initially part, I was wrong. Here we are, a full 4-days after I completed the book, and I cannot stop thinking about Titus, Charon County, or this mystery.

First, can we all acknowledge that Adam Lazarre-White is one of the most talented voice artists out there. I could listen to him read anything and be lulled into happiness. It’s true. You think I’m embellishing, but I’m not.

In this story we follow Titus Crowne, the first black sheriff of Charon County in Virginia. Titus used to work for the FBI, but decided to come home for a number of different reasons.

He ran for sheriff with the hopes of making a difference in his community; changing it for the better. The job has had it’s ups-and-downs, but overall, it seems they’re are making headway. Then, a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks their small community.

Caution: Scenes from school shooting on page.

A teacher is dead and the shooter, a former student and someone Titus knows well, is shot and killed by the responding deputies.

Even though there are many witnesses, Titus insists on an internal review of the shooting. It’s the right thing to do.

Looking into the teacher, and the former student, Titus and his department unknowingly open up a big ole’ can of worms. It appears the student was abused by the teacher. The teacher everyone felt was so pristine was anything but.

Y’all, this story goes dark and I loved it. It’s extremely interesting. There are religious elements, a cult-like atmosphere, buried bodies and so many secrets it makes Washington D.C. seem transparent.

The most compelling thing about this novel though is simply Cosby’s quality of storytelling. From the very first chapter I was reminded of how easy it is to get swept away by his writing. The way the plot and characters are developed is a masterclass in style.

Titus is such a great main character. He has so many admirable qualities, but he also has a past. He’s human, he struggles with things and second-guesses himself, but he always works hard to do the right thing. He’s the type of character you want to succeed.

He’s also the type of character I’m really hoping I will meet again. To my knowledge, this is a standalone novel, but man, would I love to someday get a follow-up. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Titus.

The mystery aspect, which involves many dead bodies, goes there. It gets graphic. I was actually surprised by how dark certain scenes got. I was living for it.

I recommend this to Readers who enjoyed The Echo Man. If you like that mystery, I think you could end up really vibing with this one as well. There was just something about this that gave me the same level of toe-curling enjoyment that that one did.

I loved following along with this investigation and felt my pulse ratchet up a notch every time the stakes were raised, which spoiler alert, was a lot!

I highly recommend this one for your Summer reading list. If you love a fast-paced, intense, Police Procedural Thriller, this is an absolute must for you. It’s a nail-biter!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I loved this!

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Review: Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede

~ megs14malloy

Maeve FlyMaeve Fly by C.J. Leede
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Maeve Fly is an Extreme Horror novel by debut author C.J. Leede. In addition to the fascinating cover, I was drawn to this book because the synopsis mentions the main character was inspired by the pages of American Psycho.

Even though I was bored to tears by American Psycho, I still wanted to see what this was all about. It had my attention.

Luckily for me, I enjoyed this much more than AP. I definitely felt the same tone throughout, but I really enjoyed the Feminist twist that Leede brought here.

This story follows Maeve, who is the Patrick Bateman of our story. Instead of NYC, we’re in L.A. for this one, where Maeve lives with her ailing grandmother, a former movie starlet. Their secluded mansion is Maeve’s safe haven.

By day, Maeve works at a theme park, it’s unnamed, but think Disneyland, where she plays a super popular ice princess. Let’s call her, Elsa.

Maeve works alongside her best friend, Kate, the only person, besides her grandmother, she feels a real connection with. That is until Kate’s brother, Gideon, arrives in town.

Gideon makes Maeve feel things she doesn’t necessarily want to be feeling. She tries to avoid him, but the attraction can’t be helped. Once they start chumming around, all bets are off. It’s no holds bar, gripping, pulse-pounding, exhausting, exploring their darkest and deepest desires.

We’re talking dark. Real, genuine debauchery. Maeve has a fetish with eggs. You’ll never be able to unsee that. I will never look at an egg the same again.

The narrative style is biting and shocking, as you would expect Extreme Horror to be. It’s stream of consciousness from Maeve’s perspective and being in her brain is not a comfortable place to be.

I did enjoy some of the ideas that Leede explored in this. For example, Maeve talks about how we have a need to understand why people do horrific acts, but when men perform such acts, it’s sort of like, men are aggressive, men can snap, men can be harmful. It’s not super shocking, but when the same acts are performed by a woman, it’s almost unbelievable to us.

Maeve’s thing is, what if this is just me? There’s no reason behind it, no justifications or excuses. It’s her true being, point blank.

I also liked the dichotomy displayed in Maeve’s life. She loves her job, she’s interacting with children all day, the epitome of a pretty, pretty princess, but as soon as the park closes and she’s free in the world, she’s a monster, a predator, an evil being.

That back-and-forth was really well done and I appreciated how Leede set that up. I also loved the ending of this. The final two scenes were my favorite of the whole novel.

Overall, I feel like this is a good book. I think it is smart and visceral. For me, though, I felt a little disconnected with it at times. It was sort of a mixed bag.

I enjoyed a lot of the themes and the ideas behind the creation of the story, but didn’t vibe as much with Maeve’s narrative voice.

Also, I feel like I am just not enjoying Extreme Horror as much as I used to. That is my own reading journey though, and yours may be completely different, so please keep that in mind when reading this review.

Fair warning: don’t be fooled by the subtle-sounding synopsis. This is intense, torture, body horror, fetish acts, sexually explicit content for days, it’s all here. If you’re looking for a good shock, you’ll definitely find it somewhere in this story. I dare you not to be shocked by at least a few scenes. You can’t do it. You can’t.

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

I would definitely be interested in picking up more from this author in the future, especially if she continues with the feminist themes that were so well done here.

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Review: Reprieve by James Han Mattson

~ megs14malloy

ReprieveReprieve by James Han Mattson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. I don’t read a lot of stories that feature this sort of Literary Fiction mixed with strong Social Horror.

I felt like this author did a great job constructing this one. I feel like with the people it’s going to hit with, it will really hit. Reprieve has the power to stay on your mind.

I listened to the audiobook and found it immersive. The tone of J.D. Jackson’s narration was, despite the content, soothing and very easy to get swept up in.

This story is set in 1997 and is constructed via a few different style elements. The idea is that there has been a murder at a full-contact, horror-inspired escape room called Quigley House, and we learn about the individuals involved, as well as the aftermath of the crime.

You get a few different character perspectives leading up to their involvement with the fateful night at Quigley House. You also follow along with the group of four contestants making their way through the different levels of the escape room process. Finally, you get court transcripts from the trial following the murder.

An aspect I think some Readers may dislike are the fairly large sections from the different perspectives in the before portions, that are pure character development. They provide context for the various characters ending up at the escape room, but they’re not particularly exciting, or thrilling, if I’m being honest.

With this being said though, I actually really enjoyed the author’s choices in constructing it that way. There were little hints provided throughout these sections that gave you insight into how they were all ultimately going to be connected. I liked watching it all come together.

Additionally, I enjoyed that sort of slow build-up of the eventual relationships and connections. I felt James Han Mattson gave real care to the creation of these characters and it gave it a certain level of authenticity that I appreciated.

The Social Horror was strong, particularly involving race and social status. Those themes branched throughout all of the different sections of the story and I feel like the author did a great job with it, bringing a slightly different perspective than I have read before. Jaidee’s experience as a foreign student coming to the U.S. was eye-opening.

Even though I had a great experience with this one, I do understand why some Readers aren’t connecting with this like they wanted. I think if you go into it expecting a fast-paced and exciting Horror-Thriller set in a escape room, you may be let down by the slow-build and focus on non-escape room content, of which there’s a lot.

I think if you enter this one with the right mindset though, and allow yourself to just settle into the character’s personal journeys, you could end up enjoying this as much as I did. Hopefully, this review will help you decide whether it will be for you or not.

I will definitely be picking up whatever James Han Mattson chooses to write next!

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Review: The New Mother by Nora Murphy

~ megs14malloy

The New MotherThe New Mother by Nora Murphy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: The thoughts represented in this review are solely based upon my personal reading experience with this book. They are by no means meant to disparage this author, or anyone who has enjoyed this story.

There is a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book. Unfortunately, The New Mother was not for me.

Let’s just rip the band-aid off, shall we?

I hated this book for the first 60%. I rarely say that. Hardly ever, in fact, but this story just rubbed me the wrong way. Natalie’s perspective got under my skin and I absolutely loathed everything she had to say.

I was listening to the audiobook and at times, considered throwing myself out of my moving vehicle to get away from her. It was that bad for me.

I get it, post-partum depression is a serious issue. It is valid and it should be taken seriously. I understand that and respect that, but the way this is presented…

I just couldn’t stand it. Again, you’ve read the disclaimer, that’s just me. I am sure many Readers will enjoy this from the start and will be able to connect with Natalie and her experiences.

Around 60%, it does start to pick up a little. I wasn’t completely disliking it. There’s a little deviousness going on in their neighborhood, a slight glimmer, but at that point, it was sort of too little, too late.

I did know someone was going to get murdered, so I sort of hung around for that. Alas, there was no mystery, no thrills, and the only real suspense was whether or not the murderer would actually be able to pull off their plan.

Frankly, I was hoping that they would.

I won’t drag this out any longer. You get the gist. Not for me, not at all, moving swiftly along.

As always though, I mean this, don’t take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. You could end up loving it. There are certainly plenty of Readers who have already.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

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Review: On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

~ megs14malloy

On the Savage SideOn the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Honestly, this could be one of the most powerful stories that I have ever read. I am shattered.

Dark feminist fiction, gut-wrenching and poignant. A story of girls, women, sisters, mothers and friends. Dear Lord, my heart hurts.

I am really not going to say anything about the plot of this novel. I went into this knowing nothing…

…and I definitely recommend that reading journey. I picked this up just because I had seen quite a few of my book friends who enjoy Dark Fiction giving it 5-stars.

I read snippets of their reviews and knew that this was a story I wanted to check out. I listened to the audiobook and recommend that as a format. The narrator, Catherine Tabor, mesmerized me with their presentation of this story.

I would caution Readers going into this who may be triggered by talk/experiences of addiction. This novel does explore the harsh realities of the opioid epidemic in the United States and the author does not pull punches.

That is merely one impactful topic explored in this though. We also dive deep into the cycle of poverty, experiences of women and girls raised/living in grossly unsafe environments and the rural sex trade, amongst other things.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was instantly drawn into this narrative. McDaniel’s writing style is smooth and captivating, raw and gritty.

The choices McDaniel made in telling this story, I have no words; chef’s kiss. I am in awe. There are a few different perspectives over the course of the story, and you also jump around a bit in time.

Additionally, there are little sections that I found to be so unique, that added such depth to the narrative.

For example, McDaniel gives the perspective of the local river. I always love a sense of place within a story and the way this is done is great. The history and feeling, the desperation. It’s so well done.

Also, there are sort of fantastical Medical Examiner’s reports after the bodies of missing women are found discarded in the river. The reports give descriptions of them and their lives that in a way, I felt lifted them out of the darkness of their reality and gave them a whimsical identity/features. The one they deserved and may have desired.

What could have been in another time, another place.

Overall, McDaniel has achieved a captivating, heart-wrenching, authentic story of addiction, poverty, struggle and love, within the pages of On the Savage Side. This one will live in my soul for a long time to come.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

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