audiobooks

Review: Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards

~ megs14malloy

Only the Guilty SurviveOnly the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Only the Guilty Survive, Claire, the only survivor of a cult known as The Flock, must re-examine the tragic events that happened a decade earlier, including the disappearance of her best friend, Laurel, when a podcaster arrives in town to investigate the case.

The Reader is treated to Claire’s perspective in the present, Laurel’s perspective in the past, and another perspective, which I’ll keep mum on for spoiler’s sake.

The back-and-forth between the women was a good way to tell the story. Claire, in the present, has very hazy recollections of her time within The Flock, so Laurel’s past perspective is really essential for building that aspect out.

This is a fine book. It does nothing wrong. It tells a story that I feel like a lot of Readers will have fun with. For me though, the mystery just wasn’t engaging enough to feel invested in. It didn’t pull me in.

The character work was fine and I did think that Laurel’s past perspective showcasing the lives of those within The Flock was fairly interesting. Overall though, it did nothing to make it memorable, or really stand out for me in this genre.

I think if you are looking for some light entertainment, or a story you can easily fit into your weekend schedule, this could be a good selection. I did feel the audiobook narration was strong and would suggest that format.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m glad I gave this one a shot!

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Review: Gleanings (Arc of the Scythe #3.5) by Neal Shusterman

~ megs14malloy

Gleanings (Arc of a Scythe, #3.5)Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gleanings, tagged as Arc of the Scythe #3.5, is a collection of 13-short stories set within Shusterman’s incredible world of the Scythe. A world without death, or disease. A world I fell in love with as I binged the entire trilogy recently.

This was a fantastic collection. I listened to the audio and loved the multiple narrators, including Shusterman himself. It provided great new insights and gave me some extra time with a few of my favorite characters that I wasn’t ready to say good-bye too yet.

I appreciated how the collection was arranged and liked how it was sort of book-ended by stories following one of my favorite characters of the series.

My favorite story though, which personally I think is worth picking up the entire collection for, is hands-down The Martian Minute, which gives the Reader tons more insight into the Mars disaster. It’s a bit of an origin story for the most wicked villain of the series.

I loved how varied the perspectives were and how many of them connected to the original series. As bonus content goes, this leans into the must read category.

I did read this immediately upon finishing The Toll; as in, I started it the next day, so the entire series was fresh in my mind. I was emotional about it ending and didn’t want it to be over. This provided just the right amount of material for me to feel like I can walk away with a full heart now.

Shusterman is a genius. That’s clear throughout this series and I am really hopeful that we’ll eventually get more in this world. I’m not sure if that is in the cards or not, but you better believe I would be first in line at the bookstore if it ever comes to fruition.

Overall, I had a fabulous experience with this. I’m sure glad I made time for it and am happy to display it with the rest of the series on my shelf!

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Review: A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke

~ megs14malloy

A Haunting in the ArcticA Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙

Ooo, this was very, very clever. Cooke delivered the exact level of unsettling atmosphere I was hoping for.

In this story we are treated to two very distinct and very memorable perspectives. We follow Nicky, whose story begins for us in 1901, as well as Dominique, who offers us a more present day perspective.

There are a few other, one section, perspectives we get every now and then just to help buff out some of our action. Cooke’s execution of this was fantastic, IMO. It sounds like a lot, but when you are reading it, it flows so well.

All of our drama sort of surrounds a ship known as the Ormen. In 1901, Nicky was attacked one night and wakes aboard the Ormen, a ship her father owns, where she is then kept and abused throughout an entire sea voyage.

Over a hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed ashore in a remote area of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels compelled to document its last days.

I don’t want to say too much. This is so cunningly done, it’s best to just know the basics from above, or the publisher’s synopsis, and let the rest wash over you as it comes.

Some aspects of the story are absolutely gut-wrenching, particularly all that Nicky was subjected to aboard the Ormen. Her evolution as a character is horrific and also broke my heart. I loved being on this journey with her. It felt like honoring a memory in a way by bearing witness to it all.

I really enjoyed the back-and-forth between Nicky and Dominique. As the story was building, I was so curious how it was going to intersect. You could feel the past influencing Dominique, but how would it ultimately play out?

I was sad for Nicky, chest-achingly sad, and scared for Dominique. My emotions were all over the place. The stark atmosphere, cold and desolate, def got under my skin.

Additionally, the audiobook was fantastic. I felt like the narrator’s accent brought a certain level of authenticity to it that enhanced my experience.

I would 100% recommend this to Horror fans, particularly fans of Historical Horror, or Arctic Horror. The way this beautifully-blends those 2-subgenres is top shelf indeed!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have truly enjoyed Cooke’s work thus far, and am definitely looking forward to more.

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An Unfinished Murder (Medlar Mystery #5) by Jude Deveraux

~ megs14malloy

An Unfinished MurderAn Unfinished Murder by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

An Unfinished Murder is the 5th-book in the Medlar Mystery series by veteran author, Jude Deveraux.

This is the 2nd-book I’ve read from this series, the other being A Forgotten Murder, the 3rd-book in the series. I enjoyed it a lot and hope to eventually get to them all.

This series follows Romance novelist, Sara Medlar, who along with her niece, Kate, and their friend, Jack, tend to solve a lot of mysteries.

Like many other amateur sleuths before them, this trio seems to be at the right place, at the right time, when it comes to mysteries, particularly murder mysteries.

At this point, the trio has built up quite a bit of a reputation for themselves due to their superior sleuthing skills. Now known as the Medlar Three, in their small town of Lachlan, Florida, there’s no case they’re afraid to tackle.

This latest mystery arises after Kate, a real estate agent, is given a listing for the storied Lachlan House, a local property with a dark past. Alarm bells may ring, but it’s a substantial listing, one she has no intention of turning down.

Their first time visiting the property, the trio make a stark discovery, an actual skeleton in the closet. This one dressed in a rotting tuxedo. It’s this shocking moment that causes Kate to realize, she did spend some time there as a child.

This skeleton seems to have connections to her father, and it makes Kate wonder if the childhood she can’t remember may be one she’d rather not anyway.

As Sara, Kate and Jack dive deeper into the skeleton’s history, they discover it was a man who was last seen attending a lavish party at the Lachlan House in the 90s. Apparently, he had many enemies and most of them were in attendance that very night.

With multiple motives and a suspect list as long as the party’s guest list, the Medlar Three are determined to find the culprit and put an end to this decades long mystery.

I listened to this one on audio recently while embarking on a solo road trip. It was a great way to pass the hours and kept me fully-entertained while tackling Boston traffic.

I found it to be a little convoluted at times, with all the characters involved, some were hard to keep straight, but it could have just been my frazzled vacation brain.

I liked how the Medlar Three were pulled into the mystery at Lachlan House. It made sense to me how urgently they would want to solve it.

I also found their method, sort of recreating that decades ago lavish party, to be such a fun idea. The cast eventually assembled was vast and quite interesting. The culprit really could have been any of them.

Deveraux embraces the classic Cozy Mystery format that I tend to be drawn to and find to be so comforting. This type of book with keep you engaged, and on your toes, without requiring every single brain cell in your head.

This has inspired me to hunt down the rest of these books, because I do love this trio: Sara, Kate and Jack. I need more cases to solve with them.

As with many Adult Cozy Mystery series, these don’t necessarily need to be read in publication order. Clearly, I’m not reading them that way and I’ve never felt lost, or like I wish I had more information.

From the synopsis, this could be the final intended book in this series, which makes me sad, but on the bright side, I still have three more to go, which I’m excited for.

I’d recommend this to any Cozy Mystery fan, particularly if you enjoy friends, or family, solving mysteries together.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m stoked to wrap-up the rest of the published books in this series!

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Review: One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

~ megs14malloy

One Big Happy FamilyOne Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

One Big Happy Family is an entertaining Summer Thriller set in a small town, Jonesport, on the rocky coast of Maine. I adore that setting, so was sold on this one by that fact alone.

This novel is an inheritance story of sorts, with murder to boot. We’re transported to The Precipice, a family-owned hotel, in Jonesport. The elder, George Bishop, has recently passed and his daughters, Iris, Vicki and Faith, are arriving for a weekend to hear his Will and claim what is now theirs.

The three sisters bring with them a whole host of dangerous secrets, heavy baggage and more. Tensions are running high. It’s not exactly a lovey-dovey family reunion.

Also in the mix, are a few employees of The Precipice, including 19-year old chambermaid, Charley, who desperately needs to hold on to her job.

This is the kind of book so full of drama that once you start, it’s hard to stop. I found it to be incredibly fun with the toxic family relationships that I love to watch play out.

I was gnoshing my popcorn the whole way through!

The setting was fantastic, made better by the fact that a hurricane stranded the characters at The Precipice. I love inclement weather stories and I feel like Day absolutely nailed that vibe here.

I actually listened to this audio while I was on vacation in Maine, so that’s a bit fortuitous. In a way, that made it extra fun, but in another way, I actually think I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t had vacation brain at the time.

I did find the narration by Saskia Maarleveld to be a perfect fit for the story. She def succeeded in bringing it to life. I highly recommend that format should it be available to you.

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I found it to be gripping, entertaining, fast-paced and dramatic. The setting and set-up were both fantastic.

My only small gripe would be that I sometimes found it hard to distinguish between the sisters. With this being said, that could be 100% attributable to the aforementioned vacation brain. It’s hard to tell. Either way, I am looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I think a lot of Readers are going to love this one!

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Review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

~ megs14malloy

House of GlassHouse of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕

I found House of Glass to be incredibly gripping, fascinating and thrilling. I enjoyed it so, so much. I absolutely flew through it. Another great delivery from Pekkanen!!

This story focuses on the Barclays, a wealthy couple currently in the midst of a heated divorce. Adding fuel to the dumpster fire, their live-in nanny very recently plunged to her death out of one of the windows of their estate.

Their 9-year old daughter, Rose, hasn’t spoken since the traumatic incident. The family now finds themselves shrouded in suspicion. Was the nanny’s death a freak accident, or was she pushed?

We follow Stella Hudson, a Best Interest Attorney, who has been called in to evaluate the family, as well as Rose’s condition, to determine what is in the best interest of the child when it comes to the divorce.

The recent suspicious death of the nanny adds a whole new layer to what should have been a fairly standard evaluation for Stella. Nevertheless, she is ready for the challenge and is anxious to determine what is actually going on within the Barclay household.

I’m not going to say anything further about the plot, or set-up, of this one. It’s definitely best to just go in and let Pekkanen roll it all out for you as she sees fit.

I got pulled into this story incredibly-quickly. The audiobook narration was fabulous for Stella’s perspective, IMO. I felt like I was going along with her on this investigation.

I have never read a story where the MC has had this profession before. I thought the idea of a Best Interest Attorney was such a clever way to insert our main character into the lives of the Barclays.

Stella had a real reason for digging into all the dirt in this family and she wasn’t afraid to do it. I thought it was a nice change of pace from following your typical law enforcement type handling the investigation.

We also got quite a bit of background into Stella herself and she was a fascinating character. Through her backstory, you could see what inspired her to pursue this particular career.

The mystery around the death of the nanny kicks off so quickly. It was easy to get lost in this one. It was clear Stella didn’t think it was an accident and I had my suspects too.

I loved the vibes and mystery that Pekkanen built up around Rose as well. It was extremely well executed for ultimate creep factor. This actually got my pulse racing.

While I may have wanted a different resolution to the mystery, at the end of the day, I’m still so freaking happy with this reading experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a gripping Psychological Thriller. This one is an absolute ride!!

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Review: The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club #3) by Robert Thorogood

~ megs14malloy

The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club, #3)The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙

The Queen of Poisons is the 3rd-installment in The Marlow Murder Club Cozy Mystery series. I really enjoyed the first 2-books and have been anticipating this one.

This series follows Judith Potts, a septuagenarian crossword setter, and her two best friends, Suzie and Becks, as they nose around their community of Marlow solving mysteries.

This particular story is set amongst the world of local politics, as the Mayor of Marlow, George Lushington, died mysteriously during a town council meeting.

After traces of the poison, aconite, are found in his coffee cup, it’s clear to all that Mayor Lushington was killed on purpose. Known for a track history of barging in to solve crimes, the police preemptively bring in Judith, Suzie and Becks, from the start as civilian advisors.

The women are allowed to interview suspects and search for clues to their hearts’ content. The ladies are excited for their role and dig in with great gusto.

This is going to be a tough case to crack though, but aren’t they all? Who could have gotten the poison into the mayor’s coffee, and for that matter, who could have gotten a hold of the poison in the first place?

This is such a cute Cozy series. I do love this friend group and the dynamics amongst them. IMO, this was a bit of an odd whodonit, like some of the details at the reveal just seemed strange to me, but nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.

I’m in for the long haul with this series, and am def hoping for more books. I’ll admit, my mind wasn’t 100% on task with this one, since I’m traveling.

With this being said, I still found this engaging and fun. I would recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll be waiting for more Marlow Murder Club!!!

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Review: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

~ megs14malloy

The FamiliarThe Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

This could be me. It could be. I did pick this up for a Book Club discussion and I definitely wasn’t in the mood for this type of story, but I also feel like this book had issues…

It took me two tries to get through. Initially I picked it up, read to 31%, and put it down. I was retaining nothing, confused by the number of characters in the beginning and truly felt that none of it was sticking in my brain.

Luckily, our Book Club discussion got pushed back like 10-days, so it gave me a little leeway. I was fully expecting to enjoy it once I returned to it in a different frame of mind.

The second time around, I did start again at the beginning and managed to retain a hell of a lot more info. Nevertheless, I still felt bored and admittedly, my mind wandered a lot.

Our main protagonist is Luzia, who works as a scullion in the kitchen of a manor home. Luzia has magical powers, although she’s never been formally trained in how to use them properly, or harness their full potential.

These powers are noticed by her mistress, Valentina, who then comes up with a scheme to use Luzia’s powers to gain prestige, favors and power for herself within Madrid’s upper-class society.

She trots Luzia out in front of her guests and makes her perform parlor tricks. Luzia ends up coming to the attention of a man connected to the King. She then gets invited to compete in a competition that could result in her being employed by the King himself.

From that point, Luzia’s life becomes a whirlwind. She begins magic training and enters the competition, which pits her against individuals with all sorts of different abilities.

There’s a bit of romance, palace intrigue and lots of interpersonal drama. Luzia’s Aunt is involved, and of course her mistress, Valentina, who is the one who got her involved in this whole business in the first place.

For me, the competition, which should have been my favorite aspect of this book, wasn’t developed, or utilized, as much as it could have been. I know there were stakes involved, but they didn’t feel high or present enough.

I also felt like the magic system could have been more clear and developed as well. I would’ve been happy to do away with the forced romance, in order to then spend that time leaning into the darker sides of the magical elements.

I think this missed an opportunity to create an unsettling, or dangerous, atmosphere. If you look at this cover, that’s what you would expect. It looks gothic and creepy, but it lacked that tone.

Finally, I couldn’t picture anything that was happening. For me, it could have been set anywhere historical. It was only in our discussion that I realized exactly where we were and what the time period was supposed to be.

Valentina was the most interesting character, IMO. She was giving Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time vibes and I’ll never look away from that. I wish I could have felt more connected to Luzia though, as it was really her story we were focused on.

At another time, perhaps I could have enjoyed this more. I’m not sure and at this point, we’ll never find out, because I’m certainly not reading it again.

With this being said, I know that Bardugo is an exceptional writer and my opinion certainly is by no means trying to negate that fact. This book just wasn’t a good fit for me. I’ll be back to read more of her books someday.

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Review: Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

~ megs14malloy

Horror MovieHorror Movie by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We’re all someone’s bad guy eventually.

Brilliant. I can’t express how much I love this book. IMO, this is Tremblay’s best work yet. A Horror Lover’s dark and heartbreaking dream.

Additionally, one of the best audiobook productions I have ever experienced and trust me, this is an EXPERIENCE.

It’s so funny. I read this book in less than two days over a week ago. At the time that I read it, I hadn’t looked at, or listened to, any reviews yet. The whole way through, I knew this was gonna be a 5-star for me.

Additionally, I seriously thought it was going to be a 5-star for everyone. Now that over a week has passed, and this book seems to be everywhere, I have seen a lot of reviews, and admittedly, some of them aren’t great.

I was shocked. Am I living in my own little Horror bubble? It’s possible. It really is, but regardless, having thought about it more, I can see this might work best for a certain niche market. Luckily, I happen to be a part of that niche.

I’m happy to stake my flag on outlier island and fully anticipate this making my Best Books of 2024 list. I’m already excited to read it again someday.

I loved how it was constructed. From the present perspective, that had a confessional feel to it, to the actual screenplay sections, to the flashbacks of making the movie, I found it all so gripping. It felt like an origin story to me, but was equally a love letter to this oft misunderstood genre.

I loved the idea of the whole low-budget movie-making process and even though, only certain scenes were released, that it still managed to turn into a cult-sensation even decades later. That’s absolutely something that would happen in the Horror community.

I also liked the idea of the movie itself being cursed. Our narrator is actually the only surviving member of the original production. This brought to mind Poltergeist and the curse that is said to surround the making of that trilogy.

For me, Poltergeist, which originally released in 1982, is part of that golden age of Horror cinema. It’s the first movie that genuinely traumatized me as a child, instilling in me an ever present fear of clowns, and I love it so much not in spite of that, but because of that.

In my opinion, this is a good fit for Readers who end up loving I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, a book I absolutely loved a couple months back.

Basically for me, these two books felt a bit like Tremblay and SGJ had a conversation, maybe about the origins and influences in modern Horror, maybe about why we are attracted to and love Horror, or maybe on how Horror seems to be having a resurgence at the moment…

And then they both walked away from the conversation, inspired to a degree, and wrote books encapsulating those themes. Obviously, I am not saying that’s ACTUALLY what happened, but I felt, as a life-long Horror Lover, seen by these books, validated by them in a way.

They both examine so many different aspects of the genre, or why people may be drawn to it, and they both contained so much heart. They may be dark hearts, but they’re there nonetheless and both books broke mine.

I would recommend this to everyone who thinks it sounds interesting. Give it a shot. Go in knowing as little as possible. The synopsis really says everything you need to know about the plot. I feel like it’s a pretty even mix on opinions right now, so you could end up loving it as much as I did.

Also, I cannot recommend enough reading a physical copy while listening to the audiobook simultaneously. It’s a very unique reading experience and should be attempted if you do have access to both formats.

In summation, (haha) I think Paul Tremblay is a genius.

I love his imagination, his dark humor, his ability to write characters that I care about and the fact that he keeps surprising me. I find his stories smart, gripping and unpredictable. I look forward to whatever he gives us next!!

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Review: The House Across the Street by Jill Childs

~ megs14malloy

The House Across the StreetThe House Across the Street by Jill Childs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The House Across the Street is a new release Popcorn Thriller from Jill Childs. This is my first work from this author and it did keep me at attention and entertained.

This is a neighborhood drama following a few different perspectives. The main focus is on Anna and Lily, life-long best friends. They grew up across the street from one another, and have grown up more as sisters than friends.

Anna is a single mother to a 11-year old daughter, Cassie, who she gave birth to when she was just 17. They were barely done school by the time Cassie was born, but Lily never deserted Anna, like many other teen girls might of.

As adults, even with all that has gone on in the past, they are still present in each other lives. One night, at the start of our story, Anna spies across the street, through the windows of Lily’s father’s home, someone who shouldn’t be there. It’s ominous and she fears something is wrong.

After investigating, Anna’s fears are proved true. Someone has murdered Lily’s father in his bed. After the authorities are notified and it appears that Anna is the only witness, she begins to receive threatening notes.

Fearing the killer may be after her, or worse, after her daughter, Anna stops aiding with the investigation, even though she had promised Lily she would help.

There’s back and forth between Anna and Lily as we try to piece together what the hell is going on in this neighborhood. We also get a bit from Cassie, as she tries to understand all that is happening around her, and why she may suddenly be a pawn in someone else’s game.

Overall, this was a good story. It did nothing wrong, it’s fast-paced and well-told, but I can’t say I found it overly-compelling, or memorable.

It’s simple, easy to follow, and could be great for someone looking for a quick read to distract them on a road trip or while doing some housework. It’s definitely a story I’ll forget pretty quickly though.

I did feel like the male characters were very forgettable. It took me over half the book to even realize that Anna’s ex-boyfriend and Lily’s brother weren’t the same person. That’s not necessarily a good sign.

I also was a little turned off by a couple of twists at the end, but that is purely personal opinion. Others may find them to be jaw-dropping and interesting.

I’m happy to have given this one a listen. The audiobook was well narrated and I wouldn’t be opposed to picking up more from this author in the future.

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

I love a good Popcorn Thriller every once in a while. They’re great palate cleansers amongst some of my darker reads.

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