audiobooks

Review: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

~ megs14malloy

Sleep TightSleep Tight by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, Sleep Tight is a lot to work through.


Austin Powers In A Nutshell


It’s an interesting story, but it’s also hard to track. I couldn’t even attempt to guess how many character names we learned over the course of this story. It was one of those situations where I got to the end and would hear a name and be like, who’s this?

I will not even attempt to get into the actual plot with you…

I really enjoyed the initial set-up, hearing the story of Father Silence, and meeting our MC, Tess. There were also a lot of the bits towards the end were I felt fully invested, but the middle part got muddled and my attention definitely wavered because of that.

I guess I would say I felt similar with this author’s earlier two works that I’ve read: The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby. Markert has exciting, ambitious concepts, but I’m not sure their execution always ends up working out for me.

To be fair though, I enjoyed this more than I didn’t.

I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Gritty Crime Thrillers that swerve into Horror territory. This one succeeds in capturing that gritty, dangerous feel and I did feel like it progressed at a fast clip throughout.

Some of the aspects of this definitely worked better for me than others, but overall, I think it’s a good book. I would also recommend the audiobook, as that was well narrated by the always fabulous Andi Arndt.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing me with copies to read and review.

J.H. Markert continues to intrigue me with his creative concepts and dark atmosphere. Though this wasn’t my favorite of his, I still felt it had a lot of strengths. I will def be picking up whatever he releases next!

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Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

~ megs14malloy

EynhallowEynhallow by Tim McGregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this story. Eynhallow is a darkly-creative, visceral and heart-breaking. I read it with equal parts horror and empathy. Oh, my heart…

This book first came on my radar after seeing a few trusted Book Friends’ glowing reviews. I really didn’t look into it too deeply, I just took their word for it.

Holy moly, am I glad that I did. It’s set on Eynhallow, year 1797, in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland. This is a desolate, and extremely remote location, with only a handful of families roughing out a life there.

As an island resident myself, I understand the challenges, but during this time period, I cannot even imagine. There’s no ferry schedule to count on when you need an escape…

I listened the audiobook, and the narration by Angela Ness, a Scottish voice actor, brought incredible authenticity to it. The main character is Agnes Tulloch, and I truly felt like she was telling me her story.

I am not going to say anything about the events of the book. I feel it is best to go in knowing as little as possible and just let it all envelope you.

I found it so easy to become fully immersed in the story. The atmosphere is rich, and honestly, quite bleak. I felt everything Agnes went through over the course of the story. The ups-and-downs, the emotional roller coaster that often felt close to derailment. I felt it.

This is the 2nd-novella that I’ve read from Tim McGregor, and it’s also the 2nd 5-star rating. His quality of writing, the attention to detail in his storytelling, his ability to channel emotion through the narrative, it’s just top notch.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Horror lover, but in particular my atmosphere girlies, fans of Classic Horror and Historical Horror lovers. You know who you are.

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Review: The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power, edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker

~ megs14malloy

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and PowerThe White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power by Terry J. Benton-Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀

From the publisher:
13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR.
13 TIMES WE SURVIVED THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power is a YA Horror Anthology with something for every Reader.

Spoiler Alert: I loved it!

Everything from the set-up preceding the stories, to the diversity of topics, the subgenres of horror displayed, to the narration was fantastic. I def recommend the audiobook.

The stories included are as follows:

1.) All Eyes On Me by Faridah Abike-Iyimide. Buzzwords: Circus setting, clowns, ‘good for her’ Horror, Queer.
2.) Hedge by Kalynn Bayron. Buzzwords: Sibling relationship (brothers), grief, argumentative teens, hedge maze, Eco-Horror.
3.) The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake. Buzzwords: Korean-American MC, sibling relationship (sisters), rich kids behaving badly, revenge ghost.
4.) Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon. Buzzwords: Indigenous MC, LGBTQIA+, Body Horror, (view spoiler).
5.) The Protege by Lamar Giles. Buzzwords: Absent parents/kids fend for themselves, sibling relationship (brothers), magician ((the showman kind, not the magic school kind)), Secret Society.
6.) Docile Girls by Chloe Gong. Buzzwords: Asian-American MC, High School drama, Teen Scream, Slasher, Revenge Thriller.
7.) Grey Grove by Alexis Henderson. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, paranormal, podcast element, cold case investigation, seance.
8.) Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson. Buzzwords: Mixed media, obsession, disturbing behavior, hiding in plain sight.
9.) Heaven by Adiba Jaigirdar. Buzzwords: Futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Eco-Horror, creature feature, isolation.
10.) Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia. Buzzwords: Iranian-American MC, non-binary MC, Persian culture, archeology, gender identity, ancient entity.
11.) Wasps by Mark Oshiro. Buzzwords: Latinx MC, gentrification, generational story/responsibility/lore.
12.) Hell is Other Demons by Karen Strong. Buzzwords: Demons, possession, religion, Queer.
13.) The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-walker. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, Queer, haunted house, sense of place, unique perspective.

I really appreciated the diversity of topics which these authors brought to the page, and also, the arrangement of the stories within the collection.

I was always excited to see what was coming next. There were no two stories, even remotely similar, close to one another. It kept me fully-engaged and on my toes.

As someone who loves many Horror subgenres, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but some standouts for me were from Edgmon, Giles, Gong, Jackson and Strong. With this being said, I would be happy to pick up more work from each and every one of these talented authors!

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

‘Tis this season for this type of collection and I absolutely recommend it for your Autumnal TBR!
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Review: Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton

~ megs14malloy

Devils Kill DevilsDevils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After a promising beginning, Devils Kill Devils took a nosedive off a cliff, Thelma and Louise-style, for me.

I respect this author for their creativity, but I think someone should have reined this in and given it more focused perspectives. It was extremely difficult to follow.

I was excited for more from Johnny Compton after really enjoying The Spite House last year. This one sounded different content-wise, but I was looking forward to returning to Compton’s captivating storytelling.

While I can say I still enjoyed the quality of Compton’s writing: his word choices, the rhythm of his sentences, his descriptions in the Horror bits, the complex fantastical elements in this were not for me.

I won’t attempt to summarize what this story contains, because honestly, I only truly understood one perspective, Sarita, and by the end, even she’d lost me.

Admittedly, Horror Fantasy isn’t my fave subgenre, but this was strange, even for me, and I like some weird stuff.

I kept pushing on though, even once I stopped enjoying it, because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the light-bulb moment where it would suddenly make sense.

Unfortunately, that never happened, and the further I got, the more disheartened I felt about the whole experience. Before you call me names, or trash me in the comments, I did read this with a friend and we both struggled to make sense of it, so I’m confident it’s not just me.

It almost felt like it was trying to do too much without an easily understandable structure. It was all over the place.

Jarring jumps between POVs, staying for long periods of time within character’s thoughts, which became boring, and huge info dumps regarding the world/concepts, are just a few of my complaints.

The later bits dragged for me as well and by the end, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

With all this being said, this isn’t the end of the road for my relationship with Compton. Even though this one didn’t work for me, I will be picking up his next book.

I am hoping it goes back more to The Spite House territory than this, but only time will tell.

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

The audiobook narration from Imani Jade Powers was excellent and I do recommend that format if you are going to pick this one up.

Finally, a little reminder, just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If the synopsis sounds intriguing, give it a go. You’ve got nothing to lose and you could just find a new favorite!

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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: 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: World War Z by Max Brooks

~ megs14malloy

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie WarWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War has been sitting on my shelves for close to a decade. It’s survived many book unhauls in that time period, mainly because of how much I love this fiery orange cover.

Also, it features a zombie plague sweeping the world, so why wouldn’t I read that? Who doesn’t want to be petrified by the possibility of that?

Over the years, I have heard incredible things about the audio production for this book, so in spite of having a hard copy, I did decide to go with the audio format.

I’m delighted with that choice. It’s full cast and includes music and sound effects. As an Oral History, it also makes sense that having it told in a variety of accents and tones from the various voice artists would add a certain level of authenticity to it you may not feel otherwise.

The narrative style is a bit unconventional, which may not work for some Readers, but I ended up enjoying that aspect. It truly is a world story; a story of humanity.

The overall story is told through a series of vignettes from characters living all across the globe. The different perspectives run in timeline order so that we are led through the start of, middle and end of this zombie infestation.

I did watch the World War Z movie years ago, but would like to go back and watch it again to see how much it was actually inspired by this book.

I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy more of a Literary Zombie story, as opposed to a more Horror-based story; although heavy Horror Readers could enjoy this as well, particularly the audiobook.

It’s terrifying to imagine something like this becoming reality, but I feel like Brooks did a great job examining what the overall world reaction would be. Well done!

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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: 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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Review: Red River Road by Anna Downes

~ megs14malloy

Red River RoadRed River Road by Anna Downes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Told via three different perspectives, as well as expertly-placed mixed media elements, Red River Road is a gripping and suspenseful Psychological Thriller that successfully kept me on my toes throughout.

I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading this one with a friend, and we were guessing and throwing out theories the entire time. I loved how Downes put this one together.

We learn about Phoebe, an up-and-coming Travel Influencer, whose solo vanlife trip along the coastal road of Western Australia was followed by people all over the world. That is until the day she goes quiet.

Phoebe has disappeared without a trace. We hear about these types of things all the time, but it was still shocking and sad for those who followed, knew Phoebe, or even loved her IRL.

Katy is on a solo van trip of her own. Following Phoebe’s social media posts, Katy is desperate to find her. It’s during this journey that her path jarringly crosses with Beth’s, a woman on the run, full of desperation of her own.

As the two get to know one another, Beth realizes who Katy is; Phoebe’s sister. Katy realizes that Beth’s knowledge may be the key she needs to reach her goals.

The two agree to work together and travel together, getting Beth farther away from her past, and Katy closer to finally finding Phoebe. At least that’s what they hope.

We also follow Wyatt, a boy who lives with his brother and father in the same remote area through which our two women are traveling. How is Wyatt connected to this story?

You’ll have to read it, because there’s no way I’m telling.

Full of Anna Downes’s signature twists and turns, Red River Road reads like a Road Trip Gone Wrong movie come to the page. It’s my fave from this author to date.

Once I started, it was nearly impossible to stop. I had to know what was happening. I had so many theories over the course of this, I even began to suspect myself…

Downes keeps her chapters short, and the inclusion of the mixed media made this story even more intriguing. It was like watching a giant puzzle come together.

Each consecutive chapter added one more piece to the bigger picture. I was reading this so fast. I had to get to the bottom of what was going on.

I loved meeting both Beth and Katy. They were so interesting, and while I was captivated by both of their stories, I didn’t trust either of them. I kept expecting betrayals and backstabs. I just did not know who to trust.

The conclusion was wild and IMO, readership will be divided on how this ends. For me, I really enjoyed it, although there were some details I got a little confused on towards the end.

I’m pretty sure it is just me though. As in, I missed something as I was rushing through, because I am left with a couple of lingering questions, or things that I think I understand, but am just not 100% sure on.

With this being said, this is one of those rare Thriller/Suspense stories that I would actually read again.

I know Thrillers tend to be best appreciated the first time round; like, once you know, you know. In this case though, I actually would like to reread this knowing the ultimate outcome from the start.

It’s a detailed story, with great character work and a lot of different layers. I think I would appreciate the skill it required for Downes to pull this off even more upon reread.

I had a fabulous time with this. The setting was exciting and the twists were off the charts. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced Travel Thriller. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook format!

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I can’t wait to see what Anna Downes comes up with next!!!

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