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Review: The Stitchers (Fright Watch #1) by Lorien Lawrence

~ megs14malloy

The Stitchers (Fright Watch, #1)The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Stitchers is the 1st-installment to Lorien Lawrence’s Spooky Middle Grade trilogy, Fright Watch. I have owed this book for close to 5-years, and am now kicking myself for waiting this long to pick it up.

I absolutely adored this story. Lawrence was able to pull me in and get me completely invested from the very beginning. I loved the MC, Quinn, and her friend/neighbor, Mike.

They made quite the dynamic duo.

Quinn and Mike both live on Goodie Lane. They’re both on the school track team and most days, go running together early in the mornings before school.

On these early morning runs, they frequently observe odd and slightly disturbing behavior from their neighbors; all elderly folks, they’ve dubbed The Oldies, who’ve lived on the street for as long as anyone can remember.

This behavior isn’t really anything new, as Quinn’s Dad, who fairly recently passed away, was a police officer and even he found their neighbors suspicious.

Why don’t they ever seem to age?

After her father passes, Quinn becomes even more focused on getting to the bottom of whatever is going on with the The Oldies. Mike seems like the perfect Robin to her Batman, and he’s more than willing to help out.

The neighbors seem to be on to them though, aware of the kids digging around. Are Quinn and Mike in real danger, or are they just letting their imaginations get away from them?

As things start to heat up on Goodie Lane, their situation escalates quickly. Quinn and Mike desperately search for answers, but will it be too little, too late?

This is such a great Middle Grade Horror novel. I loved how quickly it kicks off and how likable our main characters are.

The mystery of the story is puzzling and it gets top marks for the eerie atmosphere. There were some seriously creepy moments and I loved watching all the action play out.

The Oldies, as a group, are super creepy antagonists. Some of the interactions that Quinn and Mike had with them gave me literal chills. I was fearful in those moments for the characters I had come to love.

I also really appreciated the, shall we say, Beauty Horror, included in this one. Lawrence has some serious Horror chops, don’t let the Middle Grade categorization fool you. This is a good one and read under the right circumstances, it’ll get under your skin.

I loved this so much that I immediately started this 2nd-book after finishing it. And that’s saying something, because I’m terrible at committing to series.

I would recommend this one to any Reader who enjoys Spooky Middle Grade, but honestly, I would recommend this one to any Horror Reader in general. I definitely think this has something to offer individuals of all ages.

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Review: The Perfect Marriage (Perfect #1) by Jeneva Rose

~ megs14malloy

The Perfect Marriage (Perfect, #1)The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

On paper, Sarah and Adam have the perfect marriage. The couple live in a beautiful home, and Sarah has an extremely successful career as a Defense Attorney in Washington, D.C., while Adam gets to pursue his passion in writing.

But in truth, Adam’s grown tired of Sarah’s focus on her career. She’s constantly working, and yeah, maybe he is even a little jealous of her success.

Adam begins to pursue another passion in the form of a young waitress named Kelly Summers. He uses their 2nd-home as a rendezvous point with his mistress, which is perfect because Sarah never goes there.

Adam’s other life gets suddenly exposed, however, when he is arrested for Kelly’s murder. The young woman was found murdered in the bed at the lover’s retreat, shortly after Adam was known to have been there.

Being the best in the business, there’s no one better to take on Adam’s defense than Sarah; conflicts of interest be damned. Even though he’s broken her heart, Sarah agrees to take on his case. He’s her husband and in spite of his betrayal, he still deserves the best defense. Doesn’t he?

The Perfect Marriage follows the deeply twisted lives of this power couple via both Sarah and Adam’s perspective. I loved the dual narration of the audiobook, and would recommend that format.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I was going to round up to 4-stars, but after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I really feel it deserves it. This was so fun. It’s so messy, but all the more engaging because of that. I seriously never knew what was going to come next

It’s true that the plot probably won’t be the most memorable long term, but Rose got so devious with it, I gotta give her love for that. There were so many twists, and although there’s not a ton of substance, it’s a hella good time.

I would recommend this for Readers who love fast-paced Domestic Thrillers, bordering on diabolical. Get your popcorn ready, cause you’re gonna want it!

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Review: Lakewood by Megan Giddings

~ megs14malloy

LakewoodLakewood by Megan Giddings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lena’s Grandmother was the matron of their little family, helping to take care of both Lena, and Lena’s Mom, who suffers from a chronic illness. So, when Lena’s Grandma passes away, it leaves a big hole in that regard.

Soon it’s clear that the family has a lot of debt and practically no income. Lena must therefore do whatever she can to try to make ends meet for her and her Mom.

Even though she’s enrolled in college, Lena knows she needs to get high-paying work as soon as she can, which may mean putting her studies on hold for awhile. Unfortunately, the job market is depressing as heck and not offering her a lot of opportunities.

Starting to despair, Lena then learns about a chance to participate in some sort of medical or psychological experiment. She’s intrigued. After pursuing it, it seems almost too good to be true.

The downfall, she’ll have to move from home, to the remote town of Lakewood. Her Mom would be alone, which makes her most nervous of all, but arrangements can be made.

With her participation, Lena will get free housing and the pay is very high, more than she could ever make anywhere else given her current options. Additionally, free healthcare for both her and her Mom. She can’t pass that up.

She has to keep her participation 100% secret though. She needs to lie to family and friends. She even signs an NDA to that effect. Luckily, they’ve come up with a believable cover story for her.

The heart of the story follows Lena moving to Lakewood and taking part in the program. She’s recording everything that happens each day, at least what she can remember, writing it down in a letter format and then hiding it, for reasons I won’t go into here.

I liked the way Giddings chose to format Lena’s perspective. It felt very personal, the way she was recounting all that was happening. I felt like that friend receiving the letters.

I also found Lena to be a very empathetic character. She was so honest about everything, and as the Reader, you see this young person struggling, she’s got so much on her plate, and she’s willing to do anything to help her family. Including potentially putting herself at risk.

She’s smart, she’s tough, she’s someone you root for through thick and thin. Lakewood is full of mysteries and the experiments continually get stranger and more dangerous.

The other people who are participating all add their own levels of drama and intrigue to the story as well. The way this softly intensifies throughout is chef’s kiss. I would realize in various moments that I was feeling fear, but I had no idea why. It made for such a cool reading experience.

While it did have a bit of a slow start, I think the pay off was well worth sticking with it. I appreciated the spotlight it shined on medical experimentation and the racial injustices historically witnessed in such practices.

Side recommendation for the non-fiction book, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, that I feel could pair nicely with reading this one.

Overall, I think this is a stellar debut. It left me with a lot to think about. I loved the tone and mood of the writing, the topics explored, and Lena as a protagonist. I would recommend it to fans of When No One Is Watching and The Other Black Girl.

For me, it was the shadow organization feel that I really vibed with. The uneasiness of following Lena’s day-to-day existence in this strange place, with even stranger things happening to her, it was powerful. I’m looking forward to picking up more from Megan Giddings!

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Review: Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters #1) by Ellen Oh

~ megs14malloy

Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters, 1)Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spirit Hunters is the 1st-installment in a Spooky Middle Grade series by Ellen Oh. This book follows Harper, a 7th-grader who has recently moved to a new town, along with her parents and younger brother, Michael.

As the Reader, you can tell that they’ve moved in part due to some sort of traumatizing event that’s happened in Harper’s life, but the truth behind that is slowly revealed over the course of the novel, instead of all at once.

This gives Harper a bit of mystery to her character, which captured my attention from the start. She’s a great character; one I was interested in getting to know.

There’s also mystery surrounding the new home they’ve moved into. Quickly, Michael starts acting strangely, talking about a friend no one else can see.

While his parents brush it off, children often develop imaginary friends during times of stress or upheaval, Harper is convinced something more is going on.

After making a new friend in the neighborhood, Harper then hears the stories of the house. It’s haunted. She knew it!

As Michael’s behavior continues to worsen, and living in the house becomes more disturbing, and even dangerous, Harper knows she needs to get to the bottom of the haunting and stop it, before it’s too late.

Spirit Hunters was such a fun and wild ride. This book, along with the next 2-books, have been sitting on my shelves for so long. I woke up one day in the mood for Middle Grade Horror, and decided it was finally time to give this one a go.

I’m so glad that I did. I loved all the characters and following along as Harper learned more about their new home, and about herself.

I loved how Oh created such a dark history for the house. It felt menacing, and I did feel a real intensity to the story as I began to fear for Harper and her safety. To me, sometimes MG authors may pull back, but I felt like Oh really dipped into Horror territory and I appreciated that.

The spirits in this story posed a real danger, and as the story raced towards the conclusion, I could not put it down. I had to know how it was going to turn out for Harper.

I also liked how this story explored Harper’s mental health in regard to a traumatic event that had happened in her past. It added depth to her character, and I liked how those details were included.

Overall, this exceeded my expectations, and I can’t wait to continue on with the rest of the series. I’m hoping to pick up the 2nd-book, Spirit Hunters #2: The Island of Monsters, very soon!

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Review: Goosebumps — Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps #7) by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

Night of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps, #7)Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Many know Slappy the dummy as one of the most iconic Goosebumps characters of all time. And while I have read other books with Slappy as an antagonist, I’ve no recollection of ever reading this, Night of the Living Dummy, Slappy’s first appearance.

Recently, I needed a quick, fun, not too mentally taxing, audiobook while doing things around the house and decided to pick this up. I’m glad I did, as it fit the bill nicely.

In this story we follow twins, Lindy and Kris, who find a discarded ventriloquist’s dummy. Lindy decides to save it, brings it home with them, and names it Slappy.

Kris, never wanting her sister to upstage her, needs to get a dummy of her own, which she names Mr. Wood. In classic Stine fashion, the sisters battle it out, performing with their dummies, but are the dummies battling too?

Something weird is going on. Disturbing things begin to happen when the dummies are around, and it soon becomes clear there’s an evil lurking in their house. Will the girls be able to band together and figure out what’s happening, or will the dummies force them apart forever?

In my humble opinion, this is definitely one of the stronger Goosebumps stories. At this point in the series, regardless of the direction his character goes in later stories and series spin-offs, Slappy does indeed feel menacing here.

While Stine always loves siblings fighting and having rivalries, I liked how the twins did eventually put their differences aside, and worked together.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this as one of the ‘must reads’ of the Goosebumps universe. I feel like it provides a solid foundation for Slappy’s character moving forward, and is also just a lot of fun!

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Review: Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy

~ megs14malloy

Goodnight BeautifulGoodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought a copy of Aimee Molloy’s Goodnight Beautiful immediately upon its release in 2020. I didn’t know much about it, except I had heard that it was in some way influenced by Stephen King’s Misery.

I had no idea how, or how much of an influence that played in the actual plot, there was just some chatter and I knew I needed it. Anything even mildly King-related, I need.

Of course, like many novels before her, she came into my house and was promptly stuffed onto a shelf, where she’s been waiting to be read for all these years.

Recently, I did a huge unhaul, I’m talking over a 100-books, and I still held on to this one. I was still so interested, and I made a promise to myself, this was the year.

I’m glad I picked it up now. I was wildly-entertained. Luckily, I have never managed to spoil the plot for myself, so was taken by surprise with numerous twists and turns.

The first big twist, I was jaw on the floor, literally. Like, WHAT?! It made me stop to reconsider everything I thought I was understanding about this story.

I love that type of twist. Clever misdirection is something I always appreciate. I also enjoyed the direction the story went in. I wasn’t sure if that’s what we were doing, but when I figured out it was, it was still quite pleasing to me.

I just thought this was very well executed and although it won’t go down in history as a new FAVORITE book of all time, I can still recommend it to anyone who enjoys a twisty, popcorn Thriller.

If you’re like me, and you’ve had this one sitting on your shelves for half a decade, now is the time, girlfriend, give it a whirl; a fun and fast-paced Summer Thriller.

I’m looking forward to reading more from Aimee Molloy!

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Review: Gallant by V.E. Schwab

~ megs14malloy

GallantGallant by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Olivia Prior has never been a quiet girl. She has always made a point of making noise, everywhere she goes, in part to remind people that just because she cannot speak, does not mean that she is silent, and in part because she simply likes the weight of sound, likes the way it takes up space.

Gallant has been sitting on my bookshelves since 2022. Recently, for Disability Pride month, I was scouring my shelves to see what sorts of representations could be found.

I discovered via some research that this MC, Olivia, is mute, which I didn’t know previously. I’m so happy that I learned that and it that it finally provided me with the kick in the butt I needed to pick it up.

I know a lot of Readers weren’t crazy about this one, but it was exactly what I was hoping for. Darkly magical and the perfect escape for my recently overwhelmed brain.

In this story we are following, Olivia, who at the start of the story is living in a orphan group home. She was abandoned there by her mother, with a journal as the only clue to her mother’s identity.

One day she receives a letter from her Uncle, saying he has been desperately searching for her and wants her to return to their family estate, Gallant.

She’s quickly ushered there and introduced to a cousin, Matthew, she never knew she had, as well as the two caretakers of the property, Hannah and Edgar. It’s also there that she learns of the truly tragic nature of their family.

It’s not an easy time trying to settle in. Matthew is hostile, and she’s seeing ghouls around every corner. It’s clear Gallant is hiding many secrets, among them the truth of what happened to her mother, so Olivia is bound and determined to figure it all out.

When she discovers the door in the crumbling garden wall, she feels like she’s that much closer to learning the truth of her parents, originally laid out in her Mom’s journal.

I really enjoyed myself reading this one. I became completely immersed in Olivia’s journey. I loved her as a character. She’s smart and determined. Even in the face of the unknown and at times, great danger, she stood strong, gallantly, as a matter of fact.

I also loved the journal entries included, as well as the illustrations, which were just gorgeous and did bring that dark magic feeling to the page.

It’s actually a pretty tragic little story, but I like that Schwab didn’t shy away from making it so. Life doesn’t always deal you sunshine and rainbows, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for future growth and life.

I’d love to see this adapted to film. I feel like the gothic atmosphere and darker imagery could be translated really well into that medium. I’d definitely watch it. Paired with the right soundtrack? Yes, please.

Overall, I am so happy that I finally picked up this story. I found it to be beautiful and engaging, with a sympathetic protagonist I wanted to see succeed.

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Review: Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

~ megs14malloy

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤

Trail of Lightning is the 1st-book of the Sixth World series by Rebecca Roanhorse. While I believe this was originally slated to be a 4-book series, only 2-books were ever published.

After finishing this one, that makes me so sad.

In this story we follow Maggie Hoskie, who is imbued with clan powers that allow her to have superhuman speed and the ability to expertly kill her enemies. Maggie uses these powers in her job as a monster-hunter.

At the start of the story, she is called to a small village to help them search for a missing girl, who was allegedly stolen by a monster.

When Maggie comes across the monster, she’s surprised by its size, strength and taste for human flesh. It’s unusual.

Keeping its head, she takes it to a medicine man, Tah, she’s close to in a neighboring settlement. He comes up with a theory on the monster that sets Maggie on a new quest.

Tah also suggest that Maggie take his nephew, Kai, along with her. He’s training to be a medicine man, and Tah insists he is powerful. Begrudgingly, Maggie agrees.

We follow them as they traverse the reservation, uncovering clues and battling dark forces. Their relationship grows and shifts over the course of the mission, which is to be expected when you need to rely on one another for survival, and also you’re both hot as hell.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I liked learning about both Kai and Maggie. Both of them had very compelling backstories, and I had fun watching their relationship develop. I also enjoyed the initial mystery of it all, and the Indigenous Folklore elements woven throughout.

Where it fell a little short for me was in the execution of the overall mission, as well as the pace. It had ups and downs in intensity, whereas I would have enjoyed a more steady building throughout. Also, the theory that Tah had, what set these two out on their mission, for big chunks, it felt like that just faded into the background.

In that way it sort of lost its lane, as far as the monster-hunting went, but nevertheless, it was never boring.

The setting was well done. I felt I could visualize everything perfectly. The post-apocalyptic nature of it poured through the pages. It had a desperate feel that I really liked. Almost everything was a challenge for these characters, which makes sense due to the state of their world.

I would love to continue on with this series, and already own the next book. However, I know it’s going to break my heart when I get to the end of that one and there’s nothing more.

Either way though, I am really happy that I finally made time for this one. I think Rebecca Roanhorse is such a creative storyteller. I always have fun reading her work.

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Review: Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

~ megs14malloy

Descendant of the CraneDescendant of the Crane by Joan He
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Descendant of the Crane was Book #20 in my long-running TBR-Haul Project. I hauled this one in April 2019, and for some reason, just never got around to picking it up.

Since her initial haul, she’s survived many, many unhauls. Mainly, because of the beautiful cover, but also because I was still intrigued by the synopsis.

Happily, I was drawn into this story very quickly. We meet Princess Hesina of Yan. At the start of the story, we discover that her beloved father has passed away suddenly.

His death leaves their kingdom without a ruler, although it is assumed that Hesina will be next to lead. She’s always been happy to shirk responsibilities related to the crown, but now it looks like she has no choice. She’s gotta step up.

The situation is more complicated than it would initially seem though, as Hesina believes that her father was actually murdered. The official story is that he died of natural causes, but she’s not buying it.

Thus, she secretly vows to expose her father’s killer and bring them to justice. The kingdom deserves the truth.

Together with a few trusted confidants, she sets out to do just that. In order to kick off her investigation, she seeks out the aid of a soothsayer, an illicit act, as magic has been banned in their kingdom for centuries.

Using the sooth’s information, Hesina locates a brillant prisoner, Akira, who may be the key to helping her score the outcome she craves.

With the future of the kingdom at stake, will Hesina be able to achieve the justice she seeks for her dead father, or will the risks out-weigh the rewards?

As mentioned above, I found this story very easy to get into. I loved meeting Hesina and finding out about her kingdom and what was happening there through her perspective.

The prisoner, Akira, she ends up connecting with due to the soothsayer’s input, was my other favorite character. He was shrouded in mystery and I had fun trying to figure him out.

This story revolves around a lot of politics and court intrigue. That type of story generally works for me and I did enjoy it here as well.

Hesina has siblings, a Mom, and some half-siblings that play big roles in the narrative. I constantly felt like Hesina had to be watching over her shoulders. It was very hard to tell who was friend and who was foe.

I always had this sinking feeling that someone was going to betray her. I felt like that aspect helped to keep me fully-engaged with everything that was going on.

Hesina goes on a real roller coaster ride in this. She ends up exposing some secrets that once let out, can never be undone. It changes everything and I felt for her that she had to even go on this journey in the first place.

It would have been easy for her to just accept her father’s death and take over, but she didn’t take the easy road. I respect her for that.

Overall, I felt like this was a well-told story, however, when I reached the end, I still had questions.

Honestly, I’m not even sure I understood the Epilogue. I wanted more. I wish there was a sequel. I feel like there’s still so much left to explore.

I think maybe Joan He had intended for there to be more, but it was never written. Maybe someday it will happen. If it does, I would definitely be interested in reading it.

Nevertheless, this was a strong read, with great characters and a beautifully-intriguing world. Another great example of why you should never neglect your backlist!

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Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

~ megs14malloy

Local Woman MissingLocal Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Local Woman Missing is a completely engrossing Thriller. I cannot believe I’ve let this one sit on my backlist for so long.

I actually hadn’t read the synopsis in years, so went into this audiobook completely blind. It wasn’t what I expected, for some reason I was thinking this was about hikers who all went missing from trails around the same small town.

Spoiler alert: that’s decidedly not what this book is about. I’m not sure where I came up with that alternative plot?

This book is about missing women though, hence the title. The first to go missing was Shelby. Then two weeks later, Meredith and her 6-year old daughter, Delilah, went missing too. Both women from the same community, but they were seemingly unconnected.

Desperate searches lead to nothing conclusive. The initial investigations creating more questions than answers. The cases eventually go cold.

11-years later, Delilah, now a teen, suddenly reappears, in terrible shape, both physically and mentally. She was apparently held captive this entire time, until the day she forged a miraculous escape. But what became of her mother, Meredith? And for that matter, Shelby?

Also, why would anyone hold this girl captive for so long? And under the terrible conditions that she claims? Again, more questions than answers…

This book was gripping from the start, as you follow Delilah making her re-entrance into the community. This story follows various perspectives, including Meredith and Shelby, over both past and present timelines.

The way it is all pieced together is quite masterful, as far as building suspense and keeping the Reader on their toes.

I was most surprised that we got Leo’s perspective. Leo is Delilah’s little brother, and he has had to live with the aftermath of the disappearance of his mother and his sister for all these years.

I thought that was so interesting to include, because Leo was too young to have anything to do with the disappearances, but he had a lot of complex feelings following the return of his sister, that’s for sure.

I felt like that was such a compelling aspect to examine, and I was pleased that Kubica chose to include that more personal side of these events, instead of focusing solely on the crimes.

Overall, this was such a wicked web. The deeper you get into the past perspectives, the more the lightbulbs start going off in your head. You begin to see connections.

Nevertheless, there were still things all the way at the end that were dropping my jaw to the ground. I just felt like this was so entertaining. Some aspects felt a little convenient, but overall, a wickedly-wild ride!!

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