Review: Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

Cross My HeartCross My Heart by Megan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Holy Hades, Cross My Heart was an absolutely insane, jaw-dropping, eyebrow-lifting, wilddddddd ride!!!

This was wickedly-entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. IMO, this is a true Psychological Thriller. My head was spinning so fast, I’m surprised I didn’t lift off.

In this story we meet Rosie Lachlan, who received a heart transplant from a donor who had unexpectedly passed away after a tragic accident.

Through an online platform that anonymously connects donor’s families with recipients, Rosie virtually-befriends her donor’s widower, Morgan. Morgan Thorne happens to be a well-known local author, who Rosie quickly becomes smitten with.

A string of heartbreaks, of the romantic variety, haven’t soured Rosie on the idea of finding The One. It would be ironic if her actual broken heart led her to true love, but that’s definitely what she starts imagining as correspondence with Morgan heats up.

As Rosie digs further into Morgan’s life, and learns more about his wife, there are rumors and accusations she can’t ignore. Perhaps he isn’t her innocent dream guy after all.

Admittedly, I wasn’t crazy about The Family Plot by this author, and was hesitant to try anything else from her. After seeing this one everywhere however, I had to check it out for myself, and man-oh-man, am I glad I did!

Even though the MC, Rosie, drove me so batty that I wanted to shake her, I can’t help but doff my cap to Collins, because damn, was she well-written.

Honestly, reading this feels like having the rug ripped out from under you. I did think it was dragging a bit at the end, but that final scene put the sinister grin on my face I always love to have at the conclusion of this type of story.

I had so, so, so many guesses, so many theories over the course of this book. It was completely intriguing. It felt very cat-and-mouse, but it was unclear who was the cat and who was the mouse. I loved that.

You do get Morgan’s perspective, in addition to Rosie’s, and they both felt equally unsettling. There were many times that I was uncomfortable by what was happening, but I couldn’t look away. Flies on the wall were cringing.

These two are OTT in the most unhinged ways and I was eating it up. My popcorn was popped and my ass was in the seat for the duration.

I absolutely recommend this one to people who enjoy dark, twisty Thrillers. If you like reading books where you suspect everyone, including yourself, you def need to pick this up.

Thank you so very much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll 100% be picking up more from Megan Collins!

View all my reviews

Review: You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker

You're Dead to MeYou’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

Ruby Toller, a high school Senior, lives in Florida with her single-Mom and her Mom’s annoying boyfriend, Hunter. They reside at and run at a small Nature Park, that was passed down to Ruby’s Mom from her parents.

Ruby loves working at the Park, taking care of the animals. It’s her home and she plans to always be there. Unfortunately, demand for these types of attractions isn’t what it once was, and they struggle to stay afloat.

Thanks to a generous scholarship, Ruby is able to attend the very prestigious Oleander High School, a private school full of richy-rich teens.

Just because she attends though, doesn’t mean she fits in, or is accepted and Ruby has grown a bit of a chip on her shoulder. One thing she has been successful at though is her thriving anonymous-local gossip blog, ReputationKiller.

Ruby digs up dirt on the most elite families and community members and blasts them on her blog. Thus, aptly doing just as the blog title states, killing reputations.

When Ruby is outed as the force behind ReputationKiller, the whole town turns against her, except for her best friends, Anton and Xavier, and shockingly, an attractive rich boy named Alexander.

More of an outcast now than ever, Ruby feels isolated and like her life is out of control, but at least she has a life. Even that comes into question however, when Ruby starts being haunted by her own ghost.

That’s right, she’s being visited by her dead self, in a horrible state of decay, clad in a tattered prom dress.

It’s clear from the ghost’s appearance, she didn’t get that way due to natural causes. With the prom just days away, Ruby and her friends must figure out who is going to murder Ruby, and stop them, before it’s too late.

You’re Dead to Me was a super fun reading experience for me. I haven’t read a YA Horror-Thriller with such successful Supernatural aspects in a long time.

I found the story to be fast-paced and engaging, with some great Horror imagery. It kept me wanting more and guessing. There were some truly intense moments.

I also loved the way the Florida setting was used and the stark contrast between the Haves and Have-Nots within this community. It felt realistic.

It is super-dramatic, as you would expect from a Teen Scream, but all that drama was really well-executed in my opinion. It had me reaching for my popcorn, versus rolling my eyes, which is always a good sign.

I appreciated the way the author steadily built the intensity throughout. The stakes keep getting higher and higher as the days tick down until the prom.

I also liked the relationships between Ruby and her best friends, as well as her budding relationship with cute boy, Alexander. The friends supported each other very well, even through all the crazy things they go through in this book.

Ruby’s relationship with her Mom was rather complicated and I did like the exploration of that as well. Families are messy, you know?

Overall, I thought this was a super solid YA Horror-Thriller. If you love a Teen Scream, full of drama and danger, you should absolutely check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Content Warning: Animal death on page.


View all my reviews

Review: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

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

**4.5-stars rounded up**

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View all my reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View all my reviews

Review: Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Ruin RoadRuin Road by Lamar Giles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Do I think Ruin Road will work for everyone? No. Was Ruin Road for me? Absolutely. This intriguing and heart-wrenching YA Horror was right in my lane.

Lamar Giles has quickly become a new favorite!

I first read from Giles when I picked up The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power a few weeks back. His story, The Protege, stood out as one of my favorites of that collection.

I knew after I read it, I would need to pick up more of his work as soon as possible. As luck would have it, I already had a copy of his latest Ruin Road, but with this absolutely STUNNING cover, I knew I wanted to save it for closer to Halloween, which is exactly what I did.

In this story we follow high school student, Cade Webster. Cade is star wide receiver, with the hopes and the potential to eventually be drafted into the NFL.

Cade works hard and stays humble. He lives with his parents and little sister, all of whom he loves and adores. Cade also attends a private school, where he is one of only a handful of Black students.

He’s sort of a guy living between two worlds; the one he grew up in, and the one of his peers at the posh private school. His quarterback drives a 911, or something insane like that. It’s quite different from the world Cade came up in.

Cade tries not to let those details phase him though. He just needs to stay focused, follow his father’s life advice and achieve everything he can in order to make an easier life for himself and the rest of his family.

No matter how hard he works, however, no matter how much he achieves, Cade always has some people judging him incorrectly. Y’all, can guess. He’s big, he’s fast and he’s Black. People keep their eye on him on the bus, let’s say.

With that in mind, one fateful night, when his helpful actions are misjudged, Cade is forced to flee a sketchy situation and ends up ducking into a pawn shop to avoid further altercation.

It’s there that Cade makes an impulse purchase, and utters a poorly-worded wish, that will change everything.

I loved this. It was such a perfect blend of hard-hitting Contemporary mixed with intense, brain-scrambling Horror-Thriller elements. The content and themes explored were so well done, but the character work was really the star of the show for me.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Cade as a main character. First, I loved the fact that he was such a serious football player. Football is one of my passions and I’ve never really read any YA story that had that rep done so well.

Additionally, everything else about Cade was impressive. I loved being in his head, and getting his perspective, as this story played out.

The Webster family is so fantastic. It was nice to read about such a close-knit group, with both parents engaged and involved and with Cade loving on his little sister so much. You could tell he felt the responsibility of being a big brother, and I felt like that was such a special thing to read.

I also loved the set-up of the detour into the pawn shop being the match that really lit this fire. It was giving me Needful Things, or The Auctioneer vibes, which I loved to see.

Overall, this story was completely my style. If I am picking up a YA Horror-Thriller, this is what I am looking for. I would absolutely recommend this, particularly if you are a fan of Tiffany D. Jackson. IMO, this is giving the same level of quality as a Jackson work.

In other words, top-freaking-notch!

Thank you to the publisher, Scholastic Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. My next task is to deep dive into this author’s backlist. I’m looking forward to it, and whatever he has coming next!!!

View all my reviews

Review: We Kept Her In the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

We Kept Her In the CellarWe Kept Her In the Cellar by W.R. Gorman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

**4.5-stars**

We Kept Her In the Cellar is a wildly-imaginative and uber-dark Cinderella reimagining. As it turns out, it’s also the Dark Fairy Tale of my slightly-disturbed dreams.

This story follows Eunice, who at the beginning of our tale is just 11-years old and her mother is about to be married to a man who has a daughter, Cinderella.

The blending of the families is rife with unsettling occurrences from the very start.

Eunice learns the rules for dealing with Cinderella, but it’s not an easy life. She basically takes on the role of caregiver, even when she herself is a child.

Cinderella has dark and terrifying powers. It’s almost impossible for her interact with the rest of the world. She needs to be handled at all times. Hence why the family keeps her mostly imprisoned in their cellar.

After Eunice, now 18, befriends charming Prince Credence, she begins to see the possibilities outside of their home. Why should she be shackled within like Cinderella? She’s done nothing wrong and wants a life.

Eunice even receives an invitation to the Prince’s Ball and is determined to go. This could be her chance to break free.

However, on the night she’s set to go, it’s actually Cinderella who breaks free with disastrous consequences. Using her vast eldritch powers, Cinderella ends up attending the Ball and enrapturing the Prince with her beauty and grace.

At midnight, she leaves behind a trail of destruction and a single green glass slipper. I think you know a bit of what happens from there, or do you?

I read the synopsis of this so long ago, that by the time I got around to picking it up, I had actually forgotten it was a Cinderella reimagining.

I was expecting Horror and I certainly got that, but I also got enough of my Dark Fairy Tale fix to last me a good long while. This one is going to stick in my brain, that’s for sure.

By 5% in, W.R. Gorman had my jaw on the floor. This story waits no time to take off. It’s 0-to-60 with this one.

I loved Eunice as a character and loved learning all about Cinderella along with her. To think, Eunice had a fairly normal life until her mother needed to remarry. That’s the choice that changed her life forever.

Eunice’s younger sister Hortense was only 5-years old when Cinderella arrived. Cinderella’s needs required a lot of Eunice’s time and I felt bad for poor Hortense, who didn’t really understand why her beloved older sister, Eunice, no longer had the time to play with her.

It really did a number on this family. I liked Cinderella’s father. I felt for him. It seemed like he was also doing the best he could, and he did really seem to care for Eunice, Hortense and their mother.

Cinderella was like nothing I had ever read before. She never ceased to surprise and amaze me with her powers and actions. When I say this, read it as, she’s terrifying.

This story was so engaging. It sucked me in. I loved the choices Gorman made as far the connections with the original Cinderella story and how twisted they are here. It’s incredibly clever and inspired.

The Body Horror is fantastic and there’s a lot of it, which we love to see. I’m talking super cringe, toe-curling moments on the regular. Also, I did listen to the audiobook which was fabulous. It is narrated by EJ Lavery, whose voice work definitely added to the dark whimsy of this tale.

My only complaint is I felt it was resolved a little too easily. After this gloriously-grotesque and dark build-up, I was a wee surprised at how quickly it wrapped up.

I did like the delightful little tid-bit we learned at the end though, regarding the aftermath, or lingering result of it all. In a way though, you could just look at this as a compliment. It just means I wanted more.

Honestly, I could read another entire volume following this cast of characters and set within this world. C’mon, Gorman, how about a sequel!?

Thank you so much to the publishers, Crooked Lane Books and HighBridge Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I would absolutely recommend this story to Horror Readers, and Dark Fairy Tale Readers, particularly if you love a lot of Body Horror. I can’t wait for more from this author!

View all my reviews

Review: Don’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher

Don't Eat the PieDon’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t Eat the Pie is an intriguing Horror story following a mother-daughter duo, Sam and Emma.

This book features a mysterious atmosphere, creepy characters, and luckily, quite a few tropes I tend to enjoy.

I’ve read a few reviews of this novel and many mention comps to Rosemary’s Baby. I absolutely see that, but I would add that it’s Rosemary’s Baby mixed with The Skeleton Key.

Do y’all remember that movie? It released in 2005 and starred the beautiful, Kate Hudson; set in New Orleans and contained some great supernatural Folk Horror elements. This book was definitely giving me all that.

The Southern Gothic vibes, the protagonists being new to town, the locals behaving strangely, particularly on the home-front. It’s all very intriguing and definitely succeeded in pulling me in.

It’s set on Camillia Island and the island helped add to the mystery. I think it’s mentioned that like only around 40-people actually reside there, so it’s super small and feels very remote; not a lot of outside influence.

Sam and Emma move there after Sam marries Ben, and his mom, who lives on the island gets sick. Emma wasn’t thrilled about the move, but it’s padded a bit by one of her friends, as well as her Aunt and cousin, going along for a bit; at least for the Summer.

I liked the back and forth of the perspectives between Sam and Emma. It really helped to build out their relationship, as well as their current circumstances.

They were both experiencing different things on Camilia Island and it was the totality of their experiences that really created the suspense and mystery.

I felt the author did a great job of creating a sense of danger within this atmosphere. It felt unsettling, even when you weren’t sure what you were really being unsettled by and I love that sort of reading experience.

The audiobook does have dual narration, which is perfect for providing distinction between Emma and Sam. I liked that aspect as it made me feel like I was actually listening to the two women tell their story.

While some parts felt a little drawn out, and certain details towards the end got a little muddled, overall, I had a great time with this story. It kept me on my toes.

I’ve never read from this author before, but I would definitely be interested in picking up more of their work. Particularly, if they have this same dark Southern atmosphere. We love to see it.

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

This book deserves more buzz, and I hope it starts getting it soon. It’s a perfect Spooky Season read!!!

View all my reviews

Review: One House Left by Vincent Ralph

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!

View all my reviews

Review: Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

Lady MacbethLady Macbeth by Ava Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

To round up, or to not round up? That is the question.

The first thing that sticks out in my mind about this book is that it took me 20-days to read, which it shouldn’t have. It’s fairly short, but every single time I picked it up, I would fall asleep after like 10-pages.

Reid’s writing is beautiful, but it failed to ever truly grip me. I was hoping for a more sinister plot, and a more overtly cunning representation of Lady Macbeth as well.

However, I did enjoy the level of inspiration from the original story, and felt the setting and atmosphere were very well done. I felt the cold and dark in my bones.

I’m getting a little ahead of myself though, so let’s start at the beginning. As you would expect, Lady Macbeth is Ava Reid’s reimagining of one of the best villains, IMHO, of all time, Lady Macbeth. We love her.

Lady Macbeth, as a character, has always fascinated me and I do tend to enjoy new fiction that reimagines her role, or persona. One of my favorites, for example, would be Foul Is Fair, which is indeed very modern, while this story is true to the original in time.

In fact, the setting and characters all feel fairly true to the original source material, and I think any fan of that work could enjoy checking this one out.

I did enjoying following Roscille, who becomes Lady Macbeth, as she first arrives at Macbeth’s castle and meets her husband-to-be for the first time, as well as her introduction to other inhabitants of the castle and their ways, which are all very mysterious to her.

I also did feel Roscille was cunning and smart. That she was strategizing all along the best ways to get by in her new life.

With this being said though, I was disappointed not to get more development in her relationship with her husband. I felt that was very surface level and I would have wanted much more to feel satisfied.

By this I don’t mean romantically. I wanted more strategizing between them, and honestly, I wanted to see more manipulation on her part. I know it was there, but it just felt weak compared to what I was hoping for.

I wanted her to be using Macbeth’s alleged brutish nature more to her advantage. It felt more like the reverse, that he was still in control. I know that’s not exactly true, especially by the end, but I wanted her power to be more unconcealed.

Personally, it felt too subtle for me. It was like those punching points I wanted were a bit bogged down by the beauty of the writing. Although there’s nothing wrong with pretty writing, it just wasn’t quite to my tastes.

The first half of the book was definitely more successful for me. At that point, there was still hope and the possibility that Lady Macbeth would live up to her full, sinister potential. Unfortunately, that just never really followed through to the extent that I wanted.

With this being said, I did still enjoy this. It is a good story and I’m so happy to have tried Ava Reid’s work for the very first time. I would be interested in reading more from Reid.

I would also recommend this to anyone who is interested in the character of Lady Macbeth. I think there are some great scenes in this that lots are Readers will enjoy. It’s also atmospheric and easy to follow: plus, plus.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me for a copy to read and review.

While I wanted a bit more blatancy to Roscille’s cunning and strategy, I still appreciate this for what it is and feel like the author did a great job reinterpreting this classic tale!

View all my reviews

Review: Dear Hanna by Zoje Stage

Dear HannaDear Hanna by Zoje Stage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dear Hanna is the unexpected follow-up to Zoje Stage’s 2018-debut Horror novel, Baby Teeth, which I adored.

It leaned into the creepy kid trope, which I’m always here for, and it did it in such a toe-curling way.

I never expected we would get more of this story and though I don’t feel it was necessary, it was interesting. I went on a journey with this. We had our ups-and-downs, but I’m glad I stuck with it for the satisfying conclusion.

It’s important to note that you don’t really need to read Baby Teeth before you read this. In fact, there could be a solid argument for reading this one first, learning about adult Hanna, and then going back and visiting her childhood, so you can see where all this came from.

Hanna is a foul human. Let me just get that out there. She’s a true sociopath from the moment we first meet her. Stage is so convincing with her characterization of Hanna, that there were times when it was making me angry; her thoughts.

I would have to set it down and walk away for a moment. Then I would remind myself, it’s just Hanna being Hanna. I will admit though, there were times when it wasn’t enjoyable to read, particularly through the middle bits and the parts involving Hanna’s step-daughter.

I also didn’t like Hanna’s husband, Jacob, at all, so any scene with him had the strong possibility of annoying me.

It’s funny, as I write this, the more I think about it and process it, the more impressed I am with just how convincing this story was. It left a bad taste in my mouth, it certainly did, but I think that was the intention, so I definitely need to give Stage props for that.

I feel like it’s important to go into this one in the right headspace though, and perhaps, I wasn’t quite in the right space when I picked this up. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more at another time.

Unfortunately, we’ll never know. I walk away happy I made it through, but knowing I’ll never pick it up again. Although, Baby Teeth I would def be interested in revisiting now.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Zoje Stage has such creative and compelling ideas. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

View all my reviews