dark

Review: Crone by Keith Rosson

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

CroneCrone by Keith Rosson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤

Keith Rosson captured my heart and my full attention last year with Coffin Moon. There was something so devilishly-good about that book. The setting, the grittiness of the plot, the characters; it was a whole mood. It all worked for me and has remained in my mind ever since.

To say that I was excited to get an early-copy of this novel, Crone, would be putting it so mildly it wouldn’t even register. I was stoked for this and as you can tell from my rating, I wasn’t disappointed for a moment.

This novel matches Coffin Moon in tone, so if you also enjoyed that one, I would highly recommend reading this as well. The big difference would be while Coffin Moon is a bit of a vampiric romp, Crone is for the witches in the crowd.

This continues the classic dark Crime Fiction feel that Coffin Moon brought, and is actually even set in the same area of the United States, just in a later time period.

This story follows Eli Lamp, an ex-detective, turned addict, turned ex-addict, whose daughter disappeared 10-years ago. Eli’s battled his emotions since Hannah’s been gone, but the guilt and grief frequently overwhelm him.

Due to a certain incident Eli got himself involved in while investigating Hannah’s disappearance, he’s also now indebted to a local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel. They utilize his skills as an enforcer. It’s a dark road he’s traveled.

We also follow a young woman named Avery. Avery was actually Hannah’s best friend, and the two were together on the night that Hannah disappeared. Like Eli, Hannah has also really struggled since that night. The guilt and shame she’s felt since Hannah disappeared has definitely defined the trajectory of her life so far.

Avery fled their small town as soon as she graduated high school, unable to stand the whispers and looks any longer. Recently though, she’s been having extremely vivid dreams of Hannah calling her back.

After the boss of the Crooked Wheel’s son is found brutally murdered, he asks Eli to investigate it, so they can bring the killer to justice. If Eli’s successful, he won’t owe them any longer. He’ll be a free man.

His investigation brings him into the orbit of Avery, recently returned to town, a girl he never thought he’d see again. Soon the two are entwined in a search for answers that all link back to the night their dear Hannah disappeared.

Contrary to everything they might believe in, signs point to a mysterious something lurking the woods. A something with a bent back, black eyes and claws. No one wants to say witch, but it’s a thought…

This is such a beautifully-devastating story. My heart aches with the weight of it. It’s gritty and violent, showcasing the worst acts that humans can do unto each other.

There’s also a rawness to it all, with humanity just bleeding off the page. Rosson does such an incredible job of examining dark emotions, such as guilt, grief and self-doubt, even hate. This is vengeance-fueled story, much like Coffin Moon, and I was completely invested.

I loved the direction Rosson ultimately went with this. I will say the way he laid it all out, it’s not a path I would typically enjoy, but I think in this case, just because of the overall emotion of the story, it actually worked. He pulled it off.

If you’ve never read Rosson before, you’ve got time. Pick up Coffin Moon before this one releases in September. If you like that vibe, you should absolutely pick this one up as well.

Also, I definitely recommend this for fans of Witchy stories, particularly if you’re itching for something opposite of all the Cozy Witchy vibes we seem to be getting lately.

This is full stop a Horror novel. It’s violent, gory and full of complicated topics and emotions. It’s absolutely stellar and I cannot wait for a hard copy to take residence on my shelves.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This will definitely be making my Best Books of 2026 list!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Headlights by C.J. Leede

~ megs14malloy

HeadlightsHeadlights by C.J. Leede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Headlights is an exciting blend of Horror and Crime Fiction that is both thrilling and horrifying. Set in Colorado, this story is sure to creep under your skin until its profound, and admittedly, head-scratching conclusion.

On what should be his last day as a Special Agent with the FBI, Danny Stansfield, gets an unexpected call that it’s happening again. This news forces Danny to return to Denver, a city he fled 4-years previously.

It’s difficult to describe the string of cases that this book features. They’re clearly all related, but he’s never gotten satisfactory answers as to the who and why. Basically, seemingly innocent people are found wandering wearing the skins of victims they have butchered.

These skin-wearers have no recollection how they ended up where they are, or how they could’ve done what they’ve done. It doesn’t make sense. The most disturbing detail, besides the skin suit of course, is that each is found with a strand of a stranger’s hair tied around their tongues.

These individuals have never even met the people that have been murdered, whose skins have been torn from their bodies. What are the connections, and if he couldn’t figure it out before, how can Danny solve these mysteries now?

In this latest case though, there seems to be a twist, a person left who may hold the answers he seeks. Danny is determined to find out.

The deeper he’s pulled back into the cycle of death and depravity, the more Danny is forced to face the demons of his past. Aspects of his traumatic childhood are popping up all around him in a truly haunting fashion.

Will Danny be able to piece it all together, before he, or someone he loves, ends up as the killer’s next victim?

Every time I pick up a C.J. Leede book, I feel like I’m getting a new peek into her breadth as an author. I think for me, as far as tone and set-up, Headlights has been my favorite.

I actually rated American Rapture slightly higher, with 4.5-stars, but reflecting on it now, I feel that had more to do with the emotions I was having after reading the Author’s Note at the end. That gutted me.

Overall though, this one is definitely the closest match to my reading tastes.

The audiobook, narrated by Andrew Eiden, fits the narrative so well. Eiden’s narration has a bit of an old Detective Noir feel to it, that I felt paired so well with Danny’s perspective. It brought the Crime aspect to the forefront, yet carried through nicely into the Horror as well.

I would recommend the audiobook format, should it be available to you. It helped pull me into the story from the very start, as I was so entranced by Eiden’s delivery.

In addition to Eiden’s delivery, Danny has such a compelling backstory as well. I loved piecing that all together over the course of the book. You could tell from the start that he is truly haunted by his childhood, and I liked how Leede chose to reveal all that entails to the Reader.

There was certainly plenty to unpack. There was a lot of sensory things that would trigger memories for him, which made me really empathize with him, as I think that’s something we can all sort of relate to in one way or another.

It was more than just places he had been, there was also a lot of music, or other media involved, and certain smells, just things that would immediately take him back to when he was a kid. It was all very interesting.

Additionally, there’s connections to one of my favorite novels of all time. I was quite surprised when those details started popping up, and I wasn’t sure if I was reading too much into it, seeing connections that didn’t exist, but before long, it’s clear you’re supposed to be picking up on those.

I can imagine some Readers getting to those moments, or hearing about them, and feeling this is Copy Cat, but IMO it felt more true to life that that, if that makes sense.

To me, it was that this character had found an inspiration in, or an explanation in, this novel and I feel like that’s something a lot of us have experienced before. The cool part about this, was that the novel in question, is a real novel, and it’s a popular one, to say the least.

I will say that towards the end, the direction it went, it left me with some questions. Now that’s necessarily a bad thing, I don’t mind things left open-ended, or anything like that, I just feel like in this case, it actually got a little rushed and maybe slightly confusing.

I do plan to get a hard copy for my collection though, and would love to read it again, so perhaps on reread, I’ll be able to piece together more of the bigger picture concepts.

At the end of the day, I had a great time with this. I would recommend it to any Horror Reader, but also to Readers of Dark Crime Fiction, such as The Chestnut Man, The Echo Man, Come With Me, or Bone White.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’ll pick up anything written by C.J. Leede.

Keep ’em coming!

View all my reviews

Review: The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass

~ megs14malloy

The SwampsThe Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Swamps is a Thriller Horror novella from one of my go-to authors, Seraphina Nova Glass. I very rarely read Thrillers in novella form, but since it was SNG, I absolutely needed to.

Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed by this one for a moment. Coming in at 200-pages, and rife with unsettling tension, I had no problem completing this in 1-sitting.

In this story we follow Ethan and Macy, husband and wife, who have a quickly-growing YouTube channel, Ghost Patrol. They’re paranormal investigators known for their batter, with him being the believer, and Macy playing the skeptic.

They’ve grown so fast, and had such positive buzz that Netflix is heavily considering them for their own show. Looking for something big to give them an edge with the popular global streaming service, Ethan and Macy assemble a small team and head to the bayou of Louisiana to investigate the disappearances of two local women.

Tasha and Max, another couple, who have worked with Ethan and Macy before, are the crew along on the shoot. They do behind the scenes stuff, such as filming and sound. Max’s brother, Robert, also ends up tagging along.

They rent a small cabin at the edge of the swamps that turns out to not be as advertised. That added with the stress of the bizarre landlady and her disturbing handyman, the excursion is not off to a strong start. Unfortunately, things only get worse from the shocking initial impression.

I was surprised by the direction this ended up going in. It dipped a toe into Horror territory much more aggressively than I had been expecting, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. I love Seraphina Nova Glass, so seeing her explore that space is a real delight for me.

I thought she did a great job of setting the scene and building the tension in such a short number of pages. I was gripped, just thoroughly entertained. I’m sure it won’t be winning any Literary prizes, but I don’t need it to do that. That wasn’t what I was here for.

The e-book also has great illustrations at the start of the chapters. I thought that was a nice touch. It helped bring the story to life in my imagination.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, thrilling read. It doesn’t require big brain energy, but is sure to keep you engaged the whole way through.

Thank you to the publisher, Podium Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I thought this was a smashing good time!

View all my reviews

Review: Molka by Monika Kim

~ megs14malloy

MolkaMolka by Monika Kim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

I’ll admit to having no clue what molka were until I picked up this book. If you’re like me, here’s the definition provided in the publisher’s synopsis:

molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos

These sound awful, right? A plague on society, where no one can presume themselves safe from the prying eyes of others. In public spaces, voyeurs taking advantage and watching unsuspecting individuals in their most private moments.

In this story, we follow two perspectives, Dahye and Junyoung, who both end up with connections to the molka issue, but in vastly different ways. It was interesting to follow both of these perspectives, and both filled me with emotion, though also in different ways.

Dahye’s story, which mostly revolves around her relationship with a wealthy young man that goes terribly wrong, was so compelling, and also heart-wrenching, for me to read. She is such a well-realized character, every aspect of her I felt was created with such thought and care.

The way Dahye and Junyoung’s perspectives connect more and more as the story progresses helped to increase the intensity of the story. I’m glad the author included both.

I did find Junyoung’s perspective rather disturbing. Once you read this, I’m sure you’ll understand why, but mainly because of the sick pleasure he was getting from the things he was doing. It left me unsettled, considering that people in our world can be this way.

Monika Kim truly has a knack for drawing Readers into the story. I also was super satisfied with the conclusion. Due to the themes explored, I thought it was so fitting for it to wrap-up the way it did. There’s a lot to unpack in this one, and I feel like Kim did a great job shining a light on some pretty uncomfortable topics.

Overall, this is an impressive Sophomore novel from Kim. I thought maybe The Eyes Are the Best Part would be difficult to match, because that was so engaging and explosive, but this definitely achieved the same levels of intrigue, social commentary and stellar character development.

Thank you to the publisher, Erewhon Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll read anything Monika Kim writes and am looking forward to whatever comes next!

View all my reviews

Review: Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert

~ megs14malloy

Spider to the FlySpider to the Fly by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Spider to the Fly follows True Crime aficionado, Ellie Isles, along with her daughter, Amber, as they both pursue the identity of an active serial killer known as the Spider.

Ellie first became interested in the Spider after she saw news footage of one of their I-64 victims, who shockingly looked identical to her. It wasn’t her, but it could have been.

Ellie was fascinated by her dopplegänger’s grisly death, and went on to write a bestselling True Crime book about the Spider’s known crimes.

Fast-forward four years and the Spider still hasn’t been caught. With his victim count climbing, many initially unidentified, Ellie’s online-network of True Crime buffs are still pursuing their own potential leads and answers.

Together they’ve amassed a large database of missing persons that’s helped Ellie to successfully identify some of the victims. Seeing her potential usefulness, the task force working on tracking down the Spider, brings her in to help.

When Ellie’s own therapist is arrested for the murders, a man she feels is innocent, Ellie is more determined than ever to capture the Spider.

This has some solid concepts and I really enjoyed the MC, Ellie. I liked learning about her past and I really enjoyed her relationship with her daughter, Amber, whose perspective we get as well.

I also enjoyed how dark the crimes in question were. If you like grisly and gruesome Crime Thrillers, you should definitely check this one out. However, for me, it got too convoluted and confusing trying to track all the characters as the story progressed.

The first-half was really strong though, and even though it went a bit off the rails for me, I would say this is my favorite from this author. It is an intriguing mystery and it’s certainly action-packed.

The story revolves around a trope that I’m not crazy about, so I think once I discovered that’s what was going on here, that’s when it started to go down hill for me. A lot more characters were introduced at that time, and they became hard to differentiate between them all.

Sadly, it ended up being a case of great concept, poor execution for me, which I have felt before reading this author. All of Markert’s books sound so good, but none of them that I’ve read have been a real success.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though this wasn’t a huge win for me, I can still see the merit in the story and did appreciate the darker crime aspects.

View all my reviews

Review: Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward

~ megs14malloy

Nowhere BurningNowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Nowhere Burning is a dark, melancholic novel set deep in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains.

Although told via three main perspectives, the perspective that kicks off our tale, and really serves as the heart of the story, is that of Riley, a young girl, who saves herself and her brother from the clutches of their abusive Uncle’s home.

Running away in the middle of the night, Riley has one plan in mind, to join a group of unhomed teens squatting on the abandoned grounds of a infamous movie star’s ranch, aptly named, Nowhere.

I don’t want to mention the other two perspectives, as the Publisher’s Synopsis leaves them out, therefore I don’t want to be accidentally giving things away.

Just know this story is much more complex and nuanced than the synopsis may lead you to believe. One of the most interesting aspects of this novel, in my opinion, was trying to figure out how all three were going to ultimately connect.

Initially it seems Nowhere is the only connection, but is that actually true?

This novel is quite stark and gritty. It feels bleak, the tone of which reminded me a bit of the 2010 movie, Winter Bone. It’s also a very slow burn, that sneaks up on you emotionally.

I didn’t realize how much it had captured me until the very end. I begrudgingly admit this book made me cry actual tears and they seemed to come out of nowhere.

I was shocked at the emotion Ward was able to draw out of me. It was like a punch in the gut. I feel like the way she pulled everything together, it was just beautifully done. It was hard to not feel emotion and empathy for this set of characters that life seemed to be so unkind to.

The world isn’t always an easy place, but beauty, hope and love can often be found even on the darkest of days. This story felt like moving through a deep, unending fog, but it’s worth the darkness; it’s worth the trudge.

I would recommend this to Readers who like a dark, emotional slow burn. It feels very Literary Horror, with plenty of dark subject matter to really sink your teeth into. For fans of Ward, this is a must read.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I feel like this one is going to stick in my mind for a long time to come!

View all my reviews

Review: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

~ megs14malloy

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora ZengBat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Bat Eat and Other Names for Cora Zeng can officially be noted as the only novel that features the backdrop of the COVID pandemic that I’ve actually enjoyed.

Many have tried it, but none, IMO, have been able to pull it off with the power and creativity of Kylie Lee Baker. I’ve been impressed by Baker’s writing in the past, and the fact that she could pull me into this so easily, is a testament to her spectacular writing chops.

In Bat Eater we follow Cora Zeng, who recently lost her sister, Delilah, after she was pushed in front of a train in a vacant subway station. Cora witnessed the whole thing, and will never forget the murderer uttering, ‘bat eater’, as he pushed the unsuspecting Delilah onto the tracks.

In her job as a crime scene cleaner, Cora, is used to cleaning away the goriest scenes that you could ever imagine, but her sister’s end is one brutal scene that will forever be seared into her brain.

As the pandemic continues around them, Cora and her two coworkers, Yifei and Harvey, get called to scene after scene of brutalized Asian women, where they’re also finding the bodies of bats. This cannot be a coincidence, can it?

They start to fear a killer could be targeting their community, but even if there is, what can they do about it?

In addition to the horrid crimes occurring all around them, Cora failed to adequately honor the Hungry Ghost Festival as her Aunt advised her to, and trust me, she should have. Unfortunately, it seems Cora’s gonna pay the price for that.

This story is exquisitely told. I feel like it won’t be for everyone, just due to the whole COVID-backdrop, but for the people who try it out, I think you’d be hard-pressed not to get pulled into Cora’s world.

I really enjoyed getting her experience and perspective, which although fictional, I’m sure is very much based in true life. Her relationship with her sister, aunts and co-workers, was also so well done and I liked watching the evolution of Cora’s character over the course of the story.

This isn’t an uplifting story, by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a lot of powerful moments examining society and humanity. I also, as always, was very impressed with Baker’s horror imagery. The descriptions and scene-setting truly make the story come to life.

In a way, I almost wanted more. There were certain areas that I would have enjoyed built-out even more than they were. For example, Cora’s relationships and interactions with her Aunts.

With this being said, having this short and punchy also made it highly-effective. The mystery and horror were equally intriguing. I listened to the audiobook, and would recommend that format, as I feel the narration style fit the story quite well.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA and Harlequin Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I was a fan of Kylie Lee Baker before, but this has taken her to a whole new level for me. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

.

View all my reviews

Review: Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell

~ megs14malloy

Matchmaking for PsychopathsMatchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alexandra works for a small, woman-owned matchmaking company, and her area of specialty is with clients who fall somewhere along the psychopathy scale.

Her clients aren’t the murdery-type of psychopaths, though, that we might all think of. At least she doesn’t think so. They actually tend to be quite successful individuals, who are just as deserving as love as the next person.

But what happens when the matchmaker is barely holding her own love-life together?

Alexandra thought she had found love for herself, but boy, was she wrong. A fact she discovered on her birthday, when her boyfriend, Noah, and best friend, Molly, revealed that they were now an item, leaving Alex out in the cold.

Alex has suddenly lost the two people she was closest too in the world, but as the old adage goes, there are more fish in the sea, both in the romance sea and the friendship sea.

Alex soon has a potential love interest, as well as a potential new best friend, but instead of stabilizing things for her, circumstances continue to spiral after her ex disappears, and she fears he’s been murdered on her behalf.

Much like Coryell’s previous novel, Love Letters to a Serial Killer, this story succeeds in pushing boundaries, and potentially Readers outside their comfort zones.

It’s a fun and edgy blend of Romance, Mystery and Horror, all rolled into one tidy little package. I enjoyed getting to know our MC, Alexandra. She certainly contains multitudes.

As the story unfolds, it’s hard not to try to figure out what is actually going on, but Coryell reveals things in such a way, that I found it close to impossible to guess. Sure, I had various theories throughout, but I was never confident, because there were so many darkly-delicious possibilities.

I found the concept of Alexandra’s job super interesting, and it was fun reading about various situations occurring in her workplace. Additionally, Alex has a fascinating history that definitely added its own level of intrigue to the story.

Overall, this out of the box, genre-blending, Romantic Suspense story, full of murder and mayhem, definitely kept me on my toes. I loved trying to guess what was actually going on. The characters were intriguing, and the plot, just wacky enough to deliver pure entertainment!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to picking up more from Tasha Coryell!!

View all my reviews

Review: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

~ megs14malloy

King of Ashes: A NovelKing of Ashes: A Novel by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After Roman Carruthers receives word that his father has been in a terrible car accident, he returns home to be with his brother, Dante, and sister, Naveah, and closer to the hospital where his Dad is being kept.

The accident was serious, and the prognosis is grim. They aren’t sure if Dad will ever fully recover.

Roman has been away from his hometown, where his family owns and operates a crematorium, for many years. He’s built himself a highly-successful career in Atlanta, and seems to have left central Virginia in the past.

Now that he’s returned though, he must confront his younger brother, Dante’s, dangerous criminal enterprises, which have left him riddled in debt, as well as his sister, Neveah’s, burn out, as she struggles to hold everything together with regards to the family and the business.

Roman is a bit gobsmacked by the current state of his family. He didn’t know things had progressed this far, particularly in regards to Dante’s debt and substance use issues.

In doesn’t take Roman long to parse out that his father’s crash wasn’t an accident, and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in very grave danger.

Vowing to get his brother out of trouble, and save his family, Roman offers his very applicable services to the criminal overlords hunting down his brother. Roman is an expert negotiator and he’s sure he can see this through, and free Dante from his debts.

Concurrently, his sister is working on her own mystery project. She’s trying to determine what exactly happened to their mother, who disappeared years before.

There’s so much going on in King of Ashes. The most impressive part is Cosby’s incredible skill at writing such a complex story, while keeping it flowing naturally, and never making the Reader feel overwhelmed.

I enjoyed how quickly it all kicks off as well, as far as getting Roman back to Jefferson Run and involved with the flourishing criminal underworld there.

Additionally, this is a Long Game story, IYKYK, which is one of my favorite tropes in this kind of novel. Roman, as an MC, is incredible. He was so easy to root for. I loved his courage and determination in spite of the danger, no matter what, he was gonna fight to reach his goals.

I also enjoyed him as a bit of a reverse prodigal son. In spite of his successful time away, he still did seek a bit of forgiveness in a way from the other members of his family.

All the other characters were really well done too. Dante, though frustrating as heck, the guy’s literally a walking liability, was still believable and sympathetic, and I loved Naveah as well.

The plot was fast-paced and kept me super invested. I had no moments where I wasn’t fully locked into the audiobook while listening to it. I adored it.

In short, S.A. Cosby’s gripping, gritty stories, paired with the impeccable narration of Adam Lazarre-White, is nothing short of perfection. A winning combination!

While I was completely invested in this story, and maybe because I was so invested in it, I’m NGL, it CRUSHED me. This one is going to stick in my brain for a long, long time.

This is a must for everyone’s Summer Reading List!!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. S.A. Cosby is an auto-read author for me, and this firmly secures his place on that list!

View all my reviews

Review: So Happy Together by Olivia Worley

~ megs14malloy

So Happy TogetherSo Happy Together by Olivia Worley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

So Happy Together is a twisty and dramatic Social Thriller that should be read as a warning about the potential hazards in modern dating. Singletons listen up!!

This story follows Jane, a 24-year old, aspiring NYC-playwright. Jane meets Colin, her perfect person, via a dating app. She can hardly believe her luck. He’s too perfect.

Sadly, he breaks things off after only 6-dates. Jane doesn’t see it as forever though, just a bump in the road of their longer term relationship. She’ll do anything to make it so.

Then Colin starts dating Zoe, a up-and-coming New York artist, who also appears to be quite successful in various online space as an artistic influencer.

Zoe may have a lot, but Jane knows Zoe will never be able to love Colin like she can, but what’s she willing to do about it?

I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. The audiobook was well narrated and kept me engaged during a very long solo road trip. Nevertheless, the story itself was a bit of a mixed bag for me, particularly in the second-half.

The beginning was super engaging and gripping, but the further it went, the more it started to lose my attention. It almost got too twisty, if that’s possible?

With this being said, I did still enjoy quite a few of the twists thrown into this wild tale. Also, I appreciated the risks the author took with the story. It’s not your typical Dramatic Thriller and actually went a lot darker than I expected.

I think for me, the most difficult area was towards the end. There were so many things popping up, and some were hard to track, so it felt muddled. I’m still not entirely sure I understand how exactly everything played out.

I think where the author really succeeded here was with the creation of the characters. I love an unreliable narrator, and Jane seemed like one, but she wasn’t the only character in this story who you couldn’t necessarily believe.

I liked how the author played with the abundant psychological manipulations of this cast of characters. It had me doubting everyone, and I sort of love that.

I also really enjoyed the New York setting, and just that whole feel of being a young person, transplated to NYC, trying to make a go of it. You’re amongst millions of people, but it can be such a solitary endeavor.

Overall, I definitely vibe with Worley’s ideas and character work, even if the execution wasn’t perfect in this one. This is the 2nd-novel I have read from this author, and I’m definitely excited to read more.

You never really know what you’re going to get.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I do recommend the audiobook. Michelle H. Lee’s narration was perfect for Jane’s perspective.

Again, while this wasn’t a flawless novel, I still found it to be a lot of fun and appreciated how dark and twisted the author went with it. Looking forward to more Worley!!

View all my reviews