diverse books

Review: The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna

~ megs14malloy

The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

💚💛💙🤍💚💛💙🤍💚💛💙🤍💚💛💙🤍💚

The Gilded Ones follows 16-year old, Deka, a girl who has never felt like she belonged in her Northern community. She looks different than everyone else, due to her Mother’s Southern ancestry, but it’s more than that.

Deka also has elevated intuition that sets her apart. On the day of the blood ceremony, she is filled with fear and dread. Will her blood run red like it is supposed to?

If her blood runs red, she will finally be an accepted part of her community. If not, the end result could be deadly.

Unfortunately, luck is not on her side. Deka’s blood runs gold, the color of impurity and everyone sees. There is no hiding now. Subjected to torturous consequences after the ceremony, Deka feels helpless and more alone than ever.

At the height of her despair, a mysterious woman offers her the opportunity to change her life; to join an army of girls with gold blood, just like her.

She will be trained and ultimately will fight for the emperor with this group, the alaki. It’s an enticing offer and honestly, she has no choice. It’s not like she has other offers coming in. It’s this, or continued pain and torture…

Traveling to the walled city, Deka’s eyes are opened to a whole new world. There’s a lot to learn, but Deka feels up to the task. She’s encouraged by having others around her who may be considered her equals.

She begins to make friends and to understand more about her powers and history. As Deka grows in strength and confidence, the danger she faces grows as well, but not all is as it appears and Deka is determined to get to the truth.

I purchased this book when it was released and then never picked it up. I’m so glad that I finally took the time to read it. It is an incredible YA Fantasy story.

The reason I didn’t pick it up initially is because I was intimidated. It sounded complex and I was concerned that I wouldn’t understand the world, or magic system.

Now having experienced Forna’s skilled writing, those thoughts seem silly. I loved this world and it is complex, not going to lie about that, but it unfolds on the page in a stunning and accessible manner.

Deka is a character that you can easily empathize with from the start. The emotions she is feeling as she enters her blood-letting ceremony, it was so easy to feel that and subsequently, to feel for her. What she goes through in the aftermath of that ceremony, my word.

Forna does not pull punches. This story is violent and unapologetically-so, which I respect. Deka goes through so much and it really shapes her character, her strength and determination are hard-earned.

I loved how quickly the events in this book kick off. There’s not a ton of build-up, you’re dropped into Deka’s life and it’s off to the races from there.

The world is harsh, but so intriguing. Watching Deka and other strong women navigate the patriarchy was impressive. The political aspects of this were quite interesting as well. It’s more than magic and action, there’s plotting and planning; something I tend to enjoy.

The highlight of this story for me though was the relationships that Deka was able to develop. Her friend, Britta, is a fantastic character. She’s the perfect companion for Deka. Their love and support of one another was so pure.

There are many other things I loved about this, I could literally go on for paragraphs and paragraphs, but I won’t. I will say though, that Deathshrieks and White Hands are two of the most interesting things/characters that I have read about this year. Fascinating.

This story felt dangerous, intense and high-stakes, while also being emotional and gut-wrenching in its unflinching look at violence and the horrors of war/conflict zones. Two thumbs way up.

In summation, LOL, this book is BADASS!! I am so excited to continue on with the series. I am hoping to pick up the sequel next month!

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Review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

~ megs14malloy

Funeral Songs for Dying GirlsFuneral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is equal parts heartbreakingly-beautiful and chest-constricting in its uncomfortableness. This isn’t an easy read and won’t be for everyone.

I read this in 2-days and was genuinely moved by it.

This novel is told via the 1st-person perspective of a girl named Winifred. It’s the summer she turns 16 and Winifred christens it the Summer of Humiliations.

Winifred is at a difficult period in her life. Her mother passed away when she was born, so Winifred has never had a lot of strong female influence in her life. The only adult female she’s had a genuine connection with was her Aunt, her mother’s sister, who has recently passed on.

Not only was this a loss of the only sort of motherly influence she has had, but it was also the loss of the only connection she had to her Mom’s family and the Métis community. It’s a big loss and she definitely feels it.

Upsetting her world further is the news that the crematorium that her Father works at may be shutting down, his job outsourced. If this happens, Winifred and her Dad will be forced to move from the only home she has ever known.

They live in an apartment on the cemetery grounds, close to her Mother’s grave. Even the idea of having to move on from this space causes a great deal of anxiety for Winifred, and for her Dad.

When Winifred’s comings-and-goings around the graveyard mistakenly get labeled as hauntings however, Winifred sees this as a potential saving grace. A local ghost tour is interested in the hauntings and may add the cemetery to their stops list because of them.

If they do, this could mean additional income and a possibility that the crematorium could remain open. They would be able to stay in their house. Winifred needs to develop a plan to coax this possibility along.

After Winifred befriends an actual ghost in the graveyard though, her outlook on everything slowly begins to shift.

The ghost is a teen girl, Phil, who died tragically in a ravine next to the cemetery decades before. Through the telling of her story, Winifred’s eyes are opened to the greater world around her. She starts to see and consider things she never did before.

Through Phil’s short life, Winifred is inadvertently introduced to the rest of hers. There’s a great big world out there, what is Winifred’s place in it?

First of all, the writing in this book is breathtaking, in such a raw, sort of aggressive way. I’m not sure I can quite convey what I mean by this, but basically, in the beginning, Winifred is in a really tough spot in her life. The way she views the world, and tells her story, is jaded and harsh.

Not a lot is going her way. She’s an outcast at school, ridiculed by her peers for being strange. They call her Wednesday Addams and generally give her a hard time.

She has her Dad, who provides for her and obviously loves her, but he is emotionally unavailable. He’s stuck in his grief from the loss of his wife and that has unfortunately put up a bit of a wall between him and his daughter.

Winifred has her dog, Mrs. Dingleberry, who she loves so much and her best friend, Jack. Unfortunately, as her and Jack have gotten older their relationship has changed and gotten complicated. Then an event on her 16th-birthday ends up fracturing it further, so she is feeling more alone than ever.

At first, she seemed so abrasive to me. I wondered if I would be able to connect with her, but the further I got into the story, the more I learned about her and I cared more and more. Learning about her family and about her wants, it sucks you in.

Phil’s story is even more heartbreaking than Winifred’s and the way it is slowly revealed, oh man, so impactful. The final section of Phil’s story, I cried. I cried for Phil and for all the young people who have similar experiences to hers. Lost souls who will never find a way home.

Overall, I think this is a powerful story for those who can stomach it. It’s not an easy read. It’s not fast-paced, or plot heavy, this is very much a character examination and a moving portrait of growing up, discovering your identity and learning to love yourself and others.

I was so impressed with Dimaline’s writing and her ability to pour emotion and culture into the story in an unflinching and unapologetic way. It’s dark, but ultimately left me full of hope. I am very satisfied with the way it wrapped-up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tundra Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was moved by this and I hope it gets into the hands of Readers who appreciate it.

I think for the people this resonates with, it will be a very memorable reading experience indeed.

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Review: Lone Women by Victor LaValle

~ megs14malloy

Lone WomenLone Women by Victor LaValle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤

Lone Women follows Adelaide Henry as she leaves her life in California behind and starts again in the wide-open spaces of Montana.

It’s 1915 and Adelaide is essentially fleeing from her previous life, leaving death and destruction behind her. At least that is what she is hoping.

In Montana, she’ll be a lone homesteader. On her journey, she’s conspicuously dragging with her an overweight steamer trunk. That’s not suspicious at all…

This story is steeped with mystery from the very first pages. A tragedy occurred on the Henry farm and Adelaide is on the run, but you have no idea what happened.

Adelaide is rushed and confused, she’s full of anticipation and doubt about her chosen path. Can she actually do this? It won’t be easy. The landscape is brutal, unforgiving.

Will she even be able to survive her first month on her own, let alone a lifetime? She feels ill-prepared.

Something is going on with the trunk. She’s so concerned about it. Double, triple-checking that it’s securely locked; that no one goes near it. It gave me anxiety.

What is in the trunk!?!?

As the Reader you follow along as Adelaide stakes her claim in Montana and begins to figure out a path to survival. She makes friends and begins to fall into a pattern.

She should know though, it won’t stay uneventful forever. She should know better, that soon enough, you know what is gonna hit the fan and boy, does it ever.

In addition, to Adelaide’s own secrets and demons, she also has to contend with those of others. It seems like a lot of people came to Montana running from something.

These homesteaders are essentially forging their own society. There’s going to be some good actors and some bad. Adelaide runs into them all.

I enjoyed this as a story of female rage, power, will and spirit. Adelaide is such an interesting main character to follow. I loved watching as the truth of her life slowly unfolded.

There were some interesting developments towards the end that I’m not quite sure what to make of yet. I feel like I could read this story a few times and pick up different points every time. LaValle packed a lot in and I’m sure a bit of it has gone over my head.

The dark elements in this were really well done, but I enjoyed them most in contrast to everything else. I liked how they added such an odd layer to the overarching plot. It made everything seem more perilous.

I also liked how those same dark elements made me question Adelaide herself; her nature, whether I really knew her at all. It was definitely compelling. I had to keep reading because I had to know more.

Additionally, I found LaValle’s writing style extremely fluid and easy to read. I feel he really succeeded in bringing a lush and historical atmosphere to this story.

In fact, the historical details were so well done, I felt like I was being transported to another time and place while reading. I was hungry, I was cold and I was scared once the sun went down. That’s a great reading experience.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys creative Dark Fiction, or Historical Horror stories. Even though this is a relatively short-story, there’s so much great content packed in here.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a ton of fun with this and look forward to reading more from LaValle!

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Review: Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit (Theo Tan #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

~ megs14malloy

Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit (Theo Tan, #1)Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit is the Middle Grade debut of one of my favorite authors, Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Recently, after finishing Sutanto’s latest release, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, I wasn’t quite ready to part from her writing.

I’ve had Theo Tan on my radar for a while, and with the second book in the series, Theo Tan and the Iron Fan releasing at the end of May, I figured now was the perfect time to pick it up.

This story follows, you guessed it, Theo Tan, an average Chinese-American boy just doing his thing, playing video games and trying to fly under the radar. So far, he thinks he is doing pretty well in that regard.

When his older brother, Jamie, is killed in an accident though, everything abruptly changes for Theo. Not only is the startling loss of his brother devastating, Theo has also inherited Jamie’s fox spirit, Kai.

Prior to this time, Kai and Theo didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye. There’s no love lost between the two. Kai is snarkier than ever now, grieving the loss of Jamie with every fiber of their being.

The two are forced to let bygones be bygones, however, after discovering a coded message from Jamie that seems to indicate something was awry at Jamie’s internship with Reapling Corporation.

Obviously, I am cutting some corners here, but basically this chain of events leads Theo and Kai on a mystery-filled adventure at a highly-competitive summer camp program, ‘Know Your Roots’, run by the Corporation.

Know Your Roots is a program that celebrates Chinese and Indian cultures and is designed to help connect students with their heritage. Since Theo has been actively trying to ignore the Chinese part of his heritage his whole life, he is a bit behind the learning curve when he enters.

Together Theo and Kai think if they are at the camp, undercover of course, they will be able to get to the bottom of the mystery Jamie wanted them to solve. Are they right, or will they crash and burn in an epic way?

I had a lot of fun listening to this audio. The narration was excellent and I had no problem getting swept away with Theo and Kai.

You did get chapters from both of their perspectives and it was so funny, especially in the beginning, because neither one of them likes the other, so they definitely spill some tea. Over time, it was nice to see their relationship grow.

With Jamie being gone, and them being forced together, they were finally able to come to some mutual respect and understanding.

I definitely felt Sutanto’s sense of humor in this one, which is one of my favorite aspects of her writing. Particularly with Kai’s character. Kai is super snarky, smart and laugh out loud funny.

I enjoyed the setting of the Know Your Roots program. It did have a bit of that competitive feel that I like. I also liked that Kai and Theo had a mystery they were trying to solve.

The highlight of this for me though was the growth displayed in Theo’s characters. He really goes on quite the journey mentally and emotionally.

His self esteem grows a lot, which was the most satisfying for me. To see him push past the shadow of his brother’s legacy, who he saw as the golden child who he could never live up to.

Also, watching Theo learn about, come to appreciate and ultimately embrace his Chinese heritage was a really important message for a Middle Grade story, IMO. I think Sutanto excelled with that.

Overall, I had a great time reading this. It was action-packed, cute and funny as heck. I loved Theo and Kai so much and can’t wait to continue on with their adventures.

This left off in a fantastic spot, leaving plenty to explore in the next installment. You better believe I will be picking it up as soon as possible!!

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Review: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

~ megs14malloy

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for MurderersVera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️💙🍵💙❤️🍵❤️💙🍵💙❤️🍵❤️💙🍵💙❤️

Sixty-year old, Vera Wong, is a widow, mother and owner of a small, rarely visited, tea shop in San Francisco.

Vera, adheres to a strict schedule, and can be opinionated when it comes to other’s lives and scheduling, particularly her son, Tilly. For example, if you aren’t up by 4-4:30 a.m., you’re basically wasting the day away.

As our story begins, you get to meet Vera and learn all about her little peccadilloes from her perspective. I loved her from the very start. She’s perfect.

Vera’s ordered world is suddenly turned upside down when one morning she discovers the body of a deceased man inside her tea shop!

Suspecting she will do a better job than the police, Vera decides to take the investigation into her own hands. The police don’t seem to suspect foul play, but Vera knows, something funny is going on here.

Through a random series of events, Vera comes up with four likely suspects: Julia, the dead man’s wife, Rikki, Sana and Oliver, the dead man’s twin brother. She then inserts herself into the suspect’s lives, because how else is she going to determine which one is guilty?!

Thus, her super-stealthy, and by that I mean over-the-top, often hilarious, slightly-meddling, yet well-intentioned, investigation begins.

I really, really enjoyed this story. The cast of characters, led by Vera, was truly the highlight for me. They were all relatable people, who ended up bonding with Vera in their own ways and for their own distinct reasons.

Vera was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She has such a big heart, is quirky as heck, sweetly innocent in many ways, but also willing to bulldoze anyone in pursuit of her goals. When Vera tells you to jump, you ask how high.

I loved learning about the characters and watching their relationships develop. It was like they all needed support and ended up, through these unfortunate circumstances, finding exactly what they needed.

The overall story was cute, cozy and heart-warming. At times, I did wish for a slightly more intriguing Mystery to help propel the plot, but the found family elements were so strong, it more than made up for that, in my opinion.

I always feel like I connect well with Sutanto’s humor and characters. I just really enjoy her writing style. It’s become such a comfort for me and she is an auto-buy author because of that.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As expected, this was super fun and cute! I cannot wait to pick up more from this author in the future.

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Review: The First to Die at the End (Death-Cast #0) by Adam Silvera

~ megs14malloy

The First to Die at the EndThe First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved, loved, loved They Both Die at the End when I read it all the way back in February 2019. Trust me when I say, since that time it has lived rent free in my heart.

I, along with most other people, believed it to be a standalone novel. Then shockingly, a prequel novel was announced. The First to Die at the End is that prequel. I’ll be honest, I’ve been so scared to pick this up.

I wasn’t sure any other content was necessary. How could it possibly live up to the story told in TBDATE?

Finally, however, I could resist my curiosity no more. I had to read it and ultimately, I am really glad that I did. Silvera successfully pulled off the unasked for prequel.

In this story, our main characters are Valentino and Orion. The stage is set on the eve of the launch of Death Cast. Valentino, with dreams of becoming a professional model, has just, as in this very day, moved to New York City.

Orion, is a life-long New Yorker with a tragic past. He is anxious for the launch of Death Cast due to the way death has previously touched his life. Also, he has a very serious heart condition. He always feels the clock is ticking for him.

Through a twist of fate, these two boys meet in Times Square and feel an instant connection. As Death Cast goes live, one of them gets a call and the other does not.

They decide, no matter how it is going to turn out, they are going to spend the next 24-hours together. Death Cast is untried. Will their prediction be correct, or will it all end up being nothing more than an elaborate hoax?

Woven throughout the over-arching storyline, we also get vignettes of side characters that Valentino and Orion encounter along the way.

I know not everyone is crazy about the inclusion of these types of tiny slivers of life, but I loved them and the way it demonstrated the interconnections in general.

It’s like all the tiny connections that we may never realize or understand, but we are all connected in one way or another. I think Silvera showed that beautifully.

As far as the main characters go, they were fantastic. They were complex with plenty of backstory to make you want to fight for them. I enjoyed the relationship that developed between the boys.

Of course it is a bit instalovey, but it sort of had to be, considering the brief time-frame of the narrative. I actually didn’t mind it. I sort of feel like if I had met Valentino on the streets, I could have fallen in love with him just as quickly.

The banter was great and Silvera provided plenty of hard-hitting issues to consider. It really showed a range for emotion and difficult circumstances, but also the power to rise above and keep living every day with intent.

There were also some fun connections to the original book and the NYC setting was vivid. So, while this wasn’t quite as powerful for me as the first book, I still really, really liked it and appreciate the characters and the heartfelt way Silvera told their stories.

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Review: Pinata by Leopoldo Gout

~ megs14malloy

Piñata: A NovelPiñata: A Novel by Leopoldo Gout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💛🧡🖤💛🧡🖤💛🧡🖤💛

Pinata is a recently released, spooky, toe-curling and thought-provoking Possession Horror story from the mind of Leopoldo Gout.

My initial attraction was to the cover. I mean, look at it!

Then I read the synopsis and knew it was something I wanted to pick up as soon as possible. I’m so happy I did.

In this story we follow single-mom, Carmen, and her two daughters, Izel and Luna. Carmen works for a prestigious New York design firm, who have projects all over the globe. Carmen has been assigned the role of site manager for a renovation project in Tulancingo, a city in the Mexican state of Hildago.

Specifically, the project is the renovation of an ancient abbey into a modern hotel, while trying to adhere to the original beauty of the space. A project Carmen is passionate about.

Carmen is excited for the project for a number of reasons. It’s a challenging renovation and a big step-up in responsibility for Carmen. Additionally, she gets to bring her daughters, so it’s a chance for them to be exposed to the culture of their ancestors.

As they move into their little rental, Carmen is excited with the possibilities the summer holds for them. There’s trepidation too, of course, it’s a city after all and the girls will be home alone during the day while she is working.

With this in mind, Carmen does set up some ground rules for the girls. They know not to leave the house on their own, or to open the door to strangers.

We follow Carmen as she deals with the girls, the local workers and the stress of her job. We also see how the girls are adjusting to their new environment and we meet a few of the local characters with ties to the abbey and its history.

On a day that the girls visit Carmen at work an accident occurs, which ends up exposing a hidden tomb packed full of mysterious, ancient artifacts. Unfortunately, that incident changes everything for Carmen and her girls.

Although her employer doesn’t necessarily blame Carmen for the accident, they need to pull her from the project, for optics, thus cutting Carmen and the girls’ trip short.

As they return to New York, Carmen’s concerned about the future of her job. What if she does end up getting fired? How will she provide for them?

Additionally, the girls seem to be taking the change hard. Particularly, Luna, normally bright, bubbly and out-going, now is distant and morose. What’s going on there?

Things go from bad to worse for the stressed family, as violent incidents occur both at school and at home. People are getting hurt, worse even. Carmen begins to suspect that something is seriously wrong with Luna.

When Izel opens up and shares her concerns about her sister with her Mom, Carmen can no longer ignore it. They need help. They need to free Luna from whatever has taken hold of her before it’s too late for them all.

I loved the way Gout told this story. The settings were distinct and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, particularly Carmen and her girls. It’s a very family-centered story and I was definitely along for their journey.

I felt the writing was descriptive in a way that helped me to picture everything perfectly in my mind. I would love to see this adapted to film. I think it could really translate well to that format.

The tension builds rather nicely and as you get closer to the end, it starts to get quite anxiety inducing. Things definitely snowball quickly once they get back to New York and actually, for me, that did throw the pace off a little.

The initial build-up, the family’s stay in Mexico, it takes its time. The stage is set in a slow-burn fashion, but then the conclusion almost feels too rushed in comparison.

With this being said, I still feel like the concept, character work and themes explored were all really well done. I loved how Gout included the historical and cultural aspects to the story. For me, that made it stand out from other Possession stories I have read.

Overall, I feel like this is a memorable and engaging story that I am proud to have displayed on my shelves. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a solid Possession story, or dark fiction involving heavy historical, or cultural, components.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a highly anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint!

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Review: She Is a Haunting by Trang Thahn Tran

~ megs14malloy

She Is a HauntingShe Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

She Is a Haunting is a YA-story following a girl named, Jade Nguyen, and her experiences at her father’s haunted house in a remote area of Vietnam.

Jade, who lives with her Mom and siblings in the United States, is getting ready to start college and is concerned about money. School is expensive and she can’t ask her Mom, who has sacrificed so much for them and works so hard, to contribute any more.

Thus, Jade is in a bit of a pickle. Her estranged father, who abandoned them and moved back to Vietnam, has the money. He offers it to her on the condition that she and her little sister, Lily, go and live with him for the summer.

The thing is, Jade is really angry at her Dad, like really, really angry. After he walked out on them, they never dealt with that trauma. They don’t even talk about. It’s sort of pushed under the rug, the reality of it all.

Unfortunately, Jade feels like she has no other option. She can make this work. It’s like 5-weeks. She can suffer through anything for that amount of time, or can she?

Along for the journey with Jade and Lily are their Mom and younger brother. Their Mom and younger brother are going to be staying with their Mom’s family in a different city though, so it will just be Jade and Lily forced to stay at their Dad’s place.

His home is actually a French-style villa left over from the colonial era that he is currently converting into a B&B. The renovation is going strong when they arrive and their Dad actually expects their help.

Jade’s assigned task is to get a sleek and modern website up and running for info and reservations. As you can imagine, she’s thrilled to be doing her father’s bidding.

Helping her with the site, is the daughter of one of her Dad’s business partners, a local girl named, Florence, who Jade is immediately intrigued by. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

Then the weirdness kicks in. Strange happenings at the house, visions, dreams, sounds, sleep paralysis; Jade is convinced the house is haunted, but no one believes her. Perhaps with a little help from Florence, they can make them believe.

This is an intriguing story and I did enjoy Trang Thanh Tran’s writing style. Jade was an interesting character. She is very angry, so being in her head isn’t always a comfy, relaxing place to be, but she’s certainly allowed her feelings.

I respected the author allowing her to sort of live in the negative spaces in her mind, without trying to cure her of anything. She’s been through things, she’s allowed to hold that grudge, particularly against her estranged father.

I enjoyed the set-up, the reason for Jade traveling to Vietnam and the reason she needed to stay there. Additionally, some of the imagery, including descriptions of body horror, bug scenes and sleep paralysis were really well done, quite creepy.

However, I did grow a little bored with it. It was just so slow. I don’t mind a slow burn, and I would definitely classify this as one, however the payoff needs to be worth it.

Personally, I felt the ending of this got a little too chaotic and slightly confusing for me to necessarily consider the slow burn worth it.

I did enjoy and appreciate a lot of the topics examined here, including the different relationships Jade had with her family members, the impact and repercussions of colonialism, Jade’s family history and sexuality.

The brightest lights for me was the love and respect that Jade had for her Mom, as well as the investigation Jade started into the history of the house.

Overall, I do think this is a compelling, though slow paced, haunted house story. I did enjoy my time with it, even though it tended to drag in certain places. I appreciate the author’s attention to detail, creativity and spooky imagery.

Thank you to the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would absolutely be interested in picking up future work from Trang Thanh Tran!

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Review: Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

~ megs14malloy

Delicious MonstersDelicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

She’s stretched her legs. She’s tied her sneakers and she is off, in the running for my favorite book of 2023!!!

Although there’s a long road ahead, I know Delicious Monsters has serious staying power. This was a darkly delicious story, which now lives rent free in my brain.

This story follows two young women, Daisy and Brittany, 10-years apart. Daisy comes first and I would say she is decidedly the star of this show.

Brittany is a host and co-creator of a popular web series, Haunted, who is interested in featuring a property owned by Daisy’s family on her show. Brittany would win the award for ‘best supporting actress’.

When the story begins, Daisy and her Mom, Grace, are living together in a small apartment in Toronto. Daisy has recently been dumped by her boyfriend and she’s admittedly struggling with moving past that.

It seems almost too good to be true then, when just when they need it most, Daisy’s Uncle passes away and leaves the family mansion to Daisy’s Mom, Grace. After a brief discussion, the two decide to pack up everything and move. Bye-bye city, hello, wide open spaces.

Set in a remote location, that’s extremely challenging to get to, the property is steeped in mystery. Grace refuses to enter the mansion, so the two actually take up residence in a bunkie, a smaller home on the property.

The goal though is to run the big house as a B&B, and Grace sets out to accomplish that right away. Daisy helps out, explores the property and even makes a couple new, intriguing friends.

As they settle in though, Daisy begins having disturbing experiences that make her question the history of the property and her mother’s story regarding it all.

Brittany’s sections are interspersed amongst the Daisy sections. It’s a mystery precisely why she is so interested in the property, like what exactly happened there, but you know it’s not good.

As things escalate with Daisy’s timeline, it feels like it is leading towards a violent end. From there you watch as the two timelines merge and all is ultimately revealed.

Delicious Monsters is a wild freaking ride. I was buckled in for it all and absolutely adored it start-to-finish.

Immediately, I was struck by how fantastic Sambury’s writing is. I knew this going in, but it’s been a while, so I guess I had forgotten a bit.

Let me tell you about it. Sambury’s writing is fluid as heck. It’s beautiful without being so flowery that it loses all semblance of a coherent narrative. It’s emotional, it’s dark and it doesn’t shy away from examining difficult topics.

The character development is excellent. Daisy, in particular, is so compelling. You’re in her head a lot and it’s not necessarily a comfortable place to be, but you grow to love her and have such empathy for her journey.

Additionally, there is great mystery to this story, as well as some truly haunting imagery. As you race towards the conclusion, things, I believe intentionally, start to get a little addled. You won’t be sure what’s up, what’s down, what’s real and what’s not. It was intense and a real page turner.

This was such a fun reading experience for me. It’s one of those books where I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time. It’s that good. It’s stunning, crushing, hope-inducing and toe-curling. It’s everything.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Horror, YA Horror, Haunted House stories, or Dark Fiction in general. There are quite a few sensitive topics explored though, so I urge you to seek out the author’s review, as she includes a full list of content warnings.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Margaret K. McElderry Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I have been anticipating this book since July of 2021, when I first heard of the initial concept. It did not disappoint in the slightest. This is a phenomenal story!

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Review: Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

~ megs14malloy

Burn Down, Rise UpBurn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently learned about this novel via a Book Riot article on the 13 Best “Good For Her” Horror books.

Click here if you would like to see the full list:

Good For Her Horror Recs

I knew right away from the blurb that I was interested. After reading the full synopsis and a couple of reviews here on Goodreads, I couldn’t wait.

I found the audiobook through my library and immediately downloaded it. I love a sudden mood read like that and this one paid off big time. Not only did I really enjoy this, but I’ve found a new author to follow.

This story starts out with an absolute bang and before I forget, the audiobook, I absolutely recommend it. Okay, so yeah, the beginning. You’re following a boy who has had something happen to him. You aren’t sure what, but you can tell he is sick, scared and seeking medical attention.

He enters a hospital and finally gets some help, but things do not end well. He takes off and subsequently disappears.

Our MC, Raquel, her Mom works at that hospital and is on duty at the time the boy comes in. Unfortunately, after her interaction with him, she’s infected too and falls into a coma. With her Mom fighting for her life, Raquel has to stay with her Dad at his place.

As if this isn’t stressful enough, the Bronx, where Raquel lives has been plagued recently by disappearances that barely get noticed. Raquel has tried to ignore that, pretend it’s not even happening, but when her crush’s cousin goes missing, she suddenly has to pay attention.

In fact, Raquel promises her crush, Charlize, that she will help her try to find her cousin.

What the girls discover is chatter about a horrifying local legend called the Echo Game. It’s said that if you play the game it’s possible you can get trapped in a sinister world underneath the city.

They believe Charlize’s cousin may have played it and that the game is connected to his disappearance. With this in mind, there’s only one choice really. They need to play.

I had so much fun with this. From the very start, the scene at the hospital, I was hooked. I had to know what was happening. It was disturbing, which we love.

I really enjoyed the writing style. The writer’s imagination and ability to create some truly startling horror imagery were on full display within this work. It was getting under my skin and left me wanting more.

Burn Down, Rise Up felt like a Love Letter to the Bronx disguised as a Horror story. I feel like it’s really special in that way. It actually made me want to go out and research the history of that area.

This concept is actually something I really love in my dark fiction. More specifically, I always enjoy when the history of a place influences the Horror elements of a story. It’s like the place holds onto trauma, whether it be collective or singular, and then channels that into the present events.

I thought that was done so well here. Additionally, I enjoyed going along with Raquel as she fought so hard not only her family and friends, but for her community as a whole.

Overall, I am so happy that I picked up this book. I was really impressed by it and cannot wait to read more from Vincent Tirado. If this book is any indication, I am going to love them all!

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