Games

Review: House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama

~ megs14malloy

House of Monstrous WomenHouse of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

House of Monstrous Women is a slow burn Gothic Horror story set in the Philippines in 1986. We follow Josephine, who is living a fairly secluded life, seeing to her family’s property, del Rosario house.

Her parents were killed due to political strife within the country, and her older brother has since moved to Manila to try to make a name for himself. This leaves just Josephine to try to manage what’s left of their estate.

When she receives an invitation from her childhood best friend, Hiraya, to visit her, Josephine is surprised and excited. Of course she accepts. She’s missed Hiraya so much since Hiraya and her sister were forced to flee their village in the dead of night.

Hiraya’s family’s property is the infamous Ranoco house. There are many stories whispered about this island home, all of them involving Hiraya’s supposed family of witches.

Josephine has heard the stories, but she’s not afraid. She knows Hiraya too well to believe she would put her in danger. Josephine is anxious to reconnect with her, as well as her brother, Alejandro and his girlfriend, Gabriella, who Hiraya also invited to Ranoco.

Hiraya proposes they all play a game like they used to as kids. The winner of this game though, will be granted whatever their heart desires. Each person has something they deeply want, and they all agree it’s worth whatever risk to try to make those dreams reality, but how dangerous is this going to get?

With the house featuring as the ultimate playing board, the contestants settle in to try to seal their fates. As the rules are explained though, it soon becomes clear that they may have gotten in over their heads.

Will any of them be able to survive the game, let alone get what their heart truly desires, or is the house just going to seize them in their desperation?

‘Josephine felt stupid for thinking this place was like the del Rosario house at all. Its outer facade was just a mask of normalcy, hiding what lay within.’

As mentioned above, House of Monstrous Women is a slow burn, but one that I definitely feel paid off in the end. The beginning features a lot of character work, but also some genuinely spooky imagery. Once it gets to the game though, it really takes off.

I loved the setting. Ranoco house truly feels like a main character in this story. It was described so well, and even though it’s got some trippy vibes throughout, I still felt like I could picture everything vividly.

I would describe this story as being moody, gruesome, intense and jaw-dropping. There were moments in the beginning when I wondered if it was going to pick-up, and you might too, but trust me, just stick with it. It gets wild as it races toward the unpredictable conclusion.

I wasn’t prepared for the final scenes of this. It was just so good. I loved the themes Fama explored, and feel like she nailed the build-to-action ratio. It lulled me into a false sense of security, then ripped the rug out from under me and tried to smother me with it.

I would highly recommend this to Horror Readers of all varieties, but particularly to those who enjoy atmospheric, familial, or historical horror, with strong eco-elements, who don’t mind a slow burn.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was really impressed with this and cannot wait to read more from Daphne Fama!!

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Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

~ megs14malloy ~ 2 Comments

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

💛❤️🖤💛❤️🖤💛❤️🖤💛❤️🖤💛

Dungeon Crawler Carl is the 1st-installment to Matt Dinniman’s epic Lit RPG series of the same name, which is currently taking the world by storm.

I picked this up for a Book Club discussion earlier this month and I’m so glad that I did. I’m absolutely obsessed with this book, have bought the next four, and cannot wait to continue on this journey with Carl and Princess Donut!

In this story, we follow Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s spoiled cat, Donut, as the world is destroyed by an alien race, and all survivors are conscripted into an intergalactically-televised reality competition show, Dungeon Crawler World

There are 18-dangerous levels in this subterranean labyrinth that Carl and Donut are going to have to navigate if they want to have any hope of survival. Trust me when I say, it’s not going to be easy.

Within the first 20-pages of this book, Dinniman had me absolutely hooked. The writing and plot are both so unique and entertaining, I never knew what to expect next. It truly kept me on my toes from start to finish.

I have heard a lot of people saying how fabulous the audiobook is, and I wish I could have had that format, but nevertheless, I found my hard copy super engaging as well.

After they enter the dungeon, Carl’s ex-girlfriend’s cat, Donut, who he was bravely rescuing from a tree at the time the action kicks off, gains the ability to talk, and she was born to entertain. You’d be hard pressed to read this and not fall in love with Donut.

Carl, as well though, is such a compelling main character. I adore him. He’s such a good human, and his whole development, everything he does and says, felt so genuine and believable to me.

It’s hard to say how you would react if put into this bizarre circumstance, but I think based on what we come of know of Carl’s training and life experiences, his reactions and ability to adjust to the nature of the dungeon makes sense.

Overall, this is an incredible start to a series. As much fun as it is, there is a lot of deeper themes and plot lines that I am anxious to explore more in future installments.

If you haven’t picked this up yet, and think it sounds at all interesting, I highly encourage you to give it a try. For me, this is sure to be one of my most memorable reads of 2025!!

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Review: Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

~ megs14malloy

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 features a extreme version of Hide-n-Seek, played by various daring Adults, and streamed online to countless fans.

Maverick Dillan is a wildly-popular creator and influencer in the Adventure space. This game is his baby, and even though it has been played before with disastrous consequences that still haunt him, he’s up to host another round.

This round of the game is set to be played on the remote Falcao Island. In addition to Maverick and his people, we follow single-Mom, Adele, whose children get her to sign up for the game.

After her husband left them, Adele has had to wear a lot of different hats in their family, including resident badass. When her kids show how enthusiastic they are for the game, and how much they believe in her, she would be hard pressed to say no.

Plus, the $1,000,000 prize could change everything for them.

This story is very social media based, so it’s not surprising we get snippets in a mixed media format to introduce the Reader to the game and the players.

While I loved the set-up and the premise behind the game, as well as all the players involved, the social media aspects did feel a bit over-exaggerated. It felt a little, and this is just my opinion, that maybe the author was perhaps pandering a bit to the BookTok crowd.

That’s a very minor point though. I thought the set-up and basic premise of this story were both very well developed. I love how pulled into Adele’s life I felt, and how much I was rooting for her as a contestant.

The game itself did remind of Hide by Kiersten White, but honestly, I feel like it was executed better here. No offense to anyone who loves Hide. I get it, but that one definitely fell flat for me with the gaming element.

This one gave me more of the fast-paced energy and drama that I wanted. I would recommend it to Readers who enjoy books with a gaming trope. It’s worth the read.

This does give a lot of insight into Maverick and his partners in their dealings behind the scenes of the show. That was a good element to add, although personally, I did feel like that took over a bit.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with Close Your Eyes and Count to 10. I loved the idea of the game having a bit of a survival element, and the setting on a remote island was great. Also, Unger added in inclement weather, which I always appreciate.

Unfortunately, the further it went along, the more it started to lose me. I wanted more time with the contestants and what they were going through, and instead I felt that aspect was sort of overshadowed by the drama going on amongst the game’s hosts, as mentioned above.

It was still an entertaining read, however, even with these minor complaints. I just wish I could have felt as connected and intrigued with it at the end, as I did at the beginning.

I would recommend the audiobook format. It was engaging and kept me flying through. I found the narrator very believable, particularly in Adele’s perspective.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I haven’t read a lot from this author, but I do want to pick up more of her work.

Even though this wasn’t perfect for me, you cannot deny the fluidity and captivating nature of her writing.

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Review: Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #2) by Kristy Boyce

~ megs14malloy

Dating and DragonsDating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Dating and Dragons is the 2nd-book in the Dungeons and Drama YA-Romance series.

These books are companion novels that revolve around RPG-gaming, in particular, and as you may have guessed from the titles, Dungeons and Dragons.

In this installment, we’re following Quinn and Logan. Quinn has recently moved and is starting at a new high school. She hopes that joining a D&D group will be her opportunity to make some new friends.

Logan, is a participant in said D&D group, a bit of a leader and a hunk to boot. He’s charming, handsome and genuine, but there’s a catch. There’s a rule, agreed to by all members that they will not date other members.

Therefore, no matter how much chemistry Quinn and Logan are feeling, they cannot take the bait. Quinn really needs to be a part of this group. She left her old school under bad circumstances, and she’s not willing to be friendless again.

But maybe, baby, they could spend some time together secretly. That couldn’t hurt? Could it?

I loved this just as much as Dungeons and Drama!! I hope there are going to be more books in this series.

There’s something about Boyce’s character work that is just so sweet and compelling. I’ve loved every background of every character in these books.

The gaming element in this one, the D&D group involved, was so great and felt more in-depth than the gaming in the 1st-book. I loved that aspect. I’m not sure if that is true, or just my perception, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I also adored Quinn as a main character, and even Logan. I’ll admit he had me swooning and blushing more than once. The chemistry between them was also so well done.

The secrecy and the way everything was resolved, Boyce did a great job developing all of that. There were moments when I wanted to shake them both (miscommunication, it’s a thing), but I still felt like it was realistically portrayed.

I’m not sure what the plan is for this series, if there will be more or not, but if there is, you better believe that I’m 1000% on board for it. These books have both made me giddy with how good they are.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Romance, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Kristy Boyce.

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Review: The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

~ megs14malloy

The Christmas Murder GameThe Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Christmas Murder Game was the perfect audiobook for me to listen to over my Christmas holiday.

It didn’t require surgical-levels of concentration and the plot was easy enough for my holiday-fried brain to follow.

In this story we meet Lily Armitage, who is returning to her family’s lavish estate, Endgame House, for the first time since the tragic death of her mother, twenty-one years ago.

The Armitage family has an annual tradition called the Christmas Game and this year, the stakes are higher than ever. The winner receives the deed to Endgame House itself.

Lily doesn’t really want the house, but she receives a personal invitation she can’t refuse. If she attends, she may be able to get further information about her mom’s death, which Lily has long not believed the official story on.

The Christmas Game takes twelve days, with riddles and clues to finding twelve separate keys, and Lily must compete against her estranged cousins for the ultimate prize.

When bodies start dropping and the family gets snowed in, it’s clear someone will do anything to win this year’s game, even if it means killing off the competition.

I liked this. It’s a solid story with a lot of reveals and red herrings along the way. I really enjoyed the setting, including the harsh weather that helped build tension.

With this being said, while it did feature a lot of elements I enjoy, such as a locked room feel, unlikable characters, inclement weather and deeply-held family secrets, I didn’t find the overall story that gripping.

Most of the characters were a bit one-dimensional, but I did definitely want to know what was going on. I had many theories, none of which panned out 100%.

This is the second story that I have read from Alexandra Benedict. I think I preferred Murder on the Christmas Express a bit more, but reading this over Christmas probably did have a slight impact on my enjoyment level.

I do always find it a bit more challenging to really focus around this time of year, particularly when traveling.

Either way, I will be continuing to pick up anything I can from Alexandra Benedict, and you should too!

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Review: Tag, You’re Dead by Kathryn Foxfield

~ megs14malloy

Tag, You're DeadTag, You’re Dead by Kathryn Foxfield
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

Tag, You’re Dead is a futuristic-feeling YA Thriller with a strong gaming element. Unfortunately, as great as the overall concept is, I wasn’t crazy about the execution.

This story features a live-streamed, city-wide game of tag hosted by a well-known, oft-controversial, teenage social media influencer, Anton Frazer. The prize is to become one of his assistants.

The teen’s fans are eager to compete, but what about his enemies? Certainly someone as famous and potentially contentious as Anton has many. What would they do for the opportunity to get close to him?

We follow a few different perspectives, all participants in the game. Through their POVs we also are given background into their various connections to Anton, as well as their motivations for wanting to play the game.

The contestants are outfitted with super high-tech gear that tracks them through the city over the course of the game. Everyone takes turn, being randomly selected and notified through their gear, of being Chasers and Runners.

I felt like the idea of the game was so much fun. I was really looking forward to getting into this one and seeing how the game would ultimately play out.

For me though, I felt this story was imbalanced. I’m not sure if I am wording that correctly, but I’ll try to explain my feelings as best I can.

Some of the perspectives I found really interesting, for example a mother-daughter duo with majorly toxic vibes. Then there were other perspectives that I loathed every minute reading from; mainly, Charlotte.

Also, there were moments the game felt intense and fun, but just when I would start to become truly invested, it would switch perspectives and maybe be about something other than the game, that would take me out of it.

I also had a difficult time picturing some of the scenes, particularly any involving action. There was a lot of interpersonal drama going on amongst the characters, but the setting was less well developed, in my opinion.

I am first and foremost an atmosphere girlie, so I could have used a bit more work in that aspect. This could have been set anywhere, although I believe it is supposed to be London.

Overall, I found this to be an intriguing concept that sadly, fell short in its execution. In spite of it being a mixed bag for me though, I would definitely read from this author again.

Thank you so much to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!

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