Review: Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

Your Shadow Half RemainsYour Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Your Shadow Half Remains is a difficult book to talk about. Frankly, I’m not sure I really understood it. At least not in the way the author intended. Nevertheless, I shall try…

Regardless of how much I actually comprehended though, I still enjoyed the reading experience. It’s a puzzler.

This is presented as a sort of post-apocalyptic world, where a virus has caused those infected to go into a violent, murderous rage if they look into another person’s eyes.

Our main character, Riley, hasn’t looked at, or interacted with any other humans in at least two years, maybe more. In fact, Riley hasn’t even dared look in a mirror, just in case.

She’s done a great job at keeping herself shut off from the rest of the world, if there’s even a rest of the world left. That is until she stumbles across a new neighbor.

Ellis, the newcomer, throws a kink in Riley’s routine and causes her to feel things she hasn’t in a long, long time. Unfortunately, this new swell of emotions causes her to question reality in the most extreme ways.

How much does Riley really know about the world around her? Can we trust her perspective at all, or is it all just the jaded creation of a diseased mind?

We are give the story entirely through Riley’s perspective. Initially, she seems confident in what she is relaying to the Reader. She seems to have a good handle on her situation, even though some details are hazy.

Once her interactions with Ellis begin though, Riley’s grip seems to slip. Before you know it, you are hurtling along through a fever dream of Riley’s own making. It’s unsettling to say the least.

For the most part, I enjoyed trying to decipher what exactly was real in this world. It was confusing, but not in a way that I found to be grating, or annoying.

I was surprised how much the author was able to pack into so few pages; it felt complete. I think it’s a great example of their skill as a writer, because this makes quite an impact in under 200-pages. That’s hard to do.

Overall, I found this to be eerie, disturbing, confusing and compelling. I was initially drawn to this because of the cover. It was giving me serious The Dark Half vibes and I was totally down for that.

While it’s a completely different kind of story than that, I feel like the unsettling cover still matches this story perfectly. I’m glad I picked this one up.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Gwen & Art Are Not in LoveGwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a Queer Medieval YA Rom-Com that is absolute sugar to read. I walked away feeling light and airy on its sweetness.

This is a YA-debut for this author, and I’m really hoping we’ll be seeing more from them in this space. I feel like this one definitely succeeded in what it set out to do.

This story follows Gwen and Arthur, who have been betrothed since they were kids and they’re not happy about it. The only thing they’ve had in common over the years is the ability to annoy one another.

As they reach marriageable age, Arthur travels to Camelot to stay for the Summer in the lead up to their impending nuptials. It doesn’t start off well, as Gwen catches Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur discovers Gwen’s long-held crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

It’s now clear that it’s more than general disdain keeping them apart. Having a new found understanding for one another, and their predicament, the two make a pact to cover for each other as they pursue their love interests.

This was adorable and so much fun. I think this would be a great fit for Readers who enjoy the style and feel of the Lady Janies books, such as My Lady Jane, or My Contrary Mary.

I definitely recommend the audiobook. There is dual narration for Gwen and Arthur, which is incredibly well done. The narrators captured the spirit of these characters.

The dynamic between Gwen and Arthur was the highlight for me. It was a bit of a journey of self-discovery for them both and I enjoyed watching them open up to one another.

Through their honesty with themselves and each other, they were able to develop a much needed support system in their new friendship group. There is a strong found family element to this story, so if that is something you enjoy seeing, you’ll definitely find it here.

I enjoyed the level of humor that Croucher brought to this story and that it didn’t get steamy at all. It’s fun, playful and flirty, but without being drowned out in unnecessary details for characters who don’t feel ready for all of that just yet.

For me, I could have used a bit more action, intensity or intrigue in the overall plot, it was just lacking a little of that for me. That is 100% personal taste though, and you may not feel that at all when you read it.

The action did amp up a bit right at the end, with a battle and some political changes, I just feel like I sort of needed a little more during the bulk of the story if I were going to give this a 5-star rating.

At the end of the day, this is a hugely enjoyable story. It’s heart-warming, it’s fun and I would definitely recommend it to Readers looking for a fun Queer story, or for Readers who enjoy witty dialogue, or a Medieval setting.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will be picking up more from Lex Croucher!

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Review: Monstrous by Jessica Lewis

MonstrousMonstrous by Jessica Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Monstrous is a dark, YA Fantasy story from Jessica Lewis.

I’ve heard incredible things about this author’s first novel, Bad Witch Burning, but haven’t gotten to it yet. After reading this, I know I’ll be picking it up soon.

In this story we follow a teen girl, Latavia, who due to some challenges in her home-life, goes to stay with her Aunt in the small town of Sanctum, Alabama.

From the start her Aunt institutes a lot of rules: don’t go out after dark, come home directly after church, and definitely don’t stray into the woods…

It’s strange, but Latavia isn’t here for a holiday. It’s just a stop-over for 6-weeks before she leaves for college. She’s not here to shake anything up, so she keeps her head down and tries to do as her Aunt directs.

Nevertheless, trouble catches up with her one night when she is kidnapped from her Aunt’s house, dragged to the very same woods she was instructed to avoid, and offered up as human sacrifice to the ancient monster who lives there.

Latavia isn’t going down without a fight though, and this monster may have met its match. Latavia is willing to do anything to survive, including bargain with the monster, and maybe even risk becoming one herself.

Y’all, you have to be intrigued by this set-up. An ancient monster that lives in the woods on the outskirts of a small town. Residents ready and willing to sacrifice the new girl to feed the monster’s hunger.

What the heck is going on here!?

I was amazed at how quickly I got sucked into this story. I started reading it one Saturday and then the next thing I knew, the sun had set and I was 71% of the way through.

I really enjoyed Latavia’s perspective. I love the new girl trope, especially when that is paired with a creepy small town vibe, where all the residents behave strangely. Going along with Latavia as she tried to navigate just getting by in this town was interesting.

I also enjoyed how Lewis added some more thoughtful, hard-hitting themes as well, in addition to the Darker Fantasy elements.

I liked learning about the reasons behind Latavia coming to Sanctum in the first place. She was really going through some difficult things and in one respect, it was great that she had an Aunt willing to take her in, but then, you know, the human sacrifice and stuff, so it was a bit of a mess.

Also, Latavia did have a love interest over the course of this story and watching their relationship blossom was very sweet. In spite of everything going on, or maybe because of that, they grew close fairly quickly, but it all felt quite natural to me.

At the end of the day, this story just had so many fun and interesting elements, and Lewis was able to blend them all seamlessly. The new girl trope, small town secrets, Sapphic romance, a man-eating monster and a murder cult. Seriously, what else do you need!?

I was hooked from the start, and while there were some things that weren’t perfect for me, I still had a great experience with it and found it super compelling.

As mentioned above, I am definitely planning to read more from this author, starting with Bad Witch Burning. If you like Dark, YA Contemporary Fantasy, channeling small town vibes and dangerous secrets, you absolutely should check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a lot of fun!

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Review: In Charm’s Way (The Witches of Thistle Grove #4) by Lana Harper

In Charm's Way (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #4)In Charm’s Way by Lana Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

In Charm’s Way is the 4th-installment of The Witches of Thistle Grove series by Lana Harper. This is an Adult Romance series with a witchy-twist.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the books are companion novels. They take place in the small, magical town of Thistle Grove, following the same timeline, but each book focuses on different main characters.

In this story, we follow Delilah Harlow, who we’ve met before in previous books, and Catriona Quinn, a new character from out of town.

As the story kicks off, Delilah is struggling in the aftermath of an event that caused a serious disruption in her memory. It’s worse that just her memory though, it’s her brain in general. It’s not functioning at the level it once did. It’s highly frustrating for the once uber-independent Delilah.

She’s had to rely more on family and friends to make her way through every day responsibilities. At wit’s end, Delilah, in desperation, attempts a mysterious blood spell said to harness healing capabilities.

It’s crazy dangerous, Delilah isn’t even sure of the true origins of the spell, nonetheless she gives it a try. At this point, she is willing to do anything to get her life back.

While the spell does seem to work for the most part, it has an unexpected side effect. It basically turns Delilah into a magnet for certain types of supernatural creatures that previously hadn’t frequented Thistle Grove.

For example, the malevolent Succubus that attacks her one night. Luckily, a gorgeous and mysterious stranger, Cat, arrives in the nick of time and frees Delilah from the Succubus embrace.

Delilah is intrigued by Cat from the start. Cat, half-human, half-fae, is sultry and intriguing. That initial interaction is all it takes to draw the two of them together. What follows could not have been predicted.

I enjoyed this. I was happy to be returning to Thistle Grove and to be reunited with some characters I have previously enjoyed. This series is one of those that, even though none of them have knocked my socks off, I still have fun picking up and will continue to do so for as long as they are published.

I can’t help but compare the books in the series to each other as I am coming up with my rating. For me, this romance wasn’t very compelling for me and additionally, I found some of the plot points to be a little muddled.

My favorite part of this was learning more about the history of Thistle Grove. We learned a bit about the origins of the town and how the magic came to be there.

I did also enjoy Delilah’s journey. She had a rough road, but I think she learned a lot and I did see growth for her character. Maybe a little bit of peace as well. Her recovery from the brain injury has been tough and I appreciated the examination of that topic.

I think for me the only issue was Cat. I didn’t care for her and didn’t understand, besides her undeniable hotness, why Delilah would be so interested. Personal opinion on Cat aside though, I think it does make sense in the context of the story Harper created.

We all know fae are a little above and beyond and that they tend to wreck a little havoc wherever they go. We also know they’re irresistible…

With this being said, Cat grated on my nerves and I’d be happy if I never read another scene with her in it again. Harsh? Maybe a little, but that’s me.

One thing Cat did bring though, that I wouldn’t turn away in a further installment, was the heat. Maybe I am imagining it, but this felt like the steamiest of the books thus far. I may have even blushed for a moment.

At the end of the day, I am glad that I picked this up. I find this series to be comforting and easy. I also always enjoy discovering which characters we are going to follow and what romance tropes are going to pop up.

I would recommend The Witches of Thistle Grove series to anyone who enjoys whimsical, low-stakes romance stories with solid witchy-vibes.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I hope there are going to be more books in this series. I need more Thistle Grove romance!

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Review: The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

The Last Girls StandingThe Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Past Meg: If you say ‘summer camp massacre’ in a book synopsis, I am going to read it. 100%, no further info necessary.

Current Meg: I should’ve gotten further info…

All jokes aside, this is a solid YA Contemporary story focusing on trauma recovery and featuring a Sapphic Romance. Unfortunately, I went into this expecting a Psychological Thriller with a Teen Slasher Twist.

In this story we follow Sloan and Cherry, girlfriends who are the sole survivors of a massacre at a summer camp. Both girls were counselors.

In the aftermath, Sloan, who remembers no tangible details, has been struggling to put the event behind her. She feels like the black spots in her memory are haunting her and she doesn’t feel like she can move on until she has answers.

Her girlfriend, Cherry, the only person Sloan feels understands what she’s been through, tries to be supportive. She also tries to make Sloan feel safe, but for her part, Cherry is ready to move on. They survived. They need to continue living instead of reliving the past.

As Sloan continues her search for answers, Cherry is right at her side, but after new evidence is revealed, Sloan begins to question just how well she knows Cherry.

The girls only met a few short days before the trauma that ultimately bound them together. Seeing things from a new perspective, Sloan fears that Cherry may have actually been involved in the massacre.

Will Sloan be able to figure out the truth before it’s too late, or will Cherry end up being the last girl standing?

This book has a lot of strengths. I did appreciate the story that Dugan created here and I think if you go into it with the right mindset, you could really, really enjoy it.

Sadly, for me, I saved this for Spooky Season, thinking it was more of a Psychological Thriller than an intimate examination of trauma recovery. That may be on me, but a little bit could be blamed on the marketing, IMO.

I did like Dugan’s writing. Also, the relationship between Sloan and Cherry felt very real, especially their bond based on their shared trauma. Even though it started quite slow, I was interested in learning more about the characters.

The slow pace continues for the most part, although it does pick up a bit in the later half. The narrative also focuses much more heavily on emotion than action, so be aware of that. Although, for the most part, well executed, it was not what I was expecting, nor in the mood for and I believe my experience was impacted because of that.

I think for Readers who enjoy YA Contemporary stories that focus on trauma and mental health, this could work well. I think a lot of Readers will be intrigued about the mystery surrounding Sloan’s missing memories and the truth of what happened at the camp that day.

I will say that the ending was fantastic. The final chapter was my favorite chapter by far. I wish it could have had that level of dark intensity throughout.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While this wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I know a lot of Readers out there will enjoy this one!

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Review: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

You're Not Supposed to Die TonightYou’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a solid effort in the YA Horror space for well-loved author, Kalynn Bayron.

Admittedly, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me, with some aspects that I really enjoyed and others, not so much, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I have been saving this one for Spooky Season since its release. The cover is giving me all the 1980s-Slasher vibes that I could possibly want. I couldn’t wait to dive in.

I picked it up as my 1st-read for the Spooky Smart Bitch Readathon, hosted by the devilishly-delightful, Jordaline Reads, that I am participating in this week. It fit with the first prompt and that was all the nudging that I needed.

In this story we follow a group of teens, lead by Charity Curtis, who work at a full-contact terror experience called, Camp Mirror Lake.

The location is fittingly the actual filming location of a cult classic Slasher film called, Curse of Mirror Lake and the staged experience plays out well-known scenes from that movie. Charity’s role in the experience is that of Final Girl and she takes pride in her work.

On the last weekend of the season though, things begin to go horribly awry. Charity and friends are no longer fighting their way through a simulation, they’re fighting their way through a real-life Slasher.

Will Charity still be able to end up the Final Girl?!

With her girlfriend, Bezi, and many other friends’ lives on the line, she’s hoping not. She needs them ALL to survive.

I feel like this is an interesting take on the Teen Scream Slasher. I liked how modern it felt by having the setting be a live-action terror experience. I really enjoyed the initial set-up and that the Horror elements kicked in rather quickly.

Bayron wasted no time getting us to the action segment of the narrative.

I liked a lot of the elements, the setting, friends, the tension that builds and the history of the camp. However, with this being said, IMO it moved a little too quickly.

Because of the speed, it didn’t leave much time for development, both of plot, or character. It’s a short book, and because of this, it ended up feeling very surface level. I could have done with more substance all around.

I also feel like the story was one note. It could have been a better experience for me had it been even more campy. That may sounds strange, but I would have enjoyed some humor, or even just more witty banter.

This is 100% a taste issue though and regardless of my personal preferences, I can still recognize the effort and skill that Bayron brought to this story.

I actually hope she remains in this YA Horror lane. I can feel she is a true fan of the genre and I would love to see what else she could create in this space.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced Teen Scream to help kick off the Spooky Season.

It has some great social commentary and a diverse cast of characters. Additionally, I listened to the audiobook and it’s fabulously narrated.

It definitely set the tone that I’m looking to keep for the next few months!! Well done!

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Review: Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Cleat CuteCleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cleat Cute is the latest release from Romance author, Meryl Wilsner. I have read all three of Wilsner’s releases thus far and this one falls direct middle of the road for me.

In this story, we follow professional female soccer players, Phoebe Matthews and Grace Henderson. Grace is a veteran player, having played professionally since she was just a teen. While Phoebe is the hot new girl in the league, recently being called up after her stellar college career.

As a younger player, Phoebe grew up idolizing Grace Henderson, even hanging a poster of her over her bed. Now she is getting the chance to play with her; in her league. Phoebe can hardly believe this is her life.

Moving from Idaho to New Orleans will be a big change for Phoebe, but she knows she can make it work.

Phoebe throws herself into her new life with her signature gregarious style. Grace, of a much more subdued nature, is a bit taken aback by the new girl. The more time she spends with Phoebe though, the more drawn to her she becomes.

Over a series of increasingly personal encounters, the two women end up becoming friends. More specifically, friends with very incredibly hot benefits.

You then follow along with these women as they navigate their complicated friendship, as well as their equally complicated careers.

Cleat Cute features a well-developed romance, with plenty of miscommunication causing tension and growth, however, for me, my reaction to it throughout was mixed.

There were moments I was completely invested and enjoying the topics that Wilsner was examining. Then something would happen that would turn me off completely. It always took a while after the turn off to become invested again.

Phoebe’s character generally drove me a bit batty, but initially I felt like Grace was someone I could really get behind. Then there would be moments, where in order to provide a conflict, or miscommunication, it seemed like Grace’s personality would completely change in order to make that feasible.

I just didn’t like that aspect. I may be completely off base with this too, but to me it seemed like Grace was experienced and confident and then she would have these interactions with Phoebe that felt like she had never talked to another human before.

It was strange. It was like the conflict needed to be there and we were going to make it happen no matter how out of place it seemed.

It was those types of situations that made it feel slightly inconsistent to me. By the end though, the characters had won me over and I was fully behind their new-found open communication and expression of tenderness.

There were also some discussions, particularly with Grace, who was grappling with a hip flexor injury, about where she wanted to go with her career. She was benched for a while during recovery and she had to decide if she wanted to step back into a lesser role when she returned.

As a sports person, I enjoyed that, getting the chance to delve more into detail on Grace’s thoughts and emotions regarding her career and responsibility to her team.

I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a steamy sapphic romance; extra points if you enjoy a sports romance. The audiobook was well narrated, so definitely recommend that as a format for as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I will continue to pick up Wilsner’s new releases.

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Review: Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight, Editors — Shelly Page and Alex Brown

Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & DelightNight of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight by Shelly Page
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight is a fun, spooky-time YA-Anthology full of great representation and diverse stories.

This is the perfect collection to get you in the mood for Fall!!

Editors, Shelly Page and Alex Brown, did an incredible job bringing together a great assortment of authors to contribute to this collection.

I loved how each story takes place on Halloween night, when there is a rare Blue Supermoon. It’s thought this special occasion could open up our world more easily to all sorts of supernatural and creepy occurrences.

It was fun to see how each of these authors took that prompt, that setting, if you will, and created something unique and engaging, all of their very own.

Anthologies can be tough sometimes, because it’s rare to connect with each and every story equally, but for me, this was well-rounded and exciting enough to keep me hooked throughout.

Of course some stories fit my personal tastes more than others, but I can absolutely see how every single Reader will be able to find something within this collection to enjoy and connect to.

I really enjoyed so many of these of stories and cherished how different they all were from each other. It never felt repetitive, or overdone.

Some of the standouts for me were: The Visitor by Kalynn Bayron, A Brief Intermission by Sara Farizan, The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting by Alex Brown and Nine Stops by Trang Thanh Tran.

My favorite story overall was Anna by Shelly Page. This one just had everything I love to get myself geared up for a solid spooky season. It had a babysitter, twins, a ouija board, an attic and a ghost. I mean, what is not to love about that!?

Finally, I will just say how much I appreciate the thought and care these editors and authors put into this collection. The vast and inclusive representation is so important and I feel like they all did a great job creating super fun and creepy stories, while also being mindful of the original intent of the collection.

I would absolutely recommend this anthology as a way to get yourself in the mood for the Spooky Season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and books that showcase that are my favorite kinds!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d love to read more from every one of these authors!

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Review: Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black BoyhoodBlack Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood by Kwame Mbalia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored every moment I spent with this collection. I highly recommend the audiobook format, as the narration is so fun. Each story was unique and well-written.

Mbalia pulled together an incredible group of authors to contribute to this important and heart-warming Middle Grade anthology. I could feel the intention, integrity and passion each and every one of these author’s poured into these works.

This should be in every public school and local library in the United States. There’s so much here to celebrate. 10-out-of-10 recommend to Middle Grade Readers!!

Original:

I respect Kwame Mbalia and his work so much. I’ve been meaning to get to this collection since it was released, and honestly, I feel like now is the perfect time for it.

I need something uplifting and joyful!!

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Review: Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould

Where Echoes DieWhere Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

After their mother’s death, 17-year old, Beck, and her 15-year old sister, Riley, are supposed to go live with their Dad and his new partner in Texas. Before they go, Beck has something she needs to do.

Concocting a story of staying with a friend and her Grandmother for a bit of a vacation, Beck and Riley are free to take some time and travel where they want. Beck’s plan is to go to the town of Backravel, Arizona, to find some answers about her Mom’s mysterious final months of life.

Their Mom was an investigative reporter who became obsessed with Backravel. She traveled there frequently. At times it felt like she was choosing Backravel over them.

Beck is determined to find out why.

As they arrive in Backravel, it’s clear that something is up with this town. The people are strange and treating them even more strangely. They’re strongly urged not to take their car to town and there’s no cemeteries or churches.

The girls settle in to their rented trailer, a place where their Mom had stayed previously, and Beck digs into her investigation. She’s keeping her true goals from her sister, so in a way is continuing in the path of her Mom before her.

The town has a charismatic leader, Ricky, who runs a treatment center everyone seems to attend. Beck sets her sights on getting to the bottom of this center, these treatments and Ricky himself.

Beck befriends Ricky’s daughter, Avery, and gains a lot of new information that way. In the meantime, she also ends up falling for Avery and confiding in her in unexpected ways.

This was an interesting story. I liked the set-up and the vibe of this creepy little town. The concept made me think of a few other things. For example, it reminded me of A History of Wild Places, mostly because of the remote town that felt like a cult, or commune. I did like the mystery of that.

Also, the treatments that were talked about that Ricky performs for the citizens, it made me think of Scientology, like auditing that is performed on members. I was super interested in figuring out what was happening there.

Eventually though, I started to get bored with it and then it went in a direction that I just didn’t really care for; the twists. Put another way, while I enjoyed the mystery, I didn’t enjoy what the answer ended up being.

However, that is 100% a personal taste issue. Gould’s writing is great. The sense of place and, as I mentioned, overall mystery were well done. I did really enjoy The Dead and the Dark by this author, so I think this is just a case of this one not really matching my preferences as far as tropes go.

I did listen to the audiobook and would recommend that as a format choice. The narration is excellent. I felt it fit the tone of the story very well.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m glad I had the chance to read this one and will definitely be continuing to pick up Gould’s work!

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