unique reads

Review: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

BlacktailBlacktail by Scott Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blacktail is such a unique Dark Fantasy story. Admittedly, not something I would typically gravitate towards, however, I’ve heard such great things about Scott Hawkins writing, I had to jump on board for his latest work.

This story follows a wolf named Blacktail, in a world beseiged by men, who sets out on a journey of revenge for the death of his mate.

The entirety of the story is told via a cast of animal characters. I know books like this exist, but this is the first one I’ve ever read. I’m generally super sensitive to animal content, so never really dare, but this kept me captivated.

The tone is that of a Dark Fable, and while I feel like the meaning went way over my head, I was enamored by the quality of the writing and the uniqueness of the content.

I loved how we followed Blacktail on this journey, and it felt like every place he stopped, the other animals he encountered, he was always learning something new. Through those experiences it almost felt like little vignettes. I enjoyed that.

I’m truly in awe of how Hawkins made these characters feel so stunningly realistic. Here I am reading from a perspective of a squirrel like, yeah, that makes sense.

So, while I wouldn’t chose to the lead the discussion in book club on this one, I still had a great time with it. It did make me feel a little simple. LOL

Thank you to the publisher, Crown Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was certainly a unique reading experience!

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Review: The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night by Joshua Chaplinsky

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The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at NightThe Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night by Joshua Chaplinsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night is a Surreal Horror novel that kept my brains whirring like the inside of a watch; one in desperate need of service.

I was instantly attracted to this novel based on the title. The title alone is creepy to me. What do you mean the man in the watch is visiting you at night? That doesn’t sound healthy.

This story follows three women, Jenna, Nancy and Mrs. Vogel, but they’re not the only perspectives we get to read from. This is a story centering on some very heavy topics, such as abuse and neglect.

The majority of it is set at the Vogel House, which is your typical haunted house at the edge of town, or is it? The Vogel House is a character unto itself. With the perspectives constantly shifting, the Readers sense of time can become muddled quickly. I felt uneasy. It was great!

I could see this being described as a fever dream, but too me, it’s not really. I don’t tend to enjoy fever dream narratives, because I hate not knowing what’s going on.

In this story, whichever perspective I was in, whether it was Jenna, or Mrs. Vogel, or Brian, etc., I always could understand what was happening to them, and what they were experiencing and feeling. To me, where the dream-like quality comes from is the time portion.

It was unsettling in such a compelling way. I was never frustrated with it, or wanting to give up. I just had to know how all of these perspectives were connected.

Chaplinsky’s writing is incredible. It’s so not the type of Horror writing I tend to gravitate towards, but oh man, he captured my attention and never let up.

I had to use my whole brain, the whole time. I was so invested. I think I know what happened, but do I really?

It’s heavy. It’s a mindf*ck of a book. It’s a 5-star.

Thank you to the publisher, CLASH Books for providing me with a copy to read and review. Sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone is a beautiful thing, and this is one of those times.

I’m looking forward to more from Joshua Chaplinsky!

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Review: Futility by Nuzo Onoh

~ megs14malloy

FutilityFutility by Nuzo Onoh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly, this is one of the weirdest books I’ve EVER read, and I read a lot of strange stuff; a lot of extreme stuff. Futility has left it’s mark on me, that’s for sure.

I was instantly attracted to this cover. Look at it!

I loved the Nigerian setting, and the two MCs, Chia and Claire, were about as fascinating as you’re going to get. You’re in their heads, and it’s frankly, not a fun place to be, but I could not stop.

The writing is so unapologetic. There’s no censoring what these two, I’ll be honest, pretty horrible human beings were thinking all the time. Onoh was really in your face with it, and I respect that.

I’m not saying these ladies didn’t have their reasons, or motivations, for being the way they were, but yeah, pretty much zero redeeming qualities.

There were also elements, that helped drive the plot, that I was so surprised by; that I wasn’t expecting. Without giving too much away, it’s a kind of folkloric element that I felt really pulled all the aspects of the story together. Without sounding too old, it was very cool.

This is the first I’ve ever read from Nuzo Onoh, but it’s not going to be the last. I would recommend this for fans of Weird Fiction, particularly of the graphic variety. I would caution others that it’s very strange and quite detailed in its gorier bits. Tread with caution.

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Review: Incarnate by Alma Katsu

~ megs14malloy

IncarnateIncarnate by Alma Katsu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

I was sold on Incarnate after seeing it described as a reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of my favorite Gothic novels of all time, but for the internet age?

How was Katsu going to spin this? I had to find out.

In this story, we’re following Dorothy Wagner, a VFX designer, who has always wanted to standout and be noticed. Dorothy was bullied terribly when she was younger, but she’s come a long way since then. Old insecurities are hard to totally shake though, and she constantly feels like she needs to prove herself.

After she gets a job with a small upstart company that’s focused on cutting-edge deep fake technology, her abilities to standout start to grow. The owner of the company, Tomas, who has a lot of nervous energy, but boundless knowledge, becomes a bit of mentor for Dorothy.

She learns so much from him that she’s able to master the tech, and in her free time, she creates Isabella. The perfect girl, who takes social media by storm.

Everyone wants to be Isabella, and Dorothy finally feels like she’s reaching her own potential, but as the partnership requests roll in, and the money starts to flow, the inevitable cracks start to show.

I know that rhymes. How perfect. Just like Isabella.

I thought this was incredibly-creative and it’s actually my favorite Alma Katsu to date. They say to write what you know, and she definitely took that advice here. In the mid-2000s, Katsu was one of the US Intelligence community’s 1st Social Media Researchers.

This book is a fantastic exploration of social media’s influence in our lives, and some potential unintended consequences of disruptive technologies.

Framing the story as a The Picture of Dorian Gray retelling was a brilliant choice, IMO. It did drag just a touch for me at the end, but overall, it was a fantastic reading experience.

I loved the body horror bits Katsu included and definitely was impressed with how dark she actually ended up taking this story. Once Dorothy starts spiraling, she really starts spiraling. It was hard to predict how it could possibly end.

I would recommend this to any dark fiction Reader. It’s a great melding of Techno-Thriller and Social Horror, with a dash of fantastical. I really appreciated all the pertinent issues that Katsu explored here. I think this would be a stellar book club pick, as there’s so much to discuss.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to get a hard copy of this one for my collection!

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Review: Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay

~ megs14malloy

Dead but Dreaming of Electric SheepDead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Philip K. Dick meets the Coen Brothers in this genre-bending near-future tech nightmare that is as bitingly funny as it is horrifically believable…

The above-line from the start of the Publisher’s synopsis is a perfect description, and really tells you all you need to know about this latest Paul Tremblay novel.

In this novel, we’re following Julia, a 20-something semi-professional gamer, whose estranged mother, Janice, is the CFO of one of the world’s largest tech companies.

Julia lives with her Uncle and works two jobs she’s not crazy about, so when her Mom offers her a high paying temp position perfect for her skill set, she can hardly say no. She goes to a fairly perfunctory interview and of course, is offered the job.

What is it, you wonder? Oh, no big deal. All she has to do is chaperone a man in a semi-vegetative state, who happens to have top-secret, proprietary AI implanted in his head, across the country from California to the East Coast.

It’s very Weekend at Bernie’s, if you can imagine that vibe, and the classic flick does get mentioned quite a bit. Not in an obnoxious way, but it certainly helps set the scene.

Except in this case, the man, who Julia actually calls Bernie, is remotely controlled via a cell phone controller that Julia uses essentially like one of her video games.

I won’t say anything else about the plot. I feel like you can get the gist from that, but I will mention that we aren’t just getting Julia’s perspective. Oh no, Tremblay’s not going to make it that easy for you.

This story is told from two perspectives: Julia and You. The You perspective, as you may assume, is told in 2nd-person, and I’m generally not a fan of that. I’ll be honest, we start this story in a You perspective and it threw me for loop.

I wasn’t sure I would be able to proceed. Not only is it 2nd-person, it’s also very fever dream at the start. I know, I know, that completely makes sense in relation to the story, but yeah, it threw me at first.

I’m so, so, so happy that I stuck with it. Julia’s perspective is great, and the further into the story I got, the more the whole 2nd-person thing started to make sense, and really match the overall story being told.

This is such a weird and compelling book. It’s odd AF, and even though it took me a bit to settle into the narrative style, once I got my bearings, I was completely invested.

I found it funny, thought-provoking, emotional, and honestly, scary in its own way. As someone who gets freaked out thinking about the scope of potential future tech, that’s not that far off, this definitely struck a cord in that regard.

I do feel like Tremblay took a risk with this one, and I’m really hoping it pays off for him. I respect the hell out of it.

It’s part futuristic Frankenstein reimagining, part satire of the corporate tech industry and part horrifying tale of what our future could possibly hold.

There’s so much going on, and it’s quite nuanced. I’m looking forward to reading it again someday. Seriously, moments after finishing, I wanted to read it again. Knowing the ending, I want to go back to the start and see what other details I can pick up on. I feel like over time this could definitely bump up to a 5-star read for me.

Tremblay has a big ole’ brain. I’ve known this of course, but this novel makes it even more clear than ever. I guarantee this story WILL NOT be for everyone, but I think for the Readers who are able to settle in and connect with it, it’s going to have a lasting impact.

Thank you so much to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 and I can honestly say, I have a strong feeling it will end up as one of my most memorable of the year.

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Review: Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

~ megs14malloy

Fabulous BodiesFabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fabulous Bodies follows Poppy Stringer, a fashion influencer, who also happens to peddle in dead bodies at night. Hey, it’s hard to make a living in this economy. Don’t judge.

Poppy receives a call one night that prompts her to retrieve the body of one of her heroes, recently deceased rockstar and queer icon, Eddie Michaels.

She heads to the Medical Examiner’s office, where she’ll finagle access to his corpse, and then get him out of there. It’s all routine for Poppy. That is, until Eddie wakes up.

What follows is a Supernatural Adventure romp through one bloody night in Palm Springs. Poppy is along for the ride, whether she wants to be or not, and Eddie certainly has some surprises for her.

Fabulous Bodies was fabulously-creative, as I’ve come to expect all Chuck Tingle books to be. It’s an odd story, a bit chaotic and surprisingly thoughtful in its character work. I loved the journey Poppy had emotionally.

She was forced to come to a lot of important realizations about her life and relationships. We love that for her. Personal growth, yayee! All with the backdrop of trying to defeat a murderous and undead former idol of hers; NBD.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mara Wilson, and I felt like Mara’s voice was perfect as Poppy. It truly felt like I was just listening to her tell this crazy story about one f*ed up night. I would highly recommend that format.

I also liked how wacky and graphic Tingle made this. It’s campy and unhinged, but also written very well. It reminded me in some ways of books such as Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison, and My Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie, both of which I enjoyed.

The commentary that Tingle included on fame and influence, were also well done. It’s light, but there, apt social commentary for our times. I appreciate Tingle allowing Readers the space to think for themselves, and in a story this wild, there’s plenty of food for thought.

At this same time though, you can just have fun with. I had a lot of fun listening to it. It’s certainly unpredictable. While I’m not sure how long the details will stick with me, in the moment it was pure entertainment.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for providing me with copies to read and review. I always look forward to Tingle’s newest releases as you never really know what you’re going to get. We love a surprise!

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Review: The Hive by Ronald Malfi

~ megs14malloy

The HiveThe Hive by Ronald Malfi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Towers, and dragons, and wheels, oh my!

A town collectively losing their mind, mentally telepathy and more. This novel felt like an ode to all things King, but also felt like quintessential Ronald Malfi.

This novel is a monster, coming in at over 600-pages, it fully classifies as a tome. We’re following basically the entire town of Mariner’s Cove in the aftermath of a terrible storm.

Residents of the town begin acting strangely, becoming obsessed with seemingly random objects. There seems to be a different item for each person, and each person becomes fixated on finding and collecting their particular object.

There’s also a young boy in town who has a certain, let’s call it, extrasensory power, that helps him to see all these events a little differently than everyone else, but it also draws the others attentions to him.

Yeah, I don’t know what else to say about the plot. I feel like that’s all you really need to know. The scope is large, the concepts are larger and it takes some wild turns.

To me, this was giving heavy The Tommyknockers meets Needful Things and I was into it. There’s so much to keep track of, but even if you miss some finer details, the larger picture is still fairly easy to track, so don’t be scared.

The audiobook is great, so I would recommend that format as a way to help you make it through this epic story. I read both my e-copy and the audio over the course of a week, and I actually feel like I felt more connected to it when I was listening to the audio version.

While this isn’t my favorite of Malfi’s stories, I still really enjoyed it and am so impressed that he pulled this off. There’s so much content here and I’d love to hear him speak to what his inspirations were for writing this.

I’m a huge Ronald Malfi fan. IMO, he’s one of the best voices writing in Horror Fiction today. I’ve had so much fun with so many of his books and will continue to pick them up as long as he keeps writing them.

If you’ve never read from Ronald Malfi before, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting here, but for regular Malfi Readers, it’s a must. With this being said though, this is definitely worth reading, especially if you want something a little out of the box.

Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see what Malfi comes up with next!

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Review: The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie

~ megs14malloy

The Summer Fun MassacreThe Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

The Summer Fun Massacre features a unique take on the Tradition Slasher. In this book, we follow the police officer who arrives on the scene too late to prevent a tragedy.

For Tom, our MC, this kind of tragedy has struck twice in his life. Once in 1983, when the girl he was dating, Mary, ended up the final girl in a brutal Summer Camp slaying, and again in 1992, when another massacre occurs after the camp reopens. Tom is the 1st-officer responding to the scene.

That’s pretty much all the massacre you’re gonna get, the aftermath. We follow Tom in the days following as he deals with his complex emotions on both crimes and tries to solve them before they happen again.

I don’t know, y’all. I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, I feel like I am generously rounding up. I found it slow and boring; not a good match for my tastes, especially considering what I was expecting.

I wanted Summer Camp vibes and the massacre to be on page. Not a Summer Camp, named Summer Fun, that plays only a peripheral role in the story. I received zero ‘camp’ from this, and I’m salty about it.

I’m rounding up to 3-stars, not because I enjoyed the book, but because I believe others could. The writing is fluid, and Tom is well-developed as a character.

Even though I’m disappointed by the trajectory of the narrative overall, I do appreciate what DiLouie was doing here, switching up the perspective of a Traditional Slasher. I think that was a risk, and if he was comfortable going for it, I’m gonna support that.

I think that idea, to explore a different angle, and bring something new to the subgenre is a great idea, just for me, the content was dull as dirt.

At the end of the day, it lacked the fun and excitement I was looking for, and I feel like the title, though in a way, what the book is about, is sort of misleading. Fun was not had in my experience, and I needed more massacre as well.

With all this being said, just because this wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I can be a picky-B, so take what I say with a grain of salt. If this sounds interesting to you, give it go. You could be finding a new favorite.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Even though this wasn’t a win for me, could I be convinced to read the sequel? Yeah, most likely. Yes.

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Review: One of Us by Dan Chaon

~ megs14malloy

One of UsOne of Us by Dan Chaon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Hot on the heels of reading, and enjoying, Liar’s Dice, a Coming of Age story set in 1970s Brazil, last week, I decided I was having a Coming of Age moment and decided to pick up another. I’ve had One of Us on my radar for a long time because of the author, Dan Chaon, and felt like now was the time to finally give it a go.

This is a Literary Horror-Coming of Age story, set in 1915-U.S., following orphaned twins, Bolt and Eleanor. After their mother dies, the twins are taken in by a con-man, who claims to be their long-lost Uncle Charlie.

The twins have a special connection and an ability to read each other’s minds. To shysters like ole’ Uncle Charlie, the twins abilities, particularly at this time, could easily be exploited and end up being quite valuable. But Uncle Charlie isn’t just a shyster, he’s also a violent man.

After a late-night poker game, where one of his rages ends in murder, Eleanor and Bolt decide it’s time to move on. They need to run away as fast as they can.

They end up on an orphan train and then at an auction, where they’re ultimately scooped up by an apparent savior, Mr. Jengling, founder of the Emporium of Wonders, which is a traveling sideshow, a popular form of entertainment during this time period.

They travel by train across the country, performing in different locations, and we follow the twins as they settle into their new life. We learn a lot about the other members of the show as well, and Chaon did a great job of incorporating their many different stories, bringing humanity to the story in an oddly-beautiful way.

It’s the first time Eleanor and Bolt have really been a part of something like this, but as Bolt falls deeper and deeper into the found family of the Emporium, Eleanor finds herself growing farther away.

With Uncle Charlie on their trail, the twins are suddenly in more danger than ever. Will they be able to evade his capture, and protect their new family in the process?

This was a really interesting story. I’ve definitely never read a Coming of Age story quite like this before. I did find the time period and the idea of this traveling sideshow very compelling, but emotionally, I never really felt like I was able to connect with Eleanor and Bolt’s story.

I’m not sure why that is, necessarily. The writing was great, very fluid and it did have solid pacing. I think that maybe it was just my head space at the moment.

I definitely can appreciate what the author did here, giving a space where the misfits can get their time in the spotlight and I would recommend it for Historical Fiction fans. Particularly, those who may like something a little darker, or surreal in their stories.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m definitely interested in picking up more from Dan Chaon in the future. This was good.

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Review: The Killer Question by Janet Hallett

~ megs14malloy

The Killer QuestionThe Killer Question by Janice Hallett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Janice Hallett has made quite a name for herself as the Queen of the Unconventional Narrative. Her books are always a journey. They’re truly a unique reading experience and I always walk away amazed.

The way she’s able to weave a complete story together using only human interactions is unmatched. The use of mixed media is exceptional, making for highly-entertaining audiobooks. In The Killer Question, the mystery centers around pub quiz nights in one small village.

The mystery and corresponding story are revealed through a cycling array of quiz categories, phone messages, and email correspondence. The full cast audio pulled me in and never let go. I was swept away, feeling like a patron of the pub.

If you’ve enjoyed Hallett’s work in the past, you should absolutely read this one as well, and if you’ve never read Hallett before, I think this could be a fun one to start with. It’s certainly a great example of her style!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Janice Hallett is one of my go-to authors and she hasn’t let me down yet.

I always look forward to her latest releases. Even though her style is very distinctive, and carries over throughout her books, you never really know what you’re going to get. She certainly keeps her Readers on their toes!

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