These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Inkyard Press/RB Media in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute delight this book was! I was drawn in by that gorgeous cover and the intriguing premise, and this book definitely surpassed my expectations. These Vengeful Hearts is the story of Ember, a girl set on revenge against a mysterious society at her school known as The Red Court. This society takes requests from students and puts out 'hits' on people, taking down their reputations, relationships and more. Ember's older sister lost the ability to walk after being targeted by the group and so Ember is determined to join them and take them down from the inside.

Firstly I really have to compliment the writing style of this book. It goes for more of a contemporary than a YA thriller tone, and as a result it was incredibly enjoyably and well-paced. There was plenty of intrigue but where most YA thrillers fall flat in their execution, These Vengeful Hearts managed to excel by making it focused on characters and the relationships between those characters. I adored Ember and I found her very compelling. Even throughout her more morally-ambiguous actions, she remained both sympathetic and likeable. The side characters were similarly complex and I found them all vivid and distinct, which again doesn't always happen with YA fiction.

Secondly, this is a very well-crafted book in terms of pacing and plot. Rather than relying on cheap cliffhangers or nonsensical clues to keep you reading, instead it lulls you into a false sense of security with the contemporary tone. You get used to things being a certain way and then the Court will suddenly change or raise the stakes and you are caught off guard. I was lucky enough to get both the audiobook and the e-ARC and I ended up listening to the whole thing in the space of a few hours because I was so absorbed in the world. I would recommend the audiobook as a great way to consume this story and it makes for a very enjoyable experience.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this book for people who enjoy the plots of YA thrillers but are usually disappointed by the writing. As I have said, it isn't quite a thriller in tone but this was definitely more of a positive. I know I will remember the world and characters of this book much longer than I usually would with a book of this type, and I am very excited for a potential sequel.

Overall Rating:

.5

After the Silence by Louise O'Neill

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review.

After the Silence is a quiet book. It creeps into your mind and sits there, a seed which continues to grow long after you've finished reading it. Before this, I have only read two books by Louise O'Neill, both of which I adored but neither of which were rooted in reality. It was interesting to see her style in a more grounded setting and I was pleased to see that the writing still managed to be beautiful and thought-provoking.

This is the story of Keelin, a woman living in the shadow of a murder accusation launched against her wealthy husband. Ten years prior, a beautiful girl named Nessa was murdered at their house party whilst a terrible storm raged on. Her husband Henry was considered to be guilty by everyone but could not be charged. Now in the present day, two filmmakers have come to the island to make a documentary about the dead girl. Told in the past and present, we soon learn that Keelin has some secrets of her own.

If you're looking for a typical thriller, this is not the book for you. The mystery is not hard to solve but it's also not really what the book is about. This is more of an exploration of Keelin's life, how she ended up with not one but two abusive husbands and how her life came to be the way it is. It explores the various facets of abuse through different lenses and also paints a picture of Irish culture on a small island. It is a deeply absorbing story and one I know I'll remember for years to come.

I only had two flaws with this book which stopped it being perfect. Firstly, I found it very difficult to tell what time period I was currently reading about. This may have been changed in the final copy but my ARC had no dates, only subtitles for some chapters which meant it was always a few paragraphs before I could tell when it was meant to be. The other thing is more personal taste but I feel the book ended too soon. There isn't really a concrete ending and things are left very open, and it was the plotline with Alex I found particularly frustrating with the way it ended (or didn't).

Apart from those minor niggles, After the Silence was an immensely enjoyable read. It wasn't the thriller I was expecting but I definitely loved reading it and I thought it had a lot of interesting things to say. If you like O'Neill's other work, this is a fantastic new addition to that and it's well worth the try for anyone looking for an absorbing story.

Overall Rating:

.5

Who We Were by B.M. Carroll

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Serpent's Tail / Profile Books in exchange for an honest review.

Who We Were is the story of a group of people who all attended school together. Years later, a reunion is due but someone is sending everyone nasty emails spilling secrets from their personal lives. There was also an incident that happened at the school in the past which we learn more about as the book unfolds.

Initially I was overwhelmed by the number of characters, and it did feel like there were slightly too many POVs. However, the characters were pretty distinctly written so once you got used to who was who, it was easy to keep track of. The various plots were interesting enough, and it was fun to see how the storylines came together. I would say this is closer to Big Little Lies in tone rather than a traditional psychological thriller.

I am reviewing this a few weeks after I read it and sadly I can't remember anymore detail, but I know this was a well-written thriller and one I definitely enjoyed reading at the time. I found the style very compelling and easy to read, and I would certainly like to check out this author's other work.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Christina Henry and I was extremely excited for this book, so when I say I am a little disappointed that does not mean this book is bad. This is her first book I've read not based on a fairytale/historical story and I was eager to see what she could do. Sadly this has got a completely different tone from her other work which threw me.

Ghost Tree is the story of Lauren, a fifteen year old girl who lives in a town called Smiths Hollow. Her dad was brutally killed the year before and ever since then, things have been going wrong. When two girls are found dead in a neighbour's yard, Lauren starts to uncover a dark mystery surrounding the town involving a monster and a whole lot of dead girls.

I will be brief with my criticism because I really wanted to adore this book. Firstly, it felt like it skewed a lot younger than her other works. I've seen it shelved as both YA and Adult, but the style reads on the young side of YA for me with the content being less suitable for younger readers. This left me feeling confused as to how to judge it. As an adult book it is way too repetitive, especially for its length. Nothing much happens for the majority of it and I found the writing a little simplistic to even say that character development was happening during that time. I would be far more forgiving of this if I knew for certain it was for younger readers, although then I have to question the more graphic content. The story itself is relatively formulaic, with nothing that happened surprising me at all.

If you're wondering why my rating is 4 stars after that quite large complaint, the main saving grace of this book is the end. The climax is fantastically paced and written, and this is where Henry really got to shine. I was genuinely very gripped and it was such a breath of fresh air after the rest of the book dragging a bit. I would 100% be interested in a sequel to this story because I feel like the characters really came into their own at the end and I think there is potential for an engaging plot to come after it. Even though I knew what would happen, it was so well-written that I didn't mind.

Overall, I am saddened that I wasn't blown away by The Ghost Tree. I have read all of Christina Henry's standalone books and this one just felt so different, both in tone and audience. Ultimately this was shelved as an adult fiction book specifically on NetGalley, and for that audience it definitely misses the mark.

Overall Rating:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

I've not had the best experience with this author's books in the past but I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. The Only Good Indians is a powerful tale of Native American culture and the inevitability of nature, featuring some truly great horror moments. Four young Native Americans break into an area where they're not meant to hunt and end up killing a very young female elk. Years later, things begin to happen to them one by one as they start believing they see a monster.

The strengths of this book really come from the moments of horror. I was surprised at several points and really excited by the directions the plot took at times. Unfortunately this was also a bit of a flaw. The book chooses to focus on each man one at a time (for the most part) which means I would get very into a storyline only for it to end abruptly and for the book to change. I was definitely most into Luke's plot and I very much wish that had been the focus of the whole book.

On a less personal preference note, I do struggle with this author's writing. I have only tried to read one other book by him and I didn't get very far because I found it very incoherent and difficult to follow. The Only Good Indians sadly also has this problem, though thankfully to a much lesser extent. Most of this book's plot is coherent but there were large chunks were I just couldn't work out what was going on, and not in a good way. The style is very reminiscent of magical realism in that sense so it might be a genre blend that just isn't to my taste.

Having said that though, I did very much enjoy the majority of this book. It has such a unique plot and one that is executed really well for the most part. It's been a while since a horror book has literally made my mouth drop open in shock and those moments will stick with me for a long time. I definitely recommend this to any fans of horror and this has prompted me to give this author another try for sure.

Overall Rating:

Holt House by L.G. Vey

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher W.F. Howes Ltd in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute treat this was! I am a longtime classic horror fan but I had never heard of the Eden Book Society and I am delighted to discover them. I think the idea of a secret publishing society of horror books is already incredible, and the fact the recordings have been discovered and are now being shared is even more amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect from Holt House but it did not disappoint.

There are two things I would like to make clear about the audiobook. Firstly, it is an old recording and it does sound like one. However, once I got used to the slightly muffled sound, this did not matter in the slightest. The narrators are great and put a lot of passion into their acting, and it is definitely clear enough that I wasn't struggling to hear it. The second thing is that this is very short, maybe around 3 hours in total minus the introduction and follow-up interview/comment parts. It's a great story so it didn't bother me but I was a little surprised at first and might have been bothered if I'd paid a lot for it.

The story itself is great. It starts with an old house in the forest and a creepy coat made of otter skin, and from there the story develops in the most wonderful way. I never knew what was going to happen and I found myself completed fascinated by the directions it took. The narrators definitely helped here. I got completely absorbed into the world of this book and the great voice acting was a huge part of it.

I don't really want to say anything more as the book is so short, but if you like the feel and atmosphere of classic horror then this is definitely worth checking out. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the other books hopefully being released, and I am excited at the thought of more hidden gems being uncovered.

Overall Rating:

Untold Mayhem by Mark Tullius

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Vincere Press in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warning tags might not be entirely accurate for this book due to the length and my memory. Please contact me if you are worried about a tag not included on the post and I will do my best to find out for you.

Untold Mayhem is a fantastic collection of 24 horror stories and a cast of 6 narrators, making for a brilliant audiobook experience. Each new story will rotate to another narrator so it's really easy to keep track of, and the change in voice means you are compelled to pay attention as well. As for the stories themselves, there is a huge range and a lot to enjoy for horror fans. I will say that several of the stories get really graphic on different aspects (sexual, violent, disgusting etc) so this is not for the faint of heart. However, I found it relatively easy to skip over the aspects less appealing to me.

I am struggling to get a complete list of the titles of the stories so instead I will discuss the subject matter of some of my favourites without the titles. One I really enjoyed was about two businessmen who were having a disagreement and so paid a mediation company who promises to help them resolve it, no matter what. That was dark and built up well. The second story about a man introducing his date to his art collection was also really great, and 'Taking Out the Trash' was so dark but very well written.

Overall, if you're looking for a short and decidedly not sweet horror anthology collection, Untold Mayhem is absolutely one to check out. I strongly recommend checking out the audiobook version as well as it gave a great experience of the book and I really enjoyed listening to the stories around other tasks. Each story is pretty short so it was easy to listen the way I wanted and not forget important details the way I might with a longer book. Tullius's writing is very strong and I am looking forward to checking out some of his other anthologies.

Overall Rating:

The Promise by Katerina Diamond

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review.

I will start this review by saying I requested this ARC a long time ago before I realised police procedurals weren't really my thing, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt. Having said that, The Promise is a fairly decent addition to the genre which mostly suffers from having quite a lot going on.

The Promise is the story of DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey, who get involved in a serial killer case where the murderer is finding women through a dating site to strangle to death. Parallel to this, we are told a story about a teenage boy named Connor who has recently moved to the UK and is being physically abused by his dad. There is also a set of chapters from an unknown female POV of a woman telling the story of how she met her abusive partner.

You might already be able to tell that this is a lot but sadly, it isn't enough to hide the solution of the serial killer mystery. I had it worked out by 50% of the way through and it became very linear from there as I waited for the characters to catch up with me. I am not familiar with this series and so I also found it difficult to work out if Adrian or Imogen was meant to be the protagonist. From the blurb I see it was meant to be both of them, but Imogen felt more like the main character and Adrian's parts felt a bit intrusive as a result. It added even more to a story which already had three POVs.

The strengths of this book were that I felt it handled the police procedural stuff well and I didn't feel as bored as I normally do with the genre. Connor's storyline provided a lot of the heart and depth to the book and, though it was predictable, I still think his sections added a lot and were probably my favourite of the bunch. The characters were solid and well-written throughout, and the detective team had some nice interactions. It was also paced pretty well. It maybe could have been a little shorter but it was clear, easy to follow and the plot kept moving.

Overall, The Promise is a decent example of its genre. It's not the most groundbreaking thriller but Diamond clearly has talent and I had a better time reading this than some procedurals. If you're a fan of the genre, you will almost certainly love this more than I did.

Overall Rating:

The Love Study by Kris Ripper

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HARLEQUIN - Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Study is a rarity because never have I read a book about a group of diverse, queer characters and related so hard to all of them. Not necessarily the characters themselves but the dynamics, the attitudes, the friendships. This is the story of Declan, a man who has struggled with dating in the past and has huge commitment issues. He meets a nonbinary Youtuber called Sidney and together they start a new streaming show. Sidney will set Declan up on dates and Declan will discuss what diverse dating is like in the modern world. However, Declan soon starts to fall for Sidney just as his commitment issues start to kick in hard.

Ripper has perfectly captured something I almost never see in books and that is to be commended. The group of people in The Love Study interact like my friendship group does, like so many predominantly queer groups do. That alone makes this book refreshing and highly entertaining, but the plot that goes alongside that is also great. I am a huge fan of cute dating project type stories, and this is a brilliant example of the trope. The romance is sweet but realistic, never quite crossing into outright fluff and addressing a lot of genuine relationship issues which can come up in queer groups. This is all done extremely well.

The only thing that stopped this book being perfect for me was that at times, it felt a bit cringey? I'm not sure if it was just that I'm not used to reading books which actually reflect real life experiences but at times, it got a bit intense. This bothered me quite a lot but I recognise it is likely a me problem which is why I didn't take too much off the rating for it. If you are not used to these kind of social environments, you might not 'get' this book and you might find it a bit off putting as a result. If you're open-minded though or used to predominantly queer spaces, this is a real gem.

Overall, The Love Study is both a very important book in terms of its rep and just a fun, sweet romance. If you care less about rep than me, you will still love the story and the couple and everything that goes on. I would love to see more books like this, more romances where I feel I can relate to the characters. I am very glad I got a copy of this and I will definitely be looking out for more of Ripper's work.

Overall Rating:

.5

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin UK - Michael Joseph in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow, what a treat this book was! I adore detective fiction and this was just one big love letter to it. Eight Detectives is the story of an old crime author named Grant McAllister and a young editor named Julia. Years ago he published an academic essay on the mathematical formula for writing murder mysteries, accompanied by several short stories as examples of this formula. It had little success but Julia has rediscovered this collection and wishes to publish them again, expecting a much more successful run. As she reads through the stories though, she begins to find hidden references to an unsolved murder and she suspects something sinister may be going on.

The format of this book made it a joy to read. It alternates between one of the short stories, followed by Grant and Julia discussing it afterwards. Each short story is brilliant within its own right and many have homages to famous detective fiction (for example, one is essentially a twist on Christie's And Then There Were None). All homages are acknowledged within text by Grant and so this prevented the stories from just being rip-offs, and all the stories had their own flavour and energy which made for delightful reading.

These stories on their own would make this book great but amazingly, there is a fantastic plot beyond them. Julia soon starts to spot inconsistencies in Grant's stories and these begin to add up to a bigger mystery. The whole thing is clever, delicious and fantastically done. I simultaneously wanted to power through this book and languish in the sheer brilliance of it all. I kept waiting to be disappointed but I never was. And this book actually scared me at several points as well! I am rarely scared by books but a few of the short stories truly unnerved me to the point where I didn't want to be alone.

Overall, this book is a must-read for any fans of murder mysteries. The love for genre spills onto every page and the result is possibly one of my favourite books of all time. Everything is crafted so carefully and executed so well. Pavesi has some serious talent to hit the balance so well and I could not have wished for more from a book like this.

Overall Rating:

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Mirror Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim is the latest in the new popular thriller genre of 'podcast thrillers'. It tells the story of Rachel, a woman who runs a true crime podcast and is hunting for her latest case. She decides to follow the trial of a young swimmer accused of rape but is distracted when she receives persistent notes from a woman desperate for her to solve the case of her dead sister. There are parallels between the cases and, as Rachel gets further sucked in, old secrets get revealed.

Being honest, it took me a little while to get into this book. I think I wasn't in the right mindframe when I first picked it up but, after a short break, I became absorbed by the story. This is one of those thrillers which thrives on simplicity and clarity, and it is all the stronger for it. The modern day case is told through the actual courtroom scenes so be aware of that going in if courtroom dramas aren't your speed. It's also intense in terms of the sexual assault and surrounding examinations (as one would expect) and I imagine this book would be massively triggering in that regard. The podcast element isn't a huge part of the plot, more of a framing device, so don't expect a Sadie-like structure either.

What this thriller does provide is an interesting look at how rape accusations are handled, as well as a fantastic secondary mystery to keep you gripped. The two stories running parallel really say a lot about feminist issues, and the story focused on the past has some good thriller moments to keep you hooked. I loved how the two cases related to each other and I think it was incredibly well done.

Overall, The Night Swim is a deeply sad, gripping and interesting thriller. Rachel was a great POV character and I would love to read more books about her podcast. It has a satisfying conclusion and a lot to say, whilst keeping the tone entertaining and thoughtful. Megan Goldin is definitely an author to check out.

Overall Rating: