Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House UK Children's in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a hot minute since I fell so completely in love with a book the way I did with this one.

Their Vicious Games is the story of Adina, a young black woman who has had her future snatched away after an unfortunate incident with a fellow classmate and ex-friend. Desperate to reclaim her spot at Yale, she persuades the richest guy at her school to let her join a prestigious competition that happens yearly to help propel the winner into their ideal future. What she doesn't know is that this year is a particularly special year for the competition, and things are far more deadly and intense than she expected...

This book has a fantastic premise. It is essentially The Bachelor meets Hunger Games in all the best ways. Unlike some YA thriller/horrors, it does not shy away from the dark stuff and I adore it for that. This kind of plot deserves real stakes and horrible deaths, and this book provides buckets of both.

Many YA books have a message but this one is woven so solidly through every detail of the book that is really is executed impossibly well. Every character is deliciously complex, with even those who aren't around for very long feeling like they could be real people. This in turn provides the heart which really propels the message of the book. This is 'rich people suck' done right and, despite the fictional extremities, it reflects the real world chillingly well.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It really is the best YA thriller I've read in a long time by quite a large amount (and might be the best one I've ever read tbh) and I genuinely could not put it down. I am so excited to see what this author does next and I hope this book gets the praise and attention it deserves

Overall Rating:

Between Worlds: Folktales of Britain and Ireland by Kevin Crossley-Holland

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. It is essentially a collection of very readable fairy/folktales, most of which I hadn't heard of before and I thoroughly enjoyed. They are told in such a way that both children and adults can appreciate them and they all run a really good length so you can binge several of them at once. I can't really say much about this collection. If you enjoy reading fairy/folktales, this is a brilliant way to get to know some of the less-common ones. I am British but haven't read much about Irish folktales before so this collection was very fresh to me. Maybe it has slightly less appeal if you're familiar with the tales, but given that I am British and it also contains those stories, I still found it fresh and enjoyable. Definitely worth a try if you want to experience some more obscure folklore.

Overall Rating:

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton,  in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy. Every so often a thriller will come along which just blows all other thrillers out of the water, and Survive the Night is just one in a long line by Riley Sager to do so.

Survive the Night is the story of Charlie, a college girl whose roommate has recently been murdered by the notorious 'Campus Killer'. Riddled with guilt and suffering periods of dissociation, she makes the rash decision one night to hitch a long ride home with a guy she meets on campus who happens to be driving her way. Faced with a long roadtrip and a potentially bad decision, they start talking and Charlie starts to wonder if maybe she has gotten into the car with precisely the person who might have killed her roommate.

This book is intense. I was worried at first that it was playing its cards too early, but of course I should have known better. Rather than being full of dramatic twists, this book gently shifts and shifts back like a rope ladder, never quite letting you feel secure. The writing is a beautiful lesson in how to create tension and a sense of dread. I read it on a journey home and it made the trip seem so quick, that's how absorbed I was.

As a protagonist, Charlie is a super interesting character. People who are tired of the whole 'mentally ill' heroine trope in thrillers might be disappointed here, but I found her an intriguing and (perhaps most importantly) sympathetic protagonist. Even as she makes stupid decisions, you can always understand her rationale, even if you don't agree with it. That's quite a hard task for a thriller author to accomplish, and it never felt like Charlie was being forced into making stupid decisions for the sake of the plot.

I can't say a whole lot more without giving stuff away, but if you're a fan of either closed space or cat and mouse thrillers, then this book is for you. It's a fast-paced, tightly woven read with plenty to keep you engaged for the ride. Definitely worth checking out this author if you haven't already!

Overall Rating:

.5

Horseman by Christina Henry

 

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

Christina Henry is one of my favourite authors without a doubt. I have enjoyed her recent journeys into entirely original work but a part of me has sorely missed her ability to adapt traditional tales with that fantastic horror spin and tone. Horseman satisfied all of those cravings and more.

Horseman is the story of Ben, a trans teenager from the town of Sleepy Hollow. The headless horseman legends have always plagued his town but things become a bit too real when the corpse of a child is found with his hands and head missing. Ben decides to investigate but is held back by his grandma and grandfather, the former of which thinks it is unladylike to traipse around the woods and the latter of which seems to have secrets of his own.

This is a largely original horror story which only uses elements of the Sleepy Hollow mythos, often to great effect. Ben was a fantastic main character and I felt the trans identity stuff fit well with the themes of the novel (take this with a pinch of salt as I am not trans). Parts of this book felt a little slow or like not a huge ton was happening, but the creepy atmosphere was always there and I was never entirely sure what was going on in a good way. The characters as always are incredibly strong and they really helped add to the compelling nature of the book.

Overall, this is a solid effort from Henry and one I definitely recommend checking out, especially around the spooky autumn season. It's an interesting story with plenty of creepy elements and a strong main character, with added trans rep as a bonus. It's not my favourite book by Henry but it's a fantastic horror book and well worth the read.

Overall Rating:

.5

Trigger warnings clarity: Lots of gore/graphic descriptions of dead bodies. Transphobia comes from characters aimed at the main character, not from the nature of the book itself. There is attempted rape

Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.

I love books about ballet, especially if those books have a dark twist. Watch Her Fall caught my attention almost immediately but I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the blurb. I actually think the blurb is fairly misleading so I will give you a spoiler-free summary of the plot.

Watch Her Fall is the story of Ava, the top ballet dancer at the intensely strict school run by her father. She has a complicated relationship with her dad as he rules the ballet with an iron fist and hates her displaying any kind of creativity. As they begin a production of Swan Lake, Ava becomes increasingly paranoid about her father replacing her with another dancer. When that dancer becomes injured however, she realises she is ill-equipped for the real world and begins to plot how to take over Ava's life.

This is not a thriller about someone being messed with by a mysterious figure, at least not past the 20% mark. What this is is a thriller driven by characters and a plot which goes in a very different direction than you would expect it to. I wouldn't say I was ever surprised by this book which some people might see as a negative, but I was genuinely enthralled and the lack of twists didn't stop me enjoying the story one bit.

The main negative of this book is that it does a lot of 'flashback' narrative. That is, an event will happen and then it will switch POV to another character and take us back in time for a bit to see the events leading up to the thing we just read about. Sometimes this is welcome, sometimes I was uninterested. It definitely slowed the pace down which isn't a positive in a thriller. Still, I did appreciate the depth we got to know the characters to and it does build a really complete and complex story. I can see how it might build suspense for some readers if you don't think the surprises are obvious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Kelly is clearly very talented at crafting thrillers with a unique setting and interesting characters. Having read/experienced a fair amount of 'dark ballet' media, I was pleased to see this book had new things to offer still. I think this book is definitely worth a read if you're looking for a compelling thriller, and I am eager to try Kelly's other work now I've seen her writing skills.

Overall Rating:

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

 

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

It has been a long time since I've read a book that has made me struggle to put into words the effect it has had on me. Particularly when it comes to this book, I feel it is better to go in blind so I can't actually say too much about it. On the surface, The Last House on Needless Street is a familiar story. We are introduced to Ted, a man who was suspected of kidnapping a little girl several years ago and who now lives with a mysterious daughter and a cat. The cat acts as a secondary narrator and this is where the weirdness starts.

Almost immediately you get the sense that something is 'wrong' with this picture, and it's that wrongness that draws you in and keeps you hooked. It is very easy as a reader to make assumptions and this book plays with this, making you feel like you are wandering into an obvious trap and yet you can't see how else things could go. The result is this book casts a brilliant spell. It consumed me in a way few books can, and I was desperate to keep reading it at every opportunity.

Overall, I don't think there's much else I can say except that I think most people should give this book a try. The horror is subtle and slow, and it creeps up on you. I think even those who don't enjoy horror as a genre but enjoy thrillers or similar mysteries would get something out of this book. It has a lot of depth and interesting things to say, as well as just being a fantastically written and immensely entrancing story. I know this book will stay in my mind for a long time after reading it and it was an experience I won't forget.

Overall Rating:

.5

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

It is no secret by now that I am obsessed with the Wayward Children series. I have yet to read an installment I didn't like and Across the Green Grass Fields is no exception. This is a standalone in the series which is always appreciated, and this book follows the story of Regan, a horse-loving girl who finds her door after a particularly traumatic incident at school. Behind this door is a world of centaurs and unicorns, where humans have a destiny they must fulfill. Regan however just wants to enjoy life with her newfound family.

This is a brilliant installment in the series and I definitely recommend it if you have enjoyed the others. The usual entertaining writing style is here, as are the engaging characters and great worldbuilding. I will say that I found this plot a little lacking compared to the others. I'm not sure what it was but there didn't feel a huge amount going on and the ending left me wanting. This is possibly my least favourite of the books so far, but that really isn't saying much given my love of the series. It's sort of the same as saying light roast is my least favourite coffee-it's still all great.

That aside, there is plenty here to like for fans of the series. Regan gives us a brilliant intersex protagonist. The world is as creative and as fun to explore as ever. I 100% recommend this book and this series for anyone who wants a whimsical but poignant fantasy series with tons of great rep and even greater stories.

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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

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 Switch by Beth O'Leary

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

I am not a big contemporary romance reader but I knew Beth O'Leary was an author I wanted to check out. I've heard nothing but good things about her and those good things are 100% justified. The Switch is the story of Leena, a young workaholic who swaps homes with her grandma Eileen when she is forced to take a break from her job. Meanwhile Eileen goes to live in London as she always wanted to do when she was young. The story is told in dual narrative, as is the audiobook. Leena's plot focuses on her working out what is really good for her, whilst Eileen's is about her relationships, both romantic and platonic.

I really loved how this book was written. There is a lot of humour, all of the characters are fleshed out and interesting, and the plot has a fair amount going on in it. This isn't just a fluffy romance (although the romances in this are very enjoyable and done well) and it has a lot of heart and a lot of good things to say. Like I said, I typically don't read this kind of fiction unless it has some super appealing aspect and I enjoyed every second of this book.

In terms of the audiobook, that is also done very well. There are two different narrators and that meant it was very easy to tell whose plotline we were following which is always appreciated. Both narrators did an excellent job of infusing their characters with personality, and they mostly did different voices for the other characters which was similarly appreciated. There were only two very minor criticisms from me. Firstly, Eileen's narrator does a very grating voice for one side character (Letitia) which made it a little unpleasant to listen to those parts. Secondly, Leena's actress does a voice at one point for a character talking over the phone, then drops that voice for some of the dialogue, then returns to it which was a bit distracting. These really are incredibly minor niggles though and both narrators did a truly amazing job.

Overall, I strongly recommend giving this book a try and the audiobook is a great way to do that. It is a lovely, heartwarming story with enchanting characters and a great sense of humour. The audiobook makes it so easy to follow the story and I found it was perfect to listen to while I was doing other things without feeling like I was missing out on crucial details. If you want a good summer read or just a well-written adult contemporary, you can't go wrong here.

Overall Rating:

.5