Tag: horror

Mini-Reviews: Messenger, Crazy, Gothic

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Susanna Kearsley, The King’s Messenger

It’s 1613, and King James I sits on the throne of England. His son, Prince Henry, has recently died, and rumors suggest that he was poisoned. To investigate (or possibly to set up a scapegoat), the king sends one of his messengers, Andrew Logan, to arrest the prince’s mentor and close companion, Sir David Moray. Traveling with Andrew are a scrivener and his daughter, Phoebe Westaway, who will record any statements made by Sir David. Andrew and Phoebe have a contentious history, but their proximity on this journey leads to very different feelings. Meanwhile, their perspective on Sir David also begins to change. Susanna Kearsley is a top-notch writer of historical fiction, and while I don’t know much about this time period, her depiction feels believable and authentic. I found the present-day adventure and romance more interesting than Sir David’s history with the prince, which is interspersed in the narrative via flashbacks. But overall, I really liked this one, though A Desperate Fortune remains my favorite Kearsley novel.

Annie Darling, Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop

Nina, who works with her two BFFs at a bookstore specializing in romantic fiction, prides herself on being unconventional, from her vintage-pinup-girl style to her sleeves of tattoos. Her romantic ideal is Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Noah, a consultant who’s evaluating the bookstore’s finances, couldn’t be farther from Nina’s usual type—yet she feels a surprising attraction to him. But as they get to know each other, they discover an unpleasant shared history that may drive them apart. I remember enjoying the previous book in this series, True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop, but this one didn’t do much for me. I think it’s because I can’t really relate to Nina at all (again, her romantic ideal is Heathcliff). The book also feels pretty dated in its approach to friendships and relationships, despite being published in 2018—it seems a bit like a Bridget Jones’s Diary copycat. Overall, not a horrible book, but not one I’d recommend either.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic

It’s 1950, and Noemí Taboada is a glamorous socialite in Mexico City. But when she receives a disturbing letter from her cousin Catalina, who has recently married and moved to her husband’s remote mountaintop estate, she decides to visit and find out what’s going on. Noemí is repulsed by the decaying estate and its hostile inhabitants. She’s also alarmed by Catalina’s seeming insanity, and becomes even more so when she too starts having strange dreams. She eventually uncovers a complex and horrific history that’s holding her cousin captive—and is now attempting to ensnare her as well. I’ve enjoyed every Moreno-Garcia book I’ve read so far, and this is no exception, though it’s way closer to horror than I normally go! It’s definitely not for the faint of heart—there’s violence (including sexual violence), body horror, and all manner of creepy goings-on. But I really liked this take on the gothic genre and how it explores power dynamics, particularly conquerors vs. conquered and men vs. women. I also loved Noemí as a heroine; she’s got quite a bit more intelligence and spunk than some of her predecessors in this genre. It’s not quite my kind of book, but if this premise interests you, I’d highly recommend it!

Mini-Reviews #9: Readathon reviews

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With this batch of mini-reviews, I’m once again caught up with my backlog. I read three of the four books during the October 24-hour readathon, hence the title of this post. 🙂

we-have-always-lived-in-the-castlewhich-witch

Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle — Merricat Blackwood, her sister Constance, and her Uncle Julian are the last remnant of a once-prominent family. They live in a decrepit, isolated old house, and they don’t associate with any of the people in the nearby town. The novel’s sinister atmosphere is augmented by the suspicion that seven years ago, Constance deliberately poisoned the rest of her family. I’m no fan of horror, but I found this to be a very well-written, creepy but not too scary book. I may even read some more Shirley Jackson in the future.

Eva Ibbotson, Which Witch? — I’ve been a fan of Ibbotson’s YA/adult novels for years now, but this was my first experience reading one of her books for children. It was just as delightful as I expected it to be, telling the story of a dark wizard who holds a competition to determine which witch will be his bride. Beautiful and kind Belladonna would love to be the winner, but her magic is inescapably good. How will she convince Arriman the Awful that she’s his perfect match?

goodnight-tweetheartcrooked-kingdom

Teresa Medeiros, Goodnight Tweetheart — The plot of this romance novel is essentially “Boy meets girl on Twitter.” As such, the book is inescapably dated, but I must admit I enjoyed it anyway! It had some good banter and some sweet moments…overall, a pleasant escapist read. It’s not a new favorite or anything, but it’s definitely a fun way to spend an evening (or, in my case, the middle of the night!).

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom — If you loved Six of Crows, which I did, Crooked Kingdom will not disappoint! The twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked, and I loved the fact that Kaz was always one step ahead of his enemies. And as with the previous book, I was completely invested in these characters and rooting for them all to achieve their goals. I especially liked that this book gave more attention to Jesper and Wylan, the two characters who were least fleshed out in Six of Crows. There was also a very welcome appearance by Nikolai, my favorite character in the Grisha trilogy, which leads me to believe that Bardugo isn’t done with this world yet!

Review: Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Something Wicked This Way ComesRay Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

A week before Halloween, Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show creeps silently into Green Town, Illinois, in the middle of the night. To most of the town’s inhabitants, the show is a carnival like any other, with its sideshows, rides, and circus freaks. But 13-year-old best friends Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway suspect that something more sinister is at work. The carnival seems to lure unwary visitors into its depths, and those who fall under its spell will never be the same again. It’s up to Jim and Will — and Will’s father, an unassuming librarian who worries about his age and his relationship with his son — to uncover the dark secret at the heart of the circus and to prevent it from ensnaring more victims.

I don’t usually read horror novels, but I was interested in this book because of its classic status (and, frankly, because of its Shakespearean title). Unfortunately, this novel really didn’t work for me, but the problem wasn’t the story at all — it was the writing style. The prose is gratingly faux-poetic, overblown, and melodramatic. Words are often used in unconventional ways (nouns being used as verbs and the like), which can be an effective stylistic choice, but in this case I found it incredibly distracting. I also found the dialogue completely unrealistic and stilted. It’s a shame, because I actually do think the basic story is fascinating and could have been very effective in the right hands. I’m definitely not enthusiastic about trying more Bradbury after this — and I’m wondering how well Fahrenheit 451 would stand up to a re-read!