Review: Dead Silence

4 stressed out stars. That was intense. I'm glad I own this book, because I'd love to read it again, or maybe force it on my husband so I can talk about it with someone. I have to say I kind of guessed where it was going halfway through, but no worries - the final act is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire into a worse fire and then back into the frying pan again. You've been warned: this blend of sci-fi, horror and thriller is not for the faint of heart.

Dead Silence meets up with the crew of a ragtag repair team on their final mission before the inevitable replacement by machines. Claire, their capable but distant team lead, is our protagonist - deliciously unreliable with tons of trauma to drive the plot. Not thrilled at the thought of returning to a desk job on Earth, she jumps at the chance to extend their job a little longer and check out a mysterious emergency beacon in uncharted territories. Here's what ensues: haunted space Titanic. Who could resist?

Not me, as I plowed through this in 2 days. What I loved: the premise, the spooky sequences, the characters, the world-building and the "system," for lack of a better word, by which Claire was haunted. Her arc was especially satisfying and felt realistic for a survivor once again put in a life-or-death situation. I also loved that not every question was answered; a refreshing choice for someone who believes that sometimes the blank spots should stay blank.

What I didn't love: the romance, the wordiness, the repetition of Claire "shoving thoughts or feelings down" (also Kane and his arm folding - nobody caught this?? It was used 50+ times), a slight... juvenile tone to the writing, which is ridiculous considering the content, but ehhhh that's just my reaction. Maybe the action sequences got a little OTT. I get weirdly triggered by space worlds because I thought the authors of The Expanse books were so arrogant about it, but this one was okay... barely. I also wasn't a fan of the epilogue, but I'm not a fan of epilogues in general. 

Maybe just ignore me. All of those elements are about me, not about the book. Maybe it was just overhyped and I went in with unreasonable expectations. Either way, I highly, highly recommend this and hope it gets adapted one day - I want to fucking see the insanity unfold before my eyes. Truly incredible reading experience. 

Dead Silence on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Bone White

5 stars. Might re-read this immediately. Wintery supernatural small town horror is such a huge turn-on for me and this one checks all the boxes.

The bare bones are this: Dread's Hand is an isolated mining town in Alaska with a dark history and bad vibes, and it's where Paul Gallo's twin brother went missing over a year ago. When a serial killer from the Hand confesses to his crimes - along with the location of his buried victims - Paul wonders if his brother is among them. So he travels across the world to find out, following his instincts and the strange connection he and Danny always shared. The Hand offers very few answers and Paul grows more and more desperate, and then terrified, as he begins to connect what happened to his brother and what haunts the woods around the town.

Difficult to summarize, because there are many layers to this story... layers of history and folklore and side treks that don't go anywhere. There is Paul's investigation, and the law's investigation, which both lead to discoveries that tangle up things further. Scary symbols, eerie connections, etc. And there's a journalist with some crazy but helpful stories, and the flu is going around, and some creepy masked kids are causing trouble, and the church was built over a giant sinkhole, and the "Inn" only has one room, and winter is coming. The crosses, so good. The whole thing is really just a vibe.

A couple of minor complaints: some sequences drag on too long, some details are a little too on-the-nose (I adore a creepy town name but this one felt a bit forced), and I could never really connect with Paul as a protagonist. Minor, minor, minor. I couldn't put this down and I absolutely loved how wacky and delicious and OTT it is. Paul's journey ... ugh, so satisfying. The premise, the lore, the showdown... the tropes I know and love are fresh and fun here. Highly recommend.

Bone White on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Dark Matter

3 stars. Chills upon chills. This book is one long anxiety attack, from page one. Such a well-formed story - one that I will probably never read again. Michelle Paver is incredibly talented for taking such a fleshed out (initially unlikeable) character and dropping him exactly where he needed to go for our own sick sense of scared shitless entertainment. I for one had full body freak-outs, which didn't happen when I read Dark Matter's sister books (The Terror and The North Water, unnoficial sister status assigned by yours truly). But holy cow does arctic desperation really feel like coming home, for me. Man versus something-out-there-in-the-cold-darkness is my happy place.

It's a lot simpler than the other two. This is a very narrow story - and the POV journal format is clever as it only emphasizes the isolation and claustrophobia experienced by the protagonist. Four men set out to "winter over" in the Arctic, intending to conduct a scientific expedition collecting measurements and instrument readings about the weather, ice, etc. Due to circumstances almost too unlucky to be believed, our main character ends up there alone, determined to carry on the expedition without the rest of the team. But (yyyessssssss): is he truly alone?

It probably goes without saying at this point that a lot of my anxiety stemmed from the dog situation. Hell with Jack, I was sick to my stomach out of fear and worry for them at every point - even the non-scary parts. Every time one of them was mentioned or involved I could barely bring myself to turn the page. That type of fear is not my favorite but I won't dock a star per usual because I didn't do my homework ahead of time and didn't check trigger warnings. Plus, it ends out okay, sort of. But ugh. Not fun.

Still, I could not put this down - I finished it in two days and read the final chapters in a breathless panic. I learned to really root for Jack in the end - guess being haunted in the Arctic really changes you. I'm a huge sucker for things like this:

"And yet I think I now understand the impulse which drives men to shoot bears. It isn't for the pelt or the meat or the sport - or not only those things. I think they need to do it. They need to kill that great Arctic totem to give them some sense of control over the wilderness - even if that is only an illusion.”

And there's another quote I'm too lazy to find where Jack muses that the reason why men try to measure and read environments like the Arctic is just a way of trying to grapple with its intense strangeness, or isolation, or something along those lines; all futile efforts anyhow, because it's essentially unknowable. Not to get too cosmic, but here we are.

Anyway, I liked it. Reminds me a bit of Jennifer McMahon, except that it leans a little more toward Sarah Waters and is a little more male?

Dark Matter on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1)

5 stars. Everything I was promised and more. I am so buzzed off this story, despite the fact that it took me fucking ages to read. I blame that on a very intense job transition... the last month or so has left me barely alive, let alone functioning normally. I will absolutely not be meeting my reading goal for this year, nor will I be even up to what I usually read, numbers-wise. That's life. But I'm so glad to have read this incredible book that is warm and cold at the same time, in all the best ways.

There's enough hype out there so I'll forego a summary, but if you've been living under a rock (in which case, I'm sorry you emerged into the world when you did - read this book, it'll help), The Bear and the Nightingale is an atmospheric fairy tale that braids together threads of Russian folklore, magic, a little history, a fiery, feisty heroine and an ice cold frost demon. It's classic good versus evil set against a fascinating backdrop of religious transition.

There are some elements to this narrative that are unusual or could seem a little confusing. The pacing is very atypical and the character arcs are also unpredictable. In that sense it tastes a little less like a traditional fairy tale even though it smells like one. But I'm a huge sucker for religious transition, as I said ... give me alllll the clashing of beliefs resulting in allllll the social, economic and personal consequences! Bring me the tension between the old and the new! Bring me a protagonist who rejects them both!

I've been really into Katherine Arden's story for a while - not to be creepy - and I'm so happy that her writing matches my impression of her as interesting, capable and talented. Everything about this: the word choice, the flow, the imagery, the premise, the descriptions of winter... all of it has strong appeal. I cannot emphasize enough how unnecessary my stamp of approval is at this point (at any point really), but here it is. Approved. More, more, more, more, please.

The Bear and the Nightingale on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Boy Parts

5 stars. What a perfectly electric companion to A Certain Hunger. I need to think about this one some more, but I can safely say it'll land on my list of Kelly Choice Awards for the year. Maybe even top 5. Reading this was just ... a really fantastic experience. Highly recommend for fans of American Psycho, Maestra, maybe even Tampa. Absolutely nails the snooty art world; absolutely nails the bad art friend mood/vibe/aesthetic.

Boy Parts is about a young photographer named Irina who destroys everything in her path. Interested in fetish photography, she is fueled by sheer, alcohol- and drug-fueled chaos; manipulation; reckless behavior; unhealthy relationships; non-consensual interactions; neglected friendships; trauma; toxic emotions; vibes that push the envelope beyond irresponsible and towards criminal, or insane, behavior. I knew the ending was going to be vague and surreal - so in that sense it was a little predictable - but I really loved it. Crunchy. Didn't want a drop of alcohol after putting it down lol

It's a little terrifying how real the correspondence felt in this book. The text / email conversations made me shiver and cringe like I was living them. The party sequences were especially vivid and there was one particularly shrewd part (the chapter with the plastic surgeon when Irina muses about what's actually natural) that will stick with me for a long time. I love that theme: what is real or natural or unreal / unnatural and does anything actually mean anything? Oh yeah. Gets a little existential, in a very entertaining way.

That's it. That's all I'm going to say about this thing. Go read it. It's wild.

Boy Parts on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: A Certain Hunger

4 stars. This is actually really more of a 3 star read for me, but I have to give it an extra bump due to the sheer audacity of it all and the fact that the premise is so damn attractive, if not exactly groundbreaking. A Certain Hunger clearly and declaratively stands on the shoulders of American Psycho, the Hannibal Lector books, maybe even more contemporary works such as Maestra or You or anything written by Ottessa. And that's what you should jump in knowing: if you enjoy these sorts of books, you will definitely enjoy this one, but don't expect something super fresh or unique. It is what it is - referential, derivative - and delightful all the same.

A Certain Hunger is a faux memoir written by Dorothy Daniels, an imprisoned serial killer who murdered her male victims and ate them. She recounts each crime with wit, whimsy, and an incredible level of detail. Dorothy really is two things: a self-diagnosed psychopath and a former food critic; the only thing that interests her - sparks interest, passion, obsession - is food. And so this book features it predominantly and potentially more than her crimes. But everything is tangled and intertwined, naturally. She eats what she kills.

Here's the thing: I think this book would've been better as a novella. Dorothy is, once you get into her head and used to her voice, a little one-note. I felt less and less entranced as the story continued... the chapters began to feel repetitive. I honestly don't know how to separate that sensation from the fact that the writing itself is so damn stylish and lush and rich and full of words that felt perfectly pretentious for her character - maybe it's because the narrative plot itself is just a bit... thin. We know her trajectory from page one, so the surprises are few and the stakes are low.

Still - this book taps into something strange and cathartic. I hope it becomes a classic. Sex, food, Italy, art, killing men basically because they exist and are trash... what's not to love? I can barely shake off some of the food stuff and I wonder if I'll stay away from meat for a bit. That may have been part of the point, but Dorothy would be horrified. And maybe we should all channel Dorothy every once in a while. Classy, sassy, hungry, murderous AF. Sounds tempting to me.

A Certain Hunger on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Shining Girls

4 stars. I've spent a lot of time reading about this book, and reading other reviews, because reactions seem to be a bit all over the place. It happens when a book gets a lot of hype, and transcends genre (the sci-fi lovers want more sci fi, the literary lovers want less violence, etc etc etc), or if it's simply marketed incorrectly. In fact I'm even having a difficult time measuring my own reaction to this admittedly fantastic book - trying to figure out what I expected versus what I wanted versus what the book was trying to achieve.

My instinct is to say that I loved it. It captured me. It kept my attention. I rooted for the characters. I basked in the historical details - I learned so much about Chicago. I enjoyed the writing. I admired the premise. I appreciated the wry and witty humor that helped lift such a dark, violent story. I read this in a busy bar on a Friday evening and couldn't be distracted. The sci-fi lover in me didn't worry about explanations, or easy answers. I didn't mind the violence or find it gratuitous or without purpose. I respected the exploration of the trauma and tragedy and being female.

So I think I'd recommend it. It's incredibly entertaining. I can't wait to watch the adaptation (they better not fuck it up!). But please, for the love of god or the sky or the earth or my heart or whatever it is you'd like to invoke in this moment - read the TWs, and maybe even skip entirely the chapter about Kirby's attack. I damn near had a panic attack before bed one night. I fucking skimmed the whole thing and was still hyperventilating, holding back sobs. It's a brutal dog scene and even though I knew what to look out for it really got me. Really got me.

Moving on before I start crying, my only other complaint would be that it ended too soon!! I would've loved a longer epilogue after the climax. I'm desperate to find out where these characters ended up! I'm not a sucker for this sort of thing usually, but I am Team Dan 100%. He's super, super cute and heroic.

I dunno. I don't want to think about this too hard, although it's probably too late for that. Sometimes a book is just entertaining, and that's enough. It didn't change my life or anything, but I enjoyed it. That's it, the end, 4 stars, bye.

The Shining Girls on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Girls Who Lie (Forbidden Iceland #2)

5 stars!! This is shaping up to be a great small town mystery series. Better than the first, Girls Who Lie is a perfect combo of psychological thriller + crime novel and I loved learning more about Elma - she's so easy to root for. Made me miss Iceland a lot. It's the best. Would be a really interesting, challenging place to live.

The mystery in this is actually a bit similar to the first, with more of a Megan Abbott twist. After a single mother goes missing, everyone assumes that she has killed herself following years of depression, alcoholism and neglectful parenting. And then her body is found - turns out she's been brutally murdered - and the police department's investigation unravels a super tangled knot of false accusations, mistaken identities, and painful family relationships.

It doesn't sound super exciting when I put it that way, but this is a real page turner and the plot kept me guessing all the way through. I made a couple of assumptions that were all totally wrong, and I absolutely love it when that happens. Sure all the tropes are there, but they're familiar in a good way and the employment of them is charming - even the will they-won't they, which didn't distract at all from the main thread of the mystery. Even the twisted mother archetype, which has been explored from a lot of angles by now.

All I can say is that I recommend this series and I can't wait for the next one. And I really, really want an Icelandic hot dog. With the works.

Girls Who Lie on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Ariadne

3 stars. I'm all over the place - I'm sure I enjoyed this book, and I big time appreciate the effort and the importance of twisting and retelling myths to reflect more inclusive perspectives. But I couldn't help but think almost immediately after starting Ariadne that this is a Madeline Miller wannabe, or a publisher's bid to capitalize on the success of her books.

Don't mistake me: this story is successful in its own right. The author is a tremendous writer, and I would compare her rich, flowery language to Miller's as a complete compliment. But Miller's stories have a point to them (beyond retelling with a twist) that felt missing here. While a story like this could only be inevitably bleak, any takeaways weren't crunchy or interesting enough for me. Women suffer at the hands of men. We know this and experience this and feel this in our souls every day. So I wouldn't agree with marketing this is a "feminist retelling." Her voice, as it is presented, isn't enough.

All that being said, this is a lush, captivating read. Great for fans of the myths or those who aren't as familiar. The descriptions of Crete, Athens, the Underworld, Naxos... the gods and goddesses are brought to life in really fun ways. I loved the focus on sisterhood - in all its beautiful, complicated, chaotic, painful glory. I loved that both Ariadne and Phaedra were intelligent and made independent choices despite truly having almost none, back then. The depiction of each of them as capable of both good and messy gave everything a refreshing flavor as it was meant to and may have been the point. Each of them had very different experiences and relationships with motherhood, another element reminiscent of Miller.

I liked it enough to try again with this author. There's nothing bad about it, it just didn't quite get there, for me. TWs for animal death, btw... not something I'd normally include but it's vivid enough here that I sort of have to. Also, I didn't realize how much season 2 of True Blood pulls from the lore, lol. Marianne was totally on that island at some point.

Ariadne on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Creak on the Stairs (Forbidden Iceland #1)

4 stars. You know what? I really liked this! I can totally see why the reviews are very middle of the road for this debut, but for a debut, I have to give it another star for simply being unpredictable. While I guessed a few of the twists, I didn't feel certain about the identity of the murderer until the reveal. And I absolutely loved the brisk pace, the tight dialogue, and the shallow characterization (not all of us want to read Tana French all the time).

The Creak on the Stairs features a couple of true crime tropes: a cop who returns to her small town after suffering a tragedy in her personal life; the small town; don't forget about secrets!; also flashbacks, a few alternative perspectives, and the very slight smell of UST between partners. When a woman's body is discovered at the sight of an isolated lighthouse, Elma has to use her big city skills to navigate solving this horrendous crime, unweaving a decade's old web of lies and wrestling with her identity as a former resident.

It's very dramatic, very noir, very crime-y: basically a police procedural. But the writing is quite clear and fast-paced, and the short chapters keep things moving. I especially loved the Icelandic details... the descriptions of the setting (which is basically a character here), the names, the cultural elements that drove both character and plot. Iceland is truly like another planet, and happens to be one of my very favorite places on this one - so I'm as biased as I am charmed - but I think this will appeal to fans of crime fiction everywhere.

I will definitely be reading the next in this series.

The Creak on the Stairs on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads