Review: Slewfoot

5 stars. My first Brom and definitely not my last. The Witch meets Pan's Labyrinth with a splash of Clive Barker, maybe. This book is an absolutely delicious horrific fairy tale that showcases brilliant, vivid writing and a fierce female protagonist I loved. It's not exactly subtle with its teachings or its lessons, but once I embraced the flying brick approach I truly enjoyed myself.

Life for young Abitha in the New World is hard - the land is tough to manage, debts are mounting, winter is coming and the pressures of Puritan society are impossibly stifling. She and her husband are just getting by when her brother-in-law decides he needs their land to pay of his own debts. But there's something about the land that nobody knows: something ancient, underground... something that's waking up.

As the summary says, enter Slewfoot. Powerful and broken, this horned creature stumbles back into the world with nothing but confused memories and an awareness of his own great power. Drawn to Abitha and the abilities inherited from her mother, together they delight in the bounty their power creates and discover its terrible cost.

Editor's note: at this point in writing this review the author became deathly ill with a mystery non-Covid illness that will now be known as knife throat. 6 excruciating days of fever dreams and not swallowing later, she returned to her drafts to find the below bullet points which she intended to turn into paragraphs but decided to leave as is.

• Power is a big theme in this story and it is terrifically explored.

• Brutal twists and turns.

• Fantastically satisfying ending.

• Down with the patriarchy.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Post-knife throat note: I bought a book of Brom's art and can't look away. Highly recommend for interesting background, including his experience painting for games.

Slewfoot on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Necromancer's House

5 stars. I am obsessed with this book. I had to re-read the first couple of chapters because of life getting in the way, but once I fell down the rabbit hole there was no climbing back out. I was absolutely gripped by the story and the writing… I thought about it when I was falling asleep and when I woke up in the mornings. I’m considering re-reading it immediately. I can see this book wiggling its way into my life and inspiring references, returns to highlighted quotes, maybe even passwords. I’m definitely about to buy it for myself in all formats.

Andrew Ranulf Blankenship (excellent name) is a skilled user of magic and recovering alcoholic. He has - inadvertently, it seems - developed a sort of found family consisting of other users and the creatures and demons brought about by his spells. When an associate (poor choice of words but you get the drift) of his kills a Russian man, his mother - who turns out to be a very old nemesis of Andrew’s - comes to America for revenge. 

And this particular brand of revenge is… brutal. Andrew’s friends are severely threatened or picked off one by one in fantastically unique, magical ways. It reminded me of a slasher at times, because I was always ready and waiting for the next creative kill (as painful as they were). In fact most of the book is, essentially, Andrew’s enemy winning, and Andrew barely surviving at great, great cost. It’s a little too brutal at times.

But the writing - oh man, so good. Reminded me of Stephen King a little bit, with its incredible dialogue and clipped sentence structure. Was better than Stephen King at times, with its pacing and plotting and intentional weirdness. King is great at weird; Buehlman is superb at weird. Nothing about this apparently complex world of magic was too difficult to grasp. Everything unfurled in a brilliantly comprehensible - enjoyable - way.

I do want to point out one little fact that had me screaming in joy: this book scared me. Actually scared me. I read a ton of horror and watch a ton of horror and I’m always looking for the next thing that’ll make me feel something, really feel something, for once. And this book got me there. (For anyone curious: it was the scene where Andrew and Anneke are watching the infected video tape.) It also made me cry. 

Let’s talk about that, because around here it’s pretty obvious that I can’t handle a certain type of animal death which is really any type of animal death. It’s partly just an annoying trigger, but also there’s so much of that in horror it almost feels tired, like authors are taking the easy way out or clear advantage of a common and obvious fear. There’s a reason why it’s a trope, but the way it’s utilized often feels bothersome - unnecessary - to me. Which is why I typically dock a star for the UDD (the unnecessary dog death). 

I sensed this one coming, and immediately fast forwarded the next three pages of my Kindle, but it was too late. I caught enough of it to start tearing up, and then really crying, on a plane of all places. It’s gotten worse since I got a dog myself. Just tears and tears and tears. And every time I thought about after - tears. I got worried I wouldn’t be able to write this review because I felt so sensitive about it. And so in this case, I really had to think about the utilization of the trope. Was it necessary? Was it done for the sake of being shocking, or did it truly have a narrative purpose? Another example of a tricky one would be The Shining Girls. IYKYK.

At the end of the day I can’t dock a star. It’s too brilliant and too amazing and isn’t it a testament to the writing that I felt so incredibly crushed and exhilarated by Sal’s bittersweet ending? He teased it so many times, he warned us, we knew it was coming. And he twisted the blade there, and oh no… now I’m crying again.

Thank you for sitting through that with me. You’ve been warned. ANYHOO, please, please read this book. I am more and more convinced that this is a fundamental text of horror - a must-read for anyone looking for something refreshing, funny, scary, creative, and deeply, deeply real, at times, for a book about magic. It’s a book for anyone struggling - for anyone who feels like life keepings throwing them punches, one after another, punches of loss, addiction, regret, guilt, rejection… for anyone who feels like punching back for once. The ending is quite satisfying, in that sense.

The Necromancer’s House on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: We Sold Our Souls

4 stars. Unexpectedly brutal! I did not expect this to get so dark and uncomfortable. After reading all of Grady Hendrix's books, I can report that this one was the least funny and made me the most squeamish. But I definitely didn't enjoy it any less than his others... it has his characteristic stellar premise with all that random plotting/pacing I've grown to love. Keeps things fresh and unexpected even when I'm like, wait how did we all end up here? Where did this well thing come from? What the f actually happened at the end there?

We Sold Our Souls tells the story of Kris Pulaski, ex-guitar player, living her worst nightmare of a sad life after her almost-made-it tale ends horribly. The members of her old band have all moved on after their singer went solo and catapulted to enormous success, and she is stuck in a mediocre, music-less existence. When she snaps and decides to try to take back her old life with a side of revenge, she's terrified to discover that there's more to the situation than meets the eye, and her own path takes her deeper and darker than even the heaviest metal. It's a good time.

I thought it was a little strange that the primary antagonist was absent for most of the book. But maybe that fits with the exploration of regret and nostalgia and feeling haunted by things from your past - things that are long gone and far from actively present in your life. And maybe the actual antagonist was there... all along. Hmmmm. That's the other thing I would mention - this book is really thought-provoking and interesting in addition to being creepy and entertaining. It's very well-written and reminded me of Stephen King at times!! Badass!!

Highly suggest reading the TWs for this one - especially if you are claustrophobic, which I am not but still got a little breathless during a certain sequence. It's also worth reading carefully for Easter Eggs and other clever details. Then again, embracing the chaos is kinda fun too.

We Sold Our Souls on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: My Best Friend's Exorcism

4 stars. This is Grady Hendrix's tightest book, by far. I loved it and it crackled and it was funny and gross and wicked and scary. He really takes things deep before they get better, eh? Truly horrifying moments that take root and grow into humiliation - the whole "no one believes me" premise. He loves it. He's used it in multiple books. He really gets how to do it. Yikes.

The plot is simple: Abby and Gretchen are tight BFFs, until one night Gretchen gets lost in the woods and comes back changed. Her appearance, her behavior, even her treatment of Abby shifts until it's clear that she has lost her way entirely. Is it trauma? Hormones? Or something far worse - something that Abby alone must face to save her best friend?

Gretchen's web of destruction felt inevitable yet super entertaining. The systematic take downs of each friend were delightfully awful. Things got a little random - what on earth was with that exorcist and all that - but the book stayed true to its core. Couple that with the 80s nostalgia (I'm a 90s kid but I loved all the references) and it becomes a really great horror classic.

I docked a star for a UDD (a truly awful one at that - tempted to dock 2 stars, honestly). But this is a fantastic read for spooky season and I look forward to watching the adaptation. Again, this is probably the tightest GH book I've read, but they're all really fun. Highly recommend.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Six Stories (Six Stories #1)

4 stars. This is my kind of horror - interesting format, solid premise, folklore, one POV/character per chapter, a sprinkle of the supernatural, a satisfying twist, a promise (threat?) of more possibilities... right up my alley. After finishing, I wanted to buy the rest of the books in the series immediately, which hasn't happened in a very long time.

Six Stories is presented as podcast transcripts, with each chapter as a different episode. In each one, the host interviews a person connected with a crime - or potentially non-crime - that happened many years ago... connected with the discovery of a teenager's body in Scarclaw Fell. Tracing several theories and diving into the history of the area, as well as the victim's character and background through interviews with his "friends," we as readers are treated to an excellent mystery, captivating thriller, spooky horror, etc. etc. etc.

I love horror for so many reasons. Horror has an obsession with the past, because it often intersects with or drives a narrative motive (revenge I guess, mostly?). In this case each character gets to recall and analyze their memories of a seriously traumatic event with an almost In the Woods level of detail. I loved the creeping dread, the slow unveiling of each character's character, the look backward knowing we'll see something there. The nature of the twist made me want to read it again.

Horror also uses dark subject matter to examine and/or make the story about something else. Murder is dark. Being a teenager? Horrific. I'm really impressed with how the author managed to paint a picture of a typical teenage - squad, as the kids say (or maybe they don't anymore), and dive into the dynamics so vividly and, to me, realistically. The blundering eagerness... the crushes... the cruelty... *shudders*

I've seen a few reviews poke at this for being inspired by (or so similar to) the podcast Serial, which is back in the news after essentially changing the trajectory of a man's life in the system. In this case I think any criticism is unwarranted. The author does nothing to hide his references - in fact, he highlights them. He mentions Serial right in the text. This is not a rip-off. It's a loving tribute, and better than its parent as a neat, fictional, vehicle of entertainment.

Fuck it, I'm buying the rest of the series. Sorry, wallet. I gave this 4 stars because I see its potential - it could've gone down a little smoother - and I have a feeling the series only gets better. All hail spooky.

Six Stories on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Chestnut Man

4 stars, though I toggled a bit between 3 and 4. This is exactly what it says it is: a Scandinavian crime thriller by the creator of a successful crime TV show. It smells like that, tastes like that, feels like that, reads like that. So if you're in the mood, look no further. I really enjoyed it, but... I am coming out of one of the worst reading slumps I've ever experienced, so it took me ages and ages to get beyond the first 10%. I ended up starting over. I don't regret it. It is what it is.

The Chestnut Man follows the investigators (as well as the investigation-adjacent, and occasionally the victims - mulitple POV) of a series of horrific murders in Copenhagan. We immediately see how the victims are connected but not exactly why or how. The killer always seems one step ahead and just when we feel safe, boom, another twist. It's a typical crime thriller and an absolute page-turner. Excited to check out the adaptation.

A couple of weird things: some of the threads go nowhere. Some of the characters seem overwritten and even in a few places the direction of the plot feels off or unpolished. It 100% reads like a screenplay. The identity of the killer was completely ridiculous... in a good way? Who cares. It delivers what it promises, I think. I miss Copenhagen in all its gloomy, chilly, coldheartedness.

The Chestnut Man on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Harriet the Spy

4 stars. Oops, seemed to have stumbled onto something controversial. What book published in the 60s isn't going to attract some lightning, though? A couple of things: 1) I entered this having remembered reading and enjoying it as a kid but quickly discovered that every memory of the book was completely washed away by memories of the movie adaptation instead... SO, I read this - basically - fresh. 2) I actually understand all of the arguments here. I would just say that there's a difference between a "bad book" and a "book you don't like." Finally, 3) sometimes a book can have wonderful aspects and also not-so-wonderful aspects. Like maybe every book ever. Like maybe every person ever.

Published in 1964, Harriet the Spy is about Harriet M. Welsch, a precocious, intelligent, headstrong 11-year-old determined to be a spy or a writer or some combo of both. She records her observations and thoughts - unfiltered - in a notebook. It's really a coming-of-age story as we witness Harriet experience intense change, face consequences for her actions, and learn several lessons about how messy life can be.

I have to say I really, really enjoyed it. It's hilarious, clever and refreshing... a couple of reviewers have noted that Harriet was a hugely different type of female protagonist for the 60s. She still feels different today, in a good way. No, Harriet isn't sweet, docile, obedient, or filtered in any way. She's stubborn, loud, nosy, confused, extremely critical and judgmental - kind of a toxic friend, too. The ending didn't sit totally right with me, but I think it was the right ending for her, if that makes sense.

I don't think this book - or any book - should be taken as a literal guide for one's behavior. Of course redemption arcs have their time and place, but I think kids are smart enough to be able to distinguish between when a hero isn't acting heroic, no? And smart enough to navigate action and consequence when it isn't perhaps as straightforward? As it isn't typically IRL? Who knows. Not me. But I do know that reading this book was an endlessly entertaining experience that I'd recommend to kids and adults alike. It's a classic for a reason.

Harriet the Spy on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Wild Fell

3 stars. Mixed feelings on this one - there were parts I really loved and connected with, but there were also parts that seriously dragged the story in directions it probably didn't need to go. It's an odd one, for sure, which I think was intentional, so I want to be careful about misinterpreting deliberate choices for... mistakes. I've seen a couple of other reviews call it out for pacing and that may be valid but I'm not sure if that's a reaction to the fact that it's unusual - not necessarily wrong or bad. The thing that bothered me most was the dialogue.

More on that later. Wild Fell is a straight-up, self-declared ghost story told by a young man named Jamie. He chronicles his shy childhood, his relationship with his parents, his coming of age and his eventual purchase of a mysterious, isolated mansion in a small Canadian town, plus his experiences with a creepy girl named Amanda who lives in his mirror. Jamie's story offers a really fascinating snapshot into a man's upbringing and identity that happens to involve the supernatural. It's kind of a slow burn that ends with a bang.

I was definitely creeped out. It snuck up on me, especially within the last couple of chapters. I didn't really see it coming, despite all the signs pointing in one direction. So Wild Fell earns a ton of points for that and for delivering a lot of atmosphere. Unfortunately the dialogue really took me out of the story - more than once. The way characters talked with each other, stating each other's names, elongating statements for no reason... it all came across as super unnatural (but not in a supernatural way). 

Not that I could do any better, TBH. And I do tend to overlook or forgive awkward dialogue in what I read, because that's just how it is. Unfortunately this was awkward to a distracting level. BUT!! I do recommend this book to horror fans! It's excellent and will stick with you. It's been a few days since I wrapped it up and I'm still thinking about it. So ignore my nitpicks and go enjoy a damn good ghost story. 

Wild Fell on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2)

4 stars. Love this whole vibe. Katherine Arden manages to pair cozy fairy tale flavors with intense action and chaos for the characters we know and love at this point. It definitely suffers a bit from second book syndrome, and it took me a longggg time to get through, but The Girl in the Tower really just works. Jumping in immediately after the end of the first book, it follows Vasya as she travels, reunites with her siblings, and finds a lot of trouble along the way. 

I would've wished for a bit more of the creepy spooky bits I loved in The Bear and the Nightingale, and a bit less of the politics, but I get what's going on here. I don't mind a reasonable, deliberate expansion to further along her arc. The way Arden incorporates folklore and legends is really beautiful and interesting. She excels especially at villains - almost more so than heroes. The bad characters in these books are really nasty.

Vasya is a wonderful and flawed heroine. She's brave, smart, determined, stubborn and incredibly selfish. She also demonstrates growth and wisdom and a fierce protection of self despite the constraints of the time. There are hints of what's to come in the finale, and I have a feeling that Arden is going to collectively drag us all across the coals in a very well-written way... can't wait.

The Girl in the Tower on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Cunning Folk

4 stars. I recently heard some stuff on Tik Tok about the page 100 rule - that if you're unsure about whether or not to buy a book, open it up to sample page 100 instead of page 1. It's a good technique because page 1 has been picked over to death in drafts, proposals, and numerous iterations of manuscripts by numerous individuals on the publishing team and likely isn't a good representation of what the writing is actually like. If you're considering reading Cunning Folk, read anything past page 1 - past the first quarter of the book, maybe. As other reviews have noted, Adam Nevill starts things off with pages of overly metaphorical prose weighed down by flowery OTT descriptions. But definitely... stick with it, lol. This is one of the craziest horror books I've ever read.

When Tom, Fiona and their daughter Gracey buy a fixer upper in the country, they know it'll be a challenge - financially, emotionally, physically - but they are determined to give their daughter a spacious and quiet home in a safe community. Almost immediately, though, they are met with obstacles they did not expect: rude, weird neighbors, problems with the garden, Gracey frightened by her wanderings in the woods. Things escalate, unravel and spiral out of control until Tom is desperate, etc. etc. etc.

Cunning Folk could've ended after the renovations start to go bad and I'd be satisfied. There's nothing scarier to me than being cash-strapped with an endless amount of  insurmountable home repairs on my to-do list. Nevill really leans into this too - oh, as if spooky neighbors aren't enough? Let's throw crippling project anxiety and debt into the mix. It's the old Amityville Horror trick - real horror is economic. Luckily, or not so luckily for the faint of heart, he balances all this out with genuinely creepy supernatural/folk horror elements... rituals, curses, witchcraft, a clearing in the woods, ancient magic, and a new form of scary to me: competitive garden terror. HGTV landscaping gone horribly, horribly wrong.

I docked a star because you know why, but this is a great, edge-of-your-seat, can't-look-away, immersive book. It's my first Adam Nevill and I'm eager to check out more. It's fascinating that it started out as a screenplay, because so much is communicated through the characters' inner turmoil and thoughts. Anyway, yeah, if you can get past the extreme OTT language in the beginning, this has potential to be a real classic. 

Cunning Folk on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads