 3.5 stars
This latest installment of the Avenging Angels' series shares the story of Harlow and Javier—a romance teased since the first book that we've all been dyingggg to explore!—and the usual Charlie's Angels-esque shenanigans. Strap in for another good time! Romance: ★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★ Tenderfoot is the third book in Kristen Ashley's Avenging Angels series, which is in itself a spin-off of sorts from her wildly popular Rock Chicks series. I'm a huge Rock Chicks fan and highly recommend new readers start there, but if you want to jump right into the action with this spin-off series check out Avenging Angel here! Harlow is a girl with iron-clad routines and a deep desire to be known and loved. Javier is a man with a past raised on the streets and a deep desire for foundations and family. When these two collided in Phoenix, Arizona, in some Angels' escapades through mutual friends involving stakeouts, hijinks, drama, and found family... sparks flew. And then they didn't. Javier backed up, and Harlow cracked in splinters. But the Angels' drama waits for no one, not even Javier and Harlow's weird hang-ups, so when shit hits the fan and Harlow finds herself at the heart of the action, Javier is Right There. As in, interrupting-the-scene-and-laying-down-the-claim, Right There. In typical KA fashion, things go from smoldering to blazing hot in the blink of an eye as this latest duo finds their feet in a tender romance amidst the fast-action plot.... Angels, action! So I've got to start my feelings off with a small caveat: I'm a girl who loves her romantic angst, and I love a slower burn. This sometimes sets me off at cross-purposes with romance novels, because not everyone is here for those things. And that's valid! But given my personal tastes, when the romance kicks off too fast and too wholesome for me... I sometimes have a harder time engaging with the story. I think that was the case with Harlow and Javier's romance. Maybe it's because they were teased so heavily as a "will they, won't they" pairing. Maybe it's because I was hoping for more angst around Harlow's family dynamics and her internal dilemmas around that, not to mention Javier's intense backstory. I'm not quite sure, but the end result of my personal experience reading Tenderfoot was that, while I had a good time, I knew this particular journey was not fated to be an all-time favorite. Again, this is a "me" thing. I'm still a KA mega fan, and I'm still enjoying this series. Sometimes, I find myself wishing for some of the more grounded plot lines of her Misted Pines series, I have to say—but I think that's also my personal preferences as I mature as a reader looking for more depth and plot to a lot of my stories. Not negatives, but I think worthwhile sidebars to this review as I know many of my fellow KA fans might need to understand where I'm coming from with this more lukewarm take on my usual hype train. I think I also—for the first time—struggled more heavily with the sheer weight of how many characters, side characters, cameos, and additional people were constantly in the juggling pot to keep track of with reading their interjections and sidebars for so many of these scenes. This is likely due to the fact that I was not "in it" with Harlow and Javier to the level that I was for the other couples, so the other elements were more on the nose for me. But regardless, I found myself trying to catch a mental breather, trying to stay focused on the action when there were almost 15-20 people at any given time in a lot of the scenes, all saying dialogue bits and adding their personality flares. However, all that to say, don't miss this latest installment in the series. Come for the OTT drama, stay for the OTT drama! And we'll get some more with what appears to be new romances on the horizon... Thank you to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
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 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant, give me 10 of them right now. This was FRESH, new, and exciting in a way that I haven't felt about a fantasy read in quite some time. Concept: ★★★★★ World building: ★★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ 1/2 I find the more fantasy I read, the less excited I get about new books—because odds are, they'll remind me of something else I've read. That's NOT a criticism of all books, just a fact about frequency and how there's only so many ways to do certain types of stories. So it's always a huge, huge joy when I find a book like this. The Tainted Cup is a gorgeous, hybrid kind of thing. Part high fantasy—with an atmosphere of low fantasy—and part murder mystery, this novel lives in the middle of the venn diagram for a lot of subniche interests. We follow the story of Dinios "Din" Kol, the assistant to investigator Ana Dolabra, as he works to solve a murder mystery in the far reaches of the Empire, a fantasy coastal world with an emphasis on organic plant life, wet seasons, and... leviathans from the sea. Yes. Follow me. With the core murder mystery at hand, Din and Ana dive into their complex world of contagions, altered bodies, walled rings of caste systems, political corruptions, and survivalist populations in a world that feels like a very unique blend of Pacific Rim-level kaiju beings (yes, big monsters, named Leviathans in this story) and a Sherlock Holmes-style gentry mystery. I know, that's a LOT to process. But, in a truly spectacular blend of brilliant storytelling and good writing, the author masterfully sucks us into this complex world in bite-sized pieces while keeping the easily digestible murder mystery plot at the forefront. Hence my comment earlier that this novel is both high- and low-brow fantasy feeling in equal measure. However, let the record state that this novel is not like other genre hybrids of its type in the low fantasy area—there is a refreshing seriousness to the writing that I appreciated, as most novels that get this "wacky" get very campy as a result. The Tainted Cup is NOT that kind of novel, to assure other readers like me who are not usually a fan of that kind of storytelling. I couldn't put this book down, folks. The Tainted Cup was gripping as hell and a fun time to boot, and I am SO glad to hear it is a series so that we can more of this world and these characters. Come for the Sherlock Holmes pitch, stay for really interesting worldbuilding and well-written characters.  5 stars
This is my favorite Kristen Ashley series of recent years. Something about the mysteries, the dual POVs, the compelling plots that don't rely on over-the-top dramas to deal the deck... I don't know. But whatever it is, I love it, and this latest installment is no exception. Characters: ★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ The Woman Left Behind is the fourth book in the Misted Pines romance mystery series by Kristen Ashley. The first book, The Girl in the Mist, is the best place to start if you want to get the full experience. However, like most romance novels, this fourth book is a self-contained story so you can definitely jump in here if you'd like to do that. This is the story of Misted Pines' beloved sheriff: Harry Moran. We've gotten to know Harry in the previous novels as he went from the one straight-shooter investigator underneath the corrupt former sheriff to becoming the sheriff of Misted Pines' dreams. He's an honest, hardworking, law-abiding good guy with a sad past and a heart of gold. He's a widower in need of a bright spot amidst his dark job and his solitary lifestyle. So it was time for him to find his happy ending... Enter Lillian Rainier. Lillian's had a hard go at life as well. When she was 19 years old, her loving parents were implicated in a local robbery and they disappeared. They never came back home, despite being devoted to their daughter. Lillian knows what that means after 16 years of no contact, no letters, and no news. But now there have been updates in her parents' long dead case. Harry Moran meets Lillian for the first time—and let's just say the sparks fly instantly. With emotional journeys, small-town heart, a compelling series of mysteries, and lots of cameos from the previous books in the series, The Woman Left Behind was a treat! I think one of this series' most compelling points is the focus on older-aged protagonists (and not even "old"!) and second chance romances. While that shouldn't be unique, in today's romance market it is. It's rare to see characters finding love in their late 30s, 40s, and beyond—the 20-somethings and early 30-somethings seem to have all of the fun in publishing. So it's refreshing that the entire series of Misted Pines focuses on the rest of us. It's also one of my favorite combinations of high-stakes drama—in this case, the police procedurals—and yet real-life levels of cozy and slice of life. While I'm a huge KA fan and love all of her works to different degrees, I confess that sometimes the high-octane OTT drama levels of some of the other series get to me sometimes and I wish for something slower, softer, and more grounded in reality. Misted Pines is that series for me. I loved the love story for Harry and Lillian. I found it sweet, well-plotted, and one of KA's best in recent years for writing style and overall emotional resonance. A slam dunk! Eagerly looking forward to more of the Misted Pines series.  4 stars
Hell of a premise, and a gripping narrative that kept me up to read more of it. But then...a slightly lackluster and disappointing finish? Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★★★★ Reveal(s): ★★ 1/2 (for me) Enjoyment: ★★★★ The Devil Aspect is one of those premises that grips you in right from the book description. Czechoslovakia on the rising tide of pre-WWII. A castle with a sordid history. A mental asylum housing the country's worst criminals, known by the public as "The Devil's Six." A young psychiatrist with the theory of an innate "devil's aspect" in all men and a desire to research his theory. And a series of grisly murders in Prague that seem to be morbidly inspired by Jack the Ripper. Don't you want to read that?? I certainly did. I love a twisty, turny, atmospheric thriller with more than a hint of the macabre. Viktor Kosárek, our intrepid newly trained psychiatrist, is the primarily POV for this novel as we follow him on his journey exploring the minds of the Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Viktor's exploration of those six pivotal criminals includes their stories, horrors, and Viktor's reflections. This is the primary backbone of the story. However, there's a second main thread of POV and intrigue: police investigator Lukas Smolak is tasked with tracking down "Leather Apron," the killer behind a series of grisly murders in Prague. The unknown suspect is killing women in a hideous ways that are clearly inspired by London's infamous Jack the Ripper—fifty years after Jack stopped—and Smolak is desperate to find him before more women are taken. With these two interwoven narratives, The Devil Aspect winds itself in tighter and tighter traps as the ominous tension creeps through this eerie, horror-soaked tale of intrigue and mental mindscapes. My overall take on this novel is very positive. As someone who doesn't love historical fiction UNLESS there's a genre hook to it like mystery/thriller or horror, this novel's use of both subgenres in tandem with its historical premise was a win for me. I love a good mystery that dances with the devil literally(?) and leaves that question mark on the board as a part of the game. The entwining POVs of Viktor and Smolak—as well as a few other one-offs—kept the pacing tight and propelled me through this dense novel quickly. Another plus! But... I had some issues anyway. Most notably with the ending, which I'll be honest was a bit of a letdown for me personally. ****I don't think the following is enough of a spoiler to hide this review, but please take note that I do discuss vague items regarding the ending below!!**** So it's VERY possible I've just read too many of these types of tales. I'll start there. But there are a lot of us readers who have read/watched/consumed pieces of media with similar premises to this one at least in terms of story structures and... The Devil Aspect picked one of the more obvious endings in that niche. It was well done, don't get me wrong, but I'm sad to report that my first guess was the correct one. There were some red herrings that made the reading experience more satisfying, for sure, but then we went back to that basic concept for the ending and I'll admit that I was very disappointed to see it. And, in tandem with the ending reveal(s), I also thought the climax sequence was extremely brief and then ended rather abruptly in a way that left no room for more exciting developments and/or events to bolster how reductive the ending felt. Again, all of this is my personal opinion. I wish we had delved more into certain elements of the plot and its atmospheric elements vs. what ended up occurring. But, that being said, I'm still rating this 4 stars because 90% of the novel was gripping as hell and I very much enjoyed the reading experience itself.  4 stars
It's always like a warm hug, returning to Chaos. Strap in for the story of Harlan ("Hugger") and Diana! Smooth Sailing is the third book in the Wild West MC series, which is in itself a spin-off series from KA's older Chaos MC series. Why am I giving you this much context? Because let's be honest, with these longer romance series + romance series spin-offs in the indie romance scene is honestly hard to keep it all straight—especially if you're a new reader! So, first things first: if you're brand new to KA's motorcycle club romances, I recommend you pause here and investigate the Chaos MC series, which starts with Own the Wind. I promise you won't regret it! But, if you're a wild card who likes to play it fast and loose with series order (it's me, I'm that person too) then feel free to keep on reading here and see if you'd like to try out the Wild West MC series by itself. From the blurb... When the Chaos Motorcycle Club came to call, Harlan “Hugger” McCain wasn’t ready to be welcomed into the fold. They said he was a legacy. He felt like an outcast. But he patched in anyway. And he was all in to be a part of their not-quite-outlaw missions. This takes him down to Phoenix, right into the orbit of Diana Armitage, a beautiful, green-eyed woman with a heart of gold and a scarily honed tendency to sacrifice for pretty much everyone she cares about, and some people she barely knows. Hugger has been existing. Life has never given him much, now, he expects even less. Diana lives life to its fullest. And she doesn’t keep it a secret she wants to drag Hugger right along with her. But Hugger is certain he’s got bad blood. He’s got one foot in Chaos, one foot out. One foot in Diana’s life, one foot out. Diana and his brothers in Chaos have their work cut out to show Hugger who he is. That he belongs. And he’s worthy to be loved. My thoughts: First off, it's honestly a huge surprise that I'm standing here at all, reading this story and telling you about it. (And it's to my utter shock that I liked it—a LOT!) Because, in total honesty, I hated the first book in the Wild West MC spin-off series. It actually turned me away from the entire concept, and led to me not reading the second book. (I don't feel this book deserves to be overshadowed by that story, so let's leave it at the fact that the MMC of that first book crossed some lines that all other KA love interests never cross.) But I'm on KA's arc team and it'd been a while... and I love Chaos... and I love KA. So I knew it was time for me to give this series another try. Hugger and Diana's story hits the spot. It's emotionally resonant, it has a core plot that carries through the entire story in a satisfying way, and it's filled with all of those KA-isms that hit me right in the feels. In short, I loved it. If you're a KA stan, obviously you're going to read and love this one. If you're new to her work, like I said at the top—start with Chaos if you're into all things MC romance, or start with this one knowing that you're entering a boisterous family of bikers, their women, and their good times. Y'all are welcome here. Thanks so much to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.  4 stars
Love, Rekindled: A Second-Chance Romance Collection by the 1001 Dark Nights is out now—and it's worth a read. In this romance novella collection are five different stories from some of the best authors in the game, all dealing with one of my absolute FAVORITE tropes: second-chance romance. Most of them are with characters familiar to those authors' readers from their established worlds and etc., which is extra fun if you're interested in either revisiting your author's favorite worlds OR you'd like to try your hand at a new-to-you author. (I know that stuff above is very market-y, but truly I think collections like this are a great soft sell for authors to meet new readers—it's how I get introduced to new series, because a novella is a lot less stakes than an entire novel!) In this collection: Slayed by Darkness by Alexandra Ivy Evermore by Corinne Michaels The Close-up by Kennedy Ryan Rafe by Sawyer Bennett Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey I requested Love, Rekindled because I am a huge fan of both Kennedy Ryan and Tessa Bailey. So let's be real, most of my thoughts here are for those two novellas in particular because I DID run right to their stories first (listen, we all do it!). Kennedy Ryan's second-chance romance with Takira and Naz had my heart, y'all, with its sweet high-school flame start and its steamy adult ending. These characters exist in a cross-section of Ryan's basketball players universe and her Reel universe, so I loved all of the references and to see these characters get their sweet happy ending. Tessa Bailey's romance was, like all Bailey stories, SMOKIN' hot. I honestly don't want to talk about this one too much because I had the best time going into it blind, but here's a little teaser quote to get you interested... "If another man called you his plaything, Lita, I would gut him." (Tell me you don't want to read that!!) As someone who hasn't read any of Alexandra Ivy, Corinne Michaels, or Sawyer Bennett before—and all of their worlds were new to me—I'll confess that I enjoyed them but don't have too much to say specifically about their individual stories. I did get intrigued though by their worlds, so those three authors have joined my growing TBR pile to try out their series soon! Thank you so much to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.  2 stars
What the actual heck was this. I liked it enough to finish reading it—hence the 2 stars and not a 1 star rating—but it was lowkey a mess. The Courting of Bristol Yeats is a hotly anticipated romantic fantasy release that received a TON of hype this year. It has it all right there in the pitch: a beloved YA author writes an adult romantic portal fantasy involving hot fae, intriguing portal door magic, and an approachable female main character. That flytrap of a pitch caught me, and caught me GOOD. I eat those kinds of stories UP. It's been several weeks since I've read this novel, so let's ignore the stereotypical "here's what this book is about" portion of the review because listen, the blurb is right there in the book's description and the details are already fuzzing for me so we're better off getting right to the point. I have no gentle way of saying this, so pardon my bluntness but... Was this novel edited or peer reviewed? Was it written on such a tight deadline that it didn't receive a logic pass? I know, super harsh. But I'm sorry... this book honestly made such little sense that I questioned whether I was even reading the novel properly or not, or if it was a me problem. (Let's be honest, call me out if it's a me problem.) It started out very strong. I liked Bristol, I enjoyed the story setup, and the logic flow from chapter to chapter made sense and felt like the dozens of novels in its type that I've read and loved before. But then, we got into the main plot arc. Without going into explicit spoilers, I can't really footnote these opinions properly, but in summary here's what kind of issues I had with this novel: 1. The "action" of this story happened almost exclusively off-page. As in, there WAS exciting, action-driven content happening in this world. But it seemed to happen in-between our chapters? And was almost always recapped via description and dialogue after the fact. 2. Because the majority of the action was off-page, this meant that 80% of this novel felt like filler / montage content that seemed to go nowhere and exist purely for the vibes. Bristol feeling things, Tyghan (the fae king love interest) feeling things, people talking about things, etc. It was a frustrating edging experience where I WANTED us to DO things and instead we lived in the micro-scenes of minutiae in between content. 3. The timeline of this novel... was not fact-checked. I'm not a detailed reader, this kind of thing usually doesn't even make my radar. But Bristol enters the faerie world and is essentially given a 3-month timeline, and that timeline is VERY important to the plot. But then we get recap moments that explain "days are passing" over and over and over again and the math... doesn't math. There aren't that many weeks inside of 3 months, no matter how you slice it (and there's no time-y stuff happening, this is a linear timeline). Some of the chapters illuminate that WEEKS are passing off page, and on the page it's many days passing... so much time flowing by without us actually experiencing much more than dialogue and internal musings, and again, it's all supposedly within a 3-month window? I'm calling B.S., it was so distracting that I found myself irritatedly tallying timelines while reading. 4. The love story had some logic-based issues. Mainly, that it was trying for a slow burn... and it was succeeding... but then a moment happens and WHAM BAM!!! All the sudden our well-done romantasy slow burn novel turned into the epitome of instalove and it honestly ruined the characterizations of both main characters in different ways. I truly, truly can't express how dramatic that shift was—and how QUICK it happened—on the page. Follow that shift with a kind of squicky/Oedipal flashback sequence right after it and it truly gave this novel a "Before the Incident" and "After the Incident" energy that I did not appreciate at all. 5. And then, beyond all of this, we also had more than 8 different POVs throughout this 500 page novel, but their inclusions to the story didn't enhance the narrative at all—it just muddied the already muddy waters. 80% of this novel was a relatively even split-POV between the two leads, Bristol and Tyghan. But then we continued to have these interjections of POVs that all felt like the same voice, but were dramatically different people, and all of them gave us more plot details that were told to us, not shown to us, in increasingly irritating ways that seemed like narrative cop-outs to action scenes that should have occurred with Bristol herself. 6. My last and final quibble, in this rant review to end all rant reviews, is the fact that ending of this fantasy novel is literally insane. The last 10% worked like many novels in this romantasy category. So many reveals! So many twists! Much drama! Angst! The need for an Intense Romantic Climax! And all that was fine, it was actually kind of interesting for me, which was a new feeling after 300 pages of confusing irritation. But then...the last 3 pages? Was actually unhinged and so out-of-pocket for both this novel's scenario AND for honestly any novel, ever. I can truly say that's not something I've ever considered to be "cliffhanger appropriate". I closed the novel and immediately said "wtf" over and over again, so take of that what you will. (Nothing against the WHAT of what happened, but the WHY and WHEN was insane.) Anyways, if you made it this far, we're besties now because this is essentially a transcript of the phone call rant I made to my friends after finishing this. My recommendation is: try other novels instead unless you're really, REALLY interested in this story/author and the above issues don't bother you.  3.5 stars
I love visiting Kristen Ashley Land. It's a special place where the people have heart, good times are had, romance is king, and drama fuels the fun. This second romp in the Avenging Angels universe was no exception! Please stop HERE if you have not read the first book in the series, Avenging Angel. This series of interconnected standalones is best read in order. My review of Avenging Angels here. Back in the Saddle is the second story in this spinoff series from Kristen Ashley's popular Rock Chick books—which are some of my favorite romance books EVER, I highly recommend them if you're into highly dramatic, very over-the-top stories. This series takes place in Phoenix, and the main narrative hook is a Charlie's Angels concept of younger women in their thirties who right the world's wrongs while having a good time and falling in love with hot men. What's not to like?? Truly, the vibes of this series are fantastic. As someone who rereads at least two Rock Chick books every single year, my expectations for this second-generation spin-off series were through the roof. And they delivered! Avenging Angels was the romance of Raye and Cap, and it was precious. Drama, hijinks, the whole nine yards. Now we're here, with Back in the Saddle, and it's Jessie and Eric's story. Eric Turner had his introduction in the Rock Chick books—a former FBI agent who left the scene because his partner betrayed him by being a crook, Eric's had a rough go. Add in some personal life drama and he's been ready for his happily ever after for QUITE some time. Enter Jessie Wylde, the Avenging Angel who is a mixologist by day, and worried older sister by night. She's looking for her brother as he struggles with his mental illness and is on the run, and she's desperate to find him. Eric's been about Jessie since he saw her months ago, so when she needs the backup, he wades in and makes his intentions knownnnn. It's time for another adventure in KA Land... Strap in! Okay, so on to the good stuff: This installment gave me all the warm fuzzy favorites that I associate with Kristen Ashley books. Namely, that we're here for a good time and not for a literary deep dive. I say "Kristen Ashley Land" when I talk about her books because it's like Disneyland—it has its own ecosystem with its own mannerisms, rules, sense of time/place, and culture. These books don't feel current or even grounded in our universe—they're grounded in location (here, it's Phoenix) but the time period feels like its own bubble of the past and present together and the characters all act in a very particular way that doesn't feel like Reality but isn't necessarily a fantasy. It's a vibe, and I know it's a very particular one that clashes with more people than it meshes with. I'm a mesher, but you reading this might be a clasher (and that's okay). KA isn't for everyone. That being said—being in the zone in a KA book is an endorphin high like little others I've experienced in books. So I was flying high on my drug of choice once more: these stories. Eric and Jessie were very emotionally stable and wonderful characters to follow and I enjoyed their sweet romance very much. Maybe some less good stuff: Okay. So it pains me to admit this, but Back in the Saddle was not my most favorite book in the KA universe. But hold up, because I know sometimes a 3.5 star rating is seen negatively by a lot of people and I don't mean to knock this book down at ALL. It's just, we wanted different things here. I'm a person who needsssss that angst. That drama. That I-don't-know-how-they'll-make-it-past-that-hang-up push and pull in romance. That oh-baby level of steam based on extenuating circumstances and tropes like forced proximity and instant attraction fueled with angsty vibes. And Jessie and Eric's story? Was all fluff. They didn't have drama, because they were reasonable adults who loved each other and communicated. Different strokes for different folks, I know, but for me? I wanted Eric and Jessie to go through it before their happily ever after and they didn't. Couple the lack of relationship drama with a serious lack in DRAMA drama (again, reasonable adults with reasonable boundaries means everyone was too on the same page for us to get TO the drama stage) means that I was craving a drama fix that I didn't necessarily get. However, all of my quibbles here are because I'm a drama-loving, extremely over-the-top romance reader. So my fellow readers, if you like something softer and more emotionally balanced, take those signs as a positive! Regardless, I am LOCKED IN to the concepts that were teased in this book for a future Harlow story and a future Luna story. Those seem... dramatic...!!! Many thanks to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.  4 stars
A bit long, but what a tale. Enter the woods, dark and deep, but watch out for the one who lurks in the shadows... And make sure the beacons are always lit. Don't go into Mockbeggar woods, they say. There's something in there that's not quite right. On the outskirts of a small English town, the Gonne family has stood apart for generations. The Gonnes keep odd customs and they take care of the abandoned Small Angels church down the road. They light beacons every night on the four corners of their property. And they hold vigil over the Mockbeggar woods. Lucia Gonne grew up as the youngest of four sisters on the Gonne family farm at the edge of the woods. The woods call to her in strange ways, and she finds herself constantly in trouble with her family as she breaks and bends their strict rules. Lucia doesn't understand what all the fuss is about—the woods like her, she's one of them, and her friend in the trees understands her when no one else does. Decades later, Chloe is preparing for her upcoming wedding at Small Angels, the abandoned church in her fiance's small English town. Everyone is shocked that she's getting married on that property, but no one will quite tell her why. No one meets her gaze, no one wants to talk about it, and when Chloe starts her wedding preparations at Small Angels, she feels something...off. As Lucia's timeline entwines with Chloe's, the tale of Mockbeggar woods and its secrets come into the light. For the first time, the townspeople and the Gonne family will need to talk about the secrets they've held for decades--and realize that the thing they thought had ended forever one fateful night might just be awakening again. What a glorious gothic tale for the fall season. I read this curled up in a blanket with a warm cup of tea, and that's my official recommendation for new readers. This book screams to be read in the autumn. Small Angels is a modern take on the ghost story, and one of those speculative, almost gothic tales that bridge the gap between mystery, horror, speculative, and literary. It's a multi-layered cake best left viewed as a whole and not quartered down into genre parts. I love these kinds of stories. I thought Small Angels was fabulous. My only critique is that it was too long—maybe not by much, but enough that I definitely had a hard time both getting into the story and maintaining my momentum in the middle portion. A tighter introduction with a streamlined middle would have easily catapulted this tale from a 4 star recommendation to a 5 star favorite novel without losing any of the punchy portions that made this story sing. In particular, I thought the storytelling element was superb. Telling ghost tales and fairytales around a fireplace, whispering about past legends... that kind of atmosphere is what Small Angels is about. And it nails this energy. It's one of those storylines that feels like its own tale from the fireside, fleshed out into a full novel with side characters and modern-day quests. Come for the small town, creepy elements. Stay for the storytelling core and the sense of triumph over evil.  4.5 stars
What a neat concept for a horror (speculative?) novel centered on the deep, dark woods. Come for the split-timeline horror pitch—stay for the creeping tension and seriously trippy finale. Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★ The Dark Between the Trees is a novel I've put off reading for quite a long time. I'm not completely sure why, but the core idea is that I thought I knew what this novel was about. Let's clear that assumption right away: I did not. This is one of those nebulous stories that sounds really vague and predictable from the synopsis. A group of people disappeared into a supposedly haunted woods in the long-ago past. Today, a group of people head into that same woods to see if they can discover what happened to that lost group. Dun dun dun, it's about to get dark real fast. (And we don't think that present-day timeline group of people are going to have a good time.) On the surface, that IS what this novel is about. Two timelines, two groups of people, two ventures into the deep dark with unexpected trials awaiting them. But let me be both vague and yet, hopefully, more interesting—this novel takes us to some interesting places. I found myself captivated by the tension and anxiously eager to see where this plot was heading. It's a taut, bare-bones plot with a great sense of ominous atmosphere. And its ending is truly quite cool—can't say it's something I've read before and it's very unique in its particular level of execution (or at least, it was new to this reader). Is it a mystery/thriller? A horror novel? An unexpectedly speculative/magical adventure? All of the above? ...Yes and no. This hybrid beast is all of the above, and I think that's partially why the ratings for The Dark Between the Trees are so lukewarm. It's not enough of a mystery, not enough of a horror, not enough of a resolution. It just is. It's a lingering, half-formed, folkloric kind of thing. If you like weird little tales of the dark woods, check this one out with an open mind. It's pretty cool. |
Amy Imogene ReadsJust someone looking for her own door into Wonderland. Categories
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All reviews posted are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or entity. When applicable, reviewed titles sent to me by the publisher are noted at the bottom of each review.
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