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Are you ready to make a deal?: Reviewing Sign Here by Claudia Lux

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well! I am posting this on St. Patrick’s Day so Happy St. Paddy’s Day if you celebrate! I recently broke my book-buying ban and will return with more fascinating novels soon. I have at least one more novella to read and a shorter novel before I review some of the longer books I own. One of my next books will be Terry Pratchett’s The Color of Magic so I might have a new series to start soon. Before I can talk about any of those, I must talk to you about the subject of this review: Sign Here by Claudia Lux.

Content Warning: Discussions and Depictions of Violence and Abuse, Drug and Alcohol Usage, Some Harsh Language, Some Sexual Content,

Despite living in Hell (yes, that Hell), Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig. He works in the Deals Department on the Fifth Floor of Hell. Peyote, though, wants to get promoted to the Sixth Floor, where things are a lot less awful. To do so, he has to convince the last member of the Harrison family to sign over their soul. Completely unaware of this plan, the Harrisons go up to their lake house to spend where they always spend their summers. Their teen daughter brings along her confident and mysterious friend, Ruth. Peyote seizes the opportunity to get to the Harrisons. With the help of his new coworker Calamity, he should have this deal in the bag. These plans, however, begin to fall apart quickly when the Harrisons are forced to confront a tragedy that happened at the lake. As it turns out, these secrets have deadly consequences for everyone.

Sign Here was quite a fun and thrilling read. It was equal parts darkly funny and rather heartwarming at times. Claudia Lux makes the most use of multiple character POVs to create such well-fleshed-out characters. I also loved her depiction of Hell as being a series of the worst workplaces you could ever imagine. The blurb said this book had similar vibes to “The Good Place,” which is one of my favorite shows and I could definitely see the similarities here and there. I thought the overall humor that the book promises worked well with the tone. It never felt inappropriate when it didn’t need to be, considering some of the content matter that this book deals with. My favorite thing about the book, though, was the plot twists that made me not want to put down the book at all. I absolutely needed to know how this book ended and I am glad I did. Overall, I am going to recommend Sign Here, especially if you have a bit of a dark sense of humor.

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These cunning gods and their cunning games: Reviewing Godkiller (Book 1 of the Fallen Gods Series) by Hannah Kaner

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Spring is just around the corner and I am ready for change. If you haven’t yet, you can follow me on Storygraph (a free app that lets you track your reading) under the username n0vel_ideas. An idea that I am toying with right now is creating an Instagram account for my TBR. I haven’t decided yet but I will let you know how to follow me if I decide to make one. I guess I am (very technically) an “influencer,” which is weird to think about. I can at least hope that I am a good influence. While we’re here, let’s talk about Godkiller by Hannah Kaner.

Content Warning: Violence, Some Sexual Content, Harsh Language. Some Descriptions of Injury, Some Disturbing Imagery

Years ago, gods of all sorts ran rampant in the kingdom of Middren. After a war was started by the gods, they were forbidden, and any worship of them was made illegal. Any gods that might still roam the land are dispatched by “godkillers.” Kissen is one of these godkillers. After her family was killed by a fire god, she devoted her life to killing gods and getting paid for it. Everything Kissen knows about the gods is changed when she meets a young noble girl who is bound to the god of white lies. Kissen can’t kill the god without killing the girl so she must find a way to break their bond. On their journey, they meet a knight with secrets of his own who agrees to help them. They must venture to the kingdom of Blenraden, where wild gods still roam and a civil war threatens to break out. Only the ragtag group can stop the kingdom from being thrown into a war unlike any they have ever seen before.

Godkiller was quite the fun, fast-paced fantasy read that I have been looking for for a while now. Hannah Kaner provides an interesting take on world-building. Any fantasy has some religion built into the world but that often gets pushed aside for the plot. I liked how the gods were a major part of the plot in this book. There was definitely some inspiration from Game of Thrones in this book but I personally enjoyed that aspect as well. I thought the four characters whose POVs we alternate between were all interesting in their own way. Multiple POVs can be tricky but Kaner does a great job of balancing all of these characters. Overall, Godkiller was such a fun read and I can’t wait to read its sequel.

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There is nothing wrong with being a monster: Reviewing The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Hi everyone! I’m back again with another review. Before you read this review, you can check out my review of Cassandra Khaw’s other novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I still have mixed feelings about that particular book. I didn’t realize how many people really disliked the first novella, though. Rarely, I don’t give authors a second chance. Some authors just need some time to improve. I have a small handful of authors who I won’t ever read or won’t read again. I don’t focus too heavily on that aspect and typically just go off of the books themselves. Maybe some of you are the exact opposite, though. It is fine either way. Now, let’s talk about The Salt Grows Heavy.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Body Horror, Depictions of Harm Towards Children, Non-consensual Medical Experimentation, Discussions and Depictions of Abuse

A prince found a mermaid and brought her to shore. He foolishly thought he could make her a “proper wife.” He was wrong and now her daughters have devoured the kingdom. Now, the mermaid wanders the land with a mysterious plague doctor by her side. The two unlikely companions discover a village of immortal children who are ruled by three cruel beings they call “the saints.” The mermaid and the plague doctor must embrace their darker natures to survive.

I must say that I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I liked the unique take that this book had on mermaid-centric fairytales and embraces the myths in which mermaids (or sirens) are terrifying monsters. I also like the relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor. The biggest problem with this book is that is a novella. There are some interesting ideas in this book that I would have loved to see explore more. The book seemed so focused on these long descriptions and excessive use of words that I had to stop to look up. While I did indeed learn new words, I also learned you don’t need long words to make your story compelling. That being said, Cassandra Khaw’s writing is strong and the descriptions were both beautiful and visceral. It was one of the more gory books I have read so far this year. Overall, I’m not going to say that you should definitely read The Salt Grows Heavy but I don’t think it would hurt to check this one out if you are interested in super dark and violent retellings of fairy tales.

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Maybe I never stopped screaming: Reviewing Intercepts by T.J. Payne

Hi all! I hope you are all doing well. The weather is finally getting nice and I am ready to read in places that are not indoors. I typically do include indoor reading, though. It’s my dream to make myself a little reading nook one day with a comfy chair and all kinds of cozy things to surround myself with while I read some of the most stressful books I decide to buy. Speaking of stressful books, I am very excited to talk to you all about this one. I have seen Intercepts come up on a lot of recommendation lists so I took that as a sign I needed to check this book out. Now, it’s time to talk about Intercepts by T.J. Payne.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Non-Consensual Medical Extermination, Discussions and Depictions of Self-Harm, Harsh Language, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions and Depictions of Severe Mental Illness

Joe Gerhard is good at his job. He works at the Facility, which houses top-secret experiments done on human prisoners. These prisoners are known as “Antennas” and can be used to “intercept” someone’s mind. The way to do this, though, is by putting the prisoners in extreme sensory deprivation that drives them to madness. Joe has accepted this as part of his job, though, because they use the “antennas” to catch terrorists and criminals. His life is interrupted by tragedy when his ex-wife takes her own life. Riley, his teenage daughter, comes to live with Joe in the aftermath. Soon after, she starts having terrifying hallucinations of a woman who tears herself apart. Joe comes to the horrifying realization that his daughter has been “intercepted” and must figure out how to save her.

Intercepts was a gruesome and thrilling read that was a mix of sci-fi and horror. This gave me similar vibes to the SCP Foundation if you are familiar. (If you aren’t familiar with the SCP Foundation, it is a fictional government facility that houses all kinds of scary and bizarre creatures. Go look it up.) The novel comes out swinging with the gory horror from chapter one but leaves plenty of room for suspense. There were a couple of times when my jaw dropped because of just how gory the book was. The twists also made me want to get to the end so I could have some kind of answer. Intercepts was an unputdownable sci-fi horror I would recommend for all of you horror fans.

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When you are real, you don’t mind being hurt: Reviewing How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Before I introduce you to this book, I suggest you check out my review of Horrorstor, also by Grady Hendrix. Recently, I created an account on StoryGraph, which is an app that allows you to keep track of what you’re reading. If you want, you can follow me (N0vel_Ideas) and you can see what reviews I have coming up or we can even buddy read if you want. Now, back to the matter at hand. I was a bit nervous to read this book because it seemed like everyone either had this in their top ten or bottom ten when it came to reviewing it. I try not to be influenced by too many reviews but it is hard to ignore a book that it seems like everyone is talking about. I don’t necessarily consider this part of the content warning but if you are freaked out by puppets and/or dolls then this is probably not the book for you. Anyways, let’s talk about How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.

Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery, Violence, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Harsh Language, Harm Towards Children, Discussions About Grief and Mourning

Louise is shocked when her estranged brother calls her one day to tell her that their parents died in a car accident. As upset as she is, Louise is reluctant to leave her young daughter with her ex and return to her childhood home in South Carolina. What she especially doesn’t want to deal with is her parents’ home, which contains all of the remnants of her mom’s lifelong passion: puppets and dolls. On top of that, Louise’s brother Mark wants to fight over their inheritance. As they continue to fight over the house, they begin to realize that there is something else in the house that will stop at nothing to make sure they don’t sell it…..

I’m pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Grady Hendrix’s most recent novel. Hendrix has an interesting way of writing (what I am going to dub) “quirky horror.” The whole puppet/doll aspect of the novel was certainly unique. I thought that this novel elevated that particular subgenre of horror. I got similar vibes to Chucky at times. The novel does balance some more gratuitous moments of horror, suspense, and rather heartfelt themes of grief and mourning. I will say that this book does get a little slow towards the middle and is a bit predictable, but honestly, I was fine with that. It was a solid, enjoyable horror novel. I am going to go ahead and recommend How to Sell a Haunted House if you want to dive a little deeper into the horror genre.

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The living are often anchors for the dead: Reviewing The Deep by Alma Katsu

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m doing my best to keep my reviews coming at a steady pace. I’m also realizing that I might have to rearrange my bookshelves yet again. Every year or so, I like to switch up how my bookshelves look. They aren’t super cute or aesthetic by any means but they are set up just the way I like them for now. I might organize by color next time for my standalone books but we will see how much effort I feel like putting into re-organizing everything. Now, enough of that. Let’s talk about The Deep by Alma Katsu.

Content Warning: Death of a Child, Distressing Imagery, Some Violence, Sexual Content

In 1912, a young Irish woman named Annie Hebbley was hired as a stewardess aboard the HMHS Titanic. Despite the glamor of the remarkable ship, something sinister is attacking the guests. Annie and a few others try to investigate what’s happening but tragedy strikes. Annie manages to survive the sinking of the Titanic and retreats to an asylum. Four years later, Annie’s friend and fellow survivor, Violet Jessop, offers her a position as a nurse on board the Titanic‘s sister ship, the Britannic, which has been converted to a hospital ship in the wake of World War One. While on the ship, Annie crosses paths with Mark Fletcher whom she had met on the Titanic. The two are forced to relive the tragedy they had survived and confront the demons that have come back to haunt them from their pasts.

Maybe some of you reading this review have or had some sort of fascination with the sinking of the Titanic and, if so, then this book is for you. The Deep is a rich mixture of drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. This is a bit of a slow burn but even the parts that don’t really touch on the supernatural elements are still interesting. Once the novel picks up pace, it becomes difficult to put down. Every character is well fleshed-out and the subplots blend seamlessly. This novel utilizes a mix of real-life figures and characters created for this book. I did some light research because I was curious and it seems Alma Katsu did keep true to history. This was a very fun and compelling read. I am absolutely going to recommend this, especially if you want a unique historical fiction novel.

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Shared danger is the strongest of bonds: Reviewing The Temple of Fortuna (Book 3 of the Wolf Den Trilogy) by Elodie Harper

Hi everyone! I hope you are all still doing well. Before you read this review, read my reviews for the first two books in the series, The Wolf Den and The House with the Golden Door. I am very excited to wrap up this series with you. I mostly plan on reading standalone books but I might start another series. I’ve been getting some good recommendations via the Internet that I hope to share with you all in the future. For now, let’s talk about the third and final book in The Wolf Den trilogy, The Temple of Fortuna.

Content Warning: Harsh Language, Discussions and Depictions of Abuse, Mild Sexual Content, Some Violence, Discussions and Depictions of Slavery

Amara has fought and bargained her way from the brothel known as the Wolf Den to being an upper-class courtesan to a powerful Roman politician. Her life is far from happy, though, as her daughter and the man she truly loves live in Pompeii. Amara decides to visit her family, torn between the life she has fought for and the life she wants. She is still in danger of her secrets being revealed by her former master. Just as Amara thinks the worst of the danger has passed, Vesuvius erupts. Amara must use her survival skills to save her family from her dangerous past and an uncertain future.

This third and final installment of The Wolf Den trilogy wraps up Amara’s story in a satisfying, albeit sad way. Being that the story was set in Pompeii, I was curious if Elodie Harper was going to include the explosion of Vesuvius. Even though it is a large part of the book, it doesn’t overshadow the carefully crafted interpersonal drama and heartfelt relationships that Elodie Harper pays such great attention to. I appreciate how honestly Harper depicts the various struggles of her female characters. It is hard to find truly complex female characters but Elodie Harper delivers that throughout this trilogy. I can find very few weak points in this series as a whole. Each book holds up as its own with plenty of rich historical accuracy and compelling characters. If you are looking for an exciting novel, look no further than the Wolf Den trilogy.

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The world was scary. Worse, I was scary in it: Reviewing Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova

Hello everyone! I’m back to my regularly scheduled reviews! I’m very excited about this one too. I always have a few books on my TBR pile that I look forward to more than others. Monstrilio has been circling around my little corner of the internet and I was immediately intrigued by the premise. Now, let’s not ramble on any longer and talk about Monstrilio.

Content Warning: Death of a Child, Grief and Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content, Some Harsh Language, Depictions Of Drug and Alcohol Use, Animal Death, Graphic Depictions of Injuries

Magos is shattered after the death of her young son, Santiago. In her grief, she cuts out a piece of his lung as a morbid keepsake. She believes she can bring Santiago back by feeding and nurturing the piece of the lung. Shockingly, it worked but not in the way that Magos had thought. The lung slowly turns into a grotesque little creature that she dubs Monstrilio. Magos does her best to contain this new creature but Monstrilio grows and evolves rapidly. His appetite poses a danger to Magos and those around her. Magos is forced to confront her grief and decide what to do with the creature who may or may not be her son.

I am so glad when the hype for a book pays off. Monstrilio is a beautiful yet terrifying novel about the complexity of grief. This book is so tender and so fierce in its depiction of love and what love can drive someone to do, for better or worse. What I wasn’t anticipating about this book (but absolutely loved) is its depiction of queer love and sexuality. We have these characters who have so much to hide because of what they have done but don’t ever hide from those aspects of themselves. While this novel is classified as a horror, it wasn’t truly “scary,” but it was gruesome at times. You have been warned if you are a little squeamish. It did give me the chills here and there. I did not want to put this book down at all. I know it’s early in the year but Monstrilio is already one of my all-time favorites so far. Put this one on the top of your TBR immediately. You won’t regret reading this truly amazing novel.

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Let’s DNF together! It’s okay to stop reading!

Hi all! I’m coming at you with a completely different post than my normal reviews. I’m sure most of you on this side of the internet are familiar with the term DNF but, if you need a refresher, it stands for Did Not Finish. You don’t necessarily have to apply it to books but it is mostly regarding books. I have some free time at this moment so I have been watching different “Book Tubers” talk about their worst or DNFs of 2023. I felt inspired. I am a bit of a completionist when it comes to books. I like to see things through to the end because a book could surprise me or it could justify any negative feelings I have while reading. I might have said this before but I go into every book I read hoping it will be my next favorite. Not everything pans out, though, and I certainly wish I had stopped reading certain books. I am making it a point now to be okay with DNF-ing a book for whatever reason. Now, I will present my most recent DNFs. If you have different thoughts or you agree, feel free to leave me a comment either way.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon – You might have heard the hype surrounding this book and its daunting size. The book is about 1,000 pages. I was fully prepared to tackle this book and read about 25% of the book before giving up. It was so bloated and I didn’t care about the court politics of the book. I wanted dragons and was barely getting dragons. I don’t know if I will ever tackle this book again but I’m going to hold on to it, just in case. If a book is over 1,000 pages, it really needs to work double overtime to justify why it is 1,000 pages.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth – This is another case of a book just being too long and not losing my interest. I also didn’t care for the fourth wall-breaking narrator who kept being cheeky and omnipotent. The book goes back and forth between two groups of characters (one set in the past and one set in the present) and I was only interested in the characters from the past. I do really want to give the book another shot because I like the overall premise but the narrative voice annoyed me so much.

Rhapsodic by Lauren Thalassa – Everyone and their mother currently loves dark “romantasy” with fairies who are just hot people with wings. I thought I might give the genre a shot and I am learning that dark romance is not exactly for me. This book was a slog to get through and I was annoyed at how slow the burn was. I flipped ahead and the two main characters didn’t get together until about chapter twelve of a book that was just shy of thirty chapters. Also, the main character’s best friend was a stereotype and that bothered me throughout. I’m not bothering with Laura Thalassa again.

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert – This book had two things that I should have loved: vampires and Katee Robert. I still stand by my reviews of her other books as “guilty pleasure” books. I thought that this book would be a no-brainer, instant love for me. Let me explain what I like about the Dark Olympus series: in every book, regardless of the circumstances, the couples always have a discussion about consent and boundaries. I truly appreciate all of those conversations and how Katee Robert works those in. In Court of the Vampire Queen (spoiler/content warning) the main character literally walks into the main vampire love interest’s house and he jumps on her, then they just have sex right there. There was no “hi, how are you” nor did he even introduce himself. They get nasty right there and she brushes the whole thing off?!?! It was so icky and I gave that book away as soon as I could.

Phantom by Greer Rivers – Does all dark romance suck? This one was on me for falling for a premise. This book was advertised by the author herself as a re-telling of The Phantom of the Opera that is set in modern-day New Orleans and it had some mafia elements. I put this book down after the first sentence of the first chapter. Now, I fully understand that dark romance is meant to be a little unhinged but I don’t appreciate the male main character fantasizing about assaulting the female main character. It was a major ick and I’m mad at myself for falling for this book.

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – This one is simply a case of “not feeling it.” I’ve been trying for months to read this book and I’m just not super interested. I do really like the premise so I might just save this one for a different time. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s books so if I don’t finish this one then I might try I different book by him. The book gives me major Stephen King vibes, for better or worse. I really wanted to read it for October but I found other books that I just liked better.

Well, that is my current DNF list. If you have any suggestions for other books I might like instead then feel free to leave those in the comments. I wish you all the best!

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We would not be born out of sweetness, we were born out of rage: Reviewing Brutes by Dizz Tate

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m back again with yet another unhinged book about girlhood. Prepare yourself. I promise that my reviews will remain weird. I have said this once and I will say it again: thank you all so much for continuing to support this blog as I ramble on about whatever have read lately and I wish you all the best. Now, let’s discuss Brutes.

Content Warning: Some Harsh Language, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions and Depictions of Child Abuse and Neglect, Some Discussions of Self-harm, Some Discussions about Substance Abuse

Falls Landing, Florida seems like a haven for upper-class Floridians with its clean houses, massive pools, and constant gossip. In this little suburban paradise lives a group of thirteen-year-old girls, dubbed “the Brutes” by their mothers. These girls develop an obsession with Sammy, the preacher’s daughter. They spend their days and nights following Sammy and her boyfriend, Eddie, with a frenzied curiosity. One day, Sammy goes missing and only the girls know what really happened to her. The secret will continue to haunt them into adulthood and rears its ugly head as they reunite in unexpected ways.

In the same vain as Ottessa Moshfegh and Monica Ojeda, Dizz Tate delivers a visceral and harsh look at girlhood and its pitfalls. The Brutes is a dizzying tale of mystery with Southern Gothic elements. I love the combination of abstract prose and blunt honesty that Dizz Tate uses throughout the novel. I have not spent a ton of time in Florida but Tate paints a detailed picture of a childhood among the cul-de-sacs where secrets lie in every house. I also appreciated the flash-forwards to each of the characters as adults because it did an excellent job showing the lasting impact of childhood trauma. Brutes is an impactful look at the bonds created by girlhood and the unspoken truths of growing up in a toxic environment.