Posted on by bookreviews628

I bite at myself, tear my skin off, but I never quite die: Reviewing The Deep by Nick Cutter

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m getting ready to wrap up some books so I can get to my summer reading. I’ve had good luck at some local second-hand bookstores. I’m sure you can all relate to lacking impulse control when it comes to books. At least, I hope it is not just a “me problem.” I think that is enough rambling for now. Let’s talk about The Deep.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Disturbing Imagery, Animal Death and Mistreatment, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Body Horror, Claustrophobia, Thalassaphobia

The apocalypse started quietly. People began forgetting small things, then big things, they simply forgot how to function. Scientists discovered a strange disease, dubbed the ‘Gets, was causing the slow demise of humankind. The only hope for a cure is a strange substance called “ambrosia” that can only be found eight miles below the Pacific Ocean. The underwater lab goes quiet after sending out a strange message meant for one man and one man only. Luke Nelson’s brother, Clayton, is one of the scientists tasked with unlocking the secrets of this mysterious substance. Desperate to find out what happened to his brother, Lucas ventures deep below and encounters a darkness that no human mind can fathom.

I have to give Nick Cutter kudos for writing one of the most uncomfortable horror novels I have read in a long time. The layers of different fears make for a rather suffocating and tense reading experience. There’s body horror, aquatic horror, cosmic horror, and psychological horror all rolled into one relentless book. I am not terribly squeamish but I regretted eating dinner before finishing this book. The last 20% of The Deep had me squirming at the exquisite detail that Cutter includes throughout the climax of this book. It was a tough read but in a good way. This book will be especially difficult to read if you have a soft spot for animals. I appreciated that Cutter took the time to explore the characters’ emotions and go out of the way to endear me as a reader to them, and not just create characters who are meant to die. My only gripe about this book is that there were some discussions about sex that I felt were entirely unnecessary. With all of that being said, The Deep is definitely a book for the horror aficionado.

Posted on by bookreviews628

This world, my love, I give it all to you: Reviewing The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

Hi again everyone! I’m sure you all missed me after being away for one whole day. I’m not going to ramble too much because I got that all out of my system already. I’m just going to launch into the review. Let’s talk about The God of Endings.

Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery, Violence and Gore, Attempted Assault, Self-Harm, Child Death, Animal Death

Two hundred years ago, a girl named Anna fell ill when a plague swept through her small town. After her father and brother passed away, her eccentric grandfather took her under his care. Instead of nursing Anna back, though, he granted her the gift of immortality and bloodlust. After decades of struggling with her “condition,” Anna finally found a home for herself. She took the name Collette LaSange and established a fine arts school for young children. Everything was going fine until Collette met a talented young boy with a mother who seemed to be hiding something. Finding herself inexplicably drawn to this child, Collette finds herself struggling with an overwhelming lust for blood. Now, she must come to terms with the past or present lest she let it consume her whole.

As you all know, I am a sucker (pun intended) for a good vampire book. I rarely find a book that breaks away from the classic Gothic tropes that come with vampires. Jacqueline Holland’s novel is a standout in the genre. Her prose is poetic, vivid, poignant, and dark. Seeing the world through Anna/Collette’s eyes invites many existential questions about purpose and love. It is a bit of a slow burn, but that benefits the rich narrative and dark themes that Holland explores throughout the book. Unlike other vampire books, this one doesn’t dwell as much on the supernatural elements which is rather refreshing in this instance. It is just abstract enough to leave to your interpretation, while just solid enough to understand Holland’s purpose in her writing. Maybe I am just biased and/or projecting, but I saw elements of Frankenstein and Interview with the Vampire here and there. I don’t toss around the word “extraordinary” very often, but this instance felt appropriate. Needless to say, you should go read The God of Endings.

Posted on by bookreviews628

We were monsters once…: Reviewing And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Hi everyone! I got lucky and had an unexpected day off today. Obviously, that means I’m going to do some serious catching up on my TBR pile. It hasn’t been this out of control in a while. I’m not going to be out of material for a while. Now that I have finished a book, let’s talk about And Then I Woke Up.

Content Warning: Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Strong Language

The world ended when diseased monsters ran rampant and killed innocent people. At least, that’s what they were told. A disease spread across the world, but what it did was affect how people perceive reality. Spence is one of the “cured,” living in Ironside, a massive rehab facility that is essentially a prison. He decides that he belongs here, away from the guilt and shame. A mysterious new inmate named Leila asks him to help her escape so she can find her crew of survivors. Spence agrees, drawn by her enigmatic past. Now, outside of his carefully designed world, Spence must reconcile with the past and confront the reality of the horrors he faced and caused.

Someone can rarely take a genre as straightforward as zombie survival and make it new. Malcolm Devlin, though, does just that. And Then I Woke Up serves as more of an allegory about propaganda and perspective, rather than a gory zombie tale. This book is about one unreliable narrator talking to another unreliable narrator, who is also relying on other unreliable narrators for their survival. It’s a quick, punchy read with plenty of dizzying moments of uncertainty and emotional whiplash. That is what made this book so effective in its message. There are still gory details here and there, along with dramatic scenes of fighting hoards of infected monsters, Those scenes, though, are not what makes this book so interesting. It really is a character study that examines the horrors of not being able to rely on one’s own mind. With this being a shorter one, it would definitely be a great book if you need to get out of a reading slump. It’s safe for me to recommend And Then I Woke Up if you want a unique horror read.

Posted on by bookreviews628

The amount of pain we can endure is spectacular: Reviewing Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Thank you so much for your likes for my last couple of posts. I love to see that you are all still enjoying my little hobby after all this time. It makes me happy. Don’t worry because I still have plenty of books to review. I’m also going to be starting a couple of series in the near future, so I’m looking forward to seeing if I like any of those. I have plenty of standalone books if that is something you are interested in. With that being said, let’s talk about Ripe.

Content Warning: Substance Abuse, Sexual Content, Disturbing Imagery, Self-harm, Abortion, Emotional Abuse

After spending years at a prominent tech company in San Francisco, Cassie has had enough. She is exhausted, lonely, and frightened but does her best to mask her feelings. Cassie’s life takes a turn when she suspects she might be pregnant. On top of that, her boss asks her to take part in a sketchy plan to take down a rival company. With the pressure growing, Cassie must make a choice that will change her life forever.

I haven’t read any “messy girl literature” in a while and Ripe sits comfortably in that category. I do not label something as “messy girl literature” dismissively. Ripe uses a combination of magical realism and eloquent prose to highlight Cassie’s struggles that most peope relate to. Sarah Rose Etter tackles heavy topics like the endless and torturous cycle of capitalism, depression, emotional abuse from a parent, and substance abuse with brutal honesty and sympathy. The novel was just ambiguous enough and just specific enough to keep me locked in. It is uncomfortable to read at times but those uncomfortable truths are worth confronting. If you want something provocative and harsh, then Ripe is exactly the book for you.

Posted on by bookreviews628

Day or night, dead was dead: Reviewing Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Hey everyone! I’m back again! I’m on a bit of a roll with finishing books and I intend to keep the momentum. I’ll get to my longer books sooner than later, but I have a couple of shorter ones I want to finish. Ania Ahlborn is an author I have been wanting to read for a while now. I have a soft spot for female horror authors so I want to discover as many as I can so I can then pass along recommendations to all of you. With that being said, it’s time to talk about Brother.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Strong Language (including slurs), Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Incest, Distrubing Imagery

The Morrows live deep in the Applachian mountains, tucked away from civilization where they can carry out their crimes. Girls go missing and no one thinks to look where the Morrows live. While the rest of the family takes sick joy in hunting these girls, Michael wants nothing more than to live a normal life. He fantasizes about seeing the rest of the world, far away from the suffocating landscape of West Virginia. One day, Michael meets Alice who also has hopes of seeing the world. Just as Michael dares to hope that his dreams might come true, his old brother plots to show Michael where he truly belongs.

This was one of the nastier books I have read in a bit, and I have read plenty of gross books in my life. That statement, though, is a compliment in this case. Ania Ahlborn creates a violent and hauting tale of a twisted family of serial killers in the 1970s. Every character felt more human than I expected, but they all still creeped me out in every sense. Ahlborn does an excellent job balancing the humanity of the characters and gruesome, stomach-churning violence. There was a bit of a twist towards the end that, while a tiny bit predictable, made this all the more tragic. I am glad that this was my first foray into Ania Ahlborn’s novels. Once I recover from this one, I will definitely check out another book by her. If you are a fan of gruesome family dramas, then this certainly the novel for you.

Posted on by bookreviews628

You hate. We love. I devour you whole: Reviewing The Archive Undying by Emma Meiko Candon

Hi everyone! I’m back! It feels like I have been away for too long. Some exciting life changes happened recently so my attention has been elsewhere. I just didn’t have the attention span to buckle down and finish anything. Until now, that is. Let me not ramble for any longer. Let’s talk about The Archive Undying.

Content Warning: Strong Language, Some Sexual Content, Disturbing Imagery, Intense Battle Scenes

The world has been ruled by AI gods for eons and, when a god falls, the city it rules dies with it. The city of Khuon Mo was one of these doomed cities. Its god, though, didn’t destroy everything. It left behind one survivor: a child named Sunai. In the seventeen years since the city was destroyed, Sunai has wandered from city to city, unable to die and haunted by the destruction he witnessed. He copes by throwing himself into work, drugs, and the beds of strangers. One of these strangers, an eccentric and guarded archivist, suspects that Sunai hides a secret. The two soon find themselves with a ragtag group of merchants who are tasked with finding a valuable artifact before a dangerous entity finds it. Sunai finds himself thrust back into the world of gods and machines where the stakes are higher than ever.

As I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Gideon the Ninth. Funny enough, the quote on the cover is from Tamsyn Muir herself. With that being said, The Archive Undying is a standout science fiction novel with a vivid setting and compelling world-building. Emma Meiko Candon seamlessly blends a wry sense of humor with a kaleidoscopic, multifaceted narrative. Everything in this book was so vivid, from the massive mechs to the AI gods. It jumps between trippy visuals with existential questions about existence and religion, to intense battle sequences and great interpersonal drama. I desperately needed a good sci-fi novel and I am so glad I found this one. You should absolutely read The Archive Undying if you want a book that feels like a breath of fresh air in the sci-fi landscape.

Posted on by bookreviews628

Fun Is Guaranteed!: Reviewing FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

Hi everyone! I’m back yet again with yet another review! I know, I know; hold the applause and surprise. I’m glad, though, that you are all still enjoying these and engaging with my posts. Thank you all to my new followers and my long-time followers! I appreciate every single one of you and am happy to keep you entertained. Now, let me entertain you with my review of FantasticLand.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions of Sexual Assault

In September 2017, FantasticLand, a beloved theme park, was struck by the enormous power of Hurricane Sadie. The hurricane laid waste to the Florida coast and left about 200 employees stranded in the park for five weeks. During that time, chaos reigned and once-civil theme park workers turned to murder. When they were rescued, the media circus that followed left a gruesome imprint on America’s imagination. Now, nearly ten years later, reporter Adam Jakes is determined to find out what really happened by asking the survivors. What he finds out is more horrifying than anything than he had imagined.

FantasticLand spends most of its narrative dancing between semi-believable and pretty unbelievable. The overall setup is interesting and I like how the novel is told through different testimonials. Each character’s voice is unique and there were a lot of interesting connections made throughout the novel. Where it sort of lost me was close to the end where the book has some weirdly convenient plot points, like the park having a stockpile of guns or a real working cannon. There were some other unnecessarily gruesome points that kind of took away from the initial premise of people stuck in a theme park trying to survive. That alone would have been interesting, but the book veered too much into “creepypasta” territory for me and took me out of the interesting parts that dealt with survival and bonding. With all of that being said, I am not going to not recommend FantasticLand. It had enough thrills to keep me entertained. I will say that this book is the most ideal for any fans of survival horror.

One-Time
Monthly
Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Thank you!

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
Posted on by bookreviews628 · 1 Comment

After a while, though, things will fall into place: Reviewing Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Hey everyone! I’m back again! I love being able to give you all back-to-back reviews. I have been sitting on this particular book for a while now. I know most people read Kindred in high school or undergrad, but I hadn’t read any books by Octavia E. Butler before so I had been looking forward to this one for a while. I won’t ramble on much longer. Let’s talk about Kindred.

Content Warning: Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Self-Harm and Suicide, Harsh Language and Slurs, Historically Accurate Depictions of Slavery, Sexual Assault

Dana was living her ordinary life in 1976 with her husband. Suddenly, she is pulled through time from her home in California to the antebellum South. She ends up saving the life of Rufus, the white son of a wealthy plantation owner. Soon, Dana finds herself repeatedly drawn back in time to save Rufus. In the past, Dana took it upon herself to save as many of the slaves as she could while trying to convince Rufus to break the cycle of violence on his father’s plantation. As each stay grows longer and more dangerous, Dana begins to worry that she might not make it out alive.

I can’t believe it took me so long to finally read an Octavia Butler book. I have been missing out. This was such an intense and exceptional story that was far ahead of its time. Butler takes an unflinching look at the realities of slavery in the antebellum South and the undeniable impact that history has had on the present day. It was a difficult read, but only in the sense that the prose is visceral and can be hard to confront, but that is Butler’s purpose. Not many historical novels confront that brutality of the past in such an eloquent way, but Butler does so. There is so much to be about this book, but I think you are better off experiencing it for yourself. If you haven’t read this one in school, then read Kindred because you need to.

One-Time
Monthly
Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
Posted on by bookreviews628

So I should compose my own history, should I? Or it will be lost forever: Reviewing The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I have some exciting life changes coming up soon. I also have a never-ending TBR pile to finish so that is my fault. Before I begin this review, I encourage you to read my other reviews of Natalie Haynes’ books. She has quickly become one of my favorites in the Greek myth – retelling genre. With that being said, let’s talk about The Children of Jocasta.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Self-Harm and Suicide, Disturbing Imagery, Death of a Child/Stillbirth

When Jocasta was fifteen, her parents forced her to marry the king of Thebes. She spent years praying that she might outlive her largely absent husband. When a handsome young man named Oedipus appears at her palace with news of her husband’s death, Jocasta is relieved. She, however, realizes she has a much greater challenge to face. Fifteen years later, Jocasta’s youngest daughter Ismene is nearly killed in the palace. She thought that she had finally found peace after her parents’ deaths, but now she must deal with a conspiracy against her family. Despite decades apart, mother and daughter must face the inevitable tragic fall of the house of Oedipus.

Natalie Haynes continues to impress me with her clever re-telling of myths that most people know by heart at this point. While she doesn’t entirely dismiss the classic tragedy of Oedipus, she puts a twist on it that has more logic but is nonetheless a sad story of a family torn apart by rumors. Haynes does not just take on Oedipus’ story, but Antigone’s as well. These two stories told from different perspectives provide a unique and engaging experience. While the novel embraces the classic tropes that surround Greek tragedies, it offers just a bit of hope that most of the stories sorely lack. Natalie Haynes has delivered yet another compelling narrative and I cannot recommend her novels enough to anyone interested in Greek mythology.

One-Time
Monthly
Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Thank you!

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly