Month: April 2022

Posted in Book Review

Review of Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Posted on by writingkat95

The Hook:

This domestic thriller features a man with face blindness and his wife on a vacation for their wedding anniversary. Their relationship is far from perfect, and this trip is a last ditch effort to save the marriage. Someone doesn’t want them to live happily forever, though, and might not let them live at all.

My Impressions:

I love a lot of things about this book that are absolutely too spoilery too share, so I’ll just say that it is truly a worthwhile read. If you enjoy domestic thrillers with plenty of meticulously plotted out twists, this is definitely the book for you. Beautifully atmospheric and fraught with tension, this one will keep you reading until you reach the end.

Fans of Sally Hepworth and Megan Collins will especially enjoy this book, which has a similar style and cadence. If you’re in the mood for a chilly winter book to sweep you away and make you forget the hot weather swiftly approaching with summer just over the horizon, this one will certainly do the trick. Crank up the air conditioner and let Alice Feeney chill you to the bone.

If you’ve read this book, feel free to comment with your own thoughts in the comments.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review of All The Way Home by Wendy Corsi Staub

Posted on by writingkat95

The Hook:

In a sleepy town in upstate New York, people still talk about the summer ten years ago when four teenage girls mysteriously disappeared. When girls start disappearing again, the unsolved disappearances are on everyone’s mind as they race to find the missing girls.

My Impressions:

So based on the cover and the synopsis, I went in expecting this to be a really easy popcorn read, something I could consume hungrily while waiting for some newer books to be available from the library. I absolutely misjudged it, as it is far darker and more complicated than I went in expecting. Definitely closer to the Gillian Flynn end of the spectrum than I was prepared for, but in the best way.

The ending was so genuinely disturbing I had to read something relaxing to wind down, as I finished reading it just before bed. I really think the narrator of the audiobook did an incredible job bringing the characters to life, and especially at the end, made everything feel that much more pressing and frightening.

If you’re looking for a slow build up to an absolutely gutting and horrifying series of twists, this is absolutely the book for you. I’ve probably already said too much if I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at that.

If you’ve read this book feel free to comment on this post.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review of The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

Posted on by writingkat95

The Hook:

Described as “The Blair Witch Project meets The Andy Griffith Show” this book follows Mouse as she cleans out her deceased grandmother’s home in rural North Carolina and uncovers unspeakable horrors.

My Impressions:

First of all, who could possibly resist that description, right? I had to know what this book was about, and having already read T. Kingfisher’s “The Hollow Places,” I knew I was in for something unforgettable. True to form, the author really delivers on the horror I’d come to expect, and then some.

Mouse is a decidedly likable character the audience wants to root for, and the story is made all the more terrifying by how much we really don’t want to see Mouse get permanently traumatized. After all, it’s not her fault she’s in a horror novel. If you’re looking for a truly original horror novel, look no further, because this was a reading experience unlike any other.

If you can handle the extraordinary spookiness, this book is absolutely worth a read. I don’t want to spoil any of the twists, but I will say that one twist in particular was so effective I audibly gasped while reading it, paused the audiobook, and ran to tell my roommate about the twist over a cup of tea while my nerves recovered.

If you’ve read this book, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review of A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

While processing her grief over her estranged mother’s suicide, Heather Evans discovers several letters sent to her mother over the years by a notorious serial killer known as the Red Wolf. When a victim is found murdered and disposed of in the same way the Red Wolf was known for, Heather’s questions about the past become all the more urgent.

My impressions:

This book gave me goosebumps and at one point while listening to the audiobook I physically jumped with fright. As someone who reads hundreds of mysteries and thrillers, it’s not often that something manages to scare the absolute snot out of me without alienating me or detracting from the fun of reading, but this book did it masterfully. It has the ideal balance of deliciously spooky moments and relief, all culminating in an ending so compelling I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

If you enjoy memorable villains and intensely atmospheric suspense, this is absolutely the book for you. I would recommend it for fans of Maureen Johnson’s YA mysteries who are looking for something a lot darker but with similar stylistic sensibilities. It isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you stick it out for the whole story, the payoff is absolutely worth it and none of the scares felt unearned or unnecessary.

Feel free to comment below if you’ve read this book and talk about your own thoughts.

Happy reading!