This was an intriguing and uncomfortable near future speculative thriller? It doesn‘t fit well into any category. It is solid commentary on “reality” television competitions and what people will do for fame and material possessions. My main criticism is that the book have gone further and darker. It seemed to want to stay more realistic which I think took away some of the fun. Still an overall solid read. 3.5⭐️

Setting aside for now. I may go back to it as I did purchase the ebook. However, age gap romance is not my favorite and the hero is not all that likable. I made it 46%. Is it worth me returning to?

This was a fun quick horror/thriller read about the most extreme escape room ever. It reminds me of the movie 13 Ghosts. If you enjoyed that (I did!) you will enjoy this one too! It also has a very wild third act. 4.5⭐️
#roll100 pick done!

Both novellas were twists on horror staples - the hitchhiking murder and the babysitter on Halloween. Both were pretty bonkers. I liked The Babysitter Lives a little more, it just dragged at the end. It had the far better protagonist though. The female protagonist of Killer on the Road was very frustrating. I‘d give Killer on the Road 3⭐️ and The Babysitter Lives 4⭐️.
#doublespin read done!

This is a very disturbing little horror novella. The writing is very good, but in the end the book was just missing something for me. It also includes violence against animals, which is a tough one for me. 3⭐️

Here is my #bookspinbingo card for my #novembertbr

My #bookspin pick is Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - glad this happened, I‘ve had it on so many TBR‘s this year and last, so hopefully I will finally get to it.
My #doublespin pick is Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones

Tagged is definitely my favorite read of the month. A very creepy gothic haunted house historical.

Here are my October reads!

I had a good number of 5⭐️reads this month:
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell - my fav of the month
Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Eden of Witches Vol. 1 by Yumeji
Stats:
18 books read
3 DNF‘s
12 Audiobooks
6 Physical/ebook reads

This had an intriguing start, then the writing became less interesting and it had a teen romance, which I just done like. Just not for me, but I know others like this one. #hailthebail
A #roll100 off the TBR

Here is my #NovemberTBR!

Continuing my participation in #roll100 #bookspin #doublespin & #bookspinbingo

Here are my #roll100 picks for my November TBR:

The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

I‘ve had a great year trimming down my physical TBR!
63/100 books down!

A truly exceptional historical horror novel. Taking place during the Dark Ages, much of the horror is from the reality of people during this era in Europe. There are religious supernatural elements as well. Our main characters are a dishonored knight, a 12 year old orphan girl and a mess of a priest. They go on a quest and much horror occurs. It is dark and sad, but has a great ending. Loved it! 5⭐️
#bookspinbingo!

A blast of a slasher horror. A bit slow to start and or main character is not entirely likable. However, it really picks up half way through and has a highly satisfying twist ending. 4.5⭐️

A very informative read about women‘s impact on the thriller/horror/speculative genre. I love the reading recommendations and learning more about some favorite authors and discovering new ones. I would have loved a few more stories and anecdotes. A solid read for horror fans looking for new recommendations! 4⭐️

After the very disappointing collection of witch stories, I picked this up and so glad I did! This is a beautiful dark fantasy manga where nature has deserted humans and only witches have the ability to bring it back. A great start to a series that I cannot wait to continue! 5⭐️

I‘m giving this 1.5⭐️ only because there were two very good stories - one by P. Djeli Clark and one by Fonda Lee. The rest of the stories range from dull to simply terrible. A very disappointing read as witchy books are some of my favorite reads.
#roll100 book done

This was an excellent, creepy gothic tale. A very unique take on a vampire story. Another story of female independence and rage, demonstrated in different ways. A very worthy read if you are a fan of gothic horror. 4.5⭐️

This book has the authors trademark sarcastic humor and wildly imperfect protagonist. The main character is definitely not very likable, but you end up rooting for her anyway. It was a fun read overall, lighter on horror, so if you are looking for a spooky read without the gore this could be a solid pick. 4⭐️

This is an entertaining and disgusting body horror novella. I don‘t want to say much, but that it begins with a one night stand that goes very wrong. It was a bit predictable, I completely guessed the direction of the story, but for a first book still a great read. Note this is very graphic body horror, so approach with caution. 4⭐️

Another delightful mystery with our lovable characters. They are all reeling from a loss in the previous book, so it is nice how they support each other while solving a big mystery and a side plot. I‘m a big fan of this series! 4.5⭐️

Wow, this was a journey. A historical gothic horror that takes place in one creepy manor during two time periods. This is definitely one of those books that is better going in blind. I will say this has moments of true horror, and there is some content some readers may want to check into before reading. This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. 5⭐️

The tension of this book was built two ways, first with truly harrowing home invasion. Then with an investigation so misogynistic that it couldn‘t be real, when you know sadly it totally could be. Tense and upsetting, it wasn‘t an easy read, but it had a very satisfying conclusion. 4⭐️
#roll100 done! #doublespin done & a #bookspinbingo

This was a very disappointing DNF, because 1. It‘s really short yet I still gave up. 2. I have enjoyed this series overall. The first two books had a strong lead character and lots of gothic creepy vibes. This book has a lot of unnecessary, tedious conversations and very little action. I still love T. Kingfisher, but this was a miss for me. #hailthebail

This is a bail because of content, not writing quality. It contains Broms beautiful writing and art. It is also a very interesting retelling of Peter Pan. Just the violence against children is very extreme and just not something I enjoy reading. #hailthebail #dnf
#bookspin off the TBR

This was a really fun historical adventure with a touch of supernatural elements. Think Mummy/Indiana Jones but the snappy intellectual woman is the main character. It is a very slow burn romance, and a touch slow paced. However, I really enjoyed the characters and look forward to continuing the series. 5⭐️

I overall mostly liked this story of a small community with a treasure mystery and a series of death that may be connected. There are some slow moments and a few characters that are not fully fleshed out and have no actual purpose besides being an obvious red herring. A light mystery that is not thrilling but overall fine. 3⭐️

This book is weird and wacky and in Stephen Graham Jones‘ trademark choppy and unique writing style. It has some moments of meandering, and at times doesn‘t age well with some of the language. If you look beyond that, it is still a fun silly horror. 3.5⭐️

Though I did predict the ending, there were some fun twists throughout. It also had solid pacing that kept me interested to the end. Domestic thrillers are not my favorite and there are some elements which may put off some readers. Also the men in this story are so clueless… Still, overall a fun time. 3.5⭐️

Another enjoyable mystery solved by Vera and friends, with returning characters and some new ones to add to Vera‘s found family. I really do love her, though this one was not quite as good as the first one. Still a great time. 4.5⭐️

Here‘s my #bookspinbingo board for October!

My #bookspin pick is The Child Thief by Brom
My #doublespin pick is Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

A very different, unique take on the Snow White tale. Our protagonist is a healer who specializes in finding cures to poisons. She is hired by the King to figure out why his daughter is sick. A fun fantasy/mystery story unravels, with a touch of romance too. Very entertaining and original. 4.5⭐️

Vera was my favorite read of the month. So much fun and lovable characters. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series in October!

Here are my #Septemberreadingstats

15 books read
4 DNF‘s
4 physical/ebook reads
11 Audiobooks
6 books off my physical TBR snack

5 star reads: The Light of All That Falls & Vera Wong‘s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
I had a lot of good reads, just the 2 great reads.
⬇️

This is a beautifully written bittersweet story of a middle aged couple trying to make their way in Alaska and the found family the find along the way. There are some possible fantastical elements, but overall it does a great job of demonstrating the harsh reality of early 20th century Alaska. It was not perfect for me though. The last third of the book really annoyed me and felt unnecessary.⬇️

My #OctoberTBR is all about the spooky books!
As always I‘m participating in #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo & #roll100

This is a rather bonkers horror/sci-fi about a series of freak occurrences and a secret government agency. It is overall entertaining and I liked our main character. There was just something missing. Maybe it being a little longer would help. It just started and moved at full speed until the end. Still a big fan of this author, but not my favorite. 3.5⭐️
#bookspin pick done!

Wow, what an ending to this very well crafted epic fantasy. I will definitely want to reread at some point to catch all the fine details leading the grand finale. If you are a fan of epic fantasy, and great world building, check this series out! 5⭐️

I‘m bailing on this one, it is really not for me. Pregnancy thriller, gaslighting, the main character being dumb. Yeah I‘m done. #hailthebail

#doublespin off the TBR

This book is a mess. Strongly inspired by Japanese gangster horror, this does well with the brutal violent imagery. The story itself jumps around and does not quite work. It really is just too short and trying to fit too much story into a short novella. Let repeat this is brutally violent and includes a couple scenes of SA. I really only finished because it was short. 2⭐️

#bookspinbingo!

An action/horror manga that is very similar to Witcher, but our warrior is a woman. A good start to a series, I think I will continue! 4⭐️

Here are my #roll100 picks for my #OctoberTBR!

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel

Now time to build my October TBR!

This premise is just too absurd and I‘m not feeling it. #dnf #hailthebail

Another solid entry in the In Death series! 4⭐️

I‘m giving this a marginal pick. About two piano players, a middle aged child prodigy and a young celebrity. I liked the exploration of their struggles and their deep love and connection for music. There were just some odd choices in plot and one of the main characters Prudence is 48, but reads in her 60‘s and the timelines don‘t always make sense. If you love music, I recommend though. 3.5⭐️

A dizzying action packed finale to a truly unique and interesting fantasy trilogy! 4.5⭐️

Very quickly realized I was not going to love this one, so DNF. #hailthebail a book off my #roll100 & physical tbr! @PuddleJumper

I really liked this fantasy duology, a very solid continuation of the story. This series has some very interesting world building and a unique magic system. There are some pacing issues, and the last act moves so fast it felt rushed. But overall I did enjoy this second book and the series overall. A great set for like more fantasy and world building in their Romantasy. 4⭐️

This was such a fun read! Our main character Vera Wong discovers a dead body in her tea shop, and decides she is the best person to solve the mystery. Vera is amazing, you will totally fall in love with her. There is also a delightful cast of supporting characters/suspects. I loved this and look forward to more madcap adventures with Vera & co. 5⭐️

Overall, a good story but the pacing was a little slow. I also never felt the connection to any of the characters as I did in Weyward. Still an interesting story with multiple POV‘s. Historical fiction with some fantastical elements. 3.5⭐️

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of Darcy Coates, and with this books she brings us another quirky dark horror/thriller. This book is part reality tv nightmare a la Fyre Fest and part cult story - you could debate that some online celebrities have cult like followings too. This was entertaining, gruesome and a bit messy.⬇️