Review: All the Hidden Monsters

All the Hidden Monsters by Amie Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Kate Dobson
Presented by Bolinda Audio

Oh this was such a delight!

From start to finish, I was immersed in this one. The characters are fantastic, there's an intriguing mystery regarding murdered werewolves, and there's enough character stuff to get me invested without slowing down the action.

Sage is a Werewolf who wants to be a detective, Oren is a warlock detective who prefers to work alone. When a friend of Sage turns up dead, the two must work together to solve the case.

I just loved all of this. The premise was so original, and the characters so full of life (despite some of them being dead). The story flowed so neatly, and the narration really brought the characters a lot of warmth. There's a decent pace that keeps the story moving forward, while still making time for us to get to know everyone.

I really enjoyed the narration, too; I thought it was done well.

This was a unique urban fantasy and I'd love to read more set in this world.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC


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Review: Head Full of Lies

Head Full of Lies by Jordan Farmer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Narrated by Chris Abernathy
Presented by Brilliance Audio

I really wish NetGalley would advise when a book is not the first in a series.

That said, this seems like it still would have been terrible even if I had knowledge of this 'lighthouse incident' that they kept referring to.

The story is about two troublesome teens who steal an occult book and travel across the country to sell it. Harlan Winter, hero occultist of the series, chases after them, since its his book they stole.

I honestly just could not get invested. I didn't care about any of these characters, and the book constantly referred to the 'lighthouse incident' and I, not knowing this was a sequel, kept waiting for the book to delve into what had happened at the lighthouse. So maybe those who have read that first book will appreciate this more than I did.

The plot seemed really weak to me - I don't recall what made this particular stolen book special at all, and nothing particularly interesting happened along the journey aside from bad guys getting their comeuppance as violently as possible. The ending seemed strangely brutal and I'm not at all sure why it was necessary. Basically, a lot of violence for minimal payoff.

Also, why do I keep reading books that seem to deliver the message: 'having a baby will ruin your life'???

I don't think there was anything particularly redeeming about this one, but maybe those who have read the first book in the series will appreciate this more.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: The Devil's Flute Murders

The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Akira Matsumoto
Presented by Bolinda Audio

This was so good I now want to read the whole series. Minus a star for over-enthusiastic narrator.

Murder and intrigue in post-war Japan sees detective Kindaichi interviewing the noble Tsubaki family after the death of one of their own. Things become complicated when the dead man seems to reappear to cause all kinds of drama for the family.

So many murders, so much drama! God, it was so addictive!

There were so many elements to the mystery and I just could not figure any of it out. I knew things would be connected but I couldn't figure out HOW and I LOVED that!! It just kept twisting and getting stranger and stranger and WOW. Did not see any of it coming.

Narration was okay but just ... too much. It didn't seem to fit what the author was describing and he had a habit of making the female characters sound ridiculously emotional. I didn't like it. Flawless Japanese pronunciations, which was appreciated, but over the top performance.

I enjoyed listening, but I think I would have got more out of this if I'd read it. I'm keen to go back to book 1 and see how it compares.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: Kill Your Darlings #8

Kill Your Darlings #8 by Ethan S. Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really happy with this conclusion!

It's been such a fun series - a great blend of fantasy and horror - so it's nice to see this getting a worthy conclusion. I'm glad they took the time and space for an oversized issue, that's quite fitting.

I didn't recognise Elliott when they jumped forward though whoops.

The artwork is fantastic and has been such a consistent draw for me.

The ending felt perfect, and I'm so glad. I'm looking forward to going back and reading the full series, now that all the issues are out.

Highly recommend this series for lovers of horror/fantasy graphic novels - keep an eye out for the trade paperback in early July!

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Review: Crossed, Vol. 1

Crossed, Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bruh.

This was so messed up, and the payoff wasn't totally worth it.

It's revolting, vulgar, and depicts the absolute lowest scum of humanity, with murder, rape, vile language and all kinds of sadistic versions of these things.

The idea is that there's a virus infecting people and turning them all into the lowest form of humanity. No explanation is ever given as to how the virus came about, why it has such an effect, and basically it just seems like an excuse for Ennis to write some more disturbing, f**ked-up things. He seems fascinated with the most depraved acts of humankind. It's so messed up that it's like a horrific car crash you can't look away from.

There are some really clever moments in the writing (the 'salt incident' early on was a favourite) and it raises some really interesting moral questions, but ultimately the series was too short (only 9 issues) to properly explore the themes and ideas. There seemed to be not a lot of purpose to it all, and it's ultimately just a depressing mess.

Characters were done pretty well, though. Some really great moments when we got to know each of them, and I did find myself invested in each of their stories.

I can't say I enjoyed reading it, but I'm glad I did. There are some interesting ideas in amongst it, but not enough exploration of these things to justify the intensity and depravity of the violence. I wanted more of a payoff and the ending was too ambiguous for my tastes.

Fans of The Boys will enjoy the sadistic streak and the similar artwork, but I found the story wasn't quite as solid.

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Review: My Not So Perfect Summer

My Not So Perfect Summer by Phoebe MacLeod
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet lil country romance with characters that were easy to like.

I'm notoriously bad at sticking with e-books, but this one was easy enough to hold my attention and allow me to finish it.

I'm not big on romance, but every now and then I don't mind a bit of fluff in my book diet and this just hit the spot nicely. Helps that the title was needed for a group challenge!

This sets up the city girl in the small town after her life is upended, and it's a trope that always works for me. In this instance, I found Autumn really easy to like, because instead of complaining and wallowing she just gets on with things.

The pace was fast and the story did feel like it was rushing moments sometimes - time passed very quickly - but I honestly didn't mind that at all. I wasn't looking for a great amount of depth from these characters, so what I got was enough.

It did feel a little too easy, and things just seemed to fall into place readily, but again, my standards were low so I wasn't too concerned. I was happy to just go along with things.

This ended up being a fun read that kept me invested and entertained. I'd recommend it for readers looking for some light 'chick lit' reading to pass the time.

With thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC

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Review: Doctor Strange: Dimension War

Doctor Strange: Dimension War by James Lovegrove
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Narrated by James Anderson Foster
Presented by Marvel & Dreamscape Media

Pretty mediocre, and minus points for the mumbling narrator.

This professes to be a 'creative novelisation' but it didn't seem all that creative to me. The episodes play out like a cartoon, where the bad guys are incompetent and constantly foiled.

It's Strange taking on Mordo and Nightmare again and again and it was just dull. It would have been better if there was a complete story here instead of multiple episodes. Or, inject a little more humour or something. It just needed something more.

That said, this would probably be a great book for young kids to enjoy, as it's not too dark and nothing is too complicated. Teens and pre-teens with an interest in Doctor Strange, Marvel and/or comics may find this to be an easy way to get into reading, and I can't fault it for that.

Don't recommend the audio, though, I'm afraid. I found the narrator's voice was so low that I was really struggling to make out what he was saying, even at full volume. There's also inconsistency with pace which was frustrating. Some of the characters were hard to tell apart, and others sounded more like a parody. This would honestly be an easy voice to fall asleep to, but as the narrator of this story, he wasn't working for me.

I'd recommend this one for younger readers, easily. For the general reading public this misses the mark a little, but fans of the Doctor Strange comics that inspired this novelisation may find it more entertaining.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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