Review: Secret Santa

Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was an easy enough read but mostly terrible! I wanted it to be both spookier and Christmas-y-er.

Christmas Buddy Read with Juliette!

Man, if we had that book podcast and we talked about our feelings of this book, I feel like we'd kinda destroy it haha.

The story starts with Nazis, then transitions ever so smoothly into a girl interviewing at a super creepy publishing house. What follows is just as nonsensical. There are some strange things occurring but nothing that was really creepy enough to satisfy my horror urges.

It gets good (and then really strange) about two thirds in, but it just wasn't enough to save it.

Then again, we did only pay like $8 so it's not like I was expecting a Christmas Miracle in the writing.

Still, no real holiday vibes here - this could easily have been set around a birthday with no change to the story.

I think it was trying to be funny and that's why the horror is lacking, but since I didn't find it really funny, either, it was mostly just a dud.

I wouldn't really recommend it, but as a buddy read it was a fun one to suffer through together!

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Review: One Dark Night

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So this is the book I was reading at the same time as A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and there are some eerie similarities!

This one tells the story of school counsellor, Rachel, DCI Ben, and their daughter Ellie, as they each deal with the murder of Ellie's classmate. The circumstances around the death are unusual, and remind many of the old legend of 'Sally in the Wood' - a woman said to have been murdered at the same place, many years ago.

I thought this was a great crime novel, and the alternating points of view contributed to a well-rounded story. I liked each of the three main protagonists and their decisions throughout the book. The pace was fantastic, and there was enough progression in the case that I was satisfied while still hanging out for the truth.

The 'Sally in the Wood' folktale seemed a bit like a gimmick to add something extra, and it didn't really work for me. I think this could have been just as good a story without it. Which is quite interesting, in hindsight - apparently the entire premise of the story came about from the author's wanting to use the very real location in a story.

All in all, I did rather enjoy this one. I saw a few things coming but ultimately was surprised and captivated by the way things unfolded.

I'd highly recommend this for crime fans.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Review: Vandemere

Vandemere by Kimberley D. Tait
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Narrated by Kyle Shive

Sorry to say this one was not for me. It follows circus brat Vandy, who does tricks on horses and also has magic of some form thanks to his gypsy blood?

It's set in 1930s Southwest USA, but aside from a few references to the heat I never really felt it. The language - particularly as it was first person narration - didn't seem to suit the setting at all and there wasn't enough description of the environment for me to fall into the location.

Aside from that, the characters weren't great. Vandy is an arrogant kid determined to hate everyone and everything, and he actually kinda cries a lot for someone constantly being told 'you don't have to be tough all the time!' I guess those more familiar with teenage boys might be kinder to him, but to me he was an unlikable protagonist. The rest all seem pretty stereotypical, with the bully, the mean girl, and the mum's awful boyfriend all here, along with more. I didn't warm to any of them at all.

Horse lovers will enjoy the amount of detail in this story, but it was too much for me. It detracted a bit from the story, I felt, because there were so many descriptions I almost had to google horses to work out what was what. It slowed down a story that already felt rather dragging.

The narration I had to bump up to double speed, and the accents were AWFUL. Vandy's mother's accent seem to fluctuate between Spanish, Russian, German, and who knows what else. Some of the other voices put on were terrible, and I hated the tonal change for Vandy's visions. It just rubbed me the wrong way. Would not listen to this narrator again. But I can see from other reviews that I'm in the minority for that, so listen to a sample yourself before taking my word for it.

The pace was too slow for me, and I think the setting never changing added to the dull feel of the story. I just didn't really care about anything being related. It felt more like it wanted to be historical fiction, and the 'magie' element was more of a gimmick that seemed out of place.

Perhaps horse fans will get more out of this, and those who prefer slower fantasy and who have more time for angsty teenage boys. It really wasn't for me at all.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: We Who Hunt The Hollow

We Who Hunt The Hollow by Kate Murray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Grace Laing
Presented by Bolinda Audio

Absolutely delightful!

Will happily read more of this series.

The plot follows Priscilla, a Hollow Warrior who assists her family in tackling monsters that appear to threaten the world. That's an over simplification, but the general gist.

Priscilla is tortured by feelings of not being good enough to fit in with her warrior family - her power is weak and she rarely goes into the field. I was frustrated with her a lot in this regard, because her family unit is quite clearly supportive and loving.

Still, the characters are defined well enough that I believed what I was reading, and Priscilla is a likeable heroine with natural teenage feelings of inadequacy compared to those she greatly admires.

I adored her family with all of its chaotic energy, and it made the story really enjoyable. Added to that, there are monsters, magic and dastardly deeds that keep things happening throughout.

The audio was a special treat for me - it's the first time I've listened to an Australian audio and it made such a difference listening to something read the way I would read it. It was so refreshing, and the narrator did such a brilliant job of livening up these characters and portraying the different personalities. Additionally, her storytelling was delightful and easy to lose myself in.

I was happily surprised to enjoy this as much as I did, and I'll be keeping an eye out for the sequel.

Highly recommend!

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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