Review: Compass and Blade

Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

An interesting idea weighed down by every YA trope ever.

This one actually started out okay - Mira and her island fellows wreck ships so they can survive on the spoils, but Mira is determined to save as many lives as possible when they do. She feels at home in the sea, and it's clear she's a little bit different to those she calls friends.

Nothing new in a YA protagonist being 'a little bit different' and feeling a 'calling' that pulls them away from tradition. There's also a strange boy who is ridiculously attractive that is the obvious love interest, and a bunch of teenagers running around doing things that are not usually done by teens.

From the get-go, this was far too predictable while trying far too hard to pretend it wasn't. I wish we didn't have to pretend we didn't know what was going on, because it just became awkward. I wanted Mira to see the obvious clues and work it out but she was super thick, refusing to see what was right in front of her face.

Even the romance was full of stars and heat and all the other common YA tropes that make scenes more cringe-y than heartwarming. The love is instant and all about appearances and kisses of fire and it just made me sad that it couldn't come up with something fresh and new. Definitely reminded me of the Court series by Sarah J. Maas but in a 'pale copy' sense rather than 'respectful nod of similarity'.

Ultimately, it was a frustrating read that I really wanted to like more than I did. If it wasn't trying so hard to be like every other YA book out there, this could have been so much more satisfying.

With thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC

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Review: Kill Your Husbands

Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wasn't this a bundle of fun!

Three couples take a getaway to an isolated cabin in the bush. They decide to swap partners ofor a night - anonymously, in the dark - but one of them ends up dead.

This was a quick thriller that kept me hooked, though it did start a little slow for me. I didn't know this book connected to the main character from Kill Your Brother but, in hindsight, it IS right there in the title. I wasn't expecting so much about Elise and Kiara but I didn't mind. It bothered me more that Kiara's colleagues were so incompetent.

The kink factor was actually pretty low, and I enjoyed the contemplation of these couples and what would drive them to do such a thing. It kept me interested.

Some of the rest did seem a bit cliche, but at the same time this book leans into that a little and recognises its own stereotypes.

Most of the characters are horrible, yet there's still enough of them to feel some empathy when things go down.

Really enjoyed the tension and the switching tenses to keep it fresh. I read it over a couple days and it was great fun to pick up every time.



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Review: The Daylight War

The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bruhhhh what just happened!!

Reeling, I am REELING.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the backtracking to see Inevera's past. I thought it was quite fascinating, and a great way to create sympathy for a character that has, thus far, kind of been a trouble-making antagonist. It was great to learn a little more about her and how she came to be the snake she is in the present.

Lots of political manoeuvrings in this one, and less demons. I find myself feeling less for the Hollowers and more for the Krasians. Leesha is driving me insane with her fickleness and the whole plot her mum comes up with and she decides to execute?! WHY. So I find myself really starting to dislike her. Same with Rojer - his shenanigans and hot temper really kinda annoy me. They seem to act very high and mighty which is the opposite of what Arlen has ever wanted.

Tell you what, though - I really love Renna. I wasn't sure how I felt about her at first, and her mood swings are wild, but I like how fierce she's become and how hard she stands by Arlen.

Meanwhile, the bloodthirsty Krasians are slowly winning me over. They have some brutal methods and take killing very lightly and also treat most of their women terribly, but somehow I find myself really admiring them and the organisation they have.

That final chapter of course had me reading with my mouth hanging open and anxious for everyone involved - I'll have to pick up the next book sooner than I anticipated now!

All in all, I really loved this installment. The series is building to a point where I have no clue what's going to happen and that really excites me.

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Review: Tomie

Tomie by Junji Ito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first experience of Junji Ito's work and it was as weird and wonderful as everyone suggested.

Creepy and awful, Tomie likes to inspire love in men and jealousy in women, and it often ends with her being chopped up and/or murdered in other fantastically gory ways, only for her to regenerate from her wounds.

Some of the chapters connect, others stand on their own, but all have the same kinda vibe.

Tomie's an awful character, and this collection truly inspires sympathy and pity for those unfortunate to come across her.

Some of the artwork is fantastic; some is lost in the amount of black-and-white gore splattered on the page. Overall, there's an eerie quality to it all that drives the story onwards.

I liked it a lot, but don't think I could read this level of torment again.

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Review: After the Forest

After the Forest by Kell Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent debut from this Aussie author, full of forest friends, magic, witches, and gingerbread.

I enjoyed the mix of old and new with this one. There are some familiar themes with new twists and the whole thing felt very dark and foreboding. Really enjoying sinking into it.

Some of the characters were a bit cliche - like beat down Greta and her gambling brother - but they had enough spirit of their own to overcome the sameness and carve a story of their own. Greta was a fierce spirit and I liked that she kicked back a bit.

There were a lot of different ideas here so it did seem to go for a long time, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me as I was always entertained.

For a debut, this was a fun read and a great twisted fairy tale. I'll look for more by this author.

With thanks to the publisher for a copy

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Review: Clown in a Cornfield

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A classic slasher flick featuring a homicidal clown killing of bratty teens - what's not to love?

Don't go into this expecting a marvellous work of literature, but if you have expectations of running, screaming and gruesome deaths, this should tick the box for you.

I mostly hated all these characters, which made for a lot of fun when they started dying. There's a little preamble at the start, setting the scene with new girl Quinn meeting everyone at school and being freaked out by overbearing adults. Then it jumps into its first murder and the rest come hard and fast after that.

There's nothing particularly fresh here, but it warms the Halloween heart with its familiar formula. I was happy to just disappear into the cornstalks for a bit and watch the chaos.

The perfect Halloween read, really.

Not one for those looking for fresh ideas and novel execution, but perfect for fans of 90s slashers trying to get a nostalgia hit.

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Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A well-written delve into the activities of the Golden State Killer. Thoroughly addictive!

This unpacks the many, MANY crimes of the serial killer who was active from roughly 1975-1986 in the Sacramento area and surrounds. This dude was so prolific he was known by several different monikers - it took a while for detectives to connect the crime sprees in the different areas to the same person.

I have a bit of a morbid fascination with serial killers (and true crime books would hardly sell if I was alone in that) so it was amazing to see the details laid out here as they were. There's something about puzzling over clues and trying to solve the unsolved that stirs the blood, and there were so many red herrings in this case.

There's an abundance of detail here, and the author treats the victims with such compassion. It's a testament to her character that she became close with many of the authorities that worked on the case throughout her many years of research.

I did get a little confused by the time jumping, since this opened with his later, most heinous crimes then tracked back a little haphazardly through other crimes attributed to the same man. I wanted a tidier timeline to help me make sense of things. Fortunately, now that the killer has been unmasked, these details are readily available online.

This is an updated edition that includes news articles pertaining to the killer's arrest, though I wanted more than just the bare bones of his being arrested. Still, their inclusion is a satisfying end to a book that details such bald-faced atrocities.

Well written, insightful and interesting, this is a great true crime novel that will lead you down a rabbit hole. Highly recommend.

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