Waiting on Wednesday 02/12/20
Posted on February 12, 2020 20 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The Split by Sharon Bolton (April 28, 2020 by Minotaur Books)
I’ve been featuring a lot of fantasy/sci-fi lately, so I think it’s time for another thriller pick! Or should I say chiller pick? It’s no secret that I love stories that take place in icy, remote settings and I don’t think it gets icier or more remote than a lonely island in the Antarctic. I think that’s why I love the UK cover so much, which I’ve decided to showcase here alongside the US edition (left), because it’s just so intense.
“Tense, gripping and with a twist you won’t see coming, Sharon Bolton is back in an explosive new standalone thriller about a woman on the run in The Split.
No matter how far you run, some secrets will always catch up with you…
The remote Antarctic island of South Georgia is about to send off its last boat of the summer – which signifies safety to resident glaciologist Felicity Lloyd.
Felicity lives in fear – fear that her ex-husband Freddie will find her, even out here. She took a job on this isolated island to hide from him, but now that he’s out of prison, having served a term for murder, she knows he won’t give up until he finds her.
But a doctor delving into the background of Felicity and Freddie’s relationship, back in Cambridge, learns that Felicity has been on the edge for a long time. Heading to South Georgia himself to try and get to her first is the only way he can think of to help her.”
Audiobook Review: Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong
Posted on February 11, 2020 17 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Book 5 of Rockton
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (February 4, 2020)
Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Alone in the Wild once more reminded me why I love this series so much. Like the book blurb says, every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge, and this time, it’s a real humdinger. For who would have expected a baby to come out of nowhere into Casey Duncan’s life out in the middle of the Yukon wilderness, but that’s exactly what happens here. One moment, she and her boyfriend Eric Dalton are out in the woods enjoying their weekend camping trip, and the next, she’s tripping over a dead body of a woman in the snow, and hidden underneath the corpse is a crying infant no more than a few weeks old.
With the discovery of the baby comes a flood of questions, especially after an autopsy of the dead woman in the snow confirmed that she was murdered, and that she had never given birth. So who are the baby’s real parents then, and where are they now? What had the dead woman been doing out in the woods with a newborn infant that was not her own?
As the whole town chips in to take care of the baby, affectionally dubbed Abby, Casey and Dalton begin their investigation to find her true parents, beginning their search in the wild with the nomadic communities that lived outside Rockton. Being winter though, the people they seek might be on the move and difficult to track. Casey worries that they won’t ever find Abby’s parents, but at the same time, also dreads what might happen if they do. What if they turned out to be the members of the brutal hostile groups? Would Abby truly be better off with her real family if it meant being neglected and abused in that harsh and brutal life? Somehow, Casey doubted that, but then would she and Dalton—and Rockton—be up to raising a child if it came down to it? And of course, there’s the matter of the dead woman. Even in the midst of all the commotion, Casey’s not about to lose sight of the fact someone was murdered in cold blood, and the killer is still on the loose.
It’s nice to know Kelley Armstrong can still inject some newness into the series even after five books. Previous installments have more or less focused on things happening within Rockton, but in this one, the town and its people are mostly relegated to the background as Casey and Dalton take to wilds to find information. While life in Rockton is far from rigidly structured, there are still rules to follow and responsibilities to take care of. But on the outside? There’s none of that. Most of the people who live in the woods are there because they want to be away from civilization, or to be left alone for a variety of reasons. Among some groups, folk from Rockton are viewed with disdain or downright hostility. And it’s in this uncertain environment Casey must navigate to find the answers. It’s risky, it’s unpredictable, and it’s downright suspenseful. You can never be sure of what the outsiders will do, or what motivates them.
Back in town though, we do get some significant development in the relationship between Casey and her sister April, who has since made her home in Rockton following the events of Watcher in the Woods. I’m hoping this will be a long-term arrangement, because I love April and I think she’s one of the best and most interesting characters to be introduced to this series. The arrival of Abby also seems to have unlocked hidden sides to many of the townspeople, including Jen and Isabel. The surprise of a baby has certainly awakened a slew of conflicted emotions in Casey, who was told she is unable to have children. As for Dalton, Abby’s situation also brings to mind his own upbringing, which he doesn’t like to think about. His past has always been a sensitive subject in his and Casey’s relationship, but the current investigation is forcing them both confront the issue, among other difficult topics.
In a way, I think all of this contributes to Alone in the Wild being a more subdued and understated novel. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still very intense, but I think it lacks some of the urgency that was so prominent in the previous novels, where in many of the cases, the killer was hidden in town and could strike again at any moment. Here, on the other hand, the threat was understood to be on the outside and there was less pressure on Casey and Dalton to solve the murder. We got to go at a more relaxed pace, which wasn’t a bad thing, allowing for more character development and time to enjoy the beauty of the Yukon wilderness. The story read like a moody mystery, as opposed to a straight-out thriller, but personally I didn’t mind the change of pace.
All in all, Alone in the Wild was a great read, and Kelley Armstrong never ceases to amaze me in the way she comes up with fresh storylines for every book. I’ve mentioned this before, but you’d think in a place like Rockton, a tiny little settlement in the middle of nowhere with a limited number of characters and settings, the ideas would start to dry up real quick. But nope. We’re still going strong with book five, and I’m confident that even more great things are on the horizon. Here’s hoping we won’t have long to wait for the next adventure with Casey and Dalton.
Audiobook Comments: Therese Plummer always does an outstanding job narrating, and I always look forward to listening to the books in this series because of her wonderful performance. I know I’ve praised her many times before in past reviews, but I think it bears repeating: Therese is awesome. Highly recommend these Rockton books in audio.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of City of the Lost (Book 1)
Review of A Darkness Absolute (Book 2)
Review of This Fallen Prey (Book 3)
Review of Watcher in the Woods (Book 4)
Book Review: A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
Posted on February 10, 2020 19 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Series: Book 2 of Gunnie Rose
Publisher: Saga Press (January 14, 2020)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’ve been looking forward to this second book of the Gunnie Rose series for a long time—after all, I loved An Easy Death and couldn’t wait for round two with Lizbeth, our badass gunslinging protagonist who makes a living as a mercenary in a post-apocalyptic, western-inspired alternate version of the United States. That said, I’m glad I kept my expectations somewhat in check, because A Longer Fall was probably not what it could have been. Entertaining, yes, but I wouldn’t say it takes the story or characters to the next level the way a sequel should.
When our story begins, Lizbeth has just signed on with another crew to escort a convoy and its cargo from Texoma to a town called Sally in Dixie. It was supposed to be a routine job, but enroute to their destination, their train was ambushed, many travelers were killed, and a precious crate with its mysterious contents was stolen. Her employer dead and her friends gravely injured, Lizbeth sets off on a mission to hunt down their attackers and discover what it was they stole that was important enough to kill for. That, and she’ll need to recover the box and make an actual delivery in order to get paid.
With the arrival of Eli Savarov, a grigori wizard from the Holy Russian Empire—and Lizbeth’s sort-of old fling—she knows she’s on to something big. Turns out Eli already knows about the missing crate, and he’s in town to find it too. Teaming up, the two of them pose as a married couple to investigate, Sally not being the kind of conservative place to tolerate a single, unaccompanied woman poking her nose around in their business. In fact, the town isn’t really too tolerant of anything, with sexism and racism very much alive and well in its people.
And well, that’s really all there is to the story. Up until the final few chapters, we mostly follow Lizbeth and Eli around town as they try to turn up any clues about the stolen cargo. Considering how dazzled I was by the setting in the first book, seeing so little of it this time around was a bit disappointing, and it was due to the limited scope of the story. While good sequels tend to build upon previous books, further developing the advancing the overarching plot of the series and its characters, A Longer Fall keeps us mainly in a holding pattern. In a way, it feels lacking in its “sequel status” and comes across half-hearted.
Speaking of which, I just didn’t feel whatever it was that was supposed to be between Lizbeth and Eli. Their relationship was downright bizarre, and calling it a romance doesn’t feel quite right. Hardly a chapter can go by without us being constantly reminded that the two of them have no future, even as they go at each other like rabbits. If there was supposed to be some tension, I just didn’t feel it. And I kept waiting, hoping that their strange dynamic would build up to something worthwhile, and well…I won’t spoil how things turn out, but let’s just say I was far from satisfied.
Then there was the ending, which felt so incongruous that I could probably take up a whole page just describing how surreal it all felt. First was the crate. Funny enough, I had been forewarned by other reviewers about this, but apparently I was still inadequately prepared because I literally let out a snort of incredulity the moment Lizbeth was confronted with the contents of the crate for the first time. Even more random was the novel’s overall resolution. After spending nearly three hundred pages with all manner of violent and brutal characters in this merciless blood-soaked world, I suddenly felt like I was thrust into the middle of one of my kids’ PBS cartoons. Just a really weird, jarring way to tie everything up.
And yet, despite what might seem like my trashing of the novel, I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t enjoy myself or that this was a bad book. Because it wasn’t, really! I had a good time with it, and it was a fast read—perfect for when you’re in the mood for something mindlessly light and fluffy, perhaps.
Thing is, I had expected something a little more substantial. A Longer Fall didn’t quite deliver in that sense, mostly coming across like “just another book in a series” but it was still very entertaining, and at no time did I feel like it wasn’t worth reading or that it was wasting my time. To be honest, I actually had a lot of fun with the story, even if it meant a few chortles at its expense. At the end of the day though, I’m looking forward to more of Gunnie Rose and here’s hoping the next book will have more oomph.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of An Easy Death (Book 1)
Audiobook Review: Ashes of Onyx by Seth Skorkowsky
Posted on February 9, 2020 16 Comments
I received a review copy from the author. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Ashes of Onyx by Seth Skorkowsky
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (January 28, 2020)
Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Caroline Shaffer
Seth Skorkowsky is back tackling a little something different from his Valducan series, of which I am a big fan. Ashes of Onyx has a bit of a lighter feel, a tone that is more distinctly urban fantasy and is less heavy on the horror elements, but make no mistake, it still has all the hallmarks of adventure, excitement, and grit that makes the author’s work so enjoyable.
At the center of this novel is a young woman who has had a great wrong done to her. Meet Kate Rossdale, a sorceress whose life is in tatters after her entire coven was killed in an accident that stripped away her powers, and now she spends her days whiling away in a drug-induced haze trying to forget the past. But then one day, a most unexpected offer comes to her in the form of a once-enemy who promises her a way to get her magic back—in exchange for a big favor, of course.
Kate is almost certain she cannot trust Richard Harcourt, formerly of an organization that used to hunt sorcerers like her. And yet, the old man holds the key to restoring her powers, and along with that, the truth of what really happened on that fateful day that changed her life. First of all, Harcourt reveals, what killed her coven was no accident, and second, the person Kate had considered her closest friend had been the one to orchestrate it all.
What’s more, Kate was not the only one this person betrayed. Their enemy has been around for a long time, stealing magic to achieve near-immortality and to become stronger and more powerful. To put an end to this, Kate and fellow members of her new team must journey into the mystical realm of imagination and dreaming to track down their foe in a mission to right a wrong that’s gone on far too long.
Ashes of Onyx is a fascinating book with lots to offer fantasy fans, and without a doubt, its varied elements demonstrate another side of Seth Skorkowsky’s talent. If you need proof of his versatility as a writer, look no further than Kate’s character. She’s by far the most interesting, complex, and dynamic protagonist he has ever created, and that’s saying a lot considering the incredible lineup of memorable characters who have headed the Valducan books. But there’s definitely something different and special about Kate. For one thing, we are introduced to her at one of the lowest, most hopeless points of her life, and one of the biggest challenges she has to overcome in the book takes place even before the adventure starts. She’s motivated by many things—vengeance and loyalty to her friends among them. I also liked that she was so candid with her emotions, which I thought was one of the key reasons why her character came across as so genuine and sympathetic.
Then there was the breathtaking world of Ashes of Onyx. The story opens in Baltimore, beginning the way so many urban fantasy novels do, belying the amazing things to come. For you see, this book is more than just UF; it is also epic fantasy, and also a little bit of portal fantasy, as Kate and her friends make their way to an alternate universe created by the sum of all human thought and vision. As you’d expect, the world-building is top-notch as readers get to encounter sights and sounds, people and places, concept and ideas that are so unique and dazzling that they’ll blow your mind.
The plot was also fast-paced and entertaining. There’s a good mix of humor and action for the adventurous-minded, but keep in mind too that there’s a thread of darkness that runs through the narrative, and this to me is what Seth Skorkowsky is all about. I’ve always loved the horror-tinged stories of the Valducan series, and was glad to see some of that here, especially towards the end when all hell breaks loose. This novel might be lighter in tone, but it’s still certainly not for the faint-hearted, because there are moments that get downright brutal.
So fans of bold, gritty, rollicking urban fantasy take note: Seth Skorkowsky should be on your reading list, and Ashes of Onyx needs to be on your radar yesterday! This book was a nice change of pace from Valducan but it was just as fun and engaging, which was no less than I would have expected from the author. If he decides to expand this world with future books, you can bet I’ll be on board for more.
Audiobook Comments: I must commend the outstanding job by narrator Caroline Shaffer, who brought out the vivid personalities of Kate and the gang. A great listen overall, and highly recommended.
Bookshelf Roundup 02/08/20: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on February 8, 2020 37 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
Kicking us off, much thanks to Ace/Roc/DAW for ARCs of Driving the Deep by Suzanne Palmer, which is the sequel to Finder, and Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs, the next book in the Mercy Thompson series – super excited about this one! Also courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press, I received a finished copy of The Companions by Katie M. Flynn. I’m not too familiar with this one, but I’ve seen buzz of it around and comparisons of it to Station Eleven so I’m pretty curious.
Also big thanks to Harper Voyager for sending along Sunshield by Emily B. Martin. I’ve actually had my eye on this one, so it was a nice surprise to receive an ARC! And thank you to Titan Books for this beautiful copy of The Golden Key by Marin Womack and the pretty bookmark/pin that came along with it! I’ll also be featuring an excerpt later this month as part of the novel’s blog tour, so stay tuned for that! Next up, the awesome folks at Tor.com sent me a copy of Finna by Nino Cripi, which sounds like a fun romp through the multiverse! Looking forward to checking it out.
And finally, cheers to Orbit/Redhook Books for the following: an ARC of Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso, who was also the author of the amazing Swords and Fire trilogy, so I’m going to be all over this one! From the publisher I also received finished copies of A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers and The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold, both of which are on my reading list this month.
In the digital haul, thank you to Entangled: Teen for a review copy of Crave by Tracy Wolff. It’s no accident that the cover brings to mind Twilight; I’m already seeing early reviews making comparisons, calling it a more grown-up, sophisticated version for vampire fans. Whatever the case, I’m intrigued. I also grabbed a few new thriller/horror titles this week. From Ballantine Books via NetGalley, I snagged Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara, and from the amazing team at Simon & Schuster Audio, I received The Chill by Scott Carson and Follow Me by Kathleen Barber. And from Listening Library, I received listening copies of Witches of Ashe & Ruin by E. Latimer because of witches and ancient Celtic mythology, as well as The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu because I just couldn’t help it, I was curious about her new book!
Reviews
Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine (4.5 of 5 stars)
Watchdog by Will McIntosh (4 of 5 stars)
The Hollows by Jess Montgomery (3.5 of 5 stars)
Burn the Dark by S.A. Hunt (3 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
This Week’s Reads
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: Lion
Posted on February 7, 2020 18 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“Is that a lion with horns and a pitchfork?”
~ a cover featuring a LION
Mogsy’s Pick:
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
I think this is a theme we’ve done before, and I’m running out lion covers! Thankfully, I’ve read the first book of the Kate Daniels series which features lion shifters. Let’s take a look at some of the covers:
From left to right:
Ace Paperback (2007) – Ace Kindle (2009) – Gollancz (2010)
German Edition (2009) –Spanish Edition (2010) – Chinese Edition (2010)
Portuguese Edition (2015) – French Edition (2017) – Hungarian Edition (2015)
Polish Edition (2017) – Thai Edition (2016 – Russian (2020)
Winner:
I’m not sure I love any of the contenders this week, but I do find the Ace (2009) edition very pretty. It’s a very “generic UF” cover but I love the colors, and damn, that is one cool lion.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine
Posted on February 6, 2020 19 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Series: Book 4 of Stillhouse Lake
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (January 21, 2020)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
After the turning point at the end of the last book, I was afraid that the Stillhouse Lake series might start going down a different path and risk losing sight of what made these books great…but turns out I had nothing to worry about! Yes, there are some changes, but I felt they were all positive ones. As a result, Bitter Falls might be my favorite installment yet.
But first, since this is the fourth volume in the series, I would advise against continuing with this review if you aren’t caught up and don’t want to be spoiled for the previous books. Also, while Bitter Falls can technically be enjoyed as a standalone, there’s still a lot in the main character’s background that will be referenced and it would be best to read the books in order, starting from the beginning. After being on the run for years, our protagonist Gwen Proctor has finally decided to take a stand and put down some roots in Stillhouse Lake. But the attitude of the town has shifted ever since she outed herself as the former wife of Melvin Royal, one of the most notorious serial killers the country has ever seen. Even after Gwen had been acquitted from all suspicion, she and her family still faced harassment and death threats, spurred on by the families of some of Melvin’s victims. And now that everyone knows where she is again, Gwen is once more fearing for the safety of her loved ones. What’s worse, some of the residents of Stillhouse Lake also want her gone, as they’re angry at the unwanted attention she’s drawn to their once quiet town.
Trying to push these concerns out of her mind, Gwen turns her focus to her new job working as a private investigator for a security agency. Her newest assignment is a doozy—a missing persons cold case resurrected by a mysterious charity. Three years have passed since a college student named Remy Landry was last seen, and Gwen traces the young man’s disappearance to a fanatical cult known to recruit members against their will.
All I have to say is, holy crap, this was good. For three books now, we’ve followed Gwen Proctor as she and her family tried to flee the shadow of their past. While it’s clear that’s not about to end anytime soon, it’s also nice to see that Gwen has a new purpose. Her position as a private investigator has definitely added a fresh angle to this series, and no doubt this will inject some new life into the stories going forward. I don’t want to reveal too much more about the plot of Bitter Falls because there are just some incredible moments you have to experience for yourself, but I will say that this was probably the most exciting and gripping book of the series so far. Rachel Caine has written a novel that will carry our characters to the next chapter of their lives while still making the past an important part of who they are.
Which brings us to Gwen, who was great in this book. She’s a fighter, a survivor, and one hell of a mom. I loved how amidst all the chaos and danger in her family’s lives, the narrative still took the time to develop her relationship with her kids. Both of them are growing up, and like all kids at that age, they are struggling with problems related to relationships or fitting in. On top of that, they have to come to terms with the fact their father was a monster and must deal with reminders of that every day. Connor also has post-traumatic stress from his ordeal with Melvin, and all Lanny wants is a normal life of a teenager where she can go to parties and go on dates (in light of this, I guess she can be forgiven for making some less-than-intelligent decisions in this book). But Gwen’s fierce love for her kids also made her passion for the case feel real, because she was able to connect to Remy’s parents on an emotional level and recognize how much is at stake. And of course, I can’t end this review without mentioning Sam, who has been a rock for Gwen and a loving, supportive presence to her and her children.
If more of this is what we can expect from this series from here on out, you can bet I’ll be sticking around. I was excited to see there will be another book after this, and I look forward to more edge-of-your-seat action and suspense with Gwen, Sam, and the kids. Can’t wait to see what Rachel Caine has in store for them next!
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Stillhouse Lake (Book 1)
Review of Killman Creek (Book 2)
Review of Wolfhunter River (Book 3)
Waiting on Wednesday 02/05/20
Posted on February 5, 2020 25 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher (July 14, 2020 by Ace Books)
Finally, it’s the next Dresden Files book, nuff said!
“Harry Dresden is back and ready for action, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.
When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, joins the White Council’s security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago–and all he holds dear?
Peace Talks is the sixteenth novel in the Dresden Files series and follows Harry’s adventures after the events of Skin Game.”
Audiobook Review: Watchdog by Will McIntosh
Posted on February 4, 2020 20 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tantor Audio (January 14, 2020)
Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: James Fouhey
I’m a big fan of Will McIntosh and I’ve had Watchdog on my radar for quite some time, though it wasn’t until the release of the audiobook version this month that I finally got to check it out. This being a middle grade novel, it was a quick listen, and the fact that it was also packed with tons of kid-friendly action and a featured an adorable robotic watchdog certainly didn’t hurt.
Vick and Tara are our story’s protagonists, thirteen-year-old twins who were left to fend for themselves in a harsh and unforgiving world after their mom died. Tara is also autistic, and her brother is the only one who understands her struggle with emotions and knows how to help. The two of them live out of a makeshift shelter on the streets, barely surviving off what little they can make from salvaging at the local junkyard. Tara likes to build things and has a talent for figuring out how robots work, so she helps Vick figure out which useful tech parts they can sell. The pair of them are also always accompanied by their small robotic dog, Daisy, which Tara had cobbled together from the odds and ends left over from their trips to the scrapyard.
Then one day, during one of their salvaging sessions, Tara discovers a mysterious component which appears to have been discarded by mistake. Once installed into Daisy, it enabled her to do incredible things that shouldn’t be possible. Unfortunately, this soon draws the attention local crime boss Ms. Alba, who now wants Daisy for herself, sending her goons after Vick and Tara after they refuse to deal with her. Thankfully though, the siblings are very resourceful, and Daisy is far from helpless with Tara’s new upgrades, allowing the little robotic pet to rival the strength and ferocity of Ms. Alba’s own expensive, weapons-grade watchdogs.
Whenever I read Middle Grade, I always have to keep in mind a few things. First of all, the writing and the stories are geared towards children, so you can’t have themes that are too dark or violent, and second, you also can’t load the book up with exposition and too much description or else you end up boring your audience. So that’s sort of where we are with Watchdog, which is understandably less complex than McIntosh’s other work, with world-building and characters that aren’t quite as developed. Still, there’s one more thing that I try to do when I read MG, and that’s putting myself in a kid’s shoes. In this case, I ask myself would a ten-year-old be completely enthralled and entertained while reading this novel? The answer, I think, is yes.
For one thing, readers interested in technology and robotics will find the concept of watchdogs entirely fascinating. The term is really just a catch-all for any kind of robot companion, because in reality watchdogs can be any shape and size, though many owners prefer to model them after animals. They’re also fully customizable, with some folks willing to pay big bucks to fit their robotic pets with high-tech modifications which would allow them to better serve their functions, turning them into effective killing machines. Still, if there’s one thing that a watchdog can’t do, it’s to think for themselves—and that little tidbit is what leads to the crux of the novel.
I also mentioned earlier that the book’s age category keeps it from getting too dark, but at the same time, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops either. Vick and Tara have it pretty rough, orphaned and living alone on the streets of a dystopian Chicago. Their part of town is run by the mob, and at one point they even escape a sweat shop-like factory, narrowly avoiding being sold into indentured servitude. Tara’s character also has autism, and Vick is under the intense pressure to keep them both safe. There are times when his frustration with his sister makes itself known, but there’s also no doubt the two siblings are fiercely loyal to each other. McIntosh portrays Tara’s disability in a compassionate way, acknowledging that it causes her a lot of difficulty, but at the same time, autism doesn’t define her. The message of this novel is simply the importance of family, and at the core of it is a story about a brother and sister who love and protect each other.
All told, I think Watchdog would be great for all readers, though its intended audience—ages 10 to 12 or so—would probably get the most out of it. It’s an adorable story with a solid mix of adventure and sci-fi dystopian goodness, not to mention plenty of action, humor, and heart.
Audiobook Comments: I enjoyed the narration by James Fouhey, who read Watchdog in expressive and animated tones that were perfect for the audiobook. It was an enjoyable listen.
Audiobook Review: Burn the Dark by S.A. Hunt
Posted on February 3, 2020 18 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Malus Domestica
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 14, 2020)
Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Meet Robin Martine, a social media personality and self-styled witch hunter who achieved internet fame with her wildly popular YouTube channel, Malus Domestica. Traveling around the country, Robin leads her followers to believe that her videos are nothing more than a cleverly acted, special effects laden mockumentary-style series depicting her witch hunting adventures—a fiction she’s more than happy to go along with, because the truth is much more terrifying. For you see, witches are very real, and they have caused Robin no small amount of pain and grief. When she was a young girl, a coven of them killed her mother, destroying her family and upending her whole life. Robin has been on a mission for vengeance ever since, trying to track down the witches responsible.
Now, upon receiving an ominous message about the Red Lord, a malevolent demon that has been dogging her every step, Robin finds that her journey has led her back to her hometown of Blackfield, Georgia. Her childhood home, the site of so many bad memories, has long been fixed up and was sold only recently to a father and his son who are experiencing some very strange phenomena in their new house. Something evil has awakened within its walls, and Robin soon discovers that the circumstances surrounding the events which have brought her back to where everything started are much more complicated that she realized.
Anyway, I have some very mixed feelings about this one. It took me a while to get a feel for this novel, because I had such hard time connecting to its characters and story. I only discovered after finishing Burn the Dark that it was originally self-published, but I’m assuming some reworking and polishing had been done for its second release once it was picked up by Tor Books. In light of this, I feel even more terrible for saying this, but perhaps a little more time at the editing chair could have helped, especially for the first half of the book. In short, the reason I had such difficulty getting into it had a lot to do with the narrative’s overall disjointedness, including how time would skip haphazardly from present to the past, or the way perspectives would shift so frequently that you could barely even tell Robin was supposed to be our main protagonist.
The good news is, after the halfway mark, the experience improves as the story finds its legs and picks back up. If the book still has your attention at this point, I think you’d be pleased you stuck with it, but there are still a few obstacles to overcome. Namely, the characters themselves are pretty bland—not merely based off of well-known archetypes, but the author actually goes quite overboard with the clichés. Robin is practically a caricature of the broken, angsty heroine—which isn’t really a negative by itself, but it does become a problem when readers aren’t getting the full picture of her backstory for the first half of the book, so she just comes off as angry and entitled.
Then there was the writing. Not bad, but certain passages did leap out at me as being overwritten and unnecessarily embellished. To be fair though, I noticed this while listening to the audio version, and perhaps the prose would read smoother in print form.
At the end of the day, had the plot been tightened up and the characters written with slightly more originality, Burn the Dark could have been amazing. That said, while there’s still a lot holding the book back, I think S.A. Hunt is on to something good here, and we’ve at least established a good foundation for future volumes to build upon. Certainly, the last quarter of the novel provided what much of the first half was lacking—excitement, conflict, and most important of all, a clear direction. In a way, this section truly saved the book; it’s a promise that more is coming, and even though the hook came a little too late in this one, perhaps the sequel will be better because we’ll be able to jump right into the action.
Audiobook Comments: This isn’t the first audiobook I’ve listened to with Saskia Maarleveld as narrator, but for the first time it’s really hit me just how unbelievably talented she is. Faults of the book aside, I loved her performance, the way she handled accents and made the best out of some of the hammy dialogue and purplish prose. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book as much had I read it in print form, and it’s all thanks to the fantastic narration.
The BiblioSanctum 