Book Review: Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames + Giveaway
Posted on September 9, 2018 29 Comments
***The giveaway is now over, thanks to everyone who entered!***
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: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Band
Publisher: Orbit (August 28, 2018)
Length: 560 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
It feels great to be getting wyld again with The Band in Bloody Rose, and like its predecessor, it’s sure to become an instant classic. With vibes of Almost Famous meets epic rollicking fantasy, this standalone follow-up to Kings of the Wyld follows Tam Hashford, a young woman with big dreams. Her father is a former mercenary who has become overprotective of his daughter ever since the death of his wife, who was a talented bard of some renown, strictly forbidding Tam to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Reluctantly honoring his wishes, our protagonist has never stepped foot outside her village she was born in, working a dreary dead-end job at the local pub.
But that was before Fable, the most famous (or infamous) band in the world decided to roll into town. Starstruck by their leader, the fearsome Bloody Rose, Tam sweeps aside all promises ever made to her father, auditioning for the role of the band’s bard. Singing her heart out before those assembled, Tam wins the role on the spot. From then on, her job would be to accompany Fable on their tours, essentially adopting the position of rock journalist by recording the band’s adventures and spreading the news of their exploits to the masses.
For the uninitiated wondering why I use that particular comparison, The Band is a gritty but comedic fantasy series from the brilliant mind of Nicholas Eames, who has injected a number of rock and roll musical references into his work. The traditional fantasy questing party is called a band. Instead of guitars and drumsticks, their members wield swords and warhammers. Gladiatorial arenas are their concert halls, where legions of adoring fans can see their heroes play live as they battle monsters to the death. Sometimes though, bands also take on contracts outside of their regular tours (they’re still mercenaries, after all) and at the moment, anyone who’s anybody is heading out to the Brumal Wastes, where the gig of a lifetime awaits in the form of a monstrous horde gathering at its edges. As Tam joins Bloody Rose and Fable, this is where she had assumed they would be headed. Everyone is surprised, however, when their frontwoman decides to honor their tour schedule instead, continuing onwards away from all the action.
Needless to say, this decision is met with much disbelief and incredulity. After all, anyone who knows Rose knows how much she loves a good fight. While this novel can be read a standalone, those who read Kings of the Wyld may remember meeting her character briefly at the end when her father Golden Gabe and his band Saga came to her rescue at the siege of Castia. She’s never been one to shy away from battle, which is how she landed in trouble in the first place. And if she’s turning down the epic chance to fight the mighty Brumal Horde, then that must mean—as hard as it is to imagine it—she has an even bigger fish to fry.
Still, even though this novel is named after Bloody Rose, the real star of the show is Tam. Our young and sheltered bard gets her dream job of traveling with the hottest band in town, gradually realizing that there is so much more to the lives of her idols as she becomes accepted into their inner circle. Rapidly dissipating are also her romantic notions of what it means to be a part of a superstar band, which isn’t all about the fame and glory. As Tam loses her innocent idealism, she also gains much in the form of wisdom, learning new things, falling in love, and seeing the humanity behind her heroes. Her bandmates are only mortals after all—flawed and fallible. They have hopes and dreams as well as fears and regrets. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and many of their family situations are as complicated and confusing as her own.
That is also to say, this is definitely the kind of series where you come for the Rock ‘n’ Roll, but stay for the excellent character development and relationships. Despite the humor and the numerous nods to real life musical bands as well as pop culture references aplenty, Eames has proven that this is all more than just a gimmick, and that he is more than just a one-hit-wonder. His books are loads of fun, but there is also real feeling in his unique brand of storytelling which gives depth to his plot and characters, and that is a talent sure to send him straight to the top of the charts again and again.
In sum, Bloody Rose was a supremely entertaining romp, and I daresay it might have even surpassed the greatness of Kings of the Wyld. Trust me, fantasy fans, this is one series you do not want to miss. Looking forward to the next installment of The Band, and I can’t wait to see with whom or where we’ll be touring next.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Kings of the Wyld (Book 1)
Bloody Rose Giveaway
And now time you’ve all been waiting for! I have a copy of Bloody Rose that I’m putting up for giveaway. With apologies to our international readers, due to the costs of shipping, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US. One winner will receive a paperback copy of the book. To enter, all you have to do is send an email to bibliosanctum@gmail.com with your Name and valid Mailing Address using the subject line “BLOODY ROSE” by 11:59pm Eastern time on Saturday, September 15, 2018.
Only one entry per household, please. The winner will be randomly selected when the giveaway ends and then be notified by email. All information will only be used for the purposes of contacting the winner and sending them their prize. Once the giveaway ends all entry emails will be deleted.
So what are you waiting for? Enter to win! Good luck!
YA Weekend: The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett
Posted on September 8, 2018 14 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor Teen (July 10, 2018)
Length: 224 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Unfortunates is the second novel I’ve read by Kim Liggett, which I was excited to read after how much I enjoyed The Last Harvest even though on the surface it didn’t appear to have as much of a horror bent. The story follows Grant Franklin Tavish V, the son of a wealthy and prominent US senator. As a result, Grant never wanted for anything growing up, and his future was secure. He would go to the right schools, make the right connections, marry the right girl, and perhaps one day follow in his father’s footsteps.
But when the book opens, we see that nothing is going the way as planned for Grant. That’s because he did a terrible thing. Now his parents are scrambling to fix the problem, mobilizing lawyers and pulling strings in an attempt to make it all go away and put their son’s life back on the right track. But Grant’s not even sure that’s what he wants anymore. The guilt that has been eating away at him since that terrible night has taken over, and he’s ready to face what he thinks he deserves. Carefully, he starts putting together a plan. It’s a long-standing tradition for male children in the Tavish family to do a caving excursion on the Appalachian Trail as a rite of passage, braving the elements for four days and four nights. In the week before his scheduled court date, Grant begins preparing for his trip, but secretly, he is also putting all his affairs in order because he isn’t anticipating on coming back.
Soon after he begins his descent into the caves though, an incident causes a collapse, ruining all his carefully laid plans. Grant is trapped underground with four other teens from a school group who were unable to make their way back to the surface, and together they must share their resources and knowledge and fight to survive.
I have to say, I felt torn after finishing this one. Did I like it? Yes. But something tells me I would have enjoyed it even more had I not been able to predict the entire story after a mere sixty pages in. And that’s where reviewing this book gets difficult. It was obvious this was meant to be an emotional and poignant journey, one that should be filled with meaningful epiphanies and lessons. However, much of this was predicated on the ending, which if you saw it coming miles away would take away a lot of the intended impact. And that’s where I find myself now, unsure of how to feel about this novel. I suppose I can appreciate the story, along with its ideas and its goal, on a somewhat superficial “Well, that was sort of nice” level, but sadly it doesn’t go much deeper than that.
I also want to say that The Unfortunates is the kind of book where the less you know going in the better, but quite honestly, I think many will still predict the story early. That’s because the author made things a little too obvious. Without going into too much detail in case of spoilers, there is a distinct difference between how the first half of the book is told versus the second half, and anytime something unusual happens to make the reader question what’s going on is another opportunity for them to figure it out.
I suspect this is why The Unfortunates was such a short book. Liggett probably knew that the longer you spent with the story, the more likely you would work out her purposes, so she deliberately made sparse with the details and practically raced through the final act, glossing over everything that led up to the big reveal. Ironically, had she actually slowed down to take the time to develop the plot and characters, this might have resulted in a deeper and more satisfying read. As it is, Grant and the new friends he meets down in the caves—Shy, Kit, Maria, and Darryl—all felt rather flat and generic. The story also felt very scripted, with every action taken by the characters being choreographed, but to be fair, that might have been the result of knowing what was coming.
Final thoughts? The Unfortunates wasn’t a bad book, but personally I thought it was much too predictable to be a genuinely satisfying read. Since that predictability was the key factor affecting my opinion of this book though, if that’s not something that typically bothers you, it still might be worth giving it a shot. I do like Kim Liggett’s writing, and despite this novel being less than I expected, I still look forward to seeing what she’ll write next.
Friday Face-Off: Queen
Posted on September 7, 2018 32 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:
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall”
~ a cover featuring a QUEEN
Mogsy’s Pick:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I listened to this book in audio a few years ago and sad to say but it did not make a huge impression. Since then though, it has been published in several more editions which means it has also gotten some nice covers which perfectly suit my purposes today! Let’s take a look at them now:
From left to right:
HarperTeen (2015) – HarperTeen Collector’s Edition (2017) – Ukrainian Edition (2017)
Georgian Edition (2018) – Russian Edition (2015) – Macedonian (2016) – Bulgarian Edition (2015)
Finnish Edition (2016) – German Edition (2015) – Hebrew Edition (2015)
Winner:
Save for the Bulgarian edition (whose blood droplet effect I find clever and fascinating), I can’t say I’m a big fan of any of the “crown” covers. In fact, I don’t love any of the choices this week, but probably the one most aesthetically pleasing to me is the German edition. If the colors had been a bit sharper, I think I would like it even more, though the way it is now gives it that cool washed-out watercolor effect.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
Posted on September 6, 2018 27 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: William Morrow (September 4, 2018)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Sarah Pinborough is really killing it with her thrillers lately (no pun intended). Her last two books that I read and loved were 13 Minutes and Behind Her Eyes. Even though I discovered her work and became a fan through her fantasy and horror fiction, I’m at the point where I’ll pick up anything she writes, and if she were to continue writing in the psychological suspense genre I would not be disappointed at all.
In Cross Her Heart, we follow the lives of Lisa and her sixteen-year-old daughter Ava. While Lisa can be a bit overprotective, more so than the average parent, and Ava is a typical rebellious teenager, discovering her sexuality and testing her limits, on the outside, theirs is like any other mother-daughter relationship. However, both are hiding secrets that can threaten to tear their lives apart, and neither realize that the other not knowing would ultimately lead them into great danger.
For the moment though, Lisa is content. Ava is doing well at school and has great friends on her swim team. Lisa also loves her job working in the same office as her best friend Marilyn, who is encouraging her to get back into the dating scene. For once, Lisa feels she relax her guard and allow herself to be happy again.
But then one day, that calm is shattered when Lisa comes across a terrifying discovery left for her to find. It is a cruel reminder that she cannot escape her past. Someone knows her secret, and now they’ve tracked her down. Meanwhile, Ava has a new boyfriend, but her mind is on someone else—the one she has been exchanging sexy and exciting Facebook messages with, her secret lover who makes her feel so grown up and independent. Her mother, whom Ava resents for still treating her like a child, would never understand, of course.
Like the author’s previous novel Behind Her Eyes, this one also contains several surprising and game-changing twists, often accompanied by significant shifts in the storytelling. It also explores some rather uncomfortable questions about human nature. Do people change? Few of us are the same as we were when we were children—we grow up, we learn new things, we start seeing the world differently…but do we ever lose the very essence of our personality, the main ingredients that shape who we are? Do second chances and do-overs exist, and can society ever forgive? On the face of it, Cross Her Heart reads like your standard psychological thriller, perhaps slightly over-the-top at times, but it nonetheless gave me plenty of to chew on.
I also loved the relationship dynamics that are the central focus of this novel. Everything about the plot hinges upon Lisa’s love for Ava, or the strength of her friendship with Marilyn. While in my opinion, the portrayal of the supporting cast was rather weak and clichéd (e.g. the “bad men” in this story were all sexist assholes or abusive drunks, the difficult new coworker was predictably a manipulative and conniving bitch, and the police and law enforcement figures who were supposed to be helping were instead painted as apathetic, patronizing, and incompetent), I could tell Pinborough was channeling all her energies on developing the three main characters. All of them—Lisa, Ava, and Marilyn—were flawed individuals too, no doubt. But unlike many of the minor characters in the background, they actually came across like genuine people, each with their personal stories to tell and lives that are fascinating in their own way.
The plot was also entertaining. While I cannot say it was terribly elegant or original since Pinborough does employ a few tricks that can be considered somewhat trite and overused, the story was still nonetheless incredibly fun and addictive. Certain tropes were utilized to great effect, and even though the overall premise was perhaps a little too sensationalist, the villain perhaps a little too outrageous and unbelievable—hey, I still had a great time.
At the end of the day, I love the imagination and magic Sarah Pinborough puts into her fantasy novels, but I also love it when she gets down and real with her bold, gritty, and twisted thrillers. She’s part of a rare group of authors who seem comfortable writing in any genre they set their minds to, delivering crowd-pleasers every time.
Waiting on Wednesday 09/05/18
Posted on September 5, 2018 23 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
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse (April 23, 2019 by Saga Press)
Trail of Lightning was one of the most exciting urban fantasy openers I’ve read in a long time, and I can’t wait to see where the series will take us next.
“It’s been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she’s lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she’s somehow found herself responsible for a young girl with a strange clan power.
Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie’s door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai’s a true believer, but Maggie suspects there’s more to Kai’s new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, rescue Kai, and make things right between them both.
Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods, and, ultimately the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust’s plans are revealed, Maggie’s burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.”
Audiobook Review: An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
Posted on September 4, 2018 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.
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Audio (August 7, 2018)
Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Hillary Huber
An Unwanted Guest was another “road trip audiobook”, one I picked out based on the presumption that an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery would keep the adults in the car entertained for a 10-hour long drive. It would seem that I chose well, for this turned out to be a very engaging listen.
The story takes place in the Catskill Mountains, during a bad winter snowstorm. As the characters start arriving at Mitchell’s Inn, a remote resort lodge nestled in the woods, they find themselves snowed in and cut off from the outside world. There is also no cellular service or internet connection at the hotel, which prides itself on being a stress-free getaway where their guests can unplug. In the end though, it all becomes moot as the storm knocks out electricity completely, leaving everyone in the literal dark. Fortunately, the inn is well-stocked with plenty of food, booze, and firewood so that the guests can stay in relative comfort while they wait for the roads to clear and powerlines to be fixed.
But on the morning after the first night, our characters wake up to a grisly sight. One of them is dead, and though it appears to be a tragic accident, some of them aren’t too sure and suspect that foul play may be involved. All doubt is soon erased, however, as a second dead body turns up, this one clearly murdered. Panic ensues as those remaining start pointing fingers at their fellow lodgers, while a few also start investigating the possibility of an unwanted guest—a mysterious stranger who might have broken into the hotel during the thick of the storm unbeknownst to any of them.
This book first begins with an introduction to the characters, and like all stories of this nature, it involves a fairly sizeable cast. Listening to the audiobook, it was slightly more challenging to get the names sorted in my mind, but author Shari Lapena managed to give her characters enough distinguishing traits to make remembering them all relatively easy. Most of them are traveling in pairs—a young girlfriend-boyfriend couple who are newly in love and are looking forward to a naughty weekend; the heir of a prominent and wealthy New England family and his beautiful fiancée who are spending some time alone together before their lavish wedding; a husband and wife in their 40s who are having some marital problems, hoping that a vacation in the Catskills away from work and kids will help sort them out; and finally, a pair of best friends who met while in journalism school, trying to rebuild their broken friendship after they went their separate ways. Then there are singletons, including a distinguished New York City lawyer who has decided to lay low by escaping to the mountains, as well as a reclusive writer who has chosen Mitchell’s Inn as the perfect quiet place to work on her new book. Rounding out this cast is the hotel’s owner and his son, both overworked trying to keep their guests warm and fed during their disastrous snowbound weekend.
What initially attracted me to this tale was the way its premise reminded me of the classic detective mysteries of the Golden Age, where the settings are very often secluded old country houses and the characters are very much your larger-than-life, upper crust clichés. An Unwanted Guest is like a modern and updated approach to this kind of murder mystery, checking off a lot of the genre’s rules while also employing many devices of its own. At its heart, it is a plot-driven story in which the reader is given the opportunity to figure out who the killer is along with the characters, picking up clues and other details along the way. Like any good whodunit, this one also contains plenty of red herrings and other misdirection tactics in an attempt to throw you off-track.
But going against convention, this story isn’t told from the point-of-view of a singular detective-type character. Instead, the author has opted for third-person omniscient narration, which makes for some fickle and untrustworthy perspectives, since Lapena had to keep the secret of the murderer going for as long as possible. This means that you’ll find yourself in the head or heads of the person/people you later find out are responsible, though at the time we are given no hints that they know anything at all about the murders, when realistically the killings should have been foremost on their minds. In this day and age of advanced technology, the story also went to great lengths keeping the setting secluded and our characters cut off from civilization. To me, it’s a little unrealistic that an upscale hotel would have no emergency backup plan, such as a generator or snowmobiles to send for help in these kinds of situations. The explanation given for the lack of these provisions is that they’d be “noisy”, but come on, when you run a boutique resort that caters to a mostly affluent clientele in the mountains where you know you routinely get bad winters, that’s a pretty flimsy excuse.
These quibbles aside though, I thought An Unwanted Guest was a fantastically good read (or good listen, in my case). The story did its job, which is to provide some much-needed entertainment over the course of a boring long drive. Not only did it succeed, the book also met all my lofty expectations a compelling murder mystery, delivering plenty of drama, thrills and kills. Narrator Hillary Huber also did a fantastic job, and I would recommend this audiobook if you’re looking for a modern whodunit with a classic feel.
Book Review: Temper by Nicky Drayden
Posted on September 3, 2018 21 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: 2 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Harper Voyager (August 7, 2018)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’m still kicking myself for not having read Nicky Drayden’s The Prey of Gods, her debut novel which has been garnering all kinds of praise, so when I heard about Temper I decided to check it out. Unfortunately though, I did not take to it as well as I’d hoped. While the writing was excellent and the premise was as imaginative as anything I’ve seen in a while, the book was much too strange for my tastes, which led it to fail in delivering a story of impact.
Temper is a tale of two brothers, twins Auben and Kasim. In fact, in this alternate history novel, set in very different version of South Africa than the one we know, pretty much everyone has a twin. Each pair of siblings is also born with a set of seven vices and seven virtues evenly split between them (we’re talking charity vs. greed, humility vs. vainglory, etc.) which means that occasionally, one twin might end up with all the desired traits while the other is left with the short end of the stick.
Case in point, in their relationship, Auben is the “lesser” twin, since he was born with six vices and only one virtue, while Kasim is the “greater” twin, having won the genetic lottery with six virtues and one vice. This has affected the way society treats the brothers, since lesser siblings are often discriminated against for having more vices. Worse, the twins always have to be in close proximity to each other, else it leads to undesirable physical and mental side effects, so Auben has no choice but to watch as Kasim is showered with positive attention while he himself receives all the prejudice.
Even though the brothers love each other, Auben worries that one day the tensions will inevitably destroy their bond, leading them to grow apart. Lately, he has also been hearing these insidious whispers in his mind, goading him to surrender to his darker instincts—his vices. Growing increasingly perturbed, Auben wants to trust Kasim and share with him his fears and doubts, but he isn’t even sure if his twin, content with his charmed life, will be able to understand.
Temper is a novel whose ideas might make for a better thought experiment than a story. Resplendent with imagination and originality, the premise offers lots of potential for world-building, and indeed we have a unique setting here filled with rich history, culture, and mythology. The plot, however, was a bit of a mess. To reiterate my earlier point, this is a rather weird book, and I will be the first to admit I don’t often do well with weirdness in my speculative fiction. It tends to make me feel untethered, resulting in a difficult time connecting with the story and especially to the characters, and I think this is what happened here.
There was also a lot going on—perhaps a little too much. In addition to the extensive world-building, there was also a fair number of characters to keep track of, not to mention the author’s attempts at plot twists and intrigue. On the bright side, no one could ever accuse this book of being dull, though ironically, the information deluge sometimes affected the pacing and made the story feel slow. While reading this book, several times I would find myself stopping after a dozen pages or so only to realize little to no progress had been made in the plot. This also made things more confusing and further widened the emotional divide between me and Auben, the narrator and protagonist, causing a lot of the nuances in his personality to become lost in the noise. Consequently, I probably didn’t feel as sympathetic to his plight as I was meant to, and the impact of his and Kasim’s relationship was also dampened, weakening what could have been a moving story of brotherly trust and love.
Needless to say, Temper turned out not to be the kind of fantasy novel I typically go for—it was a bit too weird, a bit too offbeat and abstract. That said though, it is a very creative and ambitious endeavor, and if you like books that experiment with crossing genre boundaries or subverting traditional sci-fi and fantasy ideas, you might want to give this one a look. It might not have worked for me, but in the right hands, this book could be a real eye-opener.
YA Weekend: You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine
Posted on September 2, 2018 25 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Return to Fear Street
Publisher: HarperTeen (July 24, 2018)
Length: 344 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Nostalgia’s a powerful thing. It seems that to this day, I cannot look at R.L. Stine’s name on a cover without feeling a thrill of excitement, remembering how my mom would take my brother and I to the library or bookstore as children, where we would both geek out over picking up latest Goosebumps book. Later, I graduated to the Fear Street series. Looking back, those weren’t exactly great books, but as a preteen, I adored them. Those stories provided me hours of entertainment and quite possibly the spark that resulted in my love of the horror genre today.
So yes, when I found out about Return to Fear Street, I was curious about the series’ latest revival (there had been others, which largely passed me by). My interest was further piqued by the cover to the first book, which kicks things off with a retro “pulp” look along with the tagline “two sisters, divided by time.” Sure enough, the story of You May Now Kill the Bride is presented to us in several parts, the first of which takes place in 1923, introducing Rebecca and Ruth-Ann Fear. These early chapters tell of how a bitter rift was formed between the two sisters, when Rebecca, the older one, causes a scandal by stealing Ruth-Ann’s sweetheart. However, on the day of Rebecca’s wedding at a lodge atop a scenic mesa, the groom commits an unspeakable act before all the assembled guests. Inevitably, Ruth-Ann is blamed because of the suspicion that she’d been dabbling in the dark magical arts of her family, and also because her anger over her older sister’s betrothal was no secret. What should have been a joyous day of celebration instead turns into a day of horror, tragedy, and death.
Fast forward to present day, and the story shifts its focus onto another pair of Fear sisters, Harmony and Marissa. Like her ancestor Ruth-Ann, Harmony has a knack for the family magic, which she has used in the past to play tricks on her siblings. But at Marissa’s wedding, taking place in the exact place of Rebecca Fear’s disastrous 1923 nuptials, Harmony goes a little too far with her pranks. Marissa goes missing, leaving her groom at the altar. At first, everyone thinks its cold feet, but Harmony doesn’t think so, after finding an ominous note in her sister’s room. Repeated failures to locate Marissa and reach her on her cellphone lead to the police being called to search the lodge and its surrounding gullies. Harmony is beginning to wonder if the stories about this being a cursed place is true, especially once she starts experiencing strange things happening to her.
First off, let me just put it out there: You May Now Kill the Bride isn’t likely to be the magnificent comeback you’re looking for, but damned if I didn’t have fun. And amazingly, while experience has taught me that few things are as good as you remember, I actually thought this was amongst the better Fear Street stories I have ever read. On the whole, the writing was also quite good, a step up from what I recall. Best of all, this book was an electric shot of nostalgia, just like I wanted. It has retained a lot of the series’ unique quirks, such as the corny attempts to end almost every chapter on a cliffhanger. Funny how little things in the writing like that could bring me such glee.
In terms of the story, I’ll be honest—I didn’t expect much. But again, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Following the current YA trends, You May Now Kill the Bride clocks in at about 350 pages, or approximately double the length many of the original Fear Street novels used to be. I really appreciated the deeper character and story development this afforded. The horror was also well done. On some level, I think I had expected the campy, pulpy murder mysteries from back in the day, but of course, the genre has evolved a lot since then, and this return to Fear Street feels better suited to today’s YA horror readers who are more used to darker fare with a hint of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the content is still rather tame, despite the story’s more twisted and violent bits. Dubious plot points and questionable explanations aside, the ending even finished on a somewhat happy note.
Back when I used to read the Fear Street books, it wasn’t for the logic or artistry in the stories. I picked them up because they were full of fun thrills and silly teenagers meeting their untimely demises. In a way, this reboot of the series is in keeping with the same spirit, though I also think that it’s different enough to establish itself as something separate. That said, I don’t know if Return to Fear Street will be successful in attracting a whole new generation of R.L. Stine fans, as something tells me that these books would be better received by readers much like myself, for whom series like Goosebumps and the original Fear Street were staples of their childhood. We’ve may have all grown up a bit since then, but I still found great enjoyment and delight in reading You May Now Kill the Bride. If you’re looking for a nostalgia kick, I recommend checking it out.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on September 1, 2018 36 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other 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 round up what I’ve read since the last update 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.
It has been a busy summer, and for the whole month of August we were barely around with all the visitors and road trips. But now we’re back from the beaches and whale watching in Cape Cod, and getting ready for back-to-school. Never mind my ever-growing TBR, there’s also been an insane amount of stuff piling up on my to-do list, but hopefully it’ll just be another week or so before some semblance of order returns to my life again! In the meantime, I’m also behind on thanking the publishers and authors for new review copies received, so please check out this first batch of books and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions.
Received for Review
A big thank you to Entangled: Teen for the following received: Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel is one I’ve been eagerly anticipating. With a tagline of “Beauty and the Beast like you’ve never imagined”, I can’t wait to see to see if this unique and imaginative retelling will live up to that promise. Next up is a finished copy of Seventh Born by Monica Sanz, another book I’m very curious about. The seventh-born daughter of a witch is given a new chance at a future by a handsome young professor who sees something powerful in her that no one else does.
Also my thanks to Subterranean Press for sending me an ARC of The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold, the next Penric and Desdemona novella. It’s also the follow-up to Mira’s Last Dance which I just recently reviewed, so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
Earlier this month the amazing folks at Pyr Books also sent along a finished copy of the anthology Nebula Awards Showcase 2018 edited by Jane Yolen. Since 1966, each year has seen a new volume come out, featuring the nominees and winners of the Nebula Awards. So this is a great collection if you want to check them all out.
Huge thanks also to Tachyon Publications for the following new ARC arrivals: The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey by Peter S. Beagle is described as a rediscovered origin story featuring the “might-have-been” journey of the beloved unicorn made famous by the author’s 1968 classic. And How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen is a collection of her stories and poetry offering some unique takes on a number of fairy tale classics.
Courtesy of the awesome team at Ace Books, I also received ARCs of The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman, the fifth book in the amazing Invisible Library series, as well as Priest of Bones by Peter McLean, a delectable fantasy about an army priest crime boss who returns home after the war to find that his criminal empire has been stolen from him while he was away. For readers who like complex story lines and morally grey characters, this one sounds very promising. Finally, the publisher also sent along a finished copy of Irontown Blues by John Varley, a new noir science fiction novel about a detective who hunts for the biohackers responsible for unleashing a dangerous new disease. Plus, his partner is a genetically altered dog named Sherlock.
With thanks to Harper Voyager, I also received a finished copy of Temper by Nicky Drayden. I’ve kicked myself for missing out on the author’s Prey of Gods last year, which is why I decided to check this one out. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I expected. My review will be up soon in which I will go into more detail, but in a nutshell, it was just too weird for me. I’m sure it’ll find an audience though.
And wrapping up, I received a couple of finished copies from the kind folks at Tor Books: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal is the second novel in the Lady Astronaut series, sequel to The Calculating Stars (which I still need to read!) You might have also caught our #FearlessWomen coverage last week on this book which includes an exclusive excerpt, so check that out if you haven’t yet. And from the publisher’s YA imprint Tor Teen came this gorgeous finished copy of Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black, which I will be reading very soon.
In the digital haul, from NetGalley I received The Perfect Daughter by Kaira Rouda. I really enjoyed reading Best Day Ever last year and I can’t wait to read more of her work. With thanks to Graydon House for approving my request. Also thanks to Del Rey, I was able to snag an eARC of Thin Air by Richard Morgan. From the author who brought us Altered Carbon comes this mystery described as a tale of corruption and abduction set on Mars. To my great excitement, earlier this week I also received an e-galley of Exit Strategy by Martha Wells from Tor.com. This is the fourth Murderbot Diaries novella, and I can’t wait to dive in. From Edelweiss and Sky Pony Press, I requested A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna after a few early reviews piqued my interest. And after a few months of quiet, I was also pleased to receive a new pitch from Inkshares about their wild and dark fantasy novel, published under their Sword & Laser imprint. The Animal in Man by Joseph Asphahani was the winner of their 2016 manuscript competition, featuring a gritty and violent world where talking animal-human hybrids are split into five different kingdoms locked in war.
In the audiobooks pile, I received an advanced listening copy of Wildcard by Marie Lu, the sequel to Warcross, as well Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis, with thanks to Listening Library. And from Audible Studios via the Ethan Ellenberg agency, I received a review copy of Signal by Tony Peak, a science fiction thriller about an exploration team journeying out to a distant moon in the Alpha Centauri system to investigate an extraterrestrial signal. This one sounds like it’s right up my alley. Described as perfect for fans of Andy Weir and LOST, the story becomes a survival adventure after disaster strikes and the crew must learn to navigate a hostile environment while facing strange occurrences like false readings on sensors and bizarre nightmares.
Reviews
My reviews posted since the last update:
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri (4.5 of 5 stars)
Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell (4.5 of 5 stars)
Scream All Night by Derek Milman (4 of 5 stars)
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio (4 of 5 stars)
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky (3.5 of 5 stars)
Mira’s Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (3.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. More reviews coming soon!
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: Goblin
Posted on August 31, 2018 26 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:
“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy”
~ a cover featuring a GOBLIN
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
I suspect this one will be a popular choice for the theme this week. After all, not too many options came to my mind when trying to come up with with books that feature goblins, and even The Goblin Emperor does not contain the traditional mischievous dwarf-like creatures from folklore. The story follows Maia, the youngest half-goblin son of the Elven emperor. His entire life, Maia has lived as an outcast, kept far away from the business and affairs of the Imperial Court. But after his father and three older brothers all perish in a freak airship accident, Maia is plucked from exile to take his rightful place on the throne.
The Imperial Court is a whole new world for Maia. He arrives at the palace to find himself with no friends, no allies, and not even a clue as to how an emperor is supposed to act. Everyone seems to want something, and distinguishing obsequious flattery from genuine kindness is nearly impossible for someone not accustomed to court life. On top of that, the airship crash than claimed the lives of his father and brothers turns out to have been no accident, and soon, whoever committed the assassination will be coming for Maia next.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
From left to right:
Tor Books Hardcover (2014) – Tor Books Trade Paperback (2019)
German edition (2016) – Turkish edition (2017)
Winner:
It nearly came down to a tie for me this week. I’m not too crazy about the original Tor cover, so to choose a winner, I looked to the German and Turkish editions. In the end, the Turkish cover wins out, which is just as well, because I can’t seem to find a good clear image online of the German cover without that horrendous yellow sticker!
But what you do think? Which one is your favorite?
The BiblioSanctum