Book Review: The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Posted on February 10, 2023 22 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 Spite House by Johnny Compton
Mogsy’s Review: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor Nightfire (February 7, 2023)
Length: 272 pages
Author Information: Website
So, the title and the cover and the description of this book was a bit deceiving. I went into The Spite House thinking I was reading a horror novel, but quite honestly there was nothing too scary about it. What it can rightfully claim to be though, is a southern gothic novel dripping with atmosphere, spiced up with a dash of the paranormal.
The story opens with an introduction to single father Eric Ross, who is on the run with his two daughters Dess and Stacy. Originally from Maryland, he has made his way to Degener, Texas, where dwindling resources have forced him to lie low and find work. A black man new in town with no work history or anyone to vouch for him, Eric is faced with limited options. He ends up answering an ad in the newspaper for a caretaker post at a property called Masson House, not knowing its history. As it turns out, it is an oddly constructed spite house, built for the sole purpose of antagonizing neighbors or anyone with stake in the land. Standing on a hilltop overlooking an abandoned orphanage, it is also said to be haunted.
In fact, Eric’s new employer is hoping he could help keep an eye out for any paranormal activity while he is staying at the house and is paying him handsomely to do it. Certainly the money would go a long way in solving his problems, providing a future for him and his girls, but is it worth it? The longer he stays at Masson House, the more Eric feels like it is taking a toll on his sanity. The place is practically drowning in negative energy, and as he learns more about the house’s history and what happened to its past owners, Eric begins to fear for the safety of his family.
For all the talk of ghosts and hauntings, I thought The Spite House was startlingly sparse in the chills department. Still, what the story lacked in horror it more than made up for with its tantalizing mystery. The questions hit you almost right away, with the most burning ones being: Why is Eric on the run, and what is he running from? Author Johnny Compton keeps the answers quite close to vest for most of the novel, not revealing them until quite far into the book, but when he does, wow, what a doozy!
Eric himself is a compelling and deeply sympathetic protagonist. He clearly cares a lot about his daughters and is fiercely protective of them. From the occasional chapters we get from the girls’ perspectives, it was also clear they were a close-knit family, better to keep secrets among themselves. Amidst the uncertainty and fear in this chaos of emotion, there is also love and a heartwarming connection while they are staying in this strange house.
Speaking of which, before now I had never heard of the term spite house, and only thought it made a cool sounding title for a book. Turns out they are pretty common and you can find spite houses all over the country, pretty much anywhere you have super passive-aggressive individuals with neighbors they want to annoy. Some of them, as I later found out while doing further reading, have even become tourist attractions because of how odd they look. Of course, the Masson House in The Spite House has its own harrowing story behind why it was built, taking readers on a wild journey through some dark history and memories.
In truth, I started The Spite House expecting a more traditional haunted house story and was only sightly disappointed when that turned out not to be the case, mainly because of the complexity of its other elements. The atmosphere was a mix of both modern and southern gothic, and its mystery kept me hooked through the whole book. I also liked Eric Ross as a character, and rooted for him to get to the bottom of whatever was wrong with Masson House, even if it took him down some dangerous paths.
In sum, how you feel about this book will depend on your expectations. Diehard horror fans will likely not find the thrills and frights they seek here, but if you enjoy a good twist on a ghostly tale, especially one infused with mysterious vibes, you’ll want to pick up this impressive debut.
Waiting on Wednesday 02/08/23
Posted on February 8, 2023 8 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
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear (August 8, 2023 by Ace)
“A vivid and moving reimagining of the myth of Medusa and the sisters who loved her.
The end of the story is only the beginning…
Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were unique among immortals. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous center of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god’s love is a violent one.
Forgotten by history and diminished by poets, the other two Gorgons have never been more than horrifying hags, damned and doomed. But they were sisters first, and their journey from sea-born origins to the outskirts of the Parthenon is a journey that rests, hidden, underneath their scales.
Monsters, but not monstrous, Stheno and Euryale will step into the light for the first time to tell the story of how all three sisters lived and were changed by each other, as they struggle against the inherent conflict between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth, vengeance and peace.”
Book Review: Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Posted on February 7, 2023 15 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Book 2 of The Lake Witch trilogy
Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press (February 7, 2023)
Length: 464 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
You’ve got to hand it to Stephen Graham Jones. Returning to The Lake Witch trilogy with Don’t Fear the Reaper—which, amazingly, is even more of a love letter to the slasher horror film genre than its predecessor, My Heart is A Chainsaw—this sequel is sure to delight fans by offering a bigger, better, twistier take on final girls, slasher flicks, and the power of self-determination.
Once obsessed with random horror movie facts and trivia, Jade Daniels is a little less enthusiastic about the topic these days. After all, the trauma of having to live through a real-life slasher attack on you and your town can have a way of changing your perspective. Going by Jennifer in this novel, our protagonist has returned to Proofrock, Idaho, four years after the bloody Independence Day Massacre that shocked a nation. Now both she and the town are trying to heal from the tragedies and horrors of that day by moving on and putting the past behind them.
But for Jennifer, that’s easier said than done, especially when a bad storm blows in for the holidays, and a convicted killer escapes his convoy into the wilderness around Proofrock. The crimes of Dark Mill South have become legendary at this point, as he has left close to three dozen bodies in his wake, all murdered in the most gruesome ways. Thanks to the incentives the town has put forth to rebuild itself, Proofrock has seen an influx of new residents in recent years, particularly families with high schoolers who have come to take advantage of free college, meaning more hapless victims for Dark Mill South to prey on. Jennifer, who thought she’d left her obsession far behind her, is once more called upon to save the town by diving into her vast repository of horror film knowledge.
Don’t Fear the Reaper is a special novel that somehow walks that fine balance between paying homage to the slasher flick genre without being too over-the-top. It also remains true to the tone of the first book while feeling more sophisticated and self-possessed. For instance, very much in keeping with the spirit of a slasher sequel, Jade-now-Jennifer returns older and wiser but also more cynical. All the police scrutiny and the media attention surrounding her case over the last few years have changed her, disenchanting her to the horror movies once gave her such joy. Recalling the way she was in My Heart is a Chainsaw, I couldn’t help but feel for Jennifer. Name change notwithstanding, she doesn’t have the choice to just walk away from her past. And yet, despite how much her personality has been transformed, I still felt a deep attachment to her character.
But one area I felt was greatly improved from the first book was the plot as well as its pacing. Plus, can we please just take a moment and talk about Dark Mill South, the serial killer in this story who is more monster than man, complete with a hulking frame and a hook for a hand? Everything about him, from his physical description to his brutal backstory, is designed to evoke the kind of sheer terror we get from our favorite horror movies. The deaths are a compelling mix of frights and gore, a nod to the classic slashers that inspired them, but at the same time featuring enough innovation to make this novel profoundly unique. Even when homage edges closer into parody, the tongue-in-cheek jokes are done in moderation and we’re not going overboard with pop culture references.
All told, I found Don’t Fear the Reaper incredibly entertaining, just the right amount of chills and thrills. Did you enjoy My Heart is a Chainsaw? Are you a fan of Stephen Graham Jones? Do you love horror movies and cheering on the final girl? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you certainly won’t want to miss this!
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of My Heart is a Chainsaw (Book 1)
Bookshelf Roundup 02/05/23: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on February 5, 2023 13 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!
Thank you to Tor Books for a finished copy of Hopeland by Ian McDonald. The last time I read the author was his Luna series, and it’s been too long! Also thanks to the publisher for sending an ARC of Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini. If you’ve been following my Waiting for Wednesdays, it’ll come as no surprise that I’m so excited to check out this follow-up to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, but it can be read as a standalone as a novel of the larger Fractalverse.
With thanks also to Head of Zeus and the kind folks at Kaye Publicity for offering me a review copy of City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky. After the disappointment of Children of Memory I’m kind of looking forward to getting back to the author’s fantasy, and this one sounds amazing from all the reviews I see.
Courtesy of the teams at Thomas & Mercer and Wunderkind PR I also received a review copy of The Family Bones by Elle Marr, which was pitched to me as perfect for true crime and Knives Out fans. Honestly, it had me at locked-room mystery.
With thanks also to Subterranean Press for a couple of surprise ARCs this week: Ragged Maps by Ian R. MacLeod, a new collection including a never-before-published novelette, as well as another collection called The Voice That Murmurs in the Darkness by James Tiptree, Jr. which collects numerous short fiction pieces that span the author’s long career.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60847626-the-last-tale-of-the-flower-bride
Quite a few new audiobooks in the digital haul this week. Courtesy of Brilliance Audio I received a listening copy of the fourth book of the Underwater Investigation Unit series Sea Castle by Andrew Mayne, and from HarperAudio I received a listening copy of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi. The rest of my haul is thanks to Macmillan Audio, who sent me ALCs of Angel Maker by Alex North, Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong, The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland, and Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton.
Reviews
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (4 of 5 stars)
The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (3 of 5 stars)
The Terraformeres by Annalee Newitz (2.5 of 5 stars)
What I’ve Been Reading
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!
Audiobook Review: Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Posted on February 4, 2023 9 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: Fantasy, Paranormal
Series: Book 2 of Alex Stern
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 10, 2023)
Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrators: Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell
Hell Bent take us back to the verdant lawns of and ivy trimmed campuses of Yale, where protagonist Galaxy “Alex” Stern had gotten her second chance in life after pulling herself out of a downward spiral of drugs and chaos. Now at Lethe House, the ninth of the university’s secret societies, she has taken on the role of Virgil, whose duties include conducting magical rituals and keeping all that power in control. Oh right, and she can see ghosts.
At this point, if you haven’t read Ninth House yet, be aware this review may reference events and reveal possible from the previous book. For those who are caught up though, you may recall that we left things on a bit of a cliffhanger, with the disappearance of the former Virgil and Alex’s mentor, Darlington. As the story opens, it is made clear that he has been sent to hell, and it is uncertain if anyone would be able to bring him back. Alex, however, is determined to try. Researching together with Pamela Dawes, who as Lethe’s Oculus is the chief archivist, they come across a reference to the Gauntlet which is said to be a pathway to hell. But the secrets to this portal is closely guarded, as Alex soon discovers. The more she persists in her quest to get to Darlington, the more danger she seems to bring upon herself from all corners.
Hell Bent manages to capture everything that made Ninth House such a tautly suspenseful and gripping read while simultaneously improving upon some of these aspects. This time, the plot steps a little further away from the politicking of academia and the intrigue of secret societies (though rest assured there was still plenty of both!) to focus more on magical rituals and demonic elements. Needless to say, this made for an even more entertaining read, automatically put this sequel above the original in my eyes.
Alex also sees a lot of growth between the two books. We already know she’s a survivor, her character having lived through unspeakable trauma and abuse to come through on the other side—not unscathed but alive and extraordinarily evolved. One noticeable change is a softening of Alex’s personality as she comes off as less aloof and standoffish in this novel. This time, she has friends and close confidants with whom she feels comfortable working, and the effects are immediate: the conversations are easier, wittier, and more confident. Alex now has reason to be a better friend and person, and her complex feelings for Darlington also fuel her drive to get him back.
Then there are the demons. Hell Bent was certainly a more exciting read than Ninth House was, though the latter still reigns in terms of intrigue and mystery. But for pure action and nail biting suspense, the win goes to this sequel. Once the requirements of the Gauntlet ritual are made known, you can’t help but hang on every word wondering what might happen next. The plotting feels much tighter in Hell Bent, setting a quick pace early on that hardly wavers.
And finally, a huge shoutout to the wonderful audiobook narrators Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell who reprise their roles from the first book. Once more they both delivered amazing performances and I hope there will be another sequel real soon—I would not hesitate to listen to Fortgang and Axtell again.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Ninth House (Book 1)
Book Review: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Posted on February 3, 2023 15 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 Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor Books (January 31, 2023)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I wanted to like The Terraformers a lot more than I did. Needless to say, the premise, having been compared to the works of Becky Chambers and Martha Wells, immediately caught my attention. However, when taken as a whole, the execution of the novel made it a challenging one to embrace.
The story first starts by following Destry, a top network analyst working for the Environmental Rescue Team on the Earth-like planet Sask-E. Vat-grown specifically to perform her job, Destry’s duties include patrolling the surface of the planet overseeing terraforming efforts while riding on a bio-robotic moose mount named Whistle. So far, so awesome. But then Destry and her colleagues stumble upon a city hidden deep inside a volcano—a city that, if discovered by her superiors, would have deadly repercussions for everyone o Sask-E. Caught at a crossroads, Destry ultimately makes a choice that will ripple across generations and change everything for better or worse.
Skip forward then to hundreds of years later, the focus suddenly switches to a whole new direction. This first time jump was what started me down the path of disillusionment, realizing that not everything is as good as I believed it to be. It didn’t help that the author made me care about the characters and the scenario in the introduction, creating entire lives and histories, only to then turn around and pull the rug from under me, snatching me away from all the things I’d inevitably grown attached to. How rude!
Up to this point, the story had sensation of being heavily stage-managed, nothing really occurring organically, instead relying on character tropes and feel-good cliches—which wasn’t exactly a negative point against it. In fact, the vibes worked quite well for the lighthearted Wayfarers-type atmosphere and tone the novel was trying to establish. But the problem again arose with the abrupt and unceremonious way we were ripped from the first timeline, essentially hitting a reset button, and I was decidedly NOT as patient and forgiving the second time around. Almost immediately, characterization took a nosedive; for the rest of the book, I struggled to connect with anyone else for they all came across as either an embodiment of idealized goodness or pure depravity with no middle ground.
The tragedy of course is that The Terraformers contains much deeper ideas about environmental conservation, the concept of intelligence and what defines it, along with other such thought-provoking themes—even if the narrative sometimes goes about it in some goofy ass ways. Also, when they weren’t completely nonsensical, some of the messages in the book were laid on a bit too thick for my tastes. Still, in the end, none of it mattered anyway, because all of it was lost in the noise.
I honestly believe I would have enjoyed this novel more had it not been so frustrating. There were moments that truly shone, such as the first third of the book. Then there were the world-building elements involved, like the terraforming processes and engineered creatures, which were all very fascinating. The first section featuring Destry would have made an excellent standalone novella, for instance, or it could have been expanded into a more impactful novel. Instead, what The Terraformers ended up being was more like a collection of ideas cobbled together without a plot or focus to drive it. What ultimately made this book a middle-of-the-road read for me was its failure to pull it all together coherently, or for a overarching story to fully materialize. Rated 2.5 stars for potential unrealized.
Waiting on Wednesday 02/01/23
Posted on February 1, 2023 12 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
System Collapse by Martha Wells (November 14, 2023 by Tordotcom)
“The million-copy, New York Times bestselling Murderbot series is back in another full-length novel adventure!
Am I making it worse? I think I’m making it worse.
Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast!
Yeah, this plan is… not going to work.”
Book Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Posted on January 30, 2023 10 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 Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction
Series: Book 21 of Aloysius Pendergast
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 17, 2023)
Length: 416 pages
Author Information: Website
I have read a few Preston & Child novels in the past, but never any in the Aloysius Pendergast series. Needless to say, I’ve always been drawn to its mysteries which often feature elements of horror and the paranormal from what I’ve been told. So even though The Cabinet of Dr. Leng is the twenty-first book in this impressively long-running sequence, I was excited at the opportunity to read it when offered a review copy.
That said, I soon realized that what I’ve done is jump unknowingly into the middle of a mini-arc and that much of the events of the story was already in motion, having been set up in the previous book Bloodless. Fortunately though, the authors do such a good job catching you up that the entire experience felt practically seamless for a newcomer like me. The book introduces Aloysius Pendergast and his love interest Constance, who has made a bold move in trying to change her past. Amazingly, her quest has brought her to late 1800s New York City where she plans on tracking down Dr. Enoch Leng, the monster who had taken everything she loved and destroyed her life. But even after disguising herself and covering her tracks, her enemy is a formidable foe who won’t be long fooled.
Meanwhile, back in the present day, Pendergast is determined to give Constance all the advantage he can. Enlisting the help of his friend NYPD Lieutenant Commander Vincent D’Agosta, they try to find a way back to her. And in the FBI, Pendergast’s colleague Special Agent Armstrong Coldmoon is assigned to a bizarre case involving a murder and an attempted theft at a museum.
There are many threads unfolding here, and for the most part they remain separate, as expected for a larger story arc in progress. This simultaneously made things easier to follow but also was a source of confusion wondering how all the pieces are supposed to fit together. As I said, the authors are considerate in keeping the separate plotlines as straightforward and simply as they can, but there is another factor in play here: Time travel.
The Cabinet of Dr. Leng is a mixture of mystery, thriller, and science fiction. I knew this this wasn’t going to be your typical series, but I confess I was still taken by surprise when time traveling came into the picture. Now, time traveling stories and I have a tricky relationship. I’m usually all for them, but they almost always come with a caveat to ignore any plot holes or absurd explanations that might arise. I feel the book handles the logistics behind time travel and the concept of multiple universes well enough, but without spoiling anything, I also thought that in the process of laying everything out there were sections I felt were too drawn out or completely unnecessary. Sometimes it’s better to let your readers’ imaginations do the work, but that’s just my opinion based on personal preference and I do tend to nitpick a lot when it comes to time travel stories.
Also beware that once you start this book, you’ve pretty much committed yourself to reading the next one as well, as this is pretty obviously the first half of a two-parter. That would also explain how Coldmoon’s thread sort of just hangs there, and I assume his character will take on a much greater role in the follow-up. But there’s plenty more I also want to know, given how the book ends. Preston & Child have created a simply diabolical and creeptastic villain in Dr. Leng, and just thinking about what he did to Constance and her family makes my skin crawl. Some of our characters were left in quite a bind, and I will be waiting with curiosity to see what plot developments will emerge, what solutions will present themselves.
Bookshelf Roundup 01/29/23: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on January 29, 2023 22 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.
But first, THORIN UPDATE! Puppy is getting so big now!
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!
Some interesting new books hitting my mailbox earlier this month. With thanks to Tor Books for an ARC of The Warden by Daniel M. Ford. “For fans who have always wanted their Twin Peaks to have some wizards” is how this was described, and I also recently found out the author was local. Looking forward to checking it out.
Also thank you to Del Rey for a finished copy of Nocturne by Alyssa Wees, an unconventional retelling of Beauty & the Beast set in 1930s Chicago. This is one of my must-reads for February (wow, where did January go?!)
My thanks also to William Morrow for an ARC of City of Dreams by Don Winslow, the follow up to City on Fire which was the first book of a fiery crime trilogy about the Irish and Italian gang wars in New England during the 1980s. I expected a second book of course, given how the previous one ended, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
With thanks to the brand new imprint of Entangled Publishing, Red Tower Books, as well as Kaye Publicity, I received an ARC of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, described as an epic love story set to the backdrop of war and a military school for dragon riders. It’s always exciting to see a new fantasy imprint launch, and this New Adult “romantasy” sounds like a lot of fun!
From the amazing team at Minotaur Books I also received a surprise copy of The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz. My one and only experience with the author had been a YA horror novel about zombies, so I’m curious to try something of a different flavor by Mr. Hurwitz. This one is listed as the 8th book in the Orphan X series but many reviews report that it can be read as a standalone.
I also want to thank the kind folks at both 47North and Wunderkind for sending me a copy of Meru by S.B. Divya, the first book of a new space opera series about humans restricted to earth while their space-faring posthuman descendants discover a new Earth-like planet.
One new eARC in the digital haul this week, with thanks to Angry Robot for an early copy of The Judas Blossom by Stephen Aryan, the first book of a new fantasy saga which reimagines the Mongol Empire’s invasion of Persia. I’m excited to start it!
Reviews
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (5 of 5 stars)
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Been Reading
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!
Thriller Thursday Audio: What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Posted on January 26, 2023 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.
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 17, 2023)
Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
I’ve never read any of Kate Alice Marshall’s YA books, but should she ever wish to make mystery thrillers her full-time thing, the genre would be lucky to have her! Her adult debut What Lies in the Woods was nothing short of amazing; my heart was in my throat from practically the start to finish of this enthralling read.
The story follows Naomi Shaw, one of three women whose lives were changed forever when they were just eleven years old. That summer, Naomi was stabbed seventeen times and left for dead. Along with her two friends, Cassidy and Olivia, who were also in the woods at the time, the trio provided the eyewitness testimony that put serial killer Alan Michael Stahl behind bars for life. More than two decades later, Naomi gets the news that Stahl has died in prison, reawakening many unpleasant memories. Needing to talk to her two best friends again, she travels back to her hometown of Chester to see Cass and Liv.
But upon her arrival, Liv is distraught, going on in an almost desperate panic about needing to come clean about a secret. Ever the more levelheaded of the group, Cass convinces her to wait until all the dust has settled surrounding Stahl’s death, but that very night, tragedy strikes. As Naomi’s emotions threaten to spiral out of control again, she must go back to that awful summer and relive the memories of what really happened in the woods that day, because the truth is, not all of it will match up with the evidence she and her friends provided in court.
Marshall handles the pacing of the plot so expertly, it’s like she was born to it. Sure, there were some predictable twists along the way, like when you sense something is wrong and expect the other shoe to drop, knowing it probably will. Still, most of what happened genuinely surprised me. Besides, the last half of the book was so packed with bombshells that ultimately you reach the point where surrendering yourself to the unrelenting madness becomes inevitable, and the feeling was simply euphoric.
It’s clear also that the author put her experience writing YA and middle grade to good use, though fair warning, things do get kind of dark. The backstory for Naomi, Cass, and Liv was done very well, focusing on the bond that was formed between the three of them when they were just young girls with vivid imaginations. Marshall does for them what Stephen King does for his characters with his stories about boyhood camaraderie. Outcasts in their own right, the girls had an obsession with Greek goddesses and pagan rituals, leading to a major discovery in the woods one day that will become their greatest secret and the lynchpin to this entire novel.
There’s so much more I could say, so much more praise I could give, but What Lies in the Woods is absolutely the type of psychological thriller where the less you know going in, the better. I also can’t say enough positive things about the audiobook. The amazing Karissa Vacker was the narrator, and she was also the voice behind another fantastic thriller I listened to recently, All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham. Well, it looks like this was another winner!
All told, I highly recommend What Lies in the Woods. It was at once exciting and unnerving, exhilarating and paralyzing. The story had me hooked and hanging onto every word.
The BiblioSanctum 