Audiobook Review: The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Posted on June 27, 2022 13 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 House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Audio (June 21, 2022)
Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrators: Bernadette Dunne
The House Across the Lake is my third book by Riley Sager, and I liked it a lot! However, I’m not sure everyone will have a positive experience, mostly because there’s a HUGE twist at the end of this that I suspect will be quite contentious…
The beginning, though, is a rather typical setup for a Rear Window kind of thriller. Casey Fletcher is our protagonist, recently widowed and trying to drink away her sorrows. An actress by trade, she has been fired from all her projects due to her increasingly worsening alcoholism, and after some prodding from her mother, Casey reluctantly agrees to take a break by spending some time away at the Vermont lake house that her family owns—the same place her husband drowned a year and a half before.
Being here means that Casey can stay out of trouble for the most part, but she’s still trying to drink away the bad memories and spends her time looking through her binoculars at her glamorous neighbors, Tom and Katherine Royce, who live in the glass house across the lake. One day, Casey sees Katherine struggling in the water, and manages to avert another tragedy by swiftly coming to the rescue. The two of them strike up a quick friendship, making Casey feel a little guilty for spying on the Royces, but the more she spends time with the couple, the more she notices something off about the way Tom and Katherine behave around each other. Continuing to watch them though her binoculars, Casey realizes something is seriously wrong with Katherine’s marriage, and when her friend suddenly disappears, our protagonist becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her.
I’m just going to cut to the chase here. Whatever you might think is going to happen from the short synopsis I provided above, I guarantee it will be wrong. That’s because for most of the novel, Sager leads you to believe The House Across the Lake is going to be another one of your ordinary run-of-the-mill thriller mysteries with a perfectly mundane albeit exciting explanation that you would expect, if not perfectly predict. In reality though, it’s all just a ruse to make you feel all the more astonished and knocked for a loop when everything—and I mean everything—is turned on its head once he drops the big twist.
And it’s big. Genre-changing big. Without spoiling even the tiniest of details, I’ll just say that there is a supernatural element to this, and that is why I think reactions to the ending will be mixed depending on the type of reader you are. Even speaking as someone who enjoys fantasy and speculative fiction, I felt the twist was a bit too much, too sudden, and too in-your-face, so if you’re more into earthly non-supernatural thrillers, I can see how the bombshell might frustrate or even anger you.
For my part though, I enjoyed it. Up until that point, I was admittedly getting drawn into the lull, and while I wouldn’t say I was bored, I have to say I was expecting a little more from the author. The twist changed all that. As awkward as the actual transition was, my interest in the story and how it would end immediately shot straight up to the stratosphere. For a bit of context, I happen to love any kind of sci-fi or fantasy, even if it’s just a dash of it in my fiction. When it’s in my thrillers, mysteries, or horror, I love it even more. Think Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes. That kind of stuff really does it for me.
So, consider this a warning or an endorsement, depending on the kind of reader you are. If you typically enjoy Riley Sager though, The House Across the Lake is definitely worth checking out for his suspenseful prose and characters. The audiobook was also fantastically narrated by Bernadette Dunne, who is amazing. Though I had imagined a less mature and sophisticated voice for Casey, I really can’t complain when it’s one of my favorite narrators doing the reading. Highly recommend if you are into audiobooks to consider the audio edition.
Bookshelf Roundup: 06/25/22: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on June 25, 2022 24 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!
With thanks to Minotaur Books for a review copy of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson, the audiobook of which I reviewed recently, but the arrival of the hardcover was a nice surprise. The book was okay, but I had some mixed feelings about the story which I thought could have been more. From the publisher I also received The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg which was another surprise arrival, and though this is the sixth book of a series called The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, I really hope it can be read as a standalone!
Also thanks to Orbit for sending me an ARC of Eversion by Alastair Reynolds earlier this month. Three entwined stories, one set set aboard a sailing ship in the 1800s, another set on a zeppelin in the 1900s, and the last in the far future on a spaceship form a narrative about a doctor who tries to figure out why certain events around him keep on repeating themselves. It sounds fascinating and I must try to read this.
Thank you also to Tor Books for a finished copy of The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison, the follow up to The Witness for the Dead, which I LOVED, and I hope this one will be just as good. And from the kind folks at Tordotcom, I received a surprise copy of January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky which I knew very little about, but according to the book’s description and reviews, the story’s premise appears to explore the concept of Universal Basic Income.
My big audiobook haul came in this week, with thanks to Macmillan Audio! Looks like I’ll be set on thrillers for the next little while, with listening copies of Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier, Stay Awake by Megan Goldin, and Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.
As for speculative fiction, I was also ecstatic to receive What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, described as a gothic horror retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I was also curious about Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, a little book that came out of nowhere and seems to have taken the fantasy blogosphere by storm. I so happy that the audio version was available to request, and it’s even narrated by the author! And finally, I also received an ALC of Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy, an intriguing horror novel described as Midsommar meets American Psycho and I’ll be Gone in the Dark.
Reviews
Black Tide by K.C. Jones (4 of 5 stars)
The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard (3.5 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!
Book Review: The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard
Posted on June 24, 2022 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.
The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Alternate History
Series: Book 1 of The Good Lands
Publisher: 47North | Brilliance Audio (June 1, 2022)
Length: 318 pages | 9 hrs and 39 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
For fans of slowburn mysteries with a unique alternate history backdrop, The Peacekeeper is sure to keep you riveted. The story follows Chibenashi, whose titular role makes him a police detective of sorts for his small town of Baawitigong in a North America that was never colonized. His life hasn’t been easy, with a childhood filled with loss and a younger sister to care for, but Chibenashi manages to get by, until the Manoomin harvest, when the murder of a woman turns the close-knit community on its head.
The circumstances around the killing dredges up unpleasant memories for our protagonist. Two decades ago, his mother was murdered too, and his father confessed to the crime. Now it turns out that the slain woman was his mother’s best friend, leading to an investigation which takes Chibenashi down some dark paths he never thought to revisit again. But if there is a connection between the two murders, he must find out—for his traumatized sister and for himself.
I confess, the plot itself is a rather standard murder mystery, but it was the description of the novel’s alternate history setting and its intriguing approach which made me curious and led me to read book. And overall, it certainly did not disappoint in that respect. The alternate history angle was indeed the most fascinating element of the novel, because not only is the entire geography of the continent different, but the author also challenges you reflect upon about how the entire structure of government or society might be changed. Pretty much everything is different.
Are there questions that don’t get answered or holes that don’t get filled in regarding the world-building? Sure, but I don’t think it affected the experience too much. In that sense, the story worked effectively as a thought experiment, putting the main character’s personal demons and emotional turmoil into a fresh new context.
The plot itself was slowburn, as I said, unraveling at a measured pace as Chibenashi goes through the motions of chasing down clues and interrogating leads. The trajectory of the story itself is pretty standard and won’t be breaking any new ground for seasoned readers of police procedurals or mysteries, but the highlight for me was definitely the moral and psychological aspects and questions it presents. After all, I was able to predict the big reveal rather easily, but it was the repercussions and the aftermath of those revelations that truly stuck with me.
And honestly, it probably wouldn’t have made such an impact had Chibenashi hadn’t been written so well. Our protagonist is a flawed man, with a troubled past that has left him burdened with plenty of guilt, sadness, and general sense of being beaten down. He hasn’t always made the right decisions, but his backstory also gives the reader a reason to sympathize with him and see the situation from his perspective. Deep down though, he is also a champion for the truth and won’t stop pursuing it even knowing he might not like the answers he finds at the end.
Bottom line, I enjoyed The Peacekeeper, and though the world-building is arguably the novel’s strongest point, I feel there is also a good story here led by a powerful, memorable protagonist. As luck would have it, I also had the audio edition of the book to review and had the pleasure of listening to the performance of narrator Darrell Dennis, who did a great job delivering a full emotional range for a character like Chibenashi. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for an interesting alternate history novel or a unique mystery.
Waiting on Wednesday 06/22/22
Posted on June 21, 2022 10 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
A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor (November 8, 2022 by Ballantine Books)
You know how I am with short story collections, but this is one I’ll make an exception for because I love C.J. Tudor and her horror/thrillers!
“The debut short story collection from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man, featuring ten bone-chilling and mind-bending tales
Timeslips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor’s novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.
In Final Course, the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In Runaway Blues, thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In Gloria, a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in I’m Not Ted, a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen, fatal consequences.
Riveting and explosively original, A Sliver of Darkness is C. J. Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited.”
Audiobook Review: Black Tide by K.C. Jones
Posted on June 20, 2022 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.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (May 31, 2022)
Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
A generous helping of cosmic horror with a side of end of the world, K.C. Jones’ Black Tide couldn’t have come at a better time to meet your summer beach reading needs.
In this story we meet Beth, a self-professed trainwreck who has arrived on the Oregon coast to housesit a gorgeous home and look after its owner’s dog, but she’s also mostly there to put some distance between herself and her toxic mother. There, she meets her next-door neighbor Mike, a troubled movie producer who is in town to wind down following the successful completion of his latest film. On the night of the meteor shower, the two of them end up hooking up after a few too many glasses of champagne, and in the morning everything changes.
Beth and Mike wake up to a different world. The sky looks unnaturally dark with strangely shaped clouds, and along the beach they find it littered with mysterious round objects. Like our protagonists, the other locals have come down to the water to marvel at the eerie sight. When the police arrive, they look as worried as everyone else, warning folks not to get too close and to seek shelter and stay indoors. When Beth and Mike try to leave, however, they find that they have misplaced the car keys, leaving them stranded on the dunes as the tides rise and something monstrous emerges.
Think of some of the most nerve-wracking, immediate apocalyptic horror movies you’ve seen, and you can perhaps imagine the tone this sets for Black Tide. Reminiscent of The Mist or Cloverfield, the novel certainly invokes those feelings of dread and helplessness as you witness the world end around you. Everything pretty much unfolds in the span of a day, which makes this story feel even more claustrophobic and urgent. What we’re seeing is merely a small slice of the greater disaster that’s happening everywhere else, through the eyes of just two people, but it’s a device that’s also very effective.
Speaking of which, we have our two main characters, Mike and Beth, who aren’t exactly action hero or heroine material. In a way though, that made the story even better. They’re average people trapped in a chilling, chaotic situation, and you can’t help but wonder if you’d handle it any better if in their shoes. It helped that they were sympathetic protagonists, who had well-written and convincing backstories. Beth is dealing with some deep-rooted issues related to her mother, while Mike is in mourning. The two of them have little in common and neither are in their best state of mind, but they’ve come together by chance nonetheless, and together they’ll have to work together to survive.
Their relationship is also an interesting one. For two people who barely know each other, they have great dynamic and are a treasure trove of memorable quotes. The story is tense and frightening, but it’s also surprisingly humorous at times, which does help to take the edge off, without being inappropriate or pulling you out of the moment. In fact, the author has managed to create a nearly perfect balance, setting a fast pace without skimping on the details. Like I said, it’s an intense novel and it’s plenty scary, which I guess is the whole point, but there definitely a deeper plot to it as well, and it makes you care about what happens to the characters (and the dog).
Bottom line, a great horror read and also an audiobook wonderfully narrated by John Pirhalla and Sophie Amoss, who fully immersed me in Black Tide and just made the time fly by.
Bookshelf Roundup: 06/18/22: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on June 18, 2022 7 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!
Another short update this week. Kids got out of school this week for the summer and it’s already been exhausting! But the books are still coming in, and first off with thanks to Orbit Books for sending along The Martyr by Anthony Ryan, book two of The Covenant of Steel series.
Up next, with thanks Head of Zeus for an ARC of Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle. I once read this great book by the author called Departure which had these weird freaky Lost vibes, and from its description this sounds like it would be similar in nature except it deals with time travel. I’m definitely intrigued about that big twist they’re teasing.
And finally, with thanks to Tor Books for a finished copy of In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan. In case you missed it, I reviewed it earlier this month and really enjoyed it. I think it’s a great start to a promising new series.
Nothing in the digital pile this week, but that’s probably a good thing because the next week’s haul should be pretty large and I’d like to use this much needed downtime to catch up with what’s already in my TBR.
Reviews
A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (3 of 5 stars)
Outside by Ragnar Jónasson (2 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!
Thursday Thriller: Outside by Ragnar Jónasson
Posted on June 16, 2022 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: 2 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Minotaur Books | Macmillan Audio (June 28, 2022)
Length: 352 pages | 5 hrs and 19 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Four friends go on an holiday to a remote hunting lodge in the Icelandic highlands, and get stuck in a snowstorm. Certainly sounds like a promising start to a Nordic Noir thriller, and I’ve been intrigued by Outside due to my fascination with horror and mystery stories set in cold, isolated places. Unfortunately though, this turned out to be quite the dud.
But first, a bit about the plot. Daniel, Helena, Armann, and Gunnalaugur have known each other since their college days, but while they may call themselves friends, sometimes it doesn’t seem like it. All of them are hiding secrets from each other, from old grudges to petty jealousies, and none of them seem to Gunnalaugur, a strange one whom they seemed to have invited along out of pity. Armann is an entrepreneur who has turned a little tour company he started to a successful enterprise, and wanting to do something nice for his friends, invited them along to a ptarmigan hunt in the Eastern Highlands of Iceland.
Everything is going relatively well until a bad snowstorm rolls in unexpectedly, forcing the hunters to retreat to shelter early, but the problems begin as soon as they arrive at the cabin. First, it’s locked, with the keys stored behind a secured lockbox to which no one knows the code, not even Armann, who is supposed to be their guide. And then, there’s what they find inside the cabin after they break their way inside. What awaited them gave each of the four friends a shock, with a couple of them second guessing their decision to stay in the shelter, but with the frigid temperatures and the storm raging outside, there’s no place else for anyone to go.
A non-story, that’s the best way I can describe Outside. The prose certainly does its best hype up the tensions and excitement on every page, but at the end of the day, there’s no disguising the fact that hardly anything happened. Without spoiling anything, what the four friends encountered would have been considered a rather alarming albeit minor inconvenience to anyone else, providing everyone keeps their cool and aren’t a bunch of incompetent idiots.
To be fair, that’s not to say our characters were all idiots, but they each had their individual hang ups and manufactured dramas which were used in contrived ways to move the story along. The narrative cycles through their four different viewpoints, mainly focusing on their backstories. Normally, this sort of device would work well for me, but in the case of Outside, it fell flat. Namely, it was hard to care about the past when the present was so immediate, and so-called reveals into the characters’ situations failed to provide much insight into their current motivations.
At best, I think this book would work better as a short story or novella, since the content was so sparse. Ragnar Jonasson isn’t an author I’ve heard of before, but apparently he’s quite prolific and his books are quite popular, so maybe there’s just something lost in translation.
Waiting on Wednesday 06/15/22
Posted on June 15, 2022 5 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 Swell by Allie Reynolds (July 19 2022 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
I wanted to feature a thriller today, and what better than a new book from an author who has become a must-read for me since her debut Shiver? It’s almost here too.
“Point Break meets And Then There Were None in a pulse-pounding beach read that explores the dangerous ties between a group of elite surfers who are determined to find the perfect waves at any cost…even murder.
The waves are to die for.
Three years ago, passionate surfer Kenna Ward lost her two great loves—after her boyfriend drowned, she hung up her surfboard and swore off the water for good. But she is drawn back to the beach when her best friend, Mikki, announces her sudden engagement to a man Kenna has never met—a member of a tight-knit group of surfers. Kenna travels to a remote Australian beach, entering a dangerous world far from civilization world where the waves, weather, and tides are all that matter. Kenna is tempted back into the surf, and drawn into the dazzling group and the beach they call their own.
But this coastal paradise has a dark side, and members of the group begin to go missing. Kenna realizes that in order to protect Mikki and learn more about the surfers, she must become one of them…without becoming one of their victims. What follows is an adrenaline-fueled thriller packed with twists and turns, exploring the dangerous edge between passion and obsession.”
Novella Review: A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
Posted on June 14, 2022 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.
A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of Fractured Fables
Publisher: Tordotcom (June 14, 2022)
Length: 144 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Long story short, I didn’t think A Mirror Mended was quite as good as its predecessor A Spindle Splintered, but if you enjoyed the adventure of Zinnia Gray in the first book, chances are you’ll find a lot to like in this follow-up as well.
The story catches up with our protagonist five years following the events of A Spindle Splintered, and in the interim she has been to pretty much every version of the Sleeping Beauty there is, “fixing” each tale by rescuing the titular princess. She does this by carrying around a magical spindle, which transports her to the different worlds every time she pricks her finger. Right before her fiftieth mission, just as Zinnia is beginning to think she can’t possibly keep this up anymore, she glances into a mirror and is shocked to see a stranger’s face staring back at her.
And no, that isn’t supposed to be some cheesy metaphor. The face staring back at Zinnia is a woman she has never seen before, but she’s gorgeous and is begging her for help, so Zinnia figures it’s another princess needing to be saved. After she jumps through the mirror and is transported into the story, however, the beautiful woman reveals herself to be the Evil Queen of the Snow White fairy tale, throwing Zinnia for a loop. Still, even villains need saving sometimes, and the Queen is desperate for her own better ending, hoping Zinnia could be the one to give it to her.
First, the good: Much like A Spindle Splintered, A Mirror Mended definitely has the humor going for it. The tone is even snarkier, if you can believe it, and there plenty more jokes and jabs aimed at the absurdities of fairy tales, which is good news if a satirical angle is your thing. The focus also shifts to Snow White, and I loved Alix E. Harrow’s take on it. Turning the classics on their head is what the author is good at, so you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if you enjoy unique and original retellings.
And now for the not so good. The aforementioned snark could be a double-edged sword, as occasionally Zinnia’s quippy commentary would land at the most inopportune times to yank me out of the moment. Also, while I understand these Fractured Fables novellas are meant to light reads, I’d nevertheless expect a certain level of tension from the main conflict and the characters’ predicaments. Unfortunately, the protagonist’s constant fawning over the Evil Queen’s beauty was a distraction that made it difficult to take any threat seriously, and like, if her attentions were clearly not on the dangers at hand, then why should mine be?
The plot was also on the weaker side. There didn’t seem to be much point to this installment other than to strengthen Zinnia’s relationships with her friends Charm and Prim, putting the trio through some rather contrived tribulations while the rest of the story felt like filler material used to pad out the book. Then there was the secondary goal of pushing a romance between Zinnia and the Evil Queen which clearly took precedent over establishing a convincing plot, since solutions to the characters’ problems would seemingly materialize out of the blue, or pieces of the puzzle would fall into the place without much explanation or reason.
Still, your mileage may vary. As I said, these novellas are probably meant to be light, fluffy fun reads, so it’s all about expectations. If you’re a fan of the first book or the author though, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. I will look forward to (hopefully) more from Fractured Fables.
Bookshelf Roundup: 06/11/22: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on June 11, 2022 9 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 47North and Wunderkind PR for a finished copy of The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard! I’ve meant to have started already on this alternate history mystery, but got a bit sidetracked last month with some Wyrd & Wonder books, but I’m planning on picking this up next.
With thanks also to Orbit Books for an ARC of The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri. This is the second book of the Burning Kingdoms series and the sequel to The Jasmine Throne which I really enjoyed, so I’m looking forward to starting this one!
And from the awesome folks at Atria/Emily Bestler Books, I also received an ARC of First Born by Will Dean, a psychological thriller about dark secrets that come to light when a London woman receives word that her identical twin sister living in New York was murdered. File this one under perfect summer reading.
Not too busy in the digital pile this week, just one new audiobook from the amazing team at HarperAudio from whom I received a listening copy of Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid, a horror gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree.
Reviews
In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan (4 of 5 stars)
Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez (3.5 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!
The BiblioSanctum 