I read a total of 18 books, with only 1 DNF which I am very happy with since I started university this month and the workload has been immense. I did also completely fail in my Bookoplathon and Demonathon TBRs for this month but I am going to be doing Bookopoly every month to give me a reading boost.
Cari Mora by Thomas Harris ** - This is my second book for the Bookoplathon, used for the lowest rating prompt at only 2.83 on Goodreads – how? This is the first stand alone Thomas Harris has published since his first novel and it has been over a decade since the release of his last book in the Hannibal Lecter series. I was really excited to read this as Harris is one of my favourite authors of all time and Hannibal is one of my favourite morally grey characters of all time. However, all I knew about Cari Mora was it centres around men trying to locate cartel gold in Miami and Cari Mora, a housekeeper is somehow drawn into it. This audiobook is also narrated by the author which was another thing I was really looking forward to. Cari Mora is a housekeeper for Pablo Escobar’s old home which is why people like Hans-Peter Schneider and many others have an interest in it as they are looking for the money that Pablo hid before his death. Cari isn’t your normal protagonist however, as she has seen active warzones from which she fled which is why she agreed to stay in the home. Hans-Peter Schneider, on the other hand, is immensely creepy, in fact, he creeps me out more than Hannibal Lecter does which is saying something as he runs brothels and has a liking for torture and killing young girls and he has his eye on Cari. Upon meeting as Hans-Peter has gotten the permit for the house, Cari decides she isn’t staying there overnight as she knows the kind of people Hans-Peter keeps around him but I have a feeling that Hans-Peter isn’t going to let her slip away from him too easily as he has taken a liking to her.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas DNF - Catherine House was the September pick for the Literally Dead Book Club, so I had to read it this month, but I didn’t know anything going into it except it had a school setting. We are introduced to our protagonist, Ines, by the time she arrives at Catherine, but we don’t know what. Ines doesn’t talk much about her life before, all we know is she used to be good student, fell in with the wrong crowd and things started to go horribly wrong. The only reason she even applied to Catherine was because her teacher, who she was in love with at the time, suggested she do it. The school has rules though, the students can’t have any contact without the outside world for three years in return for a free ride through Catherine and a promise of a better life on the other side and all have agreed to it. However, Thomas manages to paint a dark and eerie atmosphere around the school, making you feel watched almost like it is haunted. Ines gets along fine with her roommate, Baby, who is odd herself but there’s nothing malicious about her especially after we learn she brought a snail from home, which is prohibited as it is both a pet and from outside Catherine and when she thought he was going to be discovered she killed it rather than letting it go which strikes me as very odd. So far, the setting is great, but we haven’t had much in the way of plot, but we are only at the beginning.
Dead Air by Nino Cipri **** - This is the group book for the Demonathon, and I didn’t know anything about it, but it seems to be a dramatized story with audio published in a horror/dark fantasy magazine which means I will probably enjoy it. It is also written by a non-binary/trans author which was amazing, and I was happy to support them with their work. Dead Air is a short story at only 10284 words or roughly 23 pages, so I flew through it. We are introduced to Nita, who is interviewing people she has been sexually intimate with for an art project of sorts and her current subject is Maddie. Their first interview is awkward, which is expected as they don’t really know each other so Maddie refuses to answer some of the more personal question but they are arranged to meet up another time. While Maddie thinks it is a date, which it is but Nita also wants to complete the interview. Maddie does answer some more questions regarding where she grew up but still refuses to speak about her parents for some reasons. When Nita comes onto the topic of Maddie’s scars, she isn’t satisfied with her answer of a car accident for what caused them and when she tries to dig deeper Maddie storms out.
The Jealousy of Jalice by Jesse Nolan Bailey *** - I didn’t know anything about The Jealousy of Jalice going into it, but dark fantasy and grey morality is quickly becoming my new favourite thing. The opening of The Jealousy of Jalice was interesting but rather confusing. We are introduced to Annilasia and Delilee who are plotting to kidnap the wife of the Sachem, the ruler from what I can gather, who happens to be Annilasia’s childhood friend and Delilee’s cousin; Jalice. We learn that Annilasia is a tillishu, an assassin/warrior for the Sachem but she and Delilee have been plotting this kidnapping for a while. However, some questions that were immediately raised for me is Delilee is Jalice’s double and hasn’t mentioned anything about this kidnapping to her or even mentioned Annilasia to her as Jalice during the kidnapping says that Annilasia isn’t the person she knew and the same goes for Jalice as she seems to care about the Sachem and doesn’t want to leave the Fortress. Delilee is left in Jalice’s place while Annilasia carts the real one off to places unknown.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco *** - I didn’t know much about Kingdom of the Wicked going into it, but Kerri Maniscalco is one of my favourite authors, so I had really high expectations for this book given how much I adore the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. We are introduced to Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria at eight years old and we soon learn the twin are streghe or witches and their grandmother, Nonna Maria is trying to protect them from the Princes of Hell (Malvagi or The Wicked) and the Devil but we don’t understand why other than a brief comment about power stolen from the Devil himself. The twins are eager and curious often wanting to learn more about the Wicked but one night they bring their amulets together which they aren’t supposed to do, and the result effect gives Vittoria the power to see people’s auras, but her twin says nothing. This prologue wasn’t as interesting as the opening chapter to Stalking Jack the Ripper, but we do jump forward 10 years when the twins are 18. As young women, Vittoria is the more outgoing of the twins often disappearing for most of the day, while Emilia is content to work in the restaurant and dream of running her own one day. I wasn’t overly impressed with the opening section of Kingdom of the Wicked but I am eager to see what comes next as Nonna Maria is once again spouting things about the Princes of Hell coming for their souls but the twins don’t really believe in them anymore or they don’t appear too but they need did tell anyone about what happened the night Emilia held Vittoria’s amulet.
The Last Paper Crane by Kerry Drewery ***** - What drew my attention initially to The Last Paper Crane was that it was a fictional story about the bombing of Hiroshima, but the author had done some major research into the bombing and the survivor’s stories before even starting to put this book together. We are introduced to Mizuki and her grandfather Ichiro, who is suffering after the death of his wife and Mizuki doesn’t understand why his grief is so deep. Although we quickly learn that Ichiro hasn’t told Mizuki about his past, but the death of his wife and his own advanced age is forcing him to pass the story onto the next generation, so it isn’t forgotten. While the present is set in Japan 2018, we jump back to Japan 1945, where we meet Ichiro as a young man and his best friend, Hiro and his younger sister, Keiko. This novel is also told in a mixture of straight narrative, free verse, and haiku poems, along with some stunning illustrations from Natsko Seki.
The Legend of Akikumo by Dani Hoots *** - I didn’t know much about The Legend of Akikumo when I signed up to the blog tour, but it is set in Japan which I am almost guaranteed to love. We are following a kitsune (Fox spirit) named Ketsueki, which reminded me of Wicked Fox by Kat Cho but I have read a few other novels set in Japan, the most recent being More Than Alive: Death of an Idol by Fernando A. Torres which I’d highly recommend for VR/AR and fantasy fans. The opening chapter was interesting as we are introduced to Ketsueki, who was left at an Inari Shrine a century before by her mentor, Akikumo who disappeared after that. However, one thing I noted that the author got wrong straight away is the yokai who live in the shrine complain about Ketsueki not behaving when kitsunes by their very nature are mischievous and cause trouble for their own entertainment. In terms of the actual mythology, this is wrong but maybe for the character this behaviours is correct as the other yokai are shown as being quite peaceful. We then jump back to July 1336, which is in the Muromachi Period, where Ketsueki is recused by Akikumo, who is an okami or wolf yokai after her parents are killed in the battle. As she is only a small child, Ketsueki formerly called Aiko by her mother, breaks the magic hiding her kitsune form and is brutally attacked and hunted by the humans before being rescued which explains her current resentment towards humans. This flashback was actually a really great scene as it perfectly blends Japan’s quite bloody history with its fantastical folklore seamlessly.
Locke & Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodríguez ***** - I watched the Netflix adaptation of this graphic novel series when it first started airing and I have to say I really enjoyed it which made me keen to read the source material but back then I couldn’t get the digital copies of the books but now I can. From the beginning of Volume 1 I was able to see the differences between the source material and its adaptation, but they are slight. We are introduced to the Locke family before and after their father, Rendell is murdered by a young man who knew him, and they have to move to their father’s childhood home: Keyhouse. One of the first differences here is in Tyler’s origin story as in the show he witnesses the murder but doesn’t do anything about it as he has to protect his younger siblings; Kinsey and Bode, however in the comic the killers know the kids are around and as Tyler has stepped in paint, the trio split up and he actually ends up several injuring one of the men which weights heavy on his conscience. After moving to Keyhouse, Bode begins exploring as he is the youngest and ends up finding a key. This key opens a door, but the second Bode steps through it his spirit is torn from his body, so he technically dies. As time passes, he uses this to keep an eye on everyone and even attempts to share it with Kinsey and Tyler, but they are still too caught up in their emotions after their dad’s death.
Locke & Key Volume 2: Head Games by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodríguez **** - So volume 1 of Locke & Key showed me how close to the source material the show stayed with a few minor changes and I was eager to see if that continued throughout the series especially after the Locke children begin using the key Bode found at the end of the first volume. We get our first intermission of the series which focuses on characters outside of the central Locke family. We meet Mr. Ridgeway, a teacher who taught Tyler, Kinsey and Bode’s father when he was at school. We learn of his past and how he directly influences the entity known as Echo/Dodge/Luke/Zack as it has taken a form that very few people know and it decides to do away with Mr. Ridgeway because he knows who the entity is trying to impersonate. In order to remain anonymous, the entity is using Luke’s ex-girlfriend as a pawn because it has assumed his form and after his death, it made his girlfriend pliable to whatever the entity wanted.
Locke & Key Volume 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodríguez *** - So far, this series is showing the Netflix adaptation was faithful apart from minor elements, despite that I did enjoy Volume 1 more than Volume 2 because of the info-dumping in the second volume that sets up the major mystery of this series. I noticed quite early in this volume that it started to deviate from the show quite a bit, not in terms of the story that relatively remains the same but it terms of pacing. This volume opens with the Locke matriarch getting drunk after learning that Duncan is in the hospital and the entity using one of its newly acquired keys; the shadow key to haunt the family with shadow demons that reflect their fears, so the fears of each child are different based on their age, worries and life experiences which was an awesome nuance that the show actually maintained just in a slightly different way.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov ***** - I have read Lolita a few times and loved it more and more each time I’ve read it and the movie with Jeremy Irons is outstanding. I decided to pick it up again for Becca’s Bookoplathon since it is one of the very few translated works I own and if my memory serves it was originally published in French. It still stuns me reading this for the 4th or 5th time that the introduction by the fictious editor explains the whole story you just don’t understand it until you have consumed the whole of Humbert’s tale. The opening sequence of Lolita doesn’t even relate to Lolita herself as it details Humbert’s childhood, his first love Annabel and how she quite possibly led to his love of Lolita, his string of romance and paid women and eventually his marriage which ended quite disastrously even by his standards. Humbert is a compelling protagonist to follow and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by Jeremy Irons as he played Humbert in the 1997 movie adaptation which I will be watching and reviewing very soon. Humbert compels you to like him despite his inherently “evil” nature although I thoroughly debated this in my college essay relating to the psychology of this character and his numerous mental health issues.
Secret Legacy by Carissa Andrews **** - I didn’t much about Secret Legacy going into it purely because it was tagged on Amazon as horror and I prefer going into those books knowing nothing about them. We are introduced to Autumn Blackwood who has been accepted into Windhaven Academy even though she is adamant that she didn’t apply to the school. Windhaven is a university for the supernatural, the acceptance confuses Autumn since she is completely mundane but her mother’s reactions to the letter and the fact someone has fully paid for Autumn’s education there makes me think she isn’t mundane. The letter also mentions her lineage and a legacy which intrigues Autumn to the point where we know she is going to be attending Windhaven Academy whether she wants to or not. Shortly, after the argument with her mother she meets Wade in the cemetery although she doesn’t learn his real name for a little while. It turns out he is going to Windhaven Academy too as he has some physic abilities but not this year since he has to care for his dying grandfather, but he offers to attend the initiation with Autumn which is known as the Witching Stick. So far, Secret Legacy is interesting, I am not usual into paranormal books, but the occult and horror tags have me interested to see where the author goes with this set up.
There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins **** - I haven’t read anything by Stephanie Perkins before because of the terrible things I have heard about the Anna and the French Kiss series but I was so intrigued when she came out with a horror/romance that I had to pick it up (even if it is three years too late). The book opens with the hours leading up to the brutal murder of Haley Whitehall. While we don’t see the murder, we do see that someone was in her house moving items around intending to scare Haley before killing her. When the news reaches her classmates the next day we are introduced to our protagonist, Makani Young. Makani has been sent to live with her grandmother in Nebraska from Hawaii after an incident that meant it wasn’t safe for Makani to stay there or continuing to use her birth name, so she changes it to her mother’s maiden name. Even without knowing what happened we know it must have been big for these measures to be taken. At this point, Makani has been in Nebraska a year and has made some friends including Darby who is trans and even had a brief fling with the school weirdo, Ollie who she still has feelings for, but their “relationship” ended suddenly and without explanation. The opening to There’s Someone Inside Your House was definitely gripping and I can’t wait to read some more.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone ***** - I didn’t really know much about This Is How You Lose the Time War, other than it features two time-travelling agents from opposing sides in a warring future that are travelling back through time and begin writing letters. However, a few things did intrigue me, for one this book is only just over 200 pages long so I should be able to fly through it and two, it is written by two authors so I am assuming it is dual perspective with each other writing a single perspective, meaning we are going to have two distinct voices and writing styles throughout while hopefully maintaining an unified feel to the novel. We are introduced to the first of the agents, Red, as she wins a battle in the past that will allow her to shape the future in her side’s favour in the war, however, at the end of the battle there is something that doesn’t belong there, a letter from her enemy. Blue in the letter explains how they are using Red’s actions to favour their own side in the war, and this sparks something between them. During Blue’s next mission she finds a coded letter from Red, explaining how she has thwarted this mission before Blue has even deciphered the note and we have correspondence between the two time agents. Both have distinct voices; Blue is calm and collected while Red is more outgoing and livelier, and I am intrigued to see where this goes.
One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence ***** - I haven’t really read much by Mark Lawrence but after getting into some high fantasy and some morally grey fantasy, his work has been recommended to me a lot but I wanted to start off with some smaller and a little “lighter” – if I can use that term – of his works before jumping into his other series. We are introduced to our protagonist, Nick who has just been diagnosed with cancer and from the very beginning we can sense something is off as Nick talks about being dead less than a month after the diagnosis. When he goes for his first chemotherapy treatment, he begins hallucinating as he “awakes” in his friend’s house at their Dungeons & Dragons came from the week before. These things continue to happen with Nick either losing time or seeing things that really shouldn’t be there and these events are surrounded by a single person, an eery bald man who is following Nick everywhere. This man has also had interactions with Nick’s mother although she tries to make it seem like these didn’t happen. One night, Nick’s friend John gets him to sneak out in the middle of the night with a girl called Mia where they go for a drink and to smoke a joint. All three see the mysterious man but they get spooked and flee from him at Mia’s insistence but it is Nick who surprises them despite throwing up from the chemo which they don’t know about and being in pain, he beats them both out of the park. The opening couple of chapters to One Word Kill were extremely interesting and I eager to see where the story goes.
Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence ***** - After reading and loving One Word Kill, I could wait to jump into Limited Wish and see whether Demus’ plan actually works. Limited Wish starts with some jumping timelines, we open in June where Nick is working with a Professor at Cambridge University despite only being just 16, but we also know that between February and now, he has lost his friendship with Elton and broken up with Mia who he worked so hard to save in the first book. We then jump back to February where we learn Nick wanted to get into university early so, he could start working on inventing the headbands Demus gave him and prove time travel was real and possible. He manages to do this by crashing one of Professor Halligan’s lectures in order to talk to him, but he soon realises that his new research is incorrect and corrects it for him. At that point the Professor demanded that Nick be allowed to work with him or he would resign so Cambridge allowed it but being on the youngest people there Nick is having a hard time fitting in as we see in the opening chapter where he is rescued by 17 year old Helen for some third year students. Nick gets the same déjà vu feeling with Helen as he did with Demus when they first meet so I have a feeling she is going to be important to this book. So far, the opening of Limited Wish was great, and I can’t wait to see where Nick goes in this instalment.
Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence ***** - I read both One Word Kill and Limited Wish in less than a day, so I had to jump into the conclusion straight away. I had some theories coming into Dispel Illusion and I wanted to see if I was right about them. I was right about Nick being older in this book just not as old as I thought he was going to be, when we re-join the group Nick is 22 and still working on the same project from Limited Wish only there has been a time explosion and Guilder is currently running a cover up on it so the information doesn’t get out. I was surprised that the group still meet for D&D despite having gone to university and starting their own careers now but guess it shows how strong these friendships are. While we are being reintroduced to the group, Nick gets a phone call from Dr. Creed letting him know they have made a breakthrough, obviously he rushes down to see what it is with Mia and John in tow. It turns out that Creed has managed to send Dr. Halligan into the future, only to the following morning but they have done it. However, Nick knows with their current power output it shouldn’t even be possible and it turns out Guilder insisted on it since he is dying now but all Nick can do is run the number and hope Dr. Halligan returns safety and in one piece.
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