I don't know how Karen M. McManus does it, but every mystery she conjures out of thin air has generally the same kind of themes yet she makes it feel fresh and new every time. And this story of hers is different from her previous ones. Her debut, One Of Us Is Lying, was clearly... Continue Reading →
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin Book Review
This book is just plain fun. Well, in addition, it's also a ferociously funny attack on those who use religion as an excuse to spread hate. And okay, it's also a thought-provoking romance, in a world where most romances aren't thought provoking. Taking place in a version of a past-century France that according to the... Continue Reading →
The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis Book Review
Most sequels I've read recently have disappointed me and diminished my love for prior instalments. But Mindy McGinnis following up on her fun, discomforting The Initial Insult manages to continue delivering. Now, this review spoils a large chunk of the last book, so if you haven't already read The Initial Insult, I encourage you to... Continue Reading →
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion Book Review
I know I'm not giving this a full four stars, but it's been years and years since I've read a book that delivers character progression of the soul so beautifully. There are stories out there of people whose minds slowly change, and we need more like that. People can grow into heroes, but growing from... Continue Reading →
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson Book Review
Ending off the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder trilogy, I would say the first book is the most mystery-heavy, the second is overall the best one, and this third one I would put as the most outside-the-box and squirmy, because it will make you really unsure by the end if everything was worth rooting... Continue Reading →
The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis Book Review
I should've caved to my gut and tried out Mindy McGinnis' works long ago. This time, McGinnis' work is based off of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Cask of Amontillado, which I'd never heard about in my life before, and McGinnis kind-of kind-of-not-so secretly puts Amontillado as the name for this grungy American... Continue Reading →
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson Book Review
I’ll have to check the statistics, but I think this sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder might just be the best mystery novel I’ve ever read. In the last book, straight-A good-girl-type Pippa Fitz-Amobi decided on her high school capstone project to investigate a five-year-old killing of high-school sweetheart Andie Bell, the perpetrator... Continue Reading →
The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forest Book Review
It's such a shame when an instalment in a book series you love disappoints you so much. It makes you feel like now, if you recommend the other books, you're now setting readers up for them to care enough to have to deal with a slog. In this case, The Shadow Slog might be a... Continue Reading →
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake Book Review
About four years ago, I picked up the first Three Dark Crowns and finished it exhausted and frustrated. I gave it a generous single one-star rating. When you advertise your book as a Hunger-Games fight to the death and spend 80% of it going over the lives of the competitors, their lovers, and the lovers... Continue Reading →
The 355 (2022) Movie Review
When Simon Kinberg directed and released Dark PhoeniX three years ago, it was seen as a ginormously weak sendoff for the X-Men franchise, if it ends up a sendoff at all. It was definitely inferior to Logan by a mile, but I didn't find it that bad. I actually gave it a B. I found... Continue Reading →