Author: lunar

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

Published by: Tor Publishing Group
Pub Date: 27 Feb 2024
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pages: 368
Date Read: 09 Feb 2024
      Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc. I look forward to reading more from this author.

     No one goes into the north woods and makes it back out. Except for one.

     When The Tyrants children leave in the middle of the night to see what the woods are like, Veris knows the chances of getting them back out are low. However, she is the only person to have done it, and so, with her family being held hostage by The Tyrant goes into the woods to retrieve the children.

     I enjoyed this novella so much! I loved the woods, and just how alive they are. I loved the depictions of the creatures (whoever knew a scarf could cause my heart to race?). Most of all, I loved Veris. She is a strong, capable woman, who just sets out to get things done. Not out of bravado, not even out of a sense of duty. Just love for her family. She showed incredible empathy and didn’t whine about her situation. However, there is a bit of the story that almost made me quit the whole thing. I am not going to go into details, but to say that I do not care for authors who use sexual trauma (out of nowhere) as a plot point.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

Published by: Dutton
Pub Date: 26 Mar 2024
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 368
Date Read: 22 Sept 2023
      Thank you Edelwiess, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.
      Eek! It’s been awhile since I put proper thought into a review, besides “yeah I liked this.”
      So yeah, I liked this… but it was slow going for me and that the 1960’s timeline to be a bit of a slog. So much so, that I almost gave up about mid way through. The story does pick up though and I found that I had to know if I was right on who I thought did it.
      Annie is a bit annoying. What is a shame though, is when I was talking about it I couldn’t give any solid examples as to why. I just thought her character was a bit bland and paper thin. I didn’t really care about her, or her mother Laura, or her apparently weird life. It was all talk and no show. Laura lacked emotion and closed off to the loss of her Great Aunt, the one who provided the home they live in.
      Despite this, it really did pick up and I began to care about most of the characters. My favorite being Francis. I liked her character and her strong will. Most of the townspeople had great character and stories. I actually thought how I wished Jenny would feature more in this and be the “Watson” she jokes about.
      So yeah, I liked this.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

Published by: Creature Publishing
Pub Date: 30 Mar 2021
Genre: Horror
Pages: 156
Date Read: 08 Mar 2023
      I enjoyed “Goddess of Filth” well enough. Hardly a horror, though there are certainly moments where I felt scared and not from the source I had imagined. The Goddess was actually a supportive caring entity to the young women.

     What brought my rating down was my inability to place this on a timeline. One minute they are listenting to TLC and watching the movie “The Craft”, the next minute they are texting each other. Those two things don’t belong and threw me off probably more that it should. I went scouring the reviews after I was finished to see if anyone else had this issue, but it seems it was just me.

Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker

Published by: Turner
Pub Date: 19 Nov 2019
Genre: Horror
Pages: 304
Date Read: 03 Mar 2023
This whole thing is a spoiler!

     I normally have no issues with abandoning a book, but with less than 100 pages from the end, I finished this. Solely so I could count it as read for all my trouble.

     I felt so duped. I liked Felix at the beginning. I liked his relationship with his wife. I liked that his best friend came to be with him in a haunted house. I would actually want to do something like this in real life. I love the idea of this book! Such an interesting take. By the end, though, the main character Felix is an unlikable dirtbag. His monologing about how shitty his life became, because of Thomas, was becoming unbearable to read. I hated that this was not in fact a ghost story with real freaking ghosts and instead was just some asshole who murders his wife and best friend, then descends into madness over it.

      I used to spoil books quite often. I would jump to the end to see if it was all worth it. I had, until this book, stopped doing that. When Thomas shows up, it is hinted that there was some sort of rift between them. Then it was hinted at nonstop, without any explanation as to what it was. When I didn’t actually see what I was looking for in my “skimming the ending”, I went online and read the one star reviews. So I finished the book, fully aware of Thomas being dead and just a product of Felix’s imagination. Even without that knowledge, Felix just becomes so unlikable and whiny, forcing Thomas to be sad and contrite. Which yes he should be looking for a way to redeem himself IF HE WEREN’T DEAD! There’s also a sleazy line about how he “viciously laid claim” and just yikes.

      I think had I gone into this not expecting a ghost story, I would have liked it. That’s not what I got and I’m disappointed.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Published by: Tor Books
Pub Date: 15 Aug 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 128
Date Read: 11 Feb 2023
      A few years ago I started reading adult fairy tales like “Uprooted” and “Spinning Silver” both by Naomi Novik, and fell into a black hole of where I couldn’t find books that had a similar feel. Then I started reading T. Kingfisher and have been following her stuff like a weird devotee. In all of her works you can’t help but like the characters. I’m speaking too broadly and not drilling down on this particular book, but it still applies.

      If I could meet the greenteeths and not be eaten by them, I think I would. The sense of family Toadling got from them was like a warm hug to me.

      The Goddess – this year is really the year of the rabbit. So many fantasy books like “The Magician’s Daughter” by H.G. Parry and this one features a magical rabbit. I realize two doesn’t really equal a lot, but I stand by what I’m saying, and anyways I like talking rabbits. The Goddess however, like she says, “We are made of cruelty and kindness both.”

      Toadling and Halim were both relatable characters. I loved them both, but especially Halim. I loved his dedication to doing the right thing and the descriptions of his mother. How she would expect him to behave and how she would care for Toadling if he brought her back with him. There’s an earnestness and wit to him, “…a knife that my mother’s imam said duas over and also I had it blessed by the Benedictine monk who ran the library, so between the two of them, it ought to be quite holy by now. I couldn’t find a rabbi. Well, I did, but he wanted to come along because he’d never met a fairy, and I thought you wouldn’t like that.”

      Toadling was such a lonesome creature before Halim came along. I could feel her grief at being the last sentinel, and was happy with the speed with which she made Halim a friend.

      The one problem I have with T. Kingfisher novels is that I have such a book hangover once they’re done, and this particular story was just a little over hundred pages, so it lasted me only a day. I’m now stuck to opening many books on my ereader and not committing to any.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Another quote, this one made me laugh out loud.

Chapter 6 — Page: 65

“Not that he’d have died,” she had muttered, “but I was like to throttle him if he did not stop his whining.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

Other books read by this author:

Thornhedge A House With Good Bones Nettle and Bone What Moves the Dead

The Magician’s Daugher by H.G. Perry

Published by: Redhook Books
Publication Date: 28 Feb 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Source: NetGalley
     Thanks to the author H.G.Perry, the publisher Redhook Books, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to review this book. I absolutely loved this book. The storytelling was so calming, and told beautifully. It’s been probably a little over a week since I finished this and I am sad that there isn’t more to read. The world being built, characters, and the magic system… I hope H.G. Perry continues on with this story.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Published: Del Rey Books
Pub Date: 10 Jan 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 336
Date Read: 25 Jan 2023
     Emily is just about done her work on her encyclopedia and the last thing it needs is some information on the elusive ljosland faeries. After offending the village head-woman Aud, Emily finds it difficult to get the much needed stories, and much more needed supplies to live out the difficult winter there. To add to this misfortune, her coworker and suspected fae, Wendell Brambleby shows up to “help” her with her book, despite being very much uninvited.

     The dynamic between Emily and Wendell was hilarious. I found myself at times laughing out loud at the banter between the two.”Yes.” He flicked another page. “And you shall shut yourself away forever in those old stones with your books and your mysteries like a dragon with her hoard, having as little association with the living as possible and emerging only to breathe fire at your students.”

     He has an irritating way of understanding me, at least in part, which is more than anyone else does – no doubt some faerie gift of his. “You intend to stay here, do you?” I said, to change the subject.”

     Emily’s character and mannerisms are so so dry, Wendell’s the complete opposite. Both character’s grow as the story progresses, but Emily’s character has the biggest transformation. She goes from an academic doing things for the villagers not to help but to learn from them, but even so she by the end of it realizes this and goes on to see how that could be perceived. It doesn’t make her an awful person, she still helps them, but does call into question the motives. “He shrugged, unruffled by a slight against something he put little stock in, namely, his character. “In any event, these are practical people, and they care more about what you did than the why of it all.”

     Other reviewers have likened this to Howl’s Moving Castle – but I was put more into mind of “Spinning Silver” and “Uprooted” both by Naomi Novik and “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell” by Susanna Clarke (mainly for the footnotes that were a delight to read.)

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Published by:Ballantine Books
Pub Date: 18 Jul 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 336
Date Read: 03 Jan 2023
      When I was a little younger, I fancied myself as someone who liked to read great huge tomes. In reality, as I’ve grown older, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m more of a novella type of gal. For some reason I lose interest in a book when I feel like the story is advancing too slowly. With Silvia Moreno-Garcia writing, her stories are so packed full and you just don’t really want it to end. So she seems to be one of my exceptions to the rule.

      Set in Mexico, 1993, Montserrat and her best friend since childhood Tristan are now approaching their forties. Both in the entertainment business, Montserrat is a sound editor and Tristan an actor. The first thing I liked about this duo was that the relationship felt real. Although Montserrat had a crush on Tristan when they were younger, it is a subject firmly behind them, and only picked at by Montserrat when she is upset. Montserrat has a no bullshit approach to most things in life, while Tristan has the playboy attitude you would associate with heart throb actors.

      Montserrat is a horror film enthusiast and has seen them all, except Beyond the Yellow Door directed by Abel Urueta. Beyond the Yellow Door is an obscure movie in which little is known, so when Tristan chances upon Abel Urueta as a new neighbor, he sets to work right away in getting Montserrat a meeting with him. There they discuss his film and discover that it was actually a good luck ritual designed by an occultist that was never completed. Since Tristan is an actor and Montserrat has access to record the sound, perhaps they could complete it and gain the benefits? If I were in their shoes, I too probably would have completed it. This is horror, though, so the luck doesn’t last for long.

      I had known that there were Nazi’s in Argentina, but I had not known that there were Nazi’s in Mexico, and this story provided an interesting history lesson. Frankly, I spent a great deal of time looking a lot of things up mentioned. The movies, which are listed below, have given me a new list that I want to work down and watch. Pictures of Mexico (because I have never been there) and the markets, specifically Mercado de Sonora. Lastly, she notes at the end some of her inspirations and I spent more time looking up lost films and daydreaming about the mysteries that could surround them.

-=-=-=-=-=-

      Here are two quotes that I particularly loved and wanted to share;

Chapter 7 — Page: 119

     And on bad days, if you told me what I had to do to time travel was rub chicken’s blood on my face and dance around the living room, I might. It’s stupid, but it’s also a bit of hope, and hope is hard to come by.”

Chapter 7 — Page: 122

     He understood this the same way he realized he was sometimes annoyingly childish in his demands and affection. But it was the only way he truly knew how to love someone.

-=-=-=-=-=-

      Anyways, this novel was clearly researched in the ways movies are made, and told to the reader in an expert way that doesn’t beat you over the head with terminology without definitions. The characters are well thought out, and all have their own personalities. I really loved this book and look forward to seeing it get the praise it deserves.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Exorcist
Vacaciones de terror
Child’s Play
The Amityville Horror
Lola la trailera
Knight Rider
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
The Evil Dead
Videodrome
Hasta el viento tiene miedo (Even the Wind Is afraid)
Cat People
Dracula
Freaks
Jir%C3%B3n de Niebla (Giron de niebla)
Three Men and a Baby
Tarzan
Tarzan and the Mermaids
Jorodowsky%E2%80%99s Dune
The Other Side of the Wind
The Black Cat
The Devil Rides Out
The Night of the Iguana
Dead Ringers
The Seventh Seal
Nightmare on Elm Street
The Blob
Nosferatu
The Old Dark House
The Mummy
Alcanzar una Estrella
Mujer Casos de la Vida Real
The Count of Monte Cristo
Terror at the Opera
Ghostbusters
La Telaraña
The Bride of Frankenstein
El Monstruo Resucitado
La Bruja
London After Midnight

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 272
Source:NetGalley
Date Read: 11 Nov 2022
     “A spite house is a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate neighbors or any party with land stakes. Because long-term occupation is not the primary purpose of these houses, they frequently sport strange and impractical structures.” – Wikipedia

     A spite house stands like an eyesore on a hill almost too steep to hold it. Rumors have that people go into it and disappear, almost as if they were gobbled up by the house. For Eric and his daughters though, it is the means to a life that will allow them relative safety and control.

     I enjoyed the story well enough. I wanted to know more about the Ross family and only wished that maybe the answers were given slightly sooner than they were. That is more my issue than with the writing and made me want to read on. I cared for the father Eric and found his character relatable. The only thing that I found to really drag was that the information that was given earlier on was repeated multiple times and I found that towards the end I skimmed over a few passages only because it was something I had already read and understood about the characters.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date:28 Mar 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 256
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 04 Oct 2022
     This isn’t so much as a review as it is a plea to get auto-approved for this author. I think at this point I can say there isn’t a horror (or any other genre) I won’t read from T.Kingfisher. Would it be impossible to just have the arc’s sent to me without me requesting them? Pretty please?

Other books read by this author:

Thornhedge A House With Good Bones Nettle and Bone What Moves the Dead