Author: lunar

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

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: 26 Apr 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 245
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 23 Mar 2022
      Thank you NetGalley, T. Kingfisher and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

      I loved this book so so much. It has a bone dog (wish I could make one of my own), magical godmothers, women who can raise the dead, and a sweet slow burn romance. I finished this one way too quickly and now feel ejected out of a world that I wish I could live in a little bit longer.

Other books read by this author:

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

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

Published by: Gallery/Scout Press
Published Date: 26 Apr 2022
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Pages: 338
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 18 Mar 2022
      Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer McMahon, and Gallery Books for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

      This is a slow burn mystery alternating between two separate timelines, 1970’s and 2019, and told mainly between Vi and Lizzy’s viewpoint. I personally found wanting to skim through Vi’s (1970’s) timeline and get back to the present day story. There was a lot more description and telling in the earlier story line.

      Speaking of telling, there was a lot of obvious clues as to the ending strewn throughout the whole book. Really obvious clues. I’m not complaining though as this was still an entertaining read.

Creepy Cat Vol. 1 by Cotton Valent

Published by: Seven Seas
Publication Date: 10/19/2021
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Pages: 128
Source: Edelweiss
Date Read: 14 Mar 2022
      “A full-color young adult graphic novel series that originated as a webcomic about a beloved ghostly cat!

      Flora moves into a mysterious mansion and finds it inhabited by a strange creature – Creepy Cat! Thus begins her strange and sometimes dangerous life with a feline roommate. This Gothic comedy brings the chuckles…and the chills!

      Since 2014, Cotton Valent’s hilarious webcomic Meawbin The Creepy Cat has charmed online audiences across the world. Enjoy this full-color graphic novel series for audiences new and old!”

      I finished this cute webcomic in a few hours and enjoyed all of it. From Flora, the creepy cat(s), and the police officer, it was all so cute!

      I had never heard of Creepy Cat or the author/artist Cotton Valent, but now I have her webcomic bookmarked just so I can read more.

      She also has another webcomic called “Glitch” which looks amazing as well.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: 12 Jul 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 165
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 17 Feb 2022
      I have been a fan of T. Kingfisher for a few books now and this book just strengthens the feeling. There’s a scene in which a rabbits lung is described and it was one of my first thoughts this morning. That image and what it would mean if it happened to me… first thing upon waking up makes my brain feel weird.

      I really enjoyed the main character’s point of view and the jabs at Americans. I kind of wish the story were longer.

Other books read by this author:

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

Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie

      Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
      I enjoyed this story very much. I don’t know if it’s because I was also reading “The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep” at the same time, but I at moments felt a really deep connection with Mercy and could visualize Mercy’s Farm and the feeling of joining her on her couch to read. Anyway, it’s a good tale of overcoming loss and finding what it is to learn to love oneself and allowing others into your life. Not so much horror, though…. I would have loved it if La Llorona were a little more present in the story.
Published by: BooksGoSocial
Published Date: 25 Aug 2021
Genre: Horror
Pages: 135
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 17 Feb 2022

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox

      Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc. All opinions are my own.
      When I first saw this title, I was pretty excited to request it. I had enjoyed “The Pale Orphan of Cemetery Hill”. Matter of fact, it had broken me from a reading slump. So when I was approved for this one, I made it the next book on my tbr.
      I didn’t like it.
      I couldn’t care less for the characters. This story is told in two separate timeliness, 1880’s and present day. Margaret lives in the 1880’s and is the wild child of a prosperous New England family. She is also a witch who falls in love and becomes pregnant. I couldn’t stand her character and found her to be an annoying know it all.
      Then there’s Augusta. A flat, boring character that was written as we should pity her, but I found her insufferable. She goes on for chapters about how she is just staying with her boyfriend because it was convenient, but after she finally decides to go, tells the new crush how much of a manipulator he was. It was all talk and no show for her character.
      There was nothing spooky about this book.

Published by: Harlequin Trade
Publication Date: 01 Feb 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: 22 Sep 2021

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune


      Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This is such a lovely heart-warming story and paired with “Altruism” by Matthieu Ricard made me question a lot of how I act towards others. I loved Hugo, Mei and especially Granddad and Apollo. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read such a bittersweet story. Days later, I’ve come back to add that I still think about the ending, the epilogue.
      Spoiler if you don’t want to keep reading about the ending

      If I had my way, I wouldn’t have had granddad and Apollo move on. It felt emptier in their household in the end without them, and my vision of that world felt sadder without their presence.

Published by: Tor Books Publishing
Pub Date: 21 Sep 2021
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 373
Source:NetGalley
Date Read: 16 Sep 2021

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James


      There’s mystery! There’s murder! There’s (most important to me during the spooky season) GHOSTS! I enjoyed this book very much. I liked all the characters and felt that excited to pick the book back up. When I got down to the last hundred pages, I may even have grumbled at my family for being too loud while trying to read it.

      The only con, and it’s a big one, is the ghosts. The ending with the ghosts felt rushed, not well planned, and flat. Actually it doesn’t even make that much sense, and super lackluster, but the story was still enjoyable.

Published by: Berkley Publishing Group
Pub Date 18 Feb 2020
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Pages: 336
Date Read: 12 Oct 2020