A remake of a horror movie carries with it the curse of the first unmade film. In classic Paul Tremblay fashion you will want to read between your hands in front of your face. Reminds us of all the scary movies of our youth and early Stephen King novels. 3 1/2 stars
0 Comments
Maya knows a little something about stealing artifacts and returning them to their rightful owners. When she finds herself with valuable information about the Stardust Grail that will save her alien friend Auncle's planet she is onboard to risk her quiet boring life with a bit more thievery. Maya and her ragtag misfit crew take on much more than they bargained for in finding the grail and getting it back to the Frenro. This is a complicated and entertaining space adventure peppered with witty dialogue and fun characters.
Be warned - there is so much going on in the last 1/4 of the book that I got light speed whiplash. A bit of Indiana Jones adventure with the variety of characters of a Star Wars film or Andy Weir book this is a space jaunt that is different from Kitasei's first book but just as enjoyable. I hope there are more with these characters. 4 1/2 stars An island surrounded by lethal fog is home to what seems to be the last community of humans. While a handful of scientists try to keep everyone following strict protocol a murder of one of them threatens the island's end. This starts the countdown of about 100 hours to solve the murder before the A.I. security system lowers the barrier and lets the fog take them and to make matters worse they all have had their memories of the night before the murder stripped clean. A clever murder mystery, a less than ideal society dependent on absolute faith in the scientists and a ticking time bomb with over a hundred suspects makes this one of the most anticipated books this year. Readers of Agatha Christie style mysteries told in a STATIONS ELEVEN setting will enjoy this and there is much for book clubs to discuss. 4 stars
Roos has been used to fund her mother's spiritualist business from a young age thanks to her possession of a spirit named Ruth. Ruth takes control but is often times more of a comfort than anyone else. She escapes her mother's control when and goes to live with a young widow who has a spirit guide of her own. Roos and Agnes become intimate and it looks like Agnes will replace Ruth in Roos' heart as danger lurks and problems rise up from the dead. The body count increases leaving Roos the main suspect. This dark story has all the classic elements of a good gothic ghost story - ghosts, a manor home complete with a bog, a secret love and someone meets a tragic end. It is also right on target with common themes of a time of abused women taking matters into their own hands and those same women being deemed hysterical and locked away while the families swept bad behavior by men under the rug. Readers of classic gothic tales as well as stories of the Victorian obsession with death and spiritualism will find much to love. 4 stars
A young woman in a dead end government job gets an unusual career boost when she agrees to become a "bridge". Her new role has her assisting Commander Graham Gore who died in 1847 as part of the doomed Franklin Arctic Expedition. He has been brought forward in time and the bridge must help him acclimate to present day England. They live together, eat together and go to pubs with the others 24/7 Their relationship, along with the others in the program is remarkable, funny and not without its challenges - one of which is not falling in love. A very original debut complete with witty dialogue, great characters and ponders some weighty issues like a less than honest government and all that space-time continuum stuff. Fans of Matt Haig, Diana Gabaldon, Connie Willis and Kelley Armstrong's A RIP THRUGH TIME will zip through this book and demand more. 4 1/2 stars
The first book in a new series that focuses on powerful women of mixed cultures. Yaferi is stolen from Africa and sold to Vikings as an attendant to Princess Freydis. Freydis treats Yaferi with respect and friendship after an incident binds them together. Freydis teaches her customs, language and what she needs to know to stay alive and in return Yaferi teaches Freydis how to fight. They will need all this knowledge in order to defeat the diabolical men in charge. Yaferi longs to become a shield maiden and fight in battle alongside Freydis's warrior aunt. There is a mix of shared mythologies as well as the usual violence and political backstabbing which makes this an intriguing addition to the genre. Again we see strong women who are willing to risk everything to take back control of their lives instead of leaving their fate in the hands of self-serving men. This will appeal to fans of Vikings, A FATE INKED IN BLOOD, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and books by Nnedi Okorafor. 4 stars
A fantasy richly infused with all the vicious history and power struggles of Spain and the Inquisition. Luzia is a scullery maid able to perform small miracles that help her survive and go largely unnoticed. When a nobleman does notice them he sets about grooming Luzia and her magic to help elevate his own status placing her doubly in danger by performing forbidden magic and her Jewish background. Walking this tightrope between nobility and an overcrowded jail cell ending in torture, Luzia epitomizes the gap between the haves and have nots and not knowing who to trust. Leigh Bardugo paints a lush portrait of how the Spanish throne used the Inquisition to rid the country of those they deemed unworthy in Luzia's story. It is both romantic and cruel, historically accurate with the edges blurred by fantasy and the unexplained. This will appeal to both fantasy and historical fiction fans and both young adult and adult readers. 4 stars
Dr. Ophelia Bray wakes from cold sleep and is introduced to her new crew mates only to find out that none of them want her or any other psychologist on their mission. She is there because the crew has suffered the loss of one of their own but she needs to break through to them to be of help. They have landed on an abandoned planet with no lifeforms and will leave as soon as they get samples but horrific storms are making it difficult. Then strange things begin to affect Ophelia and the crew. Is something out there in the snow? How long can Ophelia keep her own past secret? Solid space horror amplified by being on a sketchy abandoned planet, huge storms messing with their communication and exit strategy and a group of people you don't know or trust. 3 1/2 stars Manchuria is under siege and occupied by Romans who use bullets and opium to kill and conquer. Ruying and her sister Meiya along with their grandmother are just trying to survive but it is not going well. Meiya is an opium addict, their grandmother is frail and Ruying's magic is death which she needs to hide from everyone. A Roman prince discovers Ruying's power and uses her sister's addiction to make a deal with Ruying. He needs her to assassinate someone at the top of the food chain in assurance that her family will live. In the tradition of "enemies now allies" - they are very attracted to each other. I enjoyed the storyline and Asian fantasy influence but felt early on that the story got mired down with reminders of Roman suppression and Ruying's hatred of them. The cost of her unusual magic, trust issues, attraction to the enemy and constant action carry the novel. 3 1/2 stars
This unique story is so hard to jam into just one genre - a bit fantasy, a bit adventure, a bit coming of age and a search for self in a magical library. As a child Aubry won't give up a wooden puzzle ball and is cursed with a life spent on the run. If she stays more than a few days in any one place she will bleed out. With only a bit of money, her wits and a good deal of luck she travels the world many times over always traveling along a new path. Years go by and Aubry now an older woman tired and fed up, finds an exhausting underground library where alone she is able to magically stay reading her way through. Douglas Westerbeke knows of what he writes since he is a librarian and has used those research skills and considerable imagination to concoct this fantastic story of loss and longing while having adventures enough to fill several volumes . Fans of AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS , THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE and the solitary life of the caretaker in PIRANESI will adore Aubry and will fight a losing battle of reading each adventure slow and will instead be unable to put the book down. There is plenty to discuss for book clubs. 4 1/2 stars
|
I love to read good books and share the new books that are available and those that are coming soon
Adult Genres
General Fiction Historical Fiction Thriller / Mystery Fantasy / Sci-Fi Non-Fiction All Adult Genres Other Genres Young Adult Genre Kids Books Genre Follow Kim
Review Archives
July 2024
|