Book Review | Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter

Where the Woods End is a middle grade horror by Charlotte Salter.

In a forest filled with treacherous beasts, the thing to be most afraid of is closer than you think in this middle grade horror fantasy.

Kestrel, a young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the Grabbers—beings that are born when you are and stalk you throughout your life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from accidents or other creatures are considered "lucky." Kestrel has been tasked by her mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, to hunt down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest. Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, she hones her skills as she searches for a way out of the forest--and away from the judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems... including her mother's true motivations.

I picked up Where the Woods End after my friend Steve Stred sent me a picture and asked if I'd read it yet. We were pretty excited by the sound of it and decided to do a buddy read.

First of all, this book encompasses a lot of what I love about MG. It was so imaginative, and I was captivated by it from the start. Second of all, Where the Woods End is the creepiest middle grade horror I've ever read! For some kids it may be a little too creepy. For me, it was awesome.

I spent the majority of the book assuming it was an allegory that I wouldn't understand, but it all came together in the end. I loved it!

This was a perfect buddy read, too. Steve and I were constantly guessing and demanding answers. It was a lot of fun. Be sure to check out Steve's review, too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book Review | Finna by Nino Cipri

Finna is a science fiction novella by Nino Cipri.

When an elderly customer at a big box furniture store slips through a portal to another dimension, it’s up to two minimum-wage employees to track her across the multiverse and protect their company’s bottom line. Multi-dimensional swashbuckling would be hard enough, but our two unfortunate souls broke up a week ago.

Can friendship blossom from the ashes of a relationship? In infinite dimensions, all things are possible.

Finna was such a fun story to live in. There was basically an Ikea with wormholes in it, and someone's grandma disappeared. Obviously the employees needed to go track her down.

It took me a little bit to connect to the writing in this one so I was a bit disconnected from the story at first. That said, everything did eventually fall into place, and I no longer had trouble with the writing at all.

This was my first book to read by Cipri. I loved their imagination and their characters. I would love to read more from them in the future. Being a novella, Finna is the perfect size for an afternoon (or two) of "multi-dimensional swashbuckling".

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

The Dead Girls Club is a coming of age horror/thriller mashup from Damien Angelica Walters.

A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic--and terrifying--consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face...

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real--and she could prove it.

That belief got Becca killed.

It's been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night--that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She's done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn't seen since the night Becca died.

The night Heather killed her.

Now, someone else knows what she did...and they're determined to make Heather pay.

The Dead Girls Club is told through dual timelines, and I think it works really well.

One timeline is set back in the 80s when the Dead Girls Club would get together and tell scary stories and do spooky stuff. It reminded me a lot of my spooky childhood when my friends and I were obsessed dark shit. Those were the days, and I loved reliving some of that through reading The Dead Girls Club. This timeline was my favorite, and it read like a dark Goosebumps novel.

The other timeline was the "now" which read more like an adult thriller. It was fun to have that mix working in the same novel, and I think Damien Angelica Walters did a great job with it.

If you need a recommendation for Women in Horror Month, I think The Dead Girls Club would be the perfect choice.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

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Book Review | The Chill by Scott Carson

The Chill is a thriller by Scott Carson (aka Michael Kortya).

In this terrifying thriller, a supernatural force—set in motion a century ago—threatens to devastate New York City.

Far upstate, in New York’s ancient forests, a drowned village lays beneath the dark, still waters of the Chilewaukee reservoir. Early in the 20th century, the town was destroyed for the greater good: bringing water to the millions living downstate. Or at least that’s what the politicians from Manhattan insisted at the time. The local families, settled there since America’s founding, were forced from their land, but they didn’t move far, and some didn’t move at all…

Now, a century later, the repercussions of human arrogance are finally making themselves known. An inspector assigned to oversee the dam, dangerously neglected for decades, witnesses something inexplicable. It turns out that more than the village was left behind in the waters of the Chill when it was abandoned. The townspeople didn’t evacuate without a fight. A dark prophecy remained, too, and the time has come for it to be fulfilled. Those who remember must ask themselves: who will be next? For sacrifices must be made. And as the dark waters begin to inexorably rise, the demand for a fresh sacrifice emerges from the deep...

The beginning of The Chill had a wonderfully dark and creepy tone. It was awesome, and I was excited for the ride I was about to take.

Unfortunately, the first 20% turned out to be more of a hook instead of a promise. The Chill got bogged down in information and turned into an entirely different book.

The reviews have been great for The Chill so I think most people will be able go along with the turns and changes, but I am terrible with broken promises. The Chill weighs in at 450 pages. Combine that with the struggle of the story not matching what I expected it to be, and it just turned into a tough read for me.

⭐⭐★★★

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

The Bride Test is a contemporary romance novel by Helen Hoang.

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

Subjective review alert! The Bride Test was this month's selection for my book club.

First I'm going to explain why The Bride Test was a great read. I think the representation of autism was my favorite aspect of The Bride Test. One of the main characters was autistic, and this aspect was handled so well. The writing was really compelling, too. If I didn't have to take care of my family, I'm certain this would have been a one sitting read. Even with commitments, it was still only a one day read for me.

Now I'll explain my three-star rating. It's a contemporary romance, and I'm just not a romance reader. I pretty much need plots that aren't possible.

I think folks who like sweet and sexy romances would probably dig The Bride Test. though.

While The Bride Test was a step completely outside of my wheelhouse (which is exactly why I'm in a book club), I enjoyed the representation of autism and recommend it to folks who love reading  contemporary romance.

⭐⭐⭐★★