Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eggcatsreads's reviews
466 reviews
Bitter Waters by Vivian Shaw
5.0
A perfect little story to connect the events of Grave Importance to move towards Strange New World, this novella gave me everything I love in this series in a small bite-sized portion. I, unfortunately, wound up reading Strange New World before this novella, and while there were some references to this in the book, it was all explained through the text where you wouldn’t lose any understanding.
However! Why would you want to miss this? We are given a glimpse into how Greta has been living at Dark Heart along with a closer look at Dracula, as well as those creatures living on the land. Lucy is a delightful child and we feel for her circumstances, and it was fun to see the foreboding and untouchable Count Dracul and his wife be suddenly inundated with questions from an inquisitive 10 year old - as well as how the wider vampiric society works. We get a closer look into Ruthven and Grisaille’s lives, as well as a glimpse into Ruthven’s inner thoughts and how he became the vampire he is today.
All in all, I think anyone who enjoys these novels will have a blast revisiting these characters in this novella, and be excited to see where the story continues from this point in the next novel.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Orbit for providing this digital copy.
The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree by India Hayford
5.0
Trigger warnings for: incest, rape, sexual asssault/drugged sexual assault, sexual and physical abuse, domestic abuse/domestic violence, child abuse, child marriages, religious indoctrination
This novel isn’t wholly explicit about the sexual abuses mentioned, but the physical abuse is described in detail, as well as the main core of this novel is about the physical and sexual abuse and this book cannot be read without encountering it. I think I might be missing some trigger warnings, but if it seems like it’d fit in with a sexually and physically abusive preacher convinced of his own holiness and the need to control every woman in his life, I’d apply it here as well.
‘She decided that the very best thing she could do for this beaten-down woman and her children was to kill the son of a bitch she was married to.’
This book, at its core, is one about family connections (not necessarily by birth) and the need to protect each other from dangerous men in powerful positions. Told through many different points of view, our main story follows Genevieve as she returns to her first home in Arkansas, before she was forced to run away and survive on her own. Through her journey she finds family and community, and must take on danger to save others from suffering her same fate.
The biggest plot thread of this novel was the correlation of men who are abusers, and men who are in power. Both of the biggest abusers in this novel are preachers of their church, and I do not find this to be a coincidence. Our main antagonist, the one we spend the great bulk of this novel wishing he was dead - is a well-respected preacher of his parish, and one who has a great deal of sway in the community. Careful to only hurt the women in his life in areas that are easily concealed, from the start we know how dangerous he is - and how difficult it will be to stop his abuse.
While I found the very start of this novel a bit confusing at first, once our title character has grown up and we meet the other main character - a traumatized Vietnam veteran named Mercer - the story really comes into its own and I was hooked on every line. Filled with Southern imagery, we can almost feel the humidity and the religious indoctrination in every line as we go through this journey. As Genevieve connects with this family and grows closer to them, she is able to help fill the cracks in their frayed relationship due to the abuse inflicted by the father of the family. Her presence, support, and strength is the reason the women she encounters in her life are able to find their own ways to break the chains of abuse holding them down.
This book isn’t a romance and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. The connections in this book are forged through family, through friendship, and through bonds that are stronger than both. While both Genevieve and Mercer are haunted by (literal) ghosts, the supernatural aspect of this story is almost in the background to the actual plot of this story. In many ways, even though both of our title characters can see these ghosts, the ability to physically see them is almost a metaphor for their being haunted by the things they’ve experienced.
While heavy and tragic at times, this book was a beautiful read and I was captivated until the end. Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, literary fiction, and stories that focus on human experiences and connections would be amiss to not pick up this novel. This was a phenomenal read and one that I will be thinking about for a long while after I’ve finished it.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Kensington Publishing for providing this e-ARC. Also thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for a physical copy for review, as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
The Blackbirds of St. Giles by Lila Cain
5.0
‘Think of the future, not the past.’
A historical fiction tale that brings to life a reality that many of us might not have been aware about and one that doesn’t shy away from the grim realities of the time.
From the first page, I was captured into the narrative of this novel. With the slave revolt on the Garnett Plantation forcing Daniel to make a terrible choice - to save his sister or his love - we follow the rest of his journey as he lives with the choices he’s made to keep his sister safe above all else. Choosing to serve the British army in the American War for Independence with the promise of freedom after the war, a terrible set of circumstances instead leave him and his sister destitute on the streets of St. Giles.
Daniel is an honorable main character, and as we are taken on his journey with him we cannot help but want to root for him to find success against all odds. Everything he does is with his sister in the forefront of his mind, and he wants nothing else but to protect her from the horrors of the reality they’ve found themselves in. I found Pearl to be, at times, almost naively unaware of the reasons for Daniel’s wanting to shelter her, but with her growing into a young woman and wanting some independence of her own, I could never fault her for her choices. Together they form a bond that keeps them together through hardship and loss, and despite their circumstances they both work to try to better themselves.
While the streets of St. Giles could be harsh and violent - lead by a violent man named Elias who calls himself the King of the Rookery - they still find community and safety among the same streets. I liked the intricacies of the many areas and people they meet within the streets - those who would betray them at any moment, and those who risk their lives to ensure their safety - and no person or station within this novel was simply one-dimensional.
Filled with drama, trauma, and even a bit of romance - this novel will captivate you until the last page. Any fan of historical fiction would love this novel, and you can tell a great deal of research was put into its creation. There were quite a lot of characters, but I found their introductions and inclusions to be easy enough to follow. While not the fastest paced novel, I was invested from the start and loved entering this world I had never even known existed before. With Daniel trying to turn their fortunes, a romance hovering in the background, and a surprise from the past arriving with a mystery to solve, this book was a great read from beginning to end.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Kensington Publishing for providing this e-ARC.
Under the Surface by Diana Urban
4.25
A heart pounding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat desperate to know what happens next, with twists and reveals that will keep you guessing until the end.
This book starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up until the end. Told with dual perspectives - Ruby, an aspiring travel vlogger whose aspirations lead her to getting lost in the Paris catacombs, and Sean, her almost-boyfriend doing everything he can from the surface to find where Ruby has gone missing. With the timeline ticking down on being able to find Ruby and the others, we don’t know who - if any - will survive to the surface.
This is a perfect read for anyone who is a fan of YA thrillers - filled with drama, romance, betrayals and a shocking twist I didn’t see coming - I was on the edge of my seat until I finished reading.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing this e-ARC.
Overgrowth by Mira Grant
4.75
‘I am the vanguard of an invading species of alien plant people.’
Overgrowth is the story of what happens when your friend, who’s a bit strange and has been insisting on being an alien plant instead of a human since childhood - has been telling the truth this entire time.
Something I found fascinating was the fact that - until the actual invasion began - we can read Stasia as simply an autistic who has latched onto not being human to understand her life. I found myself relating to her and her struggles with not fitting in - being bullied her entire life leaving her anti-social with only a small group of friends who accept her as she is. In many ways, this novel almost works as a commentary on what it means to be human when you don’t understand, or are liked by, your peers.
Of course, this novel is also about invasive meat-eating alien plants here to ‘harvest’ the people of Earth. We can’t forget that part.
Told as a countdown to the actual invasion from our main ‘non-human’ character Stasia’s point of view, we learn how she came to be - and how the invasion actually occurred. The invasion has already happened, we’re just learning about it after the dust has settled on the battlefield.
‘This is a story. It can’t hurt you anymore.’
The start of this novel is so shocking and visceral that when we fast-forward 30 years and begin to slowly meander throughout Stasia’s life - we can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop the entire time. Kept in a kind of limbo - similar to our main character who knows she’s an alien plant here to invade Earth, but has no proof of such a claim - we can only watch in anticipated horror as the foretold invasion date slowly creeps closer.
With Stasia finally evolving into her botanical roots, she has to decide whether to fight for humanity - who has rejected her her entire life, or her biological family who she has never before met. Are the bonds, friendships, and relationships she’s forged enough to make her forget 30+ years of hardship? Are these bonds strong enough to last even while she begins losing her humanity entirely?
Humanity has been warned for over 30 years about this upcoming invasion - and yet no one is prepared for when it finally arrives. Even Stasia’s friends and boyfriend, who claimed to believe her, are left wrong-footed when their reality suddenly changes to reflect what she’s been saying will happen this entire time. With the timeline of life on Earth slowly ticking down, relationships are put to the test and sides are chosen.
To prevent the invasion, humanity had to do only one single thing - believe her when she warned them about it. They made their choice by making a mockery of her. And now, Stasia has to make hers.
‘Are we isolated because something - some great, predatory force - is using the space around us as a hunting ground, picking off our neighbors before they have the chance to find us?’
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Tor Nightfire for providing this e-ARC.
Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen
5.0
A perfect, heartwarming (after the pages and pages of heartache) ending to this trilogy, I think this might be one of the best YA series out there. With a wide range of likeable characters, legitimate issues and fantastic character interactions, if you were looking for a fantastic YA trilogy to sink your teeth into then look no further. Margaret Owen is a phenomenal writer and once I entered back into her world I was hooked until the last page - I HAD to know how everything ended.
I won’t provide spoilers - if you read the first two books you have an idea of what you’re getting into here. And I’m here to tell you, it’s a perfect rollercoaster of a last book. Nothing was left feeling unfinished and - despite the pain throughout all three books in this trilogy - by the end I was happy and glad to have gone on the journey.
One thing I will say, that really surprised me, was how Margaret Owen has two people who feel perfect for one another - and yet, when those people enter in other relationships neither party is resentful or unjustly hates the other person. I loved how both Emeric and Vanja had other relationships while they were separated, and yet both of those other characters were full-fledged characters in their own right and we never see the typical unnecessary hate or bitterness towards them, and instead allow them to grow into their own characters within this story. I personally loved that, especially since that isn’t something you see very often.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing this e-ARC.
Strange New World by Vivian Shaw
4.75
This is one of my all-time favorite series I have read, and this book is no exception. This fun and quirky urban fantasy with down-to-earth characters and out-of-this-world conflicts is such a delight to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as the other three in this series.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but if you loved the other novels in the Dr. Greta Helsing novels you’ll love this one as well. Dealing with the issues felt with the literal apocalypse in the last novel, we follow our main cast - with a few new characters - as they try to navigate the consequences of those actions. I loved the insight into Heaven and Hell’s politics, and how the different styles of operation affect those living in both of those realms. I also just loved how Greta and Varney now being married and their interactions with each other were so cute and domestic, I love them both so much.
I know this says it’s the conclusion to this series, but in all honesty this book felt like it could have set up for further books in the future, and I desperately hope that is the case. I thought the last book was the end (and that this series was actually a trilogy) and so I hope that I’ll have a similar happy surprise sometime in the future.
(There was also some chemistry between two unexpected characters that - if this series does continue - I need to see resolved in some way. And the fallout of that, because it would blow the politics of Heaven and Hell apart, which would be an absolute delight to read. I won’t spoil it with who, but I refuse to believe they don’t have something between them.)
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Orbit for providing this e-ARC.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
4.5
“What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.”
SGJ continues to be the absolute best at slow-burn horror, and TBHH keeps him on that pedestal. Told mostly through journal entries from 1912, we follow as a Lutheran pastor gets a confession he never expected to hear - and faces the consequences of the choices he’s made.
With a fresh take on the vampire genre and a creeping historical narrative that would fit next to Dracula, this book forces you to confront the bloody history of America and its treatment of the native Americans who were here first. Bloody and compelling, we can’t help but sympathize with the actions of Good Stab even when he leaves a trail of bodies behind him in his wake.
I also loved the interpretation of the vampire within this novel, and how one specific thing affects those who are afflicted with the condition. When we finish with the journal entries that one specific trait suddenly becomes front page and center, and we are confronted with a type of body horror that - while mentioned - was always relegated to the back-burner before this point.
My only issue is that I wasn’t as familiar with the history as I wish I was before getting into this novel, as well as I wished there were a translation guide for some of the words Good Stab uses to describe his narrative. The book does an excellent job of not holding your hand throughout, but with some of the names for the animals used I wished there was a way for me to look up a translation, as in many ways Google was unhelpful. (Some words are given definitions, like I now know that dirty-face means mouse, but others were not or I had missed it during my read-through.) This didn’t take away my enjoyment of this novel, only that in some ways I had difficulty understanding what exactly was going on, as I wasn’t sure which animal was actually being described here.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Saga Press for providing this e-ARC.