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kendallreadsitall's reviews
313 reviews
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Noah is worried about his parents. Even though he’s kept his distance because of a political argument over the holidays, his mother’s phone calls have started to become strange and fewer and further between. It’s to the point that Noah needs to drive back to his southern hometown from Brooklyn to check up on them. He knew something was wrong, but he never expected to see what he walked into. The Great Reawakening is upon them, and Noah is finding out firsthand that there is something much, much bigger going on than just close minded conservative views, it’s a Fax News Brain contagion.
Woof. Reading this book during this week was heavy. Even though this book is to the extreme and *hopefully* impossible from taking place, it seems like a real type of contagion is spreading of our own Fox “News” brain, so this book hit a little close to home, which I’m sure what’s McLeod Chapman’s intention. Just know, that if your political views lean on the conservative side, this book will offend you, and frankly, I’m glad. However, he touches on the stereotypes of liberals/left leaning folks as well, which I can appreciate even has someone who considers themselves a leftist.
This is a political satire horror book with zombie/contagion elements. I’ve truly never read anything like it, and I really enjoyed the writing. The use of written sound effects was really effective for what takes place in this book, which is a lot of really gross stuff, tbh, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could see this being made into a really interesting movie adaption down the line, specifically Jordan Peele came to mind when reading this one.
With all of that said, this book is probably not for everyone. Even taking the political element out, there’s a lot of body horror, mentions of animal death, child death, and more - so check the full triggers before reading!
Huge thank you to @quirkbooks and @claymcleod for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Woof. Reading this book during this week was heavy. Even though this book is to the extreme and *hopefully* impossible from taking place, it seems like a real type of contagion is spreading of our own Fox “News” brain, so this book hit a little close to home, which I’m sure what’s McLeod Chapman’s intention. Just know, that if your political views lean on the conservative side, this book will offend you, and frankly, I’m glad. However, he touches on the stereotypes of liberals/left leaning folks as well, which I can appreciate even has someone who considers themselves a leftist.
This is a political satire horror book with zombie/contagion elements. I’ve truly never read anything like it, and I really enjoyed the writing. The use of written sound effects was really effective for what takes place in this book, which is a lot of really gross stuff, tbh, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could see this being made into a really interesting movie adaption down the line, specifically Jordan Peele came to mind when reading this one.
With all of that said, this book is probably not for everyone. Even taking the political element out, there’s a lot of body horror, mentions of animal death, child death, and more - so check the full triggers before reading!
Huge thank you to @quirkbooks and @claymcleod for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Teenage Grave by Justin Lutz, Jo Quenell, Brendan Vidito, Sam Richard
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Tiny but mighty, Teenage Grave brings together four surreal and nightmarish short stories written by Jo Quenell, Sam Richard, Brendan Vidito, & Justin Lutz.
▪️Stale Air @jo.quenell
▪️I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray @sammytotep
▪️Apate’s Children @brendanvidito
▪️Start Today @loseyourghost
All four of the featured stories are solid horror pieces, but the standout stories for me had to be Stale Air by Jo Quenell and Start Today by Justin Lutz.
Shoutout to this Iowa based publisher, @filthyloot, & @eyerarat for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review! If you’re looking for a short read from an underground publisher, consider checking out Teenage Grave and more from Filthy Loot!
▪️Stale Air @jo.quenell
▪️I Know Not the Names of the Gods to Whom I Pray @sammytotep
▪️Apate’s Children @brendanvidito
▪️Start Today @loseyourghost
All four of the featured stories are solid horror pieces, but the standout stories for me had to be Stale Air by Jo Quenell and Start Today by Justin Lutz.
Shoutout to this Iowa based publisher, @filthyloot, & @eyerarat for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review! If you’re looking for a short read from an underground publisher, consider checking out Teenage Grave and more from Filthy Loot!
The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.0
Olivia, an indigenous paranormal investigator, is called to the Browne Palace to investigate a string of murders and mysterious happenings that keep occurring specifically in the room 904. She is already grappling with her sister's unsolved and untimely death in that very same room, but she feels a responsibility to solve what is taking place. As she is haunted by her sister, a dark entity, as well as a medicine woman, Olivia uses the visions she gets from each to put the puzzle pieces together. Is it the cult her sister was involved in? Her ex-boyfriend? Her best friend? The sins of the past? Olivia must leave no stone unturned until she gets justice for Naiche.
This book started out so good. I absolutely loved the first scene with some incredibly described haunting imagery, the use of Indigenous history intertwined within, and the backstory of Olivia and her inner circle. I started to slowly fall off though as each new character was introduced. It got a bit muddy for me and hard to follow who was who after a while, and I feel like what started off as something so great got lost as the story went on. I wish there would have been more of the exciting, haunting energy that the beginning of the story brought throughout to keep it more exciting. After a while, it just felt that Olivia was going from place to place to place with not much of anything that kept my interest unfortunately. I loved the flashbacks to the past to when the medicine woman and other entities that Olivia was haunted by were alive and thought that really added an interesting element to the story. Overall, this was just okay for me, but I do think some readers would really enjoy this one.
The audiobook was performed by Ina Barron, who I would absolutely listen to again! She did a wonderful job with this story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erika T. Wurth, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook.
This book started out so good. I absolutely loved the first scene with some incredibly described haunting imagery, the use of Indigenous history intertwined within, and the backstory of Olivia and her inner circle. I started to slowly fall off though as each new character was introduced. It got a bit muddy for me and hard to follow who was who after a while, and I feel like what started off as something so great got lost as the story went on. I wish there would have been more of the exciting, haunting energy that the beginning of the story brought throughout to keep it more exciting. After a while, it just felt that Olivia was going from place to place to place with not much of anything that kept my interest unfortunately. I loved the flashbacks to the past to when the medicine woman and other entities that Olivia was haunted by were alive and thought that really added an interesting element to the story. Overall, this was just okay for me, but I do think some readers would really enjoy this one.
The audiobook was performed by Ina Barron, who I would absolutely listen to again! She did a wonderful job with this story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erika T. Wurth, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Soren is an ordinary man that has practiced the Mormon faith his entire life. After passing away from brain cancer, he ends up in an afterlife that was never mentioned or even fathomed in his religion. He’s in hell, but not the fiery pits of hell filled with anguish and despair that you picture with any Christian faith, but more of a monotonous, vast, and hopeless hell of a religion he’d never even heard of.
Oof. This book left me feeling profoundly and utterly sad. What an experience reading this book was, truly. 108 pages but filled with enough depth that surpasses the longest book you can think of. I was really impressed by this little book. The first half was monotonous and a bit boring, and I wished the last half that contained a more interesting plot would have been longer. However, after talking with Aly, we both think that monotony was necessary for the world building of it all and kind of putting the reader in the shoes of Soren.
Do I think this book could have been longer? Absolutely. Do I still think it’s a five star read? Absolutely. I’d say this is more a literary sci-fi/fantasy with horror elements rather than a true horror book. If you go in expecting pure horror, it may skew your perceptions a bit
Oof. This book left me feeling profoundly and utterly sad. What an experience reading this book was, truly. 108 pages but filled with enough depth that surpasses the longest book you can think of. I was really impressed by this little book. The first half was monotonous and a bit boring, and I wished the last half that contained a more interesting plot would have been longer. However, after talking with Aly, we both think that monotony was necessary for the world building of it all and kind of putting the reader in the shoes of Soren.
Do I think this book could have been longer? Absolutely. Do I still think it’s a five star read? Absolutely. I’d say this is more a literary sci-fi/fantasy with horror elements rather than a true horror book. If you go in expecting pure horror, it may skew your perceptions a bit
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“The ego of the human male is by far the most dangerous aspect of human society. THIS HAS BEEN WELL-DOCUMENTED.”
“When someone dies, where does the way they eat egg rolls go? NO RESPONSE”
“Death’s biggest surprise is that it does not end the conversation. NO RESPONSE”
At the same time Adina Giorno was prematurely born, an alien was sent to earth as a newborn to study the human existence to see if her home planet could live on Earth. Beautyland is a start to finish time travel of Adina’s life starting in the 1980s. Adina is hyper aware of human behavior and reports back to her home planet… via fax machine.
The monotonous, deadpan tone that Bertino sets in this book with blunt, dry comedy that “normal humans” sometimes don’t know how to handle is perfect for this story and really made it what it is. Not only are we reading about an alien cosplaying as a human, but it also really emphasizes how alien it can be feel growing up in any stage of life. This story touches on grief and loss, romance, friendship, and really basically every part of human life. This is a sci-fi, coming-of-age, literary fiction book that deserves to be on your shelf.
I wish I would have read this physically, only because you go through such a large span of time, and in the audio version, I found myself getting lost in where I was. Otherwise, the narrator, Andi Arndt, was flawless at performing Adina and telling this story!
“When someone dies, where does the way they eat egg rolls go? NO RESPONSE”
“Death’s biggest surprise is that it does not end the conversation. NO RESPONSE”
At the same time Adina Giorno was prematurely born, an alien was sent to earth as a newborn to study the human existence to see if her home planet could live on Earth. Beautyland is a start to finish time travel of Adina’s life starting in the 1980s. Adina is hyper aware of human behavior and reports back to her home planet… via fax machine.
The monotonous, deadpan tone that Bertino sets in this book with blunt, dry comedy that “normal humans” sometimes don’t know how to handle is perfect for this story and really made it what it is. Not only are we reading about an alien cosplaying as a human, but it also really emphasizes how alien it can be feel growing up in any stage of life. This story touches on grief and loss, romance, friendship, and really basically every part of human life. This is a sci-fi, coming-of-age, literary fiction book that deserves to be on your shelf.
I wish I would have read this physically, only because you go through such a large span of time, and in the audio version, I found myself getting lost in where I was. Otherwise, the narrator, Andi Arndt, was flawless at performing Adina and telling this story!
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Rivers Solomon is an absolutely stunning writer. Take the time to swipe through the photos to see some words that resonated with me on a deep level. You can tell Solomon is a deep and profound thinker and it is evident through their writing.
Sometimes going into books blind, you still have preconceived notions on what the story is going to be about. I went into Model Home thinking it was purely a haunted house story with deeper societal elements like racism or homophobia, just based on reviews I’d skimmed before diving into this read. I was kind of right; however, this book mostly took place post-haunted house. More than horror, this book was filled deep, deep sadness, heavy generational trauma, family dynamics, and grief. Had I known that the horror element of this story was as minimal as it was, I would have gone into this read with a different perspective, which may have helped me enjoy it more than I did. The beginning and end were the bulk of the horror portions of this plot with a tiny bit sprinkled throughout the meat of the book. I wish we had more flashbacks or alternating timelines so I had more of a connection to what took place in their house of horrors.
So, with all of that being said, if you plan on reading Model Home, don’t expect a typical haunted house horror story and expect more of a contemporary fiction book surround grief with some horror elements.
Sometimes going into books blind, you still have preconceived notions on what the story is going to be about. I went into Model Home thinking it was purely a haunted house story with deeper societal elements like racism or homophobia, just based on reviews I’d skimmed before diving into this read. I was kind of right; however, this book mostly took place post-haunted house. More than horror, this book was filled deep, deep sadness, heavy generational trauma, family dynamics, and grief. Had I known that the horror element of this story was as minimal as it was, I would have gone into this read with a different perspective, which may have helped me enjoy it more than I did. The beginning and end were the bulk of the horror portions of this plot with a tiny bit sprinkled throughout the meat of the book. I wish we had more flashbacks or alternating timelines so I had more of a connection to what took place in their house of horrors.
So, with all of that being said, if you plan on reading Model Home, don’t expect a typical haunted house horror story and expect more of a contemporary fiction book surround grief with some horror elements.
The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m sure you know by now that I am a sucker for the midcentury/retro aesthetic. Clearly, this cover screams me, and regardless of the subject matter, I was more than ready to give this one a listen. Not only is the cover perfect, but the description mentioning that four sixties-era housewives start a bookclub that turns into a lifelong sisterhood and feminist power after reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan had me really excited to see where this book went.
I truly didn’t expect how much I’d love this book. Bostwick’s way of writing is so relatable and descriptive and had the reader feel like they’d been transported back to the 60’s. She created 4 core characters, Margaret, Charlotte, Viv, and Bitsy, who were all wildly different and so incredibly lovable in every way. It made me want to find my own set of sisters like these four to stand by and empower throughout all of life’s hardships. Bostwick used the historical events of the 60’s to her advantage in this book to really hammer home the fact that women were not supposed to be powerful, hold jobs, or do anything other than take care of the home and children. It helped emphasize how important and empowering each character’s individual story, as well as their group as a whole. The character development, plot, historical events, and visual descriptions were flawlessly done. The only minor, minuscule, very tiny complaint I had is that the end was a bit windy and could have been wrapped up a bit quicker.
The audiobook was performed by Lisa Flanagan, who captured the essence of the time period amazingly, gave each character their own voice and personality, and was overall the perfect choice for this book. It may have been one of the most fitting narrators that I’ve ever heard in an audiobook.
I would absolutely love to see a movie adaption of this story!
Thank you to @netgalley, @harpermusebooks, and @mariebostwick for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy!
I truly didn’t expect how much I’d love this book. Bostwick’s way of writing is so relatable and descriptive and had the reader feel like they’d been transported back to the 60’s. She created 4 core characters, Margaret, Charlotte, Viv, and Bitsy, who were all wildly different and so incredibly lovable in every way. It made me want to find my own set of sisters like these four to stand by and empower throughout all of life’s hardships. Bostwick used the historical events of the 60’s to her advantage in this book to really hammer home the fact that women were not supposed to be powerful, hold jobs, or do anything other than take care of the home and children. It helped emphasize how important and empowering each character’s individual story, as well as their group as a whole. The character development, plot, historical events, and visual descriptions were flawlessly done. The only minor, minuscule, very tiny complaint I had is that the end was a bit windy and could have been wrapped up a bit quicker.
The audiobook was performed by Lisa Flanagan, who captured the essence of the time period amazingly, gave each character their own voice and personality, and was overall the perfect choice for this book. It may have been one of the most fitting narrators that I’ve ever heard in an audiobook.
I would absolutely love to see a movie adaption of this story!
Thank you to @netgalley, @harpermusebooks, and @mariebostwick for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy!
Tell Me You Trust Me by Elle Owens
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Tell Me You Trust Me is the last thing Marissa's husband Ethan said as he walked out the front door. In this debut thriller from Elle Owens, we watch Marissa spiral as she tries to put the puzzle pieces together on why her husband is missing, why her family's presence is suddenly so overbearing, and how these two happenings may be connected.
Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I found Marissa's thinking to be too repetitive, going back and forth on who to trust, with not a lot of the plot moving forward. Being inside Marissa's head was beyond frustrating for me as a reader and I guessed the twists as the story went on. I think the song element in this story was a really unique and fun idea, but the execution just did not hit for me and I found it to be extremely cheesy. I think the thought behind the plot of this book was really interesting, but the actual writing was a bit amateur and visibly a debut novel. Even though this story wasn't for me, I do think a lot of people would find this plot to be fun, thrilling, and enjoyable. There is definitely an audience for it!
Otherwise, I thought the audiobook was extremely well done and the narrator was perfect to perform this story.
Thank you Brilliance, NetGalley, and Elle Owens for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook
Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I found Marissa's thinking to be too repetitive, going back and forth on who to trust, with not a lot of the plot moving forward. Being inside Marissa's head was beyond frustrating for me as a reader and I guessed the twists as the story went on. I think the song element in this story was a really unique and fun idea, but the execution just did not hit for me and I found it to be extremely cheesy. I think the thought behind the plot of this book was really interesting, but the actual writing was a bit amateur and visibly a debut novel. Even though this story wasn't for me, I do think a lot of people would find this plot to be fun, thrilling, and enjoyable. There is definitely an audience for it!
Otherwise, I thought the audiobook was extremely well done and the narrator was perfect to perform this story.
Thank you Brilliance, NetGalley, and Elle Owens for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Thank you @henryholtbooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Deadly Animals takes place in Rubery, South Birmingham in the 1980’s. Our primary characters follow Ava, a teenage girl obsessed with the science/decomposition of bodies & bones, and DI Delahaye. Ava discovers the body of a local boy, Mickey, on her late night hunt for roadkill, and this is where our story takes off.
First off, I did enjoy this book! I loved the characters. Ava and her friend John were so quirky and such a cute investigative duo. Delahaye was a great character as well; there’s just something about British police! They’re always described as much more chill than American detectives. Their story was unique, the writing was vivid, it had some gore, and had a well rounded ending! The unfortunate part of this book for me was the number of characters with similar names. I had a tough time keeping up with who was who. I also feel like the middle got a bit scrambled that made it a bit confusing and hard to track. Maybe with a bit editing down, the intended plot would have been better accomplished.
Overall, I still think this was a really cool mystery and would still recommend it!
TW: child death, animal death, and pedophilia
Deadly Animals takes place in Rubery, South Birmingham in the 1980’s. Our primary characters follow Ava, a teenage girl obsessed with the science/decomposition of bodies & bones, and DI Delahaye. Ava discovers the body of a local boy, Mickey, on her late night hunt for roadkill, and this is where our story takes off.
First off, I did enjoy this book! I loved the characters. Ava and her friend John were so quirky and such a cute investigative duo. Delahaye was a great character as well; there’s just something about British police! They’re always described as much more chill than American detectives. Their story was unique, the writing was vivid, it had some gore, and had a well rounded ending! The unfortunate part of this book for me was the number of characters with similar names. I had a tough time keeping up with who was who. I also feel like the middle got a bit scrambled that made it a bit confusing and hard to track. Maybe with a bit editing down, the intended plot would have been better accomplished.
Overall, I still think this was a really cool mystery and would still recommend it!
TW: child death, animal death, and pedophilia
Friend Request by Laura Marshall
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Louise, a mother and recently divorced from her first high school crush, received a bone chilling friend request on Facebook from her long lost classmate and almost friend, Maria. This would be normal except Maria died 25 years ago.
I really enjoyed this read! Twists & turns that you expect and want in a thriller, great suspense, great character development, and a unique plot that had you guessing until the last second. I felt a huge amount of empathy and relatability to Louise because I’ve been in her shoes as a slight outcast with the popular crowd who just wanted to be accepted, and on the other end of the spectrum of making a huge mistake by treating the people you should love wrong and regretting it far into the future. I’ve been in her shoes and felt for her this entire book. Plus, her son, Henry, is four years old just like my own kiddo, so I truly felt attached to her in a way. However, this book was far, far too long. I can say I appreciated the level of detail the author put in to make sure to leave no plot holes, but the level of detail had me go “okay get on with it already” many, many times throughout this listen.
The audiobook was narrated by Elaine Claxton, who was wonderful to listen to! Although, there was a moment where she cleared her throat and repeated the sentence she’d just said. No fault to her, I’m sure that got missed in editing, but I’ve never heard that in an audiobook before and had me rewinding it to make sure I wasn’t losing it lol
I really enjoyed this read! Twists & turns that you expect and want in a thriller, great suspense, great character development, and a unique plot that had you guessing until the last second. I felt a huge amount of empathy and relatability to Louise because I’ve been in her shoes as a slight outcast with the popular crowd who just wanted to be accepted, and on the other end of the spectrum of making a huge mistake by treating the people you should love wrong and regretting it far into the future. I’ve been in her shoes and felt for her this entire book. Plus, her son, Henry, is four years old just like my own kiddo, so I truly felt attached to her in a way. However, this book was far, far too long. I can say I appreciated the level of detail the author put in to make sure to leave no plot holes, but the level of detail had me go “okay get on with it already” many, many times throughout this listen.
The audiobook was narrated by Elaine Claxton, who was wonderful to listen to! Although, there was a moment where she cleared her throat and repeated the sentence she’d just said. No fault to her, I’m sure that got missed in editing, but I’ve never heard that in an audiobook before and had me rewinding it to make sure I wasn’t losing it lol