tysbooks's reviews
353 reviews

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This turned out way better than I expected. This was the classic story of people being picked off one by one, but I liked that it took place in a hotel and the guests were stranded due to a snow storm. I enjoyed the short chapters and constantly changing POV's that made this story very fast paced. I liked the timeline and how we knew what was happening every few hours over the course of a weekend. I did not predict any of the twists or the final reveal which was awesome because I love when a book can keep me guessing until the very end. I thought this book had very interesting characters especially when they started to reveal their secrets and when they began to turn on each other. I just love the mess this author can create that makes me want to keep reading. I would highly recommend if you are looking for a wintery story involving messy characters and the trope of people getting picked off one by one. I will definitely pick up more from this author!

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

emotional funny relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was cute, festive and perfect for the Christmas holidays. I liked the found family and how this group of friends came together when they felt they couldn't turn to their own families. We get flashback chapters to various Christmases over the years to see how these friends formed their group and the shenanigans that happened during each Christmas. There is a bit of a romance involved with this as well between two friends, one has a crush on the other but is too afraid to express their feelings. Overall I had fun with this and would recommend for those that are looking for a light hearted, fun holiday story that revolves around the power of friendship.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was a fun and straight to the point mystery. I think it delivered a lot in a short amount of time. I liked the podcast element that was provided at the end and I think there could have been a benefit to listen to this on audio. I liked how there just seemed to be a lot going on that made this very fast paced. I also liked how we were given flashback scenes throughout the story that gave insight into the night the murder and disappearances took place. I do think the twist at the end was a bit predictable but I enjoyed the time getting there. This is my first book by this author and I plan to read more!

Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice Horror by Ellen Datlow

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall I thought this collection of short stories was fine, but it didn't deliver on the 'horror' like I thought it would. I did like exactly half of the stories provided but I found that the ones I liked were ones that I understood where as the stories I didn't enjoy it was because I didn't see the point or understand the story. I thought it was interesting that some of these stories didn't just take place around Christmas but included other traditions around the holidays. Some of the stories I liked included:

The Importance of a Tidy Home by Christopher Golden
His Castle by Alma Katsu
Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due
The Ghosts of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey

I think this would be a collection that others will really enjoy but for me it was just okay.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Francis Ray, Donna Hill

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

These two stories (Rockin Around the Christmas Tree & The Wish) were wonderful!! Rockin Around the Christmas Tree was my favorite because it revolved around an older married couple who are going through real life issues after being married for 27yrs. The main character Denise was tired of her husband Edward not treating her like part of the marriage and she decided to teach him a lesson by asking for a divorce. This story was very heart warming and at times hilarious and I loved that it truly felt like Christmas. The Wish was equally entertaining with Nicholas being granted his wish of becoming engaged by Christmas. Parts of this was hilarious as well and I liked the relationship that evolved between Nicholas and Andrea. I just wish this story was a little longer because everything felt very rushed at the end. If you are looking for a holiday romance that will put you in the holiday spirit and give you all the feels, I would highly recommend this!

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.

DNF at 34%. I didn't go into this one with any expectations, but I was hoping to at least like it but that wasn't the case. I wasn't connecting with any of the characters nor was I enjoying the overall story which I found moving very slowly. This does revolve around a struggling gelato shop but the amount of times the word 'gelato' was used became slightly annoying. I like the idea of a found family which this one has, but it didn't work in the way I was hoping it would. Hopefully this one will work for others but unfortunately didn't work for me.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

I really thought this was going to be something that I would truly enjoy but sadly I felt this was very slow and boring. The beginning started off great and it grabbed me but shortly after the pacing slowed down and it didn't feel like it was going to pick back up. I understand what the author was trying to do with this one by focusing on the victims and not the serial killer but I wish she would have made the characters a bit more interesting. It also didn't help that the timelines got confusing and it was hard to keep up with where we were at in the story. Again I was hoping to like this one but it just didn't work for me.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the perfect story to read during winter especially because it takes place at a cabin in the mountains during a blizzard. This story is fast paced with short chapters that were left on tiny cliff hangers that made you want to keep reading. This follows one of my favorite tropes in mystery thrillers with people getting picked off one by one and this is one of the better versions for this trope. There are lots of characters, majority of them are unlikable but they are all suspicious which adds to the fun of guessing who done it. The ending of this had me on the edge of my seat and I was very satisfied with the ending. This was my first book by the author and I plan to pick up more.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After reading this I think Abby Jimenez will be an auto buy author for me because I adored this. I loved the relationship between Alexis and Daniel and how they each have their own issues we see them working through. He is feeling like he’s isn’t doing enough and might not be good enough for Alexis while she is coming out of a verbally abusive relationship and trying to rebuild her self esteem. Daniel is from a small town which I love small town vibes with everyone being friends and always there to help each other out. This book does deal with domestic violence both verbal and physical but I liked the way it was presented because nothing was to graphic and we could clearly see what was going on. My only issue with this is that the main trope was the age gap between Alexis and Daniel with Alexis being older but if I wasn’t told there was an age gap I wouldn’t have known. Daniel did nothing in my opinion to suggest he was so much younger than Alexis. I wished we could have seen more with his character to know that he was younger instead of Alexis just complaining about it. Besides that I loved this and will of course pick up more from the author.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this second installment in The Drowning Empire series. The political intrigue was my favorite part, although it did nothing out of the ordinary for these types of fantasy stories, I just enjoyed the characters and how they were all trying to prove themselves and show they were better than the previous one in power. This also included a slow build romance that I loved because of the characters it involved and how tension was building between the two throughout the story. We also got some expansion into the magic system and some reasons why certain people were able to wield this magic. I also really liked that we got to travel to the different islands that make up this world. Some times I find in fantasy stories we spend lots of time just watching the characters travel, where as in this one they get where they are going quickly and the story moves forward. This had a great ending and I can't wait to start the final book in the series.