The Ghost Line by Andrew Neil-Gray and J.S. Herbison

  

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Sci-fi, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts, Suspense
Content: Mild Language

 

The luxury cruise ship the Martian Queen was decommissioned years ago, set to drift back and forth between Earth and Mars on the off-chance that reclaiming it ever became profitable for the owners. For Saga and her husband Michel the cruise ship represents a massive payday. Hacking and stealing the ship could earn them enough to settle down, have children, and pay for the treatments to save Saga’s mother’s life.

But the Martian Queen is much more than their employer has told them. In the twenty years since it was abandoned, something strange and dangerous has come to reside in the decadent vessel. Saga feels herself being drawn into a spider’s web, and must navigate the traps and lures of an awakening intelligence if she wants to go home again.

 

This was a slightly creepy, atmospheric read on an abandoned luxury space liner. It was like a haunted house, only it's a space ship. I enjoyed exploring the ship and uncovering the secrets hidden there, but the creepy moments could have been dialed up a lot more than they were, and there could have been a lot more of them. Some things about this reminded me a little of the movie Passengers. It's sort of what I was expecting Passengers to be when I watched it. Anyway, this was good but not great. I enjoyed it for what it was, even though it could have been creepier. It still made for a nice, slightly creepy read before Halloween.

My Best Reads of 2022

I read a lot of books this year, but these were the ones that I loved the most. As usual, I'm separating them into genres. This year it's fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery, thriller, romance, sci-fi/space opera, and I'm also adding a classic and a horror this year. Yes, there is a horror one on here, a genre I rarely read. This list doesn't include any of the rereads I did this year, because if I did that, I would be repeating some winners from previous years.

 

First up, Fantasy:  

I couldn't choose between The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson and Dragonfall by David Estes. I enjoyed them equally, so they are both going on the list. And although I wouldn't say these are the best books in either of those series, they were still really good reads and better than anything else I read this year in the fantasy genre.

I thought The Lost Metal was slower paced than the other second era books in the Mistborn series, and although I enjoyed it, it didn't compel me to pick it up the way the others did. I also think I would have enjoyed it more if there hadn't been such a long wait between books. Still, this is one of my favorite fantasy series and I'm looking forward to reading the third era. I think what really made me enjoy this one the most was the way it ended. It was somewhat bittersweet in a way, but very appropriate. I'm sad that the second era is over, but also looking forward to reading the third era books.

I unexpectedly ended up loving the first book in the Kingfall Histories series. I had no expectations when I started reading it, but after a beginning that seemed a tad bit too dark for me, I was pleasantly surprised. Needless to say I was looking forward to continuing on with the series. Dragonfall didn't disappoint, and although everything didn't go the way I was hoping, it didn't matter, because the book was so good. I especially loved Peony's story line. See my review here.

 

Urban Fantasy: 

 

Soul Taken was a little slow to get going for me, and it didn't really advance the overall plot of the series, but there were still plenty of good things about it. Plus most of the time I'm going to enjoy reading a Patricia Briggs book more than anything else. Her writing always ends up grabbing me, and after a slow start I ended up not being able to put this book down. See my review here.

 

 

Mystery: 

 

I read a lot of mysteries this year, particularly a lot of Hercule Poirot mysteries, and it was a little hard to narrow it down to just one, but I think my very favorite mystery I read this year was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It was masterfully done! See my review here.

Thriller:

 

I loved this little unexpected, self published gem, The Fortuna Coin by Karen Ann Hopkins. It made a big impact on me, and after I finished it I thought about it for a long time. See my review here.

 

Sci-fi / Space Opera:

 

The Domino Pattern by Timothy Zahn. I read quite of few books in this genre that I thought were really good, but this series was the one that I loved the most, and although the whole series was good, I immediately knew that this book was the one I had to put as my favorite. See my review here.

  

Romance:

I've been loving The Birch Creek Ranch series by B. E. Baker. She released the first book in the series last year, and it made my best book list last year. This year she ended up releasing three more books in the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of them. I really can't pick just one of them to feature here, so I'm going to just add all three of them, The Vow, The Ranch, and The Retreat. They go together as one continuous story, so why not?  

See my review for The Vow here.  

See my review for The Ranch here.

See my review for The Retreat here. 

 

 

 

Classic:

 

I read several classics this year, and out of all of them, I loved the completion of Sanditon by Another Lady (AKA Anne Telscombe) the most. While it wasn't perfect, I thought it gave good closure to the story. See my review here.

 

Horror:

Ok I'm shocked that I enjoyed this book so much. It isn't something I would have picked up for myself, but it was one of our book club reads this year, and I was so surprised at how much I liked this book. I was so glued to it! It's a blend of horror and post apocalyptic fiction, two genres that I don't typically care for all that much. If I'm doing creepy, then I like creepy ghost stories the best, but this was creepy in a different, but good way. See my review here.

That's it! I hope you all had a good reading year, and I look forward to 2023 and all the great books I'll get to read.

 

November 2022 Wrap-Up

I had nine books planned for November and I ended up reading all by one of them. I didn't get to Son of Shadows by Juliet Marillier. That one is a buddy read I'm doing with a couple of other ladies on Goodreads, and it got pushed back until January. It's a long and emotional type read, and I think we all realized we didn't have the time to dedicate to it right now.

Here are the books I did get to and my ratings and brief comments for them. I'll post reviews for some of them later, if I haven't already:

 

 

A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong Language 

A good entry in the series. I liked the relationship stuff in the story with Tracy and Dan and there are a couple of new characters introduced that seem to be staying.

 

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Category: Adult

Genre: Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy

Content: Strong language, Gory deaths

See my review here.

 

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Clean

See my review here.

 

 

Empire of Exiles by Erin M. Evans

This was one from October that I needed to finish up in November. It ended up being a DNF.

See my review here.

 

Spaceside by Michael Mammay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera, Sci-fi
Content: Strong Language

This was a good sequel to Planetside. The end had me wanting to start the third book right away!

 

A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong Language

For me, this was the weakest book in the series so far. It was slow to get going and I got bored at some parts. It finally picked up after the murder finally happened, well into the book. Also, Kiera's sister annoyed me so much. Thankfully that's finally resolved.

 

 

 Mistborn Secret History by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

See my review here.

 

 

A Cold Trail by Robert Dugoni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

As with all the books in this series, I found this book to be a very engrossing read. I liked that Dan's case plays a big part in this one. The story illustrated how torn Tracy was to go back to work now that she's a mother. There was some needless relationship drama that could have been resolved much sooner if they had just talked. I especially liked the author's note at the end of this one. It tells about the person this book is dedicated to.

 

 

Death at the Falls by Rosemary Simpson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong Language

See my review here. 

 

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson 

I'm still reading the Lost Metal. I'm reading the hardcover and it takes me a lot longer to get through those because I don't have as much time to just sit and read. I am enjoying this one very much though, and I'm ok with taking my time with it.

I also squeezed in a few other reads this month. I love these spontaneous ones! 

 

 

Colonyside by Michael Mammay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera, Sci-fi
Content: Strong Language

I had to read this one after the way Spaceside ended! I've enjoyed all three of these books. I think the author has plans to write more in this series, and when he does, I'll definitely read them.

 

 A Bramble House Christmas by C. J. Carmichael

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: Off page lovemaking

After so much mystery and fantasy, I needed a romance. This one was perfect for the holidays. Plus I had seen the Hallmark movie version of this and wanted to read the book that inspired it. To me this is one of the best Hallmark movies I've ever seen. It wasn't cringe worthy or cheesy like a lot of them are. It had more substance.

 

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Memories of abuse and rape are discussed by one of the characters

I started a reread of this series a couple of months ago. This time reading all the Mercy-verse books in chronological order with the hubby. This novella is the second story in the timeline.

November 2022 Book Club: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Category: Adult

Genre: Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy

Content: Strong language, Gory deaths

 

The #1 bestselling author of World War Z takes on the Bigfoot legend with a tale that blurs the lines between human and beast—and asks what we are capable of in the face of the unimaginable.
 
As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.

But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.
 
In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.
 
Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.
 
Yet it is also far more than that.
 
Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.
 
Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before. 

 

Horror isn't my usual genre, but this one was a bit different. In the beginning I wasn't sure I was going to like this, and not because of the horror aspect of it. It was because of the clueless, unlikable characters. But as I read, I realized that these clueless characters were going to get the surprise of their lives, and I was in! This starts out with Kate and her husband arriving at a planned green community out in the middle of a forest. Everything is supposed to be echo friendly and sustainable. But they find out how very unprepared they are when disaster strikes. 

 

“They all want to live “in harmony with nature” before some of them realize, too late, that nature is anything but harmonious.” 

 

If you've read books about preppers, then I would say this one is kind of the opposite of that. These people think they are prepared to live their lives out there in the wilderness, but they have no idea what they are doing. I think the best thing about the book is how some very naive, inept people learned and grew into tough individuals because they had to. And they are so very lucky to have a lady who lived through some very tough things, help them along. There are also others who completely break down mentally. 

 

 “This is when, as the saying goes, adversity introduces us to ourselves.”

 

Another thing I liked about this book was the bigfoot aspect of it. It reminded me a little of an episode of The Lost Tapes, a found footage mockumentary series that aired on Animal Planet at one time. The bigfoot episode was pretty creepy, and this book had the same feeling. Funnily enough, the book even mentions films like this at one point.

 

  

 

This story was written through Kate's journal entries, that to me didn't completely come off as journal entries. There was too much detail added. I was a little disappointed that it didn't read as much like real journal entries as I had wanted. It was the whole reason I decided to read the book instead of listen to it, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story. The story was a slow burn that took its time to get to what happened to everyone. I liked that about it. The fact that I was anticipating when things would start happening helped to build the tension and suspense. In the end, this book left me with a lot of thoughts, one being who the title of the book referred to. Was it the humans or the Sasquatches? Or perhaps it was both.

“It’s great to live free of the other sheep until you hear the wolves howl.”

 

 

 

 

August 2020 Book Club: Frankenstein

Halloween came early to our house. We read Frankenstein with our book club in August, and of course the possibilities for themed refreshments were practically endless.

These are ours:

 

Dr. Frankenstein's Lab

 

 

The cake decorated by my daughter.

 And these are from our friends. They came up with some brilliant ideas. They always amaze me:

 

Mini Frankensteins, pieced together from different foods. 

 

Bread shaped into bones.

 

And now for my review:

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Content: Pretty clean, even the killings aren't described much. 


Obsessed with the secret of creation, Swiss scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein cobbles together a body he’s determined to bring to life. And one fateful night, he does. When the creature opens his eyes, the doctor is repulsed: his vision of perfection is, in fact, a hideous monster. Dr. Frankenstein abandons his creation, but the monster won’t be ignored, setting in motion a chain of violence and terror that shadows Victor to his death.

 

This picture looks a lot closer to the way Frankenstein's monster is described in the book.

To quote my friend Alejandro's review.

"The original premise is astonishing, the following impact in popular culture is priceless and certainly the story "behind-of-the-scenes" of the creation of the novel is fascinating.

However, The actual writing of the book is tedious, the narration style is odd and the rhythm of the story is too slow."

He pretty much said everything I was thinking.

In the beginning this was incredibly slow, and the way it started with the letters that didn't seem to be relevant to anything, was frustrating. There is a lot of repetition in the book and I just wanted Mary Shelley to get to the point already. That being said I can appreciate the overall message of the book and it's contribution to literature.

The reason I was able to give it 3 stars instead of 2 is because I very much appreciated the fact that it made me think about responsibility, unconditional love, and consequences. Victor Frankenstein created a monster, not just because of the way he cobbled it together and played god, but because he couldn't love it and show affection and kindness to it. Just as Victor Frankenstein had a responsibility to his creation, I have a responsibility to my children and those around me. Sometimes all it takes is love to show someone they are worth something, and to keep a monster at bay. I don't regret reading it.


“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”

The Return by Rachel Harrison

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Horror
Content: Strong language; typical horror elements of blood, scary scenes, and slightly gory descriptions; flash back of past drug use.
 
 

Julie is missing, and the missing don’t often return. But Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and she feels in her bones that her best friend is out there, and that one day she’ll come back. She’s right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she’s been or what happened to her.

Along with Molly and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong—she’s emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who—or what—is she? 

 

I knew from the description that this book would be creepy, but for some reason, I wasn't expecting it to be straight up horror. That being said, it really isn't what put me off this book. The unlikable characters did that. The main character, Elise was so needy and insecure. I just couldn't stand her. The rest of the characters were not great either. The whole dynamic between the friends was unlikable to me. It was almost as if they never grew out of the college phase. The only one I sort of liked was Molly, and she was supposedly the mean abrasive one. To top off my dislike of the main character, she also has done something in her past that she doesn't even seem to get was really, really wrong.

What I liked the most about this book were the creepy moments, and the mystery of what was really going on. The hotel setting was creepy, but not in the same predictable way as most horror settings. It was weird and quirky in a way that was unsettling. This part of the book delivered well. The thing that I dislike about horror, is that once the mystery behind everything is revealed, I'm usually disappointed in the explanation. It's no longer scary, and that was the case with this book as well. I felt like once the book got to the big climax, I was kind of zoning out. Even though I should have been on the edge of my seat in fear for Elise, all I could do was think of all the dumb things she was doing. And I can't say I really cared what happened to her because I didn't like her.

If your looking for creepy, this would probably work for you, but having not read a lot of horror, I can't really say how well horror aficionados will like it. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Toxic by Lydia Kang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror, Romance
Content: Strong language, Non-descriptive teen sex, Two gruesome deaths



Cyclo, the first and largest biological ship of its kind, is dying. A small crew of mercenaries have handed over the rights to their life to document the death of the ship, but the abandoned ship is anything but abandoned―one girl has been left behind. 

This is kind of a sci-fi, horror, romance mashup. There were some things about it that I really liked, like the whole organic living spaceship thing, and the mysterious girl that was left behind when the crew evacuated. But then there were things that annoyed me, like the teen romance with 16 year olds having sex and falling in love after only knowing each other for a short time. Insta-love is not my thing. That pretty much ruined the book for me, but I'm still giving it 3 stars because the other aspects of the book were very well done.

The reason I'm calling this book part horror is because there are things that go awry on the ship. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm not giving any details, but this leads to more than one death. There were a couple of pretty gruesome deaths in this book, they kind of surprised me because the book seemed pretty mild up until that point. Overall I was a little disappointed in this one, but it wasn't a bad read. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if the romance had been toned down. If you like sci-fi type horror stories, and teen romance then you might want to give it a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this bok in exchange for a review.

Flesh by Laura Bickle

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Content: Strong Language


Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party.

Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead.

Flesh is what I would call YA horror, although it's mild. There are some gross out scenes in the morgue, but nothing is really all that scary. I felt like the end wrapped everything up a little too quickly, and it was missing the creepy aspect that I was hoping for, and that made it just an ok read instead of a good read.

I've read and liked other books by Laura Bickle, but this one was not one of my favorites. I'm glad it's a stand-alone since the story is all wrapped up in this one book. I probably wouldn't have been interested enough to read a sequel.



View all my reviews

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Horror
Content: Strong Language, implied sex
  

Melanie is a very special girl...

The description of The Girl With All the Gifts doesn't really tell you what it's about. I had an idea of what I thought it would be about when I read the description, but I was wrong. By the time I actually started reading it however, I had looked at reviews and knew that ahead of time. I have to say I really enjoyed the first part of this book. The beginning when they were in the compound was a lot better than the rest of the book. Once they left the compound it lost something. I think mainly because the focus shifted from Melanie and her perspective too much.

I really wasn't sure who to like in this. I liked Melanie despite what she was and I liked Miss Justineau even though she was probably foolish in trusting Melanie and feeling sorry for her. I couldn't like Parks, there were too many objectionable things about him. His attraction to Justineau was kind of creepy the way it was portrayed. There was this random paragraph about how he had seen her crotch while she was squatting to pee but was too tired to even masturbate. Um ok... he is obviously spying on her while she pees and gets turned on by it, gross! Somehow he grew on me a little by the end of the book, but it was too little too late. Then there was the crazy mad scientist lady who sometimes seemed to have more sense than any of the rest of them, but was not a sympathetic character at all.

For the most part this book kept me pretty glued to it despite the fact that I found the characters lacking in certain ways. I only felt it dragged a couple of times. If you like this genre then you may love it, but ultimately this wasn't really my thing. Sorry not really into the zombie apocalypse thing. I was not that crazy about the way it ended either. If it had ended differently I may have liked it a lot more. I feel like I need something happier to read next.



View all my reviews

Scarlet Widow by Graham Masterton

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Content: Strong language, gore, a graphic rape scene, and a mild sex scene between a married couple.


London, 1750: Beatrice Scarlet is the apothecary's daughter. She can mix medicines and herbs to save the lives of her neighbours - but, try as she might, she can't save the lives of her parents. An orphan at just sixteen, Beatrice marries a preacher and emigrates to America.

New Hampshire, 1756: In the farming community where Beatrice now lives, six pigs are found viciously slaughtered, slices of looking-glass embedded in their mouths. According to scripture this is the work of Satan, but Beatrice suspects the hands of men. As she closes in on the killer, she must act quickly to unmask him - or become the next victim herself...

This would have been 3.5 stars, but I'm docking a whole star from this book because of the rape scene, which I will talk about later. When I picked up Scarlet Widow I was expecting something a lot milder; something along the lines of a mild historical mystery. I probably should have done more research, especially on the author before I read this. This is an author who has a history of writing horror and that became obvious as I read this book. There were some very gruesome murders. This is definitely not for the squeamish.

The things I liked about the book were: it kept me glued to it from the first page; the protagonist was a strong, intelligent person; and it kept me guessing throughout most of it.

There was something about the writing style that kept me turning the pages. I found Beatrice to be very likable and intelligent, and her interest in her father's profession was one part of the book I really enjoyed. For a girl back in the 1700s, Bea was an independent thinker. I liked reading about Bea's past with her parents in London, and I found the part with her relatives interesting too, although they were not ideal. That part with her crazy uncle was shocking and weird and personally I think it could have been left out of the book completely as it didn't really seem to fit.

After Bea immigrated to America, the mystery behind what was happening to the townspeople kept me guessing for a long time. Not the part Jonathan Shooks played, that was obvious, but who or what was behind the whole thing. Was Bea right about it being a person behind it all, or were the townspeople right that it was a demon or Satan himself? Logic says that Bea is right, but I've read enough supernatural type books to know that it isn't always the logical answer. And if it is just a person then who? Those were the questions I kept asking myself. The mysterious person in the brown cloak was an easier mystery to figure out. I kept wondering if that person was who was behind the murders. I'm not going to say if it was or not though because of spoilers.

The things I didn't like so much were: the strict puritanical views of most of the people; the superstitious beliefs of most of the people; the lack of any real emotion or romance between Bea and Francis, whom I didn't find very likable at times; and the rape scene.

Superstitious Puritans do not always make for pleasant reading. It's hard to believe that people could be so ignorant and superstitious, but they can- The Salem Witch Trials come to mind. Also the way women were viewed really angered me. Bea was such an intelligent woman and I had a hard time not being disappointed in who she chose to marry. He was a good man, but I think she would have thrived in a less puritanical setting. I felt like her husband Francis was mostly boring, and we really aren't given any reason why she fell in love with him. Their whole courtship is skipped over. Their scenes in bed as husband and wife are just the mechanics with no romance or real emotion. I would have rather they had just been skipped over completely because they didn't add anything to the story. This might sound sexist, but I've yet to read a romance scene written by a man that I've liked.

That brings me to the rape scene. The author couldn't craft a good love scene, but he didn't have a problem writing all the awful details of a rape scene. I don't know if that was done on purpose, or just the way it ended up, but it bothered me. I've read rape scenes in books before and they fit the story and were a part of the plot. They didn't leave me as disturbed as this one did. This rape was really unnecessary and I didn't want to read all the details of it. It bothered me more than the grisly murders did. For the writer to put the main character through that after reading through over 80 percent of the book was just needless. It did nothing for the story and felt like it was just put there for shock value. I kept thinking someone would come and help her, but no one did. Where was the mysterious person in the brown cloak then? I'm sorry if anyone thinks this is a spoiler, but I think potential readers need to know this is in the book. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have read this book.

It turns out that this is the first book in a series. While I would kind of like to know what happens next in Bea's life, I'm not sure if I can go there again. The rape scene just tainted the whole reading experience for me.



View all my reviews

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Horror
Content: Clean


When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out.

Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late... 

It took me forever to finish Cuckoo Song simply because it wasn't compelling me to pick it up and read it. I kept finding other things that I would rather do and that's when a book usually ends up on the abandoned book pile. I liked this book, so I stuck it out. I can't really explain why I wasn't drawn into it as much as I would have liked to have been. Maybe it was the author's writing style, I don't know.

I don't really want to say anything about the plot. One of the reasons I wanted to read this was because the description intrigued me, so I really don't want to take the experience of unraveling the mystery away from anyone. I wanted to find out what horrifying thing had happened to Triss. I think once I found out I lost interest a little, even though the rest of the story was good, I wanted the book to get to the conclusion a lot sooner than it did. The best things about this book were the relationships that formed and were repaired. And also if you like creepy dolls, then there are some in here.

The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 

I think the author did a good job with the dolls. They ramped up the creepy factor which I liked. This is the first book I've ever read by Frances Hardinge, but I think I can say that she has a uniquness to her writing that I haven't encountered elsewhere. I'm not sure if I will read anything else she has written yet, but I'm definitely not crossing her off my list.



View all my reviews