I pulled this old book off my shelf on a whim, hoping for something to snap my concerningly fried brain back into some semblance of functioning, and aI pulled this old book off my shelf on a whim, hoping for something to snap my concerningly fried brain back into some semblance of functioning, and a mystery seemed like the perfect fix—secrets to uncover, tension to keep me hooked. Instead, Ashes to Ashes delivered a slow burn that never quite caught fire.
The pacing dragged well past the halfway mark, and even when things did start moving, there was no real momentum to it. The writing was solid, the crime gruesome and a premise with the perfect mix of intrigue and promise but it lacked that ... spark, the urgency or unpredictability that makes a thriller, well, thrilling.
I know mysteries don't necessarily hinge on emotional depth in characters but when the central characters come with a lot of baggage that hangs likes a dark cloud over the whole 'whodunnit', when it leans quite heavily on past trauma to shape its leads, I expect more than vague hints and half-buried backstories. Instead, the novel skirts around them, as if it’s aware they should matter but doesn’t know how to make them feel meaningful. I would've at least liked to be in the know, especially if we are getting a five-hundred-page thriller, but things were brushed off, and the big reveal failed to pack that punch I was eagerly looking forward to.
Ultimately, it was fine—not bad enough to rage about, not good enough to remember. Just another book to pass time....more
The Days were a clan that mighta lived long But Ben Day’s head got screwed on wrong That boy craved dark Satan’s power So he killed his family in one nasThe Days were a clan that mighta lived long But Ben Day’s head got screwed on wrong That boy craved dark Satan’s power So he killed his family in one nasty hour
Little Michelle he strangled in the night Then chopped up Debby: a bloody sight Mother Patty he saved for last Blew off her head with a shotgun blast
Baby Libby somehow survived But to live through that ain’t much a life
—schoolyard rhyme, circa 1985
This certainly sets the tone of the book.
You’ve heard the cautionary tales—the dark tragedies that shake a town, the crimes that leave ripples, still whispered about years later. Well, that was the Day Massacre in Kinnakee, Kansas. But what if the the truth is not what it seems after all? At seven years old, Libby Day survived the brutal massacre of her family, and her testimony sent her older brother to prison for the crime. Decades later, directionless and desperate for money, she crosses paths with a group obsessed with re-investigating infamous murders. They believe her brother is innocent, pushing Libby to dig into a past she’s tried to forget. But the deeper she goes, the more she realizes that the truth is far more complicated than she ever imagined.
Grim, macabre, and unapologetically disturbing—this should have been my twisted cup of tea. But I was just... bored and detached, despite the brilliant writing and how the premise hooked me instantly at the beginning. As the story unraveled at agonisingly slow pace, I felt nothing (see, the story'd pacing drags, at least it would be because the characters are being fleshed out and developed, but that was sadly not the case). By the end and the supposed banger of a reveal, I wasn’t shocked or satisfied—I just didn’t care....more
Blaze, born from Stephen King's 1970s pseudonym, Richard Bachman, is both what you’d expect � and what you wouldn’t � from King’s writing. I once readBlaze, born from Stephen King's 1970s pseudonym, Richard Bachman, is both what you’d expect � and what you wouldn’t � from King’s writing. I once read that this book features "one of the most sympathetic criminals in all of literature," and I can’t help but agree.
(No spoilers ahead) Clayton "Blaze" Blaisdell Jr. is a giant of a man � physically imposing but mentally impaired by a childhood shattered by abuse and neglect. He clings to anyone who shows him even a scrap of attention, finding fleeting moments of companionship with his partner in crime, George. But George, like everyone else in Blaze's life, is abusive. And when he dies, his voice lingers, berating Blaze from inside his head like a ghost that refuses to let go.
Following this voice, Blaze kidnaps a baby for ransom � but instead of a hardened criminal, we see a broken man cradling the child like a lifeline, desperate for the love he never received. He cares for the baby with heartbreaking tenderness, struggling to resist George’s cruel commands, leading to an ending that feels either tragic or peaceful, depending on how you see it.
A departure from King’s typical horror, it's a crime story that's emotional, forces you to sympathise with the main character, and which dives into the turmoil of a damaged mind rather than the horror of the crime itself. It’s not his best work, but it lingers....more
I remember the first time I picked up AFTG and breathed the entire series down. I wathis was perfection.
It was warm, heartbreaking and so.. precious.
I remember the first time I picked up AFTG and breathed the entire series down. I was curled up in grief and exhaustion, unable to latch onto anything without feeling like everything around me would swallow me whole. It was a desperate attempt to detach, to escape and just be somewhere else, and my god did it wreck me in ways I never expected. It would always be something I keep clutched to my heart because it reminds of an important time, and how these broken, beautiful humans banded together to create something utterly phenomenal; a messy, imperfect family that laughed, cried, and learned to heal together.
Starting this series, I didn't know what to expect, and I was most definitely looking for all the crumbs I could get of the foxes but it slowly became all about these new, incredible set of characters who felt so real, their pain so raw, their warmth a hope that settled into my bones like a quiet kind of peace.
I have highlighted the entire book in pink (it's as horrific as you can imagine). Every relationship, every conversation strengthened the fragile thread of my belief in humanity. It explored the weight of trauma, the ache of survival, and the slow, painful process of healing. But more than that, it was about the unshakable bonds people form in the wreckage of their lives � the kind of friendships that aren’t perfect but are deeply, fiercely loyal. It was about learning to trust again, to laugh even when it hurts, and to find solace in the presence of people who refuse to give up on you, no matter how many times you push them away.
Jean and Jeremy, Jean and Cat, the entire Trojans and that banger of a scene with Rhennan, glimpses of the foxes still wreaking chaos wherever they go, and the dog� oh my god, the dog.
Now, I'm just rambling. I'm warring with the notion of keeping this book close to me and asking everyone to stop whatever they are doing and reading it now. Don't know which way I'm leaning towards yet, ha....more
Some books whisper. Others claw their way into your soul. This book. My god will it haunt me for eternity and beyond. A story that consumes, lures, andSome books whisper. Others claw their way into your soul. This book. My god will it haunt me for eternity and beyond. A story that consumes, lures, and devours, leaving behind echoes of its world long after its last word is read. It is horror in its most exquisite form, not just in the dark, shifting terror of its plot but in the writing itself, which pulses with an eerie, hypnotic rhythm.
“If you cut open my chest'—Andrew's voice was wrecked�'you'll find a garden of rot where my heart should be.� “When I cut you open all I'll find is that we match.�
At its heart, this is a story of two broken, terrible boys—one who creates, one who destroys. Their art is macabre, stitched together from pain and nightmares, crafted in ink, blood, and something far darker. One carves beauty from ruin, while the other turns beauty into something twisted and hungry. They are trapped in a dance of brilliance and horror, their minds unraveling against the weight of the incomprehensible. The true terror is not just the things lurking beyond the trees but the things lurking within them—their own minds, fracturing, their own hands, shaping horrors into existence.
The horror of this does not simply reside in its plot (though that, too, is unrelenting in its grip). It is in the way the writing breathes—in how it coils around you, making you long to escape yet beg to stay. It is in the way you feel the forest pressing in, vines tightening, the silence expanding, until you, too, are a part of it. The prose is lush and winding, as if woven from the very roots of the cursed forest it conjures. It is rich with dread, with beauty so sharp it cuts, with a creeping unease that slithers beneath your skin.
C.G. Drews has crafted something truly rare: a horror novel that is as breathtaking as it is terrifying, as poetic as it is monstrous. And when you turn the final page, shaken and enthralled, you realize—perhaps too late—that the forest never truly lets you go....more
Remember that I tried (I really did) and went down fighting. This book actually succeeded in making me, someone who's usually cheerful and positive, loRemember that I tried (I really did) and went down fighting. This book actually succeeded in making me, someone who's usually cheerful and positive, lose the will to live.
P.S. A heartfelt shoutout to the latest entry to the TSTL heroine hall of fame: Miss Violet Sorrengail....more
American Queen is a powerful and poignant exploration of a largely overlooked chapter in both African and American history. Reflecting on themes of frAmerican Queen is a powerful and poignant exploration of a largely overlooked chapter in both African and American history. Reflecting on themes of freedom, community, and the enduring power of the human spirit, it tells the story of a remarkable woman's life and legacy, Louella Montgomery, a formerly enslaved woman who rises to become the "queen" of the "kingdom of happy land" - a community she helped establish with her husband after leading a group of formerly enslaved people from the clutches of oppression and brutality. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that this wasn't purely fictional, and the true historic events talked about made the pain, the struggles they faced -- both internal and within the fragile camaraderie they had built, the scars that run deep even when you've escaped the shackles seem even more real. That said, I did find the book a bit challenging to get into initially. The pacing felt slow at times, and while the author’s research is evident, there seemed to be a disconnect between the historical context and the more modern tone of the writing; the gap making it harder for me to fully immerse myself in the time period and its events. Nonetheless, it is an important, almost-forgotten piece of history that deserves to be remembered....more
A friend of mine, wonderfully terrible that she is, challenged me to pick a random book from this series and get through it with a straight face (she A friend of mine, wonderfully terrible that she is, challenged me to pick a random book from this series and get through it with a straight face (she thought it was hilarious, I did not. And what'd you know, I failed)....more
“I laughed. Then she laughed and I wondered if this—finding someone you can laugh with when everything hurts—was the stuff happily ever afters were“I laughed. Then she laughed and I wondered if this—finding someone you can laugh with when everything hurts—was the stuff happily ever afters were made of.�
THIS. I never really believed in second chances until I read about two people who so beautifully came together confronting their painful ghosts and rediscovering each other over the span of a week inSeven Days in June, and now, nearly a year later, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan has made me rethink the possibilities of love, healing, and the power of second chances.
This follows Yasmen and Josiah, a couple torn apart by the unimaginable loss of their child. Despite their separation, there is an undeniable connection between them, a love that lingers even as they each try to live with the weight of grief and pain. Filled with raw moments of sorrow, tender instances of hope, and the quiet but intense realization that sometimes, love requires healing—trying to piece back themselves before fixing a love broken by tragedy and loss.
"I tried and tried, but I couldn't save us and save myself."
The emotional depth of this book is staggering. Kennedy Ryan has an incredible ability to make you feel everything the characters do—grief, regret, longing, and, eventually, hope. Yasmen’s strength is tempered by her vulnerability, and Josiah’s love for her is both heartbreaking and redemptive. Ryan screams into your face that healing isn’t linear, and love doesn’t always look like a perfect fairytale. It’s messy, painful, will put you through a wringer and often requires forgiveness—even when it feels impossible.
“We said till death do us part.�
“Death is tearing us apart.�
This book has the utter power to wreck you, I can feel it. This is what I want when I read romance. I can't recommend it enough....more
What I thought I was going into when I read Anya's Ghost was a quirky coming-of-age story with that familiar "girl meets ghost" vibe, where the ghost What I thought I was going into when I read Anya's Ghost was a quirky coming-of-age story with that familiar "girl meets ghost" vibe, where the ghost ends up being a friend who helps her realize what's truly important. But, Casper the ghost it was not. Anya struggles with fitting in, particularly because she feels disconnected from her cultural heritage and feels like an outsider and finds herself isolated from both her family and her classmates. Her encounter with the ghost, Emily, at first seems like a way for her to feel less lonely, but twists into a darker, more sinister territory, which was ... unexpected but an interesting turn of events. Liked it ✔️...more
“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.�
My god, what did I just read. I'm quite honestly a little stunned. I knew this book would b“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.�
My god, what did I just read. I'm quite honestly a little stunned. I knew this book would be good but I didn't expect it to leave me disoriented.
Red Rising is not for the faint-hearted. It is raw and unforgiving, drenched in violence and unrelenting grief, with an unapologetic narrator haunted by loss and fueled by a rage so fierce it could set the world ablaze. It makes you question, think and more importantly want to stare at the world you were born into as if you're seeing it for the first time. The setting feels at once painfully familiar yet transforming into something beyond what we've known. It's hard, brutal and visceral in its impact, the characters driving a wrench through your heart, each of them tugging at your heart a little harder and leaving something profound behind. At first, I wasn’t sure where it was going—much of the first half felt almost predictable and.. ordinary, and I wondered if it could truly live up to the unbelievable hype, oh boy did it change so viciously after that.
Pierce Brown, I bow to your writing. He brought that treacherous, dirty and beautiful world to life. I could feel the searing heat of the sun, the sting of blood, the suffocating weight of chains too tight to breathe. And I know this is only the beginning. What comes next? I’m probably not ready to find out—but for now, I can say this: the series might just end up being a masterpiece in my books. What a way to start the year!...more
Loading...
