en-US Sat, 08 Feb 2025 09:40:39 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7161741553 Sat, 08 Feb 2025 09:40:39 -0800 /review/show/7161741553 Michelle gave 3 stars to Mountain of the Dead (World's Scariest Places #5) by Jeremy Bates
bookshelves: 2025, 2025-tbr-challenge, horror
]]> Review7242243394 Sat, 08 Feb 2025 09:39:52 -0800 /review/show/7242243394 Michelle gave 4 stars to A Simple Plan (Paperback) by Scott Smith
bookshelves: 2025, mystery-thriller
]]> Review3724234676 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:00:35 -0800 /review/show/3724234676 Michelle gave 4 stars to The Prince (Paperback) by Niccolò Machiavelli
bookshelves: 2025
Like most people I've always heard of Machiavelli's The Prince from it's pop culture (and psychological) references, and wanted to read it. Though it wasn't quite what I expected, I'm glad I did.
Part history lesson, part guide on how to maintain leadership over land and it's people, The Prince was oddly interesting. After the first chapter I worried I was in for a dry read, but the writing turned out to be engaging and the history thought-provoking.
It was written in the 1500s so some reference were totally of it's time (section on fortresses) but much of the ideas can still be seen (unfortunately) in modern day governments and leaders. ]]> Review7183354132 Sun, 19 Jan 2025 13:51:37 -0800 /review/show/7183354132 Michelle gave 3 stars to The Drift (Hardcover) by C.J. Tudor
bookshelves: 2025, mystery-thriller
The Drift was a fun story, but ultimately I didn't feel an connection to the characters. The twist gimmick was good but too telegraphed to be surprising, and I felt like it took away from the world and character building. ]]> Review7120212723 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:18:22 -0800 /review/show/7120212723 Michelle gave 3 stars to You Let Me In (Kindle Edition) by Lucy Clarke
bookshelves: mystery-thriller, 2025
I love Lucy Clarke's books, but this wasn't my favorite but it was still good.
It was a bit too long for me, the MC was a bit too neurotic, and I guessed the big twist...which is never fun.
However, the writing was great and I'll pick up Clarke's next novel as soon as I can :) Solid 3.5 stars ]]> Review7120210536 Thu, 02 Jan 2025 15:15:18 -0800 /review/show/7120210536 Michelle gave 3 stars to Communion: A True Story (Mass Market Paperback) by Whitley Strieber
bookshelves: horror, movie-title-challenge, 2025
I'm always on the lookout for alien abduction horror. I love it; aliens are the only thing that truly freaks me out, and I have a lot of thoughts on this one.
Communion began on a high note, recounting a terrifying tale of isolation, home invasion, and abduction. Unfortunately, by the half way mark it started growing repetitive, dragging on and on, no longer offering any sort of sinister enjoyment.
Communion is marketed as a true story. I promise I would LOVE to believe in aliens, but I don't. And this long-winded reprisal of the same story we've heard countless times certainly didn't convert me.
That should have been perfectly fine, though. I was reading for the horror, not the truth. But the horror ended falling flat too.
On a positive note the beginning really was fantastic, and reading it made me restart watching the X-files...which is always enjoyable.
]]> Review6902951216 Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:52:44 -0800 /review/show/6902951216 Michelle gave 5 stars to A Certain Hunger (Hardcover) by Chelsea G. Summers
bookshelves: 2024, horror, favorites
“Kill one man and you’re an oddity. Kill a few and you’re a legend.�

A Certain Hunger is one of those few brilliant books where the female protagonist is bad, not because she was hurt or assaulted or traumatized, but because she's simply born bad. She's not a victim; she's a predator. She's intelligent and leads a relatively normal life aside from occasionally killing and eating her lovers. ]]> Review7050598548 Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:14:32 -0800 /review/show/7050598548 Michelle gave 3 stars to 25 Days (Kindle Edition) by Per Jacobsen
bookshelves: 2024, horror
I liked the idea of the book a lot more than the actual book. ]]> Review7046184307 Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:26:19 -0800 /review/show/7046184307 Michelle gave 4 stars to Impulse (ebook) by Megan Stockton
bookshelves: 2024, horror
Impulse is an extreme horror for fans who love the dark side of humanity. Torture, humiliation, and SA. Not usually my thing but the writing was great, the characters were believable, and the horror was real. ]]>