Review: Pilgrim

3 stars. Pilgrim is hailed as an obvious successor to the medieval horror giant Between Two Fires, and I can't disagree. It initially follows a German knight and a diverse group of companions as they embark on a dangerous journey to transport a sacred relic. And then their caravan is hit with a major sandstorm, from which they emerge under different stars. This new land, to say the least, is dark and full of terrors, and complicates their quest, which quickly becomes to return home. In a time rich with spiritual belief, superstition, and religious conflict, the knight and his crew face profound revelations amid threats from demons both physical and internal.

On paper, I should not have slogged through this - and yes, the action sequences / monster episodes got and kept my attention. But something about the writing had me chipping away at an uncharacteristically slow speed. The first eight chapters or so, especially. I really wanted to get the details straight, and learn the characters head to toe. I wanted to get their names and heritages and motives down so I could enjoy the wild ride. So I read and re-read those chapters many times, waiting for things to click into place. 

It didn't quite work. The story picked up, but even at the halfway point, I was SMH like how can cosmic religious horror be so... boring? I wasn't not enjoying it, it was just... sloggy. Heavy, dense, bogged down. As creative and cosmic as the imagery was, it was also excessively descriptive, and repetitive. Sometimes it felt like reading a textbook.

But yeah: in addition to the fact that he knows his way around a thesaurus, the author is obviously very talented. One review mentions giving this book 5 stars despite not enjoying it, because it's such a layered, detailed, researched accomplishment. It is incredibly impressive: a historical tapestry of interesting characters, vivid worlds, and grotesque monsters. (He has his favorite words - "slavering" - and his favorite phrases - "gaping maw" - but I digress.) There's a lot of philosophical dialogue - some of it really dripping with angst. The author clearly had a very specific vision for this story and I'd say he likely achieved it for himself. The horror elements are stunning - and stunningly disgusting. 

There's a good chance that if you enjoyed BTF, you'll enjoy this. But go in knowing it's not the same book. If I was more knowledgeable about the big religions, their deities, their origin stories, their myths and legends, and their theistic dynasties, I probably would’ve connected with it more. And I genuinely wish that I did. Religious clash and overlap is something I'm interested in and fascinated by. But this, over and over again, even on the final page, felt like something for the experts. 

Pilgrim on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Killing Kind (Charlie Parker #3)

3 stars. Can I get a round of applause for this villain?! Wow - arachnophobes be warned: stay far, far away - this book is not for you. Charlie's back and (surprise, surprise) gets pulled into a particularly twisted case involving a cult leader, the disappearance of his followers, and the death of a young woman investigating his potential reemergence. 

Charlie is still quite literally haunted, and beginning to come to terms with what seems to be a new calling, or drive, to fight for the dead. I'm really enjoying his journey, and the way the supernatural elements continue to unfold. I've always appreciated that Charlie is not a superhero; he experiences fear and trauma and makes mistakes. He gets worn down, he trembles, he has nightmares... but he isn't ashamed of any of this. 

This book zipped right along, but I found it to be a bit weaker than the first two structure-wise. Connolly has pulled the "he's still alive" rug before, so it packed less of a punch in this one, a hit only weakened further by his lack of screen time. Any other twists are kind of telegraphed as well. And the victim? Didn't really feel an emotional connection. No, the plot of this book is merely a vehicle to showcase the creative and cartoonish Mr. Pudd, who is absolutely ridiculous. I loved every inch of him all the same.

Rachel is not my favorite, nor is the trope utilized (a bit cheaply IMO) in the final chapter. I've mentioned this in my reviews for the first two - she's just too obviously written by a man. Angel and Louis, though, man - those two are the best found family ever. I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the sheer American-ness of the writing. America's huge, and Connolly manages to really capture some of its darkest, and lightest, pockets.

I’m starting to get a hang on what to expect from this series: dark, grim, moody mysteries with a lot of detail and focus on the investigator rather than the crime, or the criminals. Can't wait to keep reading.

Review: The Favorites

3 stars. Okay so this took some getting used to after all the moody noir I've been consuming. I was also immediately kind of side eyeing it for trying to be Big Little Lies or Daisy Jones with the mixed media = Greek chorus approach. And with the figure skating angle... I was like, okay, trying to be Megan Abbott are we? (aren't we all though?) But once I settled in and got beyond the hilariously on-the-nose character names (Gemma Wellington LOL), I was completely hooked. 

This is the story of Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, childhood sweethearts turned skating partners - their rise (and various falls - pun intended) in the ice skating world through the 90s and 2000s. Navigating an intense relationship, past and present traumas, competitive rivals, tempting endorsements, and the physical challenges of being rigorous athletes, Kat and Heath orbit each other in truly toxic ways while keeping their eyes on the prize: to win Gold at the Olympics.

Some personal context: I grew up in the 90s watching figure skating at the Olympics, so I was a rapt witness to the Tonya Harding story - I absolutely love The Price of Gold documentary about it. I recognized echoes of that narrative (media-driven rivalries, the haves and the have-nots, the white trash scrappy girls versus the princesses) almost instantly, so at the very least, this author went in with a good grasp of the world. (Once again, noting that I am a fan of this world, not an insider. I have no clue how accurate it is.)

So I liked that aspect, a lot. It's all fascinating. But ultimately this story kind of made me feel icky. Part of me was like - okay, the point is that Kat needs to learn a big lesson, right? A big life lesson about priorities, and competition, and respecting the wishes of your loved ones instead of using them, climbing on them, to the top, which turns out to be kind of an empty place to be after all? It kind of seemed like Heath wanted her to learn that lesson. What's worse: loving someone with an incompatibility that intense, or hoping/wishing/expecting/driving them to change? Maybe Heath is the one who needed to learn a lesson. Maybe he did, ultimately. We only get Kat's POV, but he's as guilty and vindictive as she is.

That's really too much deep thought for a saucy, salacious ice skating soap opera. The twists! The turns! The twizzles! That's what we're here for! I just had to dock a star because of my least favorite trope - ouch - but this would make a really great beach read. Hey - it kept me awake and turning the pages, and I have a four month old who is teething, rolling, and going through a sleep regression. I will be checking out other books by this author ASAP.

The Favorites on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Dark Hollow (Charlie Parker #2)

4 stars. What a STORY. Thick with dread, atmosphere, and mystery - I'm slowly breaking in my Charlie Parker shoes and I love the way they feel so far. The way everything fell into place in the final quarter? Worth the journey 100%. That is some genius plotting right there, even if the pacing isn't totally on the same level. But these books are maybe meant to be a little dense, a little bloated, a little wearisome. This is not a Dan Brown sort of popcorn thriller, with short chapters and ridiculous cliffhangers that zip you right along. It's much more character- and detail-driven.

Almost a year after the murder of his wife and child, Charlie Parker gets caught up in a new mystery that pivots into another mystery that careens him into yet another mystery before tying everything up in a crazy violent bow. The ingredients are as follows: the murder of a young woman and her child, in the process of leaving a toxic relationship; the missing man she was leaving; the local mob organization, after the money he stole; the trail of bodies connected; the young couple caught up in it all; and then there's the man chosen - by forces out of his control - to investigate; the ghosts that haunt him; and the friends he makes along way :)

It sounds like a lot because it is. Poor Bird - he's been through it, he's going through it, and he'll go through it for like 20 more books. But I love that he learns about himself, and about the world, and he changes accordingly. I mentioned this in my review of the first book - I love that he isn't a loner. I mentioned the final quarter above - I can't not say how much I absolutely adored the big reveal, and the action really just didn't stop from there. Finally, there is a lot of praise for beloved couple Louis and Angel out there, and it's well-deserved. They are really special.

Onto the quibbles: it's a bit dated - I smelled sympathy for abusers, I smelled fat-shaming, I smelled gratuitousness, and I smelled poorly-written female characters. The level of detail is also sometimes, like, insane. The descriptions of certain locations dragged down the momentum a bit, and there is also an interesting obsession with when, how, and where people find and eat their meals. But I think at the end of the day that's just part of the book's charm and quirkiness - I will absolutely be continuing with the journey moving forward.

Dark Hollow on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Gone World

3 stars. Finally! Returning to work after maternity leave is basically kicking my butt, but I've been slowly chipping away at reading when I can (before my eyes start closing). I should probably stick to exciting thrillers for a while, at least until I can get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time. 

Still, this is a really interesting book. It's an investigative procedural that takes place in a world where traveling to the future (or one of many possible futures) and back (to the present) is possible. But messing with time/space/physics comes with serious consequences - for the travelers and for the world itself. 

Investigator Shannon Moss, a veteran of making the trip, becomes personally tangled in the hunt for a missing girl... a girl whose family was murdered. Eventually it becomes clear that whoever perpetrated the crimes is connected to the different worlds of different timelines, one of which will trigger the end of the world. Or the end of all worlds. Or something.

The Gone World plays around with being too smart for its own good (or maybe just for me). For someone who is not a quantum physicist, it teetered on the brink of being inaccessible. In fact I sort of had to resist the urge to skim after the 50% mark because - despite knowing the importance of every little detail - I felt a little burned out. Still, there are readers out there who will love the technical aspects of this. It’s hard sci-fi for sure. I admire the premise and the impressive world building - despite my occasional confusion, it really earns points there.

I also felt a strange disconnect between myself as the reader and Shannon's emotions. Not sure if I can diagnose it - maybe it's because the author did so much telling instead of showing? Maybe it's his writing style - somewhat dry? It's great that Shannon isn't a perfect, stoic machine. But it was jarring to read about her emotional moments because it felt like they came out of nowhere. I also didn't feel very strongly about Marian. I didn't feel any emotional pulls to her as a victim so I wasn’t really concerned. I was far more interested in the how than the whodunnit of this mystery. Zooming out, I think that’s kind of the point - there aren’t many unpredictable twists in this novel. 

So, not my favorite, but I have no regrets - I’ll probably chew on this story for months to come. I enjoyed reading theories and clarifications online, which helped cement the ending of the story for me. It’s a feat of writing I can’t wrap my head around and will probably be - don't get me wrong, as it should be - regarded as a classic. 

The Gone World on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker #1)

4 stars. Man, I would love to see this adapted. Can you imagine how gritty the soundtrack would be? There are at least 2 seasons here - I wonder how much it influenced True Detective. There’s just so much potential it’s gross. Can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series.

After the tragic and brutal murder of his wife and child, private detective Charlie Parker takes a case to track down a missing woman connected to a wild crime family. Almost immediately the people orbiting the disappearance begin to die. As he pieces together the clues around the conspiracy, his family’s killer continues to stalk and haunt his every waking - and sleeping - moment.

Charlie Parker is different. Not only does he willingly rely on the help of his friends, he values them. He knows when they need space and respects them for it, and earns their respect in return. He recognizes when he’s out of his depth, he knows he’s a walking mess, and a magnet for danger. But he doesn’t just push people away like your classic baggage-laden detective. He’s haunted (literally), but not just by what or who he’s lost, also by his own choices and actions. He’s pretty self-aware for a grizzly anti-heroic detective.

It took me awhile to read this because it’s kind of dense, and requires close attention to detail. There are a ton of names and faces to remember, anecdotes to recall, and swirling points of context that you’ll blink and miss if you aren’t careful. I went back a lot, mostly to re-read character introductions. Still - all of this is part of why it’s addicting to read. The world building is incredible. So many have said these books need paring down, but what exactly would you cut?

Despite being written by an Irish author, this book feels super American. I have to point that out because it’s not always done so successfully - have you ever encountered a character from Los Angeles, for example, referring to people as “bruv?” Cultural anachronisms abound since the explosion of self publishing. Connolly carefully avoids it.

Sure, it’s a little dated. You can smell it in his descriptions of characters - especially the women. But it’s progressive in other ways. I highly recommend for fans of detective mysteries, noir fiction, and atmospheric thrillers where the setting is a character and the burn is - not slow exactly, but worth savoring and chewing on before swallowing. An excellent beginning.

Every Dead Thing on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: A Congregation of Jackals

4 stars. Brutal, violent, and disturbing - also exceptional, captivating, moving, even funny at times. I recently watched the movie Bone Tomahawk and it was an immediate favorite, so naturally now I’m obsessed with anything and everything similar. This author is an auto-buy.

A Congregation of Jackals tells the tale of four ex-cons, if you will; three of whom who travel to the Montana Territory for the fourth’s wedding - knowing an old nemesis has discovered the event and will seek his revenge. The narrative brings each of them, the bride-to-be, her father the sheriff, and several others into a real tangled ticking time bomb of a situation. And then it explodes.

Zahler is an excellent writer and craftsman. He pulls no punches and holds no prisoners. It’s addictive. The dialogue is crunchy and the characterizations are wonderful. He builds tension, and deploys it, like no other. Sure, it’s a little tropey, but Westerns are lush with them anyway. I like the way he handles the classic themes and motifs.

I know Western horror is a growing genre - this book should be considered a cornerstone. Check TWs. It’s not just Zahler’s vivid descriptions of violence, he is simply quite imaginative when it comes to making his characters suffer. It’s visceral and creative and cringe-inducing and emotional. I loved every sick moment.

A Congregation of Jackals on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Child Thief

5 stars. An epic adventure start to finish. Brom is incredible - what an imagination. I couldn’t predict anything in this story, which is magic to a reader like me; refreshing and memorable. Leave it to him to take Peter Pan and transform it into something incredibly dark and layered and complex, although like many beloved fairy tales, this one actually is a little less charming than it appears at first look back.

Weaving many familiar elements into a twisty, action-packed narrative, Brom gives Peter a new setting, a new tribe of followers, a new mission, and new enemies. Loyal to his Lady, a goddess who protects her enchanted island with a dangerous mist, the elven trickster recruits young lost souls from the human realm to fight with him against invasive threats; primarily, a group of settlers transformed into evil, fanatical creatures… plus some other stuff: an egomaniacal heir running around, an insane demon-obsessed reverend, some fancy swords, pixies, trolls, a river hag… also, everyone is generally just haunted and troubled.

It is kind of a lot to keep track of. Multiple times I questioned if the rich layers of exposition would be worth it or if they felt a bit superfluous. But it is a grand story on a grand scale, and ultimately I enjoyed the ride. Who am I to turn my nose up at multiple climactic twists, multiple fearsome antagonists, multiple character evolutions? Felt like the season of a tv show! Just… prepare for a long journey.

We get the story from Peter’s perspective and that of Nick, an older new recruit who transforms into a strong ally. The writing is cinematic and graphic - it's a deeply violent and disturbing book. While not exactly subtle, the themes are important: religious fanaticism and blindness, running away and coming of age, the ostracism of the different, the tragic futility of war and using violence as means to an end.

Glad I have more Brom to chew on. I want him to tackle every fairy tale - how would he twist The Little Mermaid? Narnia? The Nutcracker? I’d trust anything in his capable hands.

The Child Thief on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Penance

3 stars. This is a really tough one to rate and review - how much can I attribute to the author, and how much can I attribute to the “author?” Eliza Clark was very obviously trying to say something about reader consumption of true crime stories; about authors and content creators benefiting. As someone who has always been drawn to dark stuff, with what I hope is a handle on properly honoring victims, I’m not sure I totally pulled a clear message. But it’s a cool attempt at something!

This book reads like a nonfiction account of a small town crime - the torture and murder of a teenage girl by three peers. The “author” interviews the victim and the perpetrators’ families, collects their digital footprints, explores local history and folklore, and draws some pretty intense conclusions about how things went down.

There’s no doubt that Eliza Clark captures something here. The age of Tumblr was super specific and any of us who even dipped a toe into the platform will recognize the aesthetics she channels. It’s the weird, broody, stubborn, ferocious sense of teenage entitlement around worship that manifested so potently online back then. It’s the sense of electric possibility you felt - the possibility of acceptance or understanding online where you didn’t get it IRL. The pain when you couldn’t find it. The ick of bending over for it.

The terrible fanfiction she includes stopped me in my tracks - it’s so accurate. But that’s really where the success of this book ended, for me. The opening is terrific, the ending picks up again, but everything in the middle was quite boring. There’s so much detail - am I missing something? It seemed so superfluous. Is that partly the point? I hate to say I was bored, but it fell flat for me. I’m actually not sure if I fully even understand the crime being written about - falsified details or otherwise. I dunno, I’m just… kind of confused.

Still, there are plenty who loved it. It’s worth checking out. Clark is and will continue to be an autobuy for me. I just can’t wrap my head around this one.

Penance on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

2024 in Reading

— Y E A R I N R E V I E W —

2024 - the year I was pregnant and had a whole baby. It was so hard, but books helped. Let’s get to it:

Classic and Lovely: Dark Tales
Subtle, Scary, Satisfying: The Dead House
The Main Character did WHAT: The Devil Aspect
Plot Twist Party: The Lesser Dead
Stranger Than Fiction: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Fuck Yeah Feminism: N/A
Biggest Disappointment: I Remember You
Best Discovery: Where the Chill Waits
Biggest Mindfuck: The Once Yellow House
Most Satisfying Reread: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Tried Too Hard: Gothic
Quintessentially Kelly: The Paleontologist
No Regrets: Love, Pamela
Most Memorable: Silver Nitrate

TOP 5: 

5) Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. From my review: “This is a classic for a reason. I could not put it down. Punchy, graphic, vivid - full of... not just great crime writing, but great writing period.”

4) We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. From my review: “creepy, mind-bending, eerie, haunting, unsettling, confusing in the best way.”

3) The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones. From my review: “The tropes, the monsters, the cosmic lore, the cheesy moments. The twists! So many fun twists. The clever details. I just really loved it, and would've been happy to sink my teeth into a few more episodes/stories.”

2) Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig. From my review: “Weird, playful, and incredibly well-written, this book is a home run for spooky season. It's a small town-encounters-giant evil sort of story, and it goes hard.”

1) The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. From my review: “This book will strip away your defenses, crawl under your skin, and motivate you to do better - especially as we head into the scariest election of my life. It is horror at its absolute best. I will recommend it far and wide.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!