Category: Novels

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: My Murder by Katie Williams

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

What if the murder you had to solve was your own?
Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.
Now it’s not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she’s always enjoyed—she must also figure out the circumstances of her death.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I discovered this book on Goodreads’ list of highly anticipated books for this summer. The summary intrigued me, and I was excited to wait for this book. Even though the wait might have been a bit long, let’s not wait any longer for this review of My Murder.

I haven’t read a popular book in awhile. I usually avoid them because I want to shine light on the underdogs or hidden gems. However, I still wanted to read My Murder and see if it was worth the hype.

Mystery is essential, they say. Mystery. Well, I was in one of those right now, and I couldn’t say that I liked it very much.

Katie Williams; My Murder

First off, I think this was an interesting idea for a plot. Being brought back after being murdered can shed some light on some various themes and subject matter we can bring up like, how society treats victims and their murderers, how the victims loved ones are coping after the attack, and finally how the murderer’s loved ones are coping with the guilt and shame.

There are more themes explored in this novel, but I’ll leave that for you to discover and experience. I loved how fleshed out this world was, and how the characters interacted naturally. I’m not sure if it’s just the string of ‘meh’ quality books I’ve been reading, or if this book really is something special.

As I was listening to the audiobook, I was about 60-70% through it and I was thinking of not finishing it. The ‘but not everything is as it seems’ had already been brought up, but I was already trying to go through my mental list of tropes to figure out what the twist was. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the twist came out of left field and caught me off guard.

Overall, I really enjoyed My Murder. It’s more like a cozy thriller/murder mystery with a splash of science fiction. It’s a good pallet cleanser if you are looking for a book to break the monotony or to break a dry spell. I’d certainly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, the sci-fi element isn’t anything too crazy or out there. So don’t worry about that.

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels, Rapid Reviews

RAPID REVIEW: Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Posted on by elishasbookreview
Image borrowed from Weirdo Book Club

*No Major Spoilers*

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans —though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

So this has been on my reading radar for a long time. I’ve heard good things about this novel, so I couldn’t wait to dive into the audiobook and tear through Tender is the Flesh. So let’s digest my review of this book.

First off, none of the characters are likable. Our main character Marcos feels like a robot and I don’t feel like he changes much throughout the story. Marcos’ wife left him after the loss of their son and it has heavily affected their marriage. Not to mention his job that has Marcos doing middle management type work at the slaughterhouse leaving him drained and exhausted.

The human being is the cause of all evil in this world. We are our own virus.

Agustina Bazterrica, Tender Is the Flesh

Now, you may be asking yourself, why are you giving this book four stars? Well, to be honest, I don’t know myself. 3-3.5 just didn’t feel right for the last 30 minutes of Tender is the Flesh. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you can and get through this in 1-3 listening sessions.

Overall, this novel is alright, I would say if you’re interested in the subgenre of horror called splatterpunk then I would start here. Depending on your reaction to this, you can continue to peruse this subgenre or run away and never touch this type of book ever again.

Posted in Graphic Novels, Rapid Reviews

RAPID REVIEW: The Blue Flame: The Complete Series by Christopher Cantwell

Posted on by elishasbookreview

A cosmic action adventure for fans and readers of Watchmen, Strange Adventures, and Hawkeye, The Blue Flame tells the story of a blue collar working man/DIY vigilante/cosmic hero, who must defend Earth with an answer to the “Is humanity worth saving?” Repairman. Vigilante. Cosmic Hero. The Blue Flame is a cosmic hero. The Blue Flame is a DIY vigilante that fights crime on the streets of Milwaukee. The Blue Flame is a blue collar HVAC repairman named Sam Brausam. In the wake of a horrific tragedy, the boundaries of the Blue Flame’s identity blur even further. Now, before a universal trial, the Blue Flame must prove that humanity is worth saving. But in order to do that, Sam Brausam has to save himself. Can he? An odyssey for answers at the heart of the universe. Collects the entire series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I discovered this graphic novel on my virtual library section called “Waiting on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and I thought I’d check this out. So let’s heat up this review of The Blue Flame.

I guess I can see the similarities between Blue Flame’s Night Brigade and The Guardians. Sam aka Blue Flame reminds me a lot of Peter Quill who is the leader of the Guardians. They both have this idealistic view of humanity, while both characters have problematic qualities.

For example, after the tragedy, Sam falls into a deep depression and gets addicted to alcohol and his pain meds. When his brother-in-law gets arrested by ICE because he was in the US illegally, Sam goes to the person who tipped off ICE and beats him up which lands him in trouble with the law.

All of this on top of trying to defend Earth from being obliterated. Then it becomes more of a philosophical debate rather than a traditional superhero comic. There’s even moments of religious verbiage, and I was surprised to see that in a comic book.

Overall this comic was solid, I liked seeing the debates that Sam and the alien prosecutor got into, but it quickly got old. I’m not sure who I’d recommend this comic to, but if you’re looking for an action-packed comic adventure, I’d give this one a pass.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Extinction by Bradley Somer

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

In a lonely valley, deep in the mountains, a ranger watches over the last surviving grizzly bear. With the natural world exhausted and in tatters, Ben has dedicated himself to protecting this single fragment of the wild. One night, he hears voices in the valley — poachers, come to hunt his bear. A heart-pounding chase begins, crossing forests and mountainsides, passing centuries of human ruins. Sometimes hunter, sometimes prey — Ben must choose the bear’s fate and his own. Is he willing to lay down his life for a dying breed? Is he willing to kill for it?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I was browsing Hoopla last week and came across this book. The cover caught my attention, and I was interested in the blurb/summary. What this book gives is detailed scenery, and no interesting characters. Nonetheless, let’s scout this review of Extinction!

First off, this book reminded me of a video game called Firewatch. The game is about this park ranger who is out in the National Park during peak wildfire season, and he’s all alone except for his fellow ranger on his walkie talkie. The visuals in both Firewatch and Extinction bring the world of these stories to life.

Now enough about video games, and let’s talk about this book. I found the characters in Extinction to be either unlikable or just bland. The only character I did like was Poppy, she is an elderly woman who lives in the wilderness and helps out our main character Ben when he’s in trouble. She’s feisty, no nonsense, and can take care of herself when it comes to dealing with poachers.

I’m not even sure who I’d recommend this book too if I was to be honest. I think I’m willing to give his other works a chance though. Maybe this just didn’t hit me the way it was supposed to. This is definitely an action-packed thriller. Is eco-thriller a subgenre people are using?

Overall, this book was alright, the action was good, the descriptions of the environment was great, but everything else was just ‘meh’.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Falling by T.J. Newman

Posted on by elishasbookreview

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Recently I have been feeling like reading something other than comics and manga. I was browsing one of the themed book lists I get through a newsletter, and this book was on it. It seemed different and I wanted to check it out, so let’s buckle our seatbelts and fly over this review of Falling by T.J. Newman.

First off, I want to say this is an emotional read. The author knows how to tug on your heartstrings and forces you to see humanity in a positive light. Her use of characters and not fearing showing the depravity humans can cause, made me choke up and sympathize with everyone involved.

You don’t think everyone actually lives, do you? Most people just exist and roam around. It’s a choice, to actually live.

T.J. Newman; Falling

One small gripe I had with the book was how the captain was named Bill and his copilot was named Ben. That got confusing real quick. I had to keep reminding myself which one was which every so often. Most of the time the confusion happened was when another character outside of the cockpit mentioned them. Like I said, it’s nothing major it’s just something I noticed.

My favorite character was the flight attendant named Jo. She was heroic and brave throughout the whole hijacking, exactly how we all hope to be if a crisis was ever to happen to or around us. She was able to separate herself from the situation to a certain extent and protect the passengers to the best of her abilities. You can definitely tell the author put a lot of work and care into her character the most.

Overall, I loved this novel. It can tug at your heartstrings at points, yet still feel a sense of direness and dread as the miles tick down and the final destination gets ever closer. I’d recommend this for fans of thrillers, fans of survival stories, and fans of female authors.