Tag: Books

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Boneyard (Deadlands #3) by Seanan McGuire

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*Spoilers at the very end of the review*

Step right up to see the oddities and marvels of The Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show! Gasp at pit wasps the size of a man’s forearm. Beware the pumpkin-headed corn stalker, lest it plants its roots in you!

Annie Pearl is the keeper of oddities, the mistress of monsters. Her unique collection of creatures is one of the circus’s star attractions, drawing wide-eyed crowds at every small frontier town they visit. But Annie is also a woman running from her past . . . and the mother of a mute young daughter, Adeline, whom she will do anything to protect.

Hoping to fill its coffers before winter sets in, the circus steers its wagons to The Clearing, a remote community deep in the Oregon wilderness, surrounded by an ominous dark wood. Word is that a traveling show can turn a tidy profit at The Clearing, but there are whispers, too, of unexplained disappearances that afflict one out of every four shows that pass through the town.

The Clearing has its secrets, and so does Annie. And it may take everything she has to save her daughter―and the circus―from both.

I’ve been interested in reading this novel for a while now, it’s been on my ‘to be read’ list for a few years. I felt like it was finally time to jump into this Weird Wild West novel.

Annie’s trailer of oddities made me realize just how far we’ve advanced in science and biology. Her “nibblers” are piranhas, she owns a pet lynx named Serenity, and other monstrosities of nature.

Overall I enjoyed this weird wild west tale. It had plenty of spookiness, horror, action, and adventure. It was worth the wait to be able to add this to the “weird wild west” subgenre.

Here’s a short story collection of Weird Wild West

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

In this story, wendigos are the main antagonists, other than the town itself they are a threat to the circus. The wendigos weren’t something to be taken lightly, the town had made a deal with them to keep them from eating the townsfolk during the harsh winters and to keep outsiders away. The wendigos would attack any outsider that came to the town by either killing them on the spot, kidnapping them and taking them back to their lair to save for later. Which I felt like a convenient circumstance so we can have somewhat of a happy ending to the story.

I first heard of wendigos when I was watching a playthrough of the video game “Until Dawn”. With that said, when I found out the wendigos were a supernatural based entity I did plenty of research on them because they captured my interest. I found them unique and fascinating compared to other supernatural beings and entities talked about in average lore.

This is a book I’d recommend to anyone interested in wendigos, the supernatural, circus stories, and mysteries. It is definitely worth a read, whether you get it from your local library or you buy it, it’s definitely an excellent story.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler #1) by Nancy Mehl

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

Kaely Quinn’s talents as an FBI Behavior Analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she’s demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.

When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, the reporter’s ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem’s predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.

Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else–including Kaely herself–is killed.

First off, I must mention that this is Christian fiction. Not very often do I find this genre intriguing enough for me to read. I felt this novel was a nice break from all of the sex and foul language that most modern novels have. It reminded me that a story doesn’t have to have sex and vulgarity just to make it interesting.

Kaely is a Christian herself, she discusses it with her new partner Noah. Even though this book discusses religion, I didn’t feel like the author was shoving it down my throat. Kaely believes, but she doesn’t pressure others to share her beliefs.

One interesting characteristic is that I diagnosed Kaely as having schizophrenia. As the novel progresses, she’s slowly starting to lose grip on her “technique”. I can’t wait to see how this aspect of her affects her in the novels to come!

This novel’s plot twist was amazing! The pool of reasonable suspects was large enough to keep me guessing until the big unveiling. Along with the plot twist, I felt the murderer’s motives were reasonable and I could understand his frustration and pain.

Mind Games reminded me of the story of the Happy Face Killer. He was a serial killer who is well known for not only his despicable crimes but also because his daughter is out in the media, doing interviews, building a support group for families of serial killers. She feels the need to put some good in the world despite who her father is.

I recommended this novel to my mom. If anyone would be interested in what my mom says about this novel, I might post her review/thoughts in an upcoming blog post.

I would recommend this novel for lovers of Christian Fiction, Mystery, and those who are interested in reading novels about protagonists with mental health issues, low key romance, novels loosely based on true crime, and serial killers and their families.

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Invasion (THEM #0.5) by M.D. Massey

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

Aidan “Scratch” Sullivan is a former Army Ranger and Afghanistan War vet trying to achieve some semblance of normalcy while he deals with the psychological after-effects of two combat tours in the ‘Stan.

But when the bombs fall and the dead walk, Scratch is forced to risk life and limb to rescue his aging parents before zombies overrun their quiet community. And to do it, he’ll need to traverse half the state of Texas while dealing with out-of-control military units, violent redneck looters, and all manner of evil things that go bump in the night…

I enjoy a good military-minded protagonist to guide the reader through the zombie apocalypse. To see someone who is trained to think and respond rationally, faced with the walking dead makes the tension even greater.

It was odd to me, as Aiden was able to travel around the zombie-ravaged wasteland of Texas and how his truck didn’t bring a constant mob of zombies wherever he went. The most common way a zombie can detect the living is by sounds. Since Aidan’s truck wasn’t affected by the EMPs then that would make the engine a very loud broadcaster to the zombies.

One thing I enjoyed about Invasion was the fact that the author wasn’t taking everything seriously. You could tell in the dialog that they were somewhat aware of how ridiculous their world has become. This was executed in a way where even though the author was having fun with the story, I was able to enjoy both the humor and the overall story.

I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction, zombies, horror, and novels that don’t take themselves too seriously. The Invasion was thrilling, action-pact, and humorous in a subtle way.

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Posted in Book Reviews

REVIEW: Holmes on the Range (Holmes on the Range #1) by Steve Hockensmith

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

1893 is a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at a secretive ranch, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a few free moments to enjoy their favorite pastime: reading stories about Sherlock Holmes.

When another hand turns up dead, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired “deducifyin'” skills and sets out to solve the case. Big Red, like it or not (and mostly he does not), is along for the wild ride in this clever, compelling, and completely one-of-a-kind mystery.

“You can follow a trail without even knowing you’re on it. You start out just ambling, maybe get to thinking you’re lost–but you’re headed somewhere all the same. You just don’t know it until you get there.” – Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

As much as you hear about how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes affected pop culture, you really don’t see it much outside of the United Kingdom. I am thrilled to see a western twist on the Sherlockian mystery subgenre. It makes the western genre unique and intriguing, not knowing who’s behind the murder until the unveiling at the end of the novel.

The Amlingmeyer brothers are just trying to survive in the late 1800’s America. When they stumble unto a murder mystery too difficult to ignore, they are in for an adventure. Lives and reputations are at stake as Old Red starts to meddle in places where he doesn’t belong.

The unlikeliness of a poor ranch hand solving an intricate mystery made the Amlingmeyer brothers’ struggle to solve the mystery all the more difficult. Old Red was more of an illiterate Sherlock Holmes and Big Red more of a brother trusting his kin. Big Red and Old Red is the only family they have left, so there’s no other choice but to stick together when things get dicey.

I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of westerns, mysteries, and Sherlockian style storytelling. This novel will leave you guessing until the big reveal, and even then you may be surprised to learn the answer to the mysteries.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Spoilers*

When sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner’s family decides to move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, she hopes it is her chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries.

When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn’t right on the prairie. She’s heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can’t be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I found this novel at my local library. After enjoying Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, I thought I might give the Young Adult genre another chance. Now let’s see if Daughters Unto Devils will meet my expectations.

I am into the paranormal, I enjoy listening to ghost stories even though I scare easily. This novel is full of mystery and spooky tension. What made this better was the fact of how this reminded me somewhat of The Donner Party.

I felt like this book was hammering home the message of the spiritual war that is always going on. I felt bad for Amanda in the fact she had no control over her circumstances. She fell in love, and he abandoned her when she told him she was pregnant.

“You are stronger than you think you are. You are not your thoughts. The only devil inside of you is the one you created yourself.”-Amy Lukavics, Daughters Unto Devils

Overall, I felt like this was a good creepy historical fiction that chilled me. It not only had me question Amanda’s sanity but the whole prairies’. Once innocent things turned into demonic terrifying entities by the end.

I enjoyed this novel, I felt like the creepiness was made all the better in the fact that this was when we were still expanding west. Back then, mental illnesses were seen as demon possessions and other demonic entities.

If you enjoy Horror, Historical Fiction, and Young Adult Novels then I think you will enjoy Daughters Unto Devils. This novel doesn’t have much action, it’s mostly tension and suspense until the climax. I hope my readers will like this novel as much as I had.