raesengele's reviews
310 reviews

I have such mixed feelings about this book that I'm sure my rating is going to fluctuate back and forth the more I think about it.

The generational trauma between Blythe, Cecilia, and Etta was really well done (though I think there might have been some plot points that were never followed through with, but I tend to miss stuff when I'm listening instead of reading, so I could be wrong), but I also felt like Violet's role in that didn't fit as much. It was almost too much in comparison with everything else. It wanted to be We Need to Talk About Kevin, but was too distracted with being more about Blythe than Violet for it to work. I felt like the book also really wanted to be a thriller, with an unreliable narrator, but just wasn't on either account.

But the stuff with the three generations was really good and made me even reflect a lot on my own intergenerational trauma while listening and I just think the book would have been so much stronger if it had gotten rid of the thriller elements and had just been pitched as a literary drama instead. But that doesn't sell well, so half baked thriller it is.

Averaged out to 3.5, but rounding up to 4 because though the bad ones were really bad the good ones were phenomenal and I just couldn't do that to them.

Absinthe and Angels, Kelley Armstrong ⭐⭐⭐
I like the creepiness of the mummers and the isolation, but I hate the ending so much. Also, I don't get why it's called "Absinthe and Angels." Are the mummers the angels? I don't get it.

Christmas in Barcelona, Scott Smith ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Now that is an ending! Not at all what I was expecting. 1/2 a star off because it was in 2nd person and there didn't seem to be much point to it. It would have been just as good in 3rd or 1st.

Fresh as the New Fallen Snow, Seanan McGuire ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Damn that was good! And definitely something different! 

Love Me, Thomas E. Sniegoski ⭐⭐✨
Meh. I'm not sure if it's because the ending was almost exactly like Christmas in Barcelona except not as well done or if it was the way the ending was written, but not a fan of this one.

Not Just for Christmas, Sarah Lotz ⭐⭐⭐
Eh.

Tenets, Josh Malerman ⭐
I hate Josh Malerman's writing. Two stars because...you know what, no. He had an interesting concept and THAT is what he did with it?! No. He deserves one fucking star.

Good Deeds, Jeff Strand ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well, alright then. I have no idea how to feel about that one, but it made me laugh, so there's that.

It's a Wonderful Knife, Christopher Golden ⭐⭐⭐✨
Kind of predictable. Plus I'm not sure how I feel about this kind of story being written by a man. Maybe that's why it was kind of predictable.

Mistletoe and Holly, James A. Moore ⭐⭐⭐✨
Eh. The writing was good, but yet again there were some topics that the fact that the author was a man made me kind of uncomfy.

Snake's Tail, Sarah Langan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one was so good and eerie and strange! I love it so much!

The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel, Joe R. Lansdale ⭐⭐⭐✨
Eh. The plot and writing were okay, just really lackluster

Farrow Street, Elizabeth Hand ⭐⭐⭐
It was well written, but I just didn't get this one, at all.

Doctor Velocity: A Story of the Fire Zone, Jonathan Maberry ⭐⭐
I skimmed through the vast majority of this one. A lot of uninteresting monologuing. I thought I might enjoy it because it's about an artist struggling to feel his own art, but, again, the monologues were so meh and the set dressing was so edge lord that I just couldn't get into it. I also get the feeling this is some part of some larger Cyberpunk series, so I get the feeling if I actually knew the context and background I might enjoy this more, but…I just didn't.

Yankee Swap, John McIlveen ⭐
DNF. Fatphobia. Another man writing a woman when he shouldn't. Basically Saw, but not as good.

Honor Thy Mother, Angela Slatter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh, that one was good! Love the angel concept!

Home, Tim Lebbon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
That was interesting. Not entirely sure I got it, but it was entertaining at least.

Hiking Through, Michael Koryta ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this one! Interesting premise and great writing style!

The Hangman's Bride, Sarah Pinborough ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
😭😭😭 the best one by far!!

While this is a really good book on writing, there isn't a whole lot that's specific to writing mysteries. Out of 30 chapters, maybe 3 of them were focused solely on mystery writing. As just a book about writing, it's good. Hallie Ephron does a great job not being overly prescriptive and highlighting several different approaches to story telling and writing in general. I will absolutely hand this to a newer writer even if they weren't writing in the mystery genre.