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tvislife's reviews
372 reviews
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
4.0
Another excellent addition to the historical romance genre. Evan is a duke in need of an heiress to save his family from ruin, and August would rather die than marry. Match made in heaven!
Honestly this book was forgettable, but that’s exactly what you need in this genre. It’s very formulaic, and this book hits all the right notes—broody and charming male lead, headstrong female lead, money troubles, sensuality and lust apparent for both of them. It’s everything you’d want, and everything you’ve read before, so it’s perfect.
Honestly this book was forgettable, but that’s exactly what you need in this genre. It’s very formulaic, and this book hits all the right notes—broody and charming male lead, headstrong female lead, money troubles, sensuality and lust apparent for both of them. It’s everything you’d want, and everything you’ve read before, so it’s perfect.
And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin
fast-paced
3.0
Unique and daring take on the zombie apocalypse, which doesn’t always work, but is still worth a read. The stream of consciousness got a bit confusing and didn’t always make sense, but I still really liked the idea of this, and how perception can influence so much of what we think.
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Took a while to get off the ground, but once the plot was chugging along, this was a nice little read.
A group of high school friends find a mysterious staircase in the woods—one goes up and disappears forever along with the staircase, and the rest are left wondering what happened. That is, until the staircase is found again, years later, and they have to decide if they’re going to risk it all to search for him.
I’m not sure any book of Wendig’s could ever live up to Wanderers duology for me. The world in those books felt so expansive and thought out, and the characters so well done and complex, that all of his novels (before or after it) just feel like a let-down in comparison.
That being said, I do think this is his next best, and really like the concept he was working with here. The bonds we made at that pivotal moment in our lives feel so much stronger than a lot of other relationships, and you could feel the intensity of their bond in this and how the disappearance of Matty only solidified their importance in each others lives (even if it didn’t seem like it at times, the Covenant persists).
I really enjoyed the dynamic they had with each other, the complexity of being so so close to someone at one point in life, and yet then having no idea how to relate to the person they’ve become—it felt so real and relatable. That is an experience that I’m sure most people can relate to, and I think Wendig did a good job encapsulating that feeling, even though it does feel jarring to see Covid and Trump being brought up casually in novels.
The horror was also good, and even though I found the final “explanation” kind of hokey, I loved the progression of it throughout the story and the ways they slowly explored the space.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Wendig is back in full force, and shows that true friendship sometimes means putting aside your fears and climbing the spooky murder staircase in the middle of the woods!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
A group of high school friends find a mysterious staircase in the woods—one goes up and disappears forever along with the staircase, and the rest are left wondering what happened. That is, until the staircase is found again, years later, and they have to decide if they’re going to risk it all to search for him.
I’m not sure any book of Wendig’s could ever live up to Wanderers duology for me. The world in those books felt so expansive and thought out, and the characters so well done and complex, that all of his novels (before or after it) just feel like a let-down in comparison.
That being said, I do think this is his next best, and really like the concept he was working with here. The bonds we made at that pivotal moment in our lives feel so much stronger than a lot of other relationships, and you could feel the intensity of their bond in this and how the disappearance of Matty only solidified their importance in each others lives (even if it didn’t seem like it at times, the Covenant persists).
I really enjoyed the dynamic they had with each other, the complexity of being so so close to someone at one point in life, and yet then having no idea how to relate to the person they’ve become—it felt so real and relatable. That is an experience that I’m sure most people can relate to, and I think Wendig did a good job encapsulating that feeling, even though it does feel jarring to see Covid and Trump being brought up casually in novels.
The horror was also good, and even though I found the final “explanation” kind of hokey, I loved the progression of it throughout the story and the ways they slowly explored the space.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Wendig is back in full force, and shows that true friendship sometimes means putting aside your fears and climbing the spooky murder staircase in the middle of the woods!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
5.0
Beautiful and tragic. When Santiago died, his mother took a small piece of his lung and fed it until it became a creature of its own: Monstrilio.
I’ve read a few books that have been centered around grief, and this one felt particularly moving. It was gruesome and off-putting at times to see what his parents were willing to do for the little creature; but also, it was so understandable that it almost became common sense to nurture this monster—it is their son.
I’ve read a few books that have been centered around grief, and this one felt particularly moving. It was gruesome and off-putting at times to see what his parents were willing to do for the little creature; but also, it was so understandable that it almost became common sense to nurture this monster—it is their son.
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
3.5
Not a bad little story! Good for what it is, which is a very tight novella about a mini-quest. I liked the world and the magic, even though it wasn’t explained a ton. I thought it had a satisfying end, and thought the characters were still well-explored for how short of a book this was.
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
fast-paced
1.0
The stunning cover caught my eye, but unfortunately, that’s the best part about this novel.
The premise (3 siblings discover a VHS of their parents covering up a murder after cleaning their dead mom’s house) is great! Plenty of opportunity for exploration into the past through a different and darker lens, how our childhood influences who we become, what we’re willing to overlook for family, how the truth can warp based on who is telling it. All great ideas for a novel like this!—too bad it never really explores any of that.
The novel is just so surface level, both in terms of the actual writing and in the plot. We get nothing but the basics of the main characters thoughts and feelings. Even though we have chapters from 4 different people’s perspectives, I still feel like all of them were wooden and underdeveloped. That, combined with the very high school writing style, made this novel just meh.
The premise (3 siblings discover a VHS of their parents covering up a murder after cleaning their dead mom’s house) is great! Plenty of opportunity for exploration into the past through a different and darker lens, how our childhood influences who we become, what we’re willing to overlook for family, how the truth can warp based on who is telling it. All great ideas for a novel like this!—too bad it never really explores any of that.
The novel is just so surface level, both in terms of the actual writing and in the plot. We get nothing but the basics of the main characters thoughts and feelings. Even though we have chapters from 4 different people’s perspectives, I still feel like all of them were wooden and underdeveloped. That, combined with the very high school writing style, made this novel just meh.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
3.75
Enjoyable little read! The main characters, while flawed and not “great people” per se, were what made this book good.
Opal was a scrappy little asshole, and I loved her. The creepy little haunted house story, while interesting, just didn’t quite hit right for most of the book, but that was fine. I still had a good time, seeing how the little thief was going to save herself and those she loved from the evils of capitalism/house.
Opal was a scrappy little asshole, and I loved her. The creepy little haunted house story, while interesting, just didn’t quite hit right for most of the book, but that was fine. I still had a good time, seeing how the little thief was going to save herself and those she loved from the evils of capitalism/house.