Tag: NetGalley

Dark Lord Davi #1: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying – Django Wexler

Davi’s got attitude. But so would you if you’d done this over 230 times before and it ended with you being skewered or dissected or [insert your favourite manner of death here]. Every. Single. Time.

This time Davi’s trying something different. If you can’t beat them, become them?

“Hello, my friends! I am the next Dark Lord! Will you join me?”

I’m a big fan of time loops so I loved watching Davi try and fail over and over until she didn’t.

What I’m not a big fan of are books where the characters walk for a very long time, arrive at a destination, stay there for a bit for some action/drama, then walk some more. This meant there were entire chapters where, no matter who I met or what happened, my brain was on an ‘are we there yet?’ loop. My brain came back online once everyone stopped walking.

When I first read the blurb and decided that this was the book for me, I didn’t realise it was the first in a duology. This means you’re not getting all of the answers at the end of this book, or really any of the big ones. I enjoyed the end enough to want to keep reading, though.

I’m usually all for footnotes in novels and I was here too for a while. I continued to read them but they didn’t scream Bonus Content as much as I’d hoped.

What this book did scream was that the female main character was written by a man. I’m all for characters embracing their sexuality but Davi’s hypersexuality ended up making her feel more like a caricature than someone I could relate to.

Although the world literally revolves around Davi, I didn’t love her. Who I did love was Droff, a stone-eater who enjoys nothing more than counting.

I’m pretty sure I’ll end up being there for the second book. I’m hoping for more answers, less walking and more conversations with Droff.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side. 

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When I Look at the Sky, All I See Are Stars – Steve Stred

It takes a lot to disturb me. I’m disturbed. And that was from reading the author’s note before the first chapter. Besides disturbing me, it also made me more keen than ever to read the Father of Lies trilogy. Because disturbing me definitely doesn’t equate to stopping me coming back for more.

This is one of those books where I would recommend you read the content warnings. I’ll be quoting them at the end of my review. Had I read them first, I probably would have baulked at the “scenes depicting sex and sex acts”. Even now, my brain is interjecting, ‘Or whatever the hell that was!’

Despite wanting to scrub those images from my mind, I enjoyed this read. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say enjoyed. Do you enjoy depravity and gore? Do you admit it if you do?

Psychologist Dr Rachel Hoggendorf has a new patient, David. If you believe him, though, he hasn’t been new for a long time. Not for centuries, in fact.

“He’s an interesting case.”

It’s not clear when Rachel meets David but I assume it was a few decades ago because Dissociative Identity Disorder is still known as Multiple Personality Disorder. David’s story is … let’s go with disturbing.

No matter how ick, ew, I’m not sure I want this image permanently etched in my brain thank you very much, the urge to keep reading won. If this book had been written by pretty much anyone else, I wouldn’t have even ventured past the content warnings, but it’s a Steve Stred book.

Steve’s taken me hiking in the Canadian wilderness. He introduced me to Bruiser. I’m so many books behind but he’s already cemented his place in my must read list. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable.

This book is absolutely worth all the stars. For the ick. For the what the fuck did I just read. For the disturbance.

Also, that cover is incredible! I would have read this book even if it wasn’t a Steve Stred book.

“Be careful. If it gets out … just be careful.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for the opportunity to read this novella.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Dr. Rachel Hoggendorf has seen it all. An accomplished psychiatrist, she’s always prided herself on connecting to the patients who’ve been brought to the facility, no matter how difficult or closed-off they are. That is, until David arrives.

At first, she listens to what David has to say. How he claims to be four hundred years old and possessed by a demon. She diagnoses him as having multiple personalities and approaches his treatment as such.

But as their time together continues, David begins to share details he shouldn’t know and begins to lash out violently. When Rachel brings in her colleague Dr. Dravendash, David’s behaviour escalates and it’s not long before they begin to wonder if David just might be telling the truth. That he’s possessed by a demonic presence… and it wants out.

A visceral, edge of your seat novella, When I Look to the Sky, All I See Are Stars is everything you’d expect from 2x Splatterpunk nominated author Steve Stred. Frantic pacing, hooves and horns and the growing dread that what lies beyond this plane is a land filled with ash and a place we never want to visit.

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When Among Crows – Veronica Roth

A man seeking redemption that he doesn’t deserve. Monsters that would be justified in taking their pound of flesh. An unlikely trio bound by pain and blood. What’s not to love?!

The Baba Jaga lured me here but I stayed for the curse, the longing and the body horror. Fear has never smelled so sweet.

This story works perfectly as a novella. I loved the story so much, though, that I want more. I loved all of the characters but I want to follow Dymitr for an entire series.

The less you know about this one going in the better. The blurb probably even gives away too much.

I devoured this in one sitting and it might have only been a couple of weeks since I read it but I am so ready to dive back in again.

“I know what haunts you.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this novella.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.

Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.

Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets — and his true motives — may be the thing that actually destroys them.

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The House That Horror Built – Christina Henry

I can’t imagine a day where I’ll reach my haunted house story limit. There’s something about a menacing presence causing havoc in the place that’s supposed to be safe, one where the harsh realities of the world aren’t supposed to intrude, that never gets old.

This haunting introduces us to Harry, a single mother with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s just gotten a new job cleaning the home of a reclusive horror movie director, a man whose work Harry is a fan of.

That door was always locked, and it wasn’t her job to be curious about it.

This is a story where the characters are as haunted as the house. It’s more character driven than I was expecting and I surprised myself by enjoying this, even when it seemed to be taking away from the haunting I picked up the book to experience.

I liked Harry, who’s doing her best to keep her head above water. Her love for her son, Gabe, and her efforts to give him a better life endeared her to me. Gabe, an absolute sweetheart, oftentimes seemed too good to be true but I had a soft spot for him as well. Mr Castillo, Harry’s employer and a man with a troubled past, was the one I kept wanting to know more about.

Much of the book unfolded as I expected it to but I definitely wasn’t right about everything. There’s the expected strange noises and other spooky goings on scattered throughout the book but it isn’t until near the end that things really heat up.

I had hoped for more scares but I have a pretty high threshold for horror so it takes a lot to rattle me. This isn’t my favourite haunted house book but it was a fun read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Single mum Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so when she’s offered a job cleaning for revered horror director Javier Castillo, she leaps at the chance. His forbidding Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his decades-long career making films that thrilled audiences and dominated the box office — until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, so Harry tries to clean the house immaculately and keep her head down — she needs the money from this job to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon finds that the house — and her enigmatic boss — have secrets she can’t ignore…

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Beyond the Bounds of Infinity – Vaughn A. Jackson & Stephanie Pearre (editors)

I have a weird relationship with anthologies. I usually find my way to them because they include a story by an author I love that I can’t find anywhere else. If I’m lucky, I find another couple of stories to enjoy, then drag myself through the rest. By the end, I decide it wasn’t worth the effort. Until the next time a favourite author is included in one.

It’s Mary SanGiovanni’s fault that I’m here. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read of hers and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read something new. It didn’t surprise me that I loved her contribution to this anthology. What did surprise me was that I didn’t find a bad one in the bunch!

Sure, I enjoyed some more than others but I didn’t dislike any! I don’t know if that’s ever happened before. It was actually difficult to pick my favourites. In the order you’ll find them in the book because they’re all so different and I can’t rank them…

Fractures of Her Reflection by Amanda Headlee

If Dava doesn’t tap her bedroom door three times, bad things will happen. Her therapist doesn’t understand this.

The horror when people with preconceived ideas don’t trust your judgement about what your reality looks like. When professionals believe that their expert opinion trumps your lived experience. When validation comes at a cost.

“Does this have something to do with awakening?”

Effigies of Monstrous Things by Pedro Iniguez

Mario just wants his kids to be able to live in a home without mould. It’s clear his landlord isn’t going to fix the problem so Mario has decided to investigate for himself.

The horror when, no matter how hard you try, you’re stuck in a loop. Of being a single parent and doing your very best but not being able to get ahead. The illusion of safety. The injustice when people in authority abuse their power.

“The sculpture is nigh complete…”

Cracks by Mary SanGiovanni

Billy shows his classmates the rock he found in the woods. It’s a pretty rock. His classmates also like looking at the rock.

The horror of being the only one who can truly see what’s going on, understanding the gravity of it and knowing that the someone who needs to do something about it is you.

“Don’t make it harder to play the games.”

I am so glad I read this anthology. I have renewed hope for the ones my favourite authors will make me read in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the opportunity to read this anthology.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Welcome to a world of horror viewed through a kaleidoscope lens. Embark on a journey to untangle the writhing tendrils of human terror in a dimension where the possible and impossible blend; an unstable realm where comfort can be found in the coldest pits, and dark gods feast upon the sweetest suffering, where infernal sounds birth silent letters that drift along midnight shores and the unexplained lurks beneath crumbling urban structures. Step over the edge of what you think you know, and find yourself … Beyond the Bounds of Infinity!

Featuring stories by L. Marie Wood, S.A. Cosby, Jessica McHugh, and Mary SanGiovanni alongside newer voices like Cassius Kilroy, Jessica L. Sparrow, and Vicky Velvet, Beyond the Bounds of Infinity offers a collection of weird fiction and cosmic horror stories that are diverse down to the cellular level. From Taíno folk horror to the horror of identity in a world that just doesn’t understand, from cozy to apocalyptic, and everything in between, let these authors show you what fear really is, and what it means to them.

Are you brave enough to step into the madness that awaits within these pages?

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Whales & Dolphins – Tom Jackson

My childhood answer to ‘If you could be an animal, what would you be?’ was a dolphin. Every time. I’ve never grown out of my love for them.

It makes my day whenever I get to see a pod of dolphins playing in the waves when I’m walking on the beach. I’ve come to love whales as well and look forward to seeing them migrate up and down the coast.

A photography book featuring whales, dolphins, other toothed whales and porpoises was always going to find me. I enjoyed the fun facts.

The water spout puffed from the blue whale’s nostril-like blowholes rises 10m (32.8ft) above the surface.

I was really here for the photography, though. The photos weren’t as jaw dropping as I’d hoped but I was introduced to a number of species I hadn’t heard of before. I’m currently most interested in meeting a Pacific white-sided dolphin.

Pacific white-sided dolphin
Photo credit: Louie Lea

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amber Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Whales and dolphins alike are renowned for their intelligent nature and fascinating social rituals. Like us humans, they use vocalisations to communicate. They both have distinctive, streamlined body shapes and propel themselves through water using powerful tails and flippers. These magnificent mammals are frequently described as ‘sentinels’ of ocean health, providing key insight into marine dynamics and ecosystem quality. Whales are the largest marine mammals belonging to the Cetacea order (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Their incredible size continues to amaze us, the blue whale reaching an astounding 100ft (30.48 metres) and weighing as much as 200 tons. Dolphins, found in both oceans and freshwater, are actually classed as small-toothed whales. They are esteemed around the world for their sleek physical appearance and intriguing sounds used to communicate with each other. Did you know that porpoises are often shy creatures and therefore most of us will very rarely encounter them in the wild? Among their species is the vaquita, tragically the most endangered species of any whale, dolphin or porpoise. With full captions explaining the different species, behaviour and feeding habits, Whales & Dolphins is a vibrant look at these marine mammals in 180 vivid photographs.

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Hidden Places – Claudia Martin

I love landscape photography and, as someone who’s never travelled outside of my country, I enjoy imagining all of the places I’ll travel when I stumble across the millions of dollars that have been hiding from me.

This book takes you around the world in 180 photos, highlighting some lesser known places. My travel bucket list has grown extensively as a result.

There’s the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto, Canada, with over 15 million items!

As someone who collects sea glass, I need to see Glass Beach in California. There are colours there I don’t have in my collection.

I definitely need to learn how to abseil so I can see the ‘heavenly light’ above the sinkhole in Jomblang Cave in Indonesia.

Jomblang Cave
Photo credit: Altung Galip

I want to wander around the Maol-bhuidhe bothy in Scotland and see Cueva de los Verdes, a network of lava tubes, in Lanzarote, Spain. I need to explore the island of Porto Santo in Madeira, Portugal.

Teufelsbrücke (‘Devil’s Bridge) in Rakotzbrücke, Germany fascinates me and I’ve wanted to see the Crooked Forest in Gryfino, Poland for years.

My favourite photo was of Thor’s Well in Oregon, USA.

Thor’s Well
Photo credit: Jeffrey Schwartz

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amber Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

From the psychedelic salt mines of Yekaterinburg in Siberia to the rugged, green-tinted Copper Canyon in the Sierra Madre in Mexico, Hidden Places roams across the globe in search of hidden treasures and secret places off the beaten track. Explore the Silfra Deep Trench in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create a remarkable rift and freshwater dive site; experience the weirdest of woodland walks through the Crooked Forest in Pomerania, Poland, where a grove of 400 pines are uniformly curved; marvel at the colourful, gold-plated temple of Doi Suthep in northern Thailand; or visit the world’s highest sand dune, Grande Dune du Pilat, on the Bordeaux coast. Each location is accompanied by a caption explaining the geography and history of the place. Illustrated with 180 colour photographs, Hidden Places ranges from the sparse landscape of the Arctic Circle to the rich rainforests of the Amazon basin. Read this book and discover the special, hidden places that will come to define your bucket list – many of which are much closer to home than you think.

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The Redemption of Morgan Bright – Chris Panatier

This is a nightmare onion of a book, where every layer you peel away reveals something even more disturbing.

The DSM is now in its eleventh edition and the medical model’s pathologisation of mental health is alive and well. Flavour of the edition is domestic psychosis, proving once again that, no matter how far in the past the 1950’s are, there will be groups of people intent on replicating the worst parts of it.

Morgan Bright has recently been diagnosed with domestic psychosis so she’s the newest inmate patient at Hollyhock. Charlotte Andrew Turner arrives that day too. Their relationship is … complicated.

But I’m telling you, there’s something off with her.

I read 35 books between my first and second reads of this book; the reread was even better. I agonised over this review for months, trying to figure out the best way of shoving this book in your face and hollering ‘Read this!’ without including all of the things I need to talk about but can’t because spoilers. I have turned myself inside out over this, so much so that I’m convinced I can never visit Nebraska, just in case someone from Hollyhock finds me.

I loved trying to figure out Charlotte. This is probably the only time in my life that my thought process will be ‘Dissociative Identity Disorder? Nah, too easy. Tulpa?’ The fact that DID could ever be the easy option should give you a hint of the horrors that await you at Hollyhock.

This isn’t the type of thing you just dump on someone. I wouldn’t want your brain to collapse.

It’s all the more horrifying because the majority of the evils perpetrated against women in this book are committed by other women. This somehow makes it worse. If you see Enid in your travels, please be sure to take a cleansing breath and punch her for me.

This book is guilt, grief and paper dolls. The body horror is sublime and oh so squishy.

“It’s beautiful in that way.”

If you’ve read even a couple of my reviews, it’s likely you’ve heard about how I sent an email to the address listed in the book and it bounced back. Or that I visited the website only to discover it doesn’t exist. You may have witnessed me mumbling to myself about missed marketing opportunities. And if I ever write a book… And maybe one day…

Well, I’m here to tell you that one of my longest standing bookish dreams has come true! There’s a website mentioned in this book and it actually exists, and it’s glorious! Every time I think about it my smile becomes as wide as the women photographed on its pages. And I’m fine. Really. This is not an indication that you need to refer me to Hollyhock. Please don’t send me to Hollyhock!

So, is there a happily ever after? Why, yes, the book does have an ending. Thank you for asking.

Welcome to Hollyhock. Come for the food.* Stay for the twirling. We hope you survive enjoy your stay.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book.

* BYO coffee.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A woman checks herself into an insane asylum to solve the mystery of her sister’s murder, only to lose her memory and maybe her mind.

From the subversive voice behind The Phlebotomist comes a story that combines the uncanny atmosphere of Don’t Worry Darling with the narrative twists of The Last House on Needless Street.

What would guilt make you do? 

Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside. 

Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.   

The terrifying reality of The Redemption of Morgan Bright unfolds over the course of chapters told from the points of view of both Charlotte and Morgan, police interviews, and text messages. 

File Under: Horror [ Twirl With Them | Sisterly Bond | It’s a Doozy | Be Careful What You Wish For ]

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Full of Myself – Siobhán Gallagher

In this graphic memoir, Siobhán Gallagher takes on body image. We learn about her family, friendships and relationships, and tag along as she navigates her relationship with her body.

It was clear to me as a kid that to be a woman was to be wrong no matter what, and there were so many ways to be wrong!

Siobhán talks about pop culture and the messages she’s received about her body throughout her life.

When you hear something enough, you internalise it. And I internalised the message, “I am not enough.”

As someone who has read fairly widely about disordered eating and body image, I didn’t come away with any new revelations. However, Siobhán’s story is relatable and definitely something younger me needed to hear.

Disordered eating is a serious topic but there were definitely some smiles along the way.

I’ve got a handle on it

And times where I felt called out.

Snacking could fix everything

Something I’m starting to notice more in memoirs is a focus on how difficult things were in the past, then a shift to how much things have improved. While I can empathise with the pain of the past and embrace cheerleader mode when I read about someone being healed/better/more fulfilled than they were, what I really want to know is how they got from A to B.

Most of us are living in the messy in between. We’re looking for signposts to follow or toolbox contents we can test out and adapt for ourselves. I would have loved to have spent more time learning how Siobhán went from disordered eating to acceptance.

I loved the Years in Fashion pages at the beginning of each section. A lot of these brought back fond memories and fashion crimes. I appreciated Schrödinger’s outfit and I’m considering adopting Purple Day Fridays.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic memoir.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Author and illustrator Siobhán Gallagher’s humorous and heartfelt graphic memoir details her journey from being anxious and unhappy to learning to love herself as she is.

“I’m proud of the person I’ve become because I fought to become her.” At the age of 30, Siobhán Gallagher looks back on her teenage years struggling with anxiety and diet culture, desperate to become a beautiful, savvy, and slim adult. As an actual adult, she realises she hasn’t turned out the way she’d imagined, but through the hard work of self-reflection — cut with plenty of humour — Gallagher brings readers along on her journey to self-acceptance and self-love.

Through witty comics and striking illustrations, Full of Myself is a highly relatable story of the awkward, imperfect, and hilariously honest teenage best friend readers will wish they had had — and the awkward, imperfect, and hilariously honest woman she becomes.

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Robert Grim #2: Oracle – Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Translator – Moshe Gilula

How could a sound that had ceased forty years ago suddenly echo again on a cold winter morning … and feel so wrong?

Luca and Emma weren’t expecting to find a ship in a tulip field on their way to school. It wasn’t there yesterday and it seems pretty impossible that it’s there now.

This sounds like a job for Robert Grim.

I can’t say that Robert Grim was exactly enjoying his retirement or even remembering much of it. He doesn’t live in Black Spring anymore, though, so that’s progress.

He’s not exactly advertising his services but even he can’t deny he has a unique skill set. His involvement in this investigation isn’t what you’d call voluntary. That’s not how these things work.

This is one of those rare series where I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book. I was all about the mystery of the ship but it turns out that’s only the beginning of this story.

While this book was still dark, there was some hope to be found. I had Luca, a gutsy kid, to cheer on and I needed that.

I struggled with the fictional animals meeting their maker in HEX. There was some of that here too but none that I’d built a relationship with first so that made it easier.

If you absolutely had to, you could read this book without having read HEX but you would be missing out. It provides much needed context for the character of Robert Grim. This book also includes spoilers for the first so you won’t want to read them out of order.

Supernatural phenomena followed their own set of rules … until they didn’t.

I spent the whole book trying to figure out how Robert Grim survived the Black Rock Witch and I was given an explanation but I need to know more. Thankfully this book ends with an opening for another so I may get to explore this further.

Oftentimes when I’m reading a book, I think about what I would do if I was plonked into the storyline. If I had made my way to Every Man’s End, I would unquestionably not be here to tell you about it. I would have investigated the ship that shouldn’t have been, the bell would have tolled and, well, if you read the book you’ll know what would’ve happened next.

‘And what did you think?’

‘That they should have listened to the kid, dammit.’

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

On a foggy winter morning two children discover the impossible: the wreck of an eighteenth-century ship stranded in a field.

One enters the hatch on the deck and is never seen again. And she isn’t the last to disappear…

Soon a government agency begins to investigate, determined to uncover the ship’s secrets before a media storm erupts. They enlist Robert Grim, a retired specialist of the occult, to unravel the mystery, who soon realises the ship could be a harbinger of an ancient doom awakened under the sea. 

In a maelstrom of international intrigue and pure terror, Grim must race against time as he comes face to face with an open doorway to the apocalypse.

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