Lori

This is a good children’s book that is still enjoyable to read as an adult. It is dark (but not too dark) for a kid’s book and that is what makes it good. Kids don’t always need to read books that shoot rainbows at them. The dark material would have captivated me as a kid.

I had watched the film before reading the book, so I have Keith David’s voice in mind whenever the Cat talks. Which I am 100% ok with as I love David’s voice acting. I did constantly compare the book to the film even when I tried not to. If I had read the book first, I wild have like it more, but I enjoy the film too much. The film is a good companion that gets the feeling of being a child and wanting to explore that the book does well.

I am quick to judge a book by its cover and by what I have heard about it in passing. I thought this would be a social commentary discussion and would be closer to an autobiography. I was quite wrong and happy that I was.

The story was great, and the writing was perfect for it. I loved that we had only the view of the white author as it added to the delusions of this person. THIS WOMAN! The main character is just a terrible person, and I enjoyed every moment of her terribleness. This perspective we get is well done and I liked how through this point of view we can see her justify each action to herself. The ending could rival a horror story.

Commentary on social issues brought up through out the book but not fully discussed. Which makes sense considering the point of view this story is in. I liked that the author left the questions like who can write about what in our hands. I don’t always like when points are told and repeated. This book perfectly shows us these issues and lets us make the connections. It made the book refreshing.

I didn’t mind this book, but I didn’t quite care for it either. The formatting of the story started to get confusing and annoying as I went along. There were good parts and a few that made me chuckle but then main points the author is making are stated but not worked on.

I felt there could have been a little more to this book. By leaning more towards satire or by expanding on the social themes brought up this book could have been more focused.

The author tends to repeat issues too much in the book and the courtroom scene just put me off. Still, it’s not a bad read and not very long.

I am happy that I read this book. After reading the first one in the series I wasn’t sure about continuing, but this book is worth it.

This book is closer to what I thought the first one would be. I enjoyed the story and the kills as I read. I did find that we got introduced to a lot of characters which is fine but sometimes we spent too much time on a few that didn’t matter. Not that I don’t like world building, but some (not all) character views didn’t add anything to the story, world, or deaths. I liked that the body count starts from the beginning of the book and kept up throughout the rest of the book like a true slasher.

If someone wanted to read this book without reading the first, you could get through it with little questions. The author does explain enough of the first story to get you though, but you do miss a little relationship/character building, and I think that it’s something that made this story greater.

A few issues I have with the book are:

The twin sister switches are confusing. Nobody seems to have as many issues as possible with the janitor recording students in the high school or the teacher student relationship that is implied. It is also a little weird that in this book everyone starts quoting slashers except for Jennifer/Jade. The spirit elk did not seem to have much of a purpose in most of the story. Although I did like the spirit elk ending. I did find it weird that the book description mentions Jade getting out of jail when nothing was mentioned in the last book. I would rather they left that out for you to find out when you read.

All this is not to say I didn’t like the book. I enjoyed reading though it and would recommend others to check it out if they can. I can’t wait until I get a hold of the next one.

It was a good cozy book, but I kept waiting on the murder part of the Christmas Cake Murder. This popped up as a good seasonal read but this might have been a bad book to start with. As I heard (after reading) that this book was a story that was taking place before the main series and was a good look into the characters. Maybe I will pick up another book in the series sometimes.

The mistake I have made many times is reading a book based on its cover and I have done that again here. I 100% thought this was a horror novel. Its not and that’s on me. I ended up getting into parts of the book, but this is just not one I would have read if I actually paid attention to the description.

I couldn’t help but think the author became a bit obsessive over someone that shares the same first name as her. It seemed like this book was almost an autobiography of the other Naomi. The whole book leaned toward American politics, so it felt like I wasn’t the desired audience for this.

The author would jump from thought to thought that as I listened (Audiobook) I genuinely forgot what they were talking about that brought us to here. There is a bit of repetition though out the book and despite this I can’t really tell someone what I read.

Maybe this book would be good for someone else.

Is this the best romance you will read? No. Is this a scathing satire ripping apart the whole genre? No. Will this be a fun read? Yes.

This was so fun to read. Its not a deep or inspiring romance novel. It’s for people who love to watch and make fun of hallmark films. Cheesy romances are my guilty pleasure, from the bad acting, over the top plots, to the questionable choices. This book is all of that in book form.

The choices are funny and some choices I just wanted to see where they went, and it was worth it. I laughed, snickered, and just enjoyed myself while reading.

My Favorite quote: “Without you, I am like a piece of generic Scotch tape and two pieces of literally anything: Barely holding it together.”

This book was good. It’s as simple as that. I read another horror anthology last year by BIPOC authors but found the stories to not be that horror focused and was worried this would be a repeat. I am so happy I read this! I enjoyed most of the stories but the ones I genuinely enjoyed and kept thinking about was:

• Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller
• White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Tick Talk by Cherie Dimaline
• Snakes Are Born in the Dark by D. H. Trujillo
• Before I Go by Norris Black
• Behind Colin’s Eyes by Shane Hawk
• Scariest. Story. Ever. by Richard Van Camp
• The Longest Street in the World by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
• The Prepper by Morgan Talty
• Sundays by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
• Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala
• Limbs by Waubgeshig Rice

This is not to say the rest are not worth reading. There are some great standouts in this collection that made me search for and place holds on these authors other books. Mostly from the stories above but also from other stories in the book. Other authors I look at were Marcie R. Rendon, Nick Medina, Tiffany Morris, and Mona Susan Power.

Most of the stories are actually horror focused but there are a few that focus more on the trauma of Indigenous people which in a way is a horror story. If you have already read this then you will notice that most of the stories, I liked above have a little body horror in it but that is not what makes them so good. There is an atmosphere to these stories that just embodies dark and dangerous.

I would recommend this book to others, and it will definitely be a re-read for me.

I was just looking for a book that features a POC that experiences joy and not trauma for a reading challenge. I was recommended this book. Over all it is nicely drawn and was interesting to read but found that I didn’t agree with how somethings were treated.

One character has depression and is told not to take their medication by their friend who was earlier shown smoking. Then her depression is glossed over. Another character has someone interested in her but she brushes them off like not right now but then hooks up with someone famous just because. One girl has a stalker that shows up at her show then leaves once confronted by her friends and it’s left at that.

The book leaves so much unfinished. I can understand that this is supposed to be just a glimpse in the life but each storyline brought up to much issues and left it there. The stories didn’t feel in tone with what I thought was the vibe of the book.

This is not what I thought it would be. When I read the description I thought it would be a great slasher novel. Its not quite that. It was more of a rambling narrator for most of the book before a body count finally starts to build.

At first this book opened well with great atmosphere and felt like it was building up to the start of a good slashing novel. I like the main character at first but then it just went on. You get to hear her internal monolog about her encyclopedic knowledge of slasher flics. This was interesting at first but it never stopped. Not much happened in the story during this. As you trudge on you start to get annoyed with her. Just get on with the slashing.

There is mention of trauma and the story focuses mainly on the main characters terrible home life and its affect on her mental well being. This when on for so long that I thought the book was just going to stay that this was all in her head and she’s actually really messed up and needs help. Which the book sort of did.

Finally we get to the horror/slashing stage at about the last third of the book. As the body count builds up there is more questions of who is doing this and how are they doing it. Its not worth finding out. It was actually a little disappointing but I won’t ruin this for every one else. The major trauma event in the main characters life is finally laid out and she gets a sort of revenge.

This book didn’t really seem to address anything. It just wasn’t enough for me. I kept wanting more from the each part of the book. But this is not to say it’s an absolutely terrible book. The writing style is good and easily sucks you in. There are parts of the book with actual horror elements and the author nails these sections. It felt like it could have been a better book and that the author had the ability to do it.

I did place a hold on the next book of this series. I am not ready to give up on this. I might hate myself later but I hope it will work out.

This was an odd book, and I don’t quite know what to think of it. There were parts that were great in either energy or storytelling and other parts that were dragging and distortedly written. I don’t have too much experience with Straub’s works, only Ghost Story, which gave me a high expectation for this collaboration.

And collaborated they did as you can’t tell who wrote what part and with only some classic King style in there that’s all his own. This book blended great in some parts that made this feel like an effort of great companionship by both authors. On the other hand, the parts where it doesn’t blend so well are what make this book feel off.

The whole story built up a magical other world that we don’t get to see enough of. We spend so much time on the Real/regular world with the main character getting stopped at numerous pits of despair. I just want the story to go on. The book was part childhood loss and random torture. Some trials the main character/hero is put through were unnecessarily long. Other characters like Wolf and Richard could be a little annoying and only added to the trials of the MC.

All this is not to say this is a completely bad book. Although I maybe a sucker for King’s works since I have loved so much of his other novels. The feel of the book is part fairy tale but mostly dark fantasy and dark it does well. The evil and just mean for fun characters were done well and parts of the trials were good to read. It just should have been shorter and worked more with the magic of the Territories.

I am hoping that the next book fixes some of these issues as that would turn this into a great collaboration.

This is a romance book with out romance. The two leads develop a good friendship but not really a relationship. The was no build up to the romance. They are friends up to the point they kiss then they are just sort of together. Then parents as the secondary romance plot wasn’t great either since the focus was split. Both couples felt rushed and are together just because.

The women are too excited to be step siblings which just felt weird. Then they give up easily and somehow the last, last attempt just works out.

The friendship of the main leads was nice but I wish there was more longing, tension, or something else besides platonic friendship between the two. I wouldn’t know they are interested in each other with out the author just telling me they are.

After reading Speaker for the Dead, I thought this book would be just as captivating. It was not. It just went on for too long and over analyzed everything. I just kept waiting for the point in the book where it would take me in. The story was pulled in so many different directions that each part wasn’t given the attention it deserved. Interesting ethical debates are still apart of this book but it not enough.

Characters I had cared about before, I didn’t fee that same connection with. The emotional pull of the previous book was missing from this one. Most were unlikable and I don’t feel like that was intentional. Bad characters with no emotional gravity are what hurt the book.

I picked this book up due to a reading challenge and just couldn’t put it down. I loved how each section of the book was focused so you are not jumping around through multiple ideas at once. Most sections dealt with the story of one girl with her friends, family, and co-gymnasts/figure skaters to help speak where they couldn’t.

This book at times felt scarier than some of the horror novels I was reading. It was an interesting read and the author mixes stories, interviews, and discussions to give you a good understanding of what’s happening.

I would love to read a more updated book to see what’s hopefully changed in these sports. There are some sections and stories that I just can’t stop thinking about. It maybe an older book but it is worth the read.

I had picked up the authors other book Dead Silence and really enjoyed it. So, when I found out they had another book, I placed a hold as soon as I could. But this book is so different that I had to check it was the same author. Gone was the chilling atmosphere and the plot that kept you engaged.

This book was instead more focused on the characters mental well being. Which could have made for a great phycological thriller. But not this. I hated the characters and there was not much of a story in the background. There were a few parts that I had gotten caught up in that went no where.

The main character was not good. She didn’t even seem to be good at her own job and I can see why the others didn’t trust her. Was she really the person to send on this mission. There was a romance subplot that I kept saying no to.

This could have been better and based on the other story by this author it should have been. I am still going to want to read the author's next book, because the first was so good.

I was excited to read this as who wouldn't want to step into the world of their favorite rom-com story? It opened well with great cozy vibes but went down from there. I liked the idea of this character pointing out the flaws of classic rom-coms and trying to make the lives of characters from her favourite books better.

Nothing much happened with her "help" and she ended up making some dumb decisions as well. The romance for her was so, so, so bad. No build up just, bam! They are super into each other. Then there was THAT ending. It was horrible! I thought for a book that brought up not accepting bad character decisions that this book would try its best not to fall into any pits. Well, the ending didn't fall but jumped head-first into one. One that no one can come back from.

To save yourself, the ending had the male lead ditch the female to be with a character that looked like his deceased partner. Then he later shows up like my bad never mind.

This was not worth it and there was not enough to redeem it.

I saw that this book was available on Libby to borrow and though it would be an interesting read. This does contain spoilers for some of King's major works.

Throughout the book, there are sections by other contributors that were great to read as it wasn't all one opinion. Some of the contributors were able to clearly communicate and emphasize their points. That said I found some sections repeated ideas and only some of King's works were mentioned. As you read through each section some books show up in multiple areas and it's a little annoying when I know there are other examples they could have pulled from.

I did enjoy this book as a reflection of all the work and mastery that goes into King's works.

If you don't take this book too seriously this is a fun read. It was a bit goofy and Vera's constant inserting of herself into things that are none of her business. Was at times chuckle-worthy.

On the other hand, if you want a good mystery and character development this is not for you. Vera does everything she can to hinder the murder investigation while interrogating innocent people. Telling them directly that they are a suspect. Vera was written as if she was ancient through all of her scenes and I forgot how young she actually is.

The side characters all have their own issues that seem to be solved too simplistically by Vera's motherly advice or more like forceful intrusion into their personal lives. There is a romance in the background with two of the suspects who felt unpleasant due to all the lies they told, not just to the group but to each other. Then you have a toddler who talks about inflation in a really off-putting moment.

It kind of bothered me that the suspects are only suspects because they did something petty and felt bad about it.

I read this in a pretty upbeat mood, and I did end up enjoying Vera's meddlesome ways. There is a second story coming soon that I would like to read.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book as it was all over the place. It started off well enough as we were introduced to all the characters, but this constant flipping narrative got annoying as the book went on. Often, I had to stop my audio book and go back because I could not tell who was narrating now. This clouded the story then at times we got too many perspectives on what happened that over expanded a scene.

There were just little things that that added up to make me not like this book. Forced romance subplot, too many perspectives, characters that just happened to know someone or something that helps, and a haphazard ending.

After each “twist” I just though why bother with all of this? The ending really makes me question why this was marked as a mystery novel. The mystery is barely a part of the plot as we learn about so many characters but never get to fully get into any of them.

If the book wasn’t going to focus on mystery, then it should have been better with its characters. I am not going to continue with this series.

I can’t stop thinking about this book. I had read Ender's Game in high school and enjoyed it ever since. Now I needed a book starting with an X for a challenge and will read Xenocide after this. Although I picked this up just to get to the next book in the series, I am happy I did.

It is beyond different from Ender's Game (which I still enjoy). This one was more mature, deeper, and thought-provoking. The story took me in, and I could not put it down. The discussion of how we study other societies and the “Piggys” as a people was engaging.

The stories of the Piggys and the people researching them were captivating and emotional. I almost felt like crying as the Piggys understood what happened with Pipo and Libo. Human (a Piggy) was such a great character!

This is a must-read for anyone.

What a weird story, I loved it.

The book gripped me from start to finish. The way it's written as if someone is telling the story of the main characters life fits this odd story. It is both very detailed about the making of perfumes and engaging in the character’s views. Each part felt necessary to the whole of the story as it built up. The main character's ability is almost God like and reading about the reckoning of others that use/fight against him brought up questions of divine nature/work.

The ending is certainly odd but still enjoyable. That’s really how I felt about the whole book. I would recommend this book to others but not everyone. I think it's a little bit of an unserious book.

It's worth a read and the film is pretty good as well.

I just did not like reading this. I had heard this would be a good messed-up book, but it focused more on grossness.

The main plot line which all the short stories are told through was interesting at first, but I stopped caring what happened to these characters as time went on. Most of the short stories were disappointing as well. I did like a few: Slumming, Swan Song, and Dog Years. The rest of the stories I just sat through waiting for the next good one.

What was good about this book was not enough to carry me through the rest of it. This is one I wish I didn't finish.