Later by Stephen King (5/5)

Jamie Conklin can see dead people. Yeah, kinda like that one kid in that one movie, with an interesting difference: ghosts must answer truthfully when questioned by Jamie. Raised by a single mom, Tia, a literary agent, Jamie is warned by his mother from an early age that others may try to take advantage of his secret ability. If only Jamie could also see the future. 

I’ve always enjoyed King’s characters, but I’m particularly fond of the way he writes kids and young adults. It’s as if King remembers what it’s like to be a kid as if it were yesterday, which, and I try not to think about the reality of this, has not been the case for King for a hot minute. With Jamie as our narrator, I found the dialogue engaging and funny. 

A line that caused me to laugh out loud and merit the stares of my fellow MetroLink riders: a character says that if a particular event happens, that character will “eat his hat.” When the event does indeed come to pass, Jamie, in what to me felt like a Shakespearean-style aside, says he wanted to ask the character “…if he wanted salt and pepper on his hat, but…nobody loves a smartass.”

Prepare to feel emotions for characters you likely won’t feel deserve said emotions, but such is the way of complex characters. Even the ghosts are, at least, not flat characters; Later’s ghosts all seem to have a particular emotion unique to themselves…but I won’t delve too far into that; I’ll let you discover that aspect for yourself, Dear Reader, as King frequently refers to his readers. 

If you enjoyed Stephen King’s Colorado Kid or Joyland but wished they were a little more “IT” or “The Shining,” I highly recommend you check this book out sooner rather than…well, you know.

This review was written for the Ferguson Municipal Public Library blog.

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Sacrifice by Andrew Boylan (4/5)

Thank you so much to the author for reaching out to me to review his book and providing me with a digital copy of the book!

Blurring fact and fiction, Sacrifice drags readers into a waking nightmare where the evils of the past collide with the secrets of the present.

Struggling filmmaker Benny Hernandez stumbles upon a brutalized body in the mountains. As he photographs the victim, he notices something hauntingly familiar about the wounds.

Growing up in New Mexico, Benny heard stories of a cult that rose from the ashes of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680.

As more tortured bodies appear, Benny discovers a pattern that might mean this centuries-old cult has risen again.

This could be the story of a lifetime…if Benny lives to tell it.

Summary from Goodreads

I love me a slow burn and this is one. One of the funnier opening lines I’ve ever read, too; it was a hook! There were times when I had to stop and try to remember who a particular character was, but OOH BUDDY this filled my need for something creepy, yes sir, right up to the very end. I’m not a fan of romance, but a sub-plot of the book presents a romantic element that didn’t make me nauseous and wasn’t jarring to be included with the likes of the rest of the book.

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK:

Car accident, injuries to child, graphic descriptions of injuries and gore, gun violence, murder, graphic descriptions of drug addiction and use.

You can find this review not only on this blog, but also on Goodreads, StoryGraph, and LibraryThing. You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Follow the author, Andrew Boylan, on Twitter (@horrorbythebook).

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (4/5)

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

I’m still not entirely sure what the “conduction” is, but DAMN Ta-Nehisi can tell a story! I especially enjoyed the love-story-sub-story; it’s the real deal. I won’t say anything else about that. I also enjoyed the moment when I realized a certain character was indeed part of the cast of characters in this story–I did indeed squeal a bit. I, of course, listened to the e-audiobook through Libby as usual and mad props to Joe Morton who did such a great job with the many characters in this title.

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Thank you for reading and visiting!

The Drummer Girl by Tim Boiteau (3/5)

I got a free digital copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review, and my review can be found in its original form here.

Deliriously rich world-building, clever creatures, a winding plot, and a cigar-smoking dragon await. Enjoy the ride.

Trigger warnings for this book: suicide, schizophrenia, mental institutionalization, very graphic descriptions of gore and death.

After rousing from a potentially illicit-drug-induced stupor Jing realizes she isn’t in Kansas anymore, nor her hometown of Detroit where she’s the drummer in a band, or even Earth for that matter: she discovers she has somehow awoken on an asteroid called Psyche. Jing decides also finds herself preyed upon by a cigar-smoking dragon that feeds on her memories, seemingly protected by an elephantine dog. Through Jing’s memories, the reader discovers that she remembers being committed to a mental institution called Glenbrook for a possible diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The Drummer Girl was clearly simmering in the author’s brain for a significant amount of time. The world-building and descriptions of the features of the world are well-developed and luscious, enabling the reader to picture Psyche in all its fictitious glittering glory. (Speaking of glitter, have you seen the fantastic book cover art?) The creatures inhabiting Psyche as well as the landscapes remind me of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation trilogy with a bit of Alice in Wonderland kissed by the horror fiction fairy.

Is schizophrenia what caused Jing’s mother to take her own life and now wreaking havoc in Jing’s own life? Is this diagnosis propping up Psyche as an schizophrenic-grade illusion, or is Glenbrook trying to tamp down Psyche? Is the asteroid, Psyche, ironically named? Is this all a really bad trip? While I can’t recommend eating while doing so, I do recommend reading The Drummer Girl to find out.

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Road Seven by Keith Rosson (5/5)

“Road Seven” is a magical realism journey during which I laughed out loud dozens of times, but also cried in anger and heartbreak caused by fictional characters. There’s also magical poop and a TV show about lasagna. I happily reread this book four times and of the hundreds of books I’ve read thus far in my life, I can count the number of books I’ve reread even once on one hand. Silly and strange, “Road Seven” is, ahem, a unicorn of a book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This review is also published on Goodreads, and it appears here in its original form. Thanks to BookSirens, Meerkat Press, and author Keith Rosson for my advanced reading copy of Road Seven!

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A Walk Through Hell: the Complete Series (ARC) (5/5)

If you enjoy a horror read during which dread drips slowly onto you with the viscosity of blood and by the end you’re drenched in it–this graphic novel is for you.

Shaw and McGregor are two FBI agents sent to a very strange scene. Not the scene of a crime, but a scene. Why? Because the tactical team went in to investigate the disappearance of two other FBI agents into a warehouse and whomever, or whatever, the team encountered gave them cause to pivot and immediately run for their lives. Shaw and McGregor take the fleeing of the tactical team as a sign that they should indeed proceed into the warehouse, but they could never have imagined in their wildest dreams just who–or what–or both–is inside that warehouse.

I personally think I need to read A Walk Through Hell a second time. There’s a philosophical side to this graphic novel that will have you thinking even after you’ve finished reading it, and trust me there’s quite a bit to think about. The story slowly unfolds like a blooming flower of doom, and I loved every moment of it. 

The characters are fantastic and multi-dimensional. I wish I could share more than that, but I don’t want to spoil anything and there’s so much to spoil as far as the characters go! I personally loved Shaw, and read her parts out loud to myself.

My only criticism is that occasionally the timeline-jumping was a bit jarring, but the effect was temporary. The timelines are all tied up in an unsettling bow at the end

Is it a walk through hell? You’ll have to read it and find out. I’m not sure there’s a correct answer.

If you like this graphic novel, I have a hunch you’ll also enjoy Midnight Vista, which is also published by Aftershock Comix; my review for Midnight Vista can be found here.

Aida Fox Reviews now on Reedsy Discovery

I’m so happy to announce that my readers may now read my reviews on Reedsy Discovery! This platform also allows for me to receive monetary tips in the amounts of $1, $3, and $5. Nothing is expected, and every single cent is appreciated!

Once I have more experience with the platform, I’ll blog more about it. I have no complaints so far! If anyone has questions about my experience applying to become a reviewer or anything, feel free to comment.

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten and translated by Marlaine Delargy (4.5/5)

And though she be but little, she is fierce.

Helena, regarding Hermia, in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night‘s Dream

I cackled all the way through An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good. Yes, a homicidal old lady is a hilarious concept, and none of the five stories disappoint. But my introverted inner old lady felt a kinship to Maud, and that’s what kept me turning pages. I took off half a star because mysteries aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but I ended up loving these stories and there’s so little of this book!

I cannot tout Maud enough. Little Maud, as we discover, has lived quite a life. Her fiance spurned her because she was not rich. She made a career as a teacher. She cared for her mentally ill sister, Charlotte, until Charlotte’s death. Maud outlived her family and retained ownership of their large apartment. Her neighbors glared at her, a single, elderly lady, and she continued to live her life. Maud earned her comfortable life, which makes the intrusions all the more intolerable.

“Maud lived alone, and she went on vacation alone. That was the way she wanted it. Freedom, no idle chatter, and no problems.”

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good

I recommend this book to anyone rendered mildly homicidal by an overly-extroverted neighbor. If you, dear reader, have ever contemplated the pros and cons of murder to avoid an imminent social situation, I beseech thee: live vicariously through Maud.

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Only happy reading.

Superhighway by Alex Fayman

This review can be found here, as it was written for OnlineBookReviews.org.

The Engine Woman’s Light by Laurel Anne Hill

You can find my review here. I was paid for the review (my first one ever!) by OnlineBookClub.org.

Not for nothing, OnlineBookClub is a decent starting point for people who want to learn about writing reviews and want to experience the process of writing a review by a deadline, submitting the review to an editor, possibly needing to revise the review because the editor said so with constructive criticism, and then submitting the review to be published.