The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock Review

I wanted to love The Devil All the Time. I tried so hard to love it, and I did in the beginning. However, things fell apart pretty quickly.

Set in 1960, Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a unique cast of characters. Willard Russell returned from World War II tormented by the carnage. But the hardest thing he will ever face is the death of his wife. He prays and offers sacrificial blood, but nothing calms the cancer. Then there’s Carl and Sandy Henderson who travel the country looking for models to feature in their deadly photographs. You can’t forget to mention the spider handling preacher and his sidekick who are running from the law. Finally, there’s Arvin, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up in the thick of it all.

The Devil All the Time starts well. It’s atmospheric and gritty. It has the promise of a great story. In the beginning I was hooked.

Unfortunately, the more I read the less interested I became. I could care less about most of the characters. I also thought Arvin would be more involved. He really didn’t become prominent until the end.

Basically, everything happened at the end. The pacing felt off and the payoff comes late. It just kept building and build. And frankly, I got bored. In the last few pages everything finally started to come together, but by that point I’d lost interest. I’m bummed that I didn’t like The Devil All the Time more. I had high hopes for it.

My Rating: 2/5

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The Body by Stephen King Review

Stand By Me has always been one of my favorite Stephen King movies. There’s just something special about it. So I wanted to read The Body to see if I felt the same way. I did. It was so good. It’s definitely one of my favorite King stories now.

It’s 1960 in Castle Rock, Maine. When a boy from a nearby town goes missing, Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body. This coming of age story explores contrast between loneliness and friendship as the boys face life and death.

I loved The Body. I’m so glad that I finally made the time for it. It gives more depth into the mind of the main character. Years after the event, Gordie became a successful writer and The Body is his memoir. I’m impressed by King’s ability to create an entirely different tone from his own. There are glimpses of Kings style, but it truly feels like this was written by someone else.

While this is considered a coming of age story, it is overwhelmingly nostalgic. We get to see how the events in this story effected an adult Gordie. He shares the good memories along with the bad. King captured the feeling of a late summer day as a kid. I started to miss my own childhood friends.

The Body deserves a ton of love. It shows King’s talent. It’s out of usual style, but it’s wonderful nonetheless.

My Rating: 5/5

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From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Review

I had to see what the hype was all about. From Blood and Ash has been everywhere. Let’s get to it.

The Maiden is chosen by the gods to bring in a new era. She can’t be touched, spoken to, or interacted with. Poppy’s life is not her own. All pleasure is forbidden until after Ascension. And even then, she doesn’t know what awaits her. Her guard, Hawke, catches her eye. He makes her question….everything…. Poppy’s world will never be the same.

The beginning of From Blood and Ash was slow. There’s no way around it. It takes a bit to build the world, and I still never had a completely clear grasp of it. However, all that will be solved later.

Poppy is hard to get to know in the beginning. I wasn’t convinced that I would like her. Luckily, she develops more throughout the book. By the end, I liked her. I think she’s a great character.

I liked Poppy as a character, and I loved the romance between her and Hawke. They are both so sassy. I love a good witty romance.

Lastly, I expected the twist. It was quite obvious, but I loved the execution. It brought the whole story to a place I loved, and answered all of my question. Not to mention, that cliff hanger was killer. It set up for the next story perfectly. I need it now.

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Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Review

I finally read Siege and Storm. I’ve wanted to move on with this series for a minute, but I kept procrastinating. Unfortunately, after reading Siege and Storm, I’m not sure if I want to continue this series. Let’s get into my review.

Alina and Mal have fled the Fold, but darkness still haunts them. The Darkling survived that monumental day on the Fold and brought a new power with him. With the help of a charming privateer, Alina chases her new destiny. As her power grows, her connection to Mal suffers. She will have to decide if she wants to save her country, or lose everything she has ever loved.

Ugh, the angst. The whole book was focused around the angst between Mal and Alina. Even during major events. Mal was almost never off of Alina’s mind. Plus, there is a possible love triangle, or square, developing. Let’s just say Alina has a lot of options. It was all very dramatic.

After getting past the angst, the story is mostly filler. A few new characters and plot points were introduced, but it mostly felt like filler to start the next book.

I was disappointed by this. It didn’t give me the sequel I wanted. I loved Shadow and Bone, but Siege and Storm wasn’t great. But it did set up an interesting power change for the last book. I might continue on with the series just to see how it plays out.

My Rating: 2/5

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The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins Review

The Wife Upstairs was one of my most anticipated winter releases. When I saw it as a December Book of the Month choice I had to have it. It was my last read of 2020, and it was a great way to end the year.

The new dog walker is all anyone in Thornfield Estates can talk about. Her name is Jane and she is new to Birmingham, Alabama. None of her wealthy clients notice that jewelry and trinkets disappear after Jane’s arrival. That’s because no one notices Jane outside of her dog walking duty. That is until she meets Eddie Rochester. He is Thornfield Estates mysterious new widower. All Jane sees in Eddie is opportunity. An opportunity to enter the lifestyle of the wealthy and to finally have the protection she craves. However, only on thing stand in her way. The presence of Eddie’s wife Bea still haunts the home even after her mysterious disappearance.

My Thoughts on The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs is an imaginative retelling of Jane Eyre. Hawkins done a great job capturing the gothic feel of Jane Eyre in a modern setting. That in itself is impressive.

Hawkins also managed to make characters that were likable and loathable at the same time. Most of them were not great people, but their motives made sense. I knew that Jane was super manipulative, but I still wanted the situation to go her way. The juxtaposition of those two feelings really grasped my attention.

Lastly, the mystery was well thought out. It kept me guessing almost the entire time. And I lovedddd the plot twist. I never saw it coming. There had to be a tiny bit of suspension of belief at the end, but all-in-all I completely loved it.

My Rating: 5/5

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Disappointing Books of 2020

Yesterday, I shared some of my favorite books of 2020. Today, I’m talking about my disappointing books of 2020. It was a great reading year, but unfortunately there were still …

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab Review

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue has to be one of the most hyped books of 2020. It has been everywhere. However, when I first started it in October, I put it down. I found it very slow. I picked it back up this month, and I’m glad I did. Let’s get into my final thoughts.

France 1714: a young woman makes a hasty bargain to live forever. However, she will be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the tale of Addie Larue. She will travel across centuries trying to leave a mark on the world that doesn’t know her name. But after 300 years things suddenly change when she meets a man that remembers her.

My Thoughts on The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Like I said at the beginning, this book is slow. It’s very character-driven and that takes some time to build. But the writing is gorgeous. Every sentence V.E. Schwab writes is decadent. You will find yourself longing for the river banks of France.

The story picks up when Addie meets Henry. I love his character arc. He added a lot of depth to the plot, which I think was his purpose. I don’t want to say that there was a lot of monotony in Addie’s arc, but there definitely was. It didn’t matter how many centuries she lived her story was always the same. I believe that was Schwab’s intention because meeting Henry felt like a jarring experience that changed everything.

Another character that intrigued me was Luc. I would love to know more about him. He fabricated this whole thing, and I want to know his thought process.

Overall, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was a beautiful read. It was a twisty, tricky story of the intertwined lives of the main characters. Beauty and heartache permeated every detail. There was also hope and love throughout. If you can overlook the slow development, it is worth the read.

My Rating: 4/5

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Sister Margaret Review

I love a good crime story and Sister Margaret is just that. Thank you to Bully Press for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tommy Keane has been a detective in the Bronx for years. When Tommy gets in a little trouble, he is transferred to the 21st Precinct in Manhattan. He expects an easy ride, but then a beloved nun is found brutally murdered. Even a seasoned detective is surprised by this motive.

My Thoughts on Sister Margaret

Sister Margaret was a good read. However, it was to the point, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There wasn’t a ton of back story or filler content to bog the crime aspect down. I appreciated that.

Although, I would like to learn more about Tommy. There were glimpses of his life, but no answered questions. Since it’s the start of the series, I expect there will be more of his backstory to come. I also really liked his mother, so I hope she’s included in the next one.

The crime was pretty horrifying, but believable. I believe one of the authors was a detective. You can tell by the details that the authors know what they are talking about.

I did start to piece together the motive, but I was wrong about the perpetrator. It ended up being even darker than I expected. It was a heartbreaking case. There were a lot of emotions at the end. Sister Margaret is a pretty solid crime fiction novel. I look forward to reading more.

My Rating: 4/5

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The Sadeiest by Austrian Spencer

Today I’m participating in the book tour for The Sadeiest. I have to say in advance that this is quite possibly the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. It’s not for the squeamish. Let’s jump into the review.

What is our perceived notion of death is wrong? What if it isn’t what we imagined at all? Maybe death actually dies for us instead of silently watching on. Death pays for his sin by dying again and again. William is a Sadeiest. William is death. He dies daily, but he also saves the trapped souls of people. He is thrown into this world with very little training. What he doesn’t know is that his destiny is so much bigger than he ever imagined.

My Thoughts on The Sadeiest

Firstly, I have to say I’m blown away by the author’s imagination. The Sadeiest is so unique. A lot of thought went into the development of the world and magic system.

I expected this to be a dark read. I was definitely right. It was extremely gruesome and graphic. And it was gritty and dark. It will be great for the toughest of horror lovers. It’s definitely darker than what I’m used to, but I can respect the storyline.

If you’re looking for a terrifying, unique horror novel this one is for you.

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Don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog tour! Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to participate.

November 2020 Wrap Up

Happy Monday! I hope ya’ll had a happy, healthy Thanksgiving weekend. It’s about time to start the rush of December, but first we have to wrap up November. It wasn’t …