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.
I’ve wanted to read Kingdom of the Wicked for a long time. I finally sat down and made the time for it. Here are my thoughts.
After the murder of her twin, Emilia is out for vengeance. Emilia and her family are witches who live secretly among the humans. She will find her sister’s murderer at any cost, even if she has to use dark magic. This forbidden magic leads her to Wrath, a prince of Hell. Wrath claims he is on Emilia’s side, but the Wicked can’t be trusted.
The beginning of Kingdom of the Wicked is amazing. I love the world building and magic system. It is everything I look for in a story about witches. It’s full of herbal spells, tinctures, and candles. I love the cottage core vibes.
Plus, the food sounds mouth watering. I was hungry during a majority of the book. I also loved the hustle and bustle of the family restaurant. It was quaint and cozy. Unfortunately, that doesn’t last.
The murder of Vittoria completely changes the book’s direction, obviously. Emilia begins to lose interest in the family business. She only wants to find Vittoria’s murdered and make them suffer. She starts using dark magic, which is where Wrath comes in.
I really liked Wrath. I like the chemistry between Emilia and Wrath. However, their relationship didn’t develop as much as I wanted. I know this is a series, so I hope that comes in the later books.
Another thing I didn’t love was the big reveal. I guessed who the murderer was in the first few pages. Sometimes that can be saved if the motive was fulfilling, but I didn’t feel that way about this one. It just seemed lackluster to me.
All in all, I think this was a decent start to a series. On it’s own I didn’t love it, but I like what it set up for the next book.
I’m don’t re-read many books, but these few are calling my name. I read all of these in high school and I would love to read them again from an … Continue reading Books I’d Like to Re-read
My February 2021 tbr is going to look familiar if you’ve seen my TBR Chapter Challenge post. I want to work on getting my physical tbr down, so that’s what … Continue reading February 2021 Tbr
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.
Today marks the first day of 2021. It’s time to set our intentions and follow them. I love setting goals. It gives me a bit of adrenaline rush to check things off my list. It must the Capricorn in me. Let’s get to my 2021 reading goals!
This is my Goodreads Challenge spread. I decided to use this tree to keep track of it. When I’ve read ten pages I will color in each limb. The goal is to have a completely colored in tree by the end of 2021.
Uncorked 2021 Reading Challenge
The Uncorked Challenge is the perfect challenge for me. It is broken up into months, so that makes it manageable for this mood reader. The prompts are also specific enough to make me branch out. I look forward to completing this!
So those are my 2021 reading goals. What goals have you planned this year?
Happy Winter Solstice! It is time for My Winter Anticipated Releases. There are several books that I am super excited about, so let’s jump in! Lore Synopsis: Every seven years, … Continue reading My Winter Anticipated Releases
I’m new to graphic novels. I just started reading them last year. I’ve read some really good graphic novels, but I’ve also read some really bad ones. Today, we are going to focus on the positive. I’m going to share a few that I have enjoyed. Obviously, it’s not a large selection because I haven’t read many myself.
It’s a great time to get started with this format. As I shared in my Beat Those Reading Challenges post, graphic novels are a great way to reach those goals. But I know jumping into the world of graphic novels can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many to choose from. Hopefully, you can find a few from this list that you will enjoy.
The Grimm’s Fairytales
Synopsis:
For over two hundred years the powerful stories of the Brothers Grimm have enchanted millions around the world, but there has never been an adaptation as intriguing or provocative as this. Grimm Fairy Tales explores a much darker side of the infamous fables you heard as a child as these classic tales are retold and re-imagined with a terrifying twist you’ll simply love as an adult.
This collection is a fun retelling of the classic Grimm’s Fairytales. They use the fairytales to teach modern day characters some horrifying lessons. It is such unique take on the fairytales, plus the artwork is beautiful.
From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY, the beloved and charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives–and eventually her own.
This is the cutest thing that I have ever read. It’s very, very short. I read it in 15 minutes. There is not a huge plot, but it is so cute. The tea dragons are adorable. It will make any bad day better. You need to read this.
When Lana and her father return to their seaside hometown to help clear the debris of a big storm, Lana remembers how much she’s missed the ocean–and the strong, reassuring presence of her aunt. As Lana explores the familiar beach, she discovers something incredible: a colony of Aquicorns, small magical seahorse-like creatures that live in the coral reef. Lana rescues an injured Aquicorn and cares for it with the help of her aunt, who may know more about these strange creatures than she’s willing to admit. But when a second storm threatens to reach the town, choices made many years ago about how to coexist with the sea start to rise to the surface. Lana realizes she will need to find the strength to stand on her own, even when it means standing up to the people who she has always relied on to protect her.
This is by the author that wrote The Tea Dragon Society. It’s just as cute and fun, but it is a little more developed. This one really focuses on the environment of our oceans. It helps spread the word about environmental issues while still being completely adorable.
In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.
When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help — as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.
This is another adorable story. It’s actually a middle grade graphic novel, but I think anyone would benefit from reading this.
So those are a few of the graphic novels that I have read and loved lately. They are easy, fun reads that will help you get acclimated to the graphic novel world. Obviously, since I’m new to the format, I could use some graphic novel recommendations myself. Leave some in the comments below!
2020 is coming to an end. Thank God! It’s time to start wrapping up the challenges set for this year. I wanted to complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge and … Continue reading Beat Those Reading Challenges
It’s time for my December 2020 TBR. I’m feeling extra festive because it actually snowed last night! I live in Alabama and it hardly ever snows, especially not this early. … Continue reading December 2020 TBR
Reading in the Wildwood 