The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

"I can't run off with your family." 

"Don't think of it as running off with my family." I lifted my eyelids far enough to see the concerned blue or her irises. "Think of it as running off to be with me in a land like the ones we created as children."

"There's no such place, Hanalee."

"We'll make the place ourselves."

I was a little more than excited to read this book. I loved Cat Winter’s In the Shadow of Blackbirds, and was instantly in love with the idea of 1920’s Oregon murder mystery inspired by HAMLET? Yes.

Sadly, it wasn’t quite as overwhelmingly beautiful as I wanted.

Cat really did put a lot of research into this. That's obvious simply by reading the authors note. I appreciate the topics she dealt with, but unfortunately, I simply didn't care for the actual story.

Stats:

Genre:  Historical fiction (Paranormal wannabe)

Feelings: Yep

Cuteness: FRIENDSHIP

Fast pacing: i'm so sorry to say this but this book was so boring.

Series: Nope

Read if you like: Murder. 1920's. Diverse characters.

Content: A lot of talk of sex, but always in the terms along the lines of "The taking of virtue" and a few vaguely rude comments a few boys make because Hanalee and John are found asleep in the woods together. Some disturbing topics regarding hangings and such. Also this book has a gay male character, so there are some scenes that imply a lot to deal with that, which may bother people who aren't comfortable with it.

Trigger warning? Loss of a parent. Violent racism. Violent homophobia.

In summary...Being a girl of color in a 1920's oregon small town is not easy. It's especially not easy when the boy accused of killing your father was just released from prison. But things are not always as they seem, and with the help from some sketchy ghosts...Hanalee very well might discover just that.

Thoughts: Swamp water, pine needles, rough ropes

Messages: Too much to sum up. This book never really takes like, an obvious huge stance regarding racism and homophobia, but it paints a strong picture of what it was like and makes it clear how awful it was. Which is a stance in and of itself.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Just this once, I’m going to combine the “Characters” and “Plot/Writing” part of this review, since the reason I didn’t like them go hand in hand.

-The characters+Plot/Writing-

The root problem as to why I didn’t care for this book is really because it felt half-baked. Don’t get me wrong. The writing was very lovely as to be expected with Cat Winters. But the plot felt void of life. The ghosts? They were tossed in there. In my own writing, I sadly have experienced how hard it is to write a ghost story where the ghosts don’t feel tossed in. My own novel needs to be rewritten because of this.

But these ghosts could have been nonexistent. They felt like they had been put there for plot only purposes, and that’s not how I want my ghosts.

The mystery should have been scary. But it wasn’t. All that being said, this book was scary for other reasons, that I’ll talk about in the “Messages and other” part of this post. This plot was just half-baked.

And the characters really didn’t jump out at me. Hanalee. She was…okay. I appreciated her realism. I appreciated a well shaped diverse character. But I just didn’t care. I should have, but I didn’t. And the other boy. John? I liked him, because he was also a nice diverse, interesting character. And their friendship was wonderfully platonic (For obvious reasons). But I really didn’t care about these characters enough to really care about the story and I don’t know why.

For me, characters are important. No matter how well put together a plot is, if I don’t care about the characters then I don’t care about the plot. I’ve never been one to be able to pick apart plots easily, unless I really think about it. And in this books case, the plot was lacking because the characters were lacking, but they both were lacking because they didn’t feel finished. These characters were g o o d, but they lacked that reader connection. 

The one thing I did love in this book was the setting. It felt vibrant. Real. I adore the 20’s, but I have never thought particularly about the small western town feel of it. So I loved getting that swampy, foresty feel.

-Messages and other-

As said earlier, this is a scary book. Not because ghosts, or murder. But because this book shows so clearly how scary it would actually be for a girl like Hanalee in 1920’s Oregon. It’s scary because even if this wasn’t a murder story, her life would constantly be in danger. Because stepping into a restaurant would put her at risk. And that actually happened.

It was an absolutely despicable time in the terms of racism. Often times jokes are made that the 20’s aren’t much different than now in the sense of homophobia and racism, and while cases like the ones in this book are around, they are never as saturated into the community as they are here. And so, it’s scary to read this book and wonder how people survived. How many homosexuals and colored people got lynched and killed simply because of those things.

For that, this book really is an important one. Any book that deals with these topics is important. Which is why in the end, I did like it. I simply didn’t care about anything except the things it had to say.

Overall, this wasn’t a terrible book. I do think a lot of people will love it, and a lot of people do love it. I simply wasn’t able to care enough to love it. 

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Their killer was there when I woke up. He was dead before I saw his face. I know what he did, but I don't know his name. 

It was an accident, the first time I killed. It was an instinct I didn't know I had. I had never made a choice.

The second time was on purpose.

So I go into the bookstore. 

I see this on the new release shelf.

I stare at it.

It stares at me.

I message Linnea to see if she's read it. She hasn't.

I debate for a while. Then, I finally just pick it up and find a corner of the store to read. 

It all went downhill from there. 

This is a very good monster book. At a glance, it is a mash up of a lot of different possible plots, all packed together. Was it a hit or miss? I'm thinking both. But I liked it.

Soooo.....

Stats:

Genre:  Paranormal. A sort of “monsterology” book

Feelings: A few here and there.

Cuteness: There was no romance! Some adorable friend-ships, though.

Fast pacing: More or less. It’s all over the place

Series: Not that I believe.

Read if you like: Monster type books. Think Jackaby meets Supernatural meets like…Warm Bodies. With elements of like....Dexter. And Minnow Bly. All smooshed together.

Content: A few mentions of sex, but none actually occurring. Some violence. Plenty of that good ole bloody factor.

Trigger warning? Loss of family. A few mentions of suicide.

(Note for more conservative people: Main character IS a bisexual character)

In summary... She’s pretty sure she’s supposed to be dead. After all, waking in a grave after being dead for a year is a pretty solid reason for thinking that. But now she simply can’t die, and some crazy cult is after her, and her only friend is a couple of ghouls and a nightmare.

Thoughts: Dirt. A lot of dirt. Dried blood under your nails.

Messages: Not a theme-heavy book, but some internal battles dealing with starting over, and revenge. 

Overall

Rating: 4/5

Spoiler Free Review

So. This book. While it was far from the atmospheric horror story I wanted and was expecting, putting that aside made me see that yes, I actually really did enjoy this book. Okay, it did have a pretty solid atmosphere, and there was some creepy stuff that went down. But. You have to understand, they compared this book to Holly Black and Nova on the back, so my expectations skyrocketed.

-The Characters-

Unfortunately, this character did not hold past the never-can-connect-to-main-character disease that I have. I definitely liked Breezy. She was funny, far from whiny, snarky, and realistic. She was a diverse character, the first bisexual that I’ve actually found in this genre so far. And I loved her backstory.

But. I just kind of didn’t care. But that’s my fault.

HOWEVER. The side characters.

The side characters.

Rain was so cool. I don’t have anything eloquent or insightful to say about her. She was just so cool. Her monster aspect was new and fascinating, and her interactions with everyone else amusing.

And Zeke. Hello yes I very much adored Zeke. He was the ghoul, the kind of very grumpy why-must-i-do-these-things kind of guy. Hated everyone. But did nice things because he begrudgingly didn’t want these people to get murdered. But then sulked some more. But not in the broody way. Just kind of the i-quit way. Also: he ate humans. So there’s that.

His brother was great too. Honestly both of them were so great. I wanted MORE of their relationship, because the snippets I saw of them were fantastic. I just really love brother relationships.

-Story, writing and plot-

This…was a cool story.

No, this book is not horror. It was advertised as such, but I don’t consider it that. I think this was a very well done book, by an author who I look forward to see more of. At first, I was a tad overwhelmed. I felt like Wallace had become very excited and thought LETS JUST PUT EVERY MONSTER EVER IN ONE WORLD.

But then, after I got passed the initial shock….I thought “Yes. Why not, though???” Because I love that type of monsterology book. All the monsters! All of them!

I just wished this was advertised as such.

And so, I think people should definitely read this. It’s funny, it’s entertaining, it’s a fun story.

What even was the plot of this book. I get it, Breezy wants to know why suddenly she’s a re-animated corpse. And why suddenly there’s like banshees and ghouls and monsters everywhere.

But then there’s that weird cult that’s got this twisted idea that they have to remove all darkness and kill monsters. Which is interesting. But it felt very underplayed. Both plots of the story were very interesting, but the pacing just felt…off.

Also: The ending wrapped up so fast. And so neatly. I’m pretty sure this is a standalone, and if so…color me a bit disappointed by the end. Not quite the Huge Conflict Climax I was waiting for.

-Other-

I really like characters. I love characters that have a distinct shape even when you know them for a few pages. I love when you can tell that the author developed each and every character. I like characters not think poorly of their families every page. I love families. I love monsters.

So, this book was a compilation of a lot of things I love. Even as it flopped in a few areas, this book was right for me. The negative reviews consist of people saying it is “too much” and while I can see where people are coming from…it wasn’t too much for me.

And so, overall, solid book. If you’re a fan of monsters GALORE…then this book is right for you.

A Madness so Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

“Sometimes the loveliest places harbor the worst monsters.” 

Another arc I was blessed to received. This book just recently came out, and seeing as I just finished a novel of my own regarding mental asylums, I immediately leaped upon the chance to read it. I wasn't blown away, but I definitely wasn't disappointed. 

Stats:

Genre:  Historical fiction

Feelings: More or less. Not heart-wrenching, but moving.

Happiness: I loved a lot of the character dynamics, and those made me smile.

Cuteness: Not really.

Fast pacing: Slow as molasses, but still interesting. Nothing felt forced.

Series: Nope

Read if you like: Mental health, the history of asylums, murder, mysteries, detectives and angst

Content: Talk of rape. Some disturbing mental treatments, some including a pregnant woman going into labor that were quite horrifying. 

Trigger warning? Loss of a baby

In one sentence... A girl sent away to an asylum for something that wasn't he fault is taken away by a detective who obsesses over death, hoping to use the cover of her insanity to help him solve murder.

Thoughts: Creepy mildew wood and ice cold water

Messages: Interesting thoughts on the way life was for woman and mental patients.

Overall

Rating: 3.5/5

Very vague spoilers regarding character relationships

-The characters-

Ah, Grace. And interesting, well developed character. And yet, I never really connected with her. I didn't hate her, but she felt distant. That being said, her voice was strong, fitting well with the setting and aesthetics.

She dealt with some real crap, and early in the book, I felt for her. A lot. I was about ready to jump into the book to hide her away. As it progressed, the story got a bit slower, which may be why I didn't care for her just as much. That being said, she stayed strong, never once slipping. 

Thornhollow was a lot of fun. A few of the reviews I've read have compared this to the book Jackaby. 

Well, Thornhollow is nothing like Jackaby. He's dark, starting out uncaring and rude, wanting what he wants and not truly caring about Grace. But you can see that bit of quirk underneath, which makes him interesting. He's a lot of fun, really. His banter isn't that sarcastic or snarky, but somehow so entertaining. 

The side characters were great, and you could tell that they were developed. Each one had a unique voice, even characters that showed up for a short time. That's something I love in historical fiction. 

Also: NO ROMANCE. Can I just say how happy I am about that? Neither characters are ready for romance, and while I can see them in a relationship, I just loved that it wasn't forced. I loved watching their relationship grow into something protective and realistic. I think that's what this book's best trait is. Realism .

-The Writing and Structure-

I've heard nothing but good things about McGinnis's writing, and now that I have read her work, I agree. She definitely knows her words. I have yet to read Not A Drop To Drink, but I really hope she keeps writing historical fiction. 

The structure was probably the weakest part. It was slow.

While there was murder, everything felt weirdly paced. There were a lot of plot lines going on, consisting of Grace's father, the actual murder, Grace's secret insanity, and then the asylum backstory. All of these felt randomly pushed together, some of them not relating when all along I thought they would. The whole thing felt vaguely disjointed, and when different plot lines didn't connect at the end, it felt un-fulfilling.

Still, the writing was so good, and the actual plot points so interesting, that it wasn't a boring read, it was just less engaging than others I've read. 

Also: Totally random, but when an Irish character is introduced, and McGinnis attempted to write the accent so it read how it would be said...it just annoyed be. Like. No. Please don't do that.

-Messages and Other-

This book had less obvious messages it was trying to say, at least for me. It was an enjoyable read, but in the end, I didn't leave with anything new. That being said, it was definitely such a fascinating peak into this setting. 

The treatment of mental patients has grown so much, and the treatments in this day and age were so screwed up.

 I adored the descriptions, the look into the way things works. You could just tell how much research McGinnis did. 

Really, every person in the world has a dark twisted side, and this book really accurately showed how someone as quiet as Grace was, can have something lurking inside. It was a fascinating peak into the mind, and the early 19th century. 

Overall, this book didn't blow my mind, but it definitely will be put fondly onto my shelf.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

"Trudy smiled ruefully. 'What can I say? I merely wish to smoke...You, on the other hand, wish to know things. And no one can forgive a girl for that.'"

Firstly: the cover. The cover. Can we....

Just look at that cover. While I was expecting some sort of scary, possibly horror book when I bought it, I still ended up loving this. I need all of Jennifer Donnelly's books and I need them now. Every part of this book, from the writing to that 1890's-vague-girl-power-feel, really somehow worked so well together. 

Stats:

Genre:  Historical fiction

Feelings: While not necessarily heart-wrenching, this book definitely had fun messing with me

Happiness: The writing. Guys. THE WRITING

Cuteness: I thought that certainly I wouldn't ship it. After all. INSTALOVE. But then I /did/ ship it.

Fast pacing: Well paced, but not fast

Series: Nope

Read if you like: 1890's, murder mysteries, and plucky female characters

Content: Some violence, some talk of sex but all in conversations of marriage and courtship, never graphic. A brothel is mentioned, discussed, and visited for investigation purposes. Some slight violence

In one sentence... Jo wants to write, and she wants to write not the airy things her all-girls prep school is teaching her to write, but she wants to write like Nelly Bly--and when her father is found dead, and she has a run in with a reporter who believes it was something other than an accidental death.....she might just get her chance to do just that.

Thoughts: Cobblestones wet with rain in the middle of the night

Messages: Some really cool insights into the gender-roles of that day and age

Overall

Rating: 4.5/5

This is a spoiler free review

The Lovely Bits

This was just such a fun book. I ended up doing a read along with Emma from Of Starry Knights and Lullabies, and it pretty much consisted of the two of us over skype freaking out. 

-Characters-

Ah, Jo. See, Jo is the type of character who in a modern day setting I'd probably hate. She wants big things. She wants success and importance. She wants to have a role in life. She wants to be dangerous. 

But Jo, dear thing, is so painfully naive. She's clueless, knowing nothing about the dangers of life. And so she does a lot of dumb things.

But here's the thing. She's a 1890's high-class girl, brought up to be docile and naive and well-bred. And that's why I love her. Because Jo, despite the fact that she knows so little about life, won't take anyone's crap. Forget the fact that she's so absolutely clueless, she's still going to do whatever it takes to figure out what she wants to know. She wants to figure out the truth, and she doesn't let her limitations stop her. 

It's such a hard character type to pull off, but in this setting I loved it. 

What I really loved about this book, is that every character had a personality. While some were more vibrant than others, not character she introduced, even if just for a few pages, felt cardboard. They all had some trait that stood out. Names would be thrown around like they needed no explanation and that really enhanced the feel of the book.

Eddie was kind of just a lot of adorable. Like, I don't love him as much as some others, but he was a fun character. His interactions with Jo....a+

-Writing and Structure-

Murder mysteries are hard. Historical novels are hard.

Historical murders mysteries? HA. Hats off to you, Donelly. She nailed it. Everything was well paced, confusing without being frustrating, and always interesting. 

And her writing. I just finished a historical mystery of my own, so reading this right after writin a crappy-first draft was a bad idea. Because her prose is so lovely. It fits the feel of historical fiction so well, making you easily slip into the cold streets of New York City, decades ago. It's obvious by reading her books. Jennifer Donelly is made for historical fiction.

-Messages and other-

Some books can come across too feminist, and for someone like me who's rather against many of the stuff feminists are saying nowadays, that can be tricky. But the thing is, in this historical decade, it fit. 

The gender roles were so screwed up in the late 1800's, and seeing that written so well was outstanding. I adore history, but even I didn't really quite see how messed up some of it was, because I've spend so much time in the 20th century, or the suffrage movements early 1900's. 

While many of the feminist messages aren't relevant in today's day and age, I really loved every message that was in this book, simply because of how much I learned without even realizing I was learning. 

Less Lovely Bits

There wasn't one particular thing that I can say I didn't like, there was just something that didn't seem quite right. Maybe what it was, is that I loved it but not enough for it to become THAT book. I finished it satisfied, but not blown away. 

The only things I can thing of is some cases of telling, especially when wrapping up stuff in the end. That got a little boring to read. Eddie and Jo were a bit insta-lovey, and while I don't want to look passed that with a "Historical Context" excuse, it didn't bother me as much, maybe because I liked them both. 

Also: The title. This whole book, from the page one peek at grave digging, I was waiting. When were they gonna start digging up graves??? I waited through hundreds of pages until it finally came, and while it wasn't bad I just was kinda hoping for more of that sooner.

Other than that, I have nothing else to say. These Shallow Graves is a solid story, and 


Overall, this book was so insanely fun to read. The writing was on point, the characters interesting, and the plot engaging. I would seriously recommend this to teens and adults a like, anyone looking to get a peek into the 19th century lifestyle....with a touch of murder.