Book Reviews Speed Dating Style Vol. 1

There are those books where I have a lot of things to say after I finish reading. Other times, however, I don’t have much to say. Plus, sometimes I’m just lazy. It happens. Rather than try to make individual posts for these books, I decided to create this Speed Dating edition.

Because why the heck not?

Table of Contents

The Archive of the Forgotten (Hell’s Library #2) by A.J. Hackwith

Buddy read this with my best friend, Julia. While I enjoyed this book, I can totally see why people may not enjoy it as much as the first book. I thought Library of the Unwritten did a better job balancing the POVs and action compared to Archive. Hackwith did a fantastic job of keeping me on my toes. I also liked how my opinions of these characters changed. The series continues to pay homage to books. Still, I wish that the villain and twist weren’t so obvious.

Archive isn’t a perfect book by any means, but it’s good enough for me. I’ll give it an A-.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

TW/CW: of child abuse (munchausen by proxy), vomitting, toxic relationships, medical trauma

Told through alternating POVs in different time frames, Darling Rose Gold hooked me all throughout the book. It’s super addictive. I struggled to put it down. Rose Gold and Patty interested me. They dug their claws into me and wouldn’t let go. They are not likable characters, but my God they’re intriguing. I enjoyed the twist at the end and thought the conclusion was quite satisfying.

Darling gets a B+.

Shiver by Allie Reynolds

TW/CW: brief mentions of addiction, alcoholism, bullying, sexual content, vomit, toxic relationships

Shiver is another fun thriller that was told in dual timelines. As I was reading the book, I was getting Until Dawn vibes but without the supernatural aspect. Of course, there was a small part of me that was disappointed there wasn’t a supernatural element here. Even so, I still liked the book. It had me on my toes with a bunch of theories swirling in my brain. Also liked that it was fast-paced. However, these characters were quite unlikeable and boring. I couldn’t stand Milla’s giant inferiority complex. She’s super annoying, but that twist at the end was worth it.

Shiver gets a B-.

The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick

TW/CW: alcoholism, murder, toxic relationships

Somehow, I ended up picking up another dual timeline book with different POVs. Let me tell ya, sometimes this works. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell is a good example. But here with The Forgotten Sister? Yeah, no. I can think of two words to describe this book: ridiculous atrocity. It had an interesting premise, but poor execution. There was far too much exposition. I disliked all of these characters. Ending made no sense. The twist made even less sense because we didn’t actually see what was happening. We were just told, “Oh yeah this happened and then this happened and oh look back to the other timeline.” MADE NO SENSE!!

The Forgotten Sister gets an F.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Three Books to Chill Your Bones: All 3 Scary Stories Books with the Original Art! by Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Gammell (Illustrations)

I never read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid (was more of a Goosebumps kid) so first time reading. I enjoyed this collection. Actually, I had fun and I even got the chills a few times. If I had read this when I was a kid? I have no doubt I would have absolutely enjoyed them.

A+ straight up.

Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk, #1) by Bec McMaster

TW/CW: sexual content, suicidal thoughts, violence, blood

Bec McMaster’s Kiss of Steel shocked me. I bought this book on a whim while I was at Strand and didn’t expect much. But this paranormal romance novel fed me well. McMaster did a fantastic job. I adored the plot. It moved smoothly and was balanced throughout. Honestly, I’m still shocked I found a paranormal romance with a well-executed plot! These characters took me by the neck and told me to sit down and just listen to (well, read) their story. Even though I thought the heroine and hero’s names were totally ridiculous, I couldn’t help but enjoy their personalities.

McMaster is an awesome storyteller. Kiss of Steel gets an A.

The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates

TW/CW: Murder, ghosts, possession, blood

Nothing like a good haunted house filled with restless ghosts. The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates checks off all my horror wants. It had an interesting premise that Coates executed nicely. Coates knows how to write atmosphere and fill you with dread. I thought the ending was a bit meh, but I still enjoyed the emotions and scares I got from this book.

Coates is slowly becoming my favorite horror writer. The Carrow Haunt gets a B+.

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

TW/CW: sexual assault, incest, molestation, pedophilia, forcible eating, vomiting, PTSD, mutilation, child abuse, misogyny

Sin Eater is one of those books that I think I would have liked more if I had read a physical copy instead of listening to the audiobook. Don’t get me wrong! Shiromi Arserio did an amazing job narrating. But May, our protagonist, is fourteen and I found it hard to remember that she’s a young teenager while I was listening to Shiromi.

In any case, I thought Campisi did a wonderful job crafting this cruel, hypocritical society. You really should go into this book expecting to be disgusted but also infuriated that these sin eaters are basically forced to “damn” their souls while people who rape and murder basically can get a free pass. May’s journey is harrowing and you may find yourself needing to take a step back every so often.

Still, the plot is interesting. We are in May’s head a lot, so there’s more telling than showing. It can feel unbalanced at times.

Also, as someone who was obsessed with Tudor history, I guessed where Campisi was going with the story after a certain point in the narrative. I think anyone with a knowledge of Elizabeth I’s life prior to becoming queen would be able to guess the truth. Doesn’t make it a bad thing, of course. It works for this book.

Overall, it’s hard to grade Sin Eater because listening to the audiobook did impact my reading experience. Rather than give it a hard grade, I’m going to say that Sin Eater gets a tentative C+.

So, what did you think? Did any of these catch your eye? Let me know down below if you’re read or are interested in any of these books. Until next time! Stay healthy, friends.

Book Reviews Speed Dating Style Vol. 1