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novellearts's reviews
1640 reviews
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Theodora and her fiancé Connor, leave to join his family on their winter retreat. As she arrives, she starts receiving messages warning her to stay away from Connor and his family yet she does not heed the warning. After arriving, she realizes that this place feels familiar to her but she can’t understand why. She soon starts to realize that there is more to Connor’s family than she originally thought and she becomes determined to find out their secrets after she discovers a photo of herself as a child on the premises.
A Killing Cold is a quick read and an interesting one at that. The suspense and mystery kept me intrigued from start to finish. While I enjoyed this book, I also felt that a variation (or a few variations) of this story have been done before. It wasn’t the most unique book I’ve read. The characters left a bit to be desired and I had trouble discerning between all of them at times. This led to me needing to double-back a few times to be sure that I was understanding correctly. I think this book was still worth reading and was an enjoyable story.
I received the audiobook and thought the narration was very well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.
A Killing Cold is a quick read and an interesting one at that. The suspense and mystery kept me intrigued from start to finish. While I enjoyed this book, I also felt that a variation (or a few variations) of this story have been done before. It wasn’t the most unique book I’ve read. The characters left a bit to be desired and I had trouble discerning between all of them at times. This led to me needing to double-back a few times to be sure that I was understanding correctly. I think this book was still worth reading and was an enjoyable story.
I received the audiobook and thought the narration was very well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cole and Lisa were fostering a baby when the mother comes to their front door and bleeds to death. Before she dies, her last words are warning Cole and Lisa to take the baby because “he’s coming for her.” Cole, Lisa, and the baby then go into hiding. Thirteen years later, after settling down, Cole is framed for a murder and they have to all go on the run again. They are both evading the FBI and running for their lives from the real murderer.
This book was action-packed and fast-paced from the start. I loved the story here and really enjoyed the characters. This is a very close-knit family that deeply cares for one another. I didn’t find myself bored at all while listening to this. The ending was satisfying and this book was well worth the read. There were maybe a few plot holes, but I didn’t mind.
The narrator, James Anderson Foster, was fantastic as well and helped keep the story engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook.
This book was action-packed and fast-paced from the start. I loved the story here and really enjoyed the characters. This is a very close-knit family that deeply cares for one another. I didn’t find myself bored at all while listening to this. The ending was satisfying and this book was well worth the read. There were maybe a few plot holes, but I didn’t mind.
The narrator, James Anderson Foster, was fantastic as well and helped keep the story engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Nothing Ever Happens Here: A Thriller by Seraphina Nova Glass
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was pretty excited for this book but it didn’t live up to my expectations. The plot wasn’t bad, but this dragged on for me. The beginning started off strong but I started to really struggle towards the middle to the end of this book. It wasn’t too long of a read, but it took me longer than my usual reading speed to finish this one. I didn’t find myself reaching for it as much. I also really struggled with the multiple POVs and felt a little bit confused at times.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was loaded with triggers so please check them out before you pick it up.
This was good, but I wish I knew how much animal cruelty and death was in here. I can handle most things, but I hate reading about animal cruelty/death.. especially when it’s graphic. I mean, there were pages upon pages of animal torture before ultimately killing the animals. That dragged down the enjoyment of this book for me and ultimately knocked my rating from a 4/5 stars to a 3/5 stars. The book was pretty good other than what I just mentioned.
This was good, but I wish I knew how much animal cruelty and death was in here. I can handle most things, but I hate reading about animal cruelty/death.. especially when it’s graphic. I mean, there were pages upon pages of animal torture before ultimately killing the animals. That dragged down the enjoyment of this book for me and ultimately knocked my rating from a 4/5 stars to a 3/5 stars. The book was pretty good other than what I just mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
After the Ocean by Lauren E. Rico
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After the Ocean is a story told in two different timelines. One takes place thirty years ago after Emilia Oliveras gets married and goes on a honeymoon cruise. Emilia's husband Paul goes missing, thought to be dead. Emilia flees Paul's family who are trying to pin her for murder and changes her name to Emily Oliver. The story then fast forwards to Emily and her two daughters and husband. Emily then receives a phone call alluding to Paul being alive and well, which causes Emily to board a plane and start searching for him. This story flips between 30 years ago, and present day where we as readers can learn the present day story while also learning of Emilia's life leading up to this moment.
Even though this book has a few different POVs as well as the two timelines, I didn't find it difficult to follow along. I listened to the audiobook while reading along and the narrators did a fantastic job. This was a quick, tragic, and interesting read.
Even though this book has a few different POVs as well as the two timelines, I didn't find it difficult to follow along. I listened to the audiobook while reading along and the narrators did a fantastic job. This was a quick, tragic, and interesting read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3.75/5 stars.
This felt like it dragged a little bit but this was a super cozy read. And the characters were adorable!! The spider plant??! Stop it! I have 6 spider plants at home and here I am wishing that mine were sentient too.
Super cozy, relaxing read to take your mind off of life.
This felt like it dragged a little bit but this was a super cozy read. And the characters were adorable!! The spider plant??! Stop it! I have 6 spider plants at home and here I am wishing that mine were sentient too.
Super cozy, relaxing read to take your mind off of life.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The prose was beautiful and I loved the folklore sprinkled in throughout this book but the overall story felt like it was missing something. This story was weird and I felt myself losing interest the more that I read.
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don’t have much to say about this one. I absolutely adored The Unmaking of June Farrow but A Sea of Unspoken Things felt incredibly underwhelming to me. The story wasn’t bad by any means, but I guess my expectations were too high after June Farrow. I wasn’t too engaged by the story and felt like my mind was wandering at times while I was reading this. I will say, this cover is stunning though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Out of Air by Rachel Reiss
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have the biggest weakness for horror/thriller books about the ocean. I immediately had to pick this up.
Five friends go on one final scuba dive in Australia before they head off to college where they find a hidden cave. Of course they have to explore and after they return to shore, they start to notice strange changes. Later on the friends are taken as ransom by treasure hunters in an effort to gain knowledge on the location of this cave.
This was an entertaining read and had me curious about what was happening to them internally. I was less interested in the treasure hunter aspect of this story though. It reminded me a bit of the Outer Banks show. This story alternates between the past and present day. At times it felt a bit slow but I loved the urban legend feel that this had.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
Five friends go on one final scuba dive in Australia before they head off to college where they find a hidden cave. Of course they have to explore and after they return to shore, they start to notice strange changes. Later on the friends are taken as ransom by treasure hunters in an effort to gain knowledge on the location of this cave.
This was an entertaining read and had me curious about what was happening to them internally. I was less interested in the treasure hunter aspect of this story though. It reminded me a bit of the Outer Banks show. This story alternates between the past and present day. At times it felt a bit slow but I loved the urban legend feel that this had.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail