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Ling Ling Huang Strikes Again in New Literary Horror: Immaculate Conception
Information:
- Goodreads: 4.00 out of 2,912 Ratings
- Genre: Literary Horror
- Age Range: Adult
- Series: No
- My Rating: 4 Stars
Summary:
Could your friendship last if you had access to their memories? Enka and Mathilde have an interesting dynamic. They’re each artists, so of course their relationship is borderline obsessive, intense, and occasionally pretentious. Enka adores Mathilde. Her art is one of a kind. Enka is also jealous of Mathilde. She’s never seemed to be able to create something so wonderfully original, controversial, or intense. When Enka’s husband offers a piece of new technology where Enka can see and experience Mathilde’s trauma in an attempt to absorb some of it and lessen the blow, Enka jumps on it. But, she might also have other benefits as well.
Review:
I really, really enjoyed this. This first half of the book is fairly slow, but the last half packs such a punch that it kind of makes up for it. I loved so much of this. The character analysis is intriguing and also heart breaking at some points. This is truly an exploration of two women throughout their friendship as they grow their relationship, explore art, attempt to compete with ever advancing technology, and so much more. There is so much incredible commentary throughout the book, which I adore. Speaking on characters, Enka is interesting. She is not a good person. She’s greedy, jealous, impulsive, pretentious, and sometimes just really dumb. Her very first thought when she wakes up from having this technology implanted in her brain is whether or not she can see what Mathilde thought of her when they first met. I think a lot of people can relate to wondering what you look like in someone else’s perspective, particularly when it’s someone you know and love. However, how many of us would jump at the opportunity if the person didn’t really want us to know? It feels like such an invasion of privacy born from something so many can relate to. Meanwhile, Mathilde loves Enka. She makes sure Enka knows how much she appreciates her. Tries to share her excitement and happiness. Allows herself to lean on Enka when she needs too. Is this acknowledgement enough? No. Of course not. There’s even a moment when Enka finds Mathilde. I’m not going into detail for spoilers, but she finds her and people were worried. However, when the media finds them, Enka appears to almost be jealous that the media isn’t focused on the billionaire’s wife walking out dirty and hurt. They’re more focused on what Mathilde is doing – rightfully so. In that moment, Mathilde deserves the attention (though not the kind she’s getting, no one needs that in a crisis) but Enka wants it – wants it without experience what Mathilde had to in order to get it. The writing can be really pretentious and oddly clinical. There were moments when I felt pulled out of the story because of the writing itself. For example, there’s a moment when Enka is, as usual, doing something awful. Again, no details due to spoilers. But, the reader isn’t really allowed to sit with it or experience it, they’re more so told. Which does make the moment feel… almost less than. Which could also be argued is exactly what Huang is getting at, as Enka cares less unless she is able to actually see and experience it herself as well. Something happens with Mathilde’s child. They are both mothers at this point. Yet, Enka doesn’t seem to be able to fully express empathy until she sees and experiences the trauma herself in Mathilde’s mind. The horror within the novel is great. There’s some body horror, though not nearly as much as Huang’s other work. The horror of the concept, someone else having access to your mind and doing whatever their little heart’s desire, is what got me. Aside from occationally having an issue with the writing, the ending also felt off to me. I know some people will love it, but I could’ve ended the book a chapter earlier and been fine. This ending felt a little too neat for me. It almost came across as when you’re watching a movie and there’s a tiny little thing in the end that ensures there’s space for a sequel. Not my favorite, but not horrible either.
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The Inklings Digest 16
Currently Reading:
I’m currently reading a few books! First, Kill for me, Kill for you by Steve Cavanagh. This says its for fans of the Silent Patient and Gone Girl, so I’m excited to see why it has such a high rating. I’m about 50% through and really enjoying it so far. I’m also currently reading an ARC copy of The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah. I’m close to 40% through this one and really enjoying it. It’s the follow up to The Stardust Thief and is set to be a trilogy. Really intricate and beautiful world building. I’ve also started This Woven Kingdom as well, but have only gotten through the first chapter. I think I’ll be doing a read with me for this one.
Recent Reads:
I’ve averaged about 15-20 book per month so far for 2025. Notable reads since the last Inklings Digest are Quicksilver by Callie Hart. I understand this book is not the most well-written, but it had everything in it that I was wanting and expecting. I absolutely devoured it and definitely recommend if you’re a romantasy fan who doesn’t mind looking past a bit of cringe-inducing moments.
Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang had my heart in its grip and then ripped it out of my chest. I read this book before Sword of Kaigen, so I didn’t have any expectations for it. I’ve seen a lot of people who say this is still wonderful, but not as good as the Sword of Kaigen was. I’ve also seen a few people who prefer this one. I don’t have the comparison right now, though I do plan on getting to the Sword of Kaigen soon. All I can say is this book was rage inducing and written for the overlooked, over worked, and underestimated girlies. I loved it. I sobbed. I loved the magic. I loved the characters. I loved the realistic reactions to certain situations – though some of that realism tapered off towards the end. It was damn well near perfect and I cannot wait to read more of her work.
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy was another book that hurt my feelings and I will be telling my therapist about it. This is a book about grief, fear, and what all of that can look like to a child. It’s about how parents take desperate measures to protect their children, occasionally without considering how their methods could impact their children. It’s intense, interesting, and absolutely heart breaking. Nat Cassidy always makes sure to put trigger warnings in the beginning of his books and please be sure to read those before reading this novel.
The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman and Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave are two more recent reads of mine. I finished Finlay Donovan yesterday. Both of these are great continuations of their series. Carl and Princess Donut have my heart and their fight to stay as human as they can during this is heartbreaking but also so fun to watch (I am not better than the aliens in this series, I know). I’ve seen some critiques for the Finlay Donovan series, such as how unrealistic they are or expressing frustration that Finlay is a mother yet consistently does not have her children much in the book. There is always someone else watching them. My reasoning for why those critiques don’t bother me are these: the plot is that Finlay is an author who is accidentally mistaken for a hitman and, unfortunately, gets caught up in the mafia and has to juggle that with her divorce and being a parent. It has never been realistic. It was never meant to be. It’s a cozy series. I suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride all the way through. Also, she has her kids enough for them to play into the story without them making the story impossible. I love this series. It is not for everyone, but I adore them. And I need the next one immediately.
This Week’s Plans:
I would like to plan a few posts for the blog for the rest of this month. I’m also participating in Realmathon, hosted my Cassidy on Youtube under Covers With Cassidy. It’s a really fun month long readathon with a competitive twist Cassidy does every year in March. I’m on Team Ravens this year, host by Lexie at Books with Lexie and Leandra at Leandra the TBR Zero. I would like to finish the books I’m currently reading and there are about 2 holds that should be coming in soon. I don’t have any plans for what I’ll be picking up next, I’m just going with the flow. What are you currently reading? Let me know!
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When the Wolf Comes Home: Daddy, Jess, the boy, and the Monsters Within
Information:
- Goodreads: 4.60 out of 180 Ratings (ARC Copies being Review, Releases April 22nd, 2025)
- Age Category: Adult
- Series: None
- Genere: Horror
Summary:
No one will be spared when the wolf comes home.
Jess is not having a good night. She’s hanging out with her friend, Marjorie, when a guy comes out of the bathroom, clearly having some stomach issues. Majorie makes a deal: you clean the bathroom and then you can go home. And Jess hops on that opportunity. You know, she’s got an audition tomorrow, she’s gotta be ready. She hasn’t been having much luck in that department lately. Unfortunately, cleaning the bathroom goes to shit and she has to go to the hospital, but finds herself at home instead. Poor girl’s on autopilot. And her night gets even weirder when she finds a scared young boy, a naked man arguing with her neighbors, and a weird bear/wolf thing ripping into people. Now she’s on the run with a boy who gets weirder and weirder as times goes. And she still can’t get to the damn hospital.
Review:
I absolutely loved this. I was sobbing by the end of it, so points for getting so much emotion out of me. I love seeing an adult and a child try to bond during times of distress. I can’t explain it, it just does something for the child within me and the mother I am. It’s part of why I loved Mistborn so much. This book has such an interesting dynamic of a woman trying to protect and young boy and growing to care for him while also being terrified of him the entire time. This is a book about grief. About parents and how they fail even when they think they might be doing what’s best. It’s about a girl and boy who try to find some semblance of family while on the run from the government, police, and an angry father. Definitely a five star read.
“Daddy is roaring. Howling. Destroying everything in the house – furniture, pictures on the wall, all of it – while he searches for the boy.“
Nat Cassidy’s writing reads as so incredibly simple, yet can also have a profound impact. That sentence is how the book starts. “Daddy is roaring.” And, holy shit, is it a fantastic beginning. You know what you’re getting into on the first page. A young boy, 5 years old, is terrified of his Daddy. This is a hard read in that aspect and Nat Cassidy, thankfully, ensures that he has trigger warnings in the beginning of his books. Make sure you’re aware of the trigger warnings before reading – murder, gore, dismemberment, needle trauma, blood borne diseases, spiders, insects, suicidal ideations, grief, child trauma, alcoholism, parental death, child death, child trauma, and child endangerment. It is not a small book as far as triggers go. Nat Cassidy is wonderful at handling these topics with care and grace – as much as he can while being a horror novel. There’s no moment in this book that made me feel as if it shouldn’t have happened. There are definitely moments that shocked me. Moments that made me sad, cry, and uncomfortable. But never a moment that felt like it didn’t have its purpose or place.
“Hers was just found dead a little over a week ago, and she still has no goddamn idea how to feel about it. Fuckin dads ruin everything….And there’s Inner Jess, who see’s him everywhere. Who’s working overtime to force everything into the context of him. I wonder if Dad liked this cereal, too. I wonder what kind of music was he listening to lately? Did he put his socks on before or after his pants? Did he ever think about me?“
Spoilers – Death of a loved one who was also a source of trauma is complex and messy and I loved how Cassidy handled it. Grief is everywhere in this book (so is death, honestly). This is a book about death and fear. Particularly, how we can make our fears to be bigger than they truly are. The boy is afraid of his father. Why? His father was grieving and was angry and doing what he thought was best, yet still failing his son. The more the father got angry, the more afraid the boy became, resulting in the father being more mean and angry in this vicious cycle. At the end, the father can’t control it any more than the boy can and they’re stuck in this loop and grieving what they should’ve had, but can’t.
It’s interesting seeing who the real villain is within this story and realizing that no one is really at fault other than maybe the government and, honestly, when are they not at fault in some way? The boy can’t change the fact that he was born as he is. The father can’t control the boy’s fear. Yes, there are ways he could’ve handled him and things he could’ve done differently. But, ultimately, there is a time when every child is afraid of something, somewhere and their imaginations are limitless. Chaos would ensue regardless. The ending wrecked me because we finally had that moment when the boy realized his dad is just a man. And he was able to hug his father. His father was hugging him, they were both sobbing. It was a beautiful moment. And then, like other themes of the book, a parent does what they think is best that ends up hurting the child. How do you protect your child from itself? How do you protect your child from you? And how do you protect the world from your child? It’s rough. It’s heart breaking. And the story ends on that heartbreak.
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Empowerment and Trauma in Horror: A Review of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Information:
- Goodreads: 4.18 out of 7,071 Ratings
- Genre: Horror
- Age Category: Adult
- Series: None
Summary:
Young girls getting pregnant is often viewed as the worst thing a girl could do. It reminds people that girls are people, too. Of course the boys who got them pregnant don’t suffer the consequences – it’s all the girls’ faults. They’re too loose. Too fast. Too grown for how young they are. It’s all their fault. So, they’re shipped off to St. Augustine, Florida, in a house specifically for unwed mothers – the worst thing a girl could ever be. We follow Fern as she gets to this house and meets other girls such as Rose, Zinnia, and Holly. Throughout the story, Fern and the other girls become desperate to gain any kind of power they can over their situations and their own bodies. And the to power may just be witchcraft – but power comes with a price.
Review:
I was nervous reading about girls seeking bodily autonomy when it’s written by a man, but Grady did a great job. His writing feels genuine and empathetic and comes across as angry about the situation as a lot of women are. This story feels heavy and made my chest feel tight at times. But, that’s a part of the story. These young girls, who’ve gotten pregnant and are suffering the consequences for no other reason than being an unwed mother and the fathers aren’t suffering any of the consequences, have their bodily autonomy stripped away from them. They aren’t even able to keep their babies. They have the illusion of the adoption process being their choice, but the people in authority quickly use any and every excuse to prevent them from keeping their babies. They’re treated as if they’re dirty criminals instead of young girls who made a mistake. Throughout the story, Hendrix focuses on the rage, trauma, injustice, and hopelessness of each character’s situation wonderfully. There are girls who willingly slept with their boyfriends, who had the promise of marriage, and girls who are too young and had no will power in it. You see as these girls band together to try and protect one another as best they can.
Honestly, you can see a lot of the themes of this story in our history books and in our present day time. Women still suffer the consequences to unwanted or unplanned pregnancies as if it doesn’t take two people to create a baby. You watch as these young girls are forced to make choices they’re too young to make alone. Yet, that’s exactly what they are – alone. There’s a labor scene in this book that felt visceral and I, quite honestly, forgot for a second that a privileged white man wrote that scene.
There isn’t enough witchcraft in this book for it to be in the title, but the story isn’t about witchcraft anyway. The real horror isn’t in the body horror the girls do to themselves or others, it’s about what these girls are forced to go through because of their choices – due to lack of education – all on their own. The body horror they inflict on themselves is nothing compared to the body horror they experience from birthing their children. They’re told over and over again that it’s painless and they’ll be perfectly fine and able to move on immediately after as if it never happened. But of course they can’t do that. Childbirth isn’t pristine and easy; it’s complicated and messy, and painful. Fern’s experience with childbirth is traumatic and she endures it just like everything else – alone. Holly’s childbirth experience is arguably more gruesome – but she has women around her, helping her through it. It’s interesting to see the difference between the two and how each experience impacted each girl.
I don’t think it necessarily does a great job at fully fleshing out each character or being a character driven story. You do get to see how different girls are impacted by these situations, but it doesn’t seek to fully explore them. This book seems more interested in what it’s trying to say rather than the people it’s exploring. It worked for me, but I could see some not really enjoying that aspect.
This book is a reminder that girls have always been oppressed and yet they have still always been powerful. This book shows what it looks and feels like to be ignored and dismissed. It’s gory and gruesome. It’s not super spooky supernatural wise, but definitely spooky in the real-life horror aspect. And I loved almost every single minute of it. I can see a lot of people not enjoying this book – particularly people who dislike stories about pregnancy or are currently pregnant. But, as a teen mom myself, this book made me feel seen during that point of my life. If you’ve read it, I would like to know what you thought about the book.
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Saving Noah: The Controversial Book About the Most Hated People in Society
Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide (Assisted), Abuse
Information:
- Goodreads: 3.93 out of 111,939 Ratings
- Age Range: Adult
- Genre: Thriller, Horror
- Series: None
Summary:
Lucinda Berry is a psychologist who writes intense psychological thrillers. Within this particular thriller, Berry writes about a mother and son duo who have an intense and troubled relationship. Before getting into into it too much, keep in mind the trigger warnings of molestation, suicidal ideation, self harm, and physical abuse.
Noah admits to his mother, Adrienne, that he has assaulted two young girls on the swim team he was coaching. By the time the book starts, Noah is coming out of the treatment program he was in, which served as his sentence. The idea is that most minors who do acts such as these do so for reasons other than being a predator. Maybe it’s to assert dominance, because they live in an overly sexual household, or many other reasons. If the therapy was used as it should, it could even be successful for these situations. But Noah endures shock therapy and abuse instead. Still, he’s coming out supposedly reformed. It’s time to begin anew, rebuild his life and his relationships with his family. Sure, his dad is disgusted by him, refuses to allow him to be alone with his young sister, and required his mother to have an apartment for her and Noah instead of staying at the home. But it’s nothing his mother can’t handle. The book is mostly through his Mother’s perspective, as she navigates the difficulties of loving her son and wanting to protect him while also hating him for what he did.
Review:
‘He gave me a half-hearted smile. “You’re right. I’ve got something worse. At least when you have cancer, people still love you.”‘
This book is a complex look into the psychology of both mother and son. It is not an easy read in the slightest. I start the book hating Noah’s mom. She came off as if she were attempting to excuse her son’s behaviors. This is something disgusting that, unfortunately, a lot of people do. We see the lines of He’s just a boy, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He didn’t mean it. This shouldn’t ruin his whole life. And so on in nearly every case we see in the media. It’s gross and Berry does not shy away from this in her book. That being said, she somehow also writes these characters in way that you almost can’t help but feel sympathy for them. Noah’s mother did not ask for any of this to happen. She went from having a sweet boy who meant the world to her to everyone suddenly hating her for what he did – because there’s no way he did it without something being terrible at home, right? And even when a man (boy in this case) does something bad, the women in their life are still held accountable.
“and I clung to anything separating Noah from being a monster. He made a mistake. That was all. One mistake. We all made mistakes in adolescence.”
Noah comes home and he hates himself. He’s such a repulsive character and I was dead set on hating him for the entire book. And, while I certainly did hate him for what he’d done, seeing him as he works through this hatred for himself and as he desperately attempts suicide in order to prevent himself from hurting anyone ever again, I cried. I had never really stopped to consider that people like Noah are out there: people who hate themselves just as much as society hates them. This book makes the reader have conflicting emotions and asks really difficult questions. Could Noah ever be redeemed for what he’s done and who he is? It doesn’t appear so. I could see some people making the argument that this book makes light of Noah’s crimes, but it doesn’t read that way to me at all. Noah is unredeemable through this book – the ending (for me) confirms it. He is a menace to society, a real danger to children. Even though he hates himself for it and doesn’t want it to be that way, there is no way around that. He didn’t commit this act for any other reason than he is a pedophile and he was tempted. And let me tell you, reading Noah and his mother’s solution to this was heart breaking. Never in my life did I think I would cry over a pedophile dying, but here we are. It was heartbreaking that this was the lot given to Noah’s mother.
“It’s only a matter of time before my body responds. It rarely happens when I look at the first few pictures, but after a while it does. I can’t help myself. I have no control over it, and I hate myself for it.”
There are a lot of different ways to define a mother throughout this book. Adrienne begins the book desperately trying to negate the severity of what Noah’s done in order to find some semblance of stability and comfort in what her life is now. You see as she struggles with the fact that her son is a predator, so much so that she ignores the warnings of his therapist when she tries to bring up an issue with his release. She clings to believing that Noah’s reasoning for molesting those young girls is for some other reason, a mistake or misunderstanding. Yeah, what he did was awful, but at least it didn’t go further, right? Throughout the book, you watch as Adrienne slowly comes to terms with it. You see as she tries to hold onto this belief desperately, yet also is terrified to leave her daughter alone in the room with Noah. And then she learns that there is no other reason. Noah is a pedophile. He will have these thoughts and urges for his entire life. So, does she abandon him in disgust as a woman and mother of a young child? Or does she stick with her son and try to help him as best she can as his mother? At what point should a mother give up hope? As a mother myself, this is an interesting question that I hope I never have to answer.
Adrienne and Noah’s solution is for her to assist him in committing suicide after he’s made multiple attempts. At this point, Noah has been beaten at school, sexually assaulted with a baseball bat as revenge, attempted to overdose, and attempted to hang himself. He’s come to the conclusion that his family cannot move forward while he is alive. Young girls are at risk while he is alive. He adopts the view of Pedophilia as some sort of incurable cancer – do you wait for someone to endure it or do you assist them in ending their lives on their own terms without anyone else getting hurt? Adrienne makes the difficult decision that no mother should ever have to make – for the sake of her son and society, she’ll help him. Adrienne and Noah spend one last ‘normal’ day with their family. And then they go home and she holds her son as he takes his last breath. And it is absolutely gut wrenching to read. I was full on ugly crying.
“Death was intensely private, and I’d never felt so close to another human being as I did when I held him during his final minutes.”
This book is complex and emotional. It is not a book for everyone. I could easily see someone viewing this as Lucinda Berry making light of situations like these. However, that’s not how I read it. I read it as a therapist writing about someone society views as scum of the earth and the potential of that someone, despite being unredeemable and detestable, still being someone you can feel a smidge of sympathy for. Because I do. In this book, as in real life, two things can be true at the same time. I can hate Noah for what he did and agree that ending his life was the best course of action and I can feel sympathetic for the fact that he hates himself as much as I do.
The ‘mystery’ of this book isn’t the focal point of this book I don’t think. Which is a good thing, because it wasn’t great. I couldn’t have cared less. This felt more like Lucinda Berry had a conversation she wanted to start and used this as a way of starting it. There is no clear answer on Noah’s story. Some people might say he could’ve repressed the urges and used therapy and become a better person since there is a clear indication that that’s what he wants. He doesn’t want to be who he is, he wants to be a normal person. So if that’s what he wants, why couldn’t he use all the resources possible to become that person? Some other people might agree that ending his life was for the best. In this case, I’m on that end. And I don’t think anything you take away from this book is the wrong take because it is such a nuanced and complicated thing. It was an interesting read and I can’t wait to dive into more of her books.
I would love to know your thoughts if you’ve read this book! Did you feel sympathy for Adrienne or Noah? Do you feel like, with work and effort, he could’ve been redeemed or do you agree with the ending? Or, is there a 3rd option you’d agree with more?
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When The Prey Becomes the Predator: The Perfect Victim by David Sodergren
Information:
- Goodreads: 3.96 out of 594 Ratings
- Age Range: Adult
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Series: None
Summary:
Katy Ketcher has been dubbed the ‘perfect’ victim. She’s young, which means she’s easily manageable. Her dad, the second biggest producer in Hollywood, is filthy rich, meaning he will pay whatever the kidnappers’ little hears desire in order to get his precious girl back. She even walks home from school all on her lonesome. Easy to catch. Easy to keep. Easy peasy payday. That’s exactly what Bax, Corvo, Emma, and Varg all think. And that’s exactly what they do. But there’s a few things wrong: first, they did not expect to have to snatch her best friend, Jill. They did not expect Varg’s pedophilic and murderous tendencies to make their goal nearly impossible. And they did not expect Katy to be an unhinged girl dead-set on revenge. What do you do when the girl who was supposed to be easy money cares more about killing you than she does about being saved?
As per usual, look into the trigger warnings, such as talk of rape of a minor (I swear, he gets what’s coming for that one), murder, gore, body horror
Review
This book is so good. It’s short and sweet; I don’t typically like shorter stories. But this format tends to work for me for survival horror. You’re immediately thrown into the action, with Bax, Corvo, and Emma taking Jill and Katy. You don’t get time to breathe. It’s just go, go, go in the best way. The book is full on plot driven, as I don’t personally think there’s enough time or space for it to be mostly character driven. Luckily, the plot is so great and fun and interesting that it keeps the reader invested all the way through and prose only adds to this. Sodergren does not have beautiful writing. His writing doesn’t slow down. It’s as quick and ready to sprint as the plot is.
The characters are all horrible people. Bax is an egotistical wannabe in a constant power struggle with everyone else in the group except Corvo. He started off not wanting anyone to die or get hurt, yet consciously hired someone who he knew was a pedophilic asshole and had a thing for torture. Not really a great guy to have in your team when your whole plan revolves around this girl making it back to her dad in one piece. Emma knows Bax wants to sleep with her and uses that to her advantage. She, too, has a thing for killing people and doesn’t really care about Katy in the slightest. Varg is disgusting. Corvo is a giant and also an idiot. He’s the sweeter of the bunch, without really wanting the girls to get hurt. But he also isn’t really gonna stand up for them. Jill and Katy are the stereotypical rich 16 year olds. Commenting on one another’s bodies (long neck and fat ass) instead of focusing solely on surviving. But, this just add to how fun the book is. Sodergren’s way of writing men makes seeing them be slaughtered feel so rewarding. I swear, I have not read a single man this guy wrote be an actual good guy. Sodergren gets it. But that doesn’t mean the girls are great either. They’re rude. They’re annoying. They are often very angry before the killing even starts. And yet, you root for them the entire time.
The way Katy becomes more fixated on revenge than on her own rescue and safety is so interesting and fun to watch. She slowly begins to simply not give a shit. Yeah, she does want to make it out alive. But that’s an added bonus of her plan of killing every single one of the people who took her and hurt her. Starting with Varg. And his death scene was one of my favorites. Though, I can’t gloss over the scene where one of the men’s literal balls falls out. The gore is great. The book kept me invested all the way through. It was interesting, it was intense, and it was fun. In such a strange way, I find a lot of Sodergen’s books weirdly nostalgic. They remind of me the horror/slashers of the early 2000’s that I watched as a kid (we don’t have to question why I was watching them so young, leave me alone). I’ve loved and enjoyed every single one.
Have you read David Sodergren yet? If horror is your thing, I think he’s definitely worth giving a shot and I’d love to know what you think as you go!
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The Inklings Digest
Currently Reading:
I’m currently reading One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry. This is a short thriller about a 988 suicide hotline operator who gets a call from a young girl in distress. She begins to learn that the young girl had been assaulted by boys at a party and becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened as a way of trying to help the girl. But, as the details line up, she begins to suspect and fear that maybe her son has something to do with it. I’m about 80% into it and really enjoying it. I’ll finish it within the next hour or so. I’m also currently reading Saint’s Blood by Sebastien De Castell. This is the third book in the Greatcoats series and I’m really enjoying this whole series.
Recent Reads:
Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers was fun, wholesome, and interesting. I’m really excited to read more from this author. I love explorations of space and this just hit a cozy spot I didn’t realize I was looking for. Voyage of the Damned by Frances White was not as fun. It didn’t feel like this book knew what it was hoping to be. It was lighthearted but also deep. The magic wasn’t really interesting and the murder mystery didn’t keep my attention well. There was also a ‘reveal’ that I just hated. It was irritating and I don’t feel like there was much lead-up to it.
I also read To Hell With Hallmark by Brad Ricks. This is a collection of short horror stories that were pretty interesting. Some were fun, some were cheesy. For anyone who either loves Hallmark movies or absolutely hates Hallmark movies, this is great if you’re looking for horror during Christmas season. I’m not the biggest fan of short stories and still enjoyed it, but I did feel like the ending was really silly. Moving onto a very different book, I read The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and it was so sweet and wholesome it make my tummy hurt. It was precious. And this really kickstarted a love for translated healing fiction.
I did move on to Out of The Dark by Gregg Hurwitz after that. This is the fourth book in the Orphan X series and I adore it. It is peak Dad fiction for me and it’s so fun and so interesting. He’s going after the freaking president in this book. Phenomenal, fun, strangely heartwarming. I kept that fast paced action up by going into the Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. This is the third book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and it is fun, precious, and quick. I love every minute of it. This series and these audiobooks have my whole heart. They are just so much fun. And because they’re so fun and I love them so much, I went right into the fourth book, The Gate of the Feral Gods. Spectacular.
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage was cute and fun. I have thing for single parent tropes and seeing them fall in love with someone who treats their kids right. It’s even better that Gus doesn’t hate his child’s mother. They are friends and co-parent well and I don’t feel like you get to see that often. I went on to Draggon Your Bones, the ending of the coming of age duology by Tatianna Obey. Fantastic, loved every minute. There were a few times that it felt repetitive or too long, but I quickly got over that and cried a little by the end of it. I went on to Every House is Haunted, another short story collection. It’s okay. I got this form my Twisted Retreat box, who I have about a 87% success rate with. This, unfortunately, was part of the 13% unsuccessful rate. I just don’t really get into short stories. There were some I liked, but not enough to justify a positive regard. Luckily, this was part of a box that had two books. Hopefully the other will be great.
The Light of all that Falls was okay. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t provide for lead up I was hoping for and I just didn’t care about any of the characters. Before the Coffee Gets Cold made me cry and I will indeed be continuing it. Strangely, I moved onto to a horror after that one. I guess it was too wholesome, heartwarming, and sweet for me. I read The Perfect Victim by David Sodergren. All of his books are fun and interesting. This reminded me a little of home alone, but if it was horror with terrible people and more gore. Highly recommend. So fast paced. So fun. Brutal deaths. 10/10.
Week’s Plans:
I’ll be doing the reading reading for the next few weeks. I feel in a huge mood for intense horror/thriller or fantasy, so I’m going to continue to ride with that wave. Other than that, a review for The Perfect Victim is coming within the next few days. I expect at least one more discussion post and one more review after that.
Thanks for tuning in, I’d love to know what you thought about any of these. I’ll chat with ya soon!
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The End of Year TBR
We all have a never ending TBR that we’re desperately striving towards finishing but never will. While it does hurt my heart to realize there are some books out there that I could very well love, yet will never get the chance to read before I’m rotting in the ground, I can always do my best. Not only do I have a never ending TBR, I also have quite a few series I’m in the middle of and some ARC’s coming in January that I would like to get a jump on. My end of year TBR consists of series I’d like to make progress in, series I’d like to finish, and ARC’s I want to go ahead and get done.
Series to Make Progress In:
This list is pretty simple. I would like to make progress in Dungeon Crawler Carl. I read the first book a few months ago and fell in love, then promptly never picked another up. I’d like to fix that. There appears to be 7 that have been published and I would like to finish all 7. I’ll be making these audiobooks a priority for the next two months so that I can do that. If you don’t know, this series is about Carl and his cat, Princess Donut. The world has suddenly ended and he finds himself in a video-game style fight to the death with multiple levels, ways of leveling up, an AI who likes his feet, and an entire alien race(s) watching his progress. It’s so much fun and I love it with my whole heart. The audiobooks are the way to go.
Next, I would like to make progress within the Orphan X series. This is your usual dad-fiction. Evan was a child assassin known as Orphan X, housed by the Orphan Program. We follow him as he does some small jobs and is hunted down by other Orphans still working for the very government that created the program – a program he thought was no longer in effect. Love it, super fun. There are 9 books that have been published, with the 10th expected sometime in 2025. I want to at least get up to book 5, meaning I only have to read 3 more.
Series to Finish:
I would like to finish the Licanius Trilogy. I read book one a few months ago (maybe 6 months ago?) and, as per usual, never picked up the following book. I only have two more and I feel like I could easily read one this month and finish it next month. This is time-travel fantasy and I really did enjoy the first book.
I’d also like to finish the greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell. I have fallen in love with the man’s writing this year, which is honestly the worst thing that could happen to my reading because I stop reading the series I adore. I can’t explain it, don’t ask me too many questions. These are thick, yes, but they are also really quick reads. I started Saint’s Blood this week, so I’ll only have one more to read to complete the series.
Lastly, I would like to finish two duologues. I would like to read Draggon Your Bones, a coming of age fantasy that I adored the first book of. Then I would like to read No Safe Haven. I really enjoyed No Heart for a Thief and want to know how the story ends.
ARC’s
I have no idea what a good amount of these are about because I’ve forgotten them after requesting them on Netgalley. Just know I did think they sounded interesting at one point.
First is Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff. This is a thriller coming out January 7th and started it Sunday night. Also coming out January 7th are two fantasies called Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee and the Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard.
I have two ARCs that are coming out January 14th. A fantasy called Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao and a thriller called Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin.
To finish it off, I have two ARCs that are coming out January 28th. A romance called Book People by Jackie Ashenden and a horror called At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce.
That’s my end of year TBR. Fingers crossed I actually read them; I am notorious for making a TBR that I then do not read. Let me know what you’re reading for the rest of the year and let me know if you’ve read any of the books mentioned above! I would love know your input.
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The Inklings Digest 11
Currently Reading:
I’m currently reading an ARC I was lucky enough to receive titled Sweet Fury. I’m about 10% through and liking it so far. I’m definitely curious to see how it goes. I’m also starting Long Way to a Small Angry Planet today – I have the audiobook for it and will be listening to that while I clean house a bit. Really hoping it’s a good audiobook and not something I feel like I have to exclusively read with my own eyeballs, but we’ll see.
Recent Reads:
There are 9 books to catch you up on. I took another week’s break from the blog and just immersed myself in both school work and reading. Last time I checked in, I was reading Revenant X, which I absolutely loved. It’s just as fun and action packed as the first one, with zombies on an alien planet. Honestly, what more could I ask for? There were some things that really bugged me, like character deaths. I already dislike takeout deaths; I feel like they make the emotions we went through with that death feel cheaper. This series so far has had three of those. It’s really irritating, but I’m still loving the series so far. Admittedly, I am hoping it’s a trilogy and not any longer than that. I just don’t want the things that make this series great begin to feel like a gimmick.
I then went on to finish Ghostsmith, which was my audiobook. It was okay. I didn’t have a terrible time reading it, but I feel like I would have liked it more if I had read it closer to when I read the first one. I just don’t think I’m in the mood for YA fantasy right now, because that is also the feeling I had with Mirror of Beasts and The Dagger and the Flame. I kept trying to force myself into enjoying one of them, especially because I really liked Silver in The Bone. I just couldn’t bring myself to care about these three. The worlds weren’t what I was looking for, the characters were annoying, and I just wasn’t having a grand time.
I also finished my ARC of the last book in the Combat Codes trilogy, Blacklight Born. I fell in love with Combat Codes, but there were some issues I had with the writing. There were multiple times when something major would be irritating the characters, but that issue would be resolved behind closed doors. We were amped up for it, but never got to see the solution. I didn’t mind it too much because I loved the combat scenes; they’re some of the best I have ever seen. It seems like the further I went with the series, the more I just did not enjoy the writing more and more. This last book felt like a chore to get through. I think it’s because when I read the first, the combat scenes were like a treat that I didn’t receive often. By the third book, I was used to that treat, so the flaws felt like they showed more and more. There was also a death in here and I just did not feel the emotion for it that I was supposed to feel.
A Step Past Darkness was a really great read and kept me interested, but it did feel like it dragged a lot. There were moments when I was invested in what I was reading and then other moments when I was so easily distracted that I’d forget what I had just read and have to reread it. I finished this past week off with Do What Godmother Says and really enjoyed it. It’s a book that was in the October Twisted Retreat box and I have no read a single book that they’ve featured that I didn’t really like (I’ve read 4, but this is my second box I’ve received). The representation of Shanice’s anxiety how she describes it as a beast that lurks and waits for the right moment to pounce was phenomenal. Some of the twists were very obvious, but the almost gothic atmosphere made the reading experience so great. There’s generational trauma, white washing of black art, and so much more that was fascinating and interesting to read. A lot of this made up for the ‘overly’ obvious twists.
Week’s Plans:
I’m going to post my end of year TBR. This is just 16 books that I want to finish by the end of year, separated by 8 in November and 8 in December. I’ll very likely read more than that, as my average books per month is around 15-20. I don’t typically plan all of those books out though, so I’m sticking with the 16 I feel as if I need to get done. I’ll be posting around 4-5 posts this week, not counting this one. The first will be the end of year TBR, then I should have a few reviews coming as well.
As for what I’m planning on reading, I going to try and read 4 of my 8 this week because I have gotten a bit of a late start on it. I’m starting with Sweet Fury, which will have a review this week as well. I think I also plan on picking up Carl’s Doomsday Scenario and Saint’s Blood. I’m not sure yet, but we’ll see. Thank’s for tuning in, I’ll see ya later this week!
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Zombies in Space: A Review of Paradise-1’s Thrilling Sequel
Information:
- Goodreads: 3.96 out of 25 ratings
- Age Category: Adult
- Series: Red Space, book 2
- Genre: Sci-Fi Horror
Summary:
After the events of Paradise-1, the crew has landed. Petrova, Zhang, Parker, and Rapscallion begin their mission of finding the community on the planet, but everything is eerily quiet. Until Zhang starts screaming. What they find on Paradise-1 is nothing they ever would have imagined and it just gets worse and worse for our crew. Bless their little hearts.
Review:
This book is just as action packed as the first one. The chapters are super short, making for a quick, intense, and fun read. There wasn’t a moment in this book that I felt bored or easily distracted. I was having a blast the entire time. There were a few issues I’ve had with the series, but all of them are personal preference rather than anything else. We have great and interesting characters who all have real desires and flaws, a really interesting world, and zombies in outer space. What more could you ask for?
The characters carry the series. I would not give a holy hot damn about the plot if I didn’t care about Petrova, Zhang, Parker, and Rapscallion (Rapscallion is, indeed, my favorite). Sure, Petrova and Parker’s relationship doesn’t feel believable to me because we were dumped into them having already had a past – a one night stand from what I understand – and we’re still supposed to believe they have these intense feelings after that. That’s besides the point because I am still a sucker for how much Parker loves her. And Petrova’s dilemma about having these weird and complicated feelings for him while also knowing that he isn’t real can be gut wrenching. Especially when we see how much Parker struggles with the fact that he does not have a real body in this book. He can touch things, he can move them, but he cannot feel them, in such a strange way, is heartbreaking.
Zhang has made so much progress by the end of the book. He began without really wanting anything to do with anyone. He basically just didn’t like anyone and was a coward who didn’t want to do much of anything, yet somehow also got roped into it. With this book, he and Petrova kind share leadership. They’ve developed this interesting relationship – I don’t wanna hear it about how their relationship is a trauma bond. I know that, they know that, we can move on. They’re basically besties now that have a sibling-ish dynamic. He’s just going with the motions, trying hard to not die and to keep his friends from dying too. Sweet little Rapscallion is constantly having to remake his own bodies. I would die for Rapscallion and his bright green bodies. He is precious to me. He is the savior of the day most of the time and also the humor – love seeing him try to understand humans, cause we’re silly. The characters are a 9/10.
But here’s the thing. I wish Wellington could commit to actually killing someone. Listen, I love em all. I adore these character and I don’t want anyone to die. However, we have had about 3-4 times a major character has died (one of em twice). Then they somehow continue to come back. I don’t like that trope and I have an especially hard time when it’s done more than once. I was nearly gotten with a character death, felt some tears prickling my eyes. Was pretty bummed out for a few pages. And then even more bummed when they came back. I don’t like having that emotional impact and then having it nearly immediately taken away ends up usually making it feel cheap for me.
Aside from that, the book is full of action and anticipation. I loved every bit of it. There are some moments when the book makes some comments or explores a topic. Zhang and Rapscallion talk about why people feel the need to burn books. Zhang has pretty intense PTSD. There’s a few mentioned of whether or not Parker is even really Parker and, if so, how much of him is real when he’s a copy of a copy. Parker’s storyline throughout this is him dealing with not having a body and how differences between our minds and our bodies can lead to even bigger issues. But its mostly just a fun sci-fi horror and I love that.
The prose is simple. Wellington doesn’t go overboard on the descriptions, yet the characters still feel real and the world still feels lived in and alive. The way he writes keeps constant tension on the story without ever feeling as if I’m drained or exhausted. He seems to allow his small and to the point sentences to propel the story further. He’s a master at saying so little while also conveying so much. This helps make the story of three people and a robot exploring a planet and searching for a lost colony feel even more exciting. Also, zombies in outer space controlled by an alien more ancient and powerful than our human minds could ever comprehend? I’m in. Admittedly, the villain’s monologue at the end felt a little cliche, even more so when it happened twice. But I still don’t find myself able to complain much about it at all.
I would love to know your thoughts about the book if you’ve read it! Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see yall soon!
