Categories
One to Watch
Month: March 2023
Categories
Mecca
Title: Mecca
Author: Susan Straight
Genre: family saga fiction
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.
Sigh. Another white woman writing about people of color. Just no. This trend has got to stop. Let Black and Latinx people speak for themselves. Why do these books keep getting published? This book wasn’t even very good. So disjointed and threads all over the place. Some come together, but some don’t at all. The writing was good, but the plot was such a mess.
From Goodreads: Johnny Frías has California in his blood. A descendant of the state’s Indigenous people and Mexican settlers, he has Southern California’s forgotten towns and canyons in his soul. He spends his days as a highway patrolman pulling over speeders, ignoring their racist insults, and pushing past the trauma of his rookie year, when he killed a man assaulting a young woman named Bunny, who ran from the scene, leaving Johnny without a witness. But like the Santa Ana winds that every year bring the risk of fire, Johnny’s moment of action twenty years ago sparked a slow-burning chain of connections that unites a vibrant, complex cast of characters in ways they never see coming.
In Mecca, the celebrated novelist Susan Straight crafts an unforgettable American epic, examining race, history, family, and destiny through the interlocking stories of a group of native Californians all gasping for air. With sensitivity, furor, and a cinematic scope that captures California in all its injustice, history, and glory, she tells a story of the American West through the eyes of the people who built it—and continue to sustain it. As the stakes get higher and the intertwined characters in Mecca slam against barrier after barrier, they find that when push comes to shove, it’s always better to push back.
Sure, this is what the book is about, but it just never comes together. You never spend enough time with one character to ever care about any of them. I went ahead and finished so I could write an honest review, but really, this book was just a waste of my time.
Categories
The Violence
Title: The Violence
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Genre: horror dystopian
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.
Dystopia is my favorite book genre. I’ve burned through the classics, so I’m excited whenever a new one comes out. And the fact that this one is also horror makes for the perfect combination. What I loved most about this book was that it was not only a great plot but an excellent study of human nature.
From Goodreads: When Chelsea Martin kisses her husband hello at the door of their perfect home, a chilled bottle of beer in hand and dinner on the table, she may look like the ideal wife, mother, and homemaker—but in fact she’s following an unwritten rulebook, carefully navigating David’s stormy moods in a desperate nightly bid to avoid catastrophe. If family time doesn’t go exactly how David wants, bad things happen—to Chelsea and the couple’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Ella. Cut off from all support, controlled and manipulated for years, Chelsea has no resources and no one to turn to. Her wealthy, narcissistic mother, Patricia, would rather focus on the dust on her chandelier than acknowledge Chelsea’s bruises. After all, Patricia’s life looks perfect on the surface, too.
But the façade crumbles when a mysterious condition overtakes the nation. Known as the Violence, it causes the infected to experience sudden, explosive bursts of animalistic rage and attack anyone in their path. The ensuing chaos brings opportunity for Chelsea—and inspires a plan to liberate herself and her family once and for all.
This synopsis is just the beginning. So much more unfolds after this point. As you peel back the layers of trauma Chelsea and Patricia suffered at the hands of men, you realize why they act the way they do. And they are excellent dynamic characters who barely resemble their earlier selves. This isn’t an “all men are bad” book, either. As the story progresses, we meet some incredible men and non-binary characters who support these extraordinary ladies. I really loved this book, not just because of the dystopian/horror aspect, but because these characters will stay with me for a long time.
Categories
The Haunted
Categories
The Woods are Waiting
Title: The Woods are Waiting
Author: Katherine Green
Genre: thriller
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.
I like a good story where I don’t see the ending coming. Unfortunately, I guessed this story’s secret about 5% in. As I kept reading, I hoped for some unexpected twist but was disappointed. I still did enjoy the book, though, for the most part. But, overall, it was really predictable. Green’s clues were really obvious, so I imagine I won’t be the only one easily guessing the ending.
From Goodreads: Cheyenne Ashby knows the dark and disturbing history of her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, all too well. It’s why she left. Growing up deep within the woods with her eccentric mother, Constance, she was raised on the unusual customs and generational superstitions linked to the local legend of an evil entity that haunts the forest.
Five years ago, the bodies of three children were found in the woods. It was a man—not a mythical beast—named Jasper Clinton who was convicted of these heinous crimes. For five years, the town breathed just a bit easier with a real-life monster behind bars.
The two women must confront the reality of the superstitions they always believed in and their town’s complicated connection with who—or what—lives in the woods.
But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.
Even though I knew what was coming, I was still looking forward to the payoff. The first 75% of the book was well-written, if not heavy-handed. But the last 25% was a big disappointment. It was just all exposition with someone explaining stuff. Green definitely needs a less in “show, don’t tell.” With the characters digging so much to uncover the truth in the first sections, the ending is a big let down, writing style-wise. I still gave this book four stars because I was engaged and wanted to see what happened, but this one could have definitely been better written.
Categories
Waking Fire
Title: Waking Fire
Author: Jean Louise
Genre: YA fantasy
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.
I love a good YA high fantasy book, but I am very particular about them. They absolutely must have depth. Books like The Fifth Season trilogy, Shadow and Bone books, and the Bones to the Wind duology fit that bill. They all have well-thought-out plots, characters with depth and intelligence, and excellent world-building. Unfortunately, Waking Fire has none of those.
From Goodreads: Naira Khoum has only known life in Lagusa, a quiet village at the desert’s end. But to the rest of the world, Lagusa is a myth, its location shrouded in secrecy. While war rages to the north led by power-hungry Sothpike and his army of undead monsters called Dambi, Naira’s people live in peace.
Until the impossible happens—Lagusa is attacked by a Mistress sent to do Sothpike’s bidding with a hoard of Dambi under her control. The Mistress is looking for something, and she’s willing to let her Dambi destroy Lagusa to get it.
Desperate to protect her home, Naira convinces her twin brother Nez and handsome refugee Kal to join the newly formed resistance with her. Together, they’ll have to figure out what the Mistress wants—before there’s nothing left of Lagusa to save.
As much as I like Naira, she never really learned anything or changed. All the characters were static and one-dimensional. Even though this is a YA book, they were often more juvenile than necessary. The plot had potential, but it lacked any depth. The book starts with a bang but bizarrely abandons the first few scenes and hardly touches upon them in the book ever again. I gave this three stars, which was generous. I didn’t dislike it, but I also don’t want to read the sequel.
Categories
Tell Me Everything
Pleasant Nights 