The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Romance, Historical, Adult Fiction, Holocaust, Germany, War, Relationships

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of love, betrayal, and art that spans decades, through the horrors of World War II to 21st century America, inspired by an actual porcelain factory in Dachau.

Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history.

A daughter’s search for the truth.

Germany, 1929. At a festive gathering of young bohemians in Weimar, two young artists, Max, a skilled Jewish architect, and Bettina, a celebrated avant-garde painter, are drawn to each other and begin a whirlwind romance. Their respective talents transport them to the dazzling lights of Berlin, but this bright beginning is quickly dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. Max is arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where only his talent at making exquisite porcelain figures stands between him and seemingly certain death. Desperate to save her lover, Bettina risks everything to rescue him and escape Germany.

America, 1993. Clara, Bettina’s daughter, embarks on a journey to trace her roots and determine the identity of her father, a secret her mother has kept from her for reasons she’s never understood. Clara’s quest to piece together the puzzle of her origins transports us back in time to the darkness of Nazi Germany, where life is lived on a razor’s edge and deception and death lurk around every corner. Survival depends on strength, loyalty, and knowing true friend from hidden foe. And as Clara digs further, she begins to question why her mother was so determined to leave the truth of her harrowing past behind…

The Porcelain Maker is a powerful novel of enduring love and courage in the face of appalling brutality as a daughter seeks to unlock the mystery of her past.

First Line

In a tall cabinet, on a glass shelf, lies a white porcelain rabbit.
The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of The Porcelain Maker was medium throughout most of the book. It did speed up towards the end (when Bettina tried to flee Germany with Max).

Trigger/Content Warning: The Porcelain Maker contains content and trigger warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Antisemitism (graphic)
War and War themes (graphic)
Violence (graphic)
Classism (moderate)
Dementia (moderate)
Depression (moderate)
PTSD (moderate)
Alcohol Consumption (moderate)
Dead Bodies (moderate)
Suicide (minor)
Starvation (moderate)
Grief (graphic)
Confinement (graphic)
Gun violence (moderate)
Murder (graphic)
Concentration Camp (moderate)
Genocide (moderate)
Mass Murder (moderate)
Abusive Relationship (minor)
Mental Health Hospitalization (minor)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in The Porcelain Maker. It was not graphic.

Language: There is moderate swearing in The Porcelain Maker. But there is offensive language used (slurs against Jewish people).

Setting: The Porcelain Maker is set in several locations. In Bettina and Max’s section of the book, the locations were various parts of Germany. In Clara’s book sections, the settings were Cincinnati, London, and Germany.

Tropes: War, Combining Real and Fiction Events, Including Historical Figures as Characters, Dual Timeline, What Life was Like, Survivor’s Guilt, Death Used as Catalyst, Bittersweet Ending, Alternation POV, Trauma

Age Range: I recommend The Porcelain Maker to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Max and Bettina fall in love in the golden years between World War I and World War II. But, with the rise of Nazism, Max is soon captured and thrown into Dachau. What saves him from manual labor is an unexpected friend he had made at Allach’s famous porcelain factory and his talent for creating porcelain figures. Desperate to save Max, Bettina will do anything to save him. That includes planning a daring escape from Allach with Max. Will that escape happen?

Desperate to find out her father’s identity, Clara starts on a journey tracing her roots with the sparse clues her mother left her. But, what Clara discovers will shake her to her core and make her question everything she knew about her mother. Will Clara find out who her father is? And why didn’t her mother tell her?

Main Characters

Max Erlich: I liked Max. He truly loved Bettina and was willing to step back to let her shine. I was enraged with how he was captured (I was yelling at my Kindle). Then, I knew his plotline would go two ways: a happy ending way or the way that would shatter me (and Bettina). So, I wasn’t surprised by how it ended.

Bettina Vogel: This woman was strong. She knew her mind from the beginning and wasn’t about letting anyone tell her what to do. She had a plan to get out of Germany before Max was captured. But, when he was arrested, her plan had to be adjusted a bit. I disagreed with her marrying the SS guy, but I understood why she did it. What I didn’t understand was her after World War II. What was done to her messed her head up, but willingly not telling her child something that important made me scratch my head. Still, regardless of her choices, I liked her a lot.

Clara Vogel: I felt terrible for Clara. At times, she was chasing shadows and rumors about her father. I liked that her doggedness got her answers. That scene at Dachau, talking to a Holocaust survivor and looking at records, gave me chills.

My review:

When I started to read The Porcelain Maker, I was expecting it to be like other World War II/Nazi Germany books. The main character is captured by the Nazis, forced into concentration camps, and either done to them or seen horrendous things. But not in this case. In this case, while the horror of Dachau was there, it was muted and kept in the background. Which is what made the violence and racist remarks that Max endured at the porcelain factory even more shocking.

This book was an emotional read for me. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish community in Massachusetts. Several of my neighbors, friends, grandparents, and teachers survived concentration camps during World War II. Nothing was talked about, and seeing those inked, blue numbers wasn’t out of the ordinary for us. It wasn’t until a local woman started talking to the middle and high school about the Holocaust and what she endured that I truly got a sense of what happened.

The Porcelain Maker has three separate storylines. Those storylines follow Max, Bettina, and Clara. Max and Bettina’s storylines merge at the beginning of the book, but they separate once they move to Allach. Each storyline was well-written, and each had its twist that surprised me.

The storyline with Max affected me the most. I genuinely liked him and wanted everything to turn out well. But, after he moved to Allach with Bettina, I felt that everything that happened to him (and to her) was predestined. I wanted to change how the author wrapped up his storyline. I wasn’t surprised, but it wasn’t something that I wanted to happen.

The storyline with Bettina also affected me. As I said in her character section, I thought she was strong. Once the Nazis put Max into Dachau, everything she did was to protect her baby and, ultimately, to work towards seeing Max again. Did I agree or like everything she did? No, but I did understand. I also understood why she was so broken in Clara’s recollections. Living through something like that and with what was done to her would scar anyone.

The storyline with Clara intrigued me. I liked seeing her journey to finding out who her father was. What I liked even more was that the author set the storyline in 1993. There were few computers or internet access back then (I remember using dial-up in 1994 or 1995 for the first time). Clara had actually to do the research. I liked how she got one tiny breadcrumb after another, eventually leading to someone who knew her father. I won’t lie; I did get emotional while reading her storyline. I got all the emotions and then some.

The end of The Porcelain Maker was perfect. I won’t say anything about what was written except that I liked it. And the epilogue was just as good. Talk about a tribute!!!!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Sarah Freethy for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Porcelain Maker. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to The Porcelain Maker, then you will enjoy these books:

Sebastian (Ephemera: Book 1) by Anne Bishop

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

A world of shifting lands connected only by bridges, Ephemera has been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one land where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But then in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved-a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her.

But a more devastating destiny awaits Sebastian, for in the quiet gardens of the Landscapers’ school, evil is stirring. The nearly forgotten Eater of the World has escaped its prison-and Sebastian’s realm may be the first to fall.

Search History by Amy Taylor

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press

Date of publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Literary Fiction, Australia, Adult Fiction, Adult, Womens Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A woman’s obsession with her new boyfriend’s dead ex-girlfriend fuels this sharp and honest debut novel, a send-up of modern dating and love

My fingers itched to put his name into the search bar. Once I’d found him, I’d have the cheat sheet.

After fleeing to Melbourne in the wake of a breakup, all Ana has to show for herself is an unfulfilling job at an overly enthusiastic tech start-up and one particularly questionable dating app experience. Then she meets Evan. Charming, kind, and financially responsible, Evan is a complete aberration from her usual type; Ana feels like she has finally awoken from a long dating nightmare.

As much as she tries to let their burgeoning relationship unfold IRL, Ana just can’t resist the urge to find Evan online. When she discovers that his previous girlfriend, Emily, died unexpectedly in a hit-and-run less than a year ago, Ana begins to worry she’s living in the shadow of his lost love. Soon she’s obsessively comparing herself to Emily, trawling through her dormant social media accounts in the hope of understanding her better. Online, Evan and Emily’s life together looked perfect–but just how perfect was it? And why won’t he talk about it?

Perceptive and original, full of both pathos and humor, Search History explores the contradictions and uncertainties of twenty-first century romance. Ana’s journey down the Internet rabbit hole of modern dating asks the question: Which is our “true” self–the one we show to the world online, or the one we keep to ourselves?

First Line:

At some point after a breakup, the desire to sleep with someone else arrives.
Search History by Amy Taylor

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of Search History was medium pace. It did speed up to medium fast towards the end of the book. But the overall pace was medium.

Trigger/Content Warning: Search History has trigger and content warnings. If you are triggered, then I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Sexual Violence (graphic)
Infidelity (moderate)
Toxic Relationship (moderate)
Misgony (moderate)
Sexism (moderate)
Stalking (graphic)
Car Accident (minor)
Death (minor)
Grief (graphic)
Alcoholism (moderate)
Alcohol Consumption (graphic)
Panic Attacks (moderate)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Search History. There are a couple of scenes where it gets graphic. Otherwise, it is a fade to the next day, or the author uses general terms when describing Ana getting her freak on.

Language: There is moderate swearing and some offensive language in Search History.

Setting: Search History is almost set entirely in Melbourne, Australia. There is a chapter where Ana visits her father in Bali.

Tropes: Conflict Comes from Interpersonal Relationships, Betrayal/Cheater, Minor Character Death, Plot Twist, Regret, Relationships, Dating

Age Range: I would recommend Search History to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

After fleeing to Melbourne after her long-term relationship crashed and burned, Ana feels ready to date again. But when the matches on her dating app become questionable (and, in one case, dangerous), Ana is prepared to give up. Then she meets Evan while at drinks with co-workers. Evan is everything she is looking for in a man. He’s handsome, witty, and single. After several dates, Ana searches for Evan’s name online and discovers a huge surprise. Evan’s previous girlfriend, a beautiful yoga instructor, was killed in a car accident. Ana slowly becomes obsessed with Emily and Evan’s perfect relationship and with Emily herself. But with Evan not mentioning Emily and breaking down every time Ana mentions her, Ana begins to wonder if their relationship was as perfect as it seems on social media. Will Ana get the truth from Evan? Or will what is revealed break them up?

Main Characters

Ana: I had mixed feelings about Ana at the beginning of Search History. While I liked her and thought her snark was excellent, I didn’t particularly appreciate that she cyberstalked her ex (and later on Emily and Evan). In the beginning, she came across as needy and obsessive. But, as the book went on and her back story was shared, I began to understand why she acted the way she did. I still had mixed feelings about her social media use, but something resonated with me at that point. Haven’t we all looked up an old or new love interest to see what they are doing? I know I have. So, giving side-eye to Ana was replaced with sympathy and an overwhelming need to take her phone away.

Evan: I thought his appearance in Ana’s life was good. He showed up exactly when she needed it, and they were good together for a little while. I even got why he didn’t talk about Emily (her death was still too painful). But then he started pulling stuff on Ana that made my shady boyfriend’s meter go way up. All I have to say is that Evan isn’t as innocent as he made himself to be to Ana. He left a whole lot out.

My review:

Reading Search History was eye-opening for me. I have no clue what it is like dating in this day and age. I met my SO before smartphones were common and dating apps were everywhere. I met him 20 years ago the old-fashioned way: In person. What attracted me to this book was how the internet and social media shaped Ana’s view of dating and then fueled her obsession with Emily and Evan’s relationship and with Emily herself.

The main storyline centers around Ana, Evan, using social media to stalk Emily and Evan, and Ana’s life in general. It was well written. Some of the scenarios showcased didn’t resonate with me, but like I stated above, I last dated 20 years ago. But the feeling behind everything did. Everything Ana did until almost the end of the book wasn’t malicious. She was curious and then felt that she had to live up to something shown through social media. Even with her hearing the truth (and yes, it shocked me), she still felt that she had to live up to Emily’s memory.

A massive twist towards the end of the book involves Ana and Evan’s relationship. I was so shocked when everything went down because, at the time, I had no warning. But, looking back, there were plenty of signs; I didn’t take them as they were.

What I also liked about this book is that it wasn’t just about relationships. It was about healing. Ana had so much to heal from and had so much to heal. It was nice to see her strained relationships become less strained. I also liked that she became more assertive in other areas (for example, her job).

The end of Search History was nice, but what Ana did at the very end raised my eyebrows. Didn’t she learn from everything she went through earlier in the book? I wondered if she would go down another social media rabbit hole.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press, NetGalley, and Amy Taylor for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Search History. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Search History, then you will enjoy these books:

Betrayal (Robin Lockwood: Book 7) by Phillip Margolin

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of Publication: November 7th, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Suspense, Adult Mystery Thriller

Series: Robin Lockwood

The Third Victim—Book 1

The Perfect Alibi—Book 2

A Reasonable Doubt—Book 3

A Matter of Life and Death—Book 4

The Darkest Place—Book 5

Murder at Black Oaks—Book 6

Betrayal—Book 7

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Phillip Margolin’s Betrayal , attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself defending her old nemesis in a multiple murder case with too many suspects, where success might cost her own life.

Robin Lockwood is now a prominent defense attorney in Portland, Oregon but a decade ago, she was a ranked and rising MMA fighter. Her career came to a quick end when she was knocked out and concussed in the first round by Mandy Kerrigan, a much more talented fighter.

Now the situation couldn’t be more different, with Kerrigan on her last legs, her career nearly over, arrested for the quadruple murder of the entire Finch family…and Kerrigan’s only possible friend is the attorney she beat so many years ago.

For Robin, it’s no simple Margaret Finch was a lawyer working for vicious Russian mobsters, and was in the cross-hairs of both the mobsters and the widower of a woman a client killed; her husband Nathan Finch was deeply in debt to a bookie who threatened his life; her son Ryan was the one who sold Kerrigan illegal performance enhancing drugs and was beaten severely by her when Kerrigan failed her drug test. To complicate matters further, the DA that Robin is facing is the man she’s just started dating, the first person she’s begun seeing seriously after her husband was killed.

In a case where the stakes are high and the truth is elusive, where each new fact twists the case in a new direction, there is seemingly no way to win or direction to turn that will leave Robin Lockwood unscathed.

First Line:

Shortly before Megan Radcliffe’s favorite show started, a very odd event occurred that was followed by a horrifying event.
Betrayal by Phillip Margolin

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Betrayal was medium. The author did pick up the pace toward the end of the book when the big reveal happened.

Series: Betrayal is book 7 in the Robin Lockwood series. While you can read this as a standalone book, I recommend reading the series’s previous six books. I was confused when the author brought up past cases and events because I went into this book cold.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are content and trigger warnings in Betrayal. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Bullying (off-page and told by friends of one of the deceased)
Cyberbullying (off-page and told by the victim’s parents and friends)
Adult-minor relationships (off-page)
Drug Addiction (mostly off-page)
Gambling Addiction (off and on page)
Suicide (off-page)
Drug dealing (some on-page but mostly off-page)
Blood (on page)
Gore (on page)
Dead bodies (on page)
Car accident (off-page)
Garroting (on-page)
Gun Violence (off and on page)
Murder (off and on page)
Organized Crime (on page)
Physical Assualt (on page)
Torture (off-page)
Violence (off and on page)

Sexual Content: There are sexual situations in Betrayal. They are not graphic.

Language: There is swearing and offensive language in Betrayal.

Setting: Betrayal is set entirely in Portland, Oregon.

Tropes: Red Herring, Dysfunctional Family, Mafia, Plot Twists, The Unlikable Victim, The Dramatic Reveal, High Stakes

Age Range: I recommend Betrayal to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

In her former life as a rising MMA fighter, Robin had fought and lost to Mandy Kerrigan. The injury she got in that match made Robin quit and take her studies as a criminal defense attorney seriously. Years later, Robin meets Mandy again, except Mandy is being accused of murdering an entire family-something that she vehemently denies. Taking her case, Robin sees that there are other people with the motive and means to kill the Finch family. But with the evidence pointing at Mandy, it will take everything that Robin knows to acquire her client. Can Robin and her team find evidence to free Mandy? Or will she go to jail for a crime she swore she didn’t commit?

Main Characters

There were a lot of characters in this book, and each contributed to the plotline in their own way. But for this section, I will focus on the two main characters. If I listed all of the secondary characters in this review, it would take forever for you to read and for me to write.

Robin Lockwood: I liked Robin. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to poke at people to get answers (the meeting with the mob boss and his enforcer stood out to me). I also liked that she was fair. Most criminal defense attorneys (at least in the books) are written as slimy and out for themselves. So, it was refreshing to see one who worked with the prosecutor and did things correctly. There wasn’t anything deceptive about her. She even came clean about her blossoming relationship with the prosecuting attorney when she was assigned to Mandy’s case.

Mandy Kerrigan: I didn’t like her, but I did pity her. The author did get into her background and why she got into MMA. It was heartbreaking. But also heartbreaking was her fall from the top. She did hit rock bottom during this book (with the suspension/drugging and the murder trial). She felt that Robin owed it to her to get her acquitted. The scene towards the end of the book, when she exploded at Robin, sealed that notion for me.

My review:

Reading an excellent legal thriller is one of my favorite pastimes. I love seeing how the law works and figuring out if the defendant (or plaintiff) will be found guilty/not guilty. So, I was happy to read Betrayal. I was thrilled when I found out it was from a criminal defense attorney’s side (instead of the DA). As I mentioned above, the criminal defense attorney rubs me the wrong way in most books I have read. Thankfully, this book is different.

The Finch family was one of the most dysfunctional families I have read. Anyone that they came in contact with could have killed them. The mother was a lawyer for the Russian mob, the father created designer drugs at his workplace, the son dealt the drugs his father made, and the daughter bullied a girl into committing suicide. I think the author could have just written a book about each of them instead of having them all killed off. But, it made for a good read and a good who-dun it. Why? Because this family pissed off a whole bunch of people over the past year, and any one of those people could have killed them. Mandy was only arrested because the neighbor saw her at the house right before the bodies were found.

The mystery angle of this book was perfect. Usually, I can figure out who did it and the reason reasonably early in the book. Well, not in this case. I thought I had figured out who did it and was stunned by how the murderer was revealed and why that person killed the family. It was a huge twist, and I didn’t see it coming. I sat there with my mouth open and kept saying, “No freaking way,” over and over again.

The end of Betrayal was a huge twist (see above). I liked that the author wrapped everything up but left enough room for a book 8.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Phillip Margolin for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Betrayal. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Betrayal, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Phillip Margolin:

The Art of Destiny (The War Arts Saga: Book 2) by Wesley Chu

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey

Date of publication: October 10th, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Epic Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, High Fantasy, Martial Arts, Novels, Asian Literature

Series: War Arts

The Art of Prophecy—Book 1 (review here)

The Art of Destiny—Book 2

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

Once there was a prophecy that a chosen one would rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, an immortal god-king.

But the prophecy was wrong.

Now Jian, the former chosen hero, is just an ordinary young man trying to find his own way. But he may yet have an extraordinary destiny, because he joins forces with Taishi, his grumpy grandmaster, who instructs him in the ways of her family’s powerful war art. Jian still has a long way to go before he can become her heir, so she recruits a band of elderly grandmasters who come out of retirement to whip him into shape and help with this one last job.

And there are others who are also seeking their own destiny, like Qisami, an assassin on a secret mission to protect a powerful noblewoman from her enemies. But as Qisami goes undercover to complete her mission, she takes on a new identity that gives her something she never had before: friendship, found family, and new purpose.

Sali also thought her fate was laid before her. She was supposed to be looking for the next Eternal Khan and now finds her clan exiled from everything she’s ever known. As she leads the survivors in search of a new home, Sali discovers that she’s something she never thought she could be: a leader and a revolutionary.

Because sometimes destiny is grander than any prophecy can foresee. And the greatest destiny of all is the one you choose for yourself.

First Line:

The caravan of covered wagons snaked along the craggy face of a mountain range known as the Five Ugly Brothers.
The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of The Art of Destiny alternated between slow and medium. Usually, I’m not too fond of a slow-paced book, mainly because books with that pace do not keep my attention. But, in this case, it did. The author used that slow pace to introduce new characters and explain their relationship to the main one(s). The book did pick up pace towards the end and stayed medium speed until the book’s ending.

Series: The Art of Destiny is book 2 in the War Arts series. This book cannot be read as a standalone novel. You must read book one to understand the main characters’ backstories and some of the secondary characters.

Trigger/Content Warning: There weren’t many trigger/content warnings. But, if any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Violence (graphic)
Blood (graphic)
War (graphic)

Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in The Art of Destiny. There is a scene where Wen gets kissed by Sonaya. There is also a lot of innuendo by Sonaya during her and Wen’s training sessions.

Language: There is no swearing in The Art of Destiny.

Setting: The Art of Destiny is set in the fictional country of The Enlightened States. The characters all travel to various areas of the country.

Tropes: High Action, The Hero’s Journey, The Chosen One, The Mentor, Epic Storylines with Lots of Characters, High Stakes, The Training Sequence

Age Range: I recommend The Art of Destiny to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Two years after the Great Kahn was killed and Taishi took in Wen Jian as her heir, Wen Jian is still in hiding. His training is going horribly, and Taishi is worried. There are rumors of a war between the Dukes and an uprising by the Katuia. So, Taishi summons her friends, retired grandmasters, to help tutor Wen. She also has an ulterior motive known only to her and Zofi. What is Taishi hiding, and why is she so insistent on Wen being trained?

Meanwhile, Maza Qisami’s reputation as a Shadowstrike has taken a blow after her battle with Taishi. Unable to secure good-paying work for herself and her pod, she is surprised when she is offered a job to go undercover in Lord Niam’s household. But, once there, Qisami starts settling in and becomes attached to the people who live and work there. Will she be able to do what is asked of her, or will she forsake everything she has worked for?

Then there is Sali. The former Viperstrike is dying from the Pull of the Khan and is exhausted from leading her people to a safe area. She is reluctant to go when told of a cure in the north. Pushed into it by her younger sister, Sali takes her neophyte, Hampa, and Mali’s husband, Daewon, on the journey. What she learns once she is in Hrusha is life-altering. Can she be healed from the Pull of the Khan? Or will her journey north be for nothing?

Main Characters

Because this book has numerous characters, I will only outline the four who the storylines are molded around. If I went into each character, this review would be extremely long. The author did include a glossary that names The Tiandi, The Shadow, and The Katua characters.

Wen Jian: She was still grouchy, but I felt she lost her edge slightly. I liked seeing her interactions with the other grandmasters. I disagreed with what she did during the last half of the book, but I understood why she did it. It is the same with her agreeing to do what Wen asked at the end of the book.

Taishi: She was still grouchy, but I felt she lost her edge slightly. I liked seeing her interactions with the other grandmasters. I didn’t agree with what she did during the last half of the book, but I understood why she did it. Same with her agreeing to do what Wen asked at the end of the book.

Qisami: I enjoyed reading Qisami’s part of the story. I liked seeing her go from this uptight, bloodthirsty assassin to someone much softer. It gave me an insight into who she could have been if she hadn’t been sold to the Consortium. It also showed me what she might be like in book two. I know Sunri, Chiafan, and Qisami’s former pod mates better watch their backs because she’s out to get them.

Sali: Out of everyone in the book, she was my favorite. She led her people out of enslavement and kept them two steps ahead of tribes who wanted to kill them. Once Sali hid them, she reluctantly went to look for a cure for the Pull of the Khan. Her journies led her to Hrusha, where her character’s arc took another turn. I can’t wait to see where her storyline goes and how she will meet up with the other three main characters.

My review:

I had eagerly awaited The Art of Destiny since I saw the author put it on Goodreads. I enjoyed reading The Art of Prophecy and needed to know what happened to Wen, Taishi, Qisami, and Sali. So, when I saw the widget arrive in my email, I immediately downloaded it. This book did not disappoint.

First, I want to let everyone know that there is a map (a little small on my Kindle, but it might be bigger in a book) of The Enlightened States. I loved that. The second thing, and this is what I loved, is that the author included a glossary (or a Dramatis Personae). It lists every single named character in the book and has a brief description of them. As a reviewer, that is a lifesaver since I am forever going back and forth on my Kindle to find characters and make sure the names are correct.

I also want to let everyone know that this book is long. It is 672 pages. It is also slow, but, as I said above, the author reintroduced characters and introduced new characters. And there was a lot.

The Art of Destiny is split into three separate storylines. One follows Wen Jian and Tiashi. The other follows Qisami. The last storyline follows Sali. The storylines are kept entirely different from each other until the end of the book. Then Wen Jian, Tiashi, and Qisami’s storylines merge. But Sali’s is kept separate, and the author did have good reason for that. All of the storylines were well-written and very rich in lore. I was immersed in each storyline separately and did not have an issue transferring from one to another.

The storyline following Wen Jian and Tiashi focuses on Wen Jian, his training, Tiashi bringing the other grandmasters to the Cloud Pillars, and the events at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about the other grandmasters and their chosen martial arts. I liked how each interacted with Wen and Tiashi. I also liked that they all had Wen’s back and would follow him (and Tiashi) anywhere. The storyline was still ongoing at the end of the book, and I am curious about where everyone ended up.

The storyline with Qisami did make me a little sad. Once placed in the Duke’s household, she seemed to find a family that accepted her for who she was (at face value). She formed friendships outside of her pod. She lost sight of why she was there until Firstwife told her to kill people that she had become attached to. But the saddest thing is when her pod mates betrayed her. Her surprise and betrayal came off the pages, as did her anger. She was so upset that she let Wen and Tiashi slip through her fingers.

The storyline with Sali had my attention the most. She was trying so hard to find a way to get rid of the Pull of the Khan. But her journies and the pull were killing her. She was also trying to be strong for her tribe. Her weariness was palpable. But, when she heard of a potential cure in the north, on the island nation of Hrusha, she reluctantly went. Her character’s growth while on the island was comparable to Qisami’s. I loved her fight scenes with the Stormchaser. It was the highlight of the book for me. What she turned into also surprised me.

The book’s fantasy angle was incredible (including the martial arts). I loved that the author based it on Chinese folklore and then ran with it. I wish the author recorded some of the lore in a glossary because I had some issues keeping them straight (but that is a me issue, not a book or writing issue).

The end of The Art of Destiny was good. Nothing was wrapped up. Instead, things were revealed and left there for my overactive imagination to process. I can’t wait to see where book three will take these characters. I also can’t wait to see how the author will merge Sali’s storyline with Qisami, Wen, and Tiashi’s.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Wesley Chu for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Art of Destiny. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to The Art of Destiny, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Wesley Chu:

When I’m Dead (Black Harbor: Book 3) by Hannah Morrissey

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: October 31st, 2023

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Adult, Halloween, Horror

Series: Black Harbor

Hello, Transcriber—Book 1

The Widowmaker—Book 2

When I’m Dead—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | World Cat

Goodreads Synopsis:

One girl murdered. Another one missing. And a medical examiner desperate to uncover the truth in the latest Black Harbor mystery by acclaimed author Hannah Morrissey.

On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery—her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions…details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect.

First Line:

You’ll love me more when I’m dead.
When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of When I’m Dead was fast. Considering the book takes place within a week of the first murder, I wasn’t surprised. There was a slight lag towards the middle of the book, but I expected it. The lag didn’t affect my reading (I didn’t have to backtrack) or my enjoyment of the book.

Series: When I’m Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series. Readers can read this book as a standalone. The characters from the previous two books appear in this one, but they are kept as secondary characters. Also, the cases from the previous books are mentioned but kept to just mentions.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are content and trigger warnings in When I’m Dead. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Child Death (graphic)
Kidnapping (moderate)
Murder (graphic)
Death (graphic)
Bullying (graphic)
Grief (graphic)
Body Shaming (moderate)
Gore (moderate)
Mental Illness (graphic)
Toxic Friendship (graphic)
Injury/detail of injury (moderate)
Blood (graphic)
Medical Content (moderate)
Adult/minor relationship (minor)
Suicide (minor)
Classism (moderate)
Suicidal Ideation (moderate)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in When I’m Dead. It is only for one page, and it does get moderately graphic.

Language: There is graphic swearing in When I’m Dead.

Setting: When I’m Dead is set entirely in the fictional city of Black Harbor, Wisconsin.

Tropes: The Red Herring, The Dramatic Reveal, Twist Ending, Ticking Clock, High Stakes, Missing Children

Age Range: I recommend When I’m Dead to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

When Rowan is called to the scene of a gruesome murder, she is shocked to discover that it is a friend of her daughter, Chloe. When she gets home later that night, she finds that Chloe never returned home from the play she was starring in. As she and her husband, Axel, start investigating Chloe’s disappearance and her friend’s murder, she is shocked to learn that Chloe has been keeping secrets from her parents. The more they dig, the more secrets they uncover. Can they find Chloe and solve the murders?

Main Characters

Rowan Winthrop: I could sympathize with Rowan regarding Chloe going missing. But my sympathy only went so far. She was a largely absent parent who prioritized her job over her child, and she knew it. I did feel bad about the guilt she carried over that and the death of a teenager decades earlier.

Axel Winthrop: I wasn’t sure what to think about him. I felt that he made some very questionable choices throughout the book. Like Rowan, he prioritized his job over his child. But, in this case, I got it. Detectives work strange and long hours. I also questioned his behavior throughout the book with suspects.

Chloe Winthrop: I felt awful for Chloe. She was dealing with a lot. A possible learning disability (and don’t get me started on how her parents didn’t know about it), vicious and ugly rumors being spread about her, and her parents never seemed to notice her. I just wanted to hug her.

Libby Lucas: I didn’t like her but felt terrible for her. Classmates teased her relentlessly about her weight (Neck Rolls was a nickname given to her). I had her pegged as the murderer because of how she acted in her chapters. But the more I read about her, the more I understood her. She was Chloe’s haven in the hell that school became.

My review:

When I’m Dead was an interesting read for me. I liked that this was a dark thriller where I couldn’t figure out who the killer was. I was not too fond of the multiple POVs, but they grew on me. They did give me insight into Chloe and the facts surrounding her disappearance. They also gave me insight into the people murdered and how the murders are tied to Chloe.

The main storyline is centered around the murders and Chloe’s disappearance. The investigation into the murders did raise my eyebrows, though. The main detective and the medical examiner knew the victim(s) and, later on, knew what they did to their daughter. I know this is fiction, but I didn’t think it was kosher. I also thought that Axel interrogating suspects was against everything I knew about police procedure. The author does attempt to explain why they were both working the cases. There was a shortage of MEs and police officers. Then there is Libby’s role in everything. She didn’t tell Axel or Rowan everything she knew and, most importantly, defaced evidence in Chloe’s room. Her behavior made me think she was a suspect until it was proven she wasn’t (alibi). But Libby was central in figuring out who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive behind everything.

The mystery angle was well written. The author gave a ton of red herrings and had me thinking different people were the killer/kidnapper. Heck, she even had me thinking that Chloe did it and ran away. But when she revealed who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive, I was shocked. That person wasn’t even on my radar.

The suspense/thriller angle was also well-written. I was kept on the edge of my seat, wondering when Chloe would be found and the killer would be revealed. And at the end of the book, I was on edge with everything happening.

The end of When I’m Dead was great. I liked the twists that the author threw in about the killer. As I mentioned above, I had zero clue about the killer’s motive and who the killer was. I felt that the very end of the book was a little anti-climactic due to everything that happened.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Hannah Morrissey for allowing me to read and review this ARC of When I’m Dead. All opinions stated this this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to When I’m Dead, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Hannah Morrissey:

People to Follow by Olivia Worley

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books

Date of publication: October 31st, 2023

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense, Crime, Social Media, Action

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

en teen influencers come to a remote island to star in a reality show, but when one of them winds up dead, they realize that this time, the price of being “cancelled” could be their lives.

A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars–including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators—it’s about to turn into a nightmare.

When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these nine little influencers find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.

With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled—like, literally—before their #1 follower strikes again.

First Line:

It’s a view you could kill for.
People to Follow by Olivia Worley

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of People to Follow was fast-paced. The storyline occurs within a few days of everyone arriving on the island. The pacing of the storyline suited the book. There was a little lag towards the end (when the author revealed everything and why), but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are trigger and content warnings in People to Follow. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Death (Graphic)
Murder (Graphic)
Alcohol (Moderate to Graphic)
Gun Violence (Graphic)
Blood (Moderate to Graphic)
Grooming (Moderate)
Adult/Minor Relationship (Moderate)
Bullying (Graphic)
Sexual Assualt (Moderate)
Panic Attacks (Moderate to Graphic)
Sexual Violence (Moderate)
Violence (Graphic)
Grief (Graphic)
Death of a Parent (Graphic)
Sexual Harassment (Moderate)
Gaslighting (Moderate)
Confinement (Moderate)
Stalking (Graphic)
Classism (Moderate)
Body Shaming (Minor)
Eating Disorder (Minor)
Toxic Friendship (Moderate)
Slut Shaming (Moderate)

Sexual Content: There is no graphic sexual content in People to Follow. But there are insinuations about relationships between the characters. I took that as they had slept together. There is also a brief mention of a naked girl’s photograph being shared in a text between a group of boys (with the girl’s head not shown).

Language: There is graphic swearing in People to Follow.

Setting: People to Follow is set on a fictional island in the Caribbean.

Tropes: The Unlikable Victim, The Red Herring, Close Quarters, Outsmarting the Criminal, The Dramatic Reveal, Twist Ending

Age Range: I recommend People to Follow to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

When the producer of a new reality TV show contacts ten teen influencers, they are all thrilled. This show is a way for some to rebrand. For others, it is a way of gaining more followers. For one, it is a way to get revenge on the nine people who wronged them, even if that means murder. When people start dying, and secrets are revealed, it is up to the survivors to figure out which one of them is a killer.

Main Characters

Kira Lyons—Out of all the characters in this book, I liked her the most. When things started to go sideways, Kira didn’t panic that much. She actively looked for who the Sponsor/killer was and, later, a phone so they could call for help.

Max Overly—I liked him. Even after the Sponsor revealed his secret, I thought his character was interesting. He genuinely felt bad about everything that had happened when he was fifteen, and, like Kira, he actively tried to find out who the Sponsor/killer was.

Logan Costello—I will admit this, but I had her pegged as the killer/the Sponsor for most of the book. But I was shocked when two secrets were revealed. One, there were hints dropped throughout the storyline until it was revealed. But the other one surprised me. Still, it didn’t make her any less of a suspect. That is until the end, when everything went sideways.

Corrine Lecompte—I didn’t have an opinion about her, but I did have her pegged as at least an accomplice. I wasn’t surprised with what she confessed, but I was surprised at who was mentioned during that conversation. It made me eye her as a possible killer, too.

Aaron Tyler Banks—I didn’t like him, but I did pity him. He had fallen from grace and sought a way to return to the influencer/streaming/acting world. His secret didn’t surprise me. It made me sad for him.

McKayleigh Hill—I did not like her. She was everything that I disliked as an influencer. She was fake, shallow, and catty. I wasn’t surprised at all by what was revealed. But, I was surprised by her role in another secret.

Zane Rivers—He was another one that I couldn’t stand. Something about him rubbed me wrong after the author introduced his character. I can’t say I was surprised by what the secret was. But I was surprised at his role with the secondary secret that he, Logan, McKayleigh, and Graham shared.

Graham West—Like Corrine, he was another one that I didn’t have an opinion of. He didn’t join in on McKayleigh or Zane’s torment of Logan. I also didn’t think his initial secret (and connection to Aaron) was as bad as the others. His role in the secret with Zane, McKayleigh, and Logan was bad, but you could tell he felt awful about it.

Elody Hart—I. Could. Not. Stand. Her. I saw she was fake as soon as she was introduced in the book (the babes gave it away). Like Graham, her secret wasn’t that bad (compared to the others). But what was revealed at the end and her connection to Max blew my mind.

Cole Bryan—I had no opinion of him either. He was obnoxious and rude. I wish I knew his secret because I am sure it was a small fish compared to what was revealed later in the book.

My review:

There is one main storyline in People to Follow. It follows the ten influencers and why they are on the island. Then, it morphs into a fight for survival when the Sponsor starts making their demands. This storyline was well-written, and I couldn’t put the book down. It was also a chaotic mess. I’m not too fond of books with more than one viewpoint. But in this case, it worked. The author would end one POV with just enough information or half of the information given about a person and then start the next chapter with that person’s POV.

Numerous secondary storylines are married to the main storyline. Some will not make sense initially, but a lightbulb will go off while reading, and you will understand why the author mentioned that storyline. All of the characters are intertwined in one way or another. Even characters that you think didn’t know each other are connected. It makes a massive spiderweb of storylines that can be difficult to separate.

The mystery angle of People to Follow was excellent. I didn’t figure out who the Sponsor and the killer were until almost the end of the book. And even then, I was only halfway right. The author had a massive twist in the plotline where the author revealed everything, and it was freaking wild. My mouth dropped because of not only who it was but because of why.

The thriller angle of the book was just as good as the mystery angle. The author used being confined to an island during a storm with no electricity to give an appropriate background and feel. The characters’ helplessness and horror over what is being done to them come off the pages.

The end of People to Follow was very anticlimactic, but it gave me chills. I can’t go much more into it, but I will say that the killer was not sorry.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Olivia Worley for allowing me to read and review this ARC of People to Follow. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to People to Follow, then you will enjoy these books:

Secondhand Daylight by Eugen Bacon and Andrew Hook

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing, Cosmic Egg Books

Date of publication: October 27th, 2023

Genre: Science Fiction, Time Travel

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | AbeBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Something is happening to Green. He is an ordinary guy, time-jumping forward at a startling, uncontainable rate. He is grappling to understand his present; his relationship is wholly tattered; his ultimate destination is a colossal question mark.

Zada is a scientist in the future. She is mindful of Green’s conundrum and seeks to unravel it by going backwards in time. Can she stop him from jumping to infinity?

Their point of intersection is fleeting but memorable, each one’s travel impacting the other’s past or future. And one of them doesn’t even know it yet.

Secondhand Daylight is a reverse story in alternate timelines between two protagonists whose lives must one day intersect.

First Line:

I came to on the tarmac outside the Sarah Sands Hotel.
Secondhand Daylight by Eugen Bacon and Andrew Hook

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Secondhand Daylight was medium-paced. While the medium pace worked during sections of the book, the book needed more speed to the storyline-well, at least to Zada’s. There is lag during the book, and I attribute it to the book just plodding along.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are no trigger warnings in Secondhand Daylight.

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Secondhand Daylight. But it is not graphic. The authors do not go into detail and use the fade to black at the end of one chapter and begin the next chapter the next day.

Language: There is moderate swearing in Secondhand Daylight.

Setting: Secondhand Daylight is set in Australia—past, present, and future.

Tropes: Artificial Intelligence, Dystopian, Time Travel

Age Range: I recommend Secondhand Daylight to anyone over 16.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

John Green is in a problem. One night, in the late 90s, he started traveling through time. At first, it was a few days, then expanded to a few weeks. Soon, he was missing months, years, and ultimately decades. He is desperate to stop his uncontrollable journey through time.

Zada took her job knowing that she would eventually be doing the impossible, going back in time to help the company’s founder, John Green, stop time traveling. This is a one-way journey, with Zada stuck in the past once she figures out why John is time-traveling. But finding John before he travels is proving more complicated than she thought, and Zada isn’t sure she can fix his issue. Can Zada stop John from time traveling, or will her journey be for naught?

Main Characters

John Green: I had a tough time connecting to John’s character. But, I chalked that up to his constant confusion over his time traveling.

Zada: Like John, I had a tough time connecting with Zada. But, and I stress this, it was because of her personality. She wasn’t very likable. She had a massive chip on her shoulder, and it showed. But, she was the person to at least attempt to get the job done (reset John).

My review:

When I downloaded Secondhand Daylight, I did it on a whim. That is something other than what I usually do when considering a book to review. I have learned that I either usually love on whim books or I am meh about them. In this case, I was “meh” about Secondhand Daylight.

I had issues following the storyline of the book. It was choppy, and the timeline was all over the place. I found myself reading and rereading paragraphs and chapters. There was a point where I was going to DNF, but I decided to keep reading.

The time travel storylines were interesting. I wish the authors had explained why John was jumping forward in time sooner in the book. I also worried about paradoxes. The only thing that made sense about the time travel storylines was John and Zada missing each other.

The end of Secondhand Daylight was OK. I liked how the authors wrapped up the time travel storyline. The very end of the book did make me think. It was who was involved and the ages that piqued my interest. I would have liked it better if the authors had started with the book’s last page and built on it.

Many thanks to John Hunt Publishing, Cosmic Egg Books, NetGalley, Eugen Bacon, and Andrew Hook for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Secondhand Daylight. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Secondhand Daylight, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Eugen Bacon:

Other books by Andrew Hook

Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect by PD Alleva

Publisher: Chamber Door Publishing

Date of publication: October 31st, 2023

Genre: Horror, Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Carnivals, Cannibals, and Clowns. Oh My!

Wanna go for a ride?

Meet Jigglyspot, a five-foot tall half human half warlock carnival clown who spends his free time moonlighting as a drug dealing pimp and lackey for demonic entities who prey on the weak and vulnerable, casting their dark shadow across humanity through manipulation, and fear.

Jigglyspot was selected to serve as the event coordinator for 2019’s Summer Solstice Celebration at the prestigious Cannibal Café. A celebration that brings together both demon and human alike. But with less than two weeks before the celebration, Jigglyspot’s got so much to do and little time to do it. And the feds are hot on his tail. Between securing new recruits for demonic possession, choosing fresh bodies to slice and dice for dinner, and the fact that his girlfriend, Kera, is eating up most of his time, Jiggly’s at his wit’s end.

Hopefully, those demons appreciate all his sacrifices. Hopefully, but unlikely. Those demons can be hell to deal with. Jigglyspot knows; he’s been dealing with them for decades.

Will he rise above, or will tragedy and mayhem lead to dire discoveries poisoned with manipulation and betrayal that will ultimately destroy all Jigglyspot holds dear?

Discover Jigglyspot and his cast of clowns, killers, demons, and wretched fiends, in a novel like you’ve never experienced. Horror, mayhem, thrills, chills, fantasy, and spoils are waiting for your reading eyes with an escape into the underworld of mind control and human slavery.

Warning: This book contains scenes with profound psychological suffering, and graphically violent acts, behaviors, thoughts, deeds, and ridicule. No one has been spared, and no label is safe. Although we are proud to report, no animals were harmed during the writing of this novel, so that’s a good thing. Everyone else is fair game. After all, if you were a demon, what would you think of humanity?

Fans of Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, Clive Barker, and Stephen King will be captivated by this edge of your seat, eye-popping, wtf horror novel that is certain to be your next addictive read. As they say, you don’t just read Jigglyspot… You DEVOUR Jigglyspot!

First Line:

Jigglyspot stood in the middle of a barren living room, holding a mop handle.
Jigglyspt and the Zero Intellect by PD Alleva

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect is fast. This book started fast and stayed fast the entire time. Even with everything going on and the multiple POVs, the author didn’t slow anything down. I expected lag because of that. I was surprised when there was only minor lag in the middle of the book.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are trigger/content warnings in Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect. The author did mention that in the book’s blurb. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading this book. They are:

Gore (graphic)
Blood (graphic)
Murder (graphic)
Body Horror (graphic)
Child Death (graphic)
Confinement (graphic)
Gun Violence (graphic)
Sexual Violence (graphic)
Slavery (graphic)
Violence (graphic)
Kidnapping (graphic)
Cannibalism (graphic)
Toxic Friendship (graphic)
Death (graphic)
Emotional Abuse (moderate to graphic)
Physical Abuse (graphic)
Rape (graphic)
Suicide (graphic)
Human Trafficking (explicit)
Grief (graphic)
Alcohol (graphic)
Alcoholism (moderate to graphic)
Drug use (moderate)
Pedophilia (moderate)
Death of a parent (moderate)
Forced Incest (moderate)
Bullying (minor)
Anxiety and anxiety attacks (minor to moderate)
Depression (minor to moderate)
Forced Pregnancy (graphic)

Sexual Content: There is graphic sexual content in Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect. It is wrapped up with rape and sexual assault scenes.

Language: There is graphic cursing in the book.

Setting: Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect is set mainly in New York State (New York City and Upstate New York) and California (Los Angeles and Beverly Hills). There are a couple of chapters set in Illinois.

Tropes: Monsters, Aliens, Humans Can Be Evil, Bad Things Happen at Night, Cults and Religious Extremists, Backing into Darkness, Severed Limbs, Deal with the Devil, Creepy Settings, Defeated Monster Comes Back to Life

Age Range: I recommend Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Jigglyspot is a five-foot half-human, half-warlock. When not working at a traveling carnival, Jiggly spends his time running errands for demons and murdering unsuspecting teenagers. But this year, Jiggly has a lot on his plate. He has been selected as the event coordinator of a gathering of demons. It will be on the Summer Solstice and held at the prestigious Cannibal Cafe. Spread thin, Jiggly hopes that the higher-ups see the sacrifices that he is making to make this happen. But there are forces at work that want to disrupt the event, and some of them are working on the inside. Will Jiggly be able to make everything happen, or will everything (including himself) be destroyed in the mayhem that his enemies will cause?

Main Characters

Before I get into the character section, I want to give everyone a heads-up. Besides Christopher (who is thirteen) and Mills, there are no good guys in this book. Everyone has done something heinous to get to the Cannibal Cafe. So, keep this in mind while reading my views on these characters.

Jigglyspot the Clown: Jiggly was a complicated character. Don’t get me wrong, he was pure evil. The things he did to his victims at the beginning of the book turned my stomach. But, after he arrived in California, his character started to evolve. He was still a sick SOB, but he showed a human side. But that human side only extended so far.

Tyler Reese: Like Jiggly, Tyler was a complicated character. What he did to his best friend was awful. Considering what he wanted to do, I liked that the author chose not to go down that path. Unlike Jiggly, though, Tyler wasn’t pure evil. He was getting there through the bullying and the abuse his father put him through. But when he entered the Cannibal Cafe, he was at a crossroads. I was pretty satisfied with the path the author chose to have him go down.

Shannon Mable: I didn’t like Shannon, and my dislike of her grew as I read her chapters. She was willing to do whatever it took to make it in Hollywood. I was a little surprised at the turn her character took, but considering how her character acted in the previous chapters, it made sense. I felt that she reaped what she sewed towards the end of the book.

SC John Mills: Besides Christopher, he was the only adult in this book that I felt bad for. He had been shaped and toyed with by Jiggly for decades (the flashbacks of what Jiggly did to his wife and daughter were awful). Everything that Jiggly did to him had a purpose, leading him to the events in the middle of the book. That didn’t sit right with me, and I was glad that the author then did another quick turn with his character. That fundamentally good man was allowed to shine at the end of the book.

Delilah (Lily) Hempstead: Initially, I was amused at her portrayal. The author did have her spot on as one of those reviewers who eviscerated everything they read. But my amusement soured the more I saw her interactions with her children, mainly Christopher. I can’t go much more into her character other than to say that she did do a 180, and she did what any mother would have done. But it didn’t wipe her slate clean, and the implications at the very end of the book grossed me out.

Christopher Hempstead: Christopher was the only innocent person in the entire book. My heart broke for him at several points during the book. You could see his character growing up and becoming the man he would be during several key scenes. It is what made that scene at the end of the book so sad for me.

My review:

Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect is a well-written and terrifying book. It took my slight dislike of clowns and morphed it into a fear. I will never look at a clown the same way again.

Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect follows several people (Jiggly, Shannon, John, Tyler, Lily, and Christopher) on the days before, on and beyond what happened at that horrible carnival. Some very explicit and very gruesome scenes turned my stomach. But they also kept my attention and made me not want to put the book down.

The storyline with Jiggly and his work to get the celebration of the Solstice turned my stomach and almost made me cry in some places. I did have to give him props for the ingenious way of gathering recruits and sacrifices. How he did it was original (and I will never go on a ride like that again!!).

The storyline with Shannon and her quest for fame bored me until her boyfriend took her to dinner. Then, my interest was caught. Again, it was horrifying and made me wince during several scenes. Shannon got what she wanted and then some. I also felt that she deserved the result.

The storyline with John was one of the sadder ones. He was hot on the trail of a serial killer (Jiggly) until something awful happened to him. I won’t get into this storyline much, but as I said above, he is a fundamentally good man, and you cannot change that.

The storyline with Tyler started awful, and being in his head, reading his reasoning for things was sad. But Tyler became an anti-hero during the last part of the book. He did redeem himself in my eyes.

The storyline with Lily and Christopher bugged me. Lily was a mean drunk who belittled Christopher all the time. Her hobby as a book reviewer made her a pompous know-it-all, too. But, Lily slowly (think turtle slow) morphed into the mother she should have been after the events of the carnival. The ending of this storyline bugged me. It showcased Christopher’s loss of innocence, and it hinted at something much, much more profound and grosser. It wasn’t the way I wanted that storyline to end (even if I didn’t like Lily).

The horror angle of this book was spot on (chef’s kiss). I was terrified but kept reading because I wanted to know when everything would end for the characters. Each chapter went deeper into depravity. I will admit there were some scenes that I was uncomfortable with.

The end of Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect made me wonder if there would be a second one. While the main storyline (with the Cannibal Cafe) was wrapped up, well, sort of, the rest were not. It was the very end and mentions of characters that were in Golem that made me think that. I would love to see more of this universe and what was glimpsed when Tyler was with Kera.

Many thanks to PD Alleva for allowing me to read and review Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Perfect in Death, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by PD Alleva:

What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky

Publisher: Timber Ghost Press

Date of publication: September 5th, 2023

Genre: Horror, Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Valerie Miller and her younger brother have spent their entire lives in the dreary town of Seven Sisters, where most people are resigned to a bleak future of debt and despair. But when a mysterious woman with a dark past arrives, she brings with her a gift that could transform the town’s fortunes – and the lives of Val and Danny.

This extraordinary woman’s power is both awe-inspiring and terrifying, capable of unleashing a force that will shake Seven Sisters to its core. The stakes are high, and danger is omnipresent. Can Val and Danny rise to the challenge and seize the opportunity to finally break free from the suffocating grip of their hometown? Or will they fall victim to the terrors unleashed by this enigmatic figure? One thing is certain–when the sun rises on Seven Sisters, nothing will ever be the same again.

Part creature-feature, part survival story, What Doesn’t Kill You will keep you on the edge of your seat as Val and Danny fight for their lives and all of Seven Sisters.

First Line:

“Easy now,” Leo says into his walkie.
What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of What Doesn’t Kill You is fast. It has to be; the entire story takes place within one night. There is no slow build-up; the author goes from zero to one hundred and keeps that pace going until the end of the book.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are trigger and content warnings in What Doesn’t Kill You. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Addiction (moderate to graphic)
Alcoholism (graphic)
Body Horror (graphic)
Drug Use (moderate)
Infidelity (minor to moderate)
Death (graphic)
Violence (graphic)
Verbal Child Abuse (moderate)
Gun Violence (moderate to graphic)
Gore (graphic)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in What Doesn’t Kill You. It isn’t graphic, but it is insinuated (like when the Deputy keeps thinking of his mistress and their time together). There are some scenes where a twelve-year-old boy reacts to his love interest/friend (gets an erection). But again, nothing graphic.

Language: There is a lot of explicit swearing in What Doesn’t Kill You.

Setting: What Doesn’t Kill You is set in the remote town of Seven Sisters, Wisconsin.

Tropes: Mysterious Things Are Happening, Monsters, Bad Things Happen at Night, Backing into Darkness, Severed Limbs, Creepy Settings

Age Range: I recommend What Doesn’t Kill You to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Seven Sisters, Wisconsin, is a dying town. When a former resident of Seven Sisters returns for a visit, she brings something monstrous, but she knows she can breathe life back into the town with it. After turning it loose on the town, she sits back and watches the carnage and mayhem ensue. But she wasn’t expecting what to happen after the monster slaughtered almost everyone in town. Why did that former resident bring such unimaginable evil back to Seven Sisters? Will anyone survive? Or will this monster’s terror expand to other towns in the area?

Main Characters

What Doesn’t Kill You is different than most books because there are a lot of characters introduced at the beginning of the book. But, by the middle, most of those characters are killed off. In the end, I was surprised at who was left.

My review:

What Doesn’t Kill You is a well-written book that should be read during the daytime and not during the winter. I am being serious here. This book should not be read at night and in any season but in winter. I don’t get scared easily, and this book had me jumping at every little thing after I was done.

The main storyline in What Doesn’t Kill You focuses on Seven Sisters and the carnage that the beehive-headed woman wrecks on the town. The storyline is gory and bloody. There were some scenes that I gagged at and others where I wanted to cry (because of who was killed). I also want to note that the author wasn’t particularly attached to his characters, and he didn’t hesitate to kill them.

There was an aspect of the storyline that I found fascinating, and I wished that the author had gone into it. It was the origins of the beehive-headed woman. I wanted to know where this thing came from and why it was in the wilderness of California. I did like that if the person the monster was attacking killed it and ate the honey, that person was granted their heart’s desire. But there was a caveat that even the person was unaware of, highlighted in the last half of the book.

The end of What Doesn’t Kill You wasn’t a happy ending. Without giving away spoilers, that’s all I can say about it.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Perfect in Death, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Ken Brosky:

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