NetGalley ARC | This Wretched Valley

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First, let's admire that cover. Absolutely perfect and I love when a cover truly matches the contents inside. I admit, I am a cover snob and have been sorely disappointed in the past. Not so here. AT ALL.

I love nature survival horror because it's something that would never happen to me. I don't like being in nature, I don't like nature to touch me, I am firmly an 'indoor girl', unless we are at the pool. It also helps that I am forever obsessed with the Dyatlov Pass deaths and this was billed as being inspired by that very incident.

So, this book was creepy as fuuuuuuck and I loved it.

Dylan is determined to cement her place as a skilled rock-climber among professionals and has found the perfect way to do so. Her friend Clay is a geology student and in his research stumbled upon a seemingly untouched cliff somewhere in the depths of the Kentucky wilderness. Dylan will be the first to do so, and see her career really take off. So the two of them, plus Dylan's boyfriend Luke and Clay's research assistant Sylvia, prepare to trek into the forest surrounding the cliff to document Dylan's journey.

But things do not go as planned. OF COURSE.

Seven months pass before three bodies are discovered not far from the highway that took the group to their destination. And the bodies are not what anyone would expect, each in its own state of decomposition - all that's left of one is a perfectly white skeleton, another has had all its organs removed, and the last has had its eyes, ears, and tongue removed and fingers cut off.

None of these remains belong to Dylan. She is missing.

The plan had been to document her climb on Instagram, and some of Dylan's followers report having seen disturbing livestreams in the months since the team vanished. Others in the area swear they've seen her moving through the woods before disappearing into the trees. Despite searches, no trace of Dylan has ever been found.

The fact that this is a debut novel amazes me. The author was able to not only bring the four human characters to life and give each of them depth and really individualize them, but the setting as well. The valley and cliff became their own characters early on and it is such a testament to an author's talent when they can pull this off. It felt almost suffocating, because there is no escaping the setting, whereas the characters could take time apart from one another if needed. But the valley, the wilderness, the cliff? They were always there, always watching. That only adds to the foreboding, because all those little red flags that the group ignored on their hike-in stick in your mind as the story unfolds. Superbly done.

Despite my love of horror, I don't like gore. Yet I did not find this to be over-the-top or too much. While descriptions were graphic, it all made sense in the context of what was happening, so I didn't feel the need to vomit every five seconds, which is also a win. I guess I would say it is not gore for the sake of gore. It was necessary to show what was happening to move the story along.

Even knowing the fate of Clay, Sylvia, and Luke, I was compelled to keep reading because I had to know what was really going on in this place where nothing really made sense, though at times it was hard to know what was real and what was not. It kept me off-balance in the best way because there were times I had no idea what was coming next. The author leaves some of those questions unanswered, something I say I hate but secretly like, because sometimes not knowing is worse - your mind comes up with all kinds of horrifying options all on its own.

Highly, highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC | The Worst Medieval Monarchs

I received a a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐

The book covers the usual suspects when we are talking about the worst of England's kings: Stephen, John, Edward II, Richard II, and Richard III. I personally think a case could be made for Richard I, but for a much different reason - he simply did not GAF about England and literally would have sold the country if it would have helped him raise money for Crusade. He maybe spent a total of six months there the entire time he was king. BUT, the kings discussed here are viewed as the worst for different reasons - mainly because their reigns were constantly marred by conflict both within and beyond the borders.

It's the king or queen's job to protect their citizens and all failed quite spectacularly in that regard. Civil wars or wars with other countries decimated the population and land. Not to mention the fact that John was a freaking psychopath and Richard III had his nephews killed so he could take the throne.

For all their massive failures, each paid a heavy price:

1. Stephen's stolen crown passed to Henry Plantagenet when he died, thus ushering in the start of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Don't even get me started on how Stephen never should have been king in the first place, usurping the throne that rightfully belonged to his cousin Matilda that she should have received when her father Henry I died. The 18 years-long civil war was directly his fault.

2. Edward II never really stood a chance and is honestly the one I genuinely feel bad for. He was never cut out to be king and would have been quite happy on an estate somewhere doing his commoner things like ditch-digging and roof-thatching. He was most comfortable with those considered lower class and that would have been just fine had he not been the king. Whether he died of natural causes in captivity, or was murdered by order of his queen, Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, we will likely never know. I wish he could have just abdicated and lived a quiet life that he was really meant for.

3. John was THE WORST. Like, just all-around a terrible person, never mind a terrible king. He was a lazy, cruel, spoiled baby and never should have inherited the crown. Richard I had to go and get himself killed though, so here we are. He wasn't particularly skilled in any aspect of kingship so he will always belong to the worst of the worst lists. Plus, Geoffrey's son Arthur should have gotten the crown before John. But John had him killed, maybe even did it himself, so again, here we are. Imagine being the youngest of five boys (William, Henry the Young King, Richard I and Geoffrey came before him), getting a shot at the crown that never should have come your way, and completely messing everything up so badly that England will NEVER have another king named John EVER.

4. Richard II is a bit of a conundrum because he could have been a great king, but we will never know for sure because of a number of factors. He came to the throne young, so had several councils rule for him during his regency. This was led by his uncles John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock. The Peasants' Revolt pretty much solidified Richard's place as a 'worst' considering how brutal the suppression of the revolt was. Then there was his delayed revenge on the Appellants, and his disinheriting of John of Gaunt's son (and Richard's cousin) Henry Bolingbroke. That Richard thought he could do this with no repercussions was insane, and it cost him his throne and life.

5. Then we have Richard III, who I completely despise. We have a theme though, as he is yet another usurper, and typically those have not fared too well (Stephen, always looking at you. Henry VII, you got very lucky). Richard had his nephews murdered, and he knew people were talking about it. All he would have had to do was trot them out at court, let everyone see they were alive and well, and he might have then had a successful reign. But he couldn't do that, so he lost his crown and his life as well, the last king of England to die in battle.

Overall I would say this is a good assessment of the men and their times. The author explores how they were viewed against standards of their own time period compared to the following centuries up to today. He also discusses how the kings have been portrayed in fictional works, from Shakespeare to the screen, and how that impacts their reputations up to today. I don't think any of them can or should be redeemed, except maybe Edward II.

The author suggests that Richard III does not belong on this list but I disagree completely. Richard murdered his nephews to seize the crown. Had he just locked them up, that would be a different story because evidence suggests he actually could have had a decent reign. Murdering the boys, however, ensured that he would always remain the villain in the story. Given the time period however, Richard knew he had to get rid of them, otherwise there was potential for revolt and for Edward V supporters to place him back on his rightful throne. Like with John having his nephew murdered, they absolutely belong on this list for those acts alone.

Something I think would have been important is discussing how each king was raised - like John, not all were raised to be king in the first place but they managed to grab the throne anyway. Background of their life before becoming king would be good to cover as well - particularly for those who do not have a lot of background information on these men already. This was not an issue for me for the most part, but could impact other readers' experiences.

Overall it was a decent read and well-researched.

Recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Hot Girl Murder Club

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐

Well, that was...underwhelming. I wanted to love it, because I am all in favor of terrible things happening to terrible men - especially when we know victims won't get justice because our judicial system is set up to protect mediocre white men. And I have really liked a couple of the other Winstead books I've read, so this is likely a one-off.

Scout Sage has been in the industry for a while, finding moderate success as a singer and actress. Her life was completely altered ten years ago with her sister Georgia's mysterious death at a Hollywood party full of predators. She's done her best to keep her sister's memory alive, surrounding herself with a group of like-minded women.

But then a slew of murders occur in rapid succession, the targets all connected, and evidence points to Scout as the culprit. Scout must do whatever it takes to prove she's not guilty, so she can truly get justice for Georgia, before it's too late.

This book was messy, and not in a good way. There was so much happening, alternating timelines, and what felt like a billion POVs. The characters were pretty distinct for the most part, and multiple POVs don't bother me, but there was almost too much going on, to the point that nothing was done particularly well in the grand scheme of things. It made it hard to connect with any of the characters, with there being so many.

It's also kind of hard to tell at times whether the author is trying to say these women went too far with their revenge, or not far enough. Things spiral big time in the end and everything kind of explodes, literally and figuratively, and I was left feeling very blah about all of it.

Still, I love women supporting women. Seeing the bonds the women have created was very powerful, even though the bonds formed because of trauma and violence committed against them. And I also love seeing survivors make awful men pay for their crimes. Hence, two stars.

NetGalley ARC | Lies Between Us

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐

Two families side-by-side in their waterfront mansions, neighbors for years, the children growing up together in a small town on a small island where there's little crime, everyone knows everyone, and doors are never locked.

This summer is different though. Their picture-perfect lives are upended one night when tragedy strikes after one of the many beach parties they've attended. A boy is dead, secrets abound, and no one will come out of this the same.

(Except they all will because no one learned a damn thing through all of this.)

In theory, this should have been everything I love in a quick YA that doesn't require too much time or thought. Rich kids, secrets, murder. All things I love.

Instead, the book was such a disappointment. I usually really like ths author's work but this was just blah. The ending was ESPECIALLY blah. The characters all had very surface-level development and neither matching set of siblings was distinguishable from any other set. Not to mention that the two families, last names Gold and Silver, just happen to live next to each other. The Golds have three girls, the Silvers have three boys. Each has their exact-age counterpart in the other family.

Seriously, come on. Whyyyyyyyyy???

I didn't really care about any of the characters because we never get to know them well enough to decide one way or another. As a result, it was hard to care about what was happening. Time and time again we are told how the sisters are so close, there are no secrets between them, there's nothing that could break their bonds or loyalty to one another.

Except by the end we see that's a big fat lie because ALL OF THEM had major secrets that they hid from each other for the entire book, and the entirety of their teen years so far.

The only parts of the book that really made it worth reading were the flashbacks of the party the night that Billy died. Literally, knowing what happened was the only thing that kept me reading this one because none of the characters were compelling. And none of them learned anything or changed in any meaningful way when all was said and done.

But even arriving at the big reveal and ending, it all fell flat. All this build-up with the party flashbacks, and we don't even know for sure what happened in those last moments of Billy's life.

Overall I was annoyed that I struggled through everything, just for THAT ending. There are plenty of people who will like it though, who will be able to overlook the nonsense of the names and the families being so perfectly suited to each other. I'm just not one of them.

NetGalley ARC | Man of My Dreams

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐1/2

While not my most favorite of Worley's novels, it was still a fun, chaotic ride. 

Ivy Harcourt is a romance author who has just published her highly successful debut novel. She's been less lucky in love though, until she meets Liam. He's gorgeous, British, charming, and an architect - the exact same character she has started devloping for her second novel. Ivy has no idea how this has happened, but she is sure he is absolutely the man of her dreams.

As it turns out, Liam has some secrets. But so does Ivy.

I was heavily invested in the first half, trying to figure out who Liam was. But as more layers were revealed, the book went in a direction I was not expecting as more and more backstory was revealed. It wasn't terrible, it just was not what the synopsis hinted at. This isn't necessarily 'bad', but it felt like I was reading two different books about halfway through.

Things really start to spiral and we get some murder, friends behaving strangely, possible stalkers, the whole works. I truly thought the major twists were going to involve Liam, because that's what was promised. Yes, Ivy has secrets as well, but the reveal of how she came to meet this seemingly perfect guy, as though she conjured him herself, was not the Big Reveal. There was still so much left in the book, and Liam had nothing to do with the dual timelines.

Once we got more of Ivy's backstory from her teen years I started to put together where this was really going. Her parents and sister had been killed in a house fire that she barely escaped from. She'd been shipped across the country to LA to live with an estranged aunt, as her elderly grandparents in Florida were not a viable option.

There were a couple directions the author could have gone with for who was who and I was right with some of my predictions, wrong with others, but it was still a satisfying read in that aspect. But again, it was also very disjointing when it felt like I was reading two different books.

The pace is almost frenetic for the last portion and Ivy was right, not everyone gets a happily ever after. This was a quick, fun read even if it went in a completely different direction than anyone could even guess, just based on the synopsis we were given. Although technically it isn't a bait and switch, because Ivy DEFINITELY has secrets. They just were not secrets we had an indication were beneath the layers of the leading-man-turned-real mystery.

Recommended if you're looking for something quick and chaotic that doesn't require you to think too much because you are definitely just along for the ride.

NetGalley ARC | Portrait of Haunting

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchnage for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I. Am. Ob. Sessed.

I did not want this book to end and may reread it. That's how much I loved it - I NEVER reread.

Tatum and her mother have the Sight - the ability to see and communicate with spirits. While Tatum's mom has always embraced it - and attempted to get her daughter to do the same - Tatum resists. She hides from the spirits as best she can and wants to pretend they don't exist.

When Tatum was young, her mother Amarina murdered her boyfriend, used his blood to create her final painting, promptly admitted guilt but not motive, and has been in prison ever since. Tatum has lived her entire life since then wondering why. With the help of her best friend Mischa and their circle of friends (two of whom belong to the largest covern in Manhattan), Tatum gets through her daily life trying to ignore the spirits all around her.

Then Mischa is murdered and they can't ignore how similar it is to the murder Tatum's mother committed twenty years ago. And they definitely can't ignore the fact that the same symbol found on Amarina's victim all those years ago was found on Mischa as well.

Tatum has to accept who she is and what she can do. She has to figure out who killed Mischa, figure out the cryptic messages her mother has been giving her over the years, and figure out how to keep her loved ones safe - especially Jonas, the one she's loved since they were teenagers, who loves her back just as fiercely.

After Mischa's death, the spirit activity around Tatum changes drastically, kicking into over drive. Something is coming for her and won't stop until she's dead. The price has to be paid, whatever her mother did all those years ago. Tatum has to to save her friends and herself, and more will die before that happens.

See? OB. SESSED.

I could not put this book down and I can't stop thinking about it. There's so much more I want to know about everyone and part of me wants this to become a series. But the other part of me wants it to stay a stand alone, because it is so, so powerful just as it is. 

There were definitely times I wanted to shake Tatum and slap her around a little, to get her to see what was right in front of her. But she had so much she was dealing with, that you can excuse her for the most part, on account of all the trauma.

I loved the group of friends. Each character had their unique voice and stood out when it was their turn - even the twins, Ziggy and Leo. Sometimes twins can blend together, especially in a case like this where both are part of the coven, headed by their grandmother. But I found each compelling on their own, just as I did each character introduced.

And Jonas. Oi. I would love him too. Tatum needed to seriously get her shit together about him.

The story blends so many emotions together at once, but nothing feels forced or out of place. Ultimately it is a story about forgiveness (of self and others), grief, acceptance, loss, hope, and the bonds of family and friends.

I can't really say a whole lot more without getting into spoilers. I loved the eerie atmosphere created by the author and the world we are immersed in. It's a modern day gothic novel that lands every punch and doesn't shy away from the hard things in life. Plus, ghosts. But everything fits. Nothing was campy or too much or silly. I can't stop thinking about this book.

Highly, highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Arthur, Prince of Wales: Henry VIII’s Lost Brother

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the Tudor dynasty.

For far too long, Arthur has been an afterthought - his name bandied about only in regards to whether or not he and his wife, the indomitable Catherina of Aragon (my favorite), consummated their marriage before he died unexpectedly a few months after the ceremony.

Here, the author uses his meticulous research to bring Arthur to life, to show us there is so much to the young man who died before he could reach his full potential.

And believe me, this loss is so much more devastating than it appears.

We do not know for sure what kind of king Arthur would have been (being raised by Henry VII, it is not outside the bounds of reality to suspect he could have become as paranoid and frugal. Nor should we completely doubt he might have been any less of a tyrant than Henry VIII). However, in Catherine of Aragon, Arthur would have had a suitable match that possibly could have curbed some of the negative impulses. Both had been raised from birth to prepare for their ascent to a throne, and given responsibilities and the education to ensure they were ready. Arthur's little brother Henry was given no such duties and was outmatched and outwitted by Catherine at every turn once he sought a divorce. He was still a highly-educated prince, but Henry's destination before Arthur's death was likely the Church. It's no wonder as to why Anne Boleyn told him to stop going head-to-head with her - Catherine bested him in any exchange.

Even though his life was short, Arthur lived through one of England's most turbulent periods. Henry VII's reign was never truly secure, nor was his claim to the throne any stronger than anyone else's (and honestly, his was a lot weaker). But Arthur's birth represented just the security Henry VII sought.

Surviving documents from Arthur's life show just how well he'd been prepared to wear the crown when his time came. By the age of three he'd been sent to the Welsh border as the Prince of Wales. Though he did not rule on his own given his age, these court documents show a well-run government moving briskly and competently along. As he grew, Arthur took on more of a role within this government, seeing courtiers and petitioners, continuing his education, making decisions, determined to do his duty as the future king.

Learning more about Arthur in relation to those around him was the most intriguing part of this book for me - especially in regards to Catherine. We know that after Arthur's death, Catherine was left in limbo for years. We also know that Prince Henry was determined to marry her even as his father dragged his feet, and that Prince Henry married her as soon he became King Henry. Despite what would come two decades later, Catherina and Henry seem much more of some kind of a love match than Catherine and Arthur had been, though both marriages would obviously have served their countries well. The reason I say so is only because I discovered through this text that neither Catherine nor Arthur made any effort to learn one another's primary language, in all the years they were betrothed. It was not until Catherine married Henry that she began to fully immerse herself in the English language. Arthur made no effort to learn Spanish, so the couple communicated in French and Latin.

The author also does a fantastic job dispelling the myths over Arthur's supposed sickly health. There's this perception, because of his early death, that Henry VII constantly worried for his son because of poor health. Surviving evidence shows quite the opposite - that he was a lively, active boy. He was not frail, but actually a strong young man gifted at both dance and archery.

While there is still so much we will never know for certain. the author's thorough research and use of surviving sources serves the text well. He fleshes out someone who has been confined to the shadowy edges of history for far too long, and brings the boy-who-would've-been-king to life.

Highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC | The Rosewood Hunt

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐

The quick version:

A terrible rip-off of the Inheritance Games, which did this same thing but MUCH better. Don't get me wrong, there can be multiple books with this kind of plot, but it doesn't mean that all of those books will be written well.

This one definitely is NOT.

Slightly longer version because I have too many reviews to write to waste time:

Lily Rosewood is going to take over the family business one day. She's also been supported by her grandmother in this endeavor, basically groomed to head the company when she is of age to do so. Unfortunately Gram dies suddenly and chaos ensues when it is discovered that Gram's fortune is missing.

Lily and three seemingly-random other teenagers are thrown together for a treasure hunt to find the mising money, but it becomes apparent very quickly that someone is also searching for it. More chaos ensues.

Lily is awful. She feels so betrayed by Gram, who had the nerve to will her money however she wished, and it's a big boo-hoo fest. She's such a baby and brat and not at all unlikable in a likable way.

Not recommended.

NetGalley ARC | The Society for Soulless Girls

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So boarding schools and murder are always a sure-fire way to get me to read a book.

But to top it off, this book is highly inclusive in ways that don't feel forced. The characters don't all come out and say, "I am this-and-this-and-this", but they way they are written with such care, and fit seemlessly into the story and within their spaces in relation to other characters is beautiful. Sometimes I feel like authors write a character to fit certain requirements, then try to force that character into the plot in a way that is not organic, and ends up coming off as inauthentic. Not so here, at all.

This book is an lgbt+/POC friendly dark academia feminist retelling of Jekyll and Hyde that follows a pair of roommates who are set on solving an infamous cold case involving several murders on their campus a decade earlier.

Lottie and Alice are assigned as roommates at the Carvell Academy of the Arts. A decade earlier, four students died in the North Tower and the school closed. Lottie insists on finding out what really happened ten years earlier, while Alice discovers a ritual meant to stay hidden in a book in the school library.

Surely nothing can go wrong.

Unfortunately for one unlucky student, another death quickly follows the re-opening of the school, in the same location as the previous deaths.

It's so difficult to describe the plot any further, without giving away major spoilers. However, I will say that the moment the title of the book makes sense and everything clicks into place? PURE MAGIC. Chef's kiss. No notes.

On top of the inclusivity of characters, the thing I loved most was how the author represents rage in young women and girls. Our rage, our fury, is a thing of beauty in a society that wants us to be sweet and kind and docile. Society is frightened of our power, as it should be.

This is a book meant to be devoured in a single sitting. It is stunning, truly brilliant, and I loved every moment.

Highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC | West Heart Kill

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐

Rich people who are awful to each other, a storm, and murder? Sounds like something I would LOVE, right? RIGHT!

Instead, I finally finished this slog of a book and only felt annoyed.

The book/author thought they were enitrely more clever than they actually were. It's absurd how many style and literary elements were used because in the end it was just a giant mess and nothing fit quite right. But the only reason I am giving it two stars instead of one is because at least it tried to be something unique.

So, we are at the West Heart Country Club where our main characters, Adam McAnnis is joining an old college friend and his family for some summer weekend festivities at the exclusive club. Everyone just kind of tolerates each other at best, but then the first body is discovered and it's obvious that someone is done tolerating. By the time the weekend is over, two more will die and as a private detective, Adam is going to figure out the mystery that has dropped into his lap so suddenly.

The major issue here is the story-telling styles themselves. Because there are multiple, and the book becomes so disjointed as the reader is thrown from one style to another that you never really get comfotable enough to actually start enjoying the story, getting to know the characters, attempt to figure out who is involved, etc.  The author spends so much time trying to be so clever, that it ends up a big clunky mess. Jumping from 1st to 2nd to 3rd person narration also did not help.

I don't mind the 4th wall being broken, with the narrator speaking directly to the reader. It's an interesting concept. What I DO mind, however, is the assumption of what I, as a mystery reader, am thinking, expecting, etc. It was kind of pompous, explaining HOW mysteries work.

And for all that work, reading through one device after another, constantly getting tossed around, you'd think we coould get a resolution, right?

WRONG.

So, you can see why I was annoyed.

Some readers will enjoy this. I did not.

Publicist Gift via NetGalley | A Few Days Full of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till

I received a free digital ARC as a gift from the publicist via NetGalley

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you only ever read one book about the murder of Emmett Till, it must be this one.

Reverand Wheeler Parker Jr, at 87 years old, is the last surviving witness to everything that happened that horrible summer of 1955, and specifically to the kidnapping of his beloved cousin and best friend, Emmett Till. Wheeler shares his memories, insights, and suggestions as to what justic looks like at this point. Any hope of holding Carolyn Bryant accountable for her actions that lead to Till's horrific lynching died with her in 2023.

Here are the facts that we know: Till, Parker, and their siblings/cousins had an interaction with Carolyn Bryant in her family's store. Not long after, a bunch of racist redneck white supremacists protected by their whiteness stormed into the home Till was staying at, dragged him away, and his family never saw him alive again. We know a sham trial was put on, the white defendents were found not guilty despite all evidence pointing to their guilt, and that after the trial they confessed in detail their crime to a magazine, which they could not be charged again for. Till's family will never see justice for what those monsters did to this child.

I can't imagine reliving the worst times of one's life over and over again, but Parker does, repeatedly. Since the ay they encountered Carolyn Bryant in the store, the lies she told about their interaction fed these monsters, spurring them on to get revenge. She claimed Till grabbed her wrist and waist, and made sexual remarks - then whistled at her as he was leaving. Are we really supposed to believe that, considering all the preparation his mother gave him about what he would be exposed to in the deep south, compared to what he was used to at home in Chicago? Not only that, but Till had a pretty severe stutter, making it highly unlikely he could have said even half the things she accused him of. But really, even if he had said and done all those things, none of it justified his brutal torture and murder

Though I've read nurmerous books on this subject, this one has what no other book does - the perspective of someone who lived this with Till, right until he was taken away in the night. I can't begin to imagine the pain and guilt that Parker has carried with him for decades. Yet he willingly shares all of it for us, to make us understand what Till's death meant then, and still means now. He shares information from the investigation never shared before, clarifies errors reported over the years, and once more becomes that scared teenager on that August night in 1955, knowing there is nothing he can do to save his cousin and best friend. When Parker shares specific memories of the night those men forced their way into the home, his fear is viceral. Even knowing that the others are safe, that Parker will not be taken as well, the fear is palpable, leaping from the pages as you relive that night alongside him.

Something both this book and Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime that Changed America by Emmett's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, do well is bring Emmett to life in a way no other authors can. Those who knew him best, loved him more than anything, show us the real Emmett Till - not the caricature the defendents' lawyers presented that already lived in the minds of the all-white male jury, but the joyful, sweet, funny young man who had his whole life ahead of him. The boy who wanted to spend time with his cousins and family, despite his mother's misgivings about him going. It will surprise no one that Parker blames himself for Till visiting in the first place.

Parker also give details regarding the continued fight to get justice for his cousin, such as FBI interviews in the early 2000s and the work another author did  for his own book, where some of his research included interviewing Carolyn Bryant. In 2022 an old arrest warrant was found from 1955 that originally charged Carolyn with kidnapping in addition to her husband and brother-in-law. At the time she had not been arrested with the two men, because of course she wasn't. Unfortunately a Mississippi grand jury declined to indict her after its discovery, citing no new evidence to move forward. The Department of Justice had formally closed their investigation in December, 2021 and it is unlikely to be reopened again.

This is the history our government is currently trying to gloss over and erase. We must never let that happen and we must never let Emmett Till be forgotten.

Highly Highly recommended (along with Till-Mobley's book mentioned above).

NetGalley ARC | You Did Nothing Wrong

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher viw NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweet baby Jesus.

I don't even know how to properly explain why being gaslit for a few hundred pages was totally okay because this book is phenomenal.

Elodie's life is perfect. After having a baby at sixteen, she later meets Bren. There's a whirlwind relationship that culminates in their marriage and relocation to Bren's old family home that is in dire need of serious help. Bren insists on doing all the work himself as Elodie cares for her autistic son Jude and is pregnant with her second child.

But ever so slowly, things start to go wrong. Jude's behaviors explode and Elodie does her best to control him, to keep him from destroying their new life. She won't accept help, all but denies he has autism, and tries to hold everything together. But he continues to escalate, claiming the house doesn't want the renovations, that all the fixing up is hurting the house, the voices in the walls are telling him this.

Drews weaves the story slowly at first, taking care to show how this new little family functions together in this new setting. This is supposed to be the beginning of their perfect life and Elodie wants to hold it together. It's easy to have loads of sympathy for Elodie, a very young mother to a a six-year-old who she so desperately just wants to love. Bren seems oblivious at first to Jude's behavior, so focused on making the house livable for them and the new baby on its way. But there's something more to Bren and the all-consuming love he and Elodie have for one another.

This book is genuinely suffocating, but I could not put it down. The whole time I was reading, it felt like the walls were closing in. I'm not normally claustrophobic, but this made me so uncomfortable I had to walk around while reading for a while, no joke. Yet I read it in nearly on sitting because I had to know what was happening. Is the house really talking to Jude? Is Bren the true cause of all the strange happenings? Is Elodie my favorite kind of narrator: unreliable?

Outwardly Elodie constantly strives to be the very best she can be within her new life. She will be a good wife to Bren and a good mother to Jude. Everyone will see her be the best version of herself, despite the fact that on the inside she is completely falling apart. She's so determined to deny that anything is "wrong" with Jude and tries everything she can think of to calm her often inconsolable child, that it's easy to scream at her to open her fucking eyes and stop with the charade.

I admit it took a while for me to figure out what was really going on. And not because this is one of those books that just throws a random curveball to throw readers off. No, everything I needed to know was right in front of me. But I would get so caught up in Elodie and Jude's immediate episode that I would forget everything I already learned. Once I realized what was coming though, it was like a light came on and the answer was barrelling toward me at 100 mph.

Obviously I did not get out of the way. I couldn't. I was far too invested.

I spent a lot of the novel incredibly angry after my epiphany, but also helpless because there was nothing I could do to stop what I felt sure was coming.

The title is ironic then, because in the end Elodie did literally every possible thing wrong.

Highly, highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Crime and Punishment in Tudor England

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐

This text presents, as the title indicates, crime and punishment in Tudor England. Though I would consider myself fairly knowledgable in that area, I can never pass up books likes this because I am always hoping to learn more about a period in history that continues to capture my attention.

The Tudor century+18 saw massive social upheaval that impacted every single person in the country - and beyond. From Henry VII to his granddaughter Elizabeth I, the time period is flush with world-changing events. Crime and punishment, however, remained straight up medieval.

We see it all here - treason, suspected treason, no-treason-but-I'm-paranoid, and so much more. There are cases of blackmail, failed insurrections, conmen, kidnappings, and beyond. Plus all the details of the hangings, burning-at-the-stakes, and beheadings.

I simply could not with the author's voice and tone throughout the book. Incredibly flippant at times and attempts at humor that were not actually funny. I have a difficult time with non-fiction books where the author is sarcastic or casual about the topic. In memoirs and autibiographies, that's one thing. But in books like this, where the author should simply present the facts and not add their own snarky commentary? No thanks. She also kept referring to herself as "this author". It was annoying.

The structure of the text was also frustrating. The crimes were listed in alphabetical order, so there was no real structure to speak of. As a result, there is not any real analysis to be found, or themes to explore. The oversimplification of the topic does not allow for it.

There are some interesting stories here but as a whole, I would not recommend.

Netgalley ARC | Broadmoor Inmates

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐

I would venture to guess that anyone who has an interest in historical true crime knows the name of Broadmoor. The facility opened in 1863 for the 'criminal lunatics' of society who needed to be confined for the safety of the public, and themselves. Each inmate committed some horrific crime - or attempted one, leading to their incarceration.

Of course we know that treatments of the time were in no way effective - fresh air was often considered a treatment for pretty much anything ailing someone in that time period. But inmates were also expected to work, and were provided leaisure activities to participate in as well. Even so, this was no idyllic place for anyone to be 'cured'. Doctors of the time simply did not have the knowledge or resources to provide actual treatment for the wide range of causes that brought inmates to their door.

While the stories were interesting, and many incredibly tragic, I was a bit disappointed with this book. I was hoping there would be more information about Broadmoor itself and the attempts of treatment at the time. Given the subtitle, it seemed like a logical expectation.

Instead, this was a collection of stories, some with a lot of detail and some without, about how these particular inmates ended up at Broadmoor throughoutt its history, up to the 1950s. When looking at the bibliography, much of it was simply a list of newspapers. I always appreciate when an author uses contemporary sources, but we also have to remember that Victorian-era newspaper accounts of crimes was rather...colorful.

This had the potential to be an interesting look at an infamous asylum, going back to its very beginning. Unfortunately that is not what we got here. And given that this was only about the crimes people committed, and not their later "treatment", the stories got repetitive after a while.

If you've been around a while, you might know that I am absolutely obsessed with the way Victorians were obsessed with crime and punishment, so I was really excited for this one. But with it being indidivual stories about the various murderers and would-be murderers who ended up behind Broadmoor's walls, there was no common thread to tie any of the stories together. I feel like exploration of society's attitudes toward mentall illness at the time, attitudes toward treatment and care, and toward punishment in between the stories could have made this a much more cohesive book.

I would say I still recommend this if you are interested in true crime stories from the era, as long as you do not expect a deeper look underneath the crimes at the root causes, or how they were treated for perceived lunacy.

NetGalley ARC | The Blackhouse

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.

Rating | ⭐

This was a pretty solid four stars for me for the majority of the book. Even with the weird reincarnation angle. It was atmospheric and at times suffocating, but in the right way because the setting was as much a character as anyone in the story. I had ideas where the ending might lead, but wasn't especially committed to any one scenario.

But then came the final reveal. Yuck.

Everyone is lying about everything.

The guy who died is eincarnated into the woman who is then in love with...the guy's son. Like, I love yous and forevers and everything.

Are we all just ignoring that? The major yuck factor? For real?

But it's fine because at the end of the story the main character decides she's none of the things that have been proclaimed throughout the entire story.

What a waste.

Definitely NOT recommended.

NetGalley ARC | The Anniversary

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐

The Anniversary focuses on Quinn and Jules, not friends but friendly, high school students. One night both of their lives change forever. Quinn is arrested for nearly killing someone and Jules survives an attack by a serial rapist/killer known as the May Day Killer who only strikes, as you might guess, on May 1st.

We follow their lives from that night in 1992 and see Quinn released from juvenile detention, while Jules is struggling with the trauma of her attack and the question of why she was spared when so many others were not. There's the additional trauma for Quinn of his mother's unsolved murder, which he is determined to solve.

The story meanders on for the next decade and we meet them again on each May 1st. Quinn and Jules are repeatedly brought together through various circumstances, until answers are finally revealed and killers are unmasked.

Okay, so I really loved the first two books I read by this author. The Night Shift was a very solid four stars for me and If Something Happens to Me was an easy five-star read.

This though? I kind of feel like two stars is generous. Instead of reading his new work (Parents Weekend was an atrocious one-star. I HATED it), maybe I should go back and read previous books becuase his new stuff is just not working for me.

With Parents Weekend, the whole plot and reasoning for anything was just absurd. Way too many characters, super convoluted, a complete mess. This one though, the characters simply were not compelling. I wasn't really drawn to Quinn or Jules, though I found Quinn's search for his mom's killer a much more engaging mystery than the May Day Killer.

I think one reason it was so hard to connect to either character was because we never really get to know them. Since the story is told through a series of May firsts, we miss out on the rest of the year. We get a kind of info-dump of what they were up to, but we only see them in relation to their individual traumas and struggles connected to May 1st - even when other major life events are occurring on any other day. We are only told about them afterward if they don't occur on a May 1st. This results in characters not being particularly fleshed out. And it's really hard to care about characters that you have no investment in.

I don't feel like this novel compares at all to the previous two I mentioned that I absolutely loved. I would definitely recommend either of those and pass on this one.

NetGalley ARC | Tell Them You Lied

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐

Anna and Willow met at art school in 1996. They became friends quickly; Willow was her muse and Anna was sure that this would be a life-long friendship. Everyone was obsessed with Willow, so effortlessly cool and mysterious - and moody.

Fast forward to 2001 and Anna is tired. The realities of the art world weigh heavily on her and in the five years since they first met, Willow has shown time and again who she has always been. She is her own muse and cares little for others - even her supposed best friend.

So, one perfect day in September - with a sky so beautiful and blue that people will argue over it's color even decades later - Anna and her boyfriend plan to stage a little drama to send Willow back to her best friend. A fake mugging is the obvious way to do this, no?

If you hadn't guessed by the sky description, the day of their planned mugging turns out to be one of the worst days in the history of the United States. It is against the backdrop of 9/11 that the plan unfolds - or does it? Willow never returns home and Anna begins to panic. Hours, then days, crawl by and still no word from Willow. Is Anna the mastermind she thought she was by taking control back, or has Willow retained that power all along?

I liked the alternating timelines. We see the friendship develop during their art school days, and their 'current' lives in 2001 NYC.

I love a good toxic friendship story. The enigmatic girl who controls everyone around her, while being arrogant and manipulative and self-serving, can't exactly be blamed for the fact that people trip over themselves to be her friend. It's clear from the start that Willow is exactly this type of person, so it's hard to feel sorry for people who refuse to see her for who she is.

But everyone else is toxic in their own ways; they're self-centered and arrogant as well, though they all show it in different ways. They can't see that they cause as much damage as Willow.

Some reviews I saw said that 9/11 didn't need to be involved because it had nothing to do with the story, but...it's a pretty big part in terms of how it triggers Anna's panic. She has this elaborate plan to fake this mugging of Willow, basically to shake some sense into her I guess, and then once everything starts happening in Manhatten Anna is worried that something worse has happened to Willow as a result. I get how our minds can play tricks on us and always think of the worst possible scenario, and we shouldn't do that. But in this case, a really terrible unexpected scenario came true that day and Anna's fears seem justified. 9/11 occurring is the catalyst to make Anna freak out.

This one definitely kept me guessing because I had no idea what Willow was going to do. We know Anna's motivations because we are in her head. Willow is the big unknown here - though given her past behavior, we can ake educated guesses.

That being said, Anna drove me absolutely bonkers at times. It's like sometimes she had no concept of reality when she was so focused on Willow, when the world was falling apart around her. She continued to stay in Willow's orbit even after it was clear Willow was not nice to her, or even really a friend. Hence why I wasn't so worried about her disappearing. It was just another mean wake to wreck Anna and keep her around. But that didn't stop me from wanting to know what was really going on.

I didn't guess the ending entirely, though I got some things right. There were some decent twists that tripped me up, so that's always a bonus. I think the two timelines worked well and I would read this author again.

Recommended.