One genre of horror that I usually do pretty well with is the gothic, and The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling is a recent release in a classic gothic mold. It has all of the requisite elements for a good gothic:
Category: Book Reviews
Book Review: The Wolf and The Woodsman by Ava Reid
This book has come across my social media timelines a few times so I decided to give it a chance, and honestly I don’t know what people saw in this book.
Book Review: Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace
As a geriatric millennial (she typed with tongue firmly in cheek), I immediately identify with any main character who is struggling in a gig economy.
Book Review: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
At its heart, Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a redemption story. And while I can’t say that the main character Wallace was unworthy of redemption, I started the book in serious doubts as to whether I wanted to spend hundreds of pages watching him earn that redemption.
Book Review: Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé
I feel like this is a book that should be taught in creative writing workshops. It’s an example of how narrative doesn’t have to fit neatly into the dominant idea of “craft”, how prose can be as lyrical as poetry, how difficult stories can be told beautifully, so that they lodge hooks into your heart.
Two Books About Speaking with the Dead
I recently read The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu, and as I was reading it I was struck by how it explores some of the same themes as Katherine Addison’s The Witness for the Dead, but in a completely different way.
Book Review: Hype by Gabrielle Bluestone
Hype lets us indulge in guilt-free schadenfreude because most of the victims of Fyre Festival and similar scams don’t suffer any lasting harm.
Five Mini Book Reviews
I’m currently tearing through books at a slightly alarming pace. Blame Book Bingo.
Book Review: Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz
What causes people to leave cities behind? And are they ever truly “lost”?
Book Review: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
You may recall that this novel was on my list of books I was looking forward to in 2021. I am happy to say that A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark does not disappoint. In fact, it even managed to exceed my expectations.