A finely-crafted novel that skillfully and tastefully portrays horror, violence, emotion, and humor
358720
It always amazes me when an excellent writer manages to slip under my radar and I "discover" her works after everyone else has been enjoying them for years. Such is the case with Nora Roberts and her latest, BLUE SMOKE. On the upside, I am delighted to know that I have at least 30 of her past works to read as well as her J.D. Robb series yet to explore.

While some may be disturbed by the level of violence in this story, the author uses her considerable skills to convey extreme brutality without resorting to gratuitous gore. The reality of a serial arsonist's lust for vengeance demands no less. There is no way to minimize the effects of fire on burning flesh, just as there is no gentle way to reveal the mind of a sociopath bent on revenge. However, the mayhem caused by the perpetrator is expertly contrasted with the lifestyle and caring displayed by those who are being victimized. Thus, the writer creates a varied and very interesting emotional environment for the reader.

The Hale family lives in a Baltimore row house and is the second generation to run Sirico's, an Italian pizzeria. The very Irish Gibson Hale married the lovely Bianca and was quickly assimilated into the family business and the growing Italian family that lived and loved richly in the neighborhood. Their children thrived, going to school and helping in the restaurant, learning the business that would one day belong to one of them. However, the attempted rape of 11-year-old Caterina Hale sets into motion a series of events that will span 20 years, leaving death and wreckage in its wake.

Contrasts again serve to highlight values and emotions as Nora Roberts depicts the two families involved. In this age where rudeness rules and civility is trumped by rampant "self-expression," it's almost unsettling to find a family that actually lives the love they profess for one another. As Gib and Bianca stand behind their children, as Reena's sister Fran is there for her as she is there for their sister Bella, as younger brother Alexander grows to be a dedicated father, you keep waiting for someone to snipe or swipe, but it never happens. Love and values prevail. Meanwhile, anger, defiance and evil pervade the other family as its arsonist acts out destruction.

In case the exciting hunt for the arsonist and the well-researched investigations are not enough, BLUE SMOKE also has a delightful love story that will bump up even the most non-committal heart a notch or two. In addition, Nora Roberts has a smart-aleck sense of humor that she imparts to her characters, making them sound just like people you know or wish you knew. As an example, my favorite quote: "I believe good overcomes evil, especially if good works its ass off." Me too.

  --- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. She reviews for [...] and [...] [...]
3401756
Jess Jordan, a lovely, intelligent, and gifted freshman, crashed a senior party - something most of us have done with no worse consequences than a splitting headache and a weeks' grounding. But Jess was very, very unlucky (something that will become a central, bitter irony of the novel). Targeted by a senior hockey player, she's drugged, sexually assaulted, and nearly raped when a scrawny freshman boy interrupts and manages to talk her assailant away from the scene.

Three years later, Jess is haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, and hiding behind layers of protective sarcasm and general waspishness - mostly successfully. Desperate to convince her parents to allow her to go away to college, Jess concocts a scheme of near-Shakespearean complexity to persuade them that she's recovered from her trauma. And away we go in a beautifully paced, gripping, sometimes-wrenching and awwww!-inducing plot.

Treating a subject as serious as rape-induced post-traumatic stress in a young-adult romance requires an awfully deft touch, and Eliot strikes a perfect balance, here. The heartbreak and trauma that twists Jess and her whole family is vividly conveyed: your heart will ache for all of them as they stumble around trying so hard to make it better for one another. The thrill and magic of first love, and the sensual delight in a first lover, are just as vivid and just as touching. And the comic potential of Jess' mad plot to seem normal gets spun into some pretty funny scenes. Most impressively, though, all these disparate threads are woven together with a sure hand so that they all, somehow, seem right together.

The characterization is also excellent and insightful. Central to the plot is the way that everyone so badly wants to help one another, and yet continually wounds one another out of just that protective impulse.

This is an ambitious, daring, brave novel written with real style and a delicate touch. It should be on everyone's reading list.
2540222
Beth Massie is known for writing a wide variety of types of fiction--from cutting-edge horror to historical drama to young adult adventure tales. In general, Ms. Massie's horror fiction tends to be very dark and frequently centers around characters with severe warpage of the mind. It's almost a surprise to find that HOMEPLACE is about as traditional as traditional gets--at least when you're talking about haunted houses, ghostly goings-on, long-dead witches, and small-town settings filled with small-town characters.

Very slight spoilage follows.

Her life in something of a meaningless rut, artist Charlene Myers retreats to her ancestral home, known as Homeplace, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, to restore herself. She has vague memories of unpleasantness there as a child, but once she settles in, that old perception takes on a new and disturbing vividness--particularly when she finds that a number of the locals believe that Homeplace was once home to a rather nasty witch and that Charlene must surely be following in those old witchy footsteps. A young lawyer named Andrew Marshall, himself a relatively recent transplant to the small town, befriends her and offers her emotional support as she experiences one inexplicable event after another--at least until Charlene herself begins to behave in such bizarre fashion that even he must doubt her sanity. Finally, however, the supernatural power in the old witch house sweeps up the both of them, and neither knows the means to either combat or escape it.

I've always been a little put off by characters who talk to themselves. It's usually a cheap and too-obvious means for the author to explain the character's motivation or propel one scene to another. Charlene talks to herself quite a bit, and at first, it hit that sensitive annoyance nerve I have right behind my left ear; fortunately, it doesn't take long to realize that it's part of her psychological makeup, a symptom of her emotional and physical isolation. Charlene is a somewhat damaged character, but not so far gone that you either pity her or write her off as hopeless. She has occasional moments of sullenness that make one want to smack her around a bit, but most often, she redeems herself by facing the issues confronting her with reasonable pragmatism.

Andrew is a closet novelist, and not a very good one. There are numerous excerpts of his writing, which in abstract ways reflect his thoughts on the goings-on around him. The snippets are a little overdone at times, and I think Ms. Massie included them just to convince us readers that, yes, he really is trying to write, rather than expect us to take her word for it. I might have striven to find a happy medium, but it's really a small matter. As a character, he is both believable and sympathetic (despite his being a lawyer), and his perceptions of Charlene help to define her character as much as his own.

In classic fashion, Charlene goes up against the evil that inhabits Homeplace, and the showdown is part HIGH NOON, part IT, and the stakes are high for all involved. After a relatively slow pace since page 1, the supernatural big gundown comes on fast and hard, almost jarringly so. From there, events again play out a bit slower as we move toward the end. On the whole, it all works, showing that Ms. Massie is well-versed in plot-pacing and generating atmosphere. Given the events of the story as a whole, the resolution gives us exactly what we might expect. No silly contrivances, no boogies suddenly jumping out of shadows to clue us in that it's not really over. In that regard, it's a successful means of wrapping up the drama.

I enjoyed HOMEPLACE a lot, in large part because the setting Ms. Massie builds is so close to places I've known and cared about in Virginia. (She and I have trodden a lot of the same ground over many years.) The characters are people we might meet on the street, some of whom we would like and some we wouldn't. In the time it took to read the novel, I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Definitely time well spent.
1585003
The author's narrative voice, consistent throughout, is enchanting; the plot is cleverly complex and is worked out very well. Scenes of horror are truly horrific. I loved the author's descriptive writing about the characters and scenes. I could imagine them well and in great detail, and with empathy for even some minor characters. The first part of the book weaves together different stories across time and space, which helps build suspense and hold the reader's attention. The second part of the book brings all the pieces together into a satisfying whole. Very well done!
4849061
A gruesome murder in Dresden, Germany, a city on the verge of being destroyed in WWII, opens the novel.  Detective Inspector Heller begins his investigation.  Refugees flood the city, and there is not normalcy.  Soon, hunger and confusion will rule, compounded by desperation and hopelessness.

This is a gripping novel of shocking, twisted serial killing in a war torn city.  An intense drama, with its share of frightening action, played out against a city in turmoil.  Descriptions of life in Dresden during the final days of Nazism and the Soviet occupation dig deeply adding dimension to the story.  The times come to life under the author's descriptions.

The murders are the platform for the novel, which is primarily about Heller.  He is an engrossing, single-minded, introspective, tightly drawn character.  Frustration swirls in his mind, but like a hound, he does not waver.  Characters are realistically portrayed and basically believable.  Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, About Good and Evil.
4691625
"When Apples Fall" is a startling and powerful debut novel.

Wilkens skillfully - and frighteningly - weaves her tale, set at the time of Kennedy's assassination, around a New York Irish family riven by hatred, lust, envy and many other failings, against an overall backdrop of madness and insanity.

Set to cope with these traumas is Gerri, a pubescent girl/woman, struggling to make sense of the madness that is her family: her father, an adulterous lecher who disappears for days on end; a mother driven to violent fits of jealousy and envy; and an aunt whose past abounds with psychiatric disorders.

To help her find a path through this labyrinth of human failings, Gerri sometimes relies on her brothers, but they, too, are affected by the violent mood swings of a mother who demands complete control of Gerri as `Mother's Little Helper,' i.e. slave, and a mother for whom the concept of love is nothing more than a tool for her own devices.

The unfolding tragedy is leavened by a sardonic humor adroitly wielded by Wilkens.  Sometimes the humor seems to ease Gerri's pain, but often is used as a sharp counterpoint to underline her dilemma.

Although Gerri fights her way through the pain, hurt and shame inflicted on her by her parents, she also struggles with an inevitability inherent in the book's title.  "When Apples Fall" implies `not far from the tree - suggesting to Gerri that, as the `fruit' of the family, she cannot escape having the cruelty and insanity passed on to her.

Above all, Wilkens's emotionally-written story is a tale of fear and guilt, and it is not surprising that the Catholic Church hovers significantly in the background.  Through Gerri, Wilkens, with biting wit and understatement, deals with the mantra and shibboleths of the church, but it still pervades the family's lives.

Wilkens writes well, with an effective economy of unadorned language.  Her perceptive and well-written book, however, is not for the faint-hearted.  The author eschews any `feel good' factor in pursuit of the harsh realities of human existence, encapsulated in an unexpected climatic ending that pulls no punches and leaves the reader reeling.

This stark but riveting tale of human desolation is a powerful exposition of Wilkens's undoubted talent.
3685186
A dense character study and far-reaching story about morality, guilt, and madness.
3510127
This is a book that rises above its genre and deserves to attract readers who think this wouldn't be for them.  Reason for that is that this is a very human book, one that can nicely reach your deeper emotions.  The mental illness theme is an important element that raises the book into almost literary status, not a common occurance for zombie tales.  The stream-of-consciousness interlude could throw some readers, but for me, gives it more of the depth that I see in it.  This is fiction that is entertaining in a horrific way, and is recommended for at least high school level.  It's just too strong and involved for younger YA's.
1203491
I like apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novels (and movies and video games...).  There's something compelling about what life would be like after the end, something frightening and fascinating all at the same time.  Aftertime is a fine entry into the genre, blending zombie horror seamlessly with a very human, emotional story.

Aftertime is a methodical novel.  The pace is slow through the first half of the story, as Cass slowly regains her memory and tries to relearn how to fit into society--what's left of it, after the population was devastated by bioterrorism and disease.  This new society is the most frightening thing about Aftertime's world.  The people that are left live in small enclaves in public buildings, for the most part, places they can seal against the Beaters, diseased zombies that crave uninfected human flesh.  Before collapsing completely, the American government seeded the land with kaysev, a plant specifically engineered to fulfill a person's nutritional needs.  People waver between wanting to help each other and wanting to close ranks and protect their own.

Cass should be an object of suspicion for everyone.  She was taken by the Beaters and woke up in the countryside, her skin mangled, but otherwise free of the disease that twists the Beaters into flesh-eating zombies.  But when she meets Smoke, she suddenly finds that she trusts him and even stranger, he seems to trust her.  They set off to find Cass's young daughter, Ruthie, who has been sent away for her own safety.

Despite needing to constantly dodge zombies and people with a rather fascist bend, Cass's story isn't so much action and shooting as it is survival and recovery.  There are some exciting sequences where they're desperately trying to escape certain death, but that's not the point of Aftertime.  The point is, for me anyway, that even when it seems like you can't go on, you can always find strength to overcome those obstacles.

Cass is a very damaged character, having dealt with sexual abuse, alcoholism, and her own self-destructiveness all her life.  Smoke himself has skeletons in his closet that have driven him to heroism; he needs to help others, and this leads him to Cass.  Their love story is a subtle one.  There's no love at first sight, and I really like that Littlefield takes her time in bringing the two together emotionally.  It feels natural that they would first need to grow to trust each other before they can fall in love, especially in the dangerous world of Aftertime.

My only complaint (and it's not even completely a complaint) is that the book's ending is extremely abrupt.  On one hand, I hit the end and thought, 'Huh?  But... I need more!'  On the other hand, I admire Littlefield for choosing such a non-standard ending.  I won't post any spoilers, but it's definitely a sudden ending.  I do wonder, though, if there's a sequel planned, because the story is definitely open for it.

Aftertime was a book that alternately creeped me the heck out and broke my heart repeatedly.  It's extremely well-written, and I really do hope that Littlefield writes more about Cass, Smoke, and little Ruthie.

(Review originally published at The Discriminating Fangirl.)
3182591
Stephen Kozeniewski's The Ghoul Archipelago is not at all like his previously reviewed Braineater Jones. Where Braineater Jones is a straight shot of adrenaline and action, The Ghoul Archipelago is a sweeping, panoramic view of a world gone mad. This seafaring novel, initially reminiscent of Heart of Darkness, branches off into various tributaries, including the Reverend Sonntag who attempts to integrate zombies into religion, billionaire Rand Bergeron who hasn't found a situation he can't manipulate himself out of, and Captain Henk "Howling Mad" Martigan who discovers zombies are the least of his worries. Needless to say, there's enough tension, fighting, and crazed ambition to populate a trilogy.

Kozeniewski's main characters are well drawn and come alive with great dialogue and descriptions. In the midst of the post zombie apocalyptic world, the testosterone level of his mostly male characters fuels plenty of chest thumping, ominous threats, and deadly double crosses. In this world of scoundrels, it's hard to find someone to root for, but Howling Mad and his men provide an oasis of dysfunctional sanity in an insane world.  Summing this complex novel up into a few sentences is impossible, but it all comes together at the end and The Ghoul Archipelago delivers an excellent ending which left this reader satisfied.

Don't worry, there is plenty of graphic sex, violence, and gore for those of you who demand lots of horror in your horror novel. In this case, Kozeniewski has also added plenty of heart.
4819453
Anyone who enjoys a well-crafted paranormal tale that is more psychological than violent and gory knows how difficult it is to actually find such a thing. Though there is a section in which copious amounts of blood are introduced (but not in an unnecessary and distracting manner, in my view), this book falls into that category. It contains the most familiar of paranormal tropes - a seance, possession, and exorcisms, to name a few - but they are presented in such clever ways that they serve to make the reader think while also upping the creepiness factor exponentially. It's a story rife with suspense and compelling events, and  that it initially approaches everything from the standpoint from a staunch skepticism makes the ensuing twists that much more effective and disturbing.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that not only is this an exceedingly compelling tale, but it's actually creepy enough that it makes readers become quite leery of darkened rooms and unexplained noises in their houses. That's not an easy feat, so it's a testament to the author's skill that the story is truly that unsettling.

At the center of it all, of course, is the character about whom much has been said in myriad other reviews. It's an unusual, creative, risky, and ultimately brilliant move to make one's main character - and most unreliable of narrators - deeply egocentric and more than a little unlikable. In this case, though, it works. Jack Sparks is supremely selfish and self-centered, antagonistic, prone to belligerence and manipulation, and tends to think he's far smarter and more astute than pretty much anyone else he encounters. He's also extraordinarily snarky, which makes him fairly entertaining, and he does not entirely lack self-awareness; in fact, he's aware of his flaws to a surprising degree. That being the case, the reader frequently goes back and forth between not liking (and even loathing) him, finding him to be humorous, and at certain points, perhaps even feeling sorry for him (though I won't delve into why that may be the case for fear of spoiling any of the story's twists and turns).

It winds up being an inspired choice to include some of Sparks' notes (pardon the unintentional pun) in the story, as reading his thoughts, ideas, and brief commentaries about individuals and situations, serves to remind readers of Sparks' humanity, and brings home the notion that this was a "real" person (though, of course, entirely fictional) and that his thoughts were added to the manuscript not long before his demise. It adds another dimension to the story and allows the readers to have another glimpse into the inner workings of Sparks' mind.

As the reader becomes privy to all that Sparks experiences in his last days and becomes sufficiently spooked, the author also skillfully weaves in salient commentary about such things as the downsides of social media and some people's constant quest for ever more likes and followers, and the perils of both extreme egotism and a closed mind, so that the book is as smart and timely as it is suspenseful.

Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of the story is that it initially presents events and information that seem as though they simply serve to move the tale along, yet there isn't a single loose end or wasted moment - everything winds up having great significance and implications, and they do so in such a way that even more seasoned readers cannot predict.

Ultimately, this is a massively entertaining, absorbing book. It's smart, creative, evocative, and genuinely disturbing. Upon reading it, I became an instant fan of Jason Arnopp's writing, and I don't have the slightest doubt that that will be the case for everyone who picks up this book that I very highly recommend.
2184826
Puster forces us to ask one of the most troubling questions of all time: is man inherently good or inherently evil?  The nightmarish city of Yellow Liver, its people kept alive and desperate as a feeding ground for The Ghoul, offers no easy answers.  But in a place marked by indifference to the screams of the innocent, the ragged man Wrack awakes from a shallow grave.  He finds a world that hates and fears him, memories that elude him but taunt him with the wickedness of a past life, and a merciless, arcane power at his fingertips that can only be fueled by anger and hatred.  Yet he also finds trust in a traumatized woman who risks her mortal life to help him; and hope, in the eyes of a child who comes face to face with The Ghoul and stands his ground.

Puster keeps us turning the pages, asking, who was this "Wrack", where did he come from-- and does the answer matter, or will he choose for himself?
1787228
Fury alternates between two teens, Emily and Chase, and carefully sketches in the details of their ordinary, every day lives. It is surprising to discover that the mythological beings are not the main characters of this novel -- instead, they hover on the fringe, leaving the focus on the remarkably human and flawed leads. Elizabeth Miles brings her cast to life, making them seem more like people than characters. The inhabitants of Ascension are not extraordinary, and that's what makes them so authentic. They are imperfect and not all that likable -- but that seems to be the point. Emily is naive and shallow, not to mention a terrible friend, and Chase seems petty and insecure. Their off-putting personalities make sense in the context of the novel, yet it also makes it difficult to invest in their fates. Miles' skill at humanizing her characters is impressive, but they would be more rounded with a few admirable traits as well.

Em and Chase are not the most despicable people in town by a long shot, yet they're the unfortunate souls singled out for vengeance. The fact that the avenging girls are not the protagonists adds to their mystique, but it also obscures the method to their madness. The first half of the novel drags, as it's impossible to tell what transgression Chase committed or what punishment Emily is receiving for her own crimes. Crucial backstory isn't introduced until late in the novel, leaving readers feeling confused for an agonizing length of time. Yet, though Emily's story line is clearest at the outset, Chase's plot ends up being the strongest as he moves inexorably toward his fate. Though neither is endearing, Chase has the most complexity -- from his love-and-hate relationship with a childhood friend, to his attempt to rise above his socioeconomic status -- readers will feel sorry for him as his punishment progresses (even if he seems to be determinedly walking into the trap).

The calculating and manipulative powers of their tormentors are made starkly and terrifyingly clear as the novel spirals toward its devastating conclusion. Miles lays a strong groundwork for her mythology, immersing readers in the fear and uncertainty of a trapped animal as Em and Chase's plight snowballs out of their control. Subtly threatening interjections and foreboding language serve to heighten the impending sense of doom. The avenging girls are eerie and ominous, mysterious and elusive -- not to mention a little insane, in an unnervingly manic way. Their utter unpredictability is part of what makes them so chilling. Fury takes an innovative approach to adapting mythology, raising thought-provoking ethical questions rather than romanticizing the supernatural. Though the opening dragged, the latter half of the novel picks up the pace, throwing multiple curve balls at unsuspecting readers and leaving them with more questions than answers about the nature of justice in an unjust world.

~Review from [...]
2811413
This is not a novel for the faint of heart--it's filled with violence from beginning to end. Yet...the clever way McGuire has held the plot together through thick and thin compels ones interest all the way. The mechanism of using one thoughtful character to temper the madness surrounding him works. I really admired the use of the polar bear (cub and adult) as a metaphor for humanity--a very effective way to bring an end to inhumanity that fills the novel.
3286251
D.L. Snell's ROSES OF BLOOD ON BARBWIRE VINES is everything as advertised.

When you first enter Snell's world, a small grab-bag of humans is making a desperate last stand against an onslaught of zombies, a slow-to-rot manifestation of undead engineered by an anonymous "puppet" master. Things are looking bad until a bus of armed rescuers arrives. Then, things look REALLY bad. Enter the vampires.

So it goes in this super-amped horror story, written with fast-paced but eloquent prose, a stark contrast to the bloodstrewn plotline itself. The strength of this novel is that it shows and does not tell; it reveals through action the kind of plot developments and revelations that many more broadly published authors would unveil through tired dialogue. The dialogue in ROSES serves the story, as opposed to highlighting aspects of the tale other authors don't trust the reader to infer for himself.

This is the kind of book where the moral center is deliciously hard to find. The character of Shade is built on loyalty to the fallen, flawed by her struggles with her the thing inside her that makes her kill--other characters are served up with equal complexity. I was particularly interested in Ann and Payton--and you will be, too. Trust me.

A fine addition to the pantheon of hardcore horror, ROSES is for those who like the lights dimmed and the blood warm. If that's you, then why are you still reading this? Buy the book!
2745535
This novel is a continuation of Michael Montoure's short story: One Last Sunset, published in a previous anthology, Slices. The story focuses on Nikki Velvet after her best friend/unrequited lover commits suicide. Facing his death makes her sure of one thing: she never wants to experience death again. So she joins the ranks of the undead and feasts upon the blood of the living. Sort of. Montoure invents some new steps for an old tune with this book, and vampirism becomes a metaphor for love, dependence, abuse, and ultimately, salvation. This is a breezy novel and Montoure writes with a skill that makes the pages turn quickly. Not many scares, but the thoughtful ruminations on love, and possession, mixed with just enough violence and depravity to stir the pot, not to mention genuine emotion more than make up for it.
3523795
In their novel Supernaturalz: Weird, Creepy and Random, Ben Parris and William Freedman create an absurdist interpretation of the horror genre, blending the mystical with the tangible and pushing the boundaries of the imagination.

Set against the backdrop of a supernaturally haunted house, this novel is prepared to satisfy its readers from the onset. With a blend of colorful characters  not the least of which are a gang of unruly, defiant girls named the Garter Snake Gang and a vengeful, time-defying warrior goddess named Kali  Supernaturalz promises surprises at every turn. A gritty dialogue and building tension create the perfect atmosphere to unravel the deepest, basest violent urges within these protagonists. Filled with the grotesque, the unsightly, and the horrid, this book asks: Who will survive Kalis quest for domination? Can these girls trust not only each other, but also themselves?

A thriller, leaving you constantly at the edge of your seat, this novel is sure to please lovers of horror, mystery, and suspense. Based on personal experience, I will echo the advice given by Kevin Sean Michaels in the Forward: whatever you do, read this novel with the lights on.