Kent State

 Tell me a story...about a day that won’t be forgotten 

Kent State by Deborah Wiles

Publication date: April 21, 2020

Date read: January 29, 2022

A novel in verse. This book tells the story of three days at Kent State University - May 2-4, 1970 - that culminates with the killing of four American students by National Guard troops during a Vietnam War protest. The book is told simultaneously from multiple points of view, including students, National Guard members, and adults in the community. 

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christine Delaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries. 

I don’t know how this book would work as a hardcover read, since it almost reads like a stage play. On the audiobook, characters interrupt each other and talk to each other, rather than each character having a chapter. This makes for a great audio experience, but probably wouldn’t be as affective in other forms.

As a reader, I was going into this book as someone who didn’t live through the event, but who was at least vaguely familiar with what took place on May 4, 1970. I thought that the book did a good job of playing to all audiences. The full events were described, so anyone with no knowledge beforehand would understand what happened, but it also wouldn’t be over-explained for those who had been familiar with the events as they happened. I also liked that the story was told as people looking back on the events that they lived through, so you have the first-person account, but with the benefit of hindsight.

Overall, I thought this book was excellent. It’s short - 144 pages and about an hour and a half on audio - but it packs a real punch. It’s written for teens, which it uses to be both informative and also to bring it full circle to give a lesson for teens today. Very well done, and highly recommended in the audio format for both teens and adults.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Trigger warning: murder, arson, rioting, tear gas, war

Under Her Skin

 Tell me a story... that gives me the chills

Under Her Skin by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller (editors)

Expected Publication date: April 5, 2022

Date read: March 12, 2022

Black Spot Books presents its inaugural Poetry Showcase, featuring the best in never-before-published dark verse and lyrical prose from the voices of Women in Horror. This collection centers on the concept of body horror, specifically focused on the female body. 

When I first started this collection, I questioned the use of the term "body horror" in the synopses, as most of the poems were more about how the female body is treated, and tended to be a bit gory and raw, but not really "body horror". More about body dysmorphia or body image. But as the collection continued, there was definitely more body horror to be found. 

Despite a fair amount of gore and queasy content, this collection is overall very beautiful. I don't read a lot of poetry, but I really liked this collection and the way that these authors find a way to be both beautiful and disturbing with so little word count.

This collection isn't exactly what I was expecting, as I was anticipating more scary content (with the horror genre) than disturbing/gory content, and there really wasn't anything scary in the collection. But I think that was more my naive interpretation of "horror poetry" than anything negative against this collection. 

Overall, I really liked this book. It's a quick read, but there were a lot of poems that really stuck with me (whether for the beauty of the words or for the disturbing feeling left by them). I can't wait to read more collections from this group in the years to come. 

Favorite poems: 

Harm by Emily Ruth Verona

Winnow by Tiffany Michelle Brown

Lilies Left for Mom by Brianna Malotke

The Carrion Flowers by Morgan Sylvia

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger warning: body horror, violence, gore, body dysmorphia, rape

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1

 Tell me a story... about a vacation gone wrong

The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1 (issues #1-6) by James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno (Artist), and Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

Publication date: March 1, 2022

Date read: March 14, 2022

They all know Walter - some from high school, some from college, one from more recently - but they've never hung out all together as a group. But after a difficult year, when Walter invites everyone to a week at an idyllic lake house, they all decide that they can put up with Walter's eccentricities for a short amount of time, reconnect, and relax. But when something goes wrong, they're all thrust into a new reality that will make them reconsider who to trust, and figure out how to survive. 

I know that description was vague, but I really believe that the less you know about the plot going into this one, the better. I knew absolutely nothing when I started this, and I'm happy about that.

However, not being able to talk a lot about the plot does make writing a review a bit harder... but I'll do my best.

As far as the plot goes, I really loved it. In horror, it's hard to come up with a completely new idea, and the "group of people brought to an isolated location" troupe is nothing new. But I wasn't expecting the direction this story quickly took, and I enjoyed being along for the ride. This is only Volume 1 of a series, so nothing is wrapped up at the end, but I can't wait to read more. 

I thought that the art in this collection was also great. It is drawn in a somewhat realistic style (as opposed to a cartoonish one). I loved the expressions that the artist was able to create on the characters, and the scenery was gorgeous when it needed to be, and disturbing at other times. Both artist and colorist did a great job. (I will also freely admit that I picked this one up based on the cover art, which is wonderful.)

I did, on a few occasions, have a difficult time telling characters apart or remembering which was which, but I don't feel that I can blame the artists for this so much, because I read it on my phone (as an advanced digital copy) as opposed to a larger physical copy. I am purchasing a physical copy to have now, though, and plan to read it again to see if I have an easier time keeping them straight. (In the back of the volume is a page showing each character, their name, and their nickname, but it wasn't easy for me to move back and forth between the pages on the digital copy).

Overall, I loved this story. It went in a direction that I really wasn't expecting, but that I was completely on board with. If you like horror comics (a little gruesome, but not so realistic that it was hard to look at), I definitely recommend this one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Trigger warning: gore, death by fire

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Beasts of a Little Land

 Tell me a story...of early 20th century Korea

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

Publication date: December 7, 2021

Date read: February 22, 2022

With Korea under Japanese control, much of the country is starving. Jade’s family sells her to a courtesan school in the city, setting her life on a course that we will follow from her training, to her successes, and finally to the horrors of war. We also follow a young beggar boy, two Korean businessmen with very different political views, and two Japanese military officers. Spanning from 1917 to the end of the Korean War, this is an epic story about destiny and love, both for individuals and for a country. 

This is a hard book to rate. It’s very well-written with some beautiful prose. The characters had a lot of depth and felt very real. Just like in real life, even the characters we were rooting for were both good and bad, and everyone went through their share of highs and lows. I also liked that the life of the courtesan was not overly glamorized in this story. It showed how success in the profession led to money and power while in their prime, but none of the courtesan characters had a typically happy life once their prime was past. 

I also loved how we got multiple points of view throughout the book, from alternating chapters. And I enjoyed how some characters interacted from the start, but some didn’t fit into each other’s lives until the end. This was a fascinating time in history to learn about and one about which I knew very little. And I thought the decision to have some chapters told from the POV of Japanese characters added to the story, and helped establish the Japanese rule of Korea as the main villain of the book. 

I’m not sure how I felt about the Epilogue - I almost wish it wasn’t there. It’s not that it’s bad, but ultimately felt to me that it belonged in a different book.

This is not a fast read. It’s about difficult topics and is a very slow burn. I don’t think there are a lot of readers I would recommend it to, although I thought it was very good. You have to have a real desire to learn about the history of this part of the world. A beautiful book, but not for everyone. 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Trigger warning: sexual assault, rape, physical assault, murder, war, mass death, violent death, torture, masterbation, mysogeny, drug addiction, necrophilia, starvation

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. 

Anatomy: A Love Story

 Tell me a story...about a woman ahead of her time 

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

Publication date: January 18, 2022

Date read: March 13, 2022

Set in a slightly alternate version of Edinburgh in 1817. Hazel Sinnett has always wanted to be a surgeon - but as a woman, it’s all but impossible. She is supposed to marry well and not get her hands dirty, especially not in such a gruesome profession. After she gets kicked out of surgical lectures for being the wrong gender, she becomes determined to pass the physicians exam all on her own. Meanwhile, resurrection man, Jack Currer, is trying to make enough money to survive, buy digging up bodies and selling them to the medical schools. But he’s got troubles of his own. In addition to the new outbreak of Roman fever, and the general problems of being caught digging up graves, Jack learns that the poor seem to be be disappearing. What’s going on in Edinburg? And can Hazel and Jack figure it out in time to stop it?

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mhairi Morrison and Tim Campbell. 

I first want to say that this is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen in years. Props to the people who created the cover art.

I enjoyed this one. Hazel is a great character. A little naïve about what can be accomplished, because she has money and is used to things just getting done, but she also works really hard for what she wants. Her belief that she can accomplish the impossible is actually endearing in this case. She’s tough as nails, but also seems to fit in with the times and not feeling too idealized. 

I did like Jack, but I felt that Hazel and Jack’s relationship fell a little too close to the YA insta-love trope. This aspect, plus the age of the characters (Hazel is supposed to be seventeen or eighteen), are really the only reasons this book is classified as YA. 

As mentioned at the top, this book is set in a slightly fictionalized version of early 19th century Scotland. It reminded me a little of the Pendergast books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, which are police procedurals, but which often have a somewhat fantasy twist to the mystery. I wasn’t expecting this when I first started, but I didn’t mind it. 

Overall, this was a fun read. Great characters, interesting science, and a creepy mystery all rolled into one. I’d recommend for any fans of historical mysteries, as long as you can handle a little bit of medical gore. The author also said she may write a sequel, which has me intrigued. 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger warning: death of a sibling, desecration of corpses, blood, surgical procedures, autopsies, misogyny, kidnapping, forced medical procedures, hanging

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Dear Justyce

 Tell me a story... about two boys and the paths they took

Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2) by Nic Stone

Publication date: September 29, 2020

Date read: November 24, 2021

Incarcerated teen Quan sits in a holding cell, awaiting trial for the murder of a police officer. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to old friend Justyce, Quan’s story beings to come to light. This book is a sequel to Dear Martin, which is Justyce’s story. 

I listened to the audiobook, read by Dion Graham. 

I first want to state that it’s not completely necessary to have read Dear Martin  to understand the story being told here, but there are a large number of overlapping characters and plot points of the first book will be spoiled by reading this first. 

When I read Dear Martin, I thought it was a good story, but I didn’t love it. It felt, to me, a little forced and not as authentic as some of the similar books I had read around the same time. But I was curious about Quan, and when I saw that he had his own book, I decided to read it anyway. I’m glad I did. I actually liked Quan’s voice a lot more than I did Justyce (maybe I just thought the narrator - who was the same on both audiobooks - played Quan’s character better; I’m not sure.) 

I also thought that Quan’s story was more dynamic and I really wanted to know what happened. There is a BIG difference between Justyce’s story in Dear Martin and Quan’s story in Dear Justyce: Justyce is the smart boy who avoids the gang life in order to go to college and make good on his potential, while Quan makes his mistakes and ends up in prison. These are both important characters to see, because they both exist. I also want to emphasize that I am a 30-something white female, and while that doesn’t invalidate my opinions, I recognize that I am not the audience that this book was written for, and I would recommend seeking out reviews by teens of color if you’re on the fence about either of these books.

I overall liked Quan’s story and wanted to see how it turned out. I wasn’t as big a fan of the later parts of the book, but only because I didn’t love the reintroduction of Justyce and his friends (especially SJ), not because of the direction the plot took. (I can’t put my finger on why I don’t like Justyce as a character all that much, but I’m sure others will be fine with his reintroduction.) In the end, I liked this well enough, but didn’t love it, although if you’ve read and enjoyed Dear Martin, I would certainly check this one out as well.

Rating: 3 stars

Trigger warning: Murder, racism, police brutality, use of “n word”, PTSD, gun violence, incarceration, cancer

Where the Drowned Girls Go

 Tell me a story... about finding your strength 

Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7) by Seanan McGuire

Publication date: January 4, 2022

Date read: January 17, 2022

Warning: minor spoilers to follow for previous books in the “Wayward Children” series. 

Cora is a mermaid. At least, she was, after she went through her door into the Trenches. Now she’s back in our world, and has always been keeping an eye out for her door back. But after a rescue mission to the Moors, and a close encounter with the Drowned Gods, Cora no longer feels safe in the water, and only wants to forget her time in either world. It’s for this reason that she requests a transfer from Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where you’re taught to accept, to the Whitethorn Institute, where you’re taught to forget. But promises are one thing, and Cora soon realizes that the promises that Whitethorn makes to its students might not represent the whole truth about what goes on behind their doors. 

Note: This is Book 7 in the Wayward Children series. While some of these books are standalone and can be read out of order, I highly recommend having read the previous books before starting this one. References are made to characters and events in previous books that will both serve as spoilers if you choose to go back and read them and leave you a bit confused when reading this one. 

I love the Wayward Children series. (Let me get that bias out of the way right now.) Most of these books are under 200 pages and are able to build whole imaginary worlds (sometimes more than one) in so few pages. And Cora is one of my favorite characters from the series, so I loved getting her as a lead in one of the books. 

This book is a little different from previous books in that were not thrown into a new world, but rather into a new school in the “real” world. This bleak place is at times worse than the “wicked” alternate worlds, because of the nature of it, trying to emotionally wear down its students enough that they eventually give in and admit that their magical worlds were just a dream. While I would have loved to read more about Cora’s mermaid life in the Trenches, I thought that this situation was a great place for her to shine. 

Also, when we first encountered Sumi in Book 1, I didn’t love her. But the more books she’s in, the more she has grown on me, to the point that I really enjoyed her presence here. 

In this whole series, McGuire does an impressive job of world-building, and each world is different. It’s hard enough creating one believable alternate world, but to go from death-obsessed worlds to goblin markets to worlds made of candy, and so many others, is just wonderful. And her teenage protagonists are all complex and interesting, but to a point where adult readers will also really enjoy their stories. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book for any fantasy fan, teenager or adult. And anyone who is just trying to get into fantasy or isn’t sure if they like it - Book 1 of the series (Every Heart a Doorway) is only 175 pages. A good place to start. And I do strongly recommend that if you are interested in this series, you read it in order. There is too much overlap between characters and worlds that skipping ahead would get confusing. One of my favorite series, and this book does not disappoint. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Trigger warning: suicide attempt, forced institutionalization, body shaming, bullying

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book 

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic

Tell me a story... of a childhood on the Spectrum 

 Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary

Publishing date: March 12, 2019

Date read: November 21, 2021

Michael McCreary grew up “different” from his peers, but as he points out, Autism Spectrum Disorder looks different for everyone. McCreary loved performing from an early age, eventually deciding to use his own stories for stand-up comedy, performing his first gig at fourteen. In this memoir, geared towards a middle school to high school audience, McCreary tells about his childhood through his attempts in his twenties to travel for his stand-up and live on his own. 

I’ve seen reviews that complain that McCreary shouldn’t be writing a memoir yet, because he’s only in his twenties and doesn’t have enough life experience. While normally I might agree, this book isn’t written for that purpose. It’s a book written for teens and young adults, about what it’s like surviving school and starting out on your own when you’re neurodivergent. So for that purpose, I think he was a good choice to write this book. 

There is a lot of good content in this book for both children on the spectrum and for those who aren’t. As the parent of a neurodivergent child, I chose to read this book to gain some insight into what she might face growing up. There is also some good content just on how to interact with neurodivergent children and teens - proper terminology, expectations on areas where they might behave or understand differently. Because of this, I actually think this book would be a great resource for neurotypical kids as well. 

As far as negatives, they’re really only present as an adult reader. The writing style is fairly basic and unpolished, sometimes reminding me of a college entrance essay. And the humor and joking style can sometimes be a bit juvenile (but not in a “toilet humor” way, just in a “geared to teens” way.) But this book IS geared to teens. I don’t think most will be bothered by the writing style - I wasn’t even really bothered by it, but it is something that I took note of. 

Overall, I think this is actually a really good resource for teens and preteens, and I hope it gains some traction as a resource for this age group. I’d like to hear more from McCreary as he gets older as well. Highly recommended for this age group, both for the neurodivergent and neurotypical. 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger warning: bullying, drowning (mentioned), loss of a sibling 

A Face for Picasso

 Tell me a story... about living with Crouzon Syndrome 

A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley

Publication date: November 2, 2021

Date read: January 9, 2022

At eight months old, twin sisters Ariel and Alixandria Henley were diagnosed with Crouzon Syndrome - a rare condition where the bones of the head fuse prematurely. Because of this, the girls had to undergo multiple childhood surgeries in order to allow their skulls to grow along with their brains and to correct facial deformities. As children, they endured both the physical pain of the surgeries and the emotional pain of being bullied by their peers and looked at as mentally deficient by some adults. In this memoir, Ariel discusses what it was like for her growing up, as well as beauty ideals, mental health, and resilience. 

This book was intense, but really worth reading. I had never heard of Crouzon Syndrome before this book, and it’s both really interesting and really sad. I can’t imagine having to go through the things that these kids had to go through, but Henley tells her story in a very practical way. She’s not trying to get sympathy from the reader - just simply explaining how things were. 

Parts of this book are hard to read (the trigger warning section for this post is going to be a long one), including somewhat graphic descriptions of facial surgeries, so the extremely squeamish probably should avoid this one.

I thought Henley did an excellent job writing this book overall. She didn’t gloss over or skip the parts that cast her in a negative light, but chose to tell everything, making her seem very real. Some of the writing was a bit unpolished, in the way non-writer’s memoirs often are, but not to the point that it took away from the story. She actually wrote better than I was expecting from a debut author. 

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and I’m kind of torn on it. On the one hand, having it read by the author gave it a nice touch, allowing the listener to really get a feel for her as a person. On the downside, she’s not a professional, and here (more than her actual writing) is where it was notable. She had a fairly dry, somewhat monotone delivery, and I really wanted more emotion from her. It’s an emotional, personal story, and she sometimes sounded as though she was talking about someone else. 

Overall, though, this was a really unique, interesting story. Difficult at times due to the subject matter, but worth picking up. Ariel Henley is a fascinating person and I hope to hear more from her in the future. 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger Warning: bullying, eating disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, descriptions of medical procedures on the face and head, blood, anxiety, scenes involving throwing up and mucus, hallucinations of spiders, snakes, and mauling, mention of suicide, mention of child death, verbal abuse, ptsd

Additional trigger warnings, related to the discussions of Picasso, the artist, and his life: racism, misogyny, sexual manipulation, an affair with a minor, physical abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook 

Let it Snow

 Tell me a story about... a Christmas snowstorm 

Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle

Publication date: October 2, 2008

Date read: December 29, 2021

A massive storm on Christmas Eve covers Gracetown under multiple feet of snow, making driving nearly impossible and stranding a passing train on the tracks. Three stories tell of love, lost and found, and adventures with friends. 

In The Jubilee Express, by Maureen Johnson, a girl trapped on the snowbound train attempts to walk back to civilization. All she wants is to get back to her boyfriend for the holiday, but things don’t exactly go as planned. 

This was my favorite story out of the three. I liked all of the main characters - Jubilee and Stuart were both really cute, and I loved Stuart’s mom. I thought the awkward family dynamics were wonderful and I actually laughed out loud a few times. 

In A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, a group of three friends decides to brave the snow and unplowed roads in order to meet a fourth friend at the Waffle House, where a team of stranded cheerleaders have congregated. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of this story. I think I might have liked it a little more as an actual teenager, but I’m not sure. It also hasn’t aged great - a lot of sexist jokes and implications regarding the cheerleaders. Nothing over the top or sexual, but it just doesn’t sit well in today’s times. I also got really annoyed by the main female character in this one and felt she was kind of over-the-top in her portrayal as “one of the guys”. Not a horrible story, and the adventure is pretty fun, but it was definitely my least favorite. 

In The Patron Saint of Pigs (best title ever), a lovesick barista makes a promise to her friend to pick up a teacup piglet at the pet store, since the friend can’t make it in the storm, but when the pig gets bought by someone else, it’s up to our barista to help her friend and prove that she isn’t as self-centered as everyone thinks she is. 

I’ve seen a few mixed reviews on this one, but I kind of loved it. Sure, the main character - Addie - starts out as incredibly self-absorbed and depressed over her break-up, but she identifies this in herself and is determined to change. And that’s why I like it. She’s making mistakes, but she’s really trying. And not for the purpose of winning her boyfriend back, but to become a better friend and person. I really liked her as a character. This story also ties the first two stories into the ending, which was really well-done. 

Overall, this book is far from perfect, but it’s a fun holiday read. Teenagers will like this book more than adults - I wish I had read it when I was younger. There are a lot of YA cliches - some of which are cringe-worthy - which does hurt the book, but doesn’t kill it. This isn’t meant to be a prestigious novel, so what it tries to do it mostly does well. If you’re looking for a light and fun YA holiday story, this collection is worth your time. 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars