"Little Monsters" Book Review

My Rating:  ★★★★☆ 4 Stars

It’s the cover. Something about that darn cover reeled me in; I can’t put my finger on it because it’s such a simple piece of art! But reeled me in it did and I am glad that (sometimes) I judge a book by its cover.

Kacey is the new girl who has recently moved to Broken Falls – to a charming life with her father’s family; one that has proven to be much different from the one she had led up to that point. 

Broken Falls is the kind of town where everyone is nice and welcoming. To her surprise, Kacey is inducted into a petite circle of two – meet Bailey and Jude.
The duo makes Kacey feel included in everything that they do – sneaking out at night, parties etc. however, Kacey is left out of one of the biggest parties of the year, causing her to feel completely left out. She wants answers, she wants to know why they are all so suddenly acting strangely distant toward her but Kacey will never be able to ask Bailey why because Bailey doesn’t return home that night. 

Awesome premise. Equally awesome delivery.

Little Monsters was a deliciously, mystery-laden book you can’t help but love because of the page-turner plot. The plot and execution was inherently satisfying due to its puzzle feel. I wouldn’t refer to this little gem as compelling, but it was sure gripping! 

I could feel the near-splitting tension, the back and forth speculation of whether Kacey played a part in the disappearance of Bailey. Whether Bailey was truly missing or just seeking attention. Whether Andrew was the killer. Whether Whether Whether.

No matter how many conclusions I came to, I did not arrive at the conclusion that the author presented. I did not foresee the twist until the author began the big reveal. 

And THAT, is what I love about books – the unpredictability, the guessing, the rollercoaster ride, the complexity of twists to the point where you give up guessing. 
I found myself speed reading to get to the end of many scenes; I haven’t speed-read in a while! 

A note those out there: Be careful who you call your friends.

Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"On Deadly Ground" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars

Many thanks to Endeavour Press and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Previously published as King Blood, On Deadly Ground is a post-apocalyptic-horror-survival story with a hint of eroticism and other themes such as revenge and love. 

I love the post-apocalyptic book genre most of all, so I did enjoy this one to a certain extent. I love a thick book, and this was a whopping 675 pages. Those were the only things I really liked about this book. It isn't an awful read, but it could have been better.

Many times it felt like the horror/gore scenes were a bit too overly done and therefore it failed in its attempts to be terrifying. 

The lengthy dialogues between characters were extremely formal and thus unreal. 

Some characters were very naive but I noticed major developments by the end of the book.

One in particular was extremely, sexually creepy, so I was elated whenever her scene ended. 

Now the plot: pretty anticlimactic. There was such a huge build-up that I thought I would be blown away when the big reveal came, instead I was disappointed to the point of not wanting to continue reading. 

Overall, it was an OK read. I wouldn't recommend it to the two main people I recommend books to, but others could have a go at it. If you're into post-apocalyptic/survival stories and don't typically pay attention to writing style then try it out. 

"Bait and Snitch (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery #4)" Book Review

My Rating ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars Thanks to the publisher – Willow Hill Books - and Netgalley for making this title available in exchange for an honest review. When I first received this title I did not realize it was the fourth book in a series called Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery. So, when I began reading I felt like the odd one out. Like someone new to a party which was already in full swing; however, based solely on this book, I can tell that the series is treasured with a range of charming, tolerable, ‘fun’ (by the standard of other humans) and (in a good way) over the top characters. I found the women to be meddling quidnuncs with too much time on their hands. BUT as I said, I started this series on the fourth book, which means I plunged into a well-established fictional world with no connection or solid background information on the main characters. Such a connection would have been forged from the initial book and the subsequent; and said background information would have been provided in Cat Killed a Rat. If you’re a fan of mystery books with a bit of feminine comic relief then I recommend this. If you’re into dark thrillers then this definitely won’t be your cup of tea.