book review | The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist | The Glass Books 1

Author: Gordon Dahlquist
Title: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters
Series: The Glass Books 1
Genre: Mystery, Steampunk
Pages: 760
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

Good grief. “The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters” by Gordon Dahlquist, first in the Glass Books series, is very excessive. And while not a bad example of Steampunk Mystery, it ain’t a very good one either.

About the Book: A dark and secret cabal is performing unearthly rituals. They’re stealing minds, knowledge, experiences, condensing them into their blue glass books to be used by others. This process enslaves people, transforms them. Or outright kills them. And it’s a tad hard to tell which is worse.

Miss Temple truly did not expect to find all this when she decided to follow her former fiance in attempts to find out if there were any other reasons for why he broke off the engagement. Nor did she expect to find allies such as foreign doctor Svenson, with his masterful ability to not only heal and cure, but make allies out of enemies; or the infamous assassin nick named Cardinal Cheng. For reasons of their own, united they fight against the evil forces, giving it all to survive.

My Opinion: Fantasy doesn’t need iron logic. It only needs it to hold water and have everything work. Here, while we get to spend most the chapters in one or another head of the character, we barely get these vague outlines of why are they doing what they’re doing. For instance, Miss Temple has these ridiculous outbursts of violence that there and here sort of were hinted to as coming from what her father used to be like. Other times she does or thinks the strangest things which then leaves me, as a reader, wonder why the hell was I subject to this. Then there’s the assassin in bright red coat. I imagine he enjoys chasing victims, for I can’t imagine people recognizing the coat to not dash.

It’s not bad, it’s just not good either. 3 out of 5 from me.

book review | Talking with Psychopaths and Savages by Christopher Berry-Dee | true crime

Author: Christopher Berry-Dee
Title: Talking with Psychopaths and Savages
Series: –
Genre: True Crime; Nonfiction
Pages: 288
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

Some authors just stick them sticks into their own damn wheels. “Talking with Psychopaths and Savages” by Christopher Berry-Dee is precisely one of those books. Fitting a quote by someone: after all been said and done, more been said than done.

About the Book: Author, hurriedly and in big, pompous sentences promises us to show the mind of a psychopath, their lives, nuances, patterns that might have made them the way they are. He promises to not waste time on murder and case details either, for there are many books on these topics. And then proceeds telling us the tales of serial killers, their lives, medical impairments that might have had impact, their family statuses, upbringing, differences and similarities. And details on murders, cases. With thick inlays of opinions.

My Opinion: Not much to add here. Author’s best trait in these times of serial killer admiration is the fact that he proceeds to often point out: he’s not a fan of theirs. In fact, he drags them time and again, which was the most amusing bit in this book.

Can’t say it’s bad. Can’t say it’s good. Maybe a lazy read. I give it a 3 out of 5.

book review | The Enchanter’s Soul by Michele Notaro | The Ellwood Chronicles 2

Author: Michele Notaro
Title: The Enchanter’s Soul
Series: The Ellwood Chronicles
Genre: LGBT Literature; Paranormal Romance
Pages: 304
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

Eh, okay. I’ve read “The Enchanter’s Soul” by Michele Notaro, and I don’t think I’ll read the third one. It’s a bit too shallow for my liking, with those annoying “I won’t listen to you” tropes that ruin any good romance.

About the Book: Supernaturals are fleeing into human territory, away from horrors and slaughter being committed on their lands that leave entire clans in shambles. One or two such instances would be understandable. But Sebastian and Ailin barely have time to catch their breaths between these events. That paired with Sebastian’s newly found Enchanter’s powers is worrying Ailin to no end. What if the wrong people find out? What if wrong people already know?

My Opinion: It’s a short and shallow story, safely and predictably written. Romance got ruined by lovers quarrel that could be resolved if one of them would stop acting like a baby, refusing to listen. If your trust can be crushed that easily, you’ve not had any trust to begin with.

It’s not a bad book per say, and could serve someone as a comfort read during the cold autumn evenings. Not my cup of tea though, 3 out of 5.

book review | The Third Wave: Eidolon by John O’Brien

Author: John O’Brien
Title: The Third Wave: Eidolon
Series: –
Genre: Horror Literature; Fiction
Pages: 356
Rate: 3-5 | Goodreads

The Third Wave: Eidolon by John O’Brien began very strong and very good. It was scary, eerie, and made perfect sense. But a good start doesn’t yet make for a good book.

About the Book: First wave was the largest Solar Flare ever witnessed colliding with Earth. It killed all electronics, all backups, anything even remotely functioning on electricity, thus killing millions who depended on it. Among the broken machines was the Hadron Collider in the process of two particles colliding. The second wave, caused by those two particles ripping the very fabric of time and space killed billions by ripping their very souls out of their bodies. Some, lucky ones, died. Others, soulless, were doomed to repeat the few seconds of their life until their bodies expired. Third kind became the third wave. Their souls were torn, but remained tethered, agony indescribable. The only way to remotely lessen it, and maybe detach the soul from the body is to take another soul. So the hunt for what remained left of humanity’s taters began.

My Opinion: The book began with painful but vivid and welcome details of what was happening, how, and what were the consequences of it. It was horrifying, and at times I paused my reading, just to give myself some breathing space. Truly magnificent work, I thought. But as the tale progressed it soon sort of pushed itself too far in time. Next thing we know it’s one of those tales: a handful of soldiers in a submarine, considering life on a tropical island that they could clean of vermin prying on their souls. With added bonus of that one chosen young woman, for apparently no one else ever woke up from a coma, saving the poor souls.

The first half was amazing, and to it go all the 3 out of 5 points. The rest was mediocre. Good writing, pretty well made characters, but it could’ve been… More.

book review | The Enchanter’s Flame by Michele Notaro | The Ellwood Chronicles 1

Author: Michele Notaro
Title: The Enchanter’s Flame
Series: The Ellwood Chronicles 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance; LGBT Literature
Pages: 245
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

Alright, so maybe I’m cheating a little bit, since The Enchanter’s Flame by Michele Notaro is a paranormal romance, and not really horror. But after Laura Palmer I was more than a little afraid to get another assault-y book in diversity horror. Yet if you got anything to recommend, where horror wouldn’t come from human monsters, please do.

About the Book: Brinnswick is shaken by horrifying ritualistic murders. Victims are left bloodless, mutilated, with strange markings on their bodies. Just the way Sebastian’s partner and lover has died. So when his chief pairs him with strange and a little annoying Ailin Ellwood, Sebastian is determined to suffer through what comes to get to the bottom of this. Luckily, Ailin, as strange as he is, turns out to be plenty useful. Soon they find that there were way more murders like this than they were led to believe. Someone’s covering up that psychopath.

My Opinion: The book is well written, but not very interesting in itself. I mean, from the top of your head, how many books you can name me that have: an orphan hero, abandoned as a baby, with strange marking on their body, who then turn out to be the last/powerful something, fairy, alien, princess, sorcerer? Yeah. This is one of those.

I won’t complain, it wasn’t bad, and I’ll read the next book too, since I have it. This one gets a 3 out of 5 though.

book review | The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch

Author: Jennifer Lynch
Title: The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer
Series: –
Genre: Horror literature; Mystery
Pages: 184
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

Have you ever watched the cult series Twin Peaks? I can still hear the intro tune in my head. And recently I discovered there’s a diary of Laura Palmer, the main blonde beauty in the series, whose murder brought the detectives to the town. Book “The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer” is written by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of the Twin Peaks series creator. But, to be honest, as well as it was written, it was disgusting.

About the Book: Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks has two diaries. One is the light and bright one, by a teenage girl with future ahead. It’s meant for prying eyes, to those who can’t help themselves but snoop. The other one holds her darkness. Darkness that is spreading, choking, drowning her. Ever since she was twelve, and maybe even before that, she kept dreaming of darkness, of woods, owls, strange old men abusing her, using her. These dreams seeped through into her daydreams and fantasies as the girl entered teenage years. But it seems these fantasies were feeding a demon. A demon she learns to be called Bob. He hunts and tortures her in her dreams, and, apparently, intends to take her to hell.

My Opinion: So here’s what’s what. This child has very clear dreams of older men abusing her. Her father’s co-worker gifts her a pony for her birthday. A demon chases her in her dreams, calls her dirty, nasty. Before age sixteen she was selling her body to fund coke addiction. This is a broken girl, whose mind suffered such great trauma by those she loved and trusted, that it created a demon that ruled over them all to justify the human monsters. And that is why this book was so very disgusting to read.

I won’t recommend this to anyone, and wish it had a trigger warning, for I’m not into reading about such abuse. The girl didn’t live to be an adult, for gods sake. Because why help her, when you can use her, right? 3 out of 5 is the best I can give it. It’s well written ravings of a broken person.

book review | Midnight in a Perfect World by Ambrose Ibsen

Author: Ambrose Ibsen
Title: Midnight in a Perfect World
Series: –
Genre: Horror Literature, Paranormal
Pages: 288
Rate: 3-5 | Goodreads

October began, and so did the horror TBR season. The first book this month is Midnight in a Perfect World by Ambrose Ibsen. A lovecraftian tale that’d be a Tzimisce’s wet dream what with gruesome molding sights.

About the Book: A world beside ours, separated from ours by a thin veil, hides darkness, blood, torment, and a black sun towards which a titan-like creature with three mouths, and enormous bulk, is striving to climb. It climbs on a structure made out of bodies, living, eternally serving one’s god, and another’s nightmarish devil. But only a certain kind of altered mind, disorder, can peer beyond the veil, so building took what seemed an eternity. Up until It found a perfect vessel for Its thoughts, one who’ll synthesize the altered state of mind, and bring everyone about into paranoia, anxiety, panic… Visions. Now it won’t be so long anymore. Not long at all until Godhead rules over his dominion as its rightful god once again.

My Opinion: The horror in this book comes from a state of helplessness. You can’t fight the being, you can’t resist it. You can only submit into becoming its stepladder. Some view the creature as their god, so they submit with bliss felt by people who serve their highest purpose. Others are too aware of this beast being of nightmares. But is it? For according to this book, it guided us through our whole existence, as if God was made by Lovecraft. Another interesting point, of which there were many in a book I couldn’t call interesting, was the idea of mental and personality disorders being a step in evolution. Though while in movie Split that step led towards a heightened state, of people who could feel more, be more, here it quite literally was a step towards hell, nightmares.

I can’t recommend this book to anyone, nor do I want to. It’s not per say very good in itself. And the ideas here aren’t for everyone. Hefty stuff. 3 out of 5 from me.

book review | Dracula: Rise of the Beast by Collective of Authors

Author: David Thomas Moore; Adrian Tchaikovsky; Milena Benini; Bogi Takacs; Emil Minchev; Caren Gussoff Sumpton
Title: Dracula: Rise of the Beast
Series: –
Genre: Dracula; Horror Literature
Pages: 304
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads

I was eyeing “Dracula: Rise of the Beast” anthology for a while now. My break point was Adrian Tchaikovsky. Sadly, it was far from what I expected with the presented idea.

About the Book: This is a tale of how Vlad the Impaler became Count Dracula the Vampire, and from his homeland came onto the shores to meet Mina and Lucy. Well, or so one would hope. In truth this is a tale of Corvinus sitting in the background, plotting, angry at Vlad for not being his submissive spouse, and so hunting his Romani servants. Told in tales that either add nothing to the whole narrative, like the one of Bathory, or with mere mentions of Dracula’s name in relation to someone else.

My Opinion: The book is full of these singular good ideas that didn’t get to rise to fruition due to lack of logic in stories, messy, jumbled plots, and a great lack of consistency via the whole anthology. It’s told with these interludes that are supposed to make it one big tale of how an adopted transgender daughter of a Romani woman was destined to be taken by Corvinus, so instead she upped to kill him instead. I’m not sure where Dracula fits in it all, other than being presented as a former lover of said man. Nor do I know the reasons of why Corvinus was after those people, that particular woman. The best story in this whole was “A Stake Too Far” by Milena Benini, for that one was smooth, logical, and about Dracula (I stress that, because one or two others were good too, but were NOT about Dracula, no beast rose there).

Great ideas, poor execution. I can give it a mere 3 out of 5, and even then barely.

book review | Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco | Stalking Jack the Ripper 4

Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Title: Capturing the Devil
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper 4
Genre: YA; Historical Mystery
Pages: 453
Rate: 3-5 | Goodreads

I sometimes get really used to series, and am then unable to quit them. Lucky for me, Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco are absolutely bearable. I’ve just read the fourth one, Capturing the Devil, and I won’t ditch it just yet, no matter the rate.

About the Book: Quite unbelievably it seems that Jack the Ripper has returned. The infamous serial killer whose presence and deeds shook Audrey Rose’s home, London, now rampages through Chicago, America. Bodies are gruesome to look upon, and sometimes there’s not even those, just missing people, missing women. Police is reluctant to help them solve this too, especially due to them being foreigners with a reputation, and with a woman among them. But Audrey Rose absolutely must find out who hides behind Jack’s masks. For she and those close to her know well that Jack, her brother, is dead.

My Opinion: There a grave and unpleasant gap between this book and the previous one, and I have a bad suspicion it is due to the in-between half-book. In which case it’s a damn poor move, since half-books are mainly meant to those who want more out of the stories they already love. I will look into it though, for at least that character, that part of the story, got Dracula’s lineage in it. This one here, after my previous excitement with the end of the last book, began with a very annoying courting and marriage plans that bored me greatly, BUT! But. That’s a pure matter of taste, and I won’t take any points for it. Besides Audrey took her hunting real serious, so there’s props for that too.

All in all, these are neither good nor bad. I think, if you like mysteries and detectives, but grow tired of same old men solving them, these might be the perfect starter books. That is, if you are also into romance, constant reminder of their youth, and not so funny jokes of “you’re already 18, I can almost smell the grave dirt on you“. This one gets a 3 out of 5.

Coffee? | Etsy

book review | The Vampire’s Club by X. Aratare | The Vampire’s Club 3

Author: X. Aratare
Title: The Vampire’s Club
Series: The Vampire’s Club 3
Genre: LGBT Literature; Paranormal Romance
Pages: 16
Rate: 3/5 | Goodread

Alright. I’ve read the third book, or third chapter, or third installment in The Vampire’s Club by X. Aratare. They’re neither good, nor bad. Someone recommend me vampire books? Extra points for diverse stuff.

About the Book: Vampires want witch magic. Witches want vampire immortality. Neither can have it, but both try their damnedest, which hadn’t improved the relationship between the two groups at all. And yet, it seems, they’ve finally found something. A chance in a form of blood. Konstantin’s sire’s blood. The most gruesome legendary vampire that still walks this earth.

My Opinion: From the description given of Konstantin’s Sire, I thought it’ll be Dracula. But it seems author leaned more towards the Devil, not the Dragon. It was still an interesting development of events, so there’s that plus. I don’t know, I think maybe if you’ve read it as one book it would be easier.

For the time being, I don’t mind it as a light read, so a 3 out of 5 from me.