djmysteryflavor's reviews
413 reviews

As a lover of Murder She Wrote, much to my mother's amusement since I watched it a lot as a young adult, I found this book to be a delight. It felt VERY Murder She Wrote-esque but in its own original way. Mallory, the main character, is widowed with two adultish children who is presented with the opportunity to become a travel writer. What she doesn't expect is to find herself in Florida amongst all the oddities trying to solve a murder that she's somehow become the main suspect of. I enjoyed the exploration of the weird little places Mallory visited and how she interpreted them. I also really liked the other characters because they were just so unique, especially Frieda, the senior citizen who writes for a travel magazine for other senior citizens. I just really had a good time reading this and found it to be incredibly funny. I wrote down so many notes about things that Mallory said or thought that were just hysterical. The only thing I can really complain about is that I did figure out the main twist fairly early on but I think it made a lot of sense over all. If you love a silly little mystery with all the sunny Florida fun, give this a go!

 Okay, so this is basically like if Jurassic Park and Thir13en Ghosts had a book baby. There was a lot of interesting little tidbits about the ghosts, the island itself, and the ghost hunter who set up the place BUT this book was a let down nearly everywhere else. The writing was almost too straightforward and repetitive. The characters were incredibly flat and when there was mention of their backstories it felt like it was just thrown in at the moment. The POV jumps around a lot, which isn’t necessarily a problem if these points are separated but they weren’t really. There is a ton of gore, which is fair for a horror novel. I think I just wish that the story felt more complete and had a bit more depth. 

 I wanted to give this book a read because the premise sounded interesting to me when I read the synopsis. That being said, while there were things I enjoyed, such as the characters themselves and the magic system, I felt like there was just far too much going on. Every moment, there was an added extra layer of things that the reader has to try to comprehend on top of trying to understand the elemental magic system, the lore of the dragons, and the backstory of the main character. I definitely didn’t dislike the book but I did get a bit overwhelmed and was ready to be done by the end. An interesting concept, though. 

This is one of the most honest, funny, and downright heartbreaking memoirs I’ve ever read. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started. I think it’s the way McCurdy writes her experiences as moments of present tense rather than reflections that made this even more distressing to read. I recommend reading this with caution as it is an important but difficult book to read. I do still, though, recommend it. Support an individual who is finally able to be themselves apart from their fame. Support a young woman who deserves all the happiness that she was not afforded in her childhood. Lastly, support a writer who I hope writes more and more because she is incredibly talented. 

The first science fiction story I’ve read this year and it was genuinely such a good novella. Set in the vastness of space, a lone survivor on a space craft from Earth finds herself saved by an alien ship and loses her hold on what’s real and what isn’t. This was horror filled and twisty and though the ending was something I predicted I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way Meg Smitherman’s writing portrayed intense way the horrors of the main character’s mind as well as the descriptions of the space craft itself. It felt like a classic horror sci-fi movie in the best way. 

 I’ve read several other books by Jennifer Dugan and enjoyed them so I wanted to give this one a shot as well. I was a tad disappointed. I think that’s because the story felt a bit all over the place and while the inconsistency of our main character’s thinking lends to her mental state after experiencing a traumatic event, it also creates a sense of confusion as she interacts with other characters. And quite honestly, I found the ending to be rushed and a bit lackluster. I think there could have been even more to the story than what we’re given. The premise is interesting, though, because I did find myself wanting to understand how someone who survived a slasher-movie type of trauma would try to move on with their life. Unfortunately I don’t think this book really hit it out of the park in it’s attempts to convey that ‘after’ experience. And, perhaps, I missed the point and the disjointed thinking of this main character was purposeful but I mostly just found her tedious. I will say I did enjoy the portions of the book where the reader is told of the events that cause the main trauma because they were possibly the most exciting bits. As thrillers go, this let me down a bit and I do think that there are better YA thrillers out there. 

This book was kind of like a more supernatural Hunger Games but with a lot more romance, which is fair considering this is for adults. The premise surrounding the manor and the competition was honestly what drew me in to this book but I do feel like I needed more than what's given. While I enjoyed that there were supernatural characters and a lot of danger within the manor, there was a lot more focus on the relationship with Ophelia, our main character, and the phantom she meets inside the wall of Phantasma, which isn't necessarily what I thought I was getting when I picked this up. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy romance, and I enjoyed the banter but I felt that the romance was a little rushed and lacked a little of the spark I think the author wanted it to have. That being said, I did still enjoy reading it and did enjoy the story overall. I thought the representation of OCD was compelling and a unique portrayal. Check your trigger warnings! There is some disturbing imagery and violence which should be noted. If you're looking for a vibey gothic supernatural romance, though, this might be for you. 

I ran across this memoir by Ila Borders and realized that I definitely should have heard of this amazing player before now. I love baseball. It's the one sport I can really follow and have followed since I was a kid watching the Braves with my grandma in the 90's. I wish I had learned of Ila's incredible career then because I know she would have inspired me in a lot of ways as both a person who is queer and just in sheer determination to find my success. Ila's story is not just about baseball, though that is a big portion of this memoir so if you aren't into stats or if sports terminology then keep that in mind, but it's also about how a person balances what they believe and who they are or want to be. It's also about growing up. Growing up in a world that is sometimes much more against you than with you and the perseverance to prove them wrong. 

I have to be honest in that I was a bit bored by this book. I understand what it was going for but I ultimately felt very disinterested in any of the characters other than Marx. Perhaps that was the point? I’m not sure. I did, however, like the game references and differences portrayed between Sadie and Sam as they grow up and together. Mostly I just felt very sad for these characters who could have solved a lot of their problems by actually just talking to each other instead of hiding their issues.