Evelyn, After

I can’t remember why I chose to purchase Evelyn, After by Victoria Helen Stone, but I think it has something to do with my book club’s prompt of “a book that starts with the first letter of your name.” And the premise intrigued me: Evelyn, mostly happily married wife of a prominent psychiatrist, is called in the middle of the night to get his car out of a ditch. But it turns out he’s not alone. He’s got a woman with him. His patient. With whom he’s been having an affair. And then later, Evelyn learns that someone is dead.

I thought this would be a kind of twisted book of the complacent-housewife-turns-avenging-angel-or-demon sort of story, where I’d watch her slow unraveling as her husband and the patient’s (Juliette’s) lives also come unwound. I thought it would be a psychological thriller sort of thing. Instead, it was kind of like a coming of age story (or middle age), filled with infidelity on both sides and lies all around, and Juliette’s unwitting husband smack-dab in the middle.

Crown of Midnight

Hey all! I finally opened my Kindle and read the next book in Sarah J. Mass’s Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight! It’s only been, what, half a year since I reviewed the first book?

So, I have to be honest…I can’t quite remember everything that happened in Throne of Glass. And, having finished the second book, I have no idea why this one is called Crown of Midnight, unless it is referring to something in the last or second-to-last chapter (or something like that. One of the last chapters, in any case).

While I felt like the first book was more YA or maybe New Adult, due to the nature of a competition to become the king’s right-hand assassin fitting in with YA tropes nicely, Crown of Midnight blurs the lines even more. I can see teens devouring this book, and some things feel downright YA or even MG esque (talking door knocker). But the overall tone of the book has matured a lot compared to the previous book. Perhaps that’s in part because Sarah J. Maas improved as an author a ton between the two books.

However, some of the tonal shifts are a bit jarring. The Celaena of this book doesn’t quite feel the same as the Celaena of the first book, even though there has only been a few months, tops, between books. Same with Dorian, for some reason. And some obvious bits in the first book were played as unknown in this book, and I can’t for the life of me remember if this is something the reader knew at the end but our protagonists didn’t, or if the protagonists did as well.

So, what did I think of the story? I think having no competition this time helped the story a lot. We got to see our characters more in action, got to understand their motivations and watch them grow a bit. Some of the big reveals were things I’d figured out in the first book, or at least guessed at (one I thought, “well, it’s this or that,” and it turned out to be this and that).

All in all, I enjoyed this book. It’s not like I am screeching and flipping to the next one right away, but I will definitely go back to my kindle and read the third book. And I still think teenage me would be devouring the series (although I would be super duper nervous about the tame and not at all explicit sex scenes that occurred here and there).

The Vampire Knitting Club

Because I had a hard time sleeping, because this book was only 99 cents, and because I wanted to prove that I really do like paranormal cozy mysteries, you get a review of The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren.

I grew up with stories of Dracula and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then was introduced to the world of Twilight when I was a young adult, so I was curious what flavor of vampires would appear in the very obviously-named The Vampire Knitting Club. In this book, you’ll get a hint of how dangerous vampires can be, but with the air of people who are so old that they might as well knit and have a good social life while they’re at it.

Lucy Swift is excited to visit her grandma in Oxford. She needs a break, following a breakup with her cheater boyfriend, and to take a breather while she decides what to do with the rest of her life. But when she gets to her grandmother’s shop, Cardinal Woolsey’s, it’s closed and her grandmother is dead. And there seems to be vampires living under the shop. Vampires who knit.

I don’t want to write much more than this. In fact, I would advise people interested in this book to not read the book blurb or the introduction inside the book (at least in the Kindle version). It gives too much away and took a bit of my enjoyment of discovery out of the book.

As for me, I enjoyed this book (even with too many spoilers in the book blurb). It had everything you could want in a first book in a cozy mystery series: a small-town feel as you explore three shops on one street, eccentric characters, a likable, smart, main character, and a mystery with enough red herrings to keep you guessing. And it has everything you’d want from a light paranormal cozy book: vampires, witches, familiars. And just a touch of what you’d like from a book with knitting: descriptions of scrumptious sweaters with yarns you’d love to sink your fingers into.

Because there’s so much going on in this book, some areas might seem too easy or convenient. Some may wish the book spent more time with the mystery. Or the vampires and witches. Or the knitting. The book moved at a good clip, and before you know it you’ll be finished and realize the last 10% is dedicated to a preview of the next book. Still, it hit every note I wanted hit with a cozy paranormal mystery, and I am considering getting the next book or two. (Amazon told me I could get the next five or so on Kindle for the price of one hardcover, and it is very, very tempting. Especially as spooky season AND sweater season is approaching)

The Apparition in the Attic

Hey all! It’s been a while. I was going through a rough time, so I decided to just read for reading’s sake and not worry about reviews. That worked a bit, but of course didn’t fix everything, but I had to come back! Why? Well, because I want you all to commiserate with me.

What the heck did I just read?

The Apparition in the Attic, by Courtney McFarlin is the first book in the Soul Seeker series, a series of cozy mysteries so devoid of any details that I can’t tell you what state it’s in, what part of the US, what time of year it is, or what the main character’s favorite pizza topping is, even though she eats pizza two or three times in this short book.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: Audiobook Edition

Here’s how much I like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: I still had five minutes left to listen to when I decided to buy it for my brother for his birthday this week. And it’s taking me all my self-control to not buy a copy for myself, for my mom for Mother’s Day (because it’s earlier in the year than Father’s Day and they can share), for my second brother for his birthday, and for my third brother for his birthday. Heck, I want to buy a copy of this book for each of you and reach through the interwebs to thrust the glossy cover in your face.