Review: Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received both print and audio ARCs of this book via Netgalley. I mainly listened to the audiobook because I listened to The Night Swim prior to diving into this book and loved the narration. This follows a similar narrative but adds a male narrator in addition to the 2 female narrators. Rachel does a special report in this book versus a podcast.

You do not have to read Night Swim prior to reading this book. They are unrelated in content, but the style of the storytelling is similar. If you didn't like the way Night Swim was told, you probably won't like this as it has the same style with the special report mixed in with development of the plot. This does not feature a court room trial, so if you enjoyed that aspect it is missing here. I however really enjoyed the way the story was told, and looked forward to the special report segments. They delivered information that you didn't get from the regular chapters while summarizing information we already knew about the crime.

This installment follows Rachel as she is called in by the FBI to speak with an inmate who is about to be released from prison. Terrence Bailey is long suspected of murdering 6 women, but police were never able to prove it. They were able to get him on breaking and entering. As his release from prison looms, he receives a surprise visit from a popular influencer who then suspiciously diappears. People who know her don't think much about it as she is known to go off the grid periodically. Rachel's name popped up in their conversation, and the FBI want her to find out how she is connected to Terrence and the missing girl. Rachel's conversation with Terrence doesn't go well, prompting the FBI to think she may be in danger when he leaves prison in a few days.

Ever the investigative journalist, Rachel finds herself in the middle of the investigation for the missing girl, Maddison. In an attempt to find out more information about the missing girl, Rachel attends BuzzCon, a post influence conference that Maddison was supposed to attend. Rachel doesn't find Maddison at the conference, but she does uncover information that lead her and FBI Agent Joe to clues that they missed early on in the investigation. I don't want to spoil things, but I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. As with the previous book, I thought Goldin did a good job capturing the life of an influencer accurately in the "Instagram vs reality" conversations as well as the conversations about how cut throat and callous some influencers can be. The personas you see on the internet aren't always the real person.

This was just as entertaining as the first book, though not quite as suspenseful. I never really felt that Rachel was in real danger. I did think that the police and FBI made it way to easy for Rachel to gain access to case information. The plot is a bit predictable at times and I had some things figured out early on. Despite that, I still enjoyed the experience.
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Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a tough book to get through. If you have triggers for SA, I'd steer clear of this one. This follow Rachel Krall, a popular true crime podcaster who has successfully solved a cold case and uncovered evidence to set an innocent man free. Her skills as a journalist come in handy when she is investigating and researching new information for her podcast.

In her latest season she finds herself in a small town as a divisive court case is about to kick off. The local golden boy has been accused of assaulting's a local girl after a party. In addition to investigating the trial for the podcast, Rachel keeps getting mysterious letters about another girl who was assaulted and murdered 25 years ago. The letter writer is the younger sister who wants justice and closure for her sister Jenny. Jenny was slandered and painted as troubled, but her sister knows that there is more to the story and she hopes that Rachel can help uncover the truth.

I listened to the audiobook of this and it was so well done. We get chapters of Rachel's podcast as the trial unfolds and she does a good job staying objective, presenting the facts for both sides as she uncovers them. We also get chapters about Rachel's time investigating the trial and what happened to Jenny as she receives more letters and becomes invested in what truly happened all those years ago.

As I mentioned this is a tough read. The author does a wonderful job brining the emotion of a trial like this to the front while also hitting hard on the truth of assault cases like this. She brings forth facts about women who are assaulted and why they don't report. She goes into detail about the shame the victim feels about being attacked, reporting the attack, being examined, and going to trail. In the end it is he said she said, and at the hands of 12 people that may or may not believe her despite the evidence and the laws of the state she lives in. The defense will do everything it can to undermine her. Unfortunately this is factually accurate, I was an assault advocate and the things these women have to go through is awful and traumatizing. They are traumatized multiple times in their quest for justice and Goldin captured that. I also really liked how the two timelines finally came together as Rachel investigated both cases.

I picked this up because I have an ARC of Dark Corners and I wanted to read this in the event that there is any related content. I'm glad I did because despite the tough content, the execution was spot on. I'm looking forward to reading Dark Corners and seeing what Rachel gets up to next. As I sit down to write this review, I've just finished Dark Corners and you can read them in either order. Rachel investigates a completely unrelated case but the storytelling style is similar.

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Review: Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided both the audio and print  ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was an interesting domestic thriller.  It follows mother and daughter Ruth and Catherine through their daily lives.  As we get to know them it quickly becomes clear that Ruth is hiding something.  Ruth has always been closed off about her past, and as Catherine is ready to spread her wings as a new college graduate and start her career as a nurse she is more curious than ever about her mom's past.  What she doesn't know is that Ruth has carefully cultivated a life to protect herself and Catherine from the past that she is so desperately hiding from.  She will do anything to keep Catherine close until she is 100% sure she will be safe from people and events that happened in her past.  As the book unfolds we find out the lengths that Ruth is willing to go to to protect her daughter, and how far her daughter is willing to go to find the truth about her mother.

There were some situations that were a bit "unbelievable".  I thought it was pretty unrealistic that Catherine wasn't able to figure out her mother's ruse a little more quickly, but overall the storyline was interesting.  There were some good twists and turns, but I didn't find this to have high level of suspense.  This may have some triggering content for some readers.  This is an interesting story of the mother daughter relationship as well as nature vs nature.  

As for the audio narration, I thought the narrator did a good job.   I would have liked a bit more differentiation between Ruth's voice and Catherine's voice as the book is told from both of their perspectives.  It was a bit difficult to tell which woman was at the center of the chapter with only one voice telling the story.   I feel the audiobook would have benefitted from a 2nd narrator or if Mara would have been able to voice once of the characters a bit differently.

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Review: Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin

Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for letting me read all of Rachel Griffin's books early, I have loved them all!

If you have enjoyed Griffin's previous YA books featuring witchy romances, you are going to enjoy this as well.  This is a standalone, so you don't have to read her previous books, but if you have you will see similar themes of nature, magic and romance woven into the story.  It by no means is a duplicate of the author's previous works.

This follows Tana, daughter of the leader of the local witch coven who's fate and future have been decided for her.  Her parents arranged her marriage when she was a child in order to protect the coven's way of life and the island they inhabit.  Witches and magic were once feared, and some of the mainlanders (non magic users) still fear them.  Tana has always put her duty to her coven before anything else.  When she meets a boy who isn't supposed to exist, who can practice magic that isn't allowed she begins to question everything she knows.  For once in her life she learns what it feels like to make decisions for herself and be a little bit selfish.  She also learns that this may upset the balance that her family and coven have worked so hard to create to provide a safe place for the coven and the people she loves.  

I really enjoyed Tana's journey of self discovery.  She was always a little wild and reckless and didn't really fit in, but she was loyal and obedient out of respect and duty to her parents and community.  When she finally found a place that fit, she went for it even though her actions had consequences, but she weighed the options and made a decision.  Despite the pressure put on her and the lies and betrayal surrounding her situation, Tana never lost sight of wanting to protect the island and the people on it.

This is geared toward the young adult reader, so there is some foul language and mentions of physical intimacy but nothing beyond kissing is described in much detail.  Everything is fade to black and behind closed doors so this would be acceptable for a mature young reader and teenagers.

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Review: Ghosted by Amanda Quain

Ghosted by Amanda Quain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a really cute YA retelling of Northanger Abbey (I've never read it so I can't compare the two) with a paranormal twist. Northanger Abbey is the most haunted high school, and Hattie has the privilege of attending the elite private school. Her mom also happens to be the headmistress. Hattie used to be really into the paranormal, but she gave it all up when her family moved to Northanger and has worked really hard to become the perfect daughter and student. She wears the mask well, but the façade is starting to wear on her as her senior year kicks off and college application deadlines loom.

Enter Kit Moreland, a laid back fun loving ghost hunter who has received a scholarship to the haunted high school, and Hattie has been assigned as his ambassador. She is supposed to help him acclimate and learn to navigate campus. On the outside the two couldn't be more opposite, but on the inside Kit reignites all of the things Hattie used to love about ghosts, legends, and the history surrounding them. As they spend more time together Hattie gains some perspective on her life and starts to think more about what she wants for her future instead of what is expected of her.

I really enjoyed this. I love a good paranormal story, and the author does a good job giving you just enough about the sightings mixed in with the history of the school to make it feel plausible. Every good legend is steeped in a bit of truth, and Hattie and Kit do a good job debating back and forth about believing and not believing in ghosts. While there was some ghost hunting, most of that was a metaphor for other issues happening in Hattie's life. There were great discussions about emotion and grief and finding out who you really are versus living up to someone else's expectations. This has a lot of hard hitting moments balanced with some humor and light romance.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from this author.

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Review: Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark

Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Clark has quickly become one of my favorite SFF authors.  I love how he weaves culture into his stories and uses sci-fi or fantasy (or both) to deal with real world issues.  This is his middle grade debut and he really leans in to African Lore and storytelling.  If you pay attention he is really using Abeni's magical journey to tell you about the horrible things that were done historically in Africa.  It is one of the things I love about his writing style.  He tells you about big and important topics while taking you on an amazing adventure.

As for the narration, the narrator really did a wonderful job with the storytelling aspect of the audiobook.  She gave each of the characters a unique voice throughout the book.  It took me a few chapters to really appreciate her narration, as I didn't initially appreciate the cadence and pitch she gave to some of the characters.  I loved her "narrator" voice though.  As the book went on I realized she is the ultimate storyteller, and really gave life to Abeni and her companions.  I don't think everyone will appreciate her amazing voice acting, but I think younger readers will be delighted by her voice talents.  

This follows Abeni on quite the journey.  On her 12th birthday, her village is attacked and everyone she knows and loves is taken away.  Abeni alone is saved by an old woman who she comes to know as Asha, a spirit who has protected the village for many years.  Abeni wants nothing more than to find her family and loved ones, but to do so she must learn what Asha has to teach her.  Abeni has a good bit of character development as the story unfolds as she begins as any 12 year old girl, a bit stubborn and petulant, but she quickly discovers that she has to put aside her own wants and needs if she wants to find those she loves.  She is also put in many challenging situations where she has to be brave and make tough choices.  Does she always make the right choice?  No, but she is always trying to do the right thing, and the friends she makes along the way are there to help guide her and teach her.  There are quite a few lessons to be learned, and Abeni always takes them in stride.  

The worldbuilding in this book was excellent.  Clark gives us a luscious landscape and describes the characters in such detail that you can really get a sense of what they look like but he doesn't go overboard with the descriptions.  If you are a fan of folklore any mythology I highly recommend this for middle grade readers, adults, and everyone in between.  I think it is written such that any age group can enjoy it.

This is the first book in a series, but I really appreciated that this first part of Abeni's storyline ended with closure.  We see that there is more to her journey to come, but this part of the story feels complete.  I look forward to seeing what challenges Abeni and her companions faces on the next part of their quest.

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Review: Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This would be a great fall/winter read as it is set in the cold winter of Pennsylvania farmlands.  There is nothing for miles surrounding the orphanage of St. Vincent's.  When evil comes knocking on the front door of the orphanage one snowy night, the poor boys of the orphanage and their souls are in danger.  You could really feel the buildup of suspense not only as the snowstorm was building but as the madness within the orphanage was taking over and reaching its peak.

This is my first book by Fracassi, but I grabbed it immediately when I saw it was available.  I will have to check out more of his books.  This wasn't overly gory, but it was the kind of suspenseful horror that I love.  The worldbuilding made me feel like I was in the orphanage and I really felt Peter's conflict between his faith and his worldly desires.   He really gave the story the atmospheric vibe it needed to go along with the terrifying acts that were playing out.  I think it was made even more horrific by the fact that it was children carrying out the acts and you weren't sure if it was just madness or if something more sinister and paranormal was at play.  

I really liked how the author played with the different perspectives in telling the story.  We get to see the story from a few different views as things unfold and each of the characters is tested as the chaos around them unfolds.  They struggle with faith, humanity, madness, and protecting those in their care as the storm around them rages.  

I really enjoyed this!  I highly recommend it!

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