The Attic Library

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem My rating: 3 of 5 stars  -- DNF I read the first chapter 3 times... I don't think this is something I am in the mood for right now. the writing is dry and the pace is slow. View all my reviews

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.5 / 5.0 Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair is a fantasy contemporary urban mystery romance. It explores and builds its world from the principles of real-life fundamental Christianity, religious corruption, and abuse perpetrated by religious officials. There is strong social stratification in this world as well as classism, sexism, and some minor racism. This is the story and not a reflection of the author's feelings or values, though she does address these themes and topics in her Note at the end of the book. Please read all triggers on this carefully because there is death associated with pregnancy in this and that is primarily on page. The world, characters, and writing in this book are well done. There are only a few breaks in the established lore, namely some product brand names used, but overall St. Clair tells a paced, clear story. The plot is from the FMC POV with the chapter "footnotes"...

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley My rating: 3 of 5 stars 2.5 / 5.0 I had a hard time getting through this because it had to be changed twice. Once from a fanfic to a book in writing style, and twice from a HP story into something not reliant on copyrighted material, all without losing what made the story interesting and good to begin with. I do not feel it was successful. Too much of the original HP universe (characters, setting, magic) is coded into the story to pull away from it and have it make sense. While I was reading I caught myself thinking of these two as Hermione and Draco, and using the understanding I have of those two characters to interpret the interaction in this book. It doesn't help that I have read the fanfic and feel cheated that this was drawn out into two books, but I can see why. Overall, this one fails the transition from fic to book. It isn't a bad read though. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

April's Fools by Ivy Asher My rating: 4 of 5 stars 3.8 / 5.0 This little end of the world love story was one of the first “why choose” books I read and then the world ended, like in this book, and I couldn’t bring myself to read it again until now. Please, if you are triggered by the pandemic, by military violence, and by apocalyptic settings, give this one a pass. It was written pre 2020 and so much of its fiction actually played out in all our lives. Please know your limits. The writing is clearly in development and actually gets better by the end of the story. It is messy in places, the plot being simple and chaotic at the same time, but it is a quick read. Asher has become more masterful of her craft in the 6 years since this was published. I liked that each character had a different voice and personality, especially the men. I wanted to see more internal struggle from Theo and Madix like we get with Brandt, but Asher never dives deep into them. If this was to be updated and...

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.5 / 5.0 This is lovely and heartbreaking and gives the same vibes as Addie La'Rue. I adore it and will be rereading it. The ending, which I can see how people feel is weak, is so infinite. Schwab gives us all the pathways as they were written and then lets us know the characters still walk on but the path into their future is in our imaginations. It does the same thing as Addie. Overall, I enjoyed this. The writing is beautiful, the characters are so complex and interesting, and the setting could be a travel guide. My only complaint was sometimes the lamenting went on and on and on, but overall this is a great story and a good read. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Kill Creatures by Rory Power My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.0 \ 5.0 Ooo, this is intense! The twist at the end and the way all these characters are so devious, had me devouring this. My only complaint was the fatalistic, almost over the top dramatic voice of the main character. Maybe if I was younger I would appreciate the writing style more, but it didn't add to the overall story for me. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.9 / 5.0 This book was such a perfect ending. A little too perfect, in fact, but I will let it slide because it was such a fantastically entertaining series. I think the ML (Logan) lost some of his personality, he didn't grow (or devolve in this case) in a realistic manner. I also would have enjoyed more brutal angst through the whole book, the FL (Lana) let him off too easily. Lana also made more mistakes in this book then any of the previous ones, which shows her character did grow (or devolve in this case) in a plausible manner. It's interesting that she ended the book and series so much more interesting with the romance then he did. The ending is neat and tidy, and the very last plot twist, I didn't see until that chapter opened. It all has a Brad Pitt in 7 vibe, but with an HEA instead of a broken man ending. Anyways, more to read and review. This is worth it and if you find it because of this review, I hope you...

All the Lies by S.T. Abby My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.8 / 5.0 This was my least favorite of all these books. There is ALOT of dissonance to get over to believe that the characters are able to cover as much plot in the abbreviated amount of time. I also felt some of the support characters suddenly become more insightful then they had previously been OR became a lot less perceptive then they were in the first 3 books. The ML (Logan) also seems to be losing his perceptive acuity, like he's so in love and it's such a novel idea to him he is not seeing things anymore or he is excusing red flags. The FL (Lana) is less of the Jack of all Trades and now a Master of One because she is now being written as half of the mastermind. The other ML (Jake) is almost like her other half rather then being a "silent partner" supporting her endeavors but not getting into it. In the frist 3 books he wasn't given as much depth and personal incentive, but now we are building on him almo...

Scarlet Angel by S.T. Abby My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.9 / 5.0 I am not interested in playing the Amazon algorithm game anymore, so no fancy highlighting, just the review. This is still very good and the end of this one *chef kiss* will have you screaming if you cannot get to the next book immediately. The characters are fun but the action is really picking up. It was brutal in this one, so KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS before you go into this one. I am cruising into the next book now so see you soon, no doubt with a gleeful smile on my face. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Sidetracked by S.T. Abby My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.9 / 5.0   when evil gets it’s justice… Just the right amount of death and justice. This book, like the first, doesn’t disappoint.  I a little bit wish the angst was sharper and more drawn out, but the push and pull is good enough to suspend your disbelief at the end of this one. Pretty sure what happens wouldn’t happen to our girl, Lana, but I can hopefully see where this is headed. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

The Risk by S.T. Abby My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.9 / 5.0  if Dexter was a woman and did it right… If you cannot stomach vigilante violence, g(rape), serial killers, and sadism, this is not the book for you. If reading what we all listen to on true crime podcasts isn’t a problem, this is a FANTASTIC story to invest your time and entertainment into. All the stupid mistakes people make that gets them caught, she knows and has (mostly) cleared. All the building and rebuilding a victim goes through, she has done and invested her future into. And all the karma we wish the entitled douche-canoes that prey on women, that slut-shame/victim-shame/body-shame, and that preach a hocus-pocus, bible-beating, xenophobic religion because they feel safe would receive, she is delivering right to their door. The title of the series says it all. This is a complete mindf*ck and I am 100% here for it. The only downside is the author is sadly passed away. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Killer of Mine by Alexis Grace My rating: 3 of 5 stars 2.5 / 5.0 Ok, let's talk about investing in skills and practice. This has a good story and a slightly original twist, but it lacks discipline in craft to make it above a 3-star, IMO. The characters all blend and the world is messy because several British and Australian English colloquial terms are thrown into a story about Americans. Additionally, there is no sense of scale, specifically with the 5-mile radius... that's nothing in the US. Most people travel 15 to 25 miles to work or the gym or to shop. Very few live inside a 10-mile circle consistently, especially a police officer or federal agent. I wanted to like this because it reminds me so much of the Mindf__k Series, but the author rushed it. It also ends with an ongoing, anime-style, "next time on Of Mine" cliffhanger which is lazy (again IMO) for this. There's no resolution or satisfaction for this book because the big baddie just walked away. Overa...

Quilting the National Parks: 20 Original Designs Inspired by the Beauty of Our National Parks by Stephanie Forster My rating: 5 of 5 stars 5.0 / 5.0 I had a customer who brought this in to get fabric for one of the quilts, and I fell in love with the book. How vibrant and imaginative and modern. This book is stunning and I am so glad to have it in my library. The instructions are easy to follow, the resource guide makes finding supplies and materials easy, and the assembly diagrams help considerably. This is beginner-friendly with some tips on finishing projects like pillows and wall hangings. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.0 / 5.0 Minus one star for the modern vernacular throughout the story and one star for that ending… like what was that? This could have benefited from being longer and better written. The story itself was good, if not a little too closely inspired by the movie Gladiator. I had a hard time staying engaged, however, as the magic is never very well explained and the world isn’t built out enough to give meaning to the politics. It needed more development all around. With the way it ended you’d think there’s to be more, and if there is I won’t be reading it. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

The Audient and The Phantom Night by Sadie Hewitt My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.7 / 5.0 Are you a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean? What about Disney princesses? Ok, and let’s mix in the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse but as pirates, because remember Pirates of the Caribbean, well, then you’ll enjoy this. The FMC starts out weak and the writing isn’t the best, but then the FMC matures and the writing improves along with her, and by the end it’s all good (very Frozen coded and obvious foretelling). I had fun with this and consumed it in one day. The cover is also spectacular. Also, the “magic” is cool and I want to see where the other books (3?) will go. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle My rating: 4 of 5 stars 4.0 / 5.0 This was excellent but ended in a very Addie La’Rue way. I enjoyed how it is structured and the way the MC is a complex and normal guy character. I had a little trouble following the romance, it didn’t feel there as strongly written as the food and cooking part. I also wanted more closure with some of the people that spoke to their ghosts. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews

Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.5 / 5.0 I have never been a fan of classics, though I read and appreciate them. This exploration of the writers that influenced one of the greatest English-language writers of all time is more an exploration of the theory and methods surrounding Austen's craft during her "present day" than a comprehensive review of these other writer or their works. I enjoyed learning about them and their lives over why/if/how they might have shaped Austen and the literary canon. It is well written, interesting to read, and has an incredible list of references for further research. Until Next Time, MC View all my reviews