Book Review: Revelator by Daryl Gregory
Revelator
Author: Daryl Gregory
Published: August 31, 2021
352 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
In 1933, nine-year-old Stella is left in the care of her grandmother, Motty, in the backwoods of Tennessee. These remote hills of the Smoky Mountains are home to dangerous secrets, and soon after she arrives, Stella wanders into a dark cavern where she encounters the family’s personal god, an entity known as the Ghostdaddy.
Years later, after a tragic incident that caused her to flee, Stella–now a professional bootlegger–returns for Motty’s funeral, and to check on the mysterious ten-year-old girl named Sunny that Motty adopted. Sunny appears innocent enough, but she is more powerful than Stella could imagine–and she’s a direct link to Stella’s buried past and her family’s destructive faith.
Kim’s Review:
This. Cover. That’s it. Done. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Ok, but we need to go more in depth. I liked this book a lot! It kept me interested during the whole thing! I wanted to know who this god in the mountain was. Why did he only communicate with the Birch women? Unfortunately, that’s why I gave this book only 4 stars, cuz y’all know I need more info and there’s just never enough! But that doesn’t change the fact that I enjoyed reading this book. I actually liked most of the characters and hated the ones I was supposed to. Even the open ending didn’t bother me, it enthralled me. I kinda want a sequel. Mr. Gregory very obviously doesn’t like organized religion, but I couldn’t deny that he was accurate on some things. Some of the stereotypes amused me! Overall, this was an interesting read that kept me turning the page!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Nesting by C.J. Cooke
The Nesting
Author: C.J. Cooke
Published: September 29, 2020
416 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
The woods are creeping in on a nanny and two young girls in this chilling modern Gothic thriller.
Architect Tom Faraday is determined to finish the high-concept, environmentally friendly home he’s building in Norway – in the same place where he lost his wife, Aurelia, to suicide. It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it.
Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia’s diary appears in Lexi’s room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady…
Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn’t kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them.
Kim’s Review:
What a strange book. At its core, it’s a murder mystery. But there’s a lot of weird, Norwegian type horror elements that were just … weird. Then throw in some environmentalism that actually makes everything worse. I know it sounds awful, but I feel like I don’t even remember most of the story. The murder mystery was solid and I like that part of it. But the rest of it feels so muddled. Maybe if I knew more about Norwegian mythology, it would have been better. But unfortunately it just fell flat for me.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni
The Ancestor
Author: Danielle Trussoni
Published: April 7, 2020
349 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
It feels like a fairy tale when Alberta ”Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York, home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy, is too good to pass up.
At first, her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.
But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.
Kim’s Review:
This one was … odd. At first, I considered giving it 3 stars, but then I gave it 4; if nothing else, it kept my attention! I got this book for Christmas and I was so excited because it had everything I love! Italy, ancient families, an old castle in the mountains, family secrets … a gothic tale that I hoped would be filled with spirits, mystery, haunting a, murder, intrigue, fabulous style and architecture! And to be fair, it had almost all of that. But dang if I ended in a way different place that I ever expected to be!
I can’t say much about it because I don’t want to give anything away, but holy crap on a cracker. By the time I was finished reading, I was just shaking my head trying to make sense of what the fudge I just read! I mean, I’m still speechless. I’m actually sending my copy to a friend so she can read it and tell me what’s happening! It’s intriguing, it’s confusing, it’s fascinating, it’s frustrating, and I guess I can’t fault a book for being all those things! Just read it, you’ll see what I mean.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
