This story follows a protective mother and a suspicious daughter as they’re finally forced to deal with the the mother’s mysterious past. The premise was interesting and the tension was there, but this was a tough read for me. I’m not sure if it was the narrative or narration or a combination of the two, but I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters, and I think the resolution could’ve used a stronger punch. I usually love thrillers, so I’m surprised, but I guess this one really just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishr for the ARC!
⭐⭐⭐
Tula looks like she’s on the verge of a reading slump.
I love Abby Jimenez’s writing and will probably be reading everything she ever writes. It’s fun and fast and filled with banter, and I absolutely inhale it. This was the fourth book I’ve read by her and it doesn’t disappoint. Sloan is still deeply grieving her fiance’s death two years later when a dog jumps through through her roof. The dog helps her start to heal, and she starts texting with his owner (who is secretly a famous musician) while he is out of the country.
This book sucked me in and didn’t let me go. I loved the characters and Jimenez’s writing is just the right balance of hilarious and heartfelt. While I did feel the second half stumbled just a little bit when Jason’s tour began, the final scene made up for everything.
If you love fun romance, read this one. Actually, read the whole series. They stand-alone, and Life’s Too Short is my far and away favorite, but they’re all fantastic. Did I mention the audiobooks are also incredibly narrate. Can’t say enough good things so just:
I’ve really been craving a solid historical fiction lately so I had high hopes for this one – a story following an aspiring archaeologist as navigates two wars as a nurse. While I appreciated the writing style, the subject matter, and the historical attention to detail, unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. (Warning. Spoiler below.)
The story goes back and forth between the events that led Betsy to the first war and the events that led her to the second, and I actually enjoyed the second war story. However the first one was difficult for me, just because it had a lot of elements I really dislike: age gap romance, cheating, and < spoiler>
.
.
.
a secret baby she gives away, ugh. < /spoiler> While I appreciated Betsy’s growth as a character between the first and second war, I found her character in the first war timeline and her friend Ava’s really difficult to root for. I did though, enjoy some of the other characters like Holt and Kit.
Overall, this one wasn’t for me, but if you enjoy well-researched historical fiction, you might want to check it out!
I was really excited to read this. A lock-picker, WWII backdrop, German spies, mystery and a bit of romance? Right up my alley. Unfortunately, the main character, Electra, felt like an mostly unhelpful little sister begging to tag along on the adventure, and her relationship with the Major just didn’t quite work for me. However, the plot was interesting and fast-paced and the audiobook well-narrated, so if you’re into WWII spy mysteries, I recommend giving it a try.
Weirdly, I felt very similarly about this book as I did my last one (A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver.) A girl (Audrey Rose) interested in forensic medicine gets mixed up in the Jack the Ripper investigation along with a very flirty Holmes-like teenager (Thomas Cresswell.) While there were some interesting elements here I enjoyed, unfortunately, I couldn’t abide Audrey Rose. Her relationship with Thomas seems needlessly hot and cold, and I felt like he didn’t have the depth he should’ve had. Audrey Rose felt more like a tag-along little sister railing against the patriarchy, than the main character, and I feel like that prevented me from enjoying the storyline. But I know a lot of people enjoyed this one, so if you’re interested in a YA hist-fic mystery with a Holmes-like character, I recommend you give it a try!
June 2023 (Second Round) Genre: Comedy Action: Putting on eyeglasses Word: Member Time Constraint: 24 hours Length: 100 words
If someone recognizes me, I’ll never survive seventh grade. I don the square black glasses and face mask, desperately channeling Clark Kent before peeking into the ballet studio at the line of pink-clad girls. Oh god, I can’t go in there. When I asked Mom for dance lessons, I wanted to try hip-hop, not social suicide.
I’m about to flee when Aphrodite herself glides toward me with a smile. “You’re the new boy?”
My heart bursts into butterfly confetti, and I suddenly remember why everyone loves Clark.
He’s totally uncool.
But he always gets the girl.
“Why, yes, I am.”
This one came in second in my group, getting me into the final round! The feedback is below!
WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY
{1943} This story had a really fun premise. I loved the image of him going in disguise because it was a ballet class. I laughed at the description of Aprhodite herself “gliding” up to greet him. So cute! The image of his heart bursting “into butterfly confetti” was lovely – this story really made me smile. Thank you for sharing it with me.
{2138} I really enjoyed this light and humorous piece. There’s a sweet and youthful energy throughout, and a strong sense of character via the narration: I loved his internal thought processes which also help to vividly bring the scene to life. You’ve established a great sense of pace to the narrating character’s journey too, taking him from nervous and uncertain to a quiet increase in confidence. “My heart bursts into butterfly confetti” was particularly lovely!
{1980} The narration in this piece is highly engaging. The narrator boasts a distinct voice, helping to establish a vivid understanding of both the immediate conflict they face and the wider world they inhabit outside of the dance studio.
WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK
{1943} I wonder if you needed the opening sentence. For me, the story became really engaging at “I don the square black glasses and face mask…” I think we know that he was a middle school from the fact that he wanted to try hip-hop, he used phrases such as “social suicide”, and he disguised himself to enter the dance studio. Perhaps you could work on some more middle-school style language in the opening paragraph to make sure that your characterization is very clear.
{2138} Not much to critique here! Perhaps the only tweak I’d suggest is the combining of Clark Kent with Aphrodite – it may be a little odd for the reader to be presented with Greek mythology and the DC universe in the same piece?
{1980} One element that could be further developed is the narrator’s body language, specifically in the moment they nearly “flee” from the studio. By fleshing out this moment of tension with imagery –are they grabbing their things, or checking to see if anyone is looking, for example — this would therefore heighten the relief as “Aphrodite” glides towards them. Perhaps by paring down some of the opening narration, this would leave more room in the word count to explore this narrative shift.
You can find the rest of my NYC Midnight Challenge entries and feedback here.
This is another book I picked up on a whim, not at all realizing I was familiar with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River (which I liked), Gone Baby Gone (which I didn’t), and Shutter Island (Which I loved.)
Small Mercies follows a mother in Southie in the 1970s when her daughter goes missing amidst the backdrop of desegregation protests.
I loved this book and have already recommended it to at least five people. The writing is crisp, the themes are deep, the characters are deeply flawed and yet somehow I couldn’t help rooting for them. The setting was so vibrant I felt like I was there, and while it is dark and gritty, the ending left me satisfied and thoughtful.
An incredible book and perfectly narrated. I’ll definitely be looking up Dennis Lehane’s others that I’ve missed.
Youmask: Curing the faces only a mother could love!
May 2023 (First Round) Genre: Sci-fi Action: Putting something in a washing machine Word: Card Time Constraint: 24 hours Length: 100 words
I lean into my daughter’s dark room, proffering a hamper. “Laundry?”
I haven’t seen her face in weeks—her crooked smile and freckles discarded for today’s trending features projected from her omnipresent YouMask. And the stupid thing’s not even washable.
An idea flutters through me like a scrap of hope.
“Can I wash your YouMask before it stinks?”
With a sleepy grumble, she pulls it from her head and drops it in my basket. I force myself not to run as I cross the house and load the washing machine.
She’ll be furious tomorrow, but at least I’ll see her.
This one came in first in my group, getting me into the second round! The feedback is below!
WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY
{2024} I enjoyed the illustrative language in this piece, as well as the mother’s narrative voice. I appreciated the context about the YouMask told to us through the title, and then through the mother’s perspective as her daughter’s “face” projects ‘today’s trending features.” I enjoyed how her nostalgia for her daughter’s features was at odds with her discomfort for ruining the technology for her daughter’s own good. i enjoyed how this piece explored themes of coming of age and social media / body dysmorphia.
{2147} The author’s strong theme of re-connection between mother and daughter in the face (no pun intended) of technology. That’s entirely a prescient reality and great subject matter. A clever use for the required word “card” – “discarded”.
{2274} This is very depressing and sad bur that’s what comes from the truth it is speaking. Children are becoming so stigmatized and judged for their appearance that this scenario is a plausibility in our future. The mother’s yearning to see her child is such a primal instinct and should be a joyous aspect of their bond. Instead an artificial barrier appears to disrupt the norm.
WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK
{2024} This piece has a great foundation. Moving forward, I am most curious about whether the daughter bought the mask, or whether the mother gifted it to her? I am curious what age her daughter is, and whether there is an age limit to the technology?
{2147} The daughter, sleepy though she might be, consents to have the mask washed. She herself takes it off and puts it into her mother’s basket. So tomorrow, why would she be furious? She’d be furious if the mother took the mask while she was sleeping. Under these circumstances, it’s more likely she’ll be surprised, irritated at best. To improve the story adjust this one way or the other so the daughter’s reaction is appropriate.
{2274} Creating a fully fleshed-out vignette within such a tight word count is very challenging. It’s difficult to explain all aspects of the moment, but I can tell that a genuine effort was made. However, I was left with the following question. How old is the daughter? This simple data point would add a great deal to the story since kids become even more self-conscious as they get older. So a ten-year-old wearing the mask would be even sadder than a sixteen-yea-old. This would only need to be a few words which could be taken from some of the adjectives and descriptive phrases in the story without diminishing any section.
You can find the rest of my NYC Midnight Challenge entries and feedback here.
A well-written YA fantasy with a unique premise that imagines a world of lucid dreams where danger and adventure await. The audiobook narration was awesome and on the whole, this adventure definitely gave me strong Peter Pan vibes, with the mysterious Steggie Belle as the fearless leader of a band of children exploring a new, fantastical world. It’s told from first-person past POV with the main character looking back on his adventures as an adult, which I felt distanced us from the action, but that’s just a personal preference. I did have a little trouble with the pacing and found myself wishing for deeper relationships between the main characters. Though they were all likable, I felt like I wanted to know more about them. The world was well-developed though, and I definitely think this book would appeal to those looking for a YA fantasy with a classic feel revolving around a whimsical world of dreams. Thanks so much to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review! More information below!
⭐⭐⭐ ½
The author: Elias Pell
Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors Audiobook is available for pre-order now!
Published by candlelight—surrounded by chanting Druids—at midnight on Summer Solstice back in 2020, this is Elias Pell’s debut novel. A semi-autobiographical Fantasy which delves behind the world we know, or like to tell ourselves we know.
Now, on the Autumnal Equinox—September 23rd, 2023—the unabridged Audiobook read by Jay Forrester arrives, pulsing through a pair of earphones near you! Listen to Zoofall’s incredible confession as the candlewax melts away and the shadows encroach ever closer upon the fragile, dwindling flame.
“What if our understanding of dreams is just a poor reflection of another place…
a real place?”
During a storm, a man who calls himself Zoofall has barricaded himself inside an attic. He has only seven candles worth of time to reveal his extraordinary secrets. How, when he was a child, he discovered the existence of a wild other world, where Reality and Mythology meet, beyond the limits of Lucid Dreaming.
As a boy, after a freak accident results in him making a peculiar acquaintance, a lengthy initiation follows, and Zoofall finally finds himself welcomed into a group of other young dreamers—who call themselves the Freedivers. They teach him hidden truths and the long-forgotten, true history of humankind. Of how the dream and waking worlds, although now separated, were once united as one, until the “cross-overs” began. They show him that the stuff of ancient myths and fairy tales, of folklore and urban legends have never been imaginary at all. These beings had simply migrated for their own safety, away from the waking world, and that these “crossings” are by no means one-way.
Within this magical and terrifyingly real realm, Zoofall must figure out if his own unusual powers make him a possible saviour or a dangerous burden. As dark forces rise up, threatening to engulf their group, he must uncover the greatest mystery of all. Who their incredible leader—Steggie Belle—really is, how she became so powerful, and if by any chance she can be saved?
About the Author:
Elias Pell is a London-born, previously published poet and self-confessed dreamer. Disguised as an adult (children have somehow always been able to see through this facade) Elias left England in 2016, putting all his savings towards the dream of writing full-time. Since then, he has sat, scribbling away on a rooftop in Barcelona, spurred on by the raucous cries of seagulls circling overhead.
Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors is Elias’s debut Fantasy novel: a story inspired by his own lifelong Lucid Dreaming experiences. In 2020, it was awarded as a Finalist in the Fantasy category of NIEA’s global annual competition (the only self-published novel to reach that shortlist).
Elias has also published a collection of short stories for adults, entitled Scapegoats & Crowbars, and is currently working on the sequel to Steggie Belle, alongside other new writing projects. He is currently seeking representation, and can be contacted directly at elias.pell75@gmail.com.
Picked this audiobook up from the library on the whim and it was such a pleasant surprise! The book follows 13yo Thomas as he apprentices with a Spook to learn how to deal with the frequent paranormal disturbances in their medieval-like world. Fast-paced, dark, and tense with interesting characters, I really liked this quick read, and thought it totally nailed an upper-grade (or lower YA) dark fantasy. Totally recommend and would definitely pick up the second book.
