The Black Slide – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Middle Grade

The Black Slide by: J.W. Ocker
Published on: August 12, 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins
Number of Pages: 272

Description

An ominous new slide on the playground leads to a world of fear in The Smashed Man of Dread End author J.W. Ocker’s latest middle grade horror, perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Griffin Birch isn’t known for being brave, but there’s something about the new black slide on the elementary school playground that’s made him curious. Against his better judgement, he just has to follow his best friend Laila down.

But the Black Slide is no ordinary piece of playground equipment. What Griffin and Laila find at the other end of this strange portal is a cruel world, populated by bloodthirsty creatures on a quest to become immortal.

And it’s up to Griffin to save himself, his best friend–and the future of earth itself.

Fans of classic horror will devour this creepy adventure packed with more twists and turns than the ominous black slide itself.

Review

I adore middle grade horror. So a book that promises that the ‘playground isn’t fun anymore’ sounded right up my alley. Not to mention that the cover is absolutely awesome and made me wonder what happens when the kids slide down it. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

The story starts off terrific. There’s a torture chamber (classroom) that looks out onto the playground where a new black slide has been put in. But there is something ominous about this slide. Every kid can feel it and no one wants to go on it. But eventually someone does – Griffin, our main character, when he is bullied into sliding down it and that’s where the horror and mystery really starts.

But then I found the next sections a little too slow, which was a shame. The kids are in a nightmare-type world, but it was more of them going or running to places and I never felt the same dramatic tension that I did when the slide was first being introduced. The nightmare world gets to described to us, but I never felt the kids fear and as a result I didn’t feel any fear on their behalf. The creepiest part to me ended up being how one of the kids, a girl, seemingly accepted the pain and the nightmare, as if it were inevitable. She didn’t want to be free or maybe she did, but felt she had to experience pain first. The action picks up in the second half of the book when the kids start interacting with those in the nightmare world. The plot progresses a little faster and I enjoyed it more at that point.

All in all, there were parts I most definitely enjoyed, but there were parts that were a little slow for me. So, a mixed bag. But, then there is the ending, which I loved. Perfect for a horror book.

Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Death at the Manor – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Cozy Mystery

A Lily Adler Mystery #3 by: Katherine Schnellman
Published on: August 9th, 2022

“Apparently, it wanders the halls of Belleford at night. Half their servants have quit in fear…” – Matthew Spencer.

Ghosts and murder. The latest book in the Lily Adler series turns slightly gothic when visiting her aunt in Hampshire. While there she learns that Belleford manor is haunted. Members of the family and staff having seen the vision of a “Grey Lady”. Rather than the family attempting to distance themselves from these rumors, they instead are promoting it and enjoying the notoriety. Mr. Thomas Wright, the son of the house, talks of giving tours. Thinking a tour might be a bit of fun, Lily and her friend Ofelia decide to visit Belleford and figure out the mystery. But while there the unexpected and unexplained death of Mrs. Wright, Thomas’s mother, occurs. Everyone, but Lily, believes it is the Grey Lady who has killed her.

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Nine Lives – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Audio Book Reviews, Cozy Mystery, Thriller

Nine Lives by: Peter Swanson
Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Mark Bramhall
Published on: March 15, 2022
Publisher: William Morrow
Number of Pages: 340
Audio Book: 7Hrs 11 Min

Description

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke – until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor.

FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next….

Review

I am a sucker for any book with a number in the title. It is obviously a ploy to grab my attention and I freely admit that it works on me. You add on a not so subtle nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and then I am doubly interested. So now that I’ve finished it, did it work for me? Yes and No.

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Elektra: A Novel of the House of Atreus

On By agardenofbooks2In Fantasy - General, Miscellaneous

Elektra by: Jennifer Saint
Published on: May 3, 2022
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Number of Pages: 289

Description

The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.

Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon – her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them, and determines to win, whatever the cost.

Cassandra
Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.

Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But, can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?

Review

The House of Atreus carried a curse. A particularly gruesome one, even by the standards of divine torment.

Three women. Three different stories. In Elektra, the author weaves the stories of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra together, allowing us to witness events during the Trojan War from their perspective. Life is rarely kind to the women in Greek tragedies as they live in fear of either the whims of the gods or of men.

When I read Ariadne, the previous book by the author, I would grow frustrated with the main character for not taking more control over her own life. Looking back, I was probably harsher on her than I should have been. But I cannot say the same for the women in Elektra. Unlike Ariadne who I wished took more control, the women in Elektra took decisive actions that forever changed the course of their story. But as much as I appreciate how they took more initiative, it is difficult, if not impossible, to ignore how some of those choices are just simply flawed and come with terrible consequences.

Every word I speak is unwelcome.

– Cassandra

In thinking about the three women, I hate to lump Cassandra together with Clytemnestra and Elektra. Cassandra is much more sympathetic and I found myself growing frustrated on her behalf. Seeing the future, but never believed. And if someone did believe her, the future remain unchanged due to that individuals own obstinance. My only concern regarding her story is that I couldn’t make sense of why everyone thought she was mad or disturbed. Or perhaps it is more appropriate to say I never could figure out why she couldn’t provide a reasonable voice to what she was seeing. You don’t have to know everything that will occur in the future in order to say “This small thing is what I saw.”

But for Clytemnestra and Elektra… Where does one even start. The author does an excellent job of showing all the steps that led to the path this mother and daughter took and to the consequences that you know are inevitable. But still…Elektra. Her singular focus on a father she barely knew. Her fixation and devotion to the idea of a man that clearly did not exist, I could never understand. But what struck me at times was how little regard she had for women experiencing cruelty at the hands of the gods and men. Her lack of empathy and sympathy shows how small her emotional range is and I can’t help but wonder if she is a caricature of herself and not fleshed out or if it is the best way to explain what is potentially a mental disorder. It is clear that Clytemnestra ignored her, which added to Elektra’s problems, but I find that Elektra should have been able to reach some reasonable conclusions to past events that she willfully chose to ignore.

The book evokes so many thoughts and emotions that I never could pin one thought down in regards to the characters. I would feel so incredibly sad for Clytemnestra and then several pages later so frustrated with her. The women are complex and it shows by their decisions and with the rationale and motives behind those decisions. In the end, the stories of each of the women and the build up of all the pieces kept me thoroughly engaged. Often I found myself reading longer than I had originally planned.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Still Life – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Mystery - General

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1 by: Louise Penny
Published on: September 30, 2008

“Three Pines wasn’t on any tourist map, being too far off any main or even secondary road. Like Narnia, it was generally found unexpectedly and with a degree of surprise that such an elderly village should have been hiding in this valley all along. Anyone fortunate enough to find it once usually found their way back.”

My first Louise Penny book! I’ve read so many wonderfully written reviews on a few of her books that it was becoming difficult not to add her books to my list, especially since I enjoy detective stories/police procedurals.

Still Life is set in the small village of Three Pines, Quebec Canada. And when a retired teacher who also enjoys painting is found dead it sends shock waves throughout the close-knit community. To help solve the mystery of her death, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in and begin their investigation.

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The Post Script Murders – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Audio Book Reviews, Mystery - General

Harbinder Kaur #2 by: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Nina Wadia
Published on: March 2, 2021

Before picking up The Postscript Murders, I had come to the conclusion that it was just not practical or possible for some of the main elements from The Stranger Diaries to carry over. This was mostly true with the story within a story format since the short story, The Stranger, was very unique to Clare, the first book’s main character. The short story not only introduced the gothic atmosphere, but the fictional author as well, both of which had a distinct presence throughout the book.

I mention this in hopes that no one goes in and is immediately disappointed. The Postscript Murders is a terrific murder mystery, but it does not carry over several elements that made The Stranger Diaries unique and memorable. It can be jarring. Once or twice, I thought to myself that it almost felt as if it were written by a different author, or was part of a different series.

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The Book of Cold Cases – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Thriller

The Book of Cold Cases by: Simone St. James
Published on: March 15, 2022

“The wind groaned in the eaves. The handprint faded. The figure moved back into the darkness. And the house was still once more.”

Shea is a divorced, 29-year old receptionist at a medical office. Outside of work she has is obsessed with true crime and runs a blog called The Book of Cold Cases that has quite a bit of followers. But her blog is also therapeutic for her as it helps Shea work through a traumatic experience that occurred when she was a child. While at work one day, Beth Greer, a woman who was acquitted for multiple counts of murder back in the 70’s, walks into the office. Everyone believes Beth got away with murder and Beth’s attitude during the trial made her infamous. But Beth and the events fascinate Shea and she can’t help herself – Shea asks if she can interview Beth and get her side of the story.

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Peach Spring Blossom – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Miscellaneous

Peach Spring Blossom by: Melissa Fu
Published on: March 15, 2022

“To know a story is to stroke the silken surfaces of loss, to feel the weight of beauty in his hands. To know a story is to carry it always, etched in his bones, even if dormat for decades.”

Every so often a book becomes more than just a book. This is one of those times. The story was mesmerizing and if I’m honest there were occasions it left me an emotional wreck. I was completely captivated from the first two sentences. But it wasn’t necessarily always from the story, although it was rather good. But instead, it was gradual as I began to understand its message and meaning.

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The Echo Wife – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Sci Fi

The Echo Wife by: Stuart TurtonSarah Gailey
Published on: February 16, 2021

“All I wanted to do is sting, sting, sting until he fell down swollen and dead.”- Evelyn

If you have ever spent 8 1/2 hours locked in a car ride with a person you absolutely do not like and had to listen to them go on and on about their problems and how every single one of them is someone else’s fault, then you might understand how I felt listening to this audio book. The Echo Wife is told in first person and listening to Evelyn with her barely controlled rage complain about how the entire world has been absolutely awful to her made me almost quit at 15%, 20%, 30%….. I was determined to get through the book and so I agreed with myself to only listen to Evelyn for 30 minutes at a time. Surely that was doable. It wasn’t. 30 minutes slowly dwindled to 10-15 minutes at a time. Sigh.

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The Devil and the Dark Water – Book Review

On By agardenofbooks2In Audio Book Reviews, Fantasy - General, Mystery - General

The Devil and the Dark Water by: Stuart Turton
Published on: October 6, 2020

“Surviving isn’t winning. It is what you do when you’ve lost.“

The Devil and the Dark Water is a paranormal mystery inspired by the Batavia shipwreck of 1628. The true story of the Batavia is horrific. A shipwreck by itself would be terrifying, but it takes a further insidious and sinister turn even after the survivors find their way to a nearby island. If you ever happen to read the true account, you might actually think it is a bad plot of a horror novel, except in this case it happens to be true. Drawing on this, the author uses people/roles, names, and places to create his story. And while there are similarities The Devil and the Dark Water is not a retelling or accounting of the actual shipwreck, but is its own unique story.

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