Dark Corners is a fast-paced thriller with a few twists and turns. While there are some twists and turns in the novel, there are also a lot of parts that were rather predictable but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the narrative. The audiobook was simply ok and did not do the novel justice. At times I felt like the narration was too monotone and flat, although I did like that there were different narrators.

Having read many of Palahniuk‘s novels I was very excited when given the opportunity to listen to Shock Induction, but even with my knowledge of his style I found myself rather lost throughout this novel. There is an amazing story here, I just struggled only listening to the story and not having the words in my hands. It seemed like the story jumped around a bit and I often wasn‘t sure how I got to where I was and what happened to lead up to it.

When I saw there was a new novel Brom in the world I jumped at the chance to immerse myself in another of his stories, and Evil in Me did not disappoint. I enjoyed the characters, the events, and especially the music. Not only did Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker do an amazing job telling the story, the fact that music by The Maxines was included was simply epic. Not only did I like the song, but I loved how it brought people together.

Saint allows the reader to see Hera in a different light. There seemed to be too many events packed in, taking opportunities to better understand Hera away. Saint does a great job painting pictures of the settings and many of the events; I could really see, with great detail, what was happening. The audiobook was hit-or-miss. I also felt as though Fredrick was too monotoned and even paced in her delivery of the material, even the eventful parts.

I was intrigued by the premise, but it moved a little too slow. I also feel like there needed to be more of a focus on Emilia. The narrative jumps between timelines, taking the reader on a journey both within the present and to the past. The audiobook for Sacrificial Animals was well done, however I really began to enjoy the audiobook more at ¾ of the way through the novel because that is when things really started to pick up.

The cast of characters are simply phenomenal. They are all everyday people doing whatever is necessary to save those whom they love and the planet as a whole; I could really connect with all of them and feel their terror as they navigate an unimaginable situation, as well as their bravery and selflessness. The audiobook was amazing as well. I loved the addition of sound effects and voice modification during the CB radio and intercom sections.

This novel is making a strong statement through the use of satire and comedy about our society. We have an almost desperate, addictive need for things like electronic devices and social media and the need for affirmation through those, as well as the rapid and dangerous effects that misinformation and rumors can have. Fliakos did a phenomenal job narrating this novel. I can‘t think of a narrator with the ability to do justice to Pargin‘s novel.

There are so many complex, well-developed characters. Cordelia is a wonderful protagonist and Evangeline is a villain that is easy to hate, but it‘s the supporting characters that bring this story to life. I enjoyed the twists and turns and was surprised by many of them. The audiobook added to my enjoyment. I love that two narrators were used, allowing them both to bring different things to the story making it that much more enjoyable overall.

This was a very strange novel. I found myself rather irritated by Mina because of how weak she seems; I would never allow myself to be treated like she is. That being said, I think the message that I took away from the novel would not exist if Mina‘s strength was seen from the beginning. I liked the sprinklings of Jane‘s opera throughout the narrative and what they brought to the story. I do believe that there is a rather powerful message sent.

This was a fun novel to read. The world building is great and I loved the magical and supernatural elements that are utilized throughout were unique yet, at times, a bit twisted. Leopold is a great character. I felt as though he represents an average “loser” teen and young people can relate to, and seeing his growth throughout the novel only added to the entertainment. While it was slow at times, I was always wondering what would happen next.

I did find the novel rather predictable and many of the twists bordered on the absurd. For a majority of the narrative I was hooked, but there were other parts that seemed to drag, taking me out of the story. I did enjoy Maarleveld‘s narration of the story. Each character was given their own unique voice and individual personality. I did have to speed up the pace a little, but once I did that the pacing and inflection were, in my opinion, spot on.

I was excited to listen to this based on its summary, but it was not at all what I was hoping for. There are an insane amount of chapters. There were so many times where I spent more time listening to the number of the chapter than the action within the chapter. I was also rather put off by the ending as well. It has nothing to do with what happened exactly, it just seemed too unrelated to the story in some ways, and was rather abrupt as well.

There were events and characters that added little to nothing to the story. At times I did not like the ways in which LGBTQIA+ individuals were described or referred to, such as using the term “late-blooming” to refer to individuals who identify as trans. The audiobook was absolutely phenomenal. I loved the unique voices that were used for the characters and the ways in which they were brought to life, as well as the tone and inflection changes.

This novel went back and forth for me. I really liked was the ending. While it was rather predictable as to the “who” I still found it to fit with the story as a whole and was surprised by the motivations of that character. I did find Julia to be an annoying character. Her reactions were not appropriate for the events and I would not have acted in the same way. She seemed not to care about big things and overreacted to others.

This is a novel full of twists and turns that I enjoyed. There are a lot of chapters in this novel, and I do mean a lot, creating a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat novel. The ending was a little odd though, and didn‘t quite fit with the story and the characters in my opinion. I went back and forth with the audiobook. My biggest issue was the pace of the narration. For a novel that is supposed to be a thriller the narration was way too slow.

The chapters are short, which helps to make it a fast-paced novel, but there were so many pieces that were too unbelievable to me; some things were a little too far fetched. The audiobook was okay. I liked that there were multiple narrators used, especially since the novel is told from the viewpoints of multiple people. I found the pace to be rather slow, especially for a thriller, and at times the delivery was flat and monotoned, but not always.

I found this to be a very entertaining story full of strong female characters. Òdòdó is a remarkable individual and I took delight in joining her on her journey. Sangoyomi is a masterful storyteller, using words to paint spectacular scenes and events. I also enjoyed the audiobook. The inflection and changes of pace effectively conveyed the various feelings, emotions and experiences of the characters, creating a tone that fit well with the story.

This I s a fun young adult mystery that, while rather predictable and cliche was nevertheless enjoyable. I liked the dual point of views used to tell the story, along with the flashbacks to that fateful night. I do believe that the story could have been executed a little better; young adult novels have become substantially better over the last few years and this one didn‘t fully hit the mark, but it was still a fun story.

This is a powerful novel that is beautifully written. The themes and emotions that it touches on are intense at times, but bring with them a powerful message. At times I did find myself a little lost or confused however; there were things that occurred that I questioned or were completely baffled by. I‘m not really sure why there was the use of magical realism in the story and what part it played in the telling of the tale.

I feel that this is a story with a lot of potential, but it did not quite deliver. For a novel that is listed as a thriller, I did not find there to be much suspense. The ending was a bit of a disappointment as well. I thought the presentation of the novel by Pino was well done. I liked the life that he gave to the characters through the use of different voices, although the pacing was a little slow for my tastes.

I loved that it contained elements from some of my favorite genres: mystery, thriller, science-fiction, and dystopia, and Turton weaves all of these various elements together really well. The novel also contains a countdown of sorts, leading to what will be the end of the world if they are unable to solve the murder, it lends a sense of urgency to the novel and creates quite the page-turner. Turton creates a number of complex characters as well.

Hannah is a rather interesting character. I can completely understand how she fell into the hole she did and why she had many of the feelings and motivations that she did. I also found William to be an intriguing character; I had my suspicions about him but there were still a couple of surprises along the way. I really liked the way that the story was told–if there had not been letters between Hannah and William included I would have been bummed.

On the surface Service Model is an extremely entertaining novel that I was hooked on after the first few minutes of listening to the audiobook version. That being said, I did not receive a digital copy until I was practically done with the novel, and I feel that I missed a lot by not reading the novel while I listened to it. Not seeing the names of the sections with my eyes means I did not make the connection that the sections represent authors.

Not having read any of the former novels in the series I was rather surprised by the fact that I was never lost. I greatly enjoyed the characters and everything they brought to the story. While the story is primarily told from the perspective of Myron, there are some chapters sprinkled throughout that are told from the killer‘s perspective, which added an extra element to the narrative; I think these were my favorite chapters in the novel.

This novel was a bit of a struggle for me. There were numerous times in which I was confused as to what was happening and why and rereading sections did not always clear things up; it seemed like things were jumping all over the place and I was never sure where the characters were going to land. I felt as though many of the characters were not developed enough, and I found myself not really caring what happened to them as the narrative progressed.

At times I was rather confused about what was happening, forcing me to reread sections with the hope of obtaining some clarity. At other times I was very intrigued with what was occurring, but then something would happen or someone would come along and I would find myself lost again. I found Kajal to be a very interesting character. I really liked the strength that she showed throughout the narrative, as well as her stubbornness and intelligence.

This has a little bit of everything: mystery, magic, intrigue, and a great group of characters. I found myself greatly interested in their lives and their struggles. They contain honest emotions and reactions and were well developed. I especially enjoyed seeing Nhika‘s strength throughout, as well as her overall growth. I can‘t wait to see what is in store for these characters in the next novel of this duology.

This isn‘t the type of novel that I typically read but I found it to have relevant themes and a very powerful message, mainly about the power that men try to hold over women and the life-altering effects that control can have. The narrative is told through duel timelines: the present and a letter written to Dominguez from Tatum. These two timelines worked very well together, seamlessly weaving the past with the present.

Sadly this was an extremely predictable novel; there was very little within this novel that surprised me. The story itself is rather fast-paced–I flew through it relatively quickly–but it honestly lacked any real horror. I think the most twisted thing about the entire narrative was Javier himself. I also felt as though the ending was rather abrupt and left a lot of unanswered questions; it was almost like Henry didn‘t know how to end the novel.

This came across as an honest novel, from the portrayal of teenagers and their problems–large and insignificant–as well as their relationships with their parents, to the raw and rash behavior by their parents. I also liked the way in which Nichols chose to present the events. While a majority of the novel follows Alex and Isabel it also contains sections from the point of view of the killer, all without giving away the individual‘s identity.

I thought I was going to read a book that was more about the search for justice, but there is so much more to this story than that. Lieu examines her thoughts, concepts and definitions of perfection, the American Dream, and justice, and she does all of this with total honesty. I also enjoyed the glimpses of Vietnamese culture throughout, as well as seeing the ways in which different groups respond to and process grief.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. LaBlanc uses intonation and inflection, as well as pace changes, to hook the listener. I did need to speed up the pace due to my own personal preferences, but I still found the pace after the adjustment to be spot-on. Often I like to have a copy to follow along with, but this was one where I was able to fully enjoy the audiobook without the words in front of me, which is a testament to LaBlanc‘s narration.

Had this not been sent, I would not have finished it. There didn‘t seem to be any passion in the writing, nor in the characters; it read more like a fact-filled history book than a novel of fiction. I had no connection to the characters, and hence I couldn‘t care less what happened to them. The descriptions were lacking and the action did not pull me in. For me the artwork throughout the novel was the best part of the whole novel.

This came across as an honest novel, from the portrayal of teenagers and their problems to their relationships with their parents to the raw and rash behavior by their parents. There were some sections that were a little slow, but when things really got going it became an edge-of-my-seat mystery, I just wish it hadn‘t taken so long to get there. It was nice to have my suspicions about the killer‘s identity but still come across some surprises.

This fell a little short for me. It almost seemed like it was trying to be too many things at once–thriller, mystery, romance, fantasy–causing many of these to be lacking and not fully developed. I never really felt a connection to any of the characters, almost to the point where I didn‘t care what happened to them. I also felt that, with the target audience being teens/young adult, the writing didn‘t quite vibe with that audience.

I kind of struggled with this novel. I liked the basic premise of the story but I really found myself struggling with the characters. I honestly found them rather annoying and weak. Emily Joyce did a great job narrating. She used inflection and changes in her tone to present the story in such an enjoyable way. I also greatly appreciated that fact that a narrator with a British accent was used for a story based in England with European characters.

I found this novel to be full of suspense, suspense that kept me at the edge of my seat throughout. I really liked the characters of Blair and Cameron. They are well developed and all, but the thing that I think I liked the most about them is that they are so very different, which not only adds some variety, but it also shows young adult readers that people who are very different can still have strong, positive relationships with each other.

I found this novel to be full of suspense, suspense that kept me at the edge of my seat throughout. I really liked the characters of Blair and Cameron. They are well developed and all, but the thing that I think I liked the most about them is that they are so very different, which not only adds some variety, but it also shows young adult readers that people who are very different can still have strong, positive relationships with each other.

This is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction that I really enjoyed. Both Gemma and May act as narrators, offering similar yet unique perspectives about the events taking place and the feelings held by many of the characters; these two sisters could not be more different. While there is a decent mystery within the narrative I think the historical and social commentaries carry the story just as much, if not more.

While this was an enjoyable novel that hooked me right from the start, it also contains a deeper message, which makes this novel so much more. I adored Aina. She is such a strong character with her heart in the right place, and I really took an interest in what her future held for her. Between the themes, the characters, the action and the mystery, Spin of Fate is a novel that I not only enjoyed, but also made me eager for the next in the series.

This was an enjoyable novel from start to finish. While it was a little predictable at times I still found the mystery and suspense to be solid. The characters are well developed and I really found myself taking an interest in Tru and Rio‘s lives. The descriptions and figurative language paint a complete picture of the characters, their feelings, the setting, and, most importantly, the world of freediving.

Mercury is not the typical genre that I find myself reading; for the most part I enjoy it. The writing style allowed me to immerse myself into the lives of Marley and the Joseph family. I could understand their feelings and emotions, along with their decisions and motivations. I was also able to experience, along with the characters, their personal growth and development. Mercury is a raw, honest novel that contains some significant themes.

This is Alex Michaelides‘s third novel and having read the other two I had high hopes and high expectations for The Fury. Unfortunately while I did enjoy the novel it didn‘t fully live up to my expectations. I could not stand the narrator, Elliot; while I understand that he isn‘t meant to be a reliable narrator, I found him extremely irritating and annoying nonetheless. The chapters are short which helps to move the narrative along rather quickly.

The mystery was intriguing once things got going, and I also really liked seeing Florence come out of her shell. Between the era, the speakeasy, the characters and the story I found this to be a fun series to return to. I also enjoyed the audiobook. Young gives each character their own personality and voice, making each one unique. I wish the pace had been a little faster, but between the inflection and tone it was still an enjoyable audiobook.

This is an interesting, young adult supernatural thriller that I flew through. While Bronwyn did seem like a whiny teen at times she is honestly portrayed. The audiobook honestly left a lot to be desired. While iiKane gave Bronwyn and Anais their own voices and personalities there were a lot of long, awkward pauses in places they didn‘t belong and parts that were sped up and full of inflection that did nothing to aid in the telling of the story.

I truly appreciated Winkler‘s honesty in this novel–about himself and others–and the ways in which he turns his tales of struggles into an inspirational story highlighting his perseverance. It shows how if you work towards a dream, any obstacle can be overcome if you want it, and while you might not always succeed in the way you originally intended, things happen for a reason and you can always learn and grow from your experiences.

The thing I liked the most about this novel is that it is told from the perspectives of many narrators. I also liked the nonlinear timeline and the way in which the past and the present were woven together to tell the entire story. It was fast-paced and entertaining, I just wish it was a little less predictable. I also liked that there were multiple individuals used as narrators in the audiobook, giving each of the main characters their own voice.

I found Gabe and Pippa to be borderline annoying, and their marriage had dysfunctional written all over it. I think the ending is the only thing that surprised me in the whole book, an ending that did fit rather well. The one thing I liked about the audiobook is that there were two narrators, one for Pippa and one for Amanda. I felt like this allowed for the characters to have their own personalities to go along with their individual voices.

“End of the Liner”, about people living their lives–literally their whole lives–on a cruise ship is one of my favorites. “I‘m Not Ted” is a humorous story about a man who arrives at The Elevation Department and can‘t seem to convince anyone that he is not Ted. “Final Course”, “The Copy Shop”, and “Dust” all have Twilight Zone vibes and I enjoyed them immensely. “Runaway Blues” has a deliciously twisted ending that I loved!

I struggled with this novel. There were some sections that were slow and dragged, but others that were edge-of-my-seat good. I enjoyed the characters, especially Matteo, but the ending fell a little flat for me, almost seeming rushed. In the audiobook I loved the various voices given to the different characters, and I can say that the way in which Matteo is presented probably added to the entertainment I received from his character.