Synopsis Amateur cinematographer Cleo Moss hasn’t tried to make a film since her father’s death three years ago. Her cousin Noah, a director, is convinced that her latest script is the perfect opportunity to try again, but Cleo is less sure. Those reservations grow when a blizzard nearly runs them off the road on their […]
About C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead)
Review: Queen of Thieves Box Set: Defenders of Legend by Andy Peloquin
THAT’S RIGHT! I loved this trilogy so much that I’m not done boosting it to the masses! Child-, Thief-, and Queen of the Night Guild are some of the best in indie. Grimdark sword and sorcery that packs a band of thieves into so much action, grief, struggle, and perseverance. I wanted to check these […]
Review: Hannibal Lecter: A Life by Brian Raftery
Synopsis Drawing from exclusive interviews and previously unseen archival materials, this one-of-its-kind biography of Hannibal Lecter documents the cannibal’s journey from terrifying villain to unexpectedly adored antihero. This unique biography traces the many lives and crimes of Hannibal Lecter: his disturbing debut in Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel Red Dragon; his rise to infamy in beloved films […]
Review: Queen of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves 3) by Andy Peloquin
Synopsis Her life burned to ashes. Her city under siege. She will sacrifice everything she has for bloody vengeance. Ilanna has lost everything: her friends, her home, her family, her dreams of freedom. All that remains is a burning desire to find the bastards who burned down her city and tried to kill her. But […]
Review: Netflix’s Stranger Things by The Duffer Brothers
Synopsis In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries. Stranger Things When I originally watched, it was new, and it was exploding into the phenomenon it would become all around us. Retro fashion, toys, terms, […]
Review: Thief of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves 2) by Andy Peloquin
Synopsis The impossible becomes inevitable with the fate of her loved ones hanging in the balance… A cunning thief of unrivaled ingenuity, Ilanna is determined to secure her freedom at any cost. No price is too high to break the shackles of the Night Guild’s callous cruelty. With her future on the line, nothing will […]
Review: Toothsucker by Kaden Love
Synopsis In a cyberpunk future, an alarming disease strikes, dissolving the bones of those with cybernetic enhancements. Petya, a refugee, sells himself to a company experimenting with a potential cure and instead finds himself with a strange new implant… and a vampiric hunger for teeth. Petya only wanted a short trial with easy money, and […]
Review: Child of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves 1) by Andy Peloquin
Synopsis They killed her family. They ripped apart her home. But to repay her debts, she’ll have to sacrifice her innocence. Robbed of everything she loves, Viola mourns the sudden loss of her mother. Now burdened with an impossible debt to the Night Guild, she’s forced to train as a cunning thief. Subjected to cruelty […]
Review: Down Came the Spiders by Ally Russell
Synopsis A middle school spin on Arachnophobia that is perfect for fans of K.R. Alexander and Mary Downing Hahn. Can you outrun eight legs? Andi is not afraid of spiders. They have cool fangs. They hunt using vibrations. They can even create silk on demand to make amazing homes. So when Andi learns about a spider collection at […]
Review: Her Last Christmas by Claire McGowan
Synopsis “She thought it was their first Christmas together, it turned out to be her last…” When Emma joins her new boyfriend Michael for a ‘Friendmas’ in the Alps, she’s quickly thrust into an exclusive world of privilege, partying, and politics. Emma can’t ski and is out of place among the close-knit group, but she’s […]
Review: 25 Days by Per Jacobsen
Synopsis The countdown to Christmas has never been scarier than in this internationally bestselling holiday horror novel from Per Jacobsen. Hoping to bring his family closer together, Adam Gray arranges a vacation in a remote cabin on a snowy mountain. Things take a dark turn, however, when someone starts leaving gifts in the Christmas stocking […]
C. J. Daley’s Top Reads of 2025
Another year is coming to a close if you can believe it…and I have once again read some books! As always, it’s a trial narrowing it down for me. All of them have been 5/5 star reads for me, so each and every one has my full endorsement. I’m currently at 90 reads completed for […]