Synopsis Something darker than the devil stalks the North Carolina woods in Wolf Worm, a new gothic masterpiece from New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher “I saw the devil in these woods.” Sonia Wilson is a talented scientific illustrator—but she is only able to follow her dream because of her father’s reputation as a renowned scientist. Such […]
About C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead)
Review: Doomed to Die: An A–Z of Death in Tolkien by Tom Racine
Synopsis J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings meets Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies in this darkly satirical illustrated parody of the Tolkien universe: ‘A is for Arwen broken by sorrows; B is for Boromir punctured by arrows. C is for Celebrimbor hung out to dry; D is for Denethor…’ ‘Stories – frankly, human stories are always about one thing […]
Review: Mother Dauber by K. Bengston
Synopsis From the author of ‘The Boatman’ comes a frightening and gruesome tale of disease, memory, and family. SOME MEMORIES ARE BURIED . . . OTHERS HATCH Delilah Jones, a recent ornithology graduate, returns to Clear Fork at the request of her uncle to take care of her dementia-riddled mother. It should have been a somber, […]
Review: A Colder Home by Jillian Maria
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 […]
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 […]